Actor Kris Marshall. Photo / Getty
Can you see Kris Marshall as the next Doctor? If your answer is an emphatic "absolutely not", you're not alone.
Yesterday, after an unconfirmed rumour that Marshall had been cast in Doctor Who hit the internet - the original source seems to have been a Daily Mirror article, quoted online in the Daily Star - a number of fans of the BBC series took to Twitter to share their wrath (for "wrath", read "mild disappointment").
I just remember Kris Marshall as the dopey big brother on My Family, so my hope for Doctor Who diminishes (if rumours are true)
— Jen (@dumblydore) April 17, 2017
#KrisMarshall ?...as in the creepy guy from #loveactually ..is the new #DrWho ? That is such an awful thing to do to this show!!
— Cindy (@CloseEnough22) April 17, 2017
Some were upset that the BBC hadn't made a riskier decision, but had again opted for a white male actor.
A comment from an unconfirmed source in The Mirror story may have added grist to their mill.
According to the newspaper, the source said: "Kris Marshall has already joined the cast and will regenerate at the end of this series, not in the Christmas special.
"They won't risk a woman Doctor. They want a David Tennant type."
Others, naturally (for this is the internet where all people can say all things) declared themselves delighted with the alleged casting.
While many remember Marshall for the sitcom My Family and his role as the juvenile, sex-obsessed Colin in Love Actually, the 44-year-old is in fact a fine dramatic actor, regularly pulling in audiences for the BBC detective series Death In Paradise.
I have to say, Kris Marshall would be a brilliant Doctor Who.
— Malcolm Clarke (@mal255) April 17, 2017
The Telegraph's Ben Lawrence also recently praised the star for his strong performance in the play Ugly Lies The Bone, which is playing at the Lyttelton at the National Theatre until June 6.
That said, a number of fans remain convinced that the Marshall news will prove to be false, with some suggesting that it could be a deliberate decoy.
Hoping the Kris Marshall rumour is a red herring and that he is the companion for a female #DoctorWho
— Jamie McLean (@McLeanJJ) April 16, 2017
Kris Marshall will be a false regeneration. Probably a third Master trying to trick Bill. Heard it here first. #DoctorWho
— David Griffiths (@daveygriff82) April 16, 2017
#doctorwho If 13th Doctor is Kris Marshall, great, but could be a clever decoy.Forget about regeneration enjoy @Pearlie_mack & Peter Capaldi
— Nick J Cave (@cavedawes) April 16, 2017
A claim that the Doctor will regenerate at the end of the current series, something which the
BBC
has previously denied, is also proving divisive.
While the trailer for the 2017 season of the show appeared to show Peter Capaldi's Doctor regenerating, the BBC has also said that the actor will return for this year's Christmas special.
Because of this, some fans believe that the trailer footage may have just been a bit of clever misdirection.