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Doctor Who: Erin Doherty Addresses Those Sixteenth Doctor Rumors

Erin Doherty (The Crown, Adolescence, A Thousand Blows) addressed the rumors that she's being considered for the next Doctor on Doctor Who.

You have to give the BBC's Doctor Who some credit. After all of these years, the long-running show still finds ways to make headlines and fuel speculation on both sides of the camera. But at least we know that Showrunner Russell T. Davies will be back for a 2026 Christmas Special. Will it star Billie Piper, who Ncuti Gatwa regenerated into at the end of "The Reality War"? Could we be looking at another David Tennant return? And what about after the Christmas Special? One name that's been gaining some heat over the past few weeks is Erin Doherty, and understandably so. Between The Crown, Chloe, Adolescence, and A Thousand Blows, Doherty has put together one damn impressive resume in a short period of time. But could she be adding "Sixteenth Doctor" to it? Speaking with Radio Times, Doherty was about the growing rumblings that she's in play to add her name to an impressive "Doctors" lineup of actors. "I've heard the 'Doctor Who' rumor and I'm into sci-fi and fantasy, but I can honestly say there have been no discussions!" Of course, in a post-Andrew Garfield world, every casting rumor is a possibility until a name is officially announced (especially because Doherty would be a great choice).

Doctor Who Christmas Special 2026: A Timeline

In October, we learned that Davies would be writing the Christmas Special, with Davies sharing, "Here we go. Away in Danger? Jingle Hells? Silent Blight? Hark the Weeping Angels Sing..? O Come All Ye… um, Nimon?" A month later, during an interview with RadioTimes.com, Davies revealed that his current commitments were preventing him from writing the special. "Not at the moment because I'm busy on [The War Between the Land and the Sea]. I'm also shooting a show in Manchester [Tip Toe], so next year my plate clears, and we'll get to work on that." However, Davies made it clear that he's not going to be writing the special cold, adding, "I know exactly what happens in it, don't worry about that."

In Doctor Who Magazine #624, Davies dropped a tease about the special in his Doctor Who-themed "12 Days of Christmas" column. "Twelve months-a-waiting! Next December, I'll be here to trumpet and toot about the 2026 Christmas Special. It contains these three words. 'Bafflers,' 'Winternox' and 'village.'" Shortly after, Davies shared that the bigwigs over at the BBC liked what Davies had planned for the special. "We haven't even started work on it yet," Davies revealed to BBC Newsbeat regarding next year's Christmas special. "I know what happens, but I better write it down soon in case I get run over by a bus." Understandably, Davies didn't get into details – partly because it hasn't been written yet and partly because he's not going to spoil something that's still a year away. But it seems like the folks over at the BBC know what Davies is up to, and it left them "with jaws agape, loving it."

However, despite all of that, images "leaked" on social media showed Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor and Piper on a set together during filming of… something. Was Davies lying the entire time, and was the Christmas Special already being filmed? Could this be for something other than the special? Well, it didn't take long before social media started picking apart the "big leak," and now, we have McGann on the record, calling out and scoffing at the image. Checking in with The Gerry Anderson Podcast hosts Jamie Anderson, Richard James, and Chris Dale, McGann touched on the topic, making it clear that it wasn't real (McGann: "If only!") while joking with the hosts that they were part of the problem when speculated that it could be true but McGann can't discuss it because he's under some kind of non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Make sure to check out the complete episode (waiting for you above), and here's the clip that James shared:

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