Who will be the new Doctor? 6 progressively awesome choices

It may be sad to see Peter Capaldi leave the role of The Doctor as he’s often been fantastic during a less fantastic tenure of the show. However, Doctor Who is continually changing and evolving, so isn’t it about time that a non-white male plays the eponymous character?

I think it’s long overdue and with a new showrunner, Chris Chibnall, about to succeed Stephen Moffat and take up the baton, now is the time to finally move Doctor Who forward.

Here are my picks for the job

1. Chiwetel Ejiofor

As acclaimed British actors go, there’s no better than Ejiofor, whose turns in Serenity, 12 Years a Slave, Love Actually and most recently Doctor Strange have proven that he’s a versatile actor who can do drama and humour with ease.

2. Felicity Jones

Maybe one major science fiction franchise isn’t enough for this Birmingham-born actress who, like Capaldi before her, has previous with the show, starring in 2008 adventure The Unicorn and the Wasp. She’s an incredible actress with a real gravitas and charm, stealing every film she’s in, such as in her Oscar-nominated turn in The Theory of Everything. She’d nail the part.

3. Kate Beckinsale

The Underworld franchise isn’t exactly the most beloved but it proves she has the action chops to cut it and oh boy, have you seen Love and Friendship? She’s damned hilarious. Her sly, dry, sarcastic edge (both onscreen and off) would be frickin’ perfect for the role and better than that she could command attention with a single look. I have a new favourite choice and, if she gets it, a new favourite Doctor.

4. Dev Patel

If the producers wanted to go for someone young again, Dev Patel is currently a hot property due to his emotional turn in Lion and has the dramatic chops after starring in the award-winning Slumdog Millionaire a few years ago. He’s a fantastic actor and because his career started on C4 teen drama Skins, it’s a similar sort of move as Capaldi, going from adult drama to child-friendly entertainment

5. Jacob Anderson

As proved with both Smith and Capaldi, the role can either be filled by an unknown quantity or a well know actor. Anderson is mostly in the former camp, as his biggest role is currently as Greyworm in HBO mega-hit Game of Thrones (you may have heard of it). His role on the show doesn’t particularly show his skills as an actor but then neither did Matt Smith’s prior work. As a fairly unknown quantity, Anderson could be a perfect, engaging choice.

6. Gugu Mbatha-Raw

We all saw and loved her in San Junipero, the incredible Charlie Brooker-penned Black Mirror episode and apart from that she’s done everything from period drama Belle to big scale Sci-Fi Jupiter Ascending. She also starred in series 3 of Doctor Who as Martha Jone’s sister Tish but that’ll be over ten years ago by the time the new Doctor needs to step in. She’s a great actress and holds the qualities that every Doctor needs to have in spades, that of simultaneous pathos and humour.

There are so many great actors and actresses who could play the next incarnation of The Doctor and if you’re angry that people want a woman or a person of colour in the role then you should reevaluate your life.

Anyway, I can’t wait to see the show evolve and change.

People who didn’t make the cut:

Nathalie Emmanuel

Kelly MacDonald

Bryce Dallas Howard

James McAvoy