Doctor Who: 10 Actors Who Could Play The Sixteenth Doctor

Ritu Arya is perhaps most recognisable for her role in The Umbrella Academy, a character that first joins the series as an antagonist (always a green flag for a Doctor actor), but later develops into a staple of the main cast.

In the role, Arya combines a sharp sense of intelligence with a deep competency, as one of the few characters in the show that isn’t a total screw-up. She also injects the role with a playful irreverence and cheekiness which masks some pretty deep emotional scarring. That’s a pretty massive tick in the Doctor playbook. Arya’s stint in soap opera Doctors, as well as her big film break in 2023’s Polite Society, also showcase her range as an actress.

And purely because it's worth mentioning, she also appeared in 2023's Barbie alongside the Fifteenth Doctor himself, Ncuti Gatwa!

She's also no stranger to Doctor Who, having previously played Gat in Fugitive of the Judoon, a character that makes a pretty strong impression with very limited screen time. Gat is a fellow Time Lord and a member of The Division, so I’m clearly not alone in sensing some Doctorish qualities in her – Chibnall has already cast her as a Time Lord!

She would bring an energetic, perhaps slightly manic Doctor to screens that is still more than capable of mustering the depth of emotion required for the role. I see her as a Doctor in Whittaker’s vein, one that has a love of adventure and a thirst for knowledge. She’s got the credentials, the right level of fame, and she’s not currently attached to any major projects... just putting it out there.