Fans are already speculating about who will be the next Doctor Who after Peter Capaldi announced he is stepping down from his role as the Time Lord

DOCTOR Who fans were left utterly shocked after Peter Capaldi quit the BBC series after three years playing the Time Lord.

Yesterday he appeared on Jo Whiley's Radio 2 show to announce the news that it was "time to move on".

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Asked when he planned to leave, Peter said: “I think Christmas 2017 I’ve just been told.

“But I’m still Doctor Who. I’ve got a lot to do – we’re doing epic stuff. I’m not done yet.”

This was later confirmed by the BBC show's Twitter page, who quoted the actor.

So who will fill his boots and become the Thirteenth Doctor? Well of course fans have been speculating, hoping and joking who it might be...

The maybe choices

Hayley Atwell

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Many have been saying that a female Doctor Who is mightily overdue - and that the perfect woman for the job is Agent Carter and Captain America actress Hayley Atwell.

Hayley has even previously said that she'd want to be Doctor Who in a tweet back in 2015.

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So is it possible that the next Doctor will be a woman?

Steven Moffat, a Doctor Who showrunner, has previously said that the next Doctor "easily could be a female Doctor".

Speaking to back in 2014, he said: "I think the next time might be a female Doctor. I don’t see why not. I think it’s good to do that."

Richard Madden 

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Fans of Doctor Who have been backing former Game of Thrones star Richard Madden for the role.

The 29-year-old actor's girlfriend Jenna Coleman played the Doctor's companion Clara Oswald from 2012 to 2015 and since she left there has been much speculation that Richard will take Peter's place as the Time Lord.

Back when Jenna left, the producers reportedly drew up a list of people who could replace Peter should he follow suit - and at the top was Richard.

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A source told "While they are keen to keep [Peter] on board they are discreetly drawing up future plans for the show and throwing around a few names as potential new Doctors. Richard Madden is one of the ­favourites.

"He is young and has a great fan base... He also has the added bonus of being a huge sci-fi fan."

Tom Hiddleston

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It's unsurprising that many fans are hoping that Tom Hiddleston will take over as the new Doctor - and it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility despite him being an A-lister.

Tom did return to the small screen to play Jonathan Pine in The Night Manager.

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The unlikely choices

Matt Smith again

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Of course, fans were always going to hope that Matt Smith was going to make a big comeback to the role - but it is incredibly unlikely that he will do so.

This isn't only because he's busy playing the Duke of Edinburgh in critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown, but back in the summer he denied the rumours that he would be returning.

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Speaking in a , he revealed: "No it's not true.

"I miss everything. I miss Steven, I miss Karen, I miss Arthur, I miss Jenna. I miss time travelling. And I miss my friends in Cardiff.

"BUT onward goes the march. It's Peter's Tardis now. And I love what he does. So I watch as a fan."

David Tennant

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Swathes of fans are pleading for David Tennant to come back - but sadly it is very unlikely.

David is busy with various projects - though he did return as Doctor Who briefly in 2016 - that is, in Family Guy.

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Jason Watkins

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Respected British actor Jason Watkins could possibly take over from Peter Capaldi.

He has previously starred in W1A, The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies, Nativity and Little Dorrit.

Jason has even been in Doctor Who as Webley.

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Benedict Cumberbatch

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While Benedict Cumberbatch would be a first choice for many, he has already turned down the role in the past.

He told The Sun in 2010: "David [Tennant] and I talked about it but I thought it would have to be radically different. And anyway I didn't really like the whole package - being on school lunchboxes."

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Toby Jones  

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Toby Jones has already played the Dream Lord in Doctor Who, so it is unlikely that he will return to the show as the Time Lord.

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The bizarre (and cosmically unlikely) choices

Barack Obama

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Maybe not.

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