Could Outlander star Sam Heughan be the next Doctor Who?

Outlander star Sam Heughan has entered the betting as the potential new star of Doctor Who, after fellow Scot Peter Capaldi announced he was leaving the Tardis.

Will Sam Heughan be taking a spin in the Tardis? Picture: John Devlin / TSPL

The iconic sci-fi series is now looking for the 13th iteration of the Doctor, and Outlander fans will be delighted to see that Heughan, 36, is rated as a prospect by bookmakers.

Heughan plays Jamie Fraser in the the show, based on Dana Gabaldon’s smash-hit book series, which airs on Starz in the U.S and Amazon Prime in the UK.

Ladbrokes rate Dumfriesshire-born Heughan as a 33/1 shot to land the plum BBC role, although most previous Doctor Who stars have started as betting outsiders.

The current favourite is former My Family star Kris Marshall, with cockney geezer Danny Dyer, who saw his name linked this week, given odds of 25/1 to leave the Queen Vic for the Tardis.

Heughan had earlier got fans of both shows’ pulses races with a Christmas Day tweet that suggested he would take up the role.

After tweeting ‘Capaldi for President’ a fan replied ‘and Heughan for next Doctor Who’ to which the star said ‘I’d vote for that’.

Doctor Who isn’t the only role that Heughan has recently been linked with, as he continues to win plaudits for his role in Outlander alongside Irish co-star Catriona Balfe.

Heughan has also spoken positively about appearing as the new James Bond if, as expected, Spectre was the last helmed by Daniel Craig.

He is rated as a massive outsider for that role, with odds at Paddy Power of 66/1.

But with Craig expected to leave Mi6, many fans will be clamouring for a return to a Scottish Bond, not seen since the end of Sean Connery’s iconic reign as 007.

And there wouldn’t be many complaints from movie fans if producers turned to Heughan.