As soon as the 12th Doctor regenerates aboard the TARDIS, Doctor Who fans could possibly look forward to yet another huge talent joining the Time Lord tradition. As of Tuesday morning, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the favorite according to online betting experts in the U.K. When Inverse spoke to Matthew Shaddick of the popular online betting site Ladbrokes, he confirmed that with 1/1 odds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the runaway favorite. And if she does end up getting the part, it would be very well-deserved.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the star of the irreverent, hopelessly hilarious sitcom Fleabag. She also played Abby Thompson in Broadchurch, which stars former 10th Doctor David Tennant and was created by upcoming Who showrunner Chris Chibnall. Waller-Bridge will also play a currently unknown part in the Han Solo Star Wars anthology film.
Basically, Waller-Bridge has been busy and is very quickly coming up in the world. Doctor Who, a cult favorite that’s suffered ratings drops in recent years, could really use that kind of growing star power at the moment, especially with the oncoming changeup in its ranks. Current Who showrunner Steven Moffat will hand the reins over to Chibnall at the end of Season 10 at the same time as 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi gets a new face.
This new-found Waller-Bridge favoritism comes along at a point in the Doctor Who fandom when calls for the first female Doctor are at an all-time high and at a point when Waller-Bridge is gaining a strong following of her own. She played Susie alongside Meryl Streep’s Margaret Thatcher in 2011’s The Iron Lady and has since gone on to the critically acclaimed Fleabag, for which she was nominated for a 2016 Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.
Her popularity among Doctor Who fans is well-founded, and her interpretation of the Doctor would be, undoubtedly, equally hilarious and profound — the favoritism makes sense. If this is the next face of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, Waller-Bridge could be the funniest person to play the part yet.
