50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who
By Lacy Baugher
David Morrissey alongside David Tennant in Christmas special “The Next Doctor”. (Photo: BBC)
David Morrissey
David Morrissey has basically already been the Doctor once, so why not let him do it for real? Morrissey played Jackson Lake in 2008 Christmas episode “The Next Doctor”, a man convinced he was the Doctor thanks to an implanted memories and a heaping dose of personal tragedy. This episode aired during the four-special gap between Seasons 4 and 5, when we were all counting down to Tenth Doctor David Tennant’s regeneration. At the time many folks wondered if the episode title might mean Morrissey would be the next Doctor, but alas, it was not to be. Well, we could theoretically fix that now, right?
Morrissey’s Jackson was incredibly charming and likable, and interesting as a character in his own right. While it seems doubtful that we’d be able to turn that particular man into the Doctor, the character’s previous interactions with Ten seem more than enough reason for Thirteen to want to recreate his face. It’d be a neat trick, anyway. Besides the neat prior connection with Doctor Who, Morrissey’s actually a fantastic actor in his own right. He can play everything from pure evil to nice guy, and would make a fantastic Thirteen.
Best known these days for playing the villainous Governor on megahit zombie drama The Walking Dead, he’s had a wide variety of impressive roles, including The Missing, Blackpool, State of Play, Extant and The Driver. He may skew a bit on the older side – not really, obviously, but the BBC seems to think Peter Capaldi is old – if the corporation is looking for a teen dream, but his acting range would certainly give them a lot of options if they were looking to take the character in a new direction. His leading role in Sky’s upcoming early medieval drama Britannia might complicate his schedule a bit. But workarounds are always possible if everyone’s properly motivated.
It might be nice to see Jackson Lake get a TARDIS for real, after all.