Big Chief Studios - 1/6 Doctor Who - #10 David Tennant

[kl241]

The Doctor is The Doctor. John Pertwee's face was plastered on cereal boxes. Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee and Tom Baker delighted millions of children around the world.

If anyone thinks the casting of an older Doctor is a mistake, then you obviously never understood the program.

 

[Lumos]

The Doctor is The Doctor. John Pertwee's face was plastered on cereal boxes. Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee and Tom Baker delighted millions of children around the world.

If anyone thinks the casting of an older Doctor is a mistake, then you obviously never understood the program.

Modern Doctor Who - which is the only Who plenty of "new" fans are familiar with - has never seen a Doctor of this age before. Sure, the 9th Doctor wasn't 25 years old, but he had a fairly youthful appearance. He was still "swoon-worthy," you could say. Not so with this new Doctor.

Am I trying to say this is a "mistake?" No. I'm just wondering whether we might see less money coming in from merchandising, because the young girls who spent craploads on Tennant and Smith stuff may not be so tempted this time around. That doesn't necessarily mean they HATE the new Doctor. He's just....not going to be that sexy guy that tons of girls swoon over.

The fact of the matter is, this show is now immensely popular among young adults, and they're the ones with the spending money, not the little kiddies who don't give a rat's fart what the Doctor looks like.

I just thought it's a possibility. 12 may not be quite as marketable to those with the disposable income. Time will tell.

 

[Niceman]

So are you guys in general happy with the new Doctor? I'm very much on the fence myself. Not as enthusiastic as I wanted to be. I just feel like it's a very....safe choice. Nothing fresh or exciting about it, to be honest. Especially since he's already appeared in the Doctor Who/Torchwood universe. I'm reserving judgement until we actually see his performance, but right now I'm pretty "Meh. Sure."

I'm not judging until I see him in action. Even then I'll give him a few episodes. But my first reaction was, "Thank god they didn't pick another child!"

 

[GodParticle]

I think he will be amazing. Though I realize Who has always had a bit of slapstick comedy, it's gotten really awful in recent years. I'm ready for something more sophisticated

 

[Doom Saber]

Does anyone thinks that the BBC intentionally picked Capaldi's because of his age? Moffat said that this time around Capaldi was the right choice for the 12th Doctor. Was this a hint about the Doctor's age?

There are rumors and fan speculations that Moffat plans to soft boot the series after the 50th anniversary. In fact, people said that this was started this season when the Doctor led everyone to believe that he was dead - he even erased the memories of the Daleks in one episode.

Could it be possible that Capaldi's Doctor could be a start of a new Doctor Who soft boot? The Christmas Special will be the first episode after the 50th Anniversary special. Capaldi is also around the same age Hartnell was when he was cast as the Doctor.

Perhaps the Christmas Special or the 50th Anniversary will reset the Doctor's regeneration back to none - since we all know that Hurt's Doctor is a lost regeneration, it would mean that Capaldi would be his last regeneration, so it would be symbolic to cast Capaldi as the Doctor's last regeneration. Not only that, it would also be symbolic to have Capaldi to also be the first soft booted Doctor.

 

[DGTWoodward]

Does anyone thinks that the BBC intentionally picked Capaldi's because of his age? Moffat said that this time around Capaldi was the right choice for the 12th Doctor. Was this a hint about the Doctor's age?

There are rumors and fan speculations that Moffat plans to soft boot the series after the 50th anniversary. In fact, people said that this was started this season when the Doctor led everyone to believe that he was dead - he even erased the memories of the Daleks in one episode.

Could it be possible that Capaldi's Doctor could be a start of a new Doctor Who soft boot? The Christmas Special will be the first episode after the 50th Anniversary special. Capaldi is also around the same age Hartnell was when he was cast as the Doctor.

Perhaps the Christmas Special or the 50th Anniversary will reset the Doctor's regeneration back to none - since we all know that Hurt's Doctor is a lost regeneration, it would mean that Capaldi would be his last regeneration, so it would be symbolic to cast Capaldi as the Doctor's last regeneration. Not only that, it would also be symbolic to have Capaldi to also be the first soft booted Doctor.

