Word is that the BBC is going to be returning Doctor Who to the small screen after a ten year sabbatical. No details of the show are available.
The natural question, of course, is…who do you cast? I personally would have been happy with several of the Doctors we saw in “Curse of the Fatal Death,” including Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant. Doubtful, however, that either would commit.
So who would I want to see in the role? Y’ask me, only one guy for the job:
Anthony Stewart Head.
He can handle everything from comedy to action to involved exposition. It’s as if Giles has been a seven year warm-up for the role.
Bring in Julia Sawalha, who played the companion in “Fatal Death,” and you’re good to go.
Runner up to Tony Head would be Chris Barrie. But ASH is definitely the way to go.
PAD
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I’d like to see Dylan Moran (Black Books) as the Doctor. Which is just as well considering that I’ve heard he’s at the top of the list. 😎
I have just seen on the BBC Ceefax service that Willian Hill Book maker has Alan Davis at 8-1 to be the new Dr Who, with Richard E Grant, sean Pertwee close behind. Others in the running, acording to the book maker, are Patrick Stewart (Make it so, K9), Northern Irelands James Nesbit, and funny man turned actor, Lenny Henry.
I think there are only 12 incarnations of a time lord (and one was given up by the Dr, ithink.)Why not use older surviving Dr WHo actors. I would love to see Colin BAker and a CGI Forbisher.
Lenny Henry? Oh, that would be cool. Dr. Chef. I could just see him b**ching out the Daleks, and reducing the Cybermen to tears! LOL!
Where can I get this “Curse of Fatal Death.”??
I never saw this but would love to see it.
My favourite doctor? Well it was Tom Baker.
I can see Sean Pertwee taking it on though.
Do not even mention Lenny Henry in jest, that is so wrong on so many levels!
A couple of other suggestions. My first choice is from another BBC show show, Changing Rooms. Lawrence would be a fantastic Doctor. Very much in the Pertwee style. Or go to The Who to get both an updated theme AND a new lead.
Lots of good names being bruited about here — I’d heartily second the option of Gene Wilder were it the Gene Wilder of 15-20 years ago. I’m not sure he’s up to the task now. (I’ve thought Wilder’d be a perfect American Doctor ever since Willy Wonka, personally.)
However, my main response was to Chris Barrie. I’d like to ask forgiveness of … well, the entire human race for what follows.
Mi, mi, mi…
He’s Doc-tor, Doc-tor, Doc-tor Whozit,
His behavior just cannot ex-cuse it
He flies in a big blue whatchamahoo-zit
And if you give him stuff, know that he’ll lose it…
I’ll go take my meds now.
TWL
“Where can I get this “Curse of Fatal Death.”?? I never saw this but would love to see it.”
It’s available on VHS at…well, just about any place that sells videos. If your local mall doesn’t have a place that carries or can order it, there’s always Amazon and all the other online places. (WARNING: If you take your Doctor Who too seriously, then you’d best avoid this, as it’s a send-up, and a very good one at that.)
“Do not even mention Lenny Henry in jest, that is so wrong on so many levels!”
Just wait until you see some of the extras on “The Curse of Fatal Death”…
Where can I get this “Curse of Fatