Of all the acting roles around, there are but two where the identity of the title role actor becomes a matter of fevered speculation and excitement when it comes up for change – and both debates are very current.
While the identity of the next James Bond remains a mystery and gained plenty of attention after No Time To Die finally had its cinema run last autumn, the name of the new Doctor Who is the next big debate.
Jodie Whitaker is making her final appearances as the timelord in a trio of episodes that will bring the curtain down on her ground-breaking reign as the first female Doctor. The fact that the Doctor was not a man was a controversial choice, but not the fact that she was from Yorkshire. Attendees at drama schools in Leeds should take note: You might one day be the second doctor from the county.
There have been other Doctors from the north too. Chris Ecclestone’s Mancunian accent was central to the revival of the series in 2005. Who can forget Rose Tyler asking: “If you are an alien, how come you sound like you’re from the north?” – or Ecclestone’s reply: “Lots of planets have a north!”
Other Doctors from the north include Tom Baker and (briefly) Paul McGann, both born in Liverpool, while Colin Baker, though born in London, grew up in Rochdale and was educated in Manchester.
Whether another northerner might be the 14th Doctor is another matter, with returning writer Russell T Davies recently telling the Guardian auditions have been ongoing. However, we have it on his own word that if it is someone from down south, it won’t be Hugh Grant.
While all this goes on, the search for the next Bond has slipped under the radar. Of course, Daniel Craig is a northerner, hailing from Chester, so if someone from this end of the country follows him, they will be in good company too.