Update: Okay, so you might’ve guessed this is an April Fool’s Day gag, but hey, it’s not a bad idea right? Sadly, the fact Peter Capaldi’s leaving at Christmas isn’t a 1st April joke…
Original story:
Having spent some time in Cardiff recently, we can reveal how the BBC is considering casting the Thirteenth Doctor. Unless you’ve spent the past months cut off from the internet, you’ll know there are two vocal camps among commentators: those who say the next Doctor must be female, and those who say that is a step too far, but it is time to move away from yet another white male.
The resolution to this apparent dilemma? Do both!
At the end of this year’s Christmas special, Peter Capaldi will regenerate into female form for the first time since Joanna Lumley made an appearance in The Curse of Fatal Death. This won’t be the end, and the regeneration will stumble revealing a new male Doctor. The two options will flip back and forth (a little like the Romana regeneration) due to a rare form of regeneration sickness. We understand the end credits will leave the final gender unresolved.
There will be a two-part Easter special, written by Chris Chibnall, allowing both forms of the Doctor to shape the role and the BBC will test public opinion before finally stabilising the Doctor’s gender in the autumn. This is in some regards a very convoluted screen-test/ audition.
The two actors currently under consideration are Jenny Agutter and Lenny Henry. Jenny is a well-established actor and has good sci-fi credentials (Logan’s Run; American Werewolf) and Lenny Henry, while best known as a comedian, has widened his portfolio in recent years. He is, of course, to be seen in the current run of Broadchurch, and we understand this is where Chibnall came up with the idea of offering Lenny the part. Seeing him on screen with various Doctor Who alumni such as David Tennant and Arthur Darvill can’t have hurt his chances either! Lenny was also credited with helping create the original Neverwhere TV series.
We think this is a bold solution to the problem, even if it does put off the final decision until well into 2018, and whoever is finally selected to play the Thirteenth Doctor in the long term has our respect. The ingenuity shown in coming up with this approach should be congratulated, and bodes well for Chris Chibnall’s tenure as showrunner.
Next question, who will Missy regenerate into?!