The rumour mill has been whirring away constantly since Peter Capaldi announced that he would be leaving his Doctor Who role at the end of this year after four years.

There has been plenty of discussion from those involved in the BBC sci-fi series, as well as fans, over who can possibly replace him, and Broadchurch star Olivia Colman was one of the leading names.

However, according to reports, Olivia is now looking far less likely to appear as the first female Doctor because she has been in the series before.

Olivia Colman
Olivia Colman (Ian West/PA)

Although Peter had previously had another role in Doctor Who before taking the main role – Caecilius in 2008 episode The Fires of Pompeii – new showrunner Chris Chibnall is keen to avoid the “clumsy process” from before, which saw his past having to be explained in his regeneration storyline.

A source told The Mirror: “Chris doesn’t want to have to repeat the same clumsy process and Olivia doesn’t want to return to a show she’s starred in as a different character.

“They have discussed their concerns and she is out of contention.”

Olivia has appeared in the role of Mother in a 2010 episode of the series entitled The Eleventh Hour, opposite then-new Doctor actor Matt Smith.

Olivia Colman and David Tennant
Olivia Colman and David Tennant ( Patrick Redmond/ITV/PA)

Former Doctor Who star and Olivia’s Broadchurch co-star David Tennant has previously said she would be a great choice for the role.

He said: “If the two of them (Olivia and Chris) have been having top secret discussions behind my back, I will be furious! Olivia would clearly be a magnificent choice.”

At the moment, Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton is the bookies’ favourite to take over the role, with the likes of Ben Whishaw, Kris Marshall and Rory Kinnear as other potential stars.