After much consternation, tears, anger, ambivalence, theorizing and angst, the producers of Doctor Who finally announced the newest (and last?) Doctor Who. Matt Smith announced his departure from the Doctor Who franchise a few months ago, and it seemed like the producers hadn’t really done that much work on finding a new Doctor. But now they have. And guess what? It’s an older white guy, it’s the guy everybody was predicting, and it’s not all that exciting. The new Doctor is…
Peter Capaldi.
You can see his IMDB page here – I recognize him from a half-dozen TV shows and movies, most recently his appearance in World War Z (he played a W.H.O. doctor – COINCIDENCE?!!?!?!!?). He’s 55 years old. I’m actually sort of surprised that they didn’t skew younger, you know? I think Matt Smith was so popular in particular because he had sort of a heart-throb, Teen-Beat sort of quality about him.
The producers announced Capaldi during a half-hour live show on the BBC. I didn’t watch it, but I was reading The Guardian’s live-blog, which was worth it. British TV critics/pop culture writers are so deliciously bitchy and dry. Love it. But the Guardian guy seemed happy about the choice, so there you go. I’m not particularly disappointed that the new Doctor Who is yet another dude, although it would have been nice to see an actor of color in the role for a change. And it was NEVER going to be Idris Elba. But it could have been somebody else besides just another older white guy.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Ok, can a Whovian explain this to me, because I don’t really watch the show–my sister told me that he’s supposed to get younger with every regeneration. Can someone explain to me why he’s old now?
I’m only a sideline fan, so I’ll check it out every now and then, but I know nothing about it, aside from stuff I see on my tumblr dashboard, and tumblerites being offended by every thing.
The doctor is supposed to be really 900 plus years old. I think the thing about the doctor getting younger with every regeneration is false. That is what seemed to happen between Eccleston (in his 40’s), Tennet (in his 30’s when he started) and Smith (27 when he started). But the doctor’s ages varied before the reboot.
I have not seen Peter Capaldi in anything but looking at his resume, he’s steadily worked throughout his career, he’s got the unusual look that they long favor for the doctor and I think he’ll bring an interesting dynamic to the show.
Regeneration doesn’t make a Time Lord younger, just different. Look back through the 8 Doctors before Christopher Eccleston – a wider variety of ages through regenerations. Peter Davison, who was the youngest Doctor until NewWho, regenerated into Colin Baker, who was older.
Oh, thanks for the explanation, you guys! I’ve been trying to figure this out for the longest. I’m curious as to how people are going to receive him, since the Doctor Who audience(well, at least from what I’ve seen on my dashboard) seems to have a good chunk of the…lesser fangirls comprised of snappy teenagers who get upset when things that don’t go there way, or who seem really focused on just the potential romance aspect.Personally, I like his look, and he kind of has me interested in trying to watch the show…
Your sister is incorrect. The last two regenerations did go younger, but prior to that it tended to be favour “older” in Earth terms. For example, whilst Paul McGann was younger than Sylvester McCoy in the mid-90s film, Hurt was considerably older as was Eccleston (although younger than Hurt).
And many Whovians on this side of the Atlantic are an older and somewhat male demographic who began watching it as kids in the 70s and 80s, or even in the 60s when Capaldi himself became a fan. Not me, I only watched properly it at the Eccleston reboot as I never really liked it any time I saw it as a kid.
Side Eye, you wondered how it would be received by fans because most of the fans you know are teen girls. I live in a university town (which I say to convey the geekiness of our culture here) and easily 90% of the people I know here watch Doctor Who. That includes ages 10 through 60. So I think it has a wider audience than you know. I’m excited to see an older Doctor, because while I loved Matt Smith’s energy, he didn’t seem to have enough experience to pull off the darker parts of what it’s like to be 900 years old. And considering that last season’s ending reintroduced difficult subjects for the Doctor, it will be great to have someone who can handle a wider range of emotions.
@Wif, and Mairead
Thanks for the responses guys. I don’t watch it much myself and so only heard of it through a certain demographic, but I’m glad the fandom isn’t so bad.
Love Peter Capaldi. He was amazing on The Thick of It. Although not liking these (recent?) photos of him with the weird facial hair.
Anyway.. you go, Peter Capaldi.
I kind of like the facial hair. Makes him look like the devil or something.
I love Malcolm Tucker! I’m happy now.
I think he looks like an older matthew goode
The facial hair was for a show he did about Leonardo Da Vinci.
As a side note, I really hope they start broadcasting Doctor Who after 9pm –
http://ahayzer42.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/final.png
Ecstatic they chose Peter Capaldi. I heard he was the bookies favourite, but it seemed too good to be true! I absolutely loved him in The Hour. Hell, I love him in everything!
Any chance this hair/mustache is from his role of Cardinal Richelieu? He mentioned he was playing him while on the show yesterday. So excited to learn of Three Musketeers series on BBC- hope it makes it state-side! He is a wonderful actor!
same here…love him
I loved The Thick Of It!Great actor.
