Though the future of Doctor Who is in turmoil, Alex Kingston has put forward two actors who she’d like to see as the next incarnation of the Doctor.
Kingston played River Song, the Doctor’s wife, daughter of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, from 2008 to 2015 on TV and continues to do so on audio. No one quite knows what’s in store for Doctor Who, but when asked about who might play the lead role, Kingston said:
“I think it’s got to be somebody who has got fun in them, but also heart and soul. He’s now about to play [Agatha Christie’s Hercule] Poirot, but I thought Edward Bluemel would be a brilliant Doctor. I’ve worked with him on Discovery of Witches‘ and he’s got all of the characteristics and qualities that would make a good Doctor. But then I also just worked on a theatre play called Copenhagen with Damien Molony, who just happens to be [Jersey-based detective] Bergerac. We had a lot of time sitting on stage, and I would watch him, and he was so physically energised and active that there were times when I was sitting there going, ‘You could be a really good Doctor’. I shouldn’t have been thinking about that — yes, I’m the expert. I mean, there are so many actors that could do it, but who knows?”
Bluemel has indeed been announced as playing a young version of the famous Belgian detective created by Christie. So he probably isn’t in the running.
But Damien Molony is an excellent shout. He’s currently starring as the lead role in Bergerac, a programme created by Robert Banks Stewart (Terror of the Zygons), which previously starred Louise Jameson (aka Leela); this modern-day interpretation is written by Toby Whithouse — a name familiar to Who fans as he’s written a number of excellent stories like School Reunion, The God Complex, and Under the Lake/ Before the Flood.
Molony, who worked with Whithouse before on Being Human, is also appearing in Two Weeks in August at the moment. And he’s a superb actor. He could absolutely knock it out of the park as the Doctor.
That’s not the pertinent question right now though. Instead, we need to find out more about the tender process, meaning production teams can pitch to make the show…
Either way, some good suggestions from Alex!
