50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Dev Patel at The 89th Annual Academy Awards Nominee Luncheon held at The Beverly Hilton on February 06, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California, United States (Photo by JC Olivera) *** Please Use Credit from Credit Field ***

Dev Patel

It’s basically impossible to watch Dev Patel in anything and not think he’s the most charming and likable person on the planet. An up and coming young talent, you can see immediately why he’d be a perfect pick to play Thirteen. (And why he sits at the top of many critics’ wishlists for the role.) He exudes a sort of dorky awkwardness that’s perfect for the Doctor. And he’s certainly good-looking enough to assuage all the corporate types looking for a younger, heartthrob type in the role.

Patel is another member of this list who got his start on teen drama Skins and has had the most notable career of any of its cast members to date. He played Anwar, a complicated teen who loved drugs, partying and sex, despite the fact that he was raised by very religious Muslim parents. After his time on Skins ended, Patel went on to star in several very high profile projects, most notably as the lead in the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Patel also appeared in both Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, The Last Airbender and Chappie. And he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2017 for his role in the film Lion. In short: Patel is a serious talent. Doctor Who would be lucky to get an actor of his caliber into the TARDIS.

Which begs the question – with Patel’s film career going so well, would he even want to play Thirteen? It’s hard to say. The Doctor Who filming schedule is notoriously grueling, And it would make taking on additional film roles much more difficult. But “difficult” doesn’t necessarily mean impossible.