This is an announcement so huge, that they had to make a pre-announcement announcement first. The BBC will officially announce tomorrow (Saturday) the identity of the actor playing the 11th incarnation of our favorite Time Lord.The favored odds are Paterson Joseph, who would be the first black person to play the character, but that is not certain. The Beeb along with Steven Moffat could pull someone out of their collective behinds who wasn't even on any of the online lists. The mind boggles at the possibilities, but it should be noted here that Steven Moffat has already worked with Paterson Joseph on his mini-series Jekyll.
I have repeatedly said that I would like to see a woman as the Doctor, however I would be equally satisfied with a black actor simply because it would be a sort of Doctor we've never seen before. I comfort myself with the fact that whomever they choose will be nowhere near as good as Colin Baker. Let the debate begin.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-02-2009 @ 6:36PM
Ryan said...
All for the lady doc my self. I think it would be cool.
Most likely though since I'm American, I will no idea who the actor is that gets the part.
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1-02-2009 @ 7:08PM
Preach said...
I'm still hoping that the new Doctor will turn out to be Sean Pertwee!
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1-02-2009 @ 7:14PM
Donna said...
Sean Pertwee was the first person I thought of too! And not just because he's Jon's son.
1-02-2009 @ 7:08PM
John said...
George Lazenby, for a single episode. =)
I'd love to see Robert Lindsay in the role, tho I think My Family is still going, so that's out.
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1-02-2009 @ 7:27PM
Kim Gregson said...
Does it mess with the story that Paterson Joseph has been on Dr. Who recently?
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1-02-2009 @ 7:40PM
Claire said...
i've noticed something in all this talk involving a female Doctor (which I wholly support). Many of the older fans (read: fans first familiar with the classic series rather that the reboot regardless of actual age) are very much against it...while it appears newer viewers are up for gender-bending. I was wondering if anyone else has noticed that or the opposite.
regardless, as an American i'm mostly unaware of the talent in the running so i don't know who would be good. i just want someone who won't make me miss David. tomorrow can't come soon enough.
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1-02-2009 @ 7:45PM
mj said...
I'm one of the 'oldies' who would never be happy with a female Doctor. I love Jenny, and Sarah Jane, but they aren't the Doctor. Of course, I also believe that you don't mess with the Lone Ranger. Some things shouldn't be messed with. I protested for the ERA back in the day, and fought for women's rights. But some things are best left alone, and the Doctor is one.
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1-02-2009 @ 9:14PM
John said...
I'm an oldie too and I'd support a female doctor, except....
Did they ever say that it didn't happen, that their genders were fixed? Romana was a time lord, wasn't she?
1-02-2009 @ 7:50PM
MrC said...
I'm still holding out for James Nesbitt (Another frequent Moffit collaborator) as the Doctor. Sure he's not black, or a woman, he would be the first truely psychopathic doctor....
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1-02-2009 @ 8:13PM
MacLean said...
i'm 100% for paterson joseph. i would be disapointed with anyone else, except Bill Nighy.
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1-02-2009 @ 8:32PM
Jimmy said...
First of all Colin Baker sucked; the best Doctor was, hands down, Tom Baker. I might be a little prejudiced since I discovered Doctor Who on public television during Baker's run, continued through Peter Davison (who I also liked a lot) and stopped watching after only a few episodes with Colin Baker.
Choosing Paterson Joseph would be a great outside-the-box choice and something long past over due.
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1-02-2009 @ 9:00PM
Ted said...
I am still wondering when and where we can see the latest Christmas episode in the US...anyone know?
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1-02-2009 @ 9:26PM
Toby O'B said...
I'd like Julian Rhind-Tutt from "Keen Eddie", but I have faith in whatever choice Moffat makes.
The fact that Paterson Joseph has already appeared on the show has precedent - the same occurred with Colin Baker.
I'd also like some specials to deal with the unseen adventures with Doctor #8, played by Paul McGann!
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1-02-2009 @ 10:33PM
Ryan said...
I can't wait. But yeah, as long as the actor chosen is good, I'll be fine.
As for changing gender, I'm not against it. But I can totally understand those who don't want it to happen. For me I just want more MALE COMPANIONS. Mickey and Jack stayed around for a few episodes. But I want a series regular male companion.
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1-03-2009 @ 2:09AM
Sam said...
So, first we have a black president and now we may have a black Doctor?
Awesome!
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1-03-2009 @ 3:05AM
Ian said...
Okay, Colin Baker wasn't as bad as some people would like the public to believe, even without considering his fine work in the audio dramas, but surely you had to have meant _Tom_ Baker, and even if you did, allowing such a misprint to hit the internet completely absolves you of credibility. Or Colin Baker is actually your litmus test for good Doctors, in which case, ditto.
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1-03-2009 @ 3:21AM
20" Collar said...
How about Noddy Holder for the Doctor...
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1-03-2009 @ 4:31AM
joy padd said...
I was a huge fan of Dr Who the last time the show was at it's most popular (late 70's/early 80's) and know what getting the Dr's replacement wrong will mean to the show - disaster. All this talk of a female/black Dr would be just that - changing the sex or ethnic origin of an established character is fundamentally wrong, and although I don't disagree that such a decision would be a bold and brave move by the BBC I do not think it would a sensible one. Let me ask this question - if we were talking about an established female or black character on TV being rewritten as a white male would there not be absolute uproar? So why would it be acceptable for this to happen in this show? The BBC have made some pretty ludicrous and lamentable plot decisions over recent years ('Dirty Den's return to Eastenders for example) but I keep my fingers crossed that they don't do so again after successfully bringing Dr Who back to our screens, and I do not believe Stephen Moffat would want to be known as the man who ruined Dr Who and hope he will reject any notion of the Dr being changed in terms of sex or ethnic origin.
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1-03-2009 @ 9:13AM
bobby said...
While I'm not quite so passionate about it, my stand is the same, if for different reasons. Although the audience of the original programme wouldn't have been ready for it, I think changing the gender or "ethnicity" (we don't know enough about Gallifrey to know if they had different ethnicities) of the Doctor would have flown better then than now. The original series was much weaker in its grasp of real science, world building and character development, so a change like that could just have been explained away with a feeble half-baked excuse. The new series is a bit stronger, more realistic and rational. If the Doctor can change gender, the show would be forced to explore what Gallifreyan society was like when its constituents could change gender "at will". We've had enough trouble getting them to explain the Doctor's throwaway lines about his family, are they REALLY going to expect us to believe that he could be a father AND a mother? Davies introduced Jack Harkness how many series ago, and it wasn't until Torchwood that we saw any real exploration of his pansexuality. In simpler terms, changing the gender will open a new can of something the producers won't want to look at. Not on this show anyway.
1-03-2009 @ 5:56PM
Alex - A.S. said...
It's been stated in the show that regeneration completely rewrites your DNA (which includes your appearance). If the Doctor can be blonde, or have dark curly hair, or (eventually be) ginger, why is it a stretch or "fundamentally wrong" that he could also regenerate with different skin colours? Unlike other shows, the Doctor is an alien.