Madeline star Ben Daniels has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Matt Smith as Doctor Who thanks to reports of a leaked document about his casting.

Daniels has raced to the top of bookmakers' odds lists after Smith announced his plans to quit the sci-fi show after this year's (13) Christmas special over the weekend (01-02Jun13).

Daniels was reportedly mentioned as a possible replacement in an email that was mistakenly sent to to BBC Worldwide staff hours before Smith's announcement.

John Hurt was revealed as The Doctor in the final episode of the most recent season, and he will return next season. Others in the running for the TV Time Lord job include Dame Helen Mirren, Idris Elba and Hurt's Harry Potter co-star Rupert Grint.