This old body of mine is wearing a bit thin...

With the recent news of Peter Capaldi's departure from Doctor Who, one question has been on everybody's mind (realting to the show, obviously): Who is going to play the 13th/14th/2nd (whatever the regeneration number is) Doctor? Poor, Capaldi, he still has one more series and everyone is going to be thinking of a new actor. Anyway, being a fan of the show since early childhood, I of course have my own opinions on who would make a great Doctor:

 First, Tamsin Greig. Best known for her comedy performances, which is needed for the Doctor, but Greig is a great actor. I didn't like the film Tamara Drewe, but the scenes involving Tamsin Greig and Roger Allam were gripping me, just because I liked the actors. I could see her Doctor being quite sharp and sarcastic with people, almost like Jon Pertwee's. Greig is my personal top choice, but who made the runner-ups...

 Second, Tuppence Middleton. An odd choice, I know, but she is older than Matt Smith was when he first took over the role. Middleton has a interesting other-worldly quality about her and since the first time I saw her, The White Bear episode of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, I thought she would be suited for any role in Doctor Who. I think she reminds me of Carole Ann Ford who played the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Forman (yeah, remember Susan!). I could imagine Middleton's Doctor being patchwork-like, in costume and performance, almost as if the regeneration didn't work properly, like Drusilla in Buffy, almost like a damaged product that still functions.

Sophie Okonedo has had a history with the show already, not only starring in the Matt Smith's series as Liz Ten, but also in the animated web-series The Scream of Shalka, which featured Richard E. Grant as the Doctor. Okonedo brings a grace-like presence in every role, and that would be an interesting path to take the Doctor, who is usually a rebel, quirky and ramshackled.

Finally, an actor I have always wanted to see as The Doctor, Michael Palin, who is basically the Doctor in real life, traveling around having interesting adventures. Like Greig, Palin is most known for his comedy, but in those performances lie brilliantly acting. I've never seen him as a comedic actor, but a classic British character actor, who just happens to do comedy.

So, those are my picks for a character who has been a part of all our lives so long. Doctor Who may have had its ups-and-downs over the years, but they have chosen a bad actor to play The Doctor, so why stop now...