Doctor Who: 10 Actors Who Could Play The Next Companion

Bill Bailey might just be the ideal oddball companion for the Doctor. Over the years, he’s built a career playing quirky intellectual types in shows like Black Books, as well as being a long-term staple of the UK panel show scene on shows like Never Mind The Buzzcocks and QI, where he’s not just shown off his quick wit, but also his intelligence and general geekiness.

His stand-up already leans into the surreal and absurd. For example he once reimagined the Doctor Who theme as Belgian jazz (bonus points here as he’s a massive fan of the show). He’s also appeared in the show before, but no one remembers The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe, so I reckon we’ll get away with that one.

I imagine him as a full-on sci-fi geek companion, brimming with references, and quick to make meta comments about predictable plotlines or grandstanding villains. Likely a little bitter, but with a lovely spirit ready to be reawakened as he lives his own adventure. It’s absolutely crazy that we’ve not had a companion cut from this cloth to date - it seems such an obvious path.

The vision: A washed-up punk rocker working in a comic store, living vicariously through old sci-fi comics, who finds himself becoming the star of his own story. Needs to be paired with a cheery Doctor who can cut through his grumpiness and anarchistic mindset, one who delights in sharing the wonders of the universe with him - someone like Jodie Whittaker would be absolutely perfect.