Capaldi should be great! He'll now be in the thick of it! ;) :p



lol wow!

Georgia Moffett is proof that good genes are hard to beat.

For those who don't know there is a awkward connection here, Georgia Moffett actress who played the doctors daughter and is Peter Davison's daughter, and David Tennants wife so to put it in perspective she is
The Doctors daughter who played the doctors daughter married the doctor and had the doctors daughter.

Edited by StiflersMom: 21/8/2013 02:25:13 PM

Both Bill Nighy and Idris Elba would have been a departure from the style of the last 2, probably would have freshened up the show, but really Idris Elba turned down the chance to be the first black doctor, surely that must have been tempting?

Always thought Anthony Head (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) would make a great doctor.

And since he's now been in an episode, he fulfils the "Has this actor been in a previous episode?" criteria that often seems to be used when selecting new regular actors.

The who's who of the almost Doctor Whos
Date
August 14, 2013 - 10:00PM

Reports that actors Bill Nighy and Idris Elba turned down the sci-fi role opens up the question: who might have been Doctor Who?

So, who's Who? That depends on your perspective, but as fans celebrate the appointment of actor Peter Capaldi to the role of the 12th incarnation of Doctor Who, comes news that another actor, Bill Nighy, turned the role down.

Recent reports also suggest that Idris Elba, the star of British drama series Luther and sci-fi blockbuster Pacific Rim, also turned down the role.

When Nighy was asked about the role, he replied by saying: "I won't tell you when because the rule is that you are not allowed to say you turned that job down because it's disrespectful to whoever did it.

"I will say that I was approached. But I didn't want to be the Doctor. No disrespect to Doctor Who or anything, I just think that it comes with too much baggage." Nighy had only positive words for Capaldi, who won the role.

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"He's a marvellous actor," Nighy said. "He'll be very good as the Doctor. He'll bring a lot of wit and dry humour. He's elegant and he looks great."

But the two stories open a can of worms, a world of potential Doctors and an honour roll of actors who might have inhabited the role of the iconic time traveller, or did, but in very unusual circumstances.

According to the history books, there are now 12 Doctor Whos, beginning with William Hartnell in 1963. Hartnell won the role only after a number of actors were considered, including Geoffrey Bayldon, Alan Webb and Leslie French.

Rupert Davies, Valentine Dyall and Michael Hordern turned down the role of the second Doctor, which eventually went to Patrick Troughton. And Ron Moody said no to playing the third, a role which went to Jon Pertwee.

Graham Crowden and Bernard Cribbins are said to have been considered for the fourth Doctor, a role which went to Tom Baker, an actor many fans consider to be the "definitive" Doctor Who.

Paul McGann, who won the role of the eighth Doctor - the star of the US telemovie pilot and the doctor whose on-screen tenure was the briefest - beat out his own brother Mark McGann and other actors including Anthony Head, Rowan Aktinson and Tim McInnerny for the role.

Which brings us to the pressing question: who might have been Doctor Who? Here are a dozen Doctor Whos who were seen on screen, but weren't necessarily considered "official" Doctors.

Peter Cushing: Best known as the star of many Hammer horror films and for the role of Grand Moff Tarkin in the iconic Star Wars franchise, Cushing played an Earth-born Doctor Who in two movies released in 1965 and 1966, Dr Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150AD.

Edmund Warwick: Warwick played the first Doctor in the serial The Chase, when an android replica of the Doctor was sent by the Daleks to capture and kill his companions. Warwick provided the body for the robot double, but Hartnell, the first Doctor, provided the voice.

Trevor Martin: Martin played the Doctor in a 1974 British stage production, The Seven Keys to Doomsday, which featured an opening sequence in which Petwee's Doctor "regenerated" into Martin's. For that reason he is considered an "alternative" fourth Doctor.

Adrian Gibbs: In the final days of the fourth Doctor's life, a mysterious figure – The Watcher – was shadowing him. Played by Gibbs, The Watcher was a manifestation of the Doctor's future self, nudging events along towards the fourth Doctor's regeneration into the fifth.

Michael Jayston: Jayston appeared in the 1986 serial The Trial of a Time Lord, playing the Valeyard, the prosecutor of the Doctor on trial. Valeyard was later unmasked as an evil future Doctor from between his "12th and final incarnations", who was behind a plot to kill the sixth Doctor and claim his remaining regenerations.

Rowan Atkinson: Best known as TV's Mr Bean, Atkinson played the Doctor in charity fund-raising special The Curse of the Fatal Death, organised for the British Red Nose Day charity. His companion, Emma, was played by Absolutely Fabulous star Julia Sawalha.

