Michael Sheen is the most popular choice to replace Jodie Whittaker as the star of Doctor Who when she leaves the series next year, according to a new poll.

Whittaker, who was the first woman to take on the iconic role, revealed last month she would be stepping down as the Doctor after the next series and a trio of specials.

Fans have already begun speculating who might be the next actor to take up the mantle on the sci-fi series – with Twilight star Sheen topping a poll of Radio Times readers.

Sheen got more than 20% of the votes in a survey of 10,000 people, while Travel Man host Richard Ayoade came second with 15%.

Jo Martin, who played The Fugitive Doctor on Doctor Who, came third with 11% of the vote, while Sherlock’s Andrew Scott – who also starred as Fleabag’s “hot priest” – bagged 7% of the vote.

Merlin stars Colin Morgan and Alexander Vlahos each took 6% of the vote, while Paddington’s Ben Whishaw came seventh with 5%.

Olly Alexander, the Years And Years singer and star of It’s A Sin, was touted as the next Doctor earlier in the year, but he only scored 4% of the votes.

Completing the top 10 was Trainspotting actors Jonny Lee Miller and Kelly Macdonald, with 3% and 2% of the poll respectively.

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RadioTimes.com editorial director Tim Glanfield said: “Doctor Who’s lead role is one of the most iconic and coveted in British television and therefore any vacancy creates a huge amount of speculation amongst fans and across the TV industry.

“Clearly Michael Sheen is a popular choice, and no one can fault his brilliant acting prowess – but with a long history of secrecy and surprises at Doctor Who HQ when it comes to casting, we might have a bit of a wait until we find out who will be flying the Tardis next.”

The BBC has not yet revealed who will play the next incarnation of Doctor Who, but fans will be keeping a keen eye out for an announcement.

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