With a growing movement within the Doctor Who fanbase pushing for a female Doctor, and acknowledgements from the current producers and cast that it’s going to happen sooner or later, we now have one famous actress who says she wants the part.
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Hayley Atwell is best known as Agent Peggy Carter in her many appearances in the Marvel Universe, including her own eponymous TV series (which returns for a second season next spring). In a light-hearted Twitter Q&A session last week, Atwell was asked by a fan if she’d like to make a guest-appearance on Doctor Who. Here’s Atwell’s response:
I’ve gotta say, if you’re looking for an actress to take on the next Doctor, you could do a lot worse than Hayley Atwell. Personally, I’ve always liked the idea of an older actress in the role (a Helen Mirren-type, if you will; incidentally, Mirren herself has advocated for a female Doctor in the past, but said it won’t be her), however, I can see the audience appeal in hiring a younger actress.
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Whether she becomes the next Doctor or not, Atwell has actually already dabbled in the Doctor Who universe. She’s appeared in four different Big Finish audios, as Asha in Blood of the Daleks, Eleanor in The Doomwood Curse, Seska in The Whispering Forest, and President Sheridan Moorkurk in The Sands of Life.
Atwell would also technically be the first American to play the Doctor. Although born and raised in England, Atwell’s father is from the United States, and she holds dual citizenship in the US and UK.
Related: Steven Moffat: Female Doctor “Would Have Been a Disaster”
For now, I think we should all sit back and enjoy Peter Capaldi‘s Doctor, as he’s doing a phenomenal job and will hopefully stay in the role for many years. But if and when the time comes for a female Doctor, it’s good to know there’s at least one perfect candidate ready and willing to step into the TARDIS.
Next: REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor #2 (Comic Book)
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