A parody sketch on last night’s (2 May) episode of Saturday Night Live UK seems to have given Doctor Who fans an idea.
During the most recent episode of the British variety show, host Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) featured in a sketch lampooning the long-running sci-fi series.
Wood played a character reminiscent of one of the Doctor’s companions in Doctor Who, while regular SNL UK castmember Hammed Animashaun stood in for the Doctor.
In the sketch, the two exit the Tardis and encounter a revolting-looking alien.
With the future of the real Doctor Who currently shrouded in uncertainty, fans seized on the sketch to endorse Wood as a prospective next Doctor.
“Seeing tons of ‘Make Aimee Lou Wood Doctor Who’ truthers on the timeline tonight after SNL which is fantasticcccc,” one person wrote on X/Twitter.
“I see a lot of ppl say Aimee Lou Wood would make a great Doctor Who companion,” commented another. “Nah man THATS THE DOCTOR.”
“Aimee Lou Wood as the doctor would be insane,” someone else remarked, while another person wrote: “Aimee Lou Wood as the Doctor or a companion feels right.”
It is not currently known who will be the next actor to play the Doctor, with Ncuti Gatwa having wrapped up his tenure as the 15th Doctor last year.
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A cliffhanger ending saw Gatwa’s character apparently regenerate into Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), the first “companion” of the Who reboot series. However, it has not been confirmed whether Piper will in taking over as the Doctor on a permanent basis, with very other names also speculated.
Adding to the ambiguity is the fact that it is not known when Who will return for its next full series. (A Christmas special has, however, been announced for later this year.)
Gatwa will, coincidentally, appear on SNL UK later this month, when he steps in to host the final episode of the series.
The Scottish actor follows stars such as Tina Fey, Riz Ahmed, Jack Whitehall, Jamie Dornan, and Nicola Coughlan, as hosts over the course of SNL UK’s inaugural eight-episode run.
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) is set to host next week’s episode, with Brit Award winner Myles Smith serving as musical gues for the episode.
Gatwa’s episode will features performances from indie singer Holly Humberstone.