Richard E. Grant: As The Curse of the Fatal Death reached its denouement, the Doctor was killed by the Daleks and regenerated into a handsome, sexually confident new incarnation, played by Grant. Grant later reprised this Doctor in a one-off animated special, The Scream of the Shalka.

Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant and Joanna Lumley: After Grant's Doctor is electrocuted in The Curse of the Fatal Death, he regenerates in quick succession three times into Broadbent, Grant and finally Lumley. Lumley's appearance marks the first time on TV the Doctor had been played by a woman.

Richard Hurndall: The 20th anniversary TV special, The Five Doctors, was produced in 1983 and was to feature all (then) five Doctor Whos. As the first Doctor, Hartnell, had died, his role was played in the special by Richard Hurndall, who was paired with Susan (Carole Ann Ford), the Doctor's granddaughter.

David Morrissey: In the 2008 Christmas special, The Next Doctor, a human man, Jackson Lake, inadvertently absorbs an "infostamp" containing a biography of the Doctor and, for a time, believes he is the real deal: complete with analog screwdriver and hot-air balloon TARDIS.



Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/box-seat/the-whos-who-of-the-almost-doctor-whos-20130814-2rw81.html#ixzz2byvcWKRE

Edited by Joffa: 15/8/2013 07:37:53 AM

Being a fan of his comedy work, I was quite surprised when he was announced as Doctor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjAyazqtQj8

Edited by 433: 5/8/2013 05:31:30 PM

so totally right! they played around with river Song being Black but it makes little sense in the Whoniverse.

There are Black/Female/Et al Time lords, let those within the Time war feed your need for inclusiveness.

No, no, absolutely not. The Doctor, just like James Bond, should always be:
(a) British (or at the very least capable of a convincing British accent)
(b) Male
(c) White

That isn't xenophobia, sexism or racism, it's just who the Doctor is.

I'm surprised no one has mention this here yet - Peter Capaldi's character in "World War Z" was called...

W.H.O. Doctor.

Really.

Also - the character wasn't in the original version of WWZ, he only appeared when they completely changed the ending. In other words, Peter Capaldi, playing W.H.O. Doctor, changed the course of history and played a part in the saving the world... Go figure.

Peter Capaldi looks the part. Good choice IMO. It'd be even better if he grew back the three musketeers style facial hair.

Can someone explain to me how John Hurt fits in. according to wikipedia he was the doctor between the 8th and the 9th but I suppose since he did something not in the name of the doctor he is not counted which makes sense to me. Since he was introduced though he will be recurring character in the new series which I feel will not be a great overriding arc for a series.

Peter Capaldi will hopefully be good though. I was feeling they needed to change up the age of the doctor with the the new series Doctors being quite similar.

Matt was a great doctor, but the stories themselves have been rubbish since he's been the doctor.

They totally should have made it a female doctor. I for one would love to see Judy Dench play Dr Who :lol:

Capaldi tipped to be new Dr Who
PAA, The West Australian
August 4, 2013, 12:23 pm
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The West Australian ©
The new Doctor Who will be unveiled live on television across the UK on Sunday night amid tight security, in a bid to prevent their identity leaking out.

Sources close to the show say only 10 people know the name of the new doctor, who will replace Matt Smith, and they are using the codename Houdini to try and keep it a secret.

Bookmakers have suspended betting on Peter Capaldi taking the role, after his odds tumbled to 5/6 favourite with William Hill when they stopped taking bets on Friday.

Capaldi is famous for his role as foul-mouthed Malcolm Tucker in the political comedy The Thick Of It.

He is also a lifelong fan of Dr Who and wrote a letter to the Radio Times about the Daleks when he was a teenager.

Plans for Sunday's half-hour show were kept secret with a repeat of Celebrity Mastermind put in the TV listings in its place.

British newspaper The Daily Mirror reported that the new Doctor will be sneaked into the studio in disguise to ensure their identity is kept secret.

The show will be presented by Zoe Ball and feature interviews with Smith and executive producer Steven Moffat as well as celebrity fans and some previous incarnations of the science-fiction hero.

Other names mentioned as possible contenders include Daniel Rigby from Eric and Ernie and Cutting It star Ben Daniels.

BBC drama controller Ben Stephenson said: "We can't wait to unveil the next Doctor with everyone live on BBC1 on Sunday night.

Amongst all the speculation and betting, there has been lots of fun and intrigue at work as we've been using the codename Houdini as a decoy.

