Who is the Next Doctor in “Doctor Who?”

Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie

We don’t actually know who the next Doctor will be, but we can make a few declarative statements on who it won’t be.

With the surprisingly departure of Peter Capaldi from the title role of Doctor Who, rumors have been flying fast and thick about the casting of his replacement. One of the most interesting ones is that it would be female. This, the BBC has flatly denied. They appear more interested in another David Tennant type, and aren’t feeling lucky enough to take a chance on a casting decision of this magnitude.

The Sun is reporting that the Corporation’s complaints officer, Joanne Coyne, wrote to a fan that there are “currently no plans” for a female Doctor. Responding to a concerned parent’s letter in which he said that switching the gender of the role would confuse his children, Coyne wrote: “We appreciate that you’re a big Doctor Who fan and you have concerns that the programme would change should there be a female doctor. Be assured there are currently no plans to have a female Doctor Who.”

Another BBC spokeswoman, meanwhile, said: “No casting decisions have yet been made on Series 11.”

Rumored replacement for Capaldi, Kris Marshall

So that’s that. Unless the actor has a Y chromosome, they will not be in the running for casting of the new Doctor. Who will it be? Even the BBC doesn’t know yet, but there are rumors flying around about Kris Marshall (Death in Paradise), David Harewood (Homeland) and Tom Rosenthal (Plebs), the most credible of which seem to be centered around Marshall, who announced he was leaving his role as DI Humphrey Goodmanin BBC crime drama Death in Paradise at the same time Capaldi announced that was leaving his own role as The Doctor. “He’s been cast for Doctor Who,” they say, “and they’ve already started filming.” While these statements are true, it does not necessarily mean that Marshall has been cast as Capaldi’s replacement. He apparently is in an upcoming episode, but not as a regeneration of our beloved Doctor. He may be the Master, regenerating in an attempt to deceive one of the Doctor’s companions, possibly Bill Potts as played by Pearl Mackie.

It is sad indeed that it appears that we will only get one season out of the current production team, but we can at least rule out a few possibilities as to what happens next.

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SCIFI Radio Staff

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