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So David Tennant's heading off for pastures new. Come 2010, we're going to need a new Doctor in the TARDIS.
Current favourite for the job is Paterson Joseph, best known from Peep Show, at 3-1 odds, but David Morrisey is close behind at 5-1 (and there might be a revelation or two in the Christmas special to look forward to there), James Nesbitt is at 6-1 and John Simm (weirdly enough) is at 8-1.
Question for the day though: who would you like to be the next Doctor. It might be an outlandish suggestion that would never ever happen in real life, but this is Fantasy Doctor League so name your personal fave right now.
I'm currently being persuaded that Idris Elba (of The Wire and Ultraviolet) would be a great choice, although maybe one that wouldn't actually come about in real life. What do you think?
October 30, 2008 | Reply
I'd still like to see Chiwetel Ejiofor. In the equally unlikely category, Paul Bettany, Richard Coyle and Rhys Ifans could all be interesting, though they are similar physical types to DT and I think they'll go for a marked difference this time. I thought Colin Salmon was very Doctor-ish in the Library episodes. And Michael Sheen would do a brilliant job.
Unless The Moff breaks completely from RTD's template, it'll be someone known as a straight actor who's done a wide range of roles, not a comic actor.
October 30, 2008 | Reply
I've always got a list handy!
Roger Rees
Bill Nighy
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Michael Palin
Terry Jones
Richard Griffiths
Philip Glenister
Paul Gross (Why not a Canadian?)
October 30, 2008 | Reply
I vote for Toby! He'd make a fantastic doctor
October 30, 2008 | Reply
I suppose Colin Firth is out of the question? (What about his dishy younger brother Jonathan?)
I've no objection to David Morrisey, Robert Carlyle, Adrian Lester, or even James Nesbitt. I don't think the Doctor needs to be a man, but if s/he's a woman, a mature woman please. Too bad Alex Kingston is already River Song. (And all at my house say they'd better bring her back before DT departs, so we know how that got started...) A Canadian Doctor Who? Well, Paul Gross would be marvelous (not, for gawd's sake, Keanu Reeves), but I say, even being Canadian myself, that Doctor Who is quintessentially British. Even if he is a Gallifreyan.
October 30, 2008 | Reply
I'd certainly support Idris Elba - that would be great (if unlikely). Morrissey would certainly count as someone I would have liked to see take the role, but is it more/less likely with the Xmas special? Who knows? Look at what happened with Marfa and her identikit cousin...
October 30, 2008 | Reply
It's weird; whilst there was no end in sight for David Tennant I kept thinking of others who would be Eleven after he left (not out of anticipation, but curiosity), but now that he has a definitive exit, my mind's gone blank. The History Boys has an entire mine of brilliant young actors; Russell Tovey, Dominic Cooper, Samuel Barnett, etc...
I was just scanning my DVD shelves and caught sight of Spaced; why not Mark Heap?
Or maybe...
...ah, screw it. I don't know. Perhaps the BBC's effort to remove Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand is secretly a front whilst they groom one of them for the role!
I'll stick with Mark Heap.
October 30, 2008 | Reply
Going with Persephone's idea of a woman, and a mature one at that, my support would always be for Felicity Kendal. She'd bring back the puckish humor of the Second Doctor, she can be quirky and off-beat, and even in her sixties she's still cute!
October 30, 2008 | Reply
[Russell T Davies denies it so it must be true] I don't agree with the RTD statement entirely but it was the most relevant I found. When I saw him in Cheltenham a couple of weeks ago, he said the eleventh Doctor "doesn't exist yet" when somebody asked.
So unless he or she really hasn't been cast yet, I really should have employed my oft-used cynicism towards that statement. Not that it makes a difference, as we won't know for yonks.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
I really wish the BBC would just surprise us with the Doctor's regeneration just once. This was a great opportunity to spring it on us and I think it's sad that it's been missed.
I long for the day when out of nowhere the Doctor is killed and forced to regenerate partway through a season without people knowing in advance. That would be awesome.
