50 Actors Who Could Play the Next Doctor on Doctor Who

Olivia Colman in “Broadchurch” with her very familiar co-star – former Doctor David Tennant. (Photo: ITV)

Olivia Colman

There is a lot of talk swirling around that Doctor Who is finally going to cast a woman to play the Doctor when Peter Capaldi exits the TARDIS later this year. This would, of course, be an awesome idea. And the possibility seems closer than ever before. Who might play the first female Doctor, though? That’s a more difficult question. But one of the current frontrunners in this particular corner of the rumor mill is BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress Olivia Colman.

This makes sense for a lot of reasons. To start with, Colman is a phenomenal performer. She’s got the awards hardware to prove it. And she’s been in everything from silly comedy to serious drama. She’d be a great choice for Thirteen. Plus, she has something of an inside track. Colman has already worked extensively with incoming Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall. He created the crime drama Broadchurch, where Colman has pretty much been giving the performance of her life for the past three years. So they’re obviously very familiar with one another’s work and style.

In a big stakes outing like Doctor Who, people often like to work with folks they already know. It would make complete sense for Chibnall to want to keep working with her. And there’s a little bit of Who history on her side, too. She’s Tenth Doctor David Tennant’s pick to replace Peter Capaldi, and that has to count for something, right? Tennant told the Telegraph that his Broadchurch co-star “would clearly be a magnificent choice” for the role. And he’s right. She would be.