Doctor Who: 10 Actresses Who Could Replace Jenna Coleman

4. Pippa Bennett-Warner

Why she should be next: At times, Series 8 seemed like it was trying out potential new companions, and many fans picked up on that. Maybe the writers felt they needed to try some new ideas to see what worked and what didn€™t. One of the many characters who seemed like they could join the Twelfth Doctor on his travels was Saibra, a human mutant with the ability to change into anyone else by touching them. She was played by Pippa Bennett-Warner, hence the actresses€™ inclusion on this list. Saibra was a hit with sections of the fandom, as was Psi, the character introduced alongside her, so she€™s already got an established connection with the audience. She€™s also got experience of what working on modern day Doctor Who is like due to this previous appearance. It€™s not like there€™s no precedent for actors returning to play companions after a guest role - it€™s already happened with Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, Karen Gillan and Jenna Coleman, so Bennett-Warner would be in good company there. There€™s also a lot of potential in the character of Saibra. She€™s a wounded individual, having been unable to make contact with any other human due to her genetics. That could lead to a lot of conflict, but it would also be a great creative challenge for the writers. She wouldn€™t be the modern day companion the fans are tired of, either, which would be an added plus. Why she shouldn€™t be: Even though she€™s only had a guest part in Time Heist, there€™s the feeling that the character of Saibra might be done with already. She got what she wanted; the serum that would supress her genetics and allow her to touch others without transforming into them. Without that, a lot of the potential internal and external conflict for the character could be lost, meaning she would be far less interesting to watch as a result. The decision to have her lose her powers could be undone, but it would be at the cost of negating the end of Time Heist. There€™s also the implication through a lot of fan fervour that she is popular as part of a pair with Jonathan Bailey€™s Psi, and there€™s an argument to be made that if only one of the two is brought back, he€™d be the more interesting choice. Especially since he has all his rediscovered memories to deal with. Even if they brought back both, that would be a bigger expense for a production team already dealing with stretched budgets. Furthermore, there€™s the problem that Time Heist wasn€™t all that loved by the majority of fans. While this doesn€™t mean that the characters can€™t have a fruitful future on the show, the lack of appreciation for the episode they started in might have a negative impact on their reception, especially in the short-term.