Doctor Who: Matt Smith is Leaving; Search for the 12th Doctor Begins

[Woochifer]

Long time Doctor Who fan. I've seen most of the classic serials, and the entire revived series. I love the new series, and I'm glad that the Doctor has finally found a decent sized audience in the U.S. Christopher Eccleston as the 9th Doctor was a near perfect casting choice to revive Doctor Who. While I thought Eccleston's one-year stint was much too short, David Tennant seized the mantle and did a standout job as the 10th Doctor. The series was at its highest point since the Tom Baker years when Tennant bowed out, and Tennant even began outranking the great Baker on fan polls. It was an impossible task for anyone to replace him.

Right up front, I'll say I'm NOT a fan of Matt Smith. I gave him an honest chance, but he never grew on me. Since the first season, I've been impatiently waiting for the announcement that his time will soon run out, and we can see a regeneration and a new Doctor. That day has arrived.

BBC - Blogs - Doctor Who - Matt Smith announces he is to leave Doctor Who - UPDATED

Most of the comments on the fan sites are bellyaching about Smith leaving. I might be one of the few voices out there cheering his departure.

Now, the conversation has turned to who will the producers cast as the 12th Doctor? Betting odds have already opened, and the two frontrunners are Rupert Grint (from Harry Potter) and Russell Tovey.





The oddsmakers have also placed 8-1 odds that the next doctor would be a woman. IMO, that would be a bold move. But, regardless, I think they should try to go with an older Doctor this time around. IMO, Tom Baker was THE quintessential Doctor -- he was glib, funny, menacing, flippant, unpredictable, but above all, he had a presence about him. The audience could really believe him when he was mulling matters about the fate of the universe. That's Matt Smith's downfall -- I just don't believe he has the presence to carry that kind of fate. Maybe he comes across as too young. I don't know. But, I think they need someone very different than Smith.

We'll find out soon enough, since Smith's final Doctor Who episode will be the Christmas special. At that point we should see who will play the 12th Doctor, since the regeneration/reveal usually occurs at the end of the episode.

[Feanor]

What?? I'm I confused? It seemed to me that the season finale strongly implied that the next Dr. Who would be John Hurt.

Hurt would be a fine choice given his extensive work in sci-fi, and it would be fine, once again, to have an older Dr. Who.

John Hurt per IMDB -- see HERE.

[markw]

I saw that episode where John Hurt was brought out and scratched my head, too. I also read very recently on one of the fan sites that the biggies that product the show said casting for a new Doctor was currenty underway.

So, who knows what'sgoing on in their heads?

And, I agree wich Wooc 100% with his Tennant/Smith analysis. Smith is OK, but Tennant nailed it in my book. But, then again, Donna Noble was my favorite companion.

[dean_martin]

I know very little re: Doctor Who. I'm chiming in to say that Russell Tovey was excellent in his role in Being Human (original Brit vers). He was the nucleus of the original cast of main characters, displayed a wide range of emotion and convincingly performed the physical demands of his werewolf character (with limited special fx). I was sorry to see him go.

[Hyfi]

I have not followed Dr Who since the Tom Baker and K9 era. He seemed to best fit the part.

[Woochifer]

What?? I'm I confused? It seemed to me that the season finale strongly implied that the next Dr. Who would be John Hurt.

Hurt would be a fine choice given his extensive work in sci-fi, and it would be fine, once again, to have an older Dr. Who.

The key line in the season finale was "I said he was me, I never said he was the Doctor."

This would seem to imply that the person inhabited by The Doctor had at least one other alter ego in his past/future outside of his persona as The Doctor. I would guess that this has something to do with The Doctor choosing his identify, and the John Hurt persona going against that choice (perhaps because he did not have a choice).

Should be interesting, because this will all unravel on the 50th anniversary special, which also returns David Tennant and Billie Piper. The Christmas Special will be Matt Smith's finale and presumably the introduction of the 12th Doctor.

I saw that episode where John Hurt was brought out and scratched my head, too. I also read very recently on one of the fan sites that the biggies that product the show said casting for a new Doctor was currenty underway.

So, who knows what'sgoing on in their heads?

And, I agree wich Wooc 100% with his Tennant/Smith analysis. Smith is OK, but Tennant nailed it in my book. But, then again, Donna Noble was my favorite companion.

From what I'm reading, Hurt is definitely not in the running for the 12th Doctor role -- unless the producers are pulling a big time stunt.

The writing under Stephen Moffat has been frustrating at times. He uses elaborate plot arcs that can stretch across multiple seasons, and they can get so convoluted that his narrative can tangled in its own web.

