With Doctor Who facing an uncertain future, fans of the BBC series are speculating whether X-Men star James McAvoy could be the unlikely saviour as he has been mooted as a potential Time Lord.
The fate of the long-running sci-fi saga is unclear following last month's announcement that the planned Christmas special for this year had been axed, with it later being confirmed that showrunner Russell T Davies and production company Bad Wolf had also left.
BBC bosses have put the sci-fi saga out to competitive tender - a process which could take years to resolve - in the hope of finding a new production company and media partner to co-create a new series.
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But as speculation grows, it is also unknown who the new Doctor will be following the departure of Rwandan-Scottish actor Ncuti Gatwa. McAvoy, however, is a hot favourite for the iconic role.
A well-placed source claims that the actor was in the frame alongside Death in Paradise's Kris Marshall and It's a Sin actor Olly Alexander, before rising star Gatwa landed the part in May 2022. They add that he may be approached again to give the show a much needed boost.
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At the time of Gatwa's casting, BBC bosses partnered with Disney in a bid to make the show a huge hit in the US, but their plans unfolded after the actor suddenly quit after just two seasons in 2025.
Fans are now wondering whether BBC bosses missed a trick in not hiring McAvoy first time round, with several viewing him as a perfect fit for the role. On the Doctor Whoniverse Facebook fan page, followers have already dressed him up as their "new Doctor" with an AI-generated fan image.
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A source close to the show told us: "Talk is how James McAvoy would make a great Doctor Who as his name was speculated alongside others as potentially being in the frame.
"James has a lot of international credit and it's believed that he would have been a better bet for the American market as he was already in X-Men, playing Professor X and known in the US."
Former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, meanwhile, has said there's a change to the rebooted version that he believes has "diminished" the drama.
Speaking on the 100 Questions with Tom Simons podcast, the 68-year-old said: "To be perfectly honest, I think there are too many regenerations. I love all my Doctors but I've lost count now of how many of them there are.
"The weight of this regeneration is diminished whereas when I grew up as a kid (with) the first one, it was like 'What just happened there?' It was mysterious. It was strange."
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At a recent talk in New York, Capaldi's predecessor Matt Smith said he was confident that BBC bosses would discover a new format for the show in the near future.
Speaking to US podcaster Josh Horowitz in Manhattan, House of the Dragon star Smith said: "People always say 'Oh Doctor Who is this and that', but the truth is the Doctor never dies. He never goes away.
"I am sure he, she or they will be back in force and it will continue to sort of evolve and change and grow because it is the most brilliant concept for a show."
Doctor Who airs on BBC One in the UK, with classic episodes available via BBC iPlayer.
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