"It's the biggest secret in showbiz, even those working with the new Doctor on other projects at the moment have no idea they are in the presence of the 12 incarnation," Stephenson said.

ABC1 is set to simulcast the one-off BBC television special Doctor Who Live: The Next Doctor, which will unveil the next Doctor, on Monday August 5 at 6am.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/television/18351297/?

FYI

You wanker. I was actually being legit. :facepalm:

http://www.denofgeek.com/dvd-bluray/doctor-who/26013/doctor-who-regeneration-dvd-box-set-review

Just a nice little boxset for the fans

A Doctor by any other name
Date
June 15, 2013

It is a venerable television tradition: have a cast member leave a show but keep their character in, played by a new face. Soap operas are especially good at this: Jason Donovan was actually the second Scott on Neighbours; and who can forget Home and Away's Rebecca Fisher, played expertly by Jane Hall/Danielle Carter/Belinda Emmett? Overseas, Bewitched's Darrin was famously played by both Dick York and Dick Sargent, the producers hoping that by casting a replacement who not only kind of looked like the first guy, but had the same first name, nobody would notice.

It's a difficult business, especially if the original actor was beloved, as the backlash from fans will be savage. It's a calculated risk that the same character with a different face will fare better than the introduction of an all-new character, a move that can also lead to disaster, as when That '70s Show replaced Eric with that terrible person whom nobody remembers.

But there is one show that can neatly rise above these problems and that's Doctor Who, which has been going strong for 50 years purely because it's written into the show's premise that the lead character can die and regenerate in a different body.

But what this means is every time a Doctor announces, as Matt Smith recently did, that he's leaving the series, fandom erupts with a volcanic debate over who should be the next one.

In particular, argument swirls around the possibility of demographic switch-up: the masses clamour for a black Doctor, or a female Doctor, or a nudist Doctor. All of these would be fine, but I think we should focus first and foremost on getting the best person for the job, so I've prepared a list of stars who I think can really add the ''X-factor'' to the next incarnation of our old friend.

First, Mila Kunis. If we are to have a woman Doctor, why not select one scientifically determined to be the world's best woman? To be honest, I'd be pretty happy if every show cast Mila Kunis in the lead. Yes, including Q&A. If we can't get Mila, go for Noni Hazlehurst. Another strong contender would have to be Morgan Freeman. He would make a kindly and wise Doctor, and with his advancing years and calm demeanour, address the major problem that has crept into the show in recent years: the tendency for the Doctor to be running around shouting all the time.

On the other hand, you could go for youth: how about Justin Bieber? He'd bring in the teen viewers and add that touch of pop glamour so often missing from the Doctor.

Of course there are many different ways you could go: a gay Doctor, an Asian Doctor, a morbidly obese Doctor, a Doctor who is a horse. But honestly I think there is one choice that stands out above all others: Ray Meagher.

It would be an exciting, exhilarating choice. We've never had an Australian Doctor before due to BBC bigotry, and with Meagher you would get a Doctor with real authority, determination, strong moral fibre, and irritability at these flamin' Daleks goin' troppo all over the joint.

It's time: let's finally have a Doctor for the common man; a Doctor who's not just a Time Lord, but a Time Bloke. You know it makes sense.


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/a-doctor-by-any-other-name-20130614-2o8n7.html#ixzz2WGUKwlpp

Edited by Joffa: 15/6/2013 04:49:13 PM

Hopefully they unearth another Matt Smith, whose fantastic. Going to be big shoes to fill.

Putting a face to the name

Bond star tipped to be new Dr Who

June 10, 2013 - 9:56AM

Betting on the identity of the next Doctor Who has been suspended by a bookmaker after reports that Rory Kinnear has been offered the role.

Kinnear, son of the character actor Roy Kinnear, was offered the job by show bosses who are awaiting his response, it was claimed.

Kinnear, 35, who has played the spy Tanner in the last two James Bond films Skyfall and Quantum of Solace, is apparently up for the role after Matt Smith announced he was turning his back on the Tardis.

UK betting agency Ladbrokes said on Sunday they were no longer taking bets on Smith's replacement after Kinnear was backed as 2/1 favourite after the media reports.

Kinnear, who has also appeared in several television series, had previously only been the third in the betting at 5/1, leaving Ben Daniels as the 2/1 favourite before the gamble began.

Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes said: "All bets are now off when it comes to the identity of the next Doctor Who.

"Kinnear had always been a popular punt but after a flurry of activity which pushed him into favouritism we closed the book."

The BBC refused to comment about Kinnear becoming the next time lord but a source said: "It is just pure speculation.

