The Timelord Victorious.
The Oncoming Storm!
Everyone's favorite alien Doctor from the planet of Gallifrey, Doctor Who, currently
portrayed by Jodi Whitaker, is currently winding down her tenure as the current regeneration
of the Doctor on the popular British sci-fi fantasy series' 13th season.
Whitaker, the 13th incarnation of the TARDIS-flying time traveler, who, by the way, bears the
distinct honor of being the first female actress to play the iconic role, has been at the helm
of the reboot series for a couple of years now.
With showrunner Chris Chibnall taking the reigns of the program in terms of writing
and production, Whitaker has been squabbling with Daleks, Cybermen, Weeping Angels, and
various other alien species for the last three seasons.
And as has been the pattern of the last few incarnations of the Doctor, who have stuck
around for three seasons before passing the sonic screwdriver along, Whitaker will be
taking her bow from the series at the end of this current season, allowing for a new
actor to take over the role as Doctor.
While this kind of swap of a show's lead would typically be met with outcry by fans if it
were another beloved series, Doctor Who has cleverly incorporated the plot device of 'regeneration'
into its framework pretty much since its conception.
The First Doctor, William Hartnell, headlined the classic series from 1963 to 1966.
When he departed the show, the producer at the time, Innes Lloyd, came up with the brilliant
idea that since the Doctor was an alien, he could transform himself physically into a
new form, thus renewing himself.
So, in the fourth episode of the serial The Tenth Planet, which took place during the
classic show's fourth season, the first Doctor regenerated into Patrick Troughton's Second
Doctor.
Not only has the addition of regeneration routinely breathed new life into the decades-spanning
franchise, but it has also opened up the door allowing for the series to go on indefinitely
– or at least as long as it proves to still be profitable for the BBC.
So, the big question that every Whovian is asking right about now is who will be the
14th Doctor!
Join Trender as we discuss some of the names of potential candidates that have been floating
around in recent months.
But, even though Jodi Whitaker has already filmed her regeneration sequence, even she
is left guessing who the next incumbent might be.
Olly Alexander
One of the most popular choices for Whitaker's replacement, and the one that the bookies
seemed to have been most focused on for a bit, was Olly Alexander, best known for his
work on Russell T. Davies British drama miniseries It's A Sin.
Davies.
And, as fans of the Whoniverse already know, Davies served as head writer and executive
producer of the reboot series from its first season to its fourth.
But it seems that Alexander just ruled himself out of the running for the role in a recent
interview that he gave to the Press Association.
Olly confirmed that he would not be the new Doctor, although he was excited about the
prospect of Davies returning to the series once again as its showrunner for the upcoming
season.
Omari Douglas
Douglas, although a bit of a newcomer, is another actor that is rumored to be up for
consideration for the role of the Doctor after Whitaker finishes up her tenure.
The Sun reported recently that he was the new frontrunner for the role, and likewise,
TV Insider referred to him as the 'perfect candidate on so many levels'.
Douglas, like Olly Alexander, also appeared in Russell T. Davies' series It's A Sin, playing
the character Roscoe Babatunde.
Previously he appeared in Midas Man and Wise Children, and in early 2021, he starred alongside
Russell Tovey at London's Vaudeville Theater.
Michael Sheen
Another potential Doctor-to-be that the bookies have taken a keen interest in is Michael Sheen,
who previously appeared in other sci-fi offerings such as Tron: Legacy, Good Omens, and Passengers.
And according to a viewer poll conducted by RadioTimes.com, he currently is a fan of the
series first pick for the coveted role.
Not only does Sheen seem qualified for the part, but he has also previously made an appearance
on Doctor Who, just as Peter Capaldi had done in the 2008 episode Fires Of Pompeii, before
taking over as the 12th Doctor following Matt Smith's run.
Sheen voiced the evil TARDIS-energy-sucking entity, House, in the 6th series.
And, in case you forgot, that's the episode where we learned that the TARDIS is one sexy
lady!
Not to get too off-topic, but if you're enjoying this video so far, show us a little support
by giving it a like and by subscribing to Trender if you haven't already.
And don't go anywhere just yet.
Stay tuned to learn about a few more stars that are currently said to be in the running
to be the next Doctor.
Lydia West
While Jodi Whitaker's time on the series has been met with a mixed-to-poor response from
fans, that has had little to do with the fact she is a woman.
