Whoopi Goldberg still wants to play the Doctor on Doctor Who

Whoopi Goldberg wants to play the Doctor and Babylon 5 creators J. Michael Straczynski wants to run the show. Two Americans in charge of the most British of sci-fi franchises?

Whoopi Goldberg has been open about wanting to play the lead role of the Doctor on Doctor Who. A big fan of sci-fi from way back, she even lobbied to get the role at one point, but producers turned her down.

Well, now that Jodie Whittaker is leaving the role of the Doctor after three seasons, Goldberg may have her chance. But she admits it’s probably a no-go. “I wanted to be Doctor Who and I still do,” Goldberg said at the Edinburgh TV Festival the other day, per Deadline. “I think it would mean an evolution into being American and I don’t know that that’s correct for Doctor Who. I don’t know I can usurp that. As much as I love it, I love watching it still in all the iterations.”

"There are certain things that are blatantly all English. Doctor Who is like that to me. It’s like Marmite. It’s very English and needs to stay that way."

She’s right: there are few things more English than Doctor Who, and it would feel a bit odd to have an American in the lead role. At the same time, the show is beloved by people all over the world, and Goldberg isn’t the only American who dreams of being involved with it. BBC will also need to find a replacement for Doctor Who showrunner Chris Chibnall, who is leaving alongside Whittaker, and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski eager put himself forward for the job:

I dunno, Doctor Who is always reinventing itself; maybe getting a couple of Americans in there is what the show needs. In exchange, the British can take over…what’s an American show that’s been running forever…The Simpsons. If you’re reading this, Queen Elizabeth, let me know if you agree to my turns.

We still have one more season of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor before BBC debuts her replacement, whoever it might be. Doctor Who season 13 premieres sometime later this year.

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