Doctor Who season 14: Hugh Grant not replacing Jodie Whittaker as lead

Is Hugh Grant really going to be the star of Doctor Who season 14? This was a surprising rumor that surfaced earlier in the week, but it’s also one that was shot down.

Before we go any further here, though, let’s get into how we heard about this in the first place. The news about Grant supposedly being the new Doctor started in a piece over at the Mirror, one that claimed returning showrunner Russell T. Davies was keen to create a larger, more Marvel-style universe with bigger names and a larger budget. Grant would not doubt be the biggest star to ever take on the iconic role, and it would be an enormous swing from the BBC to go in that direction. We’ve seen them hire accomplished actors before like Whittaker and Peter Capaldi, but they tend to be of a slightly lesser profile.

Ultimately, Grant himself shot down the talk on Twitter, saying “Nothing against Dr W but I’m not [replacing Jodie]. No idea where the story came from.”

Does this mean that every part of the Mirror story is false? Not necessarily, as it’s very well possible that Davies and the BBC could be eager to create a larger Doctor Who world or court mainstream audiences more with their next hire. We wouldn’t be shocked by any of that. However, Grant’s denial is a reminder not to buy stock in everything you read, especially when it comes to the other side of a regeneration. We tend to hear around 40-50 names bandied about and typically, the only reports that are true are the ones that come a mere matter of days before an announcement. The BBC does a good job of keeping their discussions under wraps until the very last second.

What do you think about Hugh Grant serving as a star for Doctor Who?

Are you sad on some level that the rumor is false? Be sure to share in the comments and after doing that, stick around for some additional insight that you will not want to miss.