Will the New Who Be Female? Oddsmakers are Saying Yes.
Actress Tilda Swinton is at the front of the race, according to an online gambling site.
After Pater Capaldi recently announced that he would be leaving the role of Doctor Who with the conclusion of the 2017 Christmas Special, the Internet immediately got to work spitting out suggestions, audition videos and more in regards to the casting of the new 13th Doctor Who. And now, a little over two weeks later, one strong theme that has emerged is casting the first female doctor. The departing Capaldi even gave his recommendation for the role, Frances de la Tour. Admittedly, as I’m sure many other uncultured Yanks are, I’m only really familiar with la Tour through her role in the Harry Potter movies as Madame Maxine, but I love Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker FOREVER) and I’d trust his recommendation.
The online betting group Ladbrokes has put together a list of, and odds for, 24 potential candidates for the new Who, and while la Tour’s not on the list, it does feature 6 actresses. Even more impressively, three of those actresses are in the top four spots odds wise, with Tilda Swinton leading the field.
The Ladbroke List of Odds For the Potential New 13th Doctor Who
Here’s the full list:
Tilda Swinton – 7/2 (Favourite)
Kris Marshall – 4/1
Olivia Colman – 5/1
Maxine Peake – 8/1
Ben Whishaw – 10/1
Richard Ayoade – 10/1
Andrew Buchan – 10/1
Reece Shearsmith – 12/1
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – 12/1
Rory Kinnear – 16/1
Andrew Scott – 16/1
Richard Madden – 16/1
David Harewood – 16/1
Paterson Joseph – 16/1
Idris Elba – 20/1
Chris Addison – 20/1
Gwendoline Christie – 20/1
James Norton – 20/1
Adrian Lester – 20/1
Alexander Vlahos – 20/1
Sacha Dhawan – 20/1
Robert Carlyle – 20/1
Laurie Kynaston – 20/1
Michelle Gomez – 33/1
There are some great choices on the list, and as a fan of Swinton, Colman, and Christie, I’d be thrilled to see any of them take on the role. On the male side, Ayoade strikes me as pretty interesting, though my personal choice isn’t on the list. He’s older and white, so it’s both a “safe” and “boring” choice, but I’d love to see Sean Pertwee (son of Jon Pertwee, the 3rd Doctor) take on the role. My love for Pertwee started with Dog Soldiers and has only grown with everything I see him in (he’s a perfect Alfred in Gotham), but I doubt it would happen.
So What Does the Who Crew Think of All This?
In a recent interview with the Telegraph, new Who showrunner Chris Chibnall sat down to discuss his work with the ongoing procedural Broadchurch, though, predictably, the topic of the new 13th doctor came up. Regarding the gender and/or race of the new Doctor, Chibnall said that it’s too soon to have considered the specifics. He did say that the part would be cast the same way every other part is.
“We’ll cast the role in the traditional way: write the script, then go and find the best person for that part in that script. You couldn’t go out and cast an abstract idea. The creative possibilities are endless, but I have a very clear sense of what we’re going to do, without even knowing who’s going to play the part.”
Noting that Colman (the female lead in Broadchurch, opposite the 10th Doctor, David Tennant) is in the conversation when it comes to casting the new Doctor, Chibnall was asked whether he was lobbied by any of the Broachurch cast, to which he replied “I can’t confirm or deny any calls, texts, emails or conversations I might have had.”
Meanwhile, Deadline sat down with BBC America President and GM Sarah Barnett, and again, the question of who is to be Who came up. Bennet expressed awe and appreciation at the response, saying “Well, I think, honestly, just the buzz, the conversation, the speculation, the crazy, spontaneous celebrity and non-celebrity fans auditioning online for who will be the next Doctor is a testament for how this show and franchise lives in pop culture and how real and meaningful it is. So we’re looking forward to watching, and maybe prodding, and stimulating all of the conversation with our fan base around the change that’s going on with Doctor Who.”
After a follow-up, Barnett added that Tennant had put in a plug for his Broadchurch co-star Colman, so she’s definitely got some strong backing.
It doesn’t sound like Chibnall and the others are in a big race to nail down the new 13th Doctor Who, but that’s not stopping us all from offering them plenty of ideas.
Featured Image: courtesy of the BBC, The Day of the Doctor
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