David Tennant's Doctor Who news...
Oct. 29th, 2008 09:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
So now the official announcement has been made: David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who at the end of the 2009 specials. Not surprising, really, but... I can't help agreeing with his assessment: "Better to leave when people will still miss you, than outstay your welcome." Yes. And he no doubt has other things he wants to do, especially after good reviews as Hamlet and Berowne.
Am I disappointed? No. I came into Doctor Who when Eccleston had already left, so I had no chance to be devastated when he quit. I already liked Tennant. Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant have been so good in the role, I can't imagine who will be as good to follow in their footsteps, but at the same time I have enough faith in the people behind the show - well, in Steven Moffat, and is Julie Gardner still around? - to hope that the quality will remain high. This is optimistic; with so many people changing over, is there really much hope that it won't lose it edge and sparkle, that it won't become more like all the mediocre TV shows out there?
Seems to me the quality is more likely to fall when the creators are losing their impetus and enthusiasm - look at the sad case of X-Files. Better to have new and fresh people who love it and won't be doing the same old thing.
And it's great to give Steven Moffat a fresh start with a new Doctor.
So: who do I want as the next Doctor? Russell T Davies said he wanted Russell Tovey, which I think is a terrible idea - I don't like him at all. But I would have said that about Catherine Tate as Donna before series 4, and look how good she turned out to be. On the other hand, I don't trust Russell T Davies' taste or judgement: he thinks Burn Gorman is sexy.
The BBC site mentions possibilities: Paterson Joseph, whom I like a lot, but who has already been on Doctor Who in another role - I don't think the new Doctor should be someone the Doctor has actually met, along with the viewers. The same for their other picks, David Morissey (who will have been seen in the Christmas special in two months) and John Simm. Besides which, I think Simm would be awful - I'm not nearly as impressed with him as everyone else seems to be. Their other suggestion is James Nesbitt, whom I don't think I've ever seen.
My choices for the Eleventh Doctor are:
- Robert Carlyle - my first pick. I think he'd be magnificent; he has charm and scope and sexiness and he's a terrific actor in the myriad ways the role calls for. I can believe this man is an alien while simultaneously believing that he is the ultimate in humanity.
- Peter Woodward, for all the same reasons as Robert Carlyle.
- Eamonn Walker, since they've been talking about making the Doctor black, and he is both talented and attractive.
- Shaun Parkes, whom I adore, though be breaks my rule of not using actors who have already been on the show
- Michael Praed. He has, among other talents, a great voice.
- Sean Pertwee. Added to his considerable abilities, there's something delicious about having the son of one of the actors who played the Doctor take over the role.
We shall see. Meanwhile there's plenty of fodder for speculation.
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Date: 2008-10-30 07:19 pm (UTC)That was what I meant. Death isn't necessarily a change. Of course having a new Doctor is a change and a wrench for everyone, and at the very best it's someone new to get used to. And we don't like all actors equally, so there are bound to be favourites and less favourites.
On the other hand, people who have watched Doctor Who since William Hartnell seem to be into the groove. They have favourites but they also have a strong sense of continuity - stronger than I have. I still have some trouble with the chance from Nine to Ten, who seem to me to be too different in personality to be fully the same man. Men. Doctors. But it's still more comfortable continuity than a change in both character and actor - like changing the protagonist of X-Files from Mulder to Doggett. That just doesn't work.
So what do the different regenerations share? Memories? Not very clearly, it seems, but some memories. Not emotions, or not all emotions. Certian core characteristics? Maybe, but what? I'm still trying to work it out. The change... I'm sorry because I too wanted David Tennant to continue for at least another year, and I don't agree with his reasoning (why not play the Doctor till he's eighty?) I respect his right to leave the role for any reason or no reason at all. It was bound to happen sometime.
And I'm still mourning the loss of Eccleston, really.
I'm sorry to have been the bearer of difficult news!
I do apologize for emoting all over your journal!
Feel free. It's what I'm here for. Happy to be a sounding board.