I think you may have something there. But it could work even within series canon and would not even really need to be a 'soft reboot' Just work out the story of the 'lost' regeneration (John Hurt) and work in a way to regain another full set of regenerations, possibly by really bringing back the Time Lords in all their glory, which would sort of fit with the whole 'lost regeneration' thing anyway, and not as the mad obsessed lunatics they were with RTD.

 

[lerath666]

The "young girl" or "Tumblur girl" fanbase is pretty easy to appease.

Bring in a young MALE companion who is a prettyboy. problem solved.

 

[Niceman]

I'm not sure in what way re-booting, soft or hard, matters. They have always been loose with so much of the continuity in Who. I think they will want it all to feel new and fresh with the new doctor. But how is that different from 3 years ago?

And no, it was not an accident when they chose a new doctor. They wanted someone different from Smith. An older doctor allows for different story-telling possibilities.

I suspect the question of the number of regenerations will and should wait until he uses up his original allotment, which he hasn't yet. Check back in in 3-6 years for that story.

 

[Niceman]

The "young girl" or "Tumblur girl" fanbase is pretty easy to appease.

Bring in a young MALE companion who is a prettyboy. problem solved.

That was the original Who formula....

 

[lerath666]

That was the original Who formula....

I know. Hartnell is one of my favorites.

 

[Liz10]

Modern Doctor Who - which is the only Who plenty of "new" fans are familiar with - has never seen a Doctor of this age before. Sure, the 9th Doctor wasn't 25 years old, but he had a fairly youthful appearance. He was still "swoon-worthy," you could say. Not so with this new Doctor.

Am I trying to say this is a "mistake?" No. I'm just wondering whether we might see less money coming in from merchandising, because the young girls who spent craploads on Tennant and Smith stuff may not be so tempted this time around. That doesn't necessarily mean they HATE the new Doctor. He's just....not going to be that sexy guy that tons of girls swoon over.

The fact of the matter is, this show is now immensely popular among young adults, and they're the ones with the spending money, not the little kiddies who don't give a rat's fart what the Doctor looks like.

I just thought it's a possibility. 12 may not be quite as marketable to those with the disposable income. Time will tell.

Well, I'm certainly gonna save a lot of money in the next few years.

 

[pixletwin]

Well, I'm certainly gonna save a lot of money in the next few years.

Why am I not surprised?

 

[Liz10]

Why am I not surprised?

Hehe, at least I admit that I'm a fangirl. Just not one of those fangirls that only enjoy a show if they're sexually attracted to the leading actor. I think it's a nice bonus but not a requirement. I like Doctor Who no matter what. I'll still be watching but I only collect things that I'm emotionally attached to in some way and are pretty to look at.

Also it's a misperception that fangirls are always teens, there are lots over 30. Some women are already drooling over the new guy and I don't think they're young girls. But I also don't think they are the kind of people who spend money on collectibles.

 

[Captain Britain]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight...

So when the BBC commssioned Doctor Who in 1963 it was to be a "childrens' programme" involving history and it featured a curmudgeonly old man called "Grandfather" who delighted and entertained a generation of children who became "fans" and grew up watching the show and introduced it to their children and now we have a new generation of "children" who have only grown up with Eccleston/Tennant/Smith therefore the expectation is that children will not identify with "old people?" Guess you never had a relationship with your Grandfather.

This is pretty typical of the nasty, patronising, belittling response to my thoughts on Capaldi's casting. First, I think he's a great actor, and I think he will do a great job with whatever material Moffat produces for him. But that doesn't mean he's right for this part, or that children will fnd it easy to identify with him. Even before he opens his mouth his age makes him unnecessarily idiosyncratic. The most successful children's heroes - Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, the Tenth Doctor - have a certain blankness to them which children can fill by pretending to be those characters. He's starting without that. Now, you can think what you like about my opinion, but I think it's a valid opinion and being hated on about it isn't nice or deserved - I haven't come on here saying I hate Capaldi and hope he fails. Quite the reverse - as always with Doctor Who, if I'm not happy about something then I'm willing the show to prove me wrong.

Second, I don't think the Hartnell comparisons are apt - virtually nothing that was done in the Hartnell era could be done now. It was a different planet then. And the Doctor was not the hero then, but the Merlin figure with Ian as the hero.

