Dame Helen Mirren has dismissed speculation that she could play the Time Lord in Doctor Who, but insisted it is time for a woman to take the role.
Since Matt Smith announced he was quitting the hit BBC One sci-fi show, there has been speculation that the new incumbent could be female.
One bookmaker is offering 25-1 odds on it being the Oscar-winning Queen actress.
The actress scoffed at the suggestion, saying: "Oh, please - I would put much longer odds on it than that."
But she added that it was time for a woman to play the role. "I think it's absolutely time for a female Doctor Who. I'm so sick of that man with his girl sidekick. I could name at least 10 wonderful British actresses who would absolutely kill in that role," she said.
Her remarks come after Jenna-Louise Coleman insisted that there's no reason why the new Time Lord in Doctor Who shouldn't be a woman, saying: "I'm not opposed to it. It's about story ideas and what works."
In the interview, The Queen actress Dame Helen also admitted that she 'really didn't want to play the role again', and so was 'very resistant' about playing the monarch in the play The Audience.
But she added: "It was just an amazing team, and I thought, 'If you walk away from this, you're an idiot.'"