+ 1
MAlcolm Tucker is epic.
ohhh, that is sid´s dad! 😀
Ah, a Skins fan!
he’s been rocking that sort of facial hair for a lot of films he’s done in the past few years. probably b/c he’s been playing kings and cardinals a lot
I’m thrilled with the 12th. It was a really good choice. The Doctors have been skewing younger long enough. Peter Capaldi has it all – he’s a good solid actor with great comedic chops.
Yeah. Matt Smith didnt do it for me. As a matter of fact, the series got to loosey goosey for me. I would catch s episode every know and then while visiting my mother.
Smith didn’t do it for me either (although he’s improved now that the end is near) and I absolutely hated Amy Pond (the worst companion EVER), so I really haven’t watched since Tennant left.
John Barrowman cracked recently that no one seemed particularly broken up when Smith quit (unlike the wailing over Tennant’s departure), and I think that’s a good comment on his tenure. He was OK, he’s better now that the horrid Pond/Karen Gillan is gone, but no one’s slitting their wrists about him leaving the series.
Capaldi though – hoo boy. I will be glued to the screen exactly the way I was during the 10th Doctor’s incarnation. YAY 12!
@Dena, gefeylich,
Matt Smith was alright, in fact, he made a solid Doctor, it’s just the writing that’s become rubbish. I’d rather have seen Moffat bow out than Smith. It would seem strange that the same man who gave us some of the strongest episodes during Davies’s run has had such a weak one himself, if it weren’t for the fact that back in the day, he had Russel T. Davies to reign him in, just as he has Mark Gatiss on ‘Sherlock’. And I’m not going anywhere near Amy Pond, not with a ten foot pole. There still too much residual rage.
So glad to see I’m not the only one who haaaaaated Amy Pond.
Peter Capaldi is a great choice. And something of a brave one, considering the market support of the fangirls. It suggests that they might end up going a bit darker with him, too, which I like.
It’ll be weird seeing Malcolm Tucker not threatening to kill anyone, though.
Balls to them.
Yes many of the newer fans (especially outside the UK) are the whingey fangirl/boy variety (of all ages) who just want a fine bit stuff to watch, but from what I’ve seen in Twitter a huge amount of them don’t have much imagination and can’t understand that character actors are just that- they don’t get locked into the character forever – rather like the Doctors themselves. Those whingers won’t be missed.
It’s not like Capaldi isn’t a hot piece himself…lithe, witty, biting? Yum.
I always found him as Malcolm Tucker attractive 😳
Women of distinction, we are 😉 .
*whispers shamefacedly*
The dastardly moustache and beard wouldn’t put me off, either.
I find him sexy too, and am excited to see the potential between the Doctor and River Song, because Matt Smith wasn’t doing it for me in that story line.
They’ve gone with Brit appeal/appeal to Brits. Everyone knows Capaldi here. Principally for his sh*tfluckp*sswonking (cursing!) character in The Thick of It. He just recently did a FANTASTIC turn as Leonardo da Vinci and I was reminded how cool he is in a tribute re-run of Iain Banks’s The Crow Road.
He’ll be a super duper doctor. Slightly edgy. Unpredictable.
I like him — thought he was great in “Torchwood.” And after several years of the Doctor being younger and younger, it does feel like a big change to me that the Doctor is actually older than I am again!
His Torchwood arc was OUTSTANDING. I can’t wait to see him as the Doctor.
Funny! I was thinking I want to see them bring back John Barrowman for a storyline….
Brilliant choice. And if he could bring some of his In The Loop character to the role it will be awesome:
“This is a interstellar conspiracy, not some f***ing Jane f***ing Austen novel! Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up your s*****r with a sonic screwdriver!”
Indeed!!!
Those memes are starting already 😀
I am absolutely thrilled with Capaldi as 12!!!!!
He’s a brilliant actor. My 2 favourite shows have finally blended- Doctor Who and Thick Of It. 😀 I secretly hope he tells a dalek to f**k off
Generally speaking, most of the past Doctors have been a little older (Eccleston 41, Tennant 35 etc and my favourite, Smith is the youngest), but this will definitely get rid of all of those gushing idiots on tumblr that only watched the show because they thought the Doctor had to be younger and good looking. That bothered me. Hopefully this means the show can take on a darker more mature angle.
I don’t think 12 will be the last Doctor. 1) The show is very lucrative. 2)Time lords have 12 regeneration cycles. Presumably, we’d get a 13th Doctor. 3) That being said, if we are talking within the show’s canon, there are a lot of possibilities that would allow for many more Doctor’s (eg The Doctor’s planet is gone so there’s no one to limit how many times he can regenerate).
*breathes* It’s now sort of out of my system.
Yeah, I think it’s tradition/rules that set the limit — didn’t the Master get a new set of regenerations back in the day?
As someone who adored Christopher Eccleston (more than Tennant, truth be told — I’ll see myself off the internet now :)), I’m looking forward to this. I see a Hulu binge of Thick of It in my future…
Hi RobotDog!
I believe the Master did, yes.
Don’t see yourself off the net so soon. Tennant is my least favourite Doctor (I do however love his catch phrase).
While Smith is my favourite Doctor so far, I adored Eccleston. He was fantastic! :p I hope 12 will have a bit of that dark side like 9 did.
christopher eccleston was my favourite too. i liked that he was a bit dark and angry. looking forward to seeing capaldi in the role.