And third, 'kl241' you have absolutely no ****ing idea what kind of relationship I had with my surviving Grandfather, but I have nothing but respect for people older then me. I'm closer to Capaldi's age than Smith's, so if anything I admire him on a personal level for having bagged the part.

 

[pixletwin]

So.... Tennant still shipping in September?

 

[Captain Britain]

So.... Tennant still shipping in September?

I thought it was October...

 

[pixletwin]

"Late Q3/early Q4"

 

[kl241]

This is pretty typical of the nasty, patronising, belittling response to my thoughts on Capaldi's casting. First, I think he's a great actor, and I think he will do a great job with whatever material Moffat produces for him. But that doesn't mean he's right for this part, or that children will fnd it easy to identify with him. Even before he opens his mouth his age makes him unnecessarily idiosyncratic. The most successful children's heroes - Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, the Tenth Doctor - have a certain blankness to them which children can fill by pretending to be those characters. He's starting without that. Now, you can think what you like about my opinion, but I think it's a valid opinion and being hated on about it isn't nice or deserved - I haven't come on here saying I hate Capaldi and hope he fails. Quite the reverse - as always with Doctor Who, if I'm not happy about something then I'm willing the show to prove me wrong.

Second, I don't think the Hartnell comparisons are apt - virtually nothing that was done in the Hartnell era could be done now. It was a different planet then. And the Doctor was not the hero then, but the Merlin figure with Ian as the hero.

And third, 'kl241' you have absolutely no ****ing idea what kind of relationship I had with my surviving Grandfather, but I have nothing but respect for people older then me. I'm closer to Capaldi's age than Smith's, so if anything I admire him on a personal level for having bagged the part.

Like I said, if you think it's a mistake casting an "older" Doctor then you obviously never understood the program. I was not attacking your relationship on a personal level, merely drawing an analogy that I'd hoped you could understand but since you seem to take it as such I suggest you not make any judgments about Capaldi until we see what kind of Doctor he makes and the reception he receives. I always give every actor who bags the part a chance in the role, doesn't mean I've liked every actor or feel they were the right fit for the part *cough Ecclestough *cough*

 

[The Mike]

Does anyone thinks that the BBC intentionally picked Capaldi's because of his age? Moffat said that this time around Capaldi was the right choice for the 12th Doctor. Was this a hint about the Doctor's age?

I absolutely think he picked Capaldi for his age but mainly because the amount of **** that he has been receiving for Smith's age even now from Doctor Who fans especially those who are firmly planted in the original series. This way he gives it a nice rounding out by having an older Doctor to parallel the others, the fact that Capaldi is the same age as the first Doctor I believe is a coincidence but I firmly believed that if the Doctor was a man he'd probably be in his mid to late 40s.

There are rumors and fan speculations that Moffat plans to soft boot the series after the 50th anniversary. In fact, people said that this was started this season when the Doctor led everyone to believe that he was dead - he even erased the memories of the Daleks in one episode.

Could it be possible that Capaldi's Doctor could be a start of a new Doctor Who soft boot? The Christmas Special will be the first episode after the 50th Anniversary special. Capaldi is also around the same age Hartnell was when he was cast as the Doctor.

I think if it were a soft reboot there'd be more made of it than just the casting. Moffatt and many others involved like Gatiss and Gaiman have both mentioned that there were things floating around, suggested, proposed that wouldn't work with Smith because of his age, that it wouldn't have been believable really or that it would take too much make that connection that a 30 year old looking Doctor could have experienced some of these things. With Capaldi looking older, when he talks about older experiences and putting things together with classic Who it'll feel more genuine, at least that's how it will come off.

One thing that Gaiman said that if it were up to him in dealing with the 13 regenerations was that he'd have it be a rule, an idea that the Timelords treated it like the Speed Limit and that they'd enforce that rule but now that they're gone there is no one to really enforce anything and that like breaking the Speed Limit where things get ultimately more dangerous the more to go over it that regenerating past 13 would be the same way, that it'd create new complications and new problems for The Doctor and ultimately reveal why the Timelords had that limitation. Personally for me I think that is more the way they'll go with it and that's more the way you'll see Moffatt (or whoever is show running at the time) handling the final regenerations. I think the show will continue until it becomes unpopular and then eventually rebooted seriously in a few years past that time.

 

[The Mike]

"Late Q3/early Q4"

My money is ready, I would love the notification tonight!