Tilda Swinton Emerges as Early Doctor Who Candidate

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Betting is only in early days yet, but Tilda Swinton has emerged as an early favorite to be the first female lead in Doctor Who.

The final season of Peter Capaldi’s tenure is just under two months away, but already the speculation is heating up over who will take the role when he leaves. We’ve had our own suggestions here, and speculated that despite the vocal push for a person of color or a woman (or both!) to take the role, in the end the BBC won’t have the stones to do it. But now an early favorite has emerges, and surprise! It’s not a man.

According to The Independent, the betting house Ladbrooks had her running ahead of the pack. She’s even leading such male contender favorites as Ben Whishaw and Kris Marshall.

This is, as they note the first time even that the betting has favored a woman, and certainly never one this strongly. Check out the current betting odds:

  1. Tilda Swinton – 7/2 (Favourite)
  2. Kris Marshall – 4/1
  3. Olivia Colman – 5/1
  4. Maxine Peake – 8/1
  5. Ben Whishaw – 10/1
  6. Richard Ayoade – 10/1
  7. Andrew Buchan – 10/1
  8. Reece Shearsmith – 12/1
  9. Phoebe Waller-Bridge – 12/1
  10. Rory Kinnear – 16/1

Kris Marshall, for those who aren’t familiar with him, just finished his run on the popular show Death in Paradise. Olivia Coleman, who is the third runner up, was recently championed by former Doctor actor David Tennant, and will be seen starring with him in the new series of Broadchurch this year. (No, we have no explanation for why there’s a third season of Broadchurch.) Maxine Peake is a more Shakespearean choice in the vein of Tennant. And Whishaw, as we know, starred as Richard II in The Hollow Crown, and as Q in the current iteration of the Bond movies.

Next: Here are 13 Actors We Think Can Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Peter Capaldi’s own choice, Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxine in Harry Potter), did not make the list.