Radio Times

The announcement that many Doctor Who fans had been expecting and most had been dreading has finally been made. Last night, live on The National Television Awards, David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, accepted the award for outstanding drama performance - and then told viewers that he is quitting the show.

In an intervew with the BBC, the 37-year-old Scottish actor described his three-series stint as "the most extraordinary time, it's been bewildering, life changing, very exciting," and explained, "I don't ever want it to feel like a job, so I want to move on when it still feels exciting and fresh and that means I'll miss it."

Tennant will appear in the Doctor Who Christmas episode, The Next Doctor, alongside David Morrissey, and in four specials next year, before handing the keys to the Tardis to…Who knows?

RadioTimes.com's resident Who expert William Gallagher gave his top tip for the new Doctor: "The odds are it will be an unknown, as David Tennant was, but if it is someone well known, I'd put money on Steven Moffat casting his old Coupling star, Richard Coyle."

Meanwhile, Russell T Davies has his own favourite and one of the major bookies has come up with this top ten of possible replacements for Tennant:

Patterson Joseph - 3/1
David Morrissey - 5/1
James Nesbitt - 6/1
John Simm - 8/1
Russell Tovey - 10/1
Anthony Head - 10/1
Richard E Grant - 14/1
Robert Carlyle - 14/1
Alan Davies - 16/1
Jason Statham - 18/1

So what do you think? Are you sad to see Tennant go? And who do you think should replace him? Post a comment below.

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Take a look back on David Tennant's tenure as The Doctor with our Doctor Who programme guide.

I think this series is disapointing. The previous series all had a sort of factual background. This one relys on special effects. For instance see how the previous Doctrors changed. Lying unconcious with their features changing gradualy to the new one. The last times it was flashing lights, ear crushing noise and Music(?) The origional series was made for grown ups with imagination. This one is made for children with no imagination. Sorry but thats my opinion

well I thinks it is ashame cause he is a really good actor he is really lively and the best so far. hes always happy and full of life well at least he gave us notice and not just shocked bye david.

james callis (battlestar galactica) is the perfect choice, he's young, British and incredibly talented. He certainly has the criteria for this part. He can play a range of characters and would be mosted suited to the role of the Doctor.

The new Doctor has and always has been Richard E Grant. From the monment he donned that overcoat in Withnail and I through to his swashbuckling antics as the Scarlet Pimpernal and not forgetting that stint as the Doctor for Comic Relief! Though if he's not available Anthoney Head has had his far share of battling demons and saving the planet. Perhaps a stint as the Doctor will explain his nonsensical cameo in Sweeney Todd?!

Bill Nighy - if not this time then the next (or the next) - being an older rugged looking fella and not too dissimilar, methinks, to that other Bill, Bill the First. Yep he'd make a good 'final' incarnation (what goes around comes around); to then discover he can keep vworping on.

You see, its like this: The Timelords messed with the Doctors mind (at end of Great Time War)to both protect him and themselves while they hid themselves away in that Schism thing that all young Timesters have to have a look-see at as part of their initiation. The Doctor was then given a means to recycle his regenerative cycle until such time as it is safe for a programmed message to pop up to send him on a mission to find a way of bringing Gallifrey back. In other words his regen cycle has been put into a recyclative loop until he (and the Tardis)come up with the answer. It should be remembered that a single generation can last for as much as three thousand years (especially if you're a librarian!), the Fact that the Doc has used up all his regens to date in less than one thousand yrs - and all for the good cause -clearly shows that The Doctor has had a bit of a bum deal with his batch of regens and has been duly recompensed untold fold - just that the Doc don't know it yet.

Think I'd better stop or I'll be writing a novel next!

So, Bill Nighy it is - one day?

p.s. 'spose the above synopsis should be considered copywrit. I thank you.

eddie izzard deffo...metro and omnisexual without being too confusing for the kiddies

James Callis! James Callis! Yes, Dr. Baltar from Battlestar Galactica. He'd be brilliant.

My picks:

1. Hugh Laurie

2. David Anders

3. Callum Blue (Dead Like Me)

I am devasted about this, as David Tennant is undoubtedly one of the best actors around right now, and easily the BEST Doctor bar none.

Also, does anyone else think Simon Pegg would be brilliant?

That's a fairly odd list really, isn't it? Considering the possible actors with the highest odds have nearly all been in Doctor Who previously.

Patterson Joseph - was in Bad Wolf and Parting Of The Ways as one of the people on Satellite Five who refused to help fight, so it's unlikely they'll use him.

David Morrissey - He doesn't recognise Tennant doctor and Tennant doctor doesn't recognise him, so neither are previous incarnations of eachother.

John Simm - Played the Master, very unlikely they'll use him for the eleventh Doctor.

Russell Tovey - Was in Voyage of the Damned as Alonso.

Anthony Head - Was in The School Reunion as Mr Finch the Headmaster/ Krillitane.

Having seen all of the Doctors (re-runs for the first three of course!!) I definitely think David T has been the best and he'll be sadly missed!!! Hope the new Doc doesn't try to copy him!

I think Anthony Head or James Nesbit would make good Doctors,... DT has been the BEST Doctor and I've been watching it for nearly 40 yrs. DT brought life and humour into the Doctor lets hope whoever takes on the role keeps him real.... Good Luck

Wow, Alan Davies is in the top ten for replacement? That'd be cool. I don't think he'd make a good Doctor though. I'd be thinking of Jonathan Creek instead of Doctor Who when I watched it. Definitely can't be John Simm, not after he's played the Master. David Morrisey, maybe. I quite like him as an actor. He was good in Sense and Sensibility. Or maybe Lee Ryan :P (anyone see Buzzcocks? Lol.)

I hate it when stars of the doctor who show come and go, espcially when you just got really into it. David Tennant is a great actor, I'm really upset to hear that he is leaving the show, I think he is the only good actor to be the doctor really, but please BBC makers pick a good damn actor for the doctor! And David Tennant if your ever reading this, please DON'T QUIT AS DOCTOR WHO WILL NEVER BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU AGAIN!

How about Kris Marshall (My Family, Love Actually, BT Ads)?

Well I will hate to see DT go - I liked him as the Doctor was the right kind of actor to play should a 'mad' character. But I think if they want to replace him with success they need to cast someone totally different in looks so it won't keep us reminding of DT Doctor. I don't know enough of this actor to support him as the new Doctor. But as everyone is free (I hope!) so suggest an actor to take over from DT I would like to put Mark Wakeling forward - I liked him as Capt. Ryan in Primeval. And it would be a prefect revenge on AH for not listening to the fans to take him back on board for series two or three...

I just had an inspiration - Rolf Harris!

eddie izzard - without question a perfect choice for the role

I hope the role will go to another talented young (late 20's to mid or late 30's) male actor who is relatively unknown to television audiences. To be credible in the role, he needs to be an actor not associated with any other well known television character or program. The actor who gets to portray the 11th doctor has a tough act to follow because David Tennant's Doctor is absolutely the best.

PLEASE do not make the Doctor a woman. That would just be too weird, even for Doctor Who. The Doctor has been a man for over forty years and to change that now would completely change the feel of the show. That would be like turnig Indiana Jones or James Bond into a women. It just doesn't work! I would love to see John Simm play the next Doctor or maybe someone a bit older. Definately not John Cleese. He is far too raunchy and not well suited for a family show. I loved David and am going to miss him A LOT and it would be insulting for him to turn into a woman. We love you, David. You were awsome!

I'd almost forgotten my comment to the Forest of Dead blog - that Donna was left standing alone with River Songs original diary. We don't know what happened to it or if she did have a little peak at it to see what her own fate was. If she did, then she was play-acting to the Doctor at the end of journey's End to make him think he'd wiped her memories. Soooo...Donna could come back - sometime, whenever or never

I think Sally Hawkins would be brilliant. You know, her from Happy Go Lucky and Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky. Fantastic actress, quirky enough, range of emotions and she looks a bit like PJ Harvey. What's not to like?

Sandy Toksvig won't do as the next Dr because we've been set up to expect The Great Romance with River Song and I don't see that combination working.

I heard Sandy Toksvig comment on her suitability for the job. INSPIRED. She would be perfect.

I would choose either paul kaye or eddie izzard

i don't want david dennant to go he is the best. And bring donna noble back either James Nesbitt, John Simm should play the new doctor.

i love david tennant

either

Julian Rhind-Tutt, please. I so miss Green Wing and just have to make do with Barclays adds. And he looks good in a cloak as testifield in Merlin

I'd leave it to the expertise of a casting director - someone with an eye for an up-and-coming talent. But wouldn't it be nice to cast someone who is differently-abled, perhaps a person who uses a wheelchair for mobility, or has a hearing or sight issue?

And I must say I have a personal preference for a female doctor, and perhaps someone who is from a non-white ethnic group. Now wouldn't that smash the stereotype!

Ooh, what about Bill Nighy?

russell brand!!

I'm very sorry DT is leaving but he's not going yet! I'd love Chris Eccleston to return, but that's unlikely although you never know with Doctor Who. Please-not a female doctor! Especially NOT Catherine Tate! I agree that the next doctor has probably been chosen, but if not-how about Jonas Armstrong? Gorgeous and younger!

i want donna noble back !!

Justin Lee Collins

David has been, for me one of the best Doctors there has ever been. I'm devastated he will be going but i wish him all the best and thank him for making the part his own and giving me hours of fantastic entertainment. I am so looking forward to the christmas special and all the specials next year. Good luck for the future David, you will be greatly missed.

Like Simon says - the jobs probably already wrapped up and been planned a while now. But hey, why not keep it in the family. We've already got 'The Doctors Daughter' so why not sons of Pertwee or better still Troughton (of recent Robin Hood). Both 'older' graveley looking charachters who at least look, with all due respect, like they've been around a bit. Don't think it could be Donna, though I'm not convinced she gave in to the mind-wipe. After all she was as good as the Doctor and could counteract the Doctors attempts and only pretend to him that she knew nuffin no more! Indeed what was so bad about her being part time-lordy lady and being able to cope with it. Surely it was far worse to have had your brain fried through exposure to the heart of the Tardis/Vortex, like wot 'appened with Rose.

Anyways, having seen the Christmas trailer, I wonder - being as this is the nearest we are going to get to a 45th DW anniversary special and we have got the parallel cybermen back (where are the originals - may I ask?), are we also going to see the return of Lady Peinforte who allied herself with the Cybermen in the 25th Anniversary special Silver Nemesis?

what 'bout Harrison Ford? i Know he old but he wuld be fun! du du du duuuuuu, du du duuuuuuuu, du du du duuuuuu, du du du du duuuuuuuu!

Here's my list

1. Rupert Penry Jones - perfect, though my daughter thinks he can't do comedy... I'm sure he can 2. Charlie Cox - dressed as he was in Stardust and carrying a sword!

3. James McEvoy - another candidate who'd look good in period costume 4. Matthew MacFadyen - pretty sure he must have been Prof Riversong's Doctor 5. Martin Freeman - he's saved the world in his pyjamas once so why not again

Definite 'No's

James Nesbitt - just wrong, wrong, wrong Damien Lewis - even though the Doctor said he wanted to be ginger

Yes, David Tennant was a wonderful doctor, and we'll miss him. Christopher Eccleston was much better than I expected, too. But if the doctor gets much younger, he's going to regernerate in nappies! Stephen Fry would be good, Richard E Grant would be gloriously intense...but, of course a woman could be a Time Lord! How about Joanna Lumley or Germaine Greer as the Doctor, and Russell Brand as her companion...?

It has to be John Simm or Alan Davies Obviously :)

Get Chris Eccleston back

There cannot be a female doctor! The Doctor is a Time 'Lord', he has to be a man! That aside, my favourite has to be Alan Davies, but a relative unknown is probably the best prediction anyone can make, after all if we were having this discussion three years ago how many people would have suggested David Tennant?

Obviously Richard Grant is the best choice

Matthew MacFadyen or Stephen Mangan get my vote.

David Mitchell

Alan Davies all the way! Absolute legend! He's bring a different kind of comedy to it - just like David Tennant did - people like that always make the best doctors - Anthony head will be good but I think he's a bit old

David Tennant appealed to all ages, as far as I am concerned one of the best doctors, I guess things change, how about Toby Stevens. He is an incredible actor.

i defo needs to be someone attractive and with an edge like Janson Statham.

Alan Davies - quirky, thoughtful, clever, deep - Who personified

Jason Statham ... would make for a different doctor. I'll shove my sonic screwdriver up your...

Richard Coyle gets my vote Doctor Who he has a quirky acting style which will hopefully not be lost when David Tennant departs.

I'm really sad to see David Tennant go. I love him with his cheeky charm.

I don't mind Jason Statham or James Nesbitt

steven fry wud be excellent,he is the most brilliant comic with a brain,,,or his side kick alan davis ...either of them wud make a good doctor

While I think that Patterson Joseph would be a good Doctor, I think that a couple of names not so far mentioned might be worth considering (though I think that it's probable that Steven Moffat already has the next Doctor all sorted out by now!). One would be Andy Serkis -who is a brilliant actor, but who is, because of his work with Peter Jackson, hidden under all that CGI body mapping, isn't a "face". The other name I'd suggest (if I were in a position to do so) would be Aiden McArdle. Again, a good actor, but not a star. One problem with casting, say, James Nesbitt or Alan Davies is that they will come with a lot of baggage - and I think that one reason these names keep cropping up is because people want them to play the Doctor like they have played other parts (in the case of Davies, "Jonathan Creek", obviously) - but they wouldn't want that, and neither would the production team. Sop in the end those championing a "name" would probably be disappointed. It should be remembered that when he was cast David Tennant was barely known - he did could make the part his own without undue expectations of how he'd play it weighing on him. And that's what we need again, I think. Having said all that - I think the next Doctor will be David Morrissey - after all, at Christmas he will be playing "The Next Doctor"!!! Do you get the impression that this has all been carefully planned?!

Jack Davenport

I'd love to see Richard Armitage as a more gloomy Doctor

How about this for a name that no-one seems to have mentioned so far. Jamie Bell. I originally thought he was a one hit wonder with Billy Elliott but he is proving a very versatile actor with excellent comic timing. Another suggestion from left field might be Dan Radcliffe he will be finished with Potter soon, so.....?

It'll be a shame to see David Tennant go but wouldent Alan Davies just be gr8 at it!

i dont think that they will cast John Simm or Antony Head because they have both been in the show before.

Donald Sutherland would be good.

I think it might be time for an older doctor. What about Hugh Laurie? He's been a doctor in the colonies: time he came home methinks. Or his old buddy Stephen Fry, maybe? An intellectual Doctor, now there's a thought! Or for somebody completely out of left field what about David Walliams?

Rufus Sewell would make the perfect doctor, he is edgy, funny, soulful and a wonderful actor. The regeneration would be a bit disproportionate though.

Not sure about the "ever younger" theory - here are their birth years (not ages!):

Hartnell 08, Troughton 20, Pertwee 19, Tom Baker 34, Davison 51, Colin Baker 43, McCoy 43, McGann 59, Eccleston 64, Tennant 71.

So, if we're going for a gender change, what about Katie Price?

Richard Coyle for the next Doctor Who. I honestly couldn't think of anyone better. Check out our facebook group supporting him-

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=2380238699

Jack Davenport!

I think an actress such as Alison Steadman or Sue Johnston would make a good Dr Who. Not only are they talented and knowledgable of their craft, but they have the power to surprise and the necessary edge: the Doctor is not all light and sweetness.

absolutely NOT James Nesbitt! Richard E Grant would be interesting but then you have the Withnail syndrome to contend with.

Personally I think they've missed out a potentially great Doctor Who to follow Mr Tennant - Kris Marshall (currently the bloke in the BT adverts and was in My Family a while back).

I think Clive Owen would make great Dr.Who. A terrific actor and quite a dish! David Tennant was brill, though. I'll miss him, but the Doctor must regenerate!

I really think James Nesbitt could bring a new dimension to the Doctors evolution. He was fantastic in "Hyde" and I think he could project a technically deft and stronger persona of the Doctors personality.

I like the Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross combination, preferably pitted against an enemy called The Puritans.

.My choice would be Gideon Turner.

What about Rupert Penry-Jones? So long as he could be put together again after his recent departure from Spooks!

Russell Brand or Alan Davies, they've got to be funny otherwise Doctor Who's just no good.

Who said Russell Brand? When I'd stopped laughing I realised he'd be pretty good at it. The beeb will never go for it though

What about Russell Tovey - he's young, quirky, talented and may stay in the job a lot longer than those who seem to use this as their own stepping stone to other things rather than take their fans loyalty into consideration!!!

i will miss tennant, i thought he was brilliant, John simm would be amazing but i dont think that would work since he was already the master

There's an unwritten rule about the Who universe, which most of the pundits seem to miss, but the writers seem to get right. It is that with each regeneration, the Doctor gets younger.

Think about it for a bit. From Hartnell to Tennant, each actor has been slightly younger than the last. So, that would mean that (sadly) Cleese and Connolly would be right out of the frame, and it should technically include anyone older than Tennant.

So, Russell Tovey or James McAvoy (as touted on the BBC news web site) seem to be favourite for now.

What about Russell Brand? He'd be good. With Jonathan Ross as the Brigadier, maybe?

I heard a roumor that it might be Eddie Izzard. I think he will be a good doctor.

i don't know who it should be but i think john simm make a much better villain than hero

looking at the bookies list some od names there. some i've seen linked before.

Patterson joseph is a great actor, always seems to play quite serious roles though. anyone know the basis of this as a rumour ? Most of the others could be good. Statham, definatley no way. Could you imagine it 'i'm gonna reverse the polarity of the nuetron phone. that alright with you geezaaah ?'

Why not give John Cleese or Billy Connoley chance

What about Catherine Tate? Time the Doctor was a woman me thinks!!

What about Charlie Cox?

Sad that he's leaving, but as Russell T Davies leaves and Stephen Moffat takes over, then it's the right time to have a new Doctor.

Patterson Joseph is an inspired idea!! Russell Tovey would certainly be my second choice.

"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."

Hamlet, act 1, scene 2.