Casting the New Doctor Who

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I was thinking this week that if I was doing Doctor Who and had no limitations, I'd be asking Michael Shannon. I think he's a good fit for the character.

Unfortunately there are limitations .



I was thinking this week that if I was doing Doctor Who and had no limitations, I'd be asking Michael Shannon. I think he's a good fit for the character.

Unfortunately there are limitations .
Are they actually casting a new one? I tried to give this latest one a shot a few times but he's just missing that spark that makes a good Doctor.



Yes, Capaldi is leaving at Xmas.
Oh good, nothing against the guy, but I just couldn't get into his run like I did with the previous ones.

I like that touch of manic insanity that Tennant and Smith brought to it. Even Eccleston was a little looser than the current.



I read on facebook that Danny Dyer wants to be the new Doctor Who
I think he should wear that pink dressing gown he had on in EastEnders this week .



Are they actually casting a new one? I tried to give this latest one a shot a few times but he's just missing that spark that makes a good Doctor.
Oh good, nothing against the guy, but I just couldn't get into his run like I did with the previous ones.

I like that touch of manic insanity that Tennant and Smith brought to it. Even Eccleston was a little looser than the current.
Yeah, it's interesting because initially I quite liked what Capaldi was doing – I thought he was really good in Into the Dalek and never saw him match that performance since (that is, in the very few episodes I did see). I think in 'mellowing' his Doctor they've ended up just trying to make him like Smith and Tennant, which is quite annoying, for me at least.

I now find myself appreciating Christopher Eccleston a lot more than I did at the time, especially after his recent admittance that he would play the humour differently in retrospect. He was in theory a very good modern Doctor as well, with a great practical outfit. I just wish the Ninth Doctor had had a bit more intelligence and capability.



Haven't enjoyed the Peter Capaldi run of series at all, so very very happy to see him go, bring on the new actor. I would like the next one to be younger than Capaldi but not too young - maybe 30s to early 40s.

But yes I would watch Danny Dyer in that pink flamingo robe as the Doctor. I can see him walking around the tardis like that swearing his head off, c*** this c*** that. Perfect.



Yeah, it's interesting because initially I quite liked what Capaldi was doing – I thought he was really good in Into the Dalek and never saw him match that performance since (that is, in the very few episodes I did see). I think in 'mellowing' his Doctor they've ended up just trying to make him like Smith and Tennant, which is quite annoying, for me at least.

I now find myself appreciating Christopher Eccleston a lot more than I did at the time, especially after his recent admittance that he would play the humour differently in retrospect. He was in theory a very good modern Doctor as well, with a great practical outfit. I just wish the Ninth Doctor had had a bit more intelligence and capability.
Now I haven't seen every episode of the pre-Eccleston Doctors, but I DID try to watch a couple episodes out of each of their runs, and some of them acted like they had a stick firmly implanted in their bums and if they cracked a smile their face would collapse. I think I much prefer the cat in the hat vibe with that touch of insanity that Tennant and Smith brought to the role.

And Seeing Capaldi playing an electric guitar while wearing "Sonic Sunglasses" really hit a "My grandad's having a late life crisis" vibe.

Plus I just didn't see any chemistry with Jenna Coleman. the majority of the time they seemed to hate each other.



Haven't enjoyed the Peter Capaldi run of series at all, so very very happy to see him go, bring on the new actor. I would like the next one to be younger than Capaldi but not too young - maybe 30s to early 40s.

But yes I would watch Danny Dyer in that pink flamingo robe as the Doctor. I can see him walking around the tardis like that swearing his head off, c*** this c*** that. Perfect.
I'm not sure but maybe that was the problem with Capaldi, that his sweary, aggressive The Thick of It character Malcolm Tucker was so good and so memorable that it's hard to see him as any other.



I'm not sure but maybe that was the problem with Capaldi, that his sweary, aggressive The Thick of It character Malcolm Tucker was so good and so memorable that it's hard to see him as any other.
To be honest this is the first role I've seen Capaldi in so there was no preconceived image clouding my view of his take on the doctor besides he just didn't seem to measure up to his predecessors.



To be honest this is the first role I've seen Capaldi in so there was no preconceived image clouding my view of his take on the doctor besides he just didn't seem to measure up to his predecessors.
He's an excellent actor; really good. He was very good in Torchwood: Children of Earth for starters.

Now I haven't seen every episode of the pre-Eccleston Doctors, but I DID try to watch a couple episodes out of each of their runs, and some of them acted like they had a stick firmly implanted in their bums and if they cracked a smile their face would collapse. I think I much prefer the cat in the hat vibe with that touch of insanity that Tennant and Smith brought to the role.
Patrick Troughton started that in earnest, so it's not surprising that actors like McCoy, Colin Baker, Davison, Eccleston, Smith refer back to him as their favourite.

And Seeing Capaldi playing an electric guitar while wearing "Sonic Sunglasses" really hit a "My grandad's having a late life crisis" vibe.
Yeah, apparently they were going for an ageing rocker thing after the event. I don't like it when they decide on one way of doing the character and then backpeddle. It comes over like they saw the audiences were getting itchy twitchy and had to make changes – from what I've read this is marketed as a 'natural progression' but it just comes over as overkill to me — and I haven't even seen the episode .

Plus I just didn't see any chemistry with Jenna Coleman. the majority of the time they seemed to hate each other.
I'm glad you've said that because I thought the same thing. The bits and pieces I saw of her with Smith looked good, as if they had quite good chemistry. Obviously Clara was supposed to be very uneasy with the Twelfth Doctor but offscreen I reckoned that the actors weren't particularly comfortable together, and if that's the case it's a shame.

It will be interesting to see how Pearl Mackie gets on with the Thirteenth Doctor compared to Coleman and Capaldi – at least from our perspective.



He's an excellent actor; really good. He was very good in Torchwood: Children of Earth for starters.




I'm glad you've said that because I thought the same thing. The bits and pieces I saw of her with Smith looked good, as if they had quite good chemistry. Obviously Clara was supposed to be very uneasy with the Twelfth Doctor but offscreen I reckoned that the actors weren't particularly comfortable together, and if that's the case it's a shame.

It will be interesting to see how Pearl Mackie gets on with the Thirteenth Doctor compared to Coleman and Capaldi – at least from our perspective.
Okay if he was in Torchwood then I've seen him, but my statement stands as I don't remember him from that so I still had no preconceived image of him as another character...

And From an in-show standpoint I can see WHY Clara never warmed up to him, they can claim "Same person in a new skin" all they want but the difference between Smith and Capaldi is night and day... I can't in a million years picture Capaldi downing a bowl of custard with fish sticks... or even being a fraction as manic as Smith got... he just seemed tired. he was an entirely different entity through and through. a complete stranger to Clara where the previous ones had some air of familiarity to them... you could almost see Tennant peering out of Smith's introduction performance.

I had to check my Netflix, and apparently I HAVE watched his entire run, but they were so memorable, I only remember a couple and even then, more specific scenes than the actual episodes.



Okay if he was in Torchwood then I've seen him, but my statement stands as I don't remember him from that so I still had no preconceived image of him as another character...
Yeah, you've not seen his "defining" role, like if you'd not seen Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge .

And From an in-show standpoint I can see WHY Clara never warmed up to him, they can claim "Same person in a new skin" all they want but the difference between Smith and Capaldi is night and day... I can't in a million years picture Capaldi downing a bowl of custard with fish sticks... or even being a fraction as manic as Smith got... he just seemed tired. he was an entirely different entity through and through. a complete stranger to Clara where the previous ones had some air of familiarity to them... you could almost see Tennant peering out of Smith's introduction performance.
I think that was intentional as well. Some of the dialogue's a bit like Tennant's as I recall, but even in the Angels two-parter there were lines that could have been spoken by the Tenth Doctor. Smith was really good though, and very fresh in a lot of ways at the time. He's my favourite of the new series actors so far.



Yeah, you've not seen his "defining" role, like if you'd not seen Jon Pertwee as Worzel Gummidge .



I think that was intentional as well. Some of the dialogue's a bit like Tennant's as I recall, but even in the Angels two-parter there were lines that could have been spoken by the Tenth Doctor. Smith was really good though, and very fresh in a lot of ways at the time. He's my favourite of the new series actors so far.
Forgot he also had a part in that Pompeii episode, but again, that just occured to me so...

I thought part of it might just be "You liked the old Doctor, refuse to like the new one" but honestly, I got over that real fast, Eccleston was the Doctor and when he left I bristled against tennant for a couple episodes but then realized, "Hey... this guys like a LOT better..." so when tennant left, I tried to keep that same mindset of "Old ones out, let's enjoy the new one.. and stop crying, tennant saying "But I don't want to go" wasn't THAT bad..." and sure enough, loved Smith out the door, so STILL trying to keep that same mindset, landed on Capaldi's version and was like "okay this sucks.." and several episodes in was still saying it, end of the season still saying it... and I don't know how much of it is Capaldi's performance or Moffat getting tired or writing because good performance or bad, there were a LOT of outright bad and forgettable episodes in his run.



I thought part of it might just be "You liked the old Doctor, refuse to like the new one" but honestly, I got over that real fast, Eccleston was the Doctor and when he left I bristled against tennant for a couple episodes but then realized, "Hey... this guys like a LOT better..." so when tennant left, I tried to keep that same mindset of "Old ones out, let's enjoy the new one.. and stop crying, tennant saying "But I don't want to go" wasn't THAT bad..." and sure enough, loved Smith out the door, so STILL trying to keep that same mindset, landed on Capaldi's version and was like "okay this sucks.." and several episodes in was still saying it, end of the season still saying it... and I don't know how much of it is Capaldi's performance or Moffat getting tired or writing because good performance or bad, there were a LOT of outright bad and forgettable episodes in his run.
Moffat made scenes longer as well didn't he? There was less darting about from one thing to another so maybe that was a factor in it seeming tired? I feel like a big difference from Eccleston to Tennant was that Tennant seemed to have a lot more dialogue, especially technobabble, and he was completely at home with delivering it, and with the pace of the series.



Moffat made scenes longer as well didn't he? There was less darting about from one thing to another so maybe that was a factor in it seeming tired? I feel like a big difference from Eccleston to Tennant was that Tennant seemed to have a lot more dialogue, especially technobabble, and he was completely at home with delivering it, and with the pace of the series.
I'm not sure, I know he got in a repeating rut this season with "Uh Oh the Doctors in the worst straights imaginable, no way out, oh wait, cue the music, he hops up and starts babbling about being right where he wanted to be all along, never any danger, blah blah blah" they did that so many times on Capaldi's run if it were a drinking game I would have died.

Moffat seemed to be recycling the same premise tired of originality, and Capaldi just seemed tired delivering his lines.

And the stories just weren't that interesting to be honest. there was one where they kept the Doctor in a repeating time loop for like 12 billion years and by the end of it, I felt like they had me that long too...

And I hated Maisly Williams added part on the show... grabbing her between seasons of Game of Thrones just to make her a huge deal in the overall Dr. Who lore as an immortal and all I'm thinking is... she's just a kid.. you realize next year she's not going to be able to pull off the role assuming you can even get her that often...



I'm not sure, I know he got in a repeating rut this season with "Uh Oh the Doctors in the worst straights imaginable, no way out, oh wait, cue the music, he hops up and starts babbling about being right where he wanted to be all along, never any danger, blah blah blah" they did that so many times on Capaldi's run if it were a drinking game I would have died.

Moffat seemed to be recycling the same premise tired of originality, and Capaldi just seemed tired delivering his lines.
Mm. It's like 'if in doubt keep spieling" .

And the stories just weren't that interesting to be honest. there was one where they kept the Doctor in a repeating time loop for like 12 billion years and by the end of it, I felt like they had me that long too...
I saw most of that. What's funny is that Doctor Who rarely used time travel 'predicaments' such as time paradoxes, time loops etc and then Steven Moffat went for them like a man possessed. The result seems to be that he's put many fans off the show using time-related plots.

And I hated Maisly Williams added part on the show... grabbing her between seasons of Game of Thrones just to make her a huge deal in the overall Dr. Who lore as an immortal and all I'm thinking is... she's just a kid.. you realize next year she's not going to be able to pull off the role assuming you can even get her that often...
Yeah, I saw a bit of her in Face the Raven. She's very good but I didn't think she was able to put enough into the character, especially the immortality aspect. It seemed a very poor creation anyway though.



Mm. It's like 'if in doubt keep spieling" .



I saw most of that. What's funny is that Doctor Who rarely used time travel 'predicaments' such as time paradoxes, time loops etc and then Steven Moffat went for them like a man possessed. The result seems to be that he's put many fans off the show using time-related plots.
It wasn't even really that original.. as soon as I saw the skulls I was like "Ooooooh kay they're all him.. so when they finally do the "reveal" I'm bored thinking "Oh good the show caught up..."



Yeah, I saw a bit of her in Face the Raven. She's very good but I didn't think she was able to put enough into the character, especially the immortality aspect. It seemed a very poor creation anyway though.
Oh yeah love her as an actress, she's amazing on GoT... I just didn't like the forced feeling of casting her into some instant part that becomes a huge part of Who canon.and again, odds are she's already aged enough she couldn't play the part again.



Oh yeah love her as an actress, she's amazing on GoT... I just didn't like the forced feeling of casting her into some instant part that becomes a huge part of Who canon.and again, odds are she's already aged enough she couldn't play the part again.
I do feel like Steven Moffat has created a glut of characters who are supposed to have a huge impact in the series but are pretty hard to like. Out of all of them River Song is the one I hate most .