Doctor Who: Who Should be the Twelfth Doctor?

So there's good news and there's bad news. The good news? The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special is one day closer to airing that it was yesterday. The bad news is that The Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, has announced his departure from the show. After three seasons at the helm of the show, Smith has decided to hang up the fez and bowtie and move on to Gallifreyan pastures new.

 Three stellar seasons has seen Smith's Doctor travel in time and space with Alex Kingston's Professor River Song, Karen Gillian's Amy Pond and Arthur Darvill's Rory Williams. More recently, he has teamed up with Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman). Throughout his tenure in the TARDIS, he's fought Daleks, Cybermen, Silurians, Ice Warriors, Weeping Angels, the Silence and the Great Intelligence.

2013's Christmas Special has been confirmed as the Eleventh Doctor's swansong and with this in mind, it is time to cue up the inevitable and ask; who should replace him? Who should be cast to play the Twelfth Doctor? Doctor Who? Let me know what you reckon in the comments section below.

Please note: None of these choices are bona-fide contenders, it's all just speculation.

Idris Elba

With relatively big roles in Thor, Prometheus and Pacific Rim, Idris is certainly making a name for himself across the pond. And as the lead in BBC's Luther, he is a household name for most Britons.

His acting talent is not exactly in any doubt and it would be refreshing to have the character given such a different spin. He has also shown he can throw in a few laughs in Prometheus, something which is pretty important for a family show. 

Add all this to the fact that he is a name that has been touted as a potential Doctor in the past, and we could have a contender on our hands.

But then, we might not. With a heavy schedule on Luther and his place in the Marvel Universe cemented, Elba would have to make way for Doctor Who in a big way. I do however, think it is time to seriously consider a black Doctor. I mean, why not?

Eddie Redmayne

 Best known for his role as Marius in 2012's Les Miserables, Redmayne would be a contender given his 'Doctorish' look (he's kind of skinny and youthful) and his rather fancy accent (not that being Scottish as all hell stopped David Tennant being a fan-favourite). He kind of follows in the same vein as Matt Smith and David Tennant, sort of a mixture of the two. 

This one is only a name-drop as I reckon he is the kind of actor who would fill the role but there are better actors out there for the Doctor. 

Aidan Turner

With a solid body of television work behind him (Being Human), Aidan Turner has finally hit it big by scoring the role of Kili in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy. So what does this potential Doctor filling nature?

Well, he's funny. Like, really funny. On-screen and in real-life, Turner is smiley, cheery and an all-round charismatic Irishman who would add a substantial dash of humour to the show. He's handled serious drama in the past too with his character of Mitchell on Being Human suffering his fair share of vampire related torment.

Would he be able to carry a show by himself however? Whilst he shared the screen in Being Human, Turner hasn't carried the lead role in a big show like Doctor Who. However, the BBC haven't exactly gone for big name actors in the past however; had anyone heard of Matt Smith for he was cast as the Eleventh Doctor?

Rupert Grint

You wanted ginger, here's your ginger. Rupert Grint a.k.a Ronald Weasley from Harry Potter. Out of the franchise's three lead's, Grint is the only one to have struggled slightly in landing roles post-Hogwarts. 

Whilst Daniel Radcliffe is off scaring the shit out of yours truly in The Woman in Black and Emma Watson is sexying it up in My Weekend With Marilyn, The Perks of Being A Wallflower and The Bling Ring, Grint has stalled slightly. 

So, what better role to land than a prime-time BBC sci-fi show with a global audience of millions? Personally, I think Grint would be pretty decent as the Doctor; he's young, good-looking and already a known face. The only hitch would be him playing a character that isn't really dim; can you imagine the Doctor 's screwdriver not working and his response being a really silly expression followed by a "bloody hell, Clara"! 

Cillian Murphy

Known for playing Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy, Cillian Murphy would be a great pick for the twelfth Doctor. He's a great actor who is relatively well-known and he has that look about him - he looks like a Timelord.

It would mean sacrificing time spent in Hollywood (sunny, glamorous, fashionable) for time spent in Cardiff (wet, glum, Welsh) but who cares when you make yourself a global name out of it?

and finally...Danny Pudi

Okay, I know he's American, but hear me out because I think this might work. Cast Danny Pudi as the Doctor, give him a British accent and his new costume would be a bowler hat, a red cravat and a bath robe. 

Then, cast Donald Glover as the new assistant (he would be a policeman with a name like Constable Wigglesworth or something like that) and then change the TARDIS so that it looks like a red phone box. 

Over the course of the series, the Doctor steadily adopts the persona of 'Inspector Spacetime' and a whole new era of the show is born. Add in some terrifying villains called Blorgons and BAM!

Sheer brilliance.