50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Ben Whishaw in Bond film “Skyfall”. (Photo: MGM/Columbia Pictures)

Ben Whishaw

According to the bookies in London, Ben Whishaw is a leading contender to play the Thirteenth Doctor. Whether that’s actually true or not is anyone’s guess. But he’d certainly be amazing in the part.

Whishaw is known for playing cerebral, slightly nerdy roles. He’s a bit eccentric, a bit sensitive, and a bit weird, all with a hidden core of strength underneath. And this, as we all know, pretty much describes the Doctor to a tee. Whishaw’s most well known role is probably as Q, the tech-genius quartermaster in Daniel Craig’s Bond films. But he’s starred in a ton of other things, including The Hour, London Spy, The Hollow Crown, Cloud Atlas, Paddington and more. And he’s an accomplished theater actor on top of all that, too. His pedigree is pretty impeccable.

And while Whishaw is the safest kind of casting choice for the Doctor – another white male – he also adds an interesting layer of his own. Whishaw would be the first out gay man cast in the role. And the Doctor’s sexuality is notoriously…absent. His romantic inclinations are virtually never mentioned unless you count the stuff back in Seasons 9 and 10 with Rose. So perhaps this is the only kind of representation that the BBC might feel comfortable engaging in. Yes, it’s the kind that’s not really any representation at all, but maybe for this repeatedly slow moving institution, it’s the tiniest of steps away from the status quo.

And would Whishaw ever even take the role? It’s unclear. He’s a notoriously private person, so the public whirlwind that comes with playing the Doctor is probably less than ideal. But he’d be so good at it, that it might be worth it