Playing Doctor: Could Jason Statham Take Over for David Tenant on "Doctor Who"?

Rumors continue to swirl about a new incarnation of the Doctor taking over as the pilot of the TARDIS over on Doctor Who, despite claims by the BBC that David Tennant is still playing the Time Lord.

The latest name mentioned for the role: action star Jason Statham of recent feature film Crank, according to British news outfit WENN. An unidentified source was quoted as saying, "It will be Doctor Who meets gangland. He will do a lot more thinking with his fists and will be a sure-fire winner with the ladies."

Personally, I'd take this news with a very large grain of salt, considering the source of the piece (WENN) is hardly the most reliable of news outlets.

This latest rumor in Who-ville comes just days after the BBC denied reports that star David Tennant was leaving the sci fi series, entering its third season in the UK this spring.

Following a report in the Sun claiming that Tennant would leave Doctor Who after the third season, Auntie Beeb shot back with a statement saying that Tennant was "committed" to playing the Doctor and, in any event, a fourth season has yet to be ordered. According to a spokesperson for the network, "When a further series is commissioned, [BBC] will be able to confirm his involvement."

So who can you believe? Personally, I would be extremely surprised if Jason Statham would ever deign to play the Doctor and don't really buy the whole "Doctor Who meets gangland" scenario, which (let's be honest) sounds completely ridiculous, no?

In the meantime, I've just received a copy of the Doctor Who Christmas Special ("The Runaway Bride") starring David Tennant (who just was voted the UK's favorite Doctor of all time, BTW) and the incomparable Catherine Tate, who showed up for a brief cameo in the Doctor Who Season Two finale "Doomsday."

I can't wait to sit down and watch this (who knows when Sci Fi will show it here in the States) and put all of this who's-the-next-Doctor nonsense to bed until the BBC officially says something one way or the other.