15 People Who Could Play The Next Doctor

Season seven of Doctor Who is almost here, and it will likely be Matt Smith's last. So who will play the Doctor after he's gone? It's such a tough balance to strike. The perfect candidate needs to be able to express glee and anger in equal measure. And every-now-and-then they'll be called upon to completely lose their shit. So who will it be? Follow the countdown to find out.

15. Jude Law

Law may be charming and gorgeous, but he's a bad boy, and he knows how to get his sulk on. Known for his precise performances, Law may be able to deliver a perfect line but does he have the natural enthusiasm and playfulness that makes The Doctor, The Doctor? And will he ever accept a TV role? Unlikely.

14. Ewan McGregor

He may have gotten his kit off more times than I'd care to remember, and that's not exactly something you'd want to associate with The Doctor (no, that's for your own imagination. Your filthy, filthy imagination). But McGregor may have that perfect mix of gorgeous, charming and bat-shit crazy that makes the perfect Doctor.

13. Orlando Bloom

There is no way in a million years Orlando Bloom would turn away Pirates in the Caribbean money for a few seasons as the Doctor. But I reckon he might do a good job if he learned how to have a little fun onscreen. Most of his past rolls have been a wee bit intense.

12. James McAvoy

He's almost the right age. He can act. And he can do funny (and down-right gross). Remember him from Shameless days?

11. Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant has almost all the necessary pre-requisites for the role, but something's just missing. Things just come too easy for him. He's just a wee bit too posh. Or something. Regardless, you know he'd have a ton of fun playing The Doctor! And he's got that Love Actually swoon factor.

10. Anthony Head

So ok, I might have a thing for older men, but Anthony Head is great! He can deliver a performance dripping with disdain and irony. He can be funny. He can get really, REALLY cross. And he's got that cross-Atlantic appeal, having spent six years as Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

9. Chris O'Dowd

So he's a little bit dopey. But Chris O'Dowd is funny. And I reckon the IT Crowd star could pull it off. And maybe it'd be nice to not have The Doctor go through every season losing his mind and weeping for humanity.

8. Charlie Cox

He may be a little too young for the role still. And his eyes don't have that "weight of the world killed my soul" look about them - yet. But Cox might make a nice change to what has been a very intense six series.

7. Eddie Izzard

He's hilarious and he was once tipped to play The Doctor by none other than the fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. Izzard has already appeared in one episode (Let's Kill Hitler). He's hilarious, and after Captain Jack as a bi-terrestrial character, it'd be another TV taboo broken to have a cross-dressing main character.

6. Robert Carlyle

Don't lie, you know you'd LOVE to see Carlyle as The Doctor. After his amazingly witty performance as Rumplestiltskin / Mr Gold in Once Upon a Time, I reckon Carlyle's got the perfect acting chops for The Doctor. Sure he may be a little bit older than the last three but you know what they say about age and wisdom. No seriously, what do they say?

5. James Nesbit

He's funny, he's charming and the man can act. (For those who don't believe me because they've only seen him in The Mummy and Cold Feet, go watch Jekyll). I reckon Nesbit would be a pretty excellent contender.

4. Tom Wilkinson

Ok so I know Wilkinson is over-the-hill compared to most of his potential-predecessors, but Matt Smith did hint that maybe the next Doctor would be one who was a little older and wiser. He also hinted they could be younger than 29 too, so he was probably just screwing with us. But back to the point Tom Wilkinson is a superb actor and he's done every role from the reluctant stripper in The Full Monty to a lovelorn homosexual searching for his soulmate in India, in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Wilkinson could be 80 and he'd still make an amazing Doctor. Besides he's probably the perfect average age of all the Doctors in the original series. Do you remember the first Doctor? That guy was OLD!

3. Hugh Laurie

Before he was House, Hugh Laurie co-wrote and starred in two comedy TV series alongside Stephen Fry - in sketch show A Bit of Fry and Laurie and sitcom P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster. He also starred in Black Adder and in The Young Ones. My point is, Laurie is hi-fricken-larious! He's got the perfect comedy timing and acting chops for the role. It doesn't hurt that he's goddamn gorgeous.

2. Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis would be the most expensive Doctor in the world. And there's probably no way the BBC could afford him. But how fricking awesome would he be?!!

1. Michael Sheen

And the number one person most suited to play The Doctor is.... Michael Sheen! Again, he's way too expensive, probably wouldn't do a TV series and has way too many movie offers to even consider taking a pay cut, but still. Sheen. Is. BRILLIANT. And gorgeous. And funny. He's so perfect it's almost greedy.

So who do you think should play the next Doctor?