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Doctor Who: The Rules in Picking a New Doctor That Everyone Misses

The casting of a new Doctor for Doctor Who has some unspoken rules that the tabloids and fans often miss or ignore, but they're really simple.

One of the cheapest clickbait items for Doctor Who for first the UK news media and new social media is the endless speculation over who would be cast as the new Doctor when the current actor is exiting. It's always wrong, like virtually 100% of the time, whenever a British tabloid newspaper runs cheap headlines about who could be the new Doctor. It's always breathless, crass and made-up, but fans and viewers always read them or click on them. Long before the internet began big, the game had been played endlessly all the way back to the 1980s. The winners are the papers, of course, who get readers, but the biggest winners are the betting shops, or bookies, who make bank from people betting money on who would become the new Doctor, usually months or weeks ahead of the official announcement of who the new Doctor is. What they and fans always miss are some fairly simple, if hidden, rules behind how a new Doctor is picked. It's very specific to Doctor Who.

As of this writing, Ncuti Gatwa hasn't even announced he is leaving the series, yet the rumour mill is already spreading rumours that he has left the series after season two of Doctor Who, and the hunt is on for his successor. The odds-on favour for weeks has been Michael Sheen, who has guest-starred before, though only in voice. Sheen has geek cred for co-starring in Good Omens with David Tennant and is considered a national treasure on both the stage and screen. He would certainly be an excellent Doctor since he's one of the finest actors in the world right now. However, showrunner Russell T. Davies has shot down that rumour in an interview with Wales Online.

"We can't afford him," Davies quipped. "But in all seriousness, he's too busy! Plus, he's been in 'Doctor Who'—it's too late. He's been in 'Doctor Who' as an evil voice." (This isn't strictly true since Colin Baker guested as a fascistic Gallifrey guard captain in the early 1980s and got cast as the Sixth Doctor a few years later when Peter Davison left.) Anyway, back to the biggest rules behind the casting of a new Doctor.

They Never Cast a Big Star as the Doctor!

The tabloids always choose the flashiest big star or headline makers as the next Doctor. Just before the 2005 revival premiered, they speculated that it would be Hugh Grant or comedian Eddie Izzard, who was then just reaching the peak of his career as a standup who sold out large venues. This is how you would know they're totally wrong. The BBC and whoever is showrunner would never cast a big star because, first, they would be too expensive, and second, they don't want the star to overshadow the show itself. The star of the show is the show itself: the Doctor, the TARDIS, and the companion through Space and Time.

The Series Turns the Lead Actor into a Star, Not the Other Way Around

Stars do not play the Doctor – it is the series itself that creates stars. The BBC usually casts an actor who is on the cusp of stardom, and their casting turns them into stars. Tom Baker was almost completely unknown before he was cast as the Fourth Doctor and has been only known for the role ever since. Peter Davison was already well-known for playing a popular supporting role in the original version of All Creatures Great and Small, and his casting was considered a surprise and a breath of fresh air. David Tennant was on his way to becoming an in-demand actor, and Davies casting him turned him into a star who is now still huge and still associated with Doctor Who.

Matt Smith was a virtual unknown that Doctor launched into a big career. Peter Capaldi is the exception, already a household name from playing the sweary Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It, who became Steven Moffat's big swing, and the BBC got a high-profile star to headline the show and got loads of headlines. Jodie Whittaker was already a respected award-winning stage and screen actor but again, Doctor Who raised her profile. Ncuti Gatwa was already all set to become a star, having gotten noticed on Sex Education, and again, Doctor Who became the platform that raised his star power as he took more stage and screen roles that might cause him to leave the show.

The thing to remember is whenever the rumour mill starts to speculator about a new Doctor, don't believe it. The real choice is never the one you expect, and that's the whole game.

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