One of the most subtle and gifted actors to take on the role of the Time Lord, Peter Capaldi has been terrific at the helm of the TARDIS over the past four years.
But before 2017 comes to an end, he’ll be handing over the mantle to someone else. The new Doctor will see their first full season, under new boss Chris Chibnall, transmitted in 2018.
But what are the most important qualities in any new Doctor? What will Chibnall be looking for?
We suggest that the next Doctor should be…
…someone diverse
The Doctor has been a white male 13 times out of 13. Surely it’s about time things were shaken up a bit in the TARDIS?
We’re talking about an alien who, it has been clearly irrefutably established, can regenerate into a humanoid form of any age, race or gender. The production team only really got away with Peter Capaldi becoming the show’s thirteenth consecutive white male Doctor because he was, well, Peter Capaldi.
Whether we get the first non-white Doctor, or the first female Doctor (or, heck, both), it’d make for something of a welcome change in a show that has only survived for so long because of how it strives on change.
Not to make this too political, but in a year in which misogyny, fascism and xenophobia seem to be on the rise, wouldn’t it send a great message to the world to have the Doctor buck the trend? Isn’t that just the kind of thing the Doctor would do, if he could see what the world looked like in 2017?
…someone young(er)
Without wanting to imply that Capaldi was too old to take on the role – far from it – it seems inevitable that the next Doctor will be someone younger. (Capaldi is in fact older than William Hartnell was during his time in the role, so we’d be very surprised to see an older Doctor.)
The new Doctor is likely to be older than Matt Smith was when he was anointed, mind: we’re probably looking at somebody in their mid-30s, perhaps with early 40s as an upper limit. This would bring a fresh new dynamic to the show after an older, sterner Doctor – but without deviating far from some of the younger Doctors of the past.
It’s also no secret that, although fandom has widely adored Capaldi in the role, the general audience (particularly at the younger end) simply haven’t taken to his Doctor in the way that they responded to David Tennant and Matt Smith. Given the cost of making the show, it’s not selling out to cast a Doctor that will appeal to a more mainstream audience in order to ensure its continuation.
…someone outgoing
It’s not much commented upon, but to play the Doctor in this media-obsessed age, you need a certain degree of comfort with publicity.
You need to be ready to have your face plastered over lunchboxes, books, T-shirts, DVDs and more. You need to be up for the chat show round, radio interviews, promotional videos, specially shot trailers, turning up to events in character, the lot! And okay with the fact that all this won’t even end once you eventually leave the show – it’s essentially a job for life.
Although acting ability is of course far more important, Chibnall would do well to ensure that anyone auditioning for the part is prepared for the huge scrutiny and stardom it will bring.
…someone with range
This is the most important quality of any actor to play the Doctor. The part is so vast, and encompasses so many opposites and contrasting elements, that the most successful Doctors are those with broad acting range, able to turn on a dime from fun, silly and lovable to brooding, intense and terrifying.
We need a Doctor who can thrill us with wonderful adventures and then scare us with the alienness of their outlook on the universe, then make us laugh with some of the most eccentric name-drops you’ve ever heard.
If an actor can do that – make us laugh, make us shudder, make us cry – then they’ve found the way to their audience’s hearts.
Who do you want to see as the next Doctor? Let us know below…