The BBC has said that the identity of the 13th actor to take the title role of Doctor Who will be unveiled after the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday. Peter Capaldi’s successor will be disclosed following the match between Roger Federer and Marin Cilic, which is scheduled to start at 2pm.
In a 60-second trailer on the Doctor Who Twitter account, the number 13 is shown in a number of iconic locations, including Downing Street, the Statue of Liberty and the White Cliffs of Dover. It ends with the words: “Meet the 13th Doctor after the Wimbledon Men’s Final ... Sunday 16th July”.
The announcement was teased during coverage of Federer’s semi-final victory over Tomas Berdych on Centre Court on Friday evening.
Speculation has been rife over who will play the new Time Lord ever since Capaldi announced in January that he was leaving the programme.
Some believe that the first female actor may be about to step into the role, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the actress and creator of comedy series Fleabag, rumoured to be among the frontrunners, along with Kris Marshall, star of Death In Paradise. Jodie Whittaker, who rose to fame in Broadchurch, and Tilda Swinton, who won a Bafta award for best actress in a supporting role in 2008 for her performance in Michael Clayton, have also been touted as possible contenders.
The BBC2 programme Newsnight appeared to offer a clue as to the new Tardis occupant on 4 July when presenter Evan Davis told viewers: “Bookies’ favourite Phoebe Waller-Bridge has denied claims that she’s going to be the first female Doctor. But then, Joanna Lumley has already played the role for Comic Relief, so that would technically be true.”
A recent YouTube interview with the 32-year-old actor was subsequently shown in which she avoided discussing the rumours, claiming: “I am not allowed to say anything about that one way or the other.” As Newsnight drew to a close, a “Who”-style regeneration graphic was projected over the image of Waller-Bridge.
Capaldi, who replaced Matt Smith in the role in 2013, will relinquish the role after this year’s Christmas special. The actor told the Radio Times that his regeneration as the Time Lord would be “more complicated than recent ones” . Steven Moffat, the show’s lead writer and executive producer, will also leave the long-running sci-fi series after the Christmas special, to be succeeded by Chris Chibnall.
The seasonal episode will see David Bradley making an appearance as the first Doctor, the role originally taken by actor William Hartnell in the 1960s, meaning that three different incarnations of the Time Lord will appear in the same show.
