Could the next Doctor be a woman? Olivia Colman becomes the bookies' favourite for Doctor Who role after Peter Capaldi quits show

  • Actor Peter Capaldi announced he's leaving the role of the Doctor on Monday 
  • Olivia is favourite with Betway bookmakers to take the role at  5/1
  • Other potentials among punters include Ben Whishaw and  Richard Ayoade

By Ellie Genower For Mailonline

Published: 08:46 EST, 1 February 2017 | Updated: 09:01 EST, 1 February 2017

Olivia Colman has become favourite among the bookies to land the role of the 13th Doctor in Doctor Who.

Odds on the actress with Betway bookmakers have tumbled from 20/1 to 5/1 in the last 24 hours, fuelling speculation that the Night Manager star could become the BBC series' first female Doctor.

'Since our market opened we’ve seen a wave of support for Olivia Colman to be the next Doctor Who,' said a Betway spokeman.

Scroll down for videos 

She's the favourite: Olivia Colman has become a hot bet among punters hoping to predict the new Doctor 

Speculation has been rife since the current Doctor Peter Capaldi made the shock announcement on Monday that he is leaving the Tardis after three years on the show.

Other favourites with punters include Broadchurch actor Andrew Buchan, Game Of Thrones star Iwan Rheon, James Bond's Q Ben Whishaw and and The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade.

Olivia, who recently received an Emmy award nomination for her role in The Night Manager, has even been tipped for the job by her Broadchurch co-star David Tennant who played the tenth Doctor. 

'Olivia would clearly be a magnificent choice. If you have the right people telling the right stories then it’s absolutely a possibility,' he said.  

Time to go: Peter Capaldi announced his decision to quit as the twelfth Doctor on Monday night 

BOOKIES' ODDS ON THE NEW DOCTOR

Olivia Colman: 5/1

Andrew Buchan: 14/1

Iwan Rheon: 14/1 

Ben Whishaw: 16/1 

Robert Carlyle: 16/1

Tom Ellis: 16/1

Rupert Grint: 16/1  

James Norton: 20/1

Jason Flemyng: 20/1

Reece Shearsmith: 20/1 

Rory Kinnear: 20/1

 

*source Betway 

However, the last time a vacancy in the TARDIS arose, Ben Whishaw ruled himself out of the running, saying: 'I don't think you can be Q and Doctor Who. It would be a bit wrong.' 

Announcing his decision to step down from his Time Lord role, Peter said: 'This'll be the end for me. I feel sad. I love Doctor Who. It's a fantastic programme to work on.'

'It's been a huge pleasure to work with... a family. I can't praise the people I work with more highly.

'I've never worked the same job for three years, and I feel like now is the right time to move on. I'll still be the Doctor for a while.'

Twelve actors have played the time-travelling Doctor since William Hartnell first adopted the role in 1963, and so far all of them have been men. 

Billie Piper, who played the Doctor's assistant when the show was brought back in 2005, tweeted that it would be a 'welcome turn' for a woman to take the role. 

It's a hit: Olivia recently won acclaim for her turn as Angela Burr on The Night Manager 

In a statement, show boss Steven Moffatt, who is himself leaving at the end of Series 10 said: 'Like Peter, I'm facing up to leaving the best job I'll ever have, but knowing I do so in the company of the best, and kindest and cleverest of men, makes the saddest of endings a little sweeter.'

Broadchurch's Chris Chibnall, who is taking over from Mr Moffatt, will be given the difficult choice of choosing the next Doctor.

Insiders say it is likely he will choose someone younger who can recreate the popularity that came with David Tennant's era. 

Sales of Dr Who merchandise have fallen in recent years, and producers are keen to boost the show's popularity with children.

Some fans feared the regeneration into the 13th doctor could signal the end of the sci-fi show as a 1970s episode said there could only be 12 regenerations.

Other choices: Bookmakers suggest that likely replacements include James Bond star Ben Whishaw (left) and The IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade (right) 

But thankfully the writers dealt with the problem in the 2013 Christmas Special, when the Doctor played by Matt Smith used all his regenerations up trying to save Trenzalore, the planet it was foretold he would die on.

As his life was set to end, the Time Lords granted him a new generation cycle, allowing the Doctor to regenerate into the 12th Doctor, played by Capaldi.

The BBC confirmed there will definitely be another Doctor. 

Speculation on who'll take the role is even rife among politicians, with former Deputy Labour MP Harriet Harman expressing hopes the Doctor should be a woman with a male assistant so she could 'tell him what to do'.

Bookie's choice: Andrew Buchan, who co-starred with Olivia in Broadchurch is also in the top ten list for the new Doctor 

Betting: Iwan Rheon, who recently played baddie Ramsay Snow in Game Of Thrones

But Theresa May – who has said she is a fan of the 54-year-old sci-fi show – has hit back, saying the sex of the Doctor was a matter for the programme-makers to decide. 

'Of course there should be a female Doctor Who but what we need is a man as her assistant,' she said. 'She has got to just tell him what to do, he will need that leadership.'

But the Prime Minister's spokeswoman said: 'As someone who has been clear she enjoys Doctor Who, I think she will just want to see it continue and continue to be entertaining. It's for the programme-makers to decide.'

Mrs May revealed her liking for Doctor in an interview with Radio Times about her Christmas Day TV viewing, in which she said: 'I always like to see Doctor Who on Christmas night, if possible.'  

Weighing in: Harriet Harman, Labour's former deputy leader and a prominent feminist, has suggested the BBC appoint a woman as the next Doctor Who

Comments 214

Share what you think

  View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

  View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.