Doctor Who season 11: Karen Gillan talks Helen Mirren Doctor idea

Could Helen Mirren be the perfect Doctor Who season 11 star? It seems unlikely, but the screen icon has plenty of fans in her corner.

Previously, we’ve heard series star Peter Capaldi cheer on Mirren as a perfect replacement for him in the role of The Doctor, and now, former companion Karen Gillan is doing the same thing. In the process of promoting the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in a new interview on This Morning, the actress had the following to say on the subject of the new Doctor:

“I really would like to see Helen in the role, actually, because so many people have questioned whether a woman can play the role. Of course an actress can play the role! It’s not really bound by gender.”

Gillan also threw some support behind Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who to date has been one of the leading candidates and is endorsed by many people to play the part.

The reality here ultimately is that there are so many different prospective Doctor candidates out there, and that is one of the reasons why we haven’t written too much to date about any of the possibilities … beyond of course the fact that we don’t actually think that many of them are not actually in contention for the part. More often than not, every year we hear constant rumors about different people in the role, and the discussion starts long before a name is even considered. We’re only just now at a point where upcoming showrunner Chris Chibnall can start to survey the field and pick his ideal Doctor. The show will likely announce the choice later this summer, and the character will appear for the first time in the Christmas Special, the final one for Capaldi and for current showrunner Steven Moffat.

For the record, we do know that we would love to see Mirren in the role of Thirteen. However, we know that the odds are extremely low that this is ever going to happen. Just remember for a minute or two here that she is a big-name movie star, and typically the show casts people who are a little less familiar to mainstream audiences at the time of getting the role.

What do you think about Gillan’s recommendation? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, be sure to head over here if you do have an interest in previewing further the next new Doctor Who episode. (Photo: BBC.)