"We are still at the start of the casting process. By late autumn (characters) should have been cast in their roles."

Smith, 30, will bow out in the Christmas special.

He has been in the role since 2010 and said it had been "an honour" to play the part.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/box-seat/bond-star-tipped-to-be-new-dr-who-20130610-2nyyi.html#ixzz2VnmCOByl

Matt Smith is leaving Dr Who
EntertainmentNewsTV


We're sitting smack-bang in the middle of the fiftieth year of Doctor Who. Fifty years, people. That's quite the accomplishment. And sure, that might mean nothing to non-fans, to whom a fifty year body of work, especially science fiction, is about as appealing and readily penetrable as a sandwich filled with hair. But for fans, this is a very, very big deal, and it's also a particularly weird year in terms of Doctor Who news. Allow me to elaborate.

First, there was the ongoing revelation that the season would be split into two mini-seasons, a creative and business decision that totally strangled any chance the show had of being coherent this year. Then, it was announced that David Tennant and Billie Piper, who played the tenth Doctor and Rose Tyler respectively, would appear in the fiftieth anniversary special later in the year. And now, we've been hit with the news that Matt Smith is leaving the show.


Which, personally, I see as a good thing. Because the problem with Smith is not his performative skills; his depiction of The Doctor, the age-old timelord adventurer, got very strong very fast. Yes, he was too young to be cast (I don't think that was ever in dispute, really), but despite being 27 he managed to slip into character pretty swiftly. Some of his work throughout his tenure on the show has been startlingly good, though it's become hamstrung of late by scripts that lean almost entirely on the mannerisms he's trademarked, as opposed to any actual character development. Which leads me to the core of my issue: my problem was never with Matt Smith, it was with Steven Moffat.

Steven Moffat, the guy who now runs the show, and crafts the overarching plot of the entire project. In parlance you might actually get, he's like the (current) Aaron Sorkin of Doctor Who, and he's become the problem with it. Because Moffat is like a really good, really rich dessert: a little, scattered here and there throughout mealtime, is a goddamn culinary revelation (I'm referring to episodes like Blink and Silence in the Library, scattered as they were throughout Russel T. Davies run on the show). But if you eat dessert non-stop, odds are you're going to get diabetes. And now, we have a show run by a guy who has no mind for the long-play, makes his creations the focal point of the entire Doctor Who universe, and whose idea of strong female characters is crude, stupid, irritating and bewilderingly two dimensional. Yelling and being obstinate isn't charming, nor is it 'strong'. It's awful.


In short, the problem was never Matt Smith, and Smith leaving means he gets to stretch his considerable acting hamstrings elsewhere. The guy deserves a break from Moffat, from the direction the show takes ninety percent of the time of late; a show that lets writers dial up his mannerisms and catch phrases in place of using his skills to paint elaborate, nuanced pictures of a tortured, complex man. So now, we have to grapple with the real question: who will be the next Doctor?

Lets ignore for a moment the fact that at the end of the latest season finale, John Hurt was revealed to be 'The Doctor', though what this means is anyones guess (I've been grappling with it on my YouTube channel for weeks, and I'm still no closer to answers). We're soon going to be battered with casting rumors. Will it be Idris Elba? Will it be Jamie Bell? Will it be a woman? In the end, it doesn't matter; up until the end of their first episode, we won't truly be able to stop holding our breath. It's like eating a sandwich in the dark, having been told there's an outside chance it's got a bomb in it. The tension is guttural and exhilarating all at once, because it could spell doom for a franchise you're unbelievably invested in, or it could send it spinning and whirling off in a wonderful new direction.

Smith, however, was recently seen working with a completely shaved head, chatting amicably on-set with Ryan Gosling. He's going places, and deservedly so. What we need now, for the show to get back on track, is a new script editor/showrunner, a new Doctor who is cast properly, and for the BBC to stop splitting each season up into six episode chunks. If not, I fear Doctor Who could be… a thing of the past?

http://thevine.com.au/entertainment/news/matt-smith-is-leaving-dr-who/?#utm_source=FD&utm_medium=entpuff&utm_campaign=drwho

Because a thread with pretty lights and smoke is so much better than a discussion thread for a program quite a few of us enjoy.

NZs being an arse and not airing the new episode until the middle of April so I had to download. I enjoyed it.

Best part about this new companion. She's a Blackpool lass. And quite attractive as well.

Leela was the hottest assistant any of the Doctors' had.

That is the worst shoop ever lol.

-PB

BESTTHREADEVER/10

I saw this the other day, all I can say is Yay!