The High Council is timelocked. Anything is possible 🙂
Eccleston was my favorite NewWho Doctor, too. Tom Baker and Peter Davison were my favorite classic Who Doctors, with Sylvester McCoy being up there as well.
@paranormalgirl
LOVED peter davison. jon pertwee was before my time on the tv show but i saw him do the doctor who play in the theatre when i was about 10. amazing.
I’m so excited for this! Agree with the hope that it’ll get rid of the gushing fangirls that only watch for eyecandy. Hoping this choice indicates that they’re going to ramp up the darkness a bit. I miss the storylines we had with Eccleston, especially.
I think I might be in the minority but I don’t like him for the Doctor. Besides he’s already played characters in the Who universe so that kind of bugs me too.
Freema Ageyman and Karen Gillan appeared on the show as different minor characters. They both became companions for 10 and 11 respectively.
Russell T/Stephen Moffatt rival Joss Whedon for reusing favourite actors both within programmes and across programmes!
Colin Baker had appeared in the show before being cast as the Doctor. It’s not just assistants and other supports! My fave was Gwen from Torchwood being the descendant of the Victorian maid in Doctor Who.
that was priceless 😀
If you watch BBC sci-fi across the board, you could be forgiven for thinking that there are only sixteen actors in the entire UK. Which I kind of love.
I loved that!
You are definitely in the minority. Capaldi is a brilliant actor whose Doctor will be nothing like the Roman citizen he played in The Fires of Pompeii.
Anyway, the utterly annoying Karen Gillan was in that episode too, and that didn’t stop them from allowing her to mess up most of Matt Smith’s tenure. Bleh.
I. Love. Him!!!
“Piss off ya f-in’ tin-can pieace o shit Dalek”
— the Twelfth Doctor at some point, probably.
I do think you have to be British to appreciate this choice. He is an amazing actor and is fab in The Thick of It. I am absolutely sure that he will be fantastic as the next DW.
I’m not British and I do appreciate it. He seems like a refreshing choice and I think he has this special something which already makes him suitable for the Who-world. I hated where the show was going lately with the Doctor – Clara flirtations and I’m really happy the writers hopefully won’t continue with another forced romance now, since the new Doctor looks like he could be her quirky uncle but will focus more on the adventures rather than their love lives.
Yes, yes and YES!!
Sooooo very sick of the whole ‘romance’ angle with the Doctor and his companions.
So far, Donna has been my favourate companion for that very reason. It meant we were able to enjoy their adventures.
This choice has restored my faith in the series, which had been shot for shit for quite some time. Poor Smith – he was a good Doctor with increasingly flabby scripts to work with.
This. I’m ready for the Doctor/companion flirtations to end. Hopefully, this will help.
I’m sad to see Matt Smith go, but I’m always sad to see a Doctor leave. I am excited to see how Twelve works out. And I’m pretty optimistic with Capaldi. I can’t say the same about Moffat though.
Hear, hear. I think Moffat needs to step waaaaaaay back from the romance angle in terms of writing (not in the least because he only knows how to write it only one way, either). It’ll be nice to have a reprieve from that nonsense.
What? NO! the love story of the Doctor and River Song will be so awesome now. I know I’m repeating myself because I said that up the thread, but Alex Kingston is beyond hot, and she and the Capaldi could have some steamy lingering looks and merciless banter. I WANT TO SEE THAT!!!
Peter Capaldi is a FANTASTIC choice. He’s a versatile actor who can play very silly, play very dark and go off in unexpected directions. It’s so cool that they’ve veered off the Twillight route they were travelling down with “cute” Doctors – this is genuinely super-exciting.
agreed. and i hope this is the end of all the dumb cutesy flirting between the doctor and moony young companions.
He looks great sure, but I’d have love to have a non white actor, or better a GINGER 😀
Wait and see I guess, but his pairing with Clara seems strange somehow.
I really hope they get rid of Clara.
She’s such a crap character, no distinguishable flaws or interesting quirks.
Me too. Since I was so heartbroken over the Ponds leaving and I didn’t want it to ruin the show for me, I really made an effort to like Clara, and I did, at first. I think she had a few decent episodes, but she’s so cold and non-descript to me that I wasn’t able to get fond of her at all. So I hope they get rid of her soon.
Agreed! They’ve made her so bland.
The only good episode of her was with the Cybermen when she got to take charge and actually have a real go at it. Only episode I was actually rooting for her.
The writing for female companions has been rubbish. Stephen Moffatt seems a bit of a misogynist to me.
Clara WILL be in the 8th series, it was announced before Matt’s departure. As for the ‘no distinguishable flaws’ & etc. that can be said for a lot of companions.
Oh yes to ditching Clara. She may hang on for a season, but if the chemistry isn’t there, they’ll drop her soon enough. She’s just boringly written – although her character was quite close to the Matt Smith’s doctor, so putting her against someone older and more acidic might make the character work more.
Agreed, since Clara was introduced, I liked the show a lot less, for a plethora of reasons. However maybe with the new older doctor, the dynamics may change for the better, so I’ll give her a second chance. You know, because my opinion matters…..
