Doctor Who's Sylvester Mccoy Supports "Person of Color" as Next Doctor

Former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy thinks a person of color should take over as The Doctor after Jodie Whittaker's exit. Rumors suggest that Whittaker's departure from Doctor Who is on the horizon, though the BBC hasn't commented on those reports. Regardless, McCoy, who played The Seventh Doctor, says he's always surprised by whom the BBC chooses as the new Doctor, and he hopes their choice for the Fourteenth Doctor isn't any different. "I'm always surprised by who they pick," McCoy tells RadioTimes. "It has to be someone with lots of character. It can't be someone bland and beautiful, rather handsome and characterful.

"I was surprised when they got Matt Smith," McCoy continued. "He looked about 12, and yet he was brilliant! One minute he looks 12, the next he looks 125. He has the perfect Doctor Who face. So, a surprise. A person of color would be great."

Doctor Who introduced its first person of color to play the Doctor in the twelfth season episode "Fugitive of the Judoon," revealing Jo Martin as a previously unknown incarnation of the Doctor hiding out on Earth. That revelation led to a retcon of the Doctor's and the Time Lords' origins in the season finale episode, "The Timeless Children." But, while it's encouraging to see a person of color as the Doctor, Martin's role isn't the same as leading the long-running sci-fi series as the Doctor, with a number attached and everything.

If the BBC is open to having an American Doctor, Whoopi Goldberg is eager to take over the role. Either way, fans shouldn't be getting ahead of themselves. While there are rumors, the BBC has only said that "We won't be commenting on any speculation around Jodie's future on the show." In a recent interview, Whittaker suggested that she hadn't been thinking past the show's next season.

"As far as I'm concerned, right now, I'm the Doctor and that's taking up everything of me, as an actor," Whittaker told Entertainment Weekly. "And to think something beyond that, I can't put my head there, and I don't want to."

Who do you think should play the next Doctor? Do you expect Whittaker to leave after Doctor Who's next season? Let us know what you think about it in the comments section.

Doctor Who is now streaming on HBO Max. Get started with our binge guide. The show is currently filming its thirteenth season.