Doctor Who: 10 Actors Who Could Or Should Have Been The Doctor

2. The Eleventh Doctor - Paterson Joseph

Tabloid speculation kicked into overdrive when David Tennant announced, in October 2008, that he would be leaving the show after a phenomenally successful five year run. The identity of his successor was to be revealed in an episode of Doctor Who Confidential, broadcast the following January, and whoever replaced him would have to confound expectations to escape from his shadow. The bookie€™s favourite was Paterson Joseph, who had already appeared in Doctor Who in the Series 1 finale. Accomplished in both comedy and drama, he had the talent to match up to Tennant but that wasn€™t the only reason many people expected him to play the Eleventh Doctor. Doctor Who has often been criticised for a lack of diversity but strides had been made with black companions Mickey and Martha. The time seemed right, therefore, for a black actor to take on the main role and it seemed like Joseph might well have been that actor. Exactly why he wasn€™t has been the subject of some conjecture. Many commentators felt that the BBC missed a trick by keeping the quirky white male archetype intact. As it turns out, however, the decision might have been his. In response to criticism that followed Peter Capaldi€™s casting, Neil Gaiman stated that a black actor has already turned down the part. Whether this was Joseph is unclear but it does suggest that the production team is willing to move with the times - if only they can find the right actor to move with.