After a tumultuous run, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor will be retiring next year alongside current showrunner Chris Chibnall. Fan-favorite Doctor Who writer and executive producer Russell T. Davies is returning after more than ten years to fill the void, but it seems that the successor has yet to find his next Doctor.
Over the past few months, Whovians have been busy speculating who’ll inherit the mantle of the titular protagonist in the globally recognized British sci-fi series. While Jodie was the first female actor to take up the sonic screwdriver in the show’s 60-year history, the stories of the current era led to much polarization within the fandom, though almost everyone can wholeheartedly agree that Jodie was a fantastic incarnation of the Last of the Time Lords.
Whoever that job falls to next, and whether the next regeneration is a man or a woman, they and Davies will have a difficult time salvaging the story and turning their tenure into another compelling run. Of course, all that is a few years down the road, but that hasn’t stopped the acclaimed scriptwriter from searching out the next Doctor.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Russell was asked if the next Doctor would be Olly Alexander, the talented star of his most recent TV show, It’s A Sin. Here’s what he had to say in response: “Behave! Stop it! We have genuinely not cast anyone yet. We’re just starting auditions.”
Casting the next Doctor is a process that always takes a while, and there’ll definitely go a lot of thought into making sure that they announce him/her/them at the right time. So, for now, all we have to look forward to are the three remaining Doctor Who specials that will supposedly conclude Jodie’s run and end with her regeneration.