Doctor Who: 10 (More) Actors Who Could Replace Jenna Coleman
5. Daniel Kaluuya
Why he should be: Daniel Kaluuya is another young actor whos got previous experience of working in the BBC sci-fi/fantasy show landscape, having played a key role in The Fades as Mac, the best friend of the main character. This could easily have prepared him for being a companion as well as he was one of the characters the audience got to know better while still offering support for the main character - a key attribute for a good companion, especially if they want to bring in a bigger TARDIS crew. Hes a very talented actor to boot, which is always a plus. He has previous experience of the Doctor Who universe having appeared in Planet of the Dead as Barclay, one of the passengers on the bus who travels with the Doctor to the titular dead planet. At the end of the episode, the Doctor even suggested that UNIT should hire him and with UNITs increased role since Series 7, it would be an interesting note to follow up on. Having a UNIT member as the permanent companion could also provide an interesting dynamic for the new series as its not something that has happened yet. If nothing else, that previous experience will have given Kaluuya some insight into what hes getting into, so hell be prepared for a second entry into the universe. Why he shouldnt be: In his past, Kaluuyas been mostly used for the comic relief characters. Theyve been well constructed, yes, but his character was the least serious and least dark part of The Fades and he was mostly there for humorous lines in his previous Doctor Who entry. This could be a potential problem. While the person playing the companion is typically helped by the ability of good comic timing, that this is often Kaluuyas key attribute could be an issue, since its unclear how able he'd be to fulfil the dark, dangerous relationship that Steven Moffat wants between the companion and the Doctor. He also seems to be moving more into films, even if its just small roles. Hes had small roles in Kick-Ass 2 and Welcome to the Punch. If this is what he wants to do with his career more than TV, hes got the talent, and that could prevent him signing up as the main companion.
