Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker has confirmed she will be leaving the sci-fi drama next year, along with showrunner Chris Chibnall.
Both star and showrunner will bow out following a six-part series set to air later in 2021, two specials already planned for 2022, plus one final feature-length adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor, which will also mark the BBC’s centenary next year.
Jodie Whittaker, 39, took over the TARDIS in 2017 as the first female Doctor, breaking a major barrier for the long-running show.
The next Doctor is yet to be announced but many Whovians are crying out for another trailblazer: the first openly LGBT+ Time Lord in the TARDIS. Here are just a few stars we’d like to see take over.
Sharon D Clarke
Yes, stage legend Sharon D Clarke has already appeared in Doctor Who (as Graham’s late wife Grace). But that didn’t stop Capaldi, who guest-starred in 2008’s “The Fires of Pompeii”, did it? The owner of three Olivier Awards, Clarke is as seasoned an actor as they come, and according to the Guardian’s chief theatre critic Arifa Akbar, “emanates personality in every role she plays”.