Casting the Thirteenth Doctor: A Whovian's Wishlist

Recently, Peter Capaldi announced that he would be leaving Doctor Who after Series 10.

Which is sad, because he was becoming one of my favorite Doctors. I don’t know what it was, but there was something different about him that I really dug. Maybe it was the prickly exterior that gave way to a kind-hearted and vulnerable figure that treats his companions more like students. Maybe it was the fact that he once entered a medieval castle on a tank while playing an electric guitar. One of those two.

But since Steven Moffatt is stepping down as showrunner, I guess it makes sense for there to be a new Doctor for the new season as well. Regardless, I thought I’d throw my fez into the ring and discuss who I think would be a good Doctor for the show.

A lot of people are speculating the Thirteenth Doctor to be played by this guy:

Ben Whishaw. You probably know him better as Q from the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. 

Funnily enough, after I saw Skyfall – a year before I started watching Doctor Who – I thought to myself “This guy should play the Doctor.” As Q, he had that right balance of intelligence and quirkiness, a bit of a hipster without being obnoxious about it. These qualities I think would make for a great Doctor. And if casted, Whishaw would be the first openly gay actor to play the Doctor, which would be pretty cool. Maybe that would inspire the writers to explore the Doctor’s sexuality a bit more. Maybe the Doctor could fall in love with a male companion for a change. The Doctor’s pretty much canonically bisexual anyway, so why not shake things up a bit?

If the BBC wants a younger actor after Capaldi steps down, Whishaw is their best bet for another “adorkable, pretty white-boy” Doctor. But what if they decided to do something really different for number thirteen?

Another name I’ve seen thrown around a lot for the Doctor is Richard Ayoade. I’ll admit, I haven’t seen a lot of The IT Crowd, from what I’ve seen, Ayoade seems like a pretty good choice. He’s got a sort of deadpan, snarky charm to him. I could see him as a Doctor who doesn’t appear rattled by much, responding to sassy companions and universe-shaking cataclysms with the same kind of sarcastic remarks. People have been clamoring for the Doctor to be played by a person of color, so why not give Ayoade a shot?

Also, look at that hair! That ‘do could be a new icon of the show, right along with bow ties and Capaldei’s eyebrows.

Alongside a black Doctor, fans have wanted the Doctor to be female for a while. And one name keeps popping up:

Tilda Swinton. And yeah, I agree. She would make a brilliant Doctor. The way I see it, she could easily be one of the weirdest Doctors to ever appear on screen: an androgynous, David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust-esque figure who is very out there and barely in touch with the real world (kind of like Swinton as the Ancient One from Doctor Strange, but with more LSD). She’d be the most alien the Doctor has ever been, barely remembering what it is like to act like a human. Her entire tenure could be one big psychedelic experience by introducing some truly trippy sci-fi concepts and creatures.

All of my other choices have been popular fan-picks for the Doctor that I strongly agree with. But my final pick – possibly my number one pick overall – is a name that I don’t think I’ve seen at all on Whovian fancasts.

Thomas Brodie-Sangster.

Hear me out on this one: What if the Doctor was a kid?

Granted, Sangster is not a kid –he’s five years older than me – but look at him! He looks sixteen at the oldest! I’ve often thought of the Doctor as a Peter Pan-like figure: a fun-loving immortal who takes ordinary people to extraordinary places and changes their lives forever. So why not take that concept to the logical extreme and make the Doctor regenerate into someone who looks younger than he’s ever been. We've seen him regenerate into older incarnations, so why not test the limits of his regeneration by visiting the other end of the spectrum? 

Sangster’s Doctor would have to rely on his intellect and planning more than ever to make up for his unassuming appearance, an appearance which I think he could use to his advantage to lure his enemies into a false sense of security. He’d be a schemer and a trickster, like the Seventh Doctor. And Sangster’s no stranger to playing characters who are wiser than their age suggests. Just look at him as Jojen in Game of Thrones. Or, in a way, Ferb.

And yes, Sangster’s already been on Doctor Who – in the “Human Nature”/”Family of Blood” two-parter – but Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi were both minor characters on the show before taking the TARDIS keys for themselves. Sangster would already be familiar with the weirdness of the show to know what he was getting into.

But regardless of who the BBC and Chris Chibnall cast as the next Doctor, I know they’ll be the right choice. The character will still be the same kind, adventurous figure he – or she – has always been. No matter the face, age, race, or gender, they will still be the Doctor, true and true.

Also, bring back K-9. He's a good boy.