Thank you. I don’t like Clara too. I tried. And she seems like a nice person. But she is so boring and uninteresting. I forced myself to watch those last episodes of Doctor Who. They were just not interesting. And few times I was using FastForward button when Clara was doing something on screen. That bored with her I was. They had no chemistry with Matt Smith.
Maybe she is just bad and blank actress. I was ok with her when she was cast. I trust Doctor Who team. I was not impressed when Matt Smith was cast on paper but he turned out to be amazing Doctor. But they missed with Clara. Actress is weak.
Really disappointed but then I wanted someone of colour, female or both. This fellow might be a good actor but it would have been interesting to see someone genuinely new.
Moffatt is still there, right? If so, I’m glad it’s NOT a female Doctor, not because I don’t want one, but because I don’t want him writing for one. He’s so misogynistic.
I disagree, historically he’s had strong women in his programmes, even as far back as the 80s with Press Gang starring Julia Swahla and Dexter Fletcher (and briefly Claire Forlani, proving that she could never act).
In Who, Donna, River, Clara, Madame Vastra, et al are good characters – they don’t always have good scripts as they tended to go for the laughs. In other programmes he has great characters like Irene Adler – although I accept that could have a lot to do with Mark Gatiss’s writing (his League of Gentlemen was one of the most extraordinary things ever). Who was responsible for ‘Don’t Blink’? That Sparrow girl was great!
But Russel T Davies wasn’t perfect either, Rose’s iconic status had more to do with Billie Piper than the script. Eve Myles couldn’t make Gwen Cooper any less irritating until the most recent series! Tosh was an equally weak character. Even Martha didn’t improve until she jumped ship to UNIT and Torchwood.
It’s kind of like people complaining that there’s no point entering the Eurovsion Song Contest because the Eastern European countries all vote for each other. Usually the worst critics aren’t viewers and are being informed by legitimate but one-sided views. But I would lve to hear your reasoning but any other complaint I’ve read isn’t informative.
@Mairead Don’t Blink was Moffat’s episode. I actually like Davies run better than Moffat’s, but it feels like people romanticize Davies WAY to much. The man used the Daleks ALL THE FREAKING TIME. I honestly found Season 2 and Season 3 in his run very boring with the exception of Blink. Season 4 was awesome.
I feel like they’re are more developed women during Moffat’s run to be honest. The cries of misogyny are so great because there seem to be more female characters. During Davies there were companions and I don’t remember that many “strong” female characters. Except Donna who was such a badass and then destroyed in the most soul crushing way imaginable Davies you douche!
While I don’t mind Moffat nearly as much as everyone else, I would like to see a new showrunner. Moffat’s run is too draining for me. Every episode is too much. It’s always some big thing or some huge end of the universe problem being solved. It’s exhausting.
And guys seriously? We are going to get in a tizzy because these women are defining themselves off the doctor? Doesn’t EVERY character define themselves through the doctor? Mickey, Harkness, Rory, practically everyone bows down at the Doctor’s feet.
This is why I loved Donna. She wasn’t in to the Doctor worship. She clearly had respect for him, but she didn’t fawn all over him. And he clearly had respect for her, but he didn’t make googly eyes at her or hold her hand throughout. She learned, she changed, she grew and I had fun watching it.
I agree with you to a point. I don’t think they purposely chose another white man, they just chose the best actor for the job, who happens to be a white man.
Personally I think the doctor is male, so he couldn’t be played by a female.
LOL at people who seriously believed that they will cast black actor or woman as next Doctor just because they whined about it in comments…
Maybe in America. But that is Europe. They won’t cast black actor just because otherwise people will blame them for being racists. They are choosing actors by their talent and quality.
And why on earth Doctor would be woman? He is Man. He was kissing River, he loves her, they are married if I remember correct. Why would Doctor suddenly became lesbian? Why would River forced to become lesbian, since she loves Doctor.
On the other hand, we know that Captain Jack wouldn’t be that fussy 😉
I thought it would be a woman also. The Time Lord can only regenerate 12 times. If she was female, she could give birth to future Time Lords to continue the series with.
Really? ‘Just another older white guy’? He may not be that well known abroad but Capaldi is a brilliant, respected, awesomely versatile actor. Surely that’s what counts, not his age or colour?
This is inspired casting.
Well said.
Ahh thank you!
I am not a whovian, I watch it sometime. I find this choice amazing: this man is charming; and honestly I can’t anymore with another young, too much hair, too much toned dollish actor.
Since when was Matt Smith considered a heart-throb?
My thoughts exactly… I find him very unattractive. I’m not a big fan of the show but my brother loves it so I’ve watched it off and on and I found Tennant way more interesting. Matt Smith needs some eyebrows. That’s my main issue with him
Since he became famous. That’s how it works!
Oh thank God. I thought it was just me. Not only do I *not* find him attractive, I find him extremely unappealing. Like, I don’t even want to look at him.
Not just you. Smith is empirically unattractive. He’s a good actor and he can be charming, but he is homely.
However, attractiveness is not a prerequisite for a Doctor. I wouldn’t call Tom Baker or Sylvester McCoy especially attractive, but they were amusing Doctors. Not everyone can be Paul McGann or David Tennant, but then again, they shouldn’t have to be where the Doctor is concerned.
