WHO Will Be Next Doctor Who? Place Your Bets Now!

Matt Smith hasn't even given up his role as the Doctor in the BBC's Doctor Who yet but speculation is already rife over who will take over command of the TARDIS as the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor is set to step down this Christmas, having debuted in January 2010.

William Hill have drawn up a list of odds; the most favourable, surprisingly, is for the next Doctor to be played by a female actor.

The bookies current favourite, at 10/1, is 31 year-old Russell Tovey, best known for his roles as werewolf, George Sands, in BBC drama Being Human and the character, Rudge, in both the stage and screen adaptations of The History Boys. Tovey took to Twitter to lament the stepping down of Smith in a statement that has fuelled speculation he might be in talk to be the next Doctor: "Sad to hear of Matt Smith's doctor departure, he truly is a superb actor and made the Doc proper.. Who's next tho eh? Who's next.. Hmmm x" Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, jointly ranks alongside Tovey with 10/1 odds. William Hill spokesman, Rupert Adams says he thinks Grint, 24, would "be perfect for the role."

The actors also with next strongest odds include Skyfall's Ben Whishaw (14/1), a return from former assistant Billie Piper (16/1), and BBC's Sherlock star Andrew Scott (16/1), despite the latter telling Digital Spy that it might be too weird for DW fans to accept him in another hugely successful BBC series: "It might be a bit weird for the Doctor Who fans to have Moriarty coming up."

Some of the more outlandish suggestions that have been given odds at William Hill include David Beckham, Jason Statham, and Simon Cowell, all with odds of 250/1.

Series writer Steven Moffat added to the excitement surrounding the identity of the new Who, speaking to BBC News: "A life is going to change, and Doctor Who will be born all over again. After 50 years, that's still so exciting."

What do you think? Will Beckham be swapping his boots for the controls to the TARDIS? Will Ron Weasley exchange wands for a sonic screwdriver? Or will the Doctor regenerate into a woman's body?

If anything is certain, the speculation will only become wilder as 2013 draws to a close whilst the BBC does everything in its power to keep the identity of the next Doctor a closely-guarded secret until the Christmas regeneration.

Russell Tovey [L] Is In The Running To Be The Next Doctor Who, As Is Rupert Grint [R]