What fans typically point to as being problematic with the series in recent years has been Chris
Chibnalls writing, which is often said to be uneven and disjointed.
Even though we would love to see Whitaker shine under Russell T. Davies's triumphant
return, her days are sadly numbered.
However, another actress that has been rumored to have in the race to be the next Doctor
is Lydia West.
Like Olly Alexander and Omari Douglas, she also appeared in Davies' It's A Sin series
as the compassionate roommate to the other residents of the Pink Palace, Jill Baker.
Back in October, UK bookmakers even had to temporarily suspend bets on who the 14th Doctor
might be because of the sheer number of people who were guessing that she might be it!
So, who knows!
She just might be getting herself a fancy new sonic screwdriver pretty soon.
Michael Cole
Yet another lady in the running to be the new Doc is two-time Bafta-winning actress
Michael Cole, who earned her recent accolades for the limited series I May Destroy You,
which she both created and starred in.
Cole is also a familiar face for science fiction fans as she previously acted in shows such
as Aliens and Black Mirror.
Having already earned her sci-fi street cred, Cole would definitely be a breath of fresh
air portraying the 14th Doctor.
While it seems like she would excel playing the character, many people have speculated
that she is unlikely to want to give up her freedom and enter into a long contract performing
someone else's material at this point in her career.
T'Nia Miller
Best known for her starring roles in The Haunting of Bly Mannor, Witless, and Years and Years,
Miller has become quite the popular choice for the next Doctor – especially after Russell
T. Davies announced his long-hoped-for return to the series.
One potential hang-up, however, is the fact that Miller has already appeared on Doctor
Who.
She previously portrayed the 12th regeneration of the Time Lord known as The General during
the Peter Capaldi years.
Miller has also appeared in offerings such as Netflix's 2019 comedy series Sex Education,
Amazon's 2019 sci-fi drama The Feed, and the 2015 Channel 4 BBC series Banana – which
was also created by Russell T. Davies.
Richard Ayoade
Best known for his role in The It Crowd as the socially-stunted yet lovable nerd Maurice
Moss, as well as for being the presenter for the reboot of the British game show The Crystal
Maze, Ayoade is quite the character.
He's quirky, off-beat, and incredibly witty, and his bursting-with-life personality would
work perfectly as another comical incarnation of the Doctor.
Whovians have been hoping to see another funny male Doctor ever since fan-favorite Matt Smith
left the series at the end of 2013.
No offensive, Jodi, we think you're great!
Kevin McNally
Perhaps best known for playing the pirate Joshamee Gibbs in all five of the Pirates
of the Caribbean films and the character Hugo Lang in the classic Doctor Who serial The
Twin Dilemma, Mcnally recently made another appearance on Doctor Who starting with the
Flux episode Village of the Angels as Professor Eustacious Jericho.
Back in November, fans began prematurely congratulating the 65-year-old actor for being the new Doctor
on his social media pages.
But apparently, now that Flux has aired, it appears as if they were merely getting a bit
too excited about his appearance in the series last three episodes.
It's pretty unlikely that he'll be playing the Doctor at this point.
Matt Berry
Berry has appeared in a handful of British comedies such as Toast of London, The Mighty
Boosh, and The It Crowd.
His most recent role was playing the lead in the FX series What We Do In The Shadows.
While his previous roles saw him playing outlandish, blusterous characters, being the Doctor would
be a bit of a departure.
Since Steven Toast is all geared up to return for Toast of Tinseltown, Berry just might
be ready to try on a more serious role for a change of pace.
Vicky McClure
Having appeared in series such as This Is England, The Secret Agent, Broadchurch, and
Line of Duty, McClure already has a pretty impressive CV.
In Line of Duty, McClure's character Kate Fleming always fought for the underdog, demanding
justice for those that needed it the most, so it's not very difficult to imagine her
playing the heroic Doctor who can't seem to pass up a cry for help.
And now that the nefarious Master is back in the show, she could easily adapt her experience
chasing down crooked cops into taking on evil Time Lords.
With the close of the Flux chapter, it's now only a matter of a couple of specials before
we learn who will be the next Doctor after Jodi Whitaker regenerates.
Who would you most like to see pick up the sonic screwdriver after her era ends?
And can you think of any potential 14th Doctor candidates that might be ideal for the role?
Let us know in the comments section down below.
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