Julian Rhind-Tutt

Julian Rhind-Tutt

Julian Rhind-Tutt is in contention to become the next Doctor Who.

The 'Green Wing' actor is on the radar of bosses and showrunner Steven Moffat after auditions for the role of the Time Lord when David Tennant quit.

Julian lost out on the part of the Eleventh Doctor to Matt Smith, but now Matt has announced his departure after this year's Christmas special Julian is in the running once again, according to The Sun newspaper.

Other names in the frame for the iconic part include Rory Kinnear and Dominic Cooper, while actor Burn Gorman - who played Owen Harper in 'Doctor Who' spin-off series 'Torchwood' - is also said to have been shortlisted.

Julia has appeared in numerous TV shows including 'The Hour', and several films such as 'Stardust', 'Notting Hill' and 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'.

Moffat and BBC bosses need to make a decision in the next few months as shooting on Series Eight is due to start this autumn with the series set to return to screens next Easter.

Despite the intense speculation surrounding the identity of the Twelfth Doctor, the BBC insist the casting process has only just begun and everyone involved is prepared to take their time to find the right actor.

A BBC spokesperson told BANG Showbiz: "The Doctor is one of the biggest roles in TV and speculation around the identity of who will be next to step in to the TARDIS is rife, but the search has only just begun so only believe what you hear from us, and that won't be for a while!"

While Rory was recently said to be favourite for the role, just less than a quarter (23 per cent) of Whovians have taken to social media to reveal they want 'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint to take control of the TARDIS, according to social media analytics provider Crimson Hexagon's ForSight platform.

What's more, 13 per cent of social networking posts suggest the next Doctor should be a woman and 21 per cent are backing former 'Merlin' star Colin Morgan.

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