I'm not really interested in any of the odds on favourites for the role, if I was going to ask for someone it would be Jack Davenport or Alexander Armstrong (who I realise is already voicing Mr. Smith in SJA, but that would be a great tie-in.)
October 31, 2008 | Reply
Am I alone in thinking Patterson Joseph would be rubbish? After seeing him in Jeckyll, where he was poor, he seems to be an actor lacking in range.
Idris Elba remains my implausible first choice, but Julian Rhind-Tutt is an interesting shout by Tony. Maybe a little too much like Tennant?
October 31, 2008 | Reply
I haven't seen him in anything except Peep Show, where he doesn't impress me much, and That Mitchell and Webb Look, where ditto. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt with regards to drama until I've seen him in something.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
He was arch and sarcastic and overacted horribly as the Marquis de Carabas in Neverwhere, but everyone overacted horribly in that apart from Lovely Laura Fraser. He's apparently very good on stage, though.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
i think martin clunes would make a good replacement. he's an amazing actor, and can pull it off being funny, quirky, and serious. he can make the audience feel sad, or any other emotions. seeing him in doc martin and goodbye mr chips, i reckon he'd be awesome. i agree with rev that alexander armstrong would be good. or ben miller :] i love ben miller. but i would seriously go for martin clunes.
whatever happens, it needs to be someone who can truly pull of the role. it'llbe scary to see the new series. new director, new doctor, new companion. it'll be like it was when doctor who was revived for the 21st century with christopher eccleston and billie piper. and hopefully it'll be just as good.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
"it'll be like it was when doctor who was revived for the 21st century with christopher eccleston and billie piper. and hopefully it'll be just as good."
Someone was pointing out that the last time before nu-Who that we had a new Doctor, new companion and new producer, it was the first Jon Pertwee season, which was probably the best of the old Who seasons. And before that it was the very first season of them all, for which similar things might be said (even if it looks a bit rough these days). Fingers crossed, it'll happen again.
Ben Miller impressed me in that one episode of Primeval where it's revealed his character can kick serious backside, even though he's been the admin for the previous two series.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
Interesting you say that about Miller because that point about where he kicks butt in Primeaval would be exactly my point for why he'd be potentially good.
October 31, 2008 | Reply
Toby, I've been kind of saving Paul Gross to play Jack Harkness' other brother (the one we don't know about yet) on Torchwood.
But certainly he's brilliant.
November 1, 2008 | Reply
I definitely would LOVE to see Julian Rhind-Tutt as the doctor, and he'd fit the bill most perfectly.
However, I do feel (despite old rumours that JRT WOULD be the next doctor) that Julian would HATE to be the doctor - the role would be far too huge for him.
That being said, he might go for it. I think it's the perfect balance of humour and drama for him :)
November 2, 2008 | Reply
I've thrown my support behind Mr Rhind-Tutt before, and I'm sticking by it :)
November 2, 2008 | Reply
Although I cannot BEAR to think of David Tennant leaving Dr Who, I suppose I must. I thought Paterson Joseph was cute in Green Wing (he was Olivia Coleman's love interest right?) not sure about him as the doctor though. I would love Julian Rhind Tutt. Or Richard Armitage. And Rupert Penry Jones must be looking for a new role surely (ok, so now I'm just leering...) I think Philip Glenister would be GREAT, but I've just heard him deny any interest in the matter on Radio 2 (bet they all say that and are waiting for the CALL), and I'd be content also with Robert Carlyle who I think would bring a degree of savagery to the role. A female doctor WOULD be fun, but I'm not sure who I'd choose... probably Olivia Coleman. I think she's great.
November 2, 2008 | Reply
As happens quite a lot, my thoughts at this point turn to hotness incarnate Ali Larter. See, it's all good, casting her: on the one hand we have a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, American über-Fräulein as the star of the show, which can only be good.
On the other hand, the spluttering indignation of the average old-school fan, facing the prospect of the Doctor being played by a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, American über-Fräulein would be so vast, so liable to cause self-injury, it would be a pleasure to behold in and of itself.