Peter Capaldi Teases ‘Doctor Who’ Exit, While Hayley Atwell’s Time Lord Dreams Are Dashed

Hayley Atwell made one simple comment on Twitter about her desire to not just have a role on Doctor Who, but to be the Time Lord herself, and the Internet lost its collective mind.

But one lifelong Doctor Who fan, author, and comedian has quickly dashed Atwell’s Twitter dreams, serious or not, by saying that she has absolutely no interest in seeing a female Doctor, The Guardian reported.

First, according to E! Online, Hayley made her career aspirations known during an #AskHayley Q&A on Twitter, when a fan asked if she wanted to be on the show.

Well, of course, she would, and she could pull it off. Atwell is a force to be reckoned with on her Fox series and tribute to girl power, Agent Carter. And we all know she’s perfectly capable of being witty, strong, and commanding on screen — the transition to Doctor Who seems perfectly logical.

Plus, as AV Club pointed out, many of Doctor Who‘s fans have long ago wanted a female version of the character, and executive producer Stephen Moffat himself seems up for the switch in genders.

“There easily could be a female Doctor. I think the next time might be a female Doctor. I don’t see why not. I think it’s good to do that,” Moffat has said before.

Brandon at @BrandonsBrain did the thing. @HayleyAtwell we all want it, too. ? #DoctorWhohttp://t.co/RmPhEBuiHj pic.twitter.com/Vjd88UinDX

— Karen Hallion (@Khallion) August 20, 2015

At least one person isn’t convinced, and that’s author AL Kennedy, who wrote a Doctor Who-inspired book called The Drosten’s Curse, written from the point of view of the fourth incarnation, Tom Baker. Kennedy, whose been a fan of the show since childhood, said the character should remain “blokey.”

“As a heterosexual woman, I have no interest in a female Doctor. He’s kind of got a guy vibe, the Doctor. A hopeless, undomestic, dozy, dreamy guy-type of eccentricity. It’s not a girl-type of eccentricity.”

Instead, she called on the show to create “iconic and marvelous” roles for women — and such roles, she noted, are few and far between: “Let’s have faith that you can do that. Make the companions ballsy and wonderful. Let’s make wonderful parts that were designed for women.”

Even if she did advocate for a female Doctor Who, Hayley would not be her pick. The weird and wonderful Tilda Swinton could pull it off much better, the author insisted, because she has that “strange kind of vibe.”

Unfortunately, the show’s creators may be shopping for a new Time Lord sooner rather than later as the man who currently holds the coveted role, Peter Capaldi, hinted in a recent interview that he may be exiting the show in the near future. Of, course, those rumors arise every year, Metro noted.

“I sort of enjoy this position I am in with a kind of deep Scottish melancholy because I know it has to end one day. I will cross that bridge when we come to it, which may be sooner rather than later.”

Rumors have also circulated that his companion, Clara Oswald (played by Jenna Coleman), could also be on the way out.

When Capaldi’s was announced as the next Doctor, the decision met with some criticism, namely that he was too old. And if we can have an “old” Doctor, why not a female one? Peter said even his own loved ones were not impressed by his assumption of the iconic role.

“They don’t think I’m an iconic character at home. That’s the difficulty. When I go home of a weekend I still have to make my own coffee.”

Season nine of the series premieres next month.

[Photo Courtesy BBC One]