For all the people upset at the lack of a ‘diversity’ choice, wait twenty years and watch while you start getting regularly discriminated against. Old is a category too.
It’s an interesting choice, and possibly an excellent one. There’s old and then there’s *old*. This guy is the first kind: at 55, he looks to be fit and wiry and still has most of his hair. He should be able to handle the action parts of the role as well as the comedy and drama.
(In comparison, think of James Gandolfini, rest his soul, who was only 52 when he recently died. He was a very physically powerful-looking actor, but he wouldn’t have been right for the part of the Doctor.)
Their scene together in In The Loop was so interesting to watch because of the contrast between them.
I don’t like him as the Doctor… At all.. Even as talented as he is, I’m not happy about the casting at all
+1. Agreed
I’m not happy about their pick. I dont understand why only people who are happy about him are allowed to talk about it. This is an opinion. Hopping over the internet there are some extreme anger against other opinions. I have to keep remembering it’s just a tv show. 🙂 I dont mind his age Im just not interested in seeing him on the show. I have seen peter in other stuff and he is bland for me. The fact that its always been a white guy is no reason to keep it that way.
It’s not even that its another white male that was cast… I don’t know that I would watch the show if the Doctor was cast as a female. To me the Doctor is/always should be male. I think that it would be the same as casting Harry potter as a female… Just not my thing. But I’m not angry if people have opinions that differ from mine.
I have seen Peter in lots of other things, and I’m hoping I’m totally wrong, but he doesn’t seem like a good fit in my opinion. However, I think he and Alex Kingston would have good chemistry if they could rescue her from the library. And he is def more age appropriate for her 🙂
I’ve never watched. Is it worth it?
Probably not for all, but it’s worth a chance. When I first saw a random Dalek episode I thought it was silly, low-quality and uninteresting. I couldn’t imagine how anyone could like it or how can it have such a big fandom worldwide. But then my dog got sick, I had to stay awake to care for him and I watched TV all night. There was nothing else to watch except for the Doctor Who marathon and after watching a few episodes from the 5th season I wanted to see more and more and became a big Whovian. It’s highly addictive and even though the monsters can be silly sometimes (the Daleks look like industrial hoovers with toilet plungers stuck to them), it’s not important because the show’s biggest strenght are the stories and not the special effects. Some episodes are better, some worse because there are different writers and they experiment with genres. Most people find the Russel T. Davies era with David Tennant as the Doctor (seasons 2-4) the most enjoyable. I think Matt Smith was better Doctor but the stories started declining from season 5.
Thanks. I appreciate your review. That, in itself, was entertaining. I hope your dog is healthy now.
My dog is fine, thank you for asking. I watch the show with him on my lap now. I got a bit carried away with the lenght as it usually is with my favourite topics but I’m glad you liked it.
Lovely but safe choice. Thank God they went for a mid-50s man. Sick of those younger Whovians who would fangirl David Tennant then Matt Smith.
Of course they won’t go for Idris. He’s already Luther.
Idris also has a busy movie career. Doctor Who would take up way more of his time then Luther. I love Idris and would be happy to see him in anything but I highly doubt he would do Doctor Who at this point in his career.
I can’t say that I’ve found any of the actors who play the doctor attractive. Matt Smith has a terrific personality and I think that has won him the fangirl adoration.
They could have picked Lennie James http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0416694/?ref_=tt_cl_t3 who’s been in The Walking Dead (the pilot episode) but from what I can see, not much recently.
He’s really good! Idris Elba is not the only black male actor in the UK!!
Or, Shaun Parkes, who was the captain in the ‘Impossible Planet’ episode.
We shall have to keep these guys in mind for the next regeneration in 4-6 years time.
Lennie James is awesome. How he did not get a guest actor Emmy for the episode he did of the Walking Dead this past season confuses me.
I would not mind seeing more of Lennie James at all, in anything.
I’d be cool with Lennie James.
Aaaaaand… another white dude. How surprising.
Look I like Peter Capaldi, he’s a great actor I’ve seen in many things but it’s still disappointing that in 2013 we can’t get a female Doctor. I’ll stop here because the Doctor Who fandom is unfortunately often distasteful and I don’t want to read endless comments about how a female Doctor would suck and it’s the worst idea ever, etc.
Would it even be possible to have a female doctor? I know Time Lords can change their appearance, but I wasn’t aware they could change gender. They’re not goldfish!
But if they could somehow work this into the canon, I’d be happy to see a female doctor. Just don’t shoehorn an actress into a part to appease fans.
Exactly my thoughts, Amelia. For all we know, the Time Lords can change their appearance with regenerations but changing genders is an entirely different thing. The Doctor was born as a male and changed only into other males, the same as the Master. River Song was born as a female and all her regenerations were females as well (a baby Melody, a little girl in the space suit, Mels and the actual River). It looks like changing genders would be a huge stretch and wouldn’t suit an established version of the story.
In the Neil Gaiman episode, the Doctor was talking about the Corsair (another time lord), and made a comment along the lines of how he was a very naughty boy, “and once, a naughty girl”. I can’t remember the exact line, but it implied that for one regeneration, the Corsair was female.
