Doctor Who: 14 Actors Who Will NEVER Be The 14th Doctor
9. Idris Elba
When asked a few years ago about whether he wanted to play James Bond, Idris Elba replied "‘I think it’s more about 'we just want to have a black guy play James Bond' rather than 'Idris Elba, the actor, play James Bond'. That’s the part that I’m like 'ugh, come on'.’"
Rightly or wrongly, it's likely that he would have very similar thoughts on playing the Doctor. Whilst Jo Martin is the first Black actor to play a version of the Doctor, for a wider, more general audience Doctor Who still hasn't had a black actor in the title role. Reportedly, they came close prior to both Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi being cast, but in the end it wasn't to be.
It certainly feels like the perfect time to finally do it, but it's unlikely to be Idris Elba for the very reason that he's just too big a name now. As Elba recently stated in yet another discussion about 007: “How amazing would it be to have a Black James Bond? It’s a sign of the times when we can stop talking about black, white, and color.”
The same goes for the Doctor.