As Doctor Who fans wait for Season 13, a large rumor that the upcoming season will be Jodie Whittaker's last looms over the franchise. While no official word has come out from The BBC, the show, or Whittaker about her future with the show, oddsmakers have been updating their books on who the current favorites are to replace her.
The latest odds from Bookmakers Ladbrokes (via Express) have actor Kris Marshall at 6/1 odds of getting the role, putting him in a deadlock with Michaela Coel and one point above Richard Ayoade at 7/1. Marshall is perhaps known best by his character in Love Actually Colin, who moves to America after having trouble with women in England. Since then, Marshall has done many things in film and television, including roles in Sanditon and the Showtime drama series We Hunt Together.
This would not be Kris Marshall's first time at the top of the oddsmakers lists when taking the lead role of Doctor Who. In fact, Marshall was a heavy favorite to take the role when it was announced Peter Capaldi would be leaving his role as The Doctor and, of course, that role ultimately went to Jodie Whittaker.
I would argue that the Doctor Who franchise does have loose lips when it comes to rumors, though predicting the next Doctor can always be hard to tack down. Oddsmakers are not always on the money when it comes to how something is going to play out and, even if today this may be true, there's still a long way to go before Doctor Who would need to make a decision on who will replace Jodie Whittaker. And as we mentioned earlier, it still hasn't even been confirmed Whittaker will leave.
Doctor Who fans are interested in the conversation all the same, partly because they're curious how the franchise will follow up its first female Doctor. Jumping back to a white male actor like Kris Marshall may be seen by some as backpedaling the progressive step the franchise took with Whittaker. Meanwhile, others may take it as a confirmation the show made a mistake in casting her. It's a debate that will likely increase should the news that Jodie Whittaker is leaving become official, which may be why The BBC isn't willing to comment on her future status with the show at this time. The point being there's a long way to go before a new Doctor is announced, so don't be so sure Marshall will be the next Doctor in the TARDIS just yet.
Doctor Who Season 13 is happening on BBC America, so be sure to stick with CinemaBlend for more on its development and what's happening with the series. To read up more on what former stars have to say about the next Doctor, check out who John Barrowman would love to see take the role when Jodie Whittaker leaves.
