OK, "Doctor Who" fans, by now you have heard the news.

The actor slated to replace David Tennant as the Doctor is 28-year-old actor Matt Smith.

Smith will be the 11th Doctor and is the youngest actor to step into the role.

To tell you the truth, I am a little taken aback.

I thought for sure BBC was going to choose an older actor, because Tennant was so successful as a young version of the most celebrated Time Lord in Sci-Fi history.

But, alas, I was wrong.

However, at first glance, Smith does have that ethereal look. So it will be interesting to see how he does. But I was thinking the show's producers would try to add another dimension to the Doctor and make him older.

Still, when word came that Tennant was going to give up his role as the Doctor, my wife, Tammy, and I started making a list of people who, we thought in our arrogance, would make a great impression as the Last Son of Gallifrey.

Names such as Alan Rickman, Michael Caine and Liam Neeson were close to the top of that list. We had also discussed Ewan McGregor and even the Dark Knight himself, Christian Bale.

But during our brainstorming, something else began brewing in my mind.

What about musicians? Which musician would make a good Doctor?

So during our conversations, Tammy and I would discuss which musicians we thought would be perfect for chasing Daleks and saving the universe.

Here is a list of 12 musicians we thought would be a great Doctor in "Doctor Who." (We named 12 because in the original concept, there were only supposed to be 12 incarnations of the Doctor).

1. Sting

2. Peter Gabriel

3. Yes bassist Chris Squire

4. Mos Def, the rapper who played Ford Prefect in the film version of "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

5. Garbage singer Shirley Manson

6. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

7. ABC singer Martin Fry

8. David Bowie

9. Singer/songwriter Imogen Heap

10. Singer/songwriter Robyn Hitchcock

11. Phil Collins

12. Seal

And there you have it. At least that's what we think.

Hmmm. It's kind of fitting that everyone listed, with the exception of Mos Def, are European.

E-mail: scott@desnews.com