Next in Line: Who Should Be Matt Smith's Successor

by Apollo

The day after it was announced that Matt Smith was leaving, my sister asked me if I was going to post an article on my blog about who the next Doctor should be. I said that it was too early to speculate and that I wanted to wait until I was completely content with Matt leaving. That never happened, but I slowly started to compile a list in my head. The list consists of well known and not so well known actors, but in my honest opinion, I think it should go to someone who isn't very well-known as Doctor Who has a wonderful knack for opening doors for actors.


Ben Whishaw
I first saw him in The Hour and immediately fell in love with his character of Freddie. Then I watched
Brideshead Revisited where he starred alongside Matthew Goode (who's also on this list) and he has a remarkable ability to fit into any character he plays. The only problem I see with him, besides the fact that his fame has skyrocketed, is that he may be compared to Matt Smith with regards to some of his gestures (a word I coined as Matt Smith-isms). This may not be the best route to go if they want to start with a completely new Doctor, but I would love to see Ben piloting the TARDIS.

Helena-Bonham Carter
A pretty well known name, I know, but she's perfect to play a more eccentric Doctor. She'd be great to bridge that gap between the Doctor's eleventh incarnation and the Valeyard. She's a fantastic actress and I would love to see her in an episode written by Neil Gaiman. The only drawback, off course, is that she's to closely attached to other famous characters like Bellatrix Lestrange, The Red Queen among others. If any woman were to play the Doctor, it would be her.
Dev Patel
His fame shot up when he starred in Danny Boyle's film adaption of Slumdog Millionaire and before then he was only known for his role in Skins. Since then he has starred in The Last Airbender, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Newsroom showing his diversity. He has a sort of charm about him that can capture the audience and his companions and would be a great choice if they want to go the young actor route. 

Tom Hiddleston
He's an absolutely amazing actor and his smile... Sorry I got a bit carried away there for a second. He is well known as playing Loki in Thor and The Avengers. I think he would make a wonderful Doctor and  I think he would work perfectly with Jenna-Louise Coleman. He's also got that bit of charm and I know that almost every single girl's heart may skip a beat when he says "I'm the Doctor." Only drawback? He's probably busy filming more Avengers movies and is possibly one of the most in demand actors right now. But a girl can dream, can't she? 


Harry Lloyd
Most will recognise him as that creepy guy from the episode where David Tennant's Doctor was human, but recently he's acted in the BBC adaption of  Great Expectations as the well loved Herbert Pocket, in Game of Thrones as Viserys Targaryen and The Iron Lady as a young Denis Thatcher. Honestly, I don't have a particular reason for choosing him besides the fact that I think he's great and I want to see him play the Doctor. But he will be able to also play a darker, more mysterious side to the  Doctor while also giving us some light hearted moments. The only problem with this choice is that he's already associated with quite a famous episode of Doctor Who and trying to explain why the Doctor looks like a previous enemy would be hard.

Mathew Baynton
He's known for his roles on Horrible Histories and starring in the short lived comedy series, Spy. He's also friends with James Corden (Craig from The Lodger and Closing Time) and he has a great sense of humour. Mathew may be able to bring out the funnier side of the Doctor and we all know from his performances in Horrible Histories that he has the ability to make children laugh, but we will have to see how he fairs in the more serious moments that Doctor Who has. Another problem is that with the popularity of Horrible Histories he won't really have time for Doctor Who's twelve hour work day.




Some other names that have been circulating are Rupert Grint, Rory Kinnear (a favourite for the bookies), Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Helen Mirren (!), Daniel Kaluuya and Dominic Cooper. Who do you should be the new Doctor? Comment below and give me your suggestions.