Doctor Whoseason 10 finally has a premiere date and will be coming back this April, which is definitely exciting for fans of the show who have been impatiently awaiting some new adventures with the Doctor. What is perhaps unfortunate, depending on how you feel about him as the Doctor, is thatPeter Capaldihas officially announced that season 10 will be his last on the show. So,Doctor Who Season 11will feature a new Doctor, and we now have a frontrunner in the form ofJames BondactorBen Whishaw.
Entertainment Weeklyis reporting that British bookmakers William Hill are giving the 36-year-oldSkyfallandSpectrestar 6-1 odds to become the next Doctor.Ben Whishaw, aside from playing Q in the last twoJames Bondmovies, is also known for providing the voice toPaddingtonthe bear in the 2014 movie, as well as the upcoming sequel. He has also starred in other critically acclaimed movies likeThe Danish GirlandThe Lobster. Interestingly enough, the current DoctorPeter Capaldiactually starred inPaddingtonwithBen Whishaw.
William Hill also provided odds on some other actors to take over the role of the Doctor inDoctor Whoseason 11. Comic actorRichard Ayoade,Rory Kinnear, anotherJames Bondfranchise veteran, andHarry PotteralumRupert Grintare all going off at 8-1 odds. The firm also is providing 6-1 odds that the next Doctor will actually be played by a woman, which would be the first time that has ever happened in the history ofDoctor Who. They provided 20-1 odds on bothOlivia ColmanandBillie Piper. It is well worth noting thatBillie Piperplayed the Doctor’s companion whenDoctor Whofirst returned in 2005.
Long time ShowrunnerSteven Moffatwill be leavingDoctor Whoafter the upcoming season andBroadchurchshowrunnerChris Chibnallwill be taking the reigns forDoctor WhoSeason 11. It seems like they will be going in an entirely new direction after season 10, with a new showrunner and new Doctor. It isn’t clear yet if there will be anew companion, which would pretty much make it a totally clean slate, should that wind up happening as well. If they do wind up bringing inBillie Piperas the Doctor, the show could totally flip the script and bring in a male companion with a female Doctor, which would be something totally new.
Peter Capaldiis the 12th Doctor in the history of the long-runningBBC seriesand will be concluding his run after three seasons. That is a decent run, but it is a far cry from Tom Baker, who was the 5th Doctor and played the character in 172 episodes starting in 1975. There is no rush to announce his replacement, since we still have all ofDoctor Whoseason 10 to get through, but don’t be surprised if we found out in the next few months thatBen Whishawwill be the next actor to man the Tardis. Or if we find out that a woman makes history and winds up with the job. Following this past December’sDoctor Who Christmas Special,Doctor Whoseason 10, which will consist of 12 episodes, is set to premiere on BBC April 15.
