Next Doctor Who Odds: David Tennant Favourite For Second Stint

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Next Doctor Who Odds: David Tennant Favourite For Second Stint
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BBC’s age-old cult TV show, Doctor Who, can be more than confusing. For example, the last series of Doctor Who was number 13. But that is the most recent incarnation of Doctor Who, as this ‘new show’ launched in 2005.

However, there has been an additional 26 series of Doctor Who, spanning from 1963 to 1989. That original series featured eight Doctors. Since and including 2005, there have been an additional five doctors.

Despite this, TV specials betting sites are labelling the odds on the identity of the next Doctor as 'Who will be the 14th Doctor?'. Should that not read 'Who will be the sixth Doctor?'

It would make more sense to simply call the market 'Who will be the next Doctor Who?' As already mentioned, things can be as confusing as some of the show’s notoriously mystifying storylines.

And it is very possible UK bookmakers may wish they had clarified things further if rumours of a temporary stand-in Doctor prove more than conjecture.

Next Doctor Who After Jodie Whittaker Odds

ActorOddsBet With
David Tennant4/5William Hill
Lydia West7/2William Hill
Michael Sheen6/1William Hill
Omari Douglas6/1William Hill
Olly Alexander8/1William Hill
Lenny Henry9/1William Hill
Michaela Coel10/1William Hill
T'Nia Miller12/1William Hill
Hugh Grant12/1William Hill
Richard Ayoade20/1William Hill
Samuel Adewunmi16/1William Hill
Danny Dyer20/1William Hill
Rege-Jean Page20/1William Hill

The Doctor Calls Twice?

Latest reports suggest that David Tennant – who played the Doctor between 2005 and 2010 – will return to the show for a handful of episodes. The highlight of these would be a 60th-anniversary special broadcast in 2023.

Just one more episode remains of the Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall era, before Russell T Davies returns to the fold as showrunner, fuelling rumours of Tennant's return.



If Tennant does return, will he be settled as the winner of this betting market? At best, he could be a stand-in Doctor. At worst, as a returning Doctor, he is not the 14th individual Doctor.

William Hill have removed any doubt by labelling their market: 'Who Will Be the Next Doctor Who After Jodie Whittaker?' The firm has also subscribed to the theory the 10th Time Lord (the second of the new and reincarnated Doctor Who’s) – David Tennant – will be at the helm of the famous Tardis when the show turns 60.

Support for Tennant has snowballed in recent months. Available at 12/1 in late January and 5/1 at the start of February, the 50-year-old Scotsman is now just 4/5 in the latest odds on the next Dr Who.

However, he appears to be growing tired of fielding questions about the prospect of him reprising the role.

"There's no point in me denying it, there's no point in me confirming it, there's no point in me fudging it. Whatever I say will become whatever the internet wants it to be," he quipped when pressed on the matter at German Comic Con earlier this month.

Familiar Contenders Follow In New Dr Who Odds

Odds compilers from the best betting sites have clearly done their homework as it is noticeable their second favourite, Lydia West (7/2), joint-third favourite Omari Douglas (6/1), and even fourth favourite, Olly Alexander (8/1), all have experience of working for Russell T Davies.

Davies was responsible for reviving Doctor Who in 2005 and he made it a worldwide hit, but left the show in 2009 to work on other projects.

They included the role of creator and executive producer of 2019’s Years and Years and the 2021 mini-series It’s a Sin.

Lydia West starred in both these shows, Douglas and Alexander won acclaim for their parts in It’s a Sin – a multiple award-winning series that highlighted the aids crisis of the late 1980s.

Would Michaela Coel Swap The Millennium Falcon For The Tardis?

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Michaela Coel is one candidate that has remained prominent in Dr Who odds on betting apps from the outset. The 34-year-old Londoner with Ghanaian parents was the early frontrunner and she remains towards the head of the market at 10/1.

The actress, screenwriter, director, producer and singer came to prominence for the sitcom Chewing Gum. It was a show she created and starred in between 2015 and 2017.

Afterwards, amongst guest appearances in several TV shows, Coel had a bit-part in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and a leading role in the Netflix movie, Been So Long.

In November 2022 she will be seen in Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. But there is currently no indication of any other planned work during 2022 and that could be a good sign for her Doctor Who chances.

Could Danny Dyer Or Hugh Grant Be A Doctor Who Candidate?

This has been a volatile market. Many of the early favourites have drifted dramatically since the July 2021 announcement that Jodie Whitaker will be leaving her lead role in Doctor Who.

Earlier this year, an interesting contender from the BBC talent pool entered the fray with news that Danny Dyer had decided to quit EastEnders after nine years and it led to media speculation that he was in the frame for time travelling duties.

But early enthusiasm has waned, and the famous cockney actor has already drifted out from 6/1 to 20/1.

Elsewhere, Hugh Grant is another household name gathering steam to take over as the Doctor.

Indeed, The Mirror has reported that a "Marvel-style" makeover of the show is in the works and that Grant was in talks to be the star.

Despite all the speculation, Grant's odds have stayed steady at 12/1 to take over in the role.

When Will The New Doctor Who Be Announced?

So when will the identity of the next Doctor be revealed? In December last year Russell T Davies told The Guardian: "We have genuinely not cast anyone [for the role of the Doctor] yet. We’re just starting auditions."

The casting process is always slow. Furthermore, the latest series of Doctor Who was filmed over nine months – between November 2020 to August 2021 – and made its debut on October 31, 2021.

Working from that timeframe – and understanding the next series will not broadcast until November 2023 – it is reasonable to expect we will get an official announcement in early or mid-summer 2022.