Doctor Whois undergoing a major shake-up, as the 2025 season ended in a massive twist where Ncuti Gatwa‘s Fifteenth Doctor regenerated into a familiar face: one of the Doctor’s most stalwart companions, Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). While fans were promised answers with the 2026 Christmas special, they were thrown for another loop when that special was canceled, and the BBC put Doctor Who out to competitive tender. On top of that, showrunner Russell T. Daviesand his Bad Wolf production company departed the long-running science fiction series, leaving its future up in the air. One person is the perfect choice to give Doctor Who a new lease on life, according to a longtime BBC presenter.
When appearing as a guest on The Rest is Entertainment podcast, Richard Osman discussed the future of Doctor Who, once again backing up Davies’ comments that the series wasn’t canceled and also saying that the BBC was right to pull the plug on the Christmas special, as putting the series in competitive tender would let it have a much-needed rest. What really stands out about Osman’s interview is that he recommended Saturday Night Live UK‘s George Fouracres as the next Doctor, claiming that Fouracres has the right blend of comedic and dramatic chops to bring the Time Lord to life.
“All the best Doctor Who’s can really do comedy – Matt Smith, Tennant, Capaldi. They can really do comedy but you could stick them on Shakespeare and they can really do that as well. And George Fouracres is a great Shakespearean actor and a great comic.”
Osman raises a good point, as some of the most popular Doctors have had plenty of comedic moments in addition to delivering some truly dynamic drama. Fouracres’s career, particularly his time on Saturday Night Life UK, makes him the perfect fit for the role.
George Fouracres’ Performance on ‘Saturday Night Live UK’ Shows He Has The Comedic Chops for ‘Doctor Who’
Saturday Night Live UK Doctor WhoCourtesy of Sky TV/Matt Crockett
What makes Saturday Night Live UK stand out from its American counterpart is the sheer number of sketches that hit, in both concept and comedic timing. George Fouracres is a large part of this success, thanks to his ability to completely disappear into the characters he plays. A great example is the sketch “An Italian Plumber with Princess Problems,” in which he pits Super Mario against Aimee Lou Wood‘s Princess Peach. Not only does Fouracres perfectly nail Mario’s signature accent, but he also brings plenty of laughs as the plumber has a very loud argument with Peach about their love life. This type of committment would be perfect for the Doctor, especially if Fouracres can bring his own unique touch to the Time Lord.
Ironically, Saturday Night Live UK actually has more than a few connections to Doctor Who. Not only did the series feature a sketch spoofing Doctor Who in its first season, but Ncuti Gatwa also hosted an episode. Gatwa is no stranger to the comedy scene himself, having risen to prominence thanks to his role in Netflix’s Sex Education; this further proves Richard Osman’s point that the best Doctors can mix the funny with the serious. Saturday Night Live UK also featured Aimee Lou Wood in its Doctor Who sketch, making the argument that she could actually be the perfect companion for the next Doctor. Why not sweeten the deal by having her play opposite another SNL UK alum in Fouracres?
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
‘Doctor Who’ Could Go Back to Its Roots With George Fouracres in the Lead
If the next version of Doctor Who does cast George Fouracres, it could mark a return to form for the series. When Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back in 2005, he adopted a more serious tone by casting Christopher Ecclestonas the Ninth Doctor, the last surviving Time Lord, who was clearly suffering from immense PTSD. This was a sharp contrast to the original series, where performers like Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy were allowed to put a more whimsical spin on the Doctor. With movies like Project Hail Maryand Supermanshifting the pendulum of genre fare away from “grim and gritty”, perhaps the time is right for Doctor Who to return to its roots, and George Fouracres would be the perfect man for the job.
Release Date
2024 – 2025-00-00
Network
BBC One
Directors
Alex Pillai, Peter Hoar, Ben Chessell, Julie Anne Robinson, Jamie Donoughue, Amanda Brotchie, Dylan Holmes Williams