Interesting. As said above I think the doctor is male and so can’t chance genders.
As for the “once a very naughty girl” comment, that could mean a lot of things really. We’ve seen all the doctors and none of them were female.
I think that comment might have been inspired by the 2009 Comic Relief skit. It was based on Classic Who, with Jonathan Pryce as The Master, Julia Swahla as the companion and, initially, Rowan Atkinson as The Doctor. The Doctor goes through a number of regenerations, including Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant (yay), Hugh Grant and a very naughty Joanna Lumley 😉
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Do-wDPoC6GM
EDIT:
I missed the Corsair mention, (lord, being named after a groovy looking, but still basic Ford).
I am not entirely sure, but I think it was the Matt Smith regeneration where he’s checking himself out and at one point thinks he might be female.
I was really hoping for a female Doctor as well! And yeah, a Doctor with a slightly more diverse genetic background would have been interesting and more, well, current. I suppose the franchise is still far too rooted in tradition for those kinds of “shockers,” kinda like the monarchy.
@Poppy: Yes, that was in “The Doctor’s Wife,” right? My brain is still scrambled from jet lag so I can’t remember the specific line/episode, but I’m pretty sure the Doctor (Smith’s) has alluded to something similar about himself as well. I think he said something about mistakenly thinking he was regenerated as a woman? Anyhow, yes, it is possible but, considering the nature of the show, still rather improbable.
I was rather upset when I found out that Matt was leaving Doctor Who, but I definitely understand why he would – he had to put up with seriously mediocre writing this past season. Personally, I will miss him a lot, and I think he did a great job with the part.
That said, I’m really excited they picked Peter Capaldi for 12! I don’t know a lot about him, but his face is really striking and he used to be in a punk-rock band with Craig Ferguson, so he’s good to go in my book.
And please, please, please, let him have a brand new companion.
Jenna Coleman has said she will be around for the 8th series, I would not be surprised to see a new companion in the 9th. I am curious to see what the dynamic will be between Clara and the doctor now.
I agree. I think Matt Smith is fantastic but the scripts have let him down.
Horrible storylines full of plotholes. Poor chap didn’t stand a chance.
I think we all would have liked to seen some diversity in the choice (I would have loved Richard Ayoade), but sine we can’t have it while Moffat is in charge, I think Peter Capaldi is a brilliant choice. Plus the Tumblr meltdown has been delicious.
I like the new choice.
I’ve not watched them since Tenant left tho’, so I’d be totally lost on what’s happening.
LOVED Tenant and Eccleston!
I’m okay with this. The first Dr. Who way back in 1963 was also an older actor. I think this guy will be a fun Dr. to watch.
disappointed. He seems to be a decent actor, but i don´t think it was a wise choice.
For me he is just an old guy. I bet they´ll give him a new young actress as a kind of daughter. After Tennant and Smith this will look weird.
Let´s see how long the new Doctor stays…
When I was 15 and up, most of the Doctors were ‘old guys’, relatively speaking. I guess the young are more interested in Twilighty romance than (potentially) terrific storytelling. What a shame!
Personally I see the doctor as an old man, so to me the casting of Matt being young, felt wrong to me.
You do know there were 8 Doctors before Christopher Eccleston and they were all varying ages, right? The first Doctor was 55 when he started, same as Peter Capaldi. Patrick Troughton was 46, John Pertwee was 50, Tom Baker was 40, Peter Davison was 29, Colin Baker was 40, Sylvester McCoy was 44, Paul McGann was 36, Christopher Eccleston was 41, David Tennant was 34, and Matt Smith was 27.
This guy is a great actor, he is gonna bring so much more to the table than Matt Smith acting wise.
I’m a diehard American Whovian, and I squealed when they announced Capaldi! He’ll be a fantastic Doctor. He played Sid’s dad on Skins, was in the Fires of Pompeii episode of Doctor Who (with Karen Gillian,) and was on Torchwood. I’m glad they didn’t go with a younger Doctor, because I’ve always loved the variety in personality and age that DW provides.. I can’t wait to see the new series. Allons-y!
He is a very distinguished looking man. I realized after reading the article that he is also in Maleficent.
I don’t watch Dr. Who, but I’ll have to check it out. I would also love to know where I can see that show The thick of It.
and that W.H.O doctor in WWZ was very clever.
‘But it could have been somebody else besides just another older white guy.’
Um – there hasn’t been an ‘older’ guy playing Dr Who since the 1960’s so actually it may not be a statement for diversity in the way that you wish but it is one – an old Doctor is quite a big deal.
Anyway – Peter Capaldi is the dogs b*llox – he is a BRILLIANT actor and they are lucky to have snaffled him – more research next time!
+1 :-)he’s amazing and will kick arse in this role.
This! One million times, this!
He was the angel Islington in Neverwhere… 🙂
Eh…I guess I’ll give it a few episodes and see how that works. Maybe he’ll even need a season or two since I never warmed up to Matt’s Doctor until the seventh series. I do think the action-packed dynamic of Who that we’ve seen in recent years will change, though.
And forget all the flirtations between the Doctor and Clara now. It’d seem…kinda gross.
