Amongst debate surrounding the idea of a female taking the iconic role, Tilda Swinton has become the bookies’ new favourite to replace Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.
After Capaldi announced his departure from Doctor Who last month, the question of who will replace him has been on everyone’s lips. Paul McGann, who briefly undertook the role in the 1996 film Doctor Who, has tweeted his support in favour of Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton, best known for her roles in The Chronicles of Narnia series, and, more recently, as The Ancient One in Marvel’s Doctor Strange.
This suggestion has been backed by many in the Twitter-sphere, keen to see a woman in the Tardis, especially one with such famously androgynous and otherworldly features. However, Capaldi has another actress in mind as his replacement. In an interview with The Mirror, soon after he announced his departure from the BBC’s hit show, he said that he: “would like Frances de la Tour to be the first female Doctor”. Despite this, she has not appeared on the list of possibles, although three out of the top five candidates would become the first woman to take on the role.
Swinton sits at the number one spot, with Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager) at number three, who is closely followed by Maxine Peake (Hamlet, The Theory of Everything). Other popular choices include Kris Marshall, who has just left his role as the co-lead of Death in Paradise, and Ben Whishaw, who was, for a while, the favourite to replace Matt Smith when he left in 2013.
Doctor Who returns later in 2017. Check out the Series Ten trailer for the popular sci-fi show below:
