From Time Lord to Time Lady? Could the next Doctor Who be played by a woman?

Move could upset some of the show’s most devoted fans

The Doctor (Matt Smith) with current assistant Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) (BBC)

BBC bosses on the hunt for a new Doctor Who could choose a woman to play the coveted role, according to reports.

Following the announcement of Matt Smith’s departure from the primetime BBC series, the Sunday Times said “informed sources” at the BBC had suggested that “his successor might be a woman”.

However, such a move could upset some of the show’s most devoted fans.

Among the actresses being touted for the role is Helen Mirren, who expressed some interest in the job two years ago.

There is also speculation that Bafta-winning Twenty Twelve actress Olivia Colman, Fresh Meat’s Zawe Ashton or Shakespearean heroine Eve Best could grab the lead part.

However, bookmakers William Hill have installed Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint and Being Human’s Russell Tovey as their joint 10/1 favourites.

Last year, Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat surprised an audience at the Edinburgh Television Festival by asking: “How many people would continue watching quite happily and believe it was the same person if the Doctor turned into a woman?”

The response was said to be mixed, but he added: “It is a part of Time Lord lore that it can happen. I put the reference in the episode The Doctor’s Wife to the fact that a Time Lord could potentially turn into a woman.”