To paraphrase Malcolm Tucker:
Thank fu€kitty- fu€kitty- bolloky- fu€k for that!
The Guardian just imagined Doctor Who in the style of Malcolm Tucker. READ THIS! It’s brilliant:
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/shortcuts/2013/aug/05/new-doctor-who-malcolm-tucker-peter-capaldi
“Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey shitey-bitey fucking fish fingers and custard and all that bollocks”.
Oh, my. My cheeks ache!
I’ve just decided that my evening now consists of a Thick of It marathon.
Excellent plan. Did you watch Veep?
I haven’t seen it yet. Was it you who was recommending it? Someone was talking to me about it recently. JLD gets on my nerves for some reason, so I’m resistant.
Is it as good as the original? How could you replace a terrifying sweary Glasweigan? 🙂
Nowhere near as good but still worth watching. (Sorry, brief, on tablet now).
Brilliant stuff, T.Fanty! Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
Oh my god T.fanty, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I just nearly died laughing. I’ve never seen the Dr. Who series, but if Peter Capaldi’s in it, I’ll watch it, even if there’s no profanity 🙂
I’ll see your f***ing left-wing, champagne socialist sh1tting c*mrag of a diahorrea-receptacle and raise you this:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Blf073f2Lc
😈
You think that they’ll do a version like for the DVD extras? That would be BRILLIANT. Let’s start a letter writing campaign!
For some reason, Peter Capaldi looks an old-school Doctor to me. Perhaps Steven Moffat wants to bring back a little vintage charm from the pre-reboot years? Hmmm, maybe it’s just an age thing. Capaldi also looks like he’d make a great Master.
Fabulous! I have adored him since “Gregory’s Girl”. I can’t wait to see him. This last season of Dr Who was a gigantic yawn and I noticed that I never bothered to rewatch any Matt Smith episodes. Partially it’s because I’ve hated the sidekicks after Donna Noble. Ooooooh, I hope that execrably chirpy Clara is leaving and that they get a good non-mooning sidekick for him this time.
ETA: An ‘actor of colour’? Hey, what about a WOMAN for Pete’s sake?
I loved Donna and couldn’t stand a hotbed companions besides her. She was actually clever compared to the rest and NOT in love with the doctor. Sorry I hate companions in love with doctor story lines. It just gets old really fast.
Doctor Donna kicked, indeed, a lot of asses.
I adored Donna. One of my all time favorite companions.
Donna was my all-time favourite companion. Love her, love Catherine Tate, loved it all!
“Am I bovvered?”
*any of the not hotbed
Anyways I was heartbroken after they so horribly ended Donna’s storyline. I can’t watch the tennat episodes after that one to this day. Still havent seen them. I just jumped straight to Matt smiths first doctor who episode. It took a while though to even start watching that.
Since everyone’s talking about the age of the doctor. I would love a companion that’s a bit older too. Or maybe a male companion who falls in love with the doctor? I’d like to see that instead of girl pining away for this intelligent man blah blah blah.
If they wanna do a doctor companion love story. But i would honestly love that they not do that. its so boring to me. but if they do then freshen it up at least. An older woman I would prefer though. I want another kickass Donna noble who isn’t looking for love but adventure.
Donna was smart, resourceful and resilient, courageous and nobody’s fool, and the thought of hooking up with the Doctor grossed her out. She really came into her own travelling with the Doctor. On some level, I think she was the Doctor’s match, character-wise.
And then it was all ripped from her and us.
I agree with a commenter above that her exit was utterly tragic and awful. I can’t bear to watch it.
Just that one scene where Wilf tells the Doctor “But she was better with you.” and the Doctor goes on to tell Wilf and Sylvia: “I just want you know there are worlds out there safe in the sky because of her. And there are people living in the light and singing songs of Donna Noble a thousand million light years away. They will never forget her. While she can never remember. But for one moment, one shining moment, she was the most important woman in the whole wide universe.” The sads…
All this reminiscing about the Doctor Donna is giving me the sads. (i teared up at that recap paranormal girl – Cribbins is a legend). It just highlights how blah Amy was, (final episode notwithstanding), although I enjoyed Rory. He was no Mickey, but still.
It did the Doctor good to be challenged, 900 years of abject simpering is good for no one. I am not a fan of the companions as romantic interests generally, it’s such a lazy way of catering to the female viewership. We’re not all fluffy-headed idiots you know!
That being said I did like the romances with River and The Girl in the Mirror because they complimented the Doctor without being subservient.
Sorry, I meant Girl In The Fireplace, with Sophia Myles.
I was gutted by what happened to Donna. Every time I think of Donna, I think of the Ood’s singing.
Correction: I’m getting my Bill Forsyth movies mixed up. It was “Local Hero”.
And if we’re talking diversity, why can’t the Doctor have a Scottish accent, for example?
I’m excited either way. A lot of people seem to be loving the announcement so my hopes are high.
While I am disappointed that they didn’t pick a person of color or woman, I have to admit, when I saw that picture, my first thought was “THAT’S the Doctor!”
On a plus side, the chemistry between River and this Doctor is going to be something worth watching 😉
Uh…you do realize River probably won’t be coming back unless they revisit the program in the library, right?
She was there in the last episode of the 7th season as coming back from the library. She asked him why he never visited. And you know, time travel and all. She said she had all his faces in her notebook so fingers crossed.
Yes, but that was only an echo of sorts and really all of the Doctor’s doing. And they’ve already said ‘goodbye’, so I don’t think they’re going to revisit that again. Besides, it’s Moffat. He’ll drop lines here and there and never bring them up again. And we don’t know how she’s come to have all his faces in her book. For all we know she only has eleven.
Me too.. I want spacey-wacey timey-wimeyness to get them to intersect somewhere else in her timeline, who knows what will happen after he crossed his own timestream – they are setting us up for something quite spectacular.
But in the interim, we still have Strax! 😈
Okay, stop it. I feel myself going all fangirly at the thought. Not a good look! 🙂
She had great chemistry with Matt. I can just imagine the depth of it with 2 mature adults/actors involved.
My choice of Brian Blessed was overlooked AGAIN! 👿 this is an OUTRAAAAAAAAAGE!
But my serious choice was Rory Kinnear who – all due respect to Finney and Dench- was the only thing that made Skyfall watchable.
But seeing that I harbour a deep dark adoration for Malcolm Tucker (one of the few who swear more than me), I am delighted. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Smith’s Doctor, but if anyone can legitimately say “Fu€kity Bye!”, and bring it in a new direction it’s Capaldi.
I was also fecking ecstatic that we are getting away from the sentimental romance will-they-won’t-they horse manure that comes with younger Doctors. Clara is an exceptional character and a good quality older Doctor will help her grow into one of the all-time greats.
Right. I really like the character of Clara and I think she can really grow with the 12th. I just hope she really gets that chance.
I hope so, haven’t been taken by Clara-she’s a bit vanilla right now and I don’t know whether it’s the writing or the acting as she has to act flirty which seems pretty forced.
Hopefully a more platonic role or even a Rose/Nine dynamic can bring her back into a proper companion. Though how much you want to bet that there will be Twelve/Clara fics after the first episode?!
Capaldi is a great choice and a close friend of Cumberbatch’s so thats a moffat love fest right there. He’s also in The Fifth Estate with Cumberbatch so I’m looking forward to the premiere photos.
He’s also close friends with Craig ferguson! Craig is a huge whovian…although he seemed to have no affection for David tennant as the doctor. Anyways this sounds awesome!
I’m sort of baffled at the people who wanted a younger Doctor. If he got much younger he’d be a infant! I love that its an older actor. My husband joked around about how it should have been Hugh Laurie because Stephen Frye could have been his companion.
This is the same man who thinks it would have been awesome if they chose Patrick Stewart, but admits the Internet would have imploded.
So is this Colonel Sanders facial hair a new thing?
It was for a role.
He’s playing Cardinal Richelieu gg. Just imagine him in ruby robes 😉
I liked the Doctor with the really long scarf…the opening theme was scary though. To a kid in the 70s the daleks with their “exterminate” was really scary.
Pleased to see that each reinvention seems to do something different, rather than rehash the old stuff.
I LOVED him as Malocolm Tucker very sexy- he’ll make a brilliant Dr Who.
Now im going to go and check him out in some of his other roles.. Torchwood ?
Oooo, I vote they let him keep the facial hair! *giggles like a 12 yo schoolgirl with a crush*
The Guardian blogs are hilarious. The Eurovision final liveblog had me on the floor in tears.
I think Capaldi is a bold choice and a bit daring for the BBC. I have one friend at work who loves DW but hates the new Doctor and says she will not watch the show and it will lose viewers precisely because the Doctor isn’t young and cute. I did try to explain that in the whole DW history most Doctors were older(as if 55 is old!). But she came to the show during the Tennant years and unfortunately many of those fans aren’t used to older Doctors.
I myself am intrigued by Moffat’s/BBC’s choice both because it harkens back to the beginning of the show now that it’s the 50 anniversary. And because there has to be a new dynamic between the Doctor and Clara, which could be good, if only Moffat can write like he does for Sherlock..I’m still not convinced.
Whatever the case, I’m sure I will have a bit of difficulty before liking this Doctor as I did since the reboot in 2005. I do think this actor has the acting chops to be both dramatic like Eccleston and funny like Tennant.
I’m excited and after reading about his geeky teenage rivalry with another fan club member and his letter to the Radio Times, I’ve developed a soft spot for him. The casting team hasn’t let us down yet as far as Doctors and I’m sure he’ll bring something different to the role. As for the people who will leave because of him, there is always Sherlock to squeal over and write fanfic about him and John.
Last Doctor? Technical no. In the original story line, Time Lords had twelve (eleven) regenerations to their lifespan. But because of actions by the Doctor, and the fact (consequence) of being the last Time Lord, he now has an unknown (possibly infinite) number of regenerations.
I’m not sure if the exactly portrayal for this outcome occurred in an episode, or was just alluded to, possibly in one of the novels. (I haven’t read any of the novels.)
Does this mean no more Thick of It?!?! Malcolm Tucker is one of the greatest characters. I mean we were left with a cliffhanger. Wtf BBC.
Don’t wet yourselves:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/aug/07/doctor-who-malcolm-tucker