50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Richard Ayoade in “The IT Crowd”. (Photo: Channel 4)

Richard Ayoade

Whenever it comes time to talk about the possibility of a new Doctor, Richard Ayoade’s name almost always comes up. The quirky actor is a mainstay in the world of British comedy. But he is probably best known to American audiences as the socially awkward Maurice Moss on The IT Crowd. And with good reason – he steals every scene he’s in. Plus, he does get most of the best lines. (And Moss is just the best.)

As an actor, Ayoade exudes the sort of smart, easy intelligence that’s the hallmark of the Doctor. He’s charming, witty and extremely easy to like. Plus, he’d bring a certain kind of nerdy feel back to the Doctor that we haven’t really seen since David Tennant was in the role. It’s incredibly easy to imagine him in the part, which is usually the hallmark of a solid pick. And the London bookies clearly see this too. According to them, Ayoade consistently has rather high odds in the ongoing betting about which actor or actress will end up playing Thirteen.

Unfortunately, Ayoade’s schedule may have become so crowded now that becoming the Doctor may be out of the question for him. He just signed on to serve as the host for Channel 4’s upcoming reboot of The Crystal Maze. Rumors also swirled that he would take over as a host on the network’s revamped version of The Great British Baking Show (though that ultimately fell through). He also frequently appears as a guest on panel and discussion shows in the U.K., and is eminently likeable on them. But it means that he doesn’t exactly have a ton of free time.