Matt Smith’s last episode in Doctor Who will be the Christmas special. Who will replace him?

BBC News are pushing the question. Experts and pundits are landing TV interview roles to tackle the question in front of millions. “Does the Doctor have to be male?” is a common question.

William Hill are offering 8/1 odds on The next Doctor to be female.

British bookies have taken bets on who the next Doctor will be in previous regenerations. Back in 2008 Paddy Power put Paterson Joseph down as 3/1 and David Morrissey in as 5/1. That betting is now blank but perhaps odds will appear later. Ladbrokes have put up a new Doctor Who betting page and it’s also blank. They date it 8 June. So is this an old page or do Ladbrokes expect something to happen on the 8th of June?

William Hill are taking bets and have Rupert Grint (from Harry Potter) and Russell Tovey (from Being Human) as 10/1 front runners. Skybet are also taking bets on the next Doctor and also include Russel Tovey but offer better odds on Chiwetel Ejiofor (Murder in Mind, Children of Men), Rory Kinnear (Black Mirror, Skyfall) and Damien Molony (Being Human) at better odds.

I’ve taken both the Skybet and William Hill odds, as they stand today, and created a single list with average values. You can see the runners and riders here – along with some comedy “Please take my money” suggestions from the cheeky bookies.

Chiwetel Ejiofor 8/1 Damien Molony 9/1 David Harewood 10/1 James Frain 10/1 Russell Tovey 10/1 Rory Kinnear 10.5/1 Ben Daniels 12/1 David Harewood 12/1 Rupert Grint 15/1 Ben Whishaw 15/1 Andrew Scott 16/1 Billie Piper 16/1 David Morrissey 16/1 Colin Morgan 18/1 Tilda Swinton 20/1 Tom Ellis 20/1 Iwan Rheon 20/1 Richard Armitage 20/1 Damian Lewis 20/1 Patterson Joseph 20/1 Russell Brand 22/1 Olivia Colman 22.5/1 Martin Freeman 24.5/1 Alan Davies 25/1 Ewan McGregor 25/1 James Nesbitt 25/1 Rhys Ifans 25/1 Sheridan Smith 25/1 Christian Cooke 25/1 Idris Elba 25/1 Simon Pegg 25/1 Alex Jennings 25/1 Benedict Cumberbatch 32.5/1 Philip Glenister 33/1 Richard Coyle 33/1 Robert Carlyle 33/1 Emmet Scanlon 33/1 Andrew Lee Potts 33/1 David Tennant 33/1 Tom Hiddleston 33/1 Jonathan Rhys Myers 33/1 Neil McDermott 33/1 James Corden 40/1 Nigel Harman 40/1 Rowan Atkinson 40/1 Neil Patrick Harris 40/1 Miranda Hart 40/1 Chris O’Dowd 50/1 John Hurt 50/1 Timothy Spall 50/1 James Callis 50/1 Ben Miller 50/1 David Walliams 58/1 Stephen Fry 66/1 Tim Wright 66/1 Anthony Head 66/1 Robert Pattinson 80/1 Jason Statham 100/1 Emma Watson 100/1 Daniel Radcliffe 100/1 Lenny Henry 100/1 Zac Effron 100/1 David Beckham 250/1 Simon Cowell 250/1 Tom Cruise 250/1 John Terry 500/1

What do you think of the bookies list? Any good ideas or likely suggestions in here? Any that you’d rule out straight away? Do you have any suggestions for actors who could be the next Doctor in Doctor Who?