Doctor Who: Betting suspended on Love Actually's Kris Marshall replacing Peter Capaldi

Tilda Swinton was the hot favourite

With Peter Capaldi stepping down as the BBC’s Doctor Who, the iconic role has become available for another actor to clinch.

Many fans have expressed an interest in an actress taking the role, Tilda Swinton being the hot favourite for some time, but the bookies recon someone else has the role.

Bets have been suspended on Kris Marshall, best known for appearing in the TV show My Family, the film Love Actually, and those BT Adverts.

"A surge of punters have backed Marshall so we’ve had no choice but to close the book,” Ladbrokes' Alex Donohue said. "If he does get the gig the bookies will be exterminated first."

While this in no way confirms Marshall has the role, the actor seems almost ideal - not mega-famous but relatively known - unlike Swinton who recently appeared in Doctor Strange and may be too famous for the BBC’s budget.

Along with Swinton and Marshall, Oscar-winner (Michael Clayton) is hotly tipped to become the new Time Lord, while female contenders in the running include Olivia Colman (5/1), Maxine Peake (8/1) and Fleabag actor Phoebe Waller-Bridge (12/1). Capaldi's personal pick - Frances de la Tour - doesn’t feature

Next Doctor Who odds

 Tilda Swinton – 7/2

Olivia Colman – 5/1

Maxine Peake – 8/1

Ben Whishaw – 10/1

Richard Ayoade – 10/1

Andrew Buchan – 10/1

Reece Shearsmith – 12/1

Phoebe Waller-Bridge – 12/1

Rory Kinnear – 16/1

Andrew Scott – 16/1

Richard Madden – 16/1

David Harewood – 16/1

Paterson Joseph – 16/1

Idris Elba – 20/1

Chris Addison – 20/1

Gwendoline Christie – 20/1

James Norton – 20/1

Adrian Lester – 20/1

Alexander Vlahos – 20/1

Sacha Dhawan – 20/1

Robert Carlyle – 20/1

Laurie Kynaston – 20/1

Michelle Gomez – 33/1

The next series of Doctor Who marks the final with Steven Moffat as show runner; Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall is set to take over.