Doctor Who: Five Actors Who Should Not Be the Next Doctor

13 Incarnations of the Doctor – credit: youtube.com

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will, or should, take over for Peter Capaldi if/when he leaves Doctor Who. Instead, let’s look at five actors who should not take on the role next.

Doctor Who has undergone a lot of changes, and more are coming. Clara has been replaced with Bill, who will make her debut during Series Ten. Steven Moffat is leaving after that season, being replaced by Chris Chibnall as showrunner. There are a lot of moving parts in a short amount of time.

Naturally, given these changes and the typically short shelf life for each incarnation of the Doctor, speculation has begun as to when Capaldi himself will leave. Although he has reportedly been asked to remain at least into Series Eleven, he has not committed to doing so. Add in the fact that the previous two Doctors have spent three years in the role, and such speculative posts are inevitable as he enters his third season. Regardless of how one feels about his incarnation, the general hypotheticals regarding regeneration are just something that many fans like to discuss.

While there are a vast number of candidates who could take on the role, and do so well, there are also quite a few who should not portray the Doctor. For the most part, deeming the role an inappropriate match for an actor is not in any way meant to cast aspersions upon them; although considering a particular example in this article, it is fair to wonder how he still has a career.

Now, without further ado, let us look at five actors who should not be the Doctor, at least for this next incarnation.

Next: Enough about degeneration

Matt Smith Eleventh Doctor promo pic (credit: BBC)

Matt Smith

Typically, when a Doctor has already had their run on the show, that is it. It is understood that, aside from the potential cameo, special, or Big Finish production, their time as the Doctor is over. Yet, there are quite a few fans who cannot let go of Matt Smith and want him to return.

Of course, Smith’s statements about how he wants to return to Doctor Who and how much he enjoyed being the Doctor do not help. As one of the more beloved incarnations, the goofy Eleventh, who was really more of a big kid with a penchant for odd clothing styles, was in a lot of ways the polar opposite of Capaldi’s incarnation. A more approachable being, he felt like one of us.

However, Smith’s time has come and gone. He could certainly reappear on the show as the Eleventh Doctor (as he did in ‘Listen’), and even has quite the long time frame to return in the role. Maybe he could even come back as another character, much like how Tom Baker reappeared as the Curator. (Yes, we know that he is said to be a retired future incarnation of the Doctor, but still…)

It would also be extremely disrespectful to Capaldi to bring Smith back immediately after his run. To do so would suggest that the Twelfth Doctor should be regarded as a mistake — someone to be erased. This thought is entirely wrong, especially after the brilliance that was Series Nine.

Matt Smith had a nice run as the Doctor, and maybe he can return again in various specials. Yet, no matter how much he misses having the role, he should not be a future regeneration… or degeneration, if you will.

Next: Another popular option

Emma Watson (credit: cosmopolitan.com)

Emma Watson

There is no question that Emma Watson is a talented actor. She truly brought Hermione to life in the Harry Potter films, and she is as intellectually brilliant as she is outwardly beautiful. With all of the talk regarding whether or not the Doctor should one day be female — and if or when that change in gender will occur — amongst the fanbase, Watson has been discussed as one of the top choices to follow Capaldi.

And maybe at some point in time she will. Yet, now is not the right time. At this point in her life, she is far from having the gravitas that is needed to portray the Doctor, especially following Capaldi.

Yes, her incarnation of the Doctor would likely be much different than the Twelfth Doctor. Based on her personality and different characters that she has played, she would likely be a warmer, much more approachable Doctor than the current one. It would be an interesting change from what we have become accustomed to, and with the expected change in tone and feel, such a move would make sense.

Maybe it would even make sense to bring in a female Doctor to replace Capaldi if/when that time comes. But it just should not be Emma Watson, at least not yet. We need someone a bit more established, and a bit older, to break the barrier and to handle the pressure and scrutiny that will come with the role.

It would be great to see Emma Watson take on the role of the Doctor at some point in the future, but this is not the right time. Give it a few years, and maybe another incarnation or two, and maybe then we can see her in the role.

Next: Another familiar face

Mark Gatiss (credit: radiotimes.com)

Mark Gatiss

There is no question that Mark Gatiss had made his mark upon Doctor Who. As a writer, actor, and novelist, Gatiss has been multitasking up a storm over the years.

He has also become one of the more divisive figures working on the show. The episodes that he has written, particularly lately, have either been loved or hated, with little in between. Yet, his work on Sherlock has been virtually universally beloved. At this point, it is thought that Gatiss may want to focus his energies on just the one BBC product, and let Doctor Who be, at least for now.

Or, at the very least, to just appear on the show as an actor. Gatiss is an excellent actor and has been great in his appearances on Doctor Who. It would be fun to see him make yet another appearance in a one-off guest role, or even as a recurring character, letting him and the Doctor establish a relationship over time.

Even though he could be a solid candidate for the Doctor, his somewhat mixed reception writing for the show could lead to a number of issues. Just seeing him as the Doctor could lead to a visceral reaction, even before we would get to see him truly adjust to the role. And that is unfortunate, because Gatiss could actually make a solid Doctor.

Perhaps the best thing that Mark Gatiss could do would be to focus on Sherlock for a couple of years, then return to Doctor Who as an actor. Maybe, after that time has passed, he would be the perfect candidate for a future incarnation.

(Editor’s Note: Speaking of Sherlock, it is so painfully obvious that Benedict Cumberbatch should never play the Doctor, that we did not bother to even devote a slide to him. He is fantastic, but the incestuous redundancy of him in the role would be unacceptable.)

Next: He already played one famous Doctor...

Hugh Laurie (credit: today.com)

Hugh Laurie

There is no questioning the abilities of Hugh Laurie as an actor. Just think about the limp that House, his most famous role, had… Then realize that he actually ended up with a limp off the set from playing that character. It just goes to show how immersed in the role he got.

Now, let us think about that role. House was sarcastic, abrasive, and thoroughly demeaning to those whom he considered beneath him. He was the smartest man in the room, and he knew it, a fact that he was not shy about sharing. Sound familiar?

In fact, one could say that House was the medical version of the Twelfth Doctor. Both personalities were quite similar, and one could easily imagine each character in the other’s role without too much difficulty. Their dialogue may well be the same, and both certainly would have had a use for the cue cards that the Doctor carried around. That is, if House cared enough about what others thought.

Those similarities between the two characters would make it where Laurie would not be a good choice for the role. Quite frankly, his portrayal of the Doctor would be expected to, essentially, be a continuation of the Twelfth Doctor. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, it would seem to be overkill.

On second thought, perhaps he could play the Doctor a bit more like Paul Slippery on Fortysomething. Here he is in a scene with Capaldi as Dr. Ronnie Pilfrey:

Hugh Laurie is a brilliant actor, and while I would personally love to see him take on the role of the Doctor, it should not be after Capaldi. Perhaps in a Red Nose Day sketch?

Next: Stupid Americans

Adam Sandler (credit: abcnews.go.com)

Adam Sandler

Let’s face it – anything that the United States gets its grubby mitts on is generally made worse. Look at most of the movies and television shows that they have appropriated from other countries, or the types of actors and celebrities that are popular. Just their general thoughts of what direction to take things is enough to make anyone who has any sort of culture want to blind and deafen themselves to escape the pain.

With that in mind, every so often, there are rumblings of an Americanized Doctor Who. This would be a horrific idea on par with giving the Kardashians a television show or letting an obnoxious, overgrown Oompa Loompa run a country. ‘Murica.

But we know what would happen. They would think that Doctor Who should be some sort of overly comedic program, or would take the plot in a direction that would not make sense to the original vision. Likewise, they would try to find some sort of megastar to take on the role, even if absolutely no one thinks that person should be in that spot. Someone with name value. Someone like Adam Sandler.

(Article continues below the related and next post links.)

Next: Doctor Who: Matt Strevens to Co-produce Series Eleven with Chris Chibnall

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will, or should, take over for Peter Capaldi if/when he leaves Doctor Who. Instead, let’s look at five actors who should not take on the role next.

(Article continues below the related and next post links.)

Do you agree with this list? Have any examples of your own? Let us know in the comments.