The classic Doctor Who series already featured a few special episodes that concocted different ways to bring Doctors together from different eras. Moffat, I guess, is trying something different by bringing a wild card into the mix -- a "Doctor" who chose not to inhabit the persona of The Doctor (if that makes any sense).

Among the companions from the revived series, I also liked Donna Noble. She was funny and didn't get all puppy eyed around The Doctor (someone please explain to me what was so special about Rose and Amy). If it counts, River Song was my favorite companion from the current incarnation. And while she has yet to live up the full potential she showed in "Asylum of the Daleks" and "The Snowmen", I also like Clara/Oswin/Impossible Girl/Souffle Girl.

But, no one compares to Sarah Jane Smith.

I know very little re: Doctor Who. I'm chiming in to say that Russell Tovey was excellent in his role in Being Human (original Brit vers). He was the nucleus of the original cast of main characters, displayed a wide range of emotion and convincingly performed the physical demands of his werewolf character (with limited special fx). I was sorry to see him go.

And I know nothing about Being Human (the TV series, that is). Tovey was supposedly Russell T Davies' top choice to assume the role of The Doctor after David Tennant. But, when Stephen Moffat took over as producer, he wanted someone more unusual and went with Matt Smith. Tovey's name is mentioned most often (along with Grint), so the final casting choice should be interesting as the speculation has just begun climbing into the ludicrous territory.

[Feanor]

The key line in the season finale was "I said he was me, I never said he was the Doctor."

This would seem to imply that the person inhabited by The Doctor had at least one other alter ego in his past/future outside of his persona as The Doctor. I would guess that this has something to do with The Doctor choosing his identify, and the John Hurt persona going against that choice (perhaps because he did not have a choice).

Should be interesting, because this will all unravel on the 50th anniversary special, which also returns David Tennant and Billie Piper. The Christmas Special will be Matt Smith's finale and presumably the introduction of the 12th Doctor.

From what I'm reading, Hurt is definitely not in the running for the 12th Doctor role -- unless the producers are pulling a big time stunt.
...

My wife wasn't convinced that the Hurt character was to be Dr. Who next season either. Dr. Who has some screwy plat twists as you point out.

She picked up the, "I never said he was the Doctor" as well. For my part, (1) I noticed the show credit, "The Doctor (or Dr. Who) ~ John Hurt", and (2) I wondered why they would use an actor of Hurt's stature for a 10 second cameo if it were only passing alter ego.

However it's all not much clearer when we look up the IMDB item for the 50th Anniversary Special. There, Matt Smith, David Tennant. and John Hurt are all credited as 'The Doctor', and also Paul McGann as 'The Doctor', rumored. Neither Rupert Grint nor Russell Tovey are mentioned.

[Woochifer]

However it's all not much clearer when we look up the IMDB item for the 50th Anniversary Special. There, Matt Smith, David Tennant. and John Hurt are all credited as 'The Doctor', and also Paul McGann as 'The Doctor', rumored. Neither Rupert Grint nor Russell Tovey are mentioned.

The 50th Anniversary special will air around Thanksgiving, and presumably set the table for Matt Smith's departure.

The 12th Doctor won't debut until at least the Christmas Special. If that episode follows normal protocol for the Doctor's regeneration, the 12th Doctor will reveal him/herself at the very end.

Neither Grint nor Tovey are mentioned because the 12th Doctor hasn't even been cast yet. The BBC only announced Matt Smith's departure over the weekend, after all the previous rumors had pointed towards Smith coming back for next season (a prospect I was dreading).

[blackraven]

I thought Eccleston was the second best Doctor ever next to Baker and I might even rank him on par if not for his short tenure. He had a dark edginess about him that was refreshing. His chemistry with his companion, Billy Piper was excellent. It's too bad that he only lasted a year.

[Feanor]

The 50th Anniversary special will air around Thanksgiving, and presumably set the table for Matt Smith's departure.

The 12th Doctor won't debut until at least the Christmas Special. If that episode follows normal protocol for the Doctor's regeneration, the 12th Doctor will reveal him/herself at the very end.

Neither Grint nor Tovey are mentioned because the 12th Doctor hasn't even been cast yet. The BBC only announced Matt Smith's departure over the weekend, after all the previous rumors had pointed towards Smith coming back for next season (a prospect I was dreading).

Wooch, you'e a font of information as usual.

Re. the 50th Anniversay show, Paul McGann was, of course, the played the Eighth Doctors.

Since John Hurt won't be the Twelfth Doctor (and wasn't earlier Doctor), I guess his character is the numberless Doctor.

When we first discoverd the series, it was already the Fourth Doctor played by Tom Baker, and Baker is still my favorite Doctor by quite some margin.