Who should be the new Doctor Who assistant?

With Karen Gillan on her way out of ‘Doctor Who’, Steven Moffat will be on the hunt for Matt Smith’s second assistant. Amy Pond became a fan favourite almost instantly for obvious reasons but slowly as the show progressed she showed a depth of character that the show had previously never achieved.

Her amazing chemistry with the eleventh Doctor Matt Smith will be hard to replicate but here are some candidates that could well be up to the task. We’ve picked out some of the best young actresses currently making waves on the smaller screen, and an unlikely former ‘Doctor Who’ star who we haven’t quite got over yet...

Lily Loveless
Lily Loveless (apart from having an amazing name) has been popping up here and there in TV-land for a while now. Initially she was part of the cast of the second series of ‘Skins’ and more recently she has been seen in BBC3 series ‘The Fades’. An ever-improving actress, she also popped up in the final series of CBBC’s ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’ as Ellie Faber. Have the seeds already been planted for the Doctor’s next assistant?

Romola Garai
With a second series of ‘The Hour’ on its way and a bright future beyond television it’s unlikely that Romola will get the part. If we were only picking realistic options though this would be a boring list. In ‘The Hour’ she played the kind of character that would work well as a companion and her chemistry with Ben Whishaw’s Doctor-esque character was top drawer. 

Carey Mulligan
Okay so it definitely won’t be Carey thanks to her enormous success in Hollywood, but ever since ‘Blink’ (the best-ever episode of ‘Doctor Who’) fans have wanted her character to return to the fold as a regular.  To be the central character in an episode in which the Doctor himself barely featured is bold but she carried it off flawlessly and displayed all the characteristics that would go on to make her the darling of Hollywood. It will never happen but one day I hope we see Sally Sparrow again, even if it’s a brief cameo.

Jessica Brown Findlay

Starring in ‘Downton Abbey’ might represent a clash of interests but slowly Jessica Brown Findlay has been racking up good performances. She was last seen in the second episode of Charlie Brooker’s ‘Black Mirror’ as a girl trying to sing her way to a better life.  She was overshadowed somewhat by the brilliant Daniel Kaluuya but her biggest scene packed an emotional punch just as effectively but not quite as memorably as her co-star later on in the episode. Understated but ready to be a big name.

Hannah Murray
Yet another ‘Skins’ graduate. For all its flaws it’s certainly a show that throws up some amazing talent every now and then.  Hannah played Cassie in the only tolerable series of the show and wound up being its focus by its end. She hasn’t been in much since but could be exactly the kind of relative unknown Moffat is looking for.

James Corden
Just Kidding