7. Dame Doctor
Every time a new Doctor is about to be revealed it's the same old argument. Discussions of having a female incarnation always manage to claw their way back to the forefront of the conversation and back in 2013 - with the announcement of Peter Capaldi in the coveted role imminent - it was once again no different. This time the debate caught the attention of Academy Award winning actress, and all around screen veteran, Dame Helen Mirren who got tongues wagging (this time she managed it without swearing) when she claimed during a red carpet interview that it was "absolutely time" for the Doctor to change his gender. Her statement, of course, led to the inevitable turn out of tabloid tripe as it was "exclusively revealed" by practically ever paper going that she herself was in line to take over the TARDIS as the show's first female protagonist. Not to say it wouldn't be great but it was never really going to happen, was it? Suffice to say, Helen promptly responded by affirming that she had definitely not been offered the coveted role and added that she "absolutely wouldnt contemplate" it anyway, which made her feelings about the situation pretty clear. A Time Lord with a knighthood would be something very special indeed but at least that box has now been ticked by John Hurt.