Doctor Who season 11: Former showrunner knows Thirteen’s identity

Want to know Thirteen’s identity on Doctor Who? Then we suggest you go find the nearest boombox and head for Russell T. Davies’ window. The former showrunner is one of the few people in the know on the actor / actress behind the role — and also that there has been someone chosen in the first place.

Davies made the startling / awesome revelation in a new interview with Andy West on his AndyVision YouTube channel. Apparently, he also finds it very amusing that people ask for his feedback on the casting process given that he hasn’t worked on the show in half a decade:

“Having worked on it, I’m leaving it to them. It’s like me asking you about the job you did five years ago … And I do know who it is.”

As for who it is, there are rumors aplenty out there about it being a woman, someone younger than Peter Capaldi, or someone who’s already been on the show. Names have come out of the woodwork like nobody’s business, largely because we all have this inherent obsession in assuming that the next Doctor has to be someone of a certain notoriety. How many of us were altogether familiar with the name “Matt Smith” before he was cast? The only Matt Smith most of us knew was some random dude at a pub somewhere, given that there are about three million of these guys just in North America and the UK alone. (Common name, right?)

At this point, Doctor Who and the casting department have shown they know what they are doing, and with that, there’s no need to question them. They’ll find the right person just as they did with Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi. Can you claim that the series should have cast this person or that person instead of some of them? Sure, but it’s hard to argue against the results. Another great example of that comes in the Companions with Pearl Mackie, who’s been nothing short of a revelation on this show this season. She’s managed to hold her own against Jenna Coleman in just one year’s time.

If you’re interested in breaking down further casting conventions and whether or not new showrunner Chris Chibnall should cast a woman Doctor, head over to the link here and check out that piece. (Photo: BBC.)