John Barrowman would "love" to see a transgender actor play Doctor Who

This has given life to a wave of speculation on who could be next in line for the TARDIS, with suggestions ranging from I May Destroy You's Michaela Coel to Death in Paradise's Kris Marshall.

And now Barrowman, best known for playing Captain Jack Harkness on the series and its mature spin-off Torchwood, has called for the producers to "make another leap" by choosing an LGBTQ+ actor for the role.

"I’d love to see a transgender Doctor. I think that would be awesome," he told Metro.co.uk.

Alternatively, he suggested that an "androgynous, gender non-specific person" would be a good fit for the title character, arguing the time is right for a diverse choice.

Barrowman added: "We have had LGBTQ+ representation on the TARDIS. During Peter Capaldi’s reign, we had a character who was a lesbian [Pearl Mackie's Bill Potts]. So yeah, we’ve had them, why not have a Doctor the same?"

Previously, Barrowman has suggested Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander for the gig, who recently wowed critics and audiences alike with his moving performance in Russell T Davies' It's A Sin, which featured a faux Doctor Who episode.

Doctor Who is currently filming its 13th series, which sees the return of Jodie Whittaker's Doctor and Mandip Gill's Yaz, while comedian John Bishop will join the cast as a new companion called Dan.

The series will consist of only eight episodes in total, down from the recent standard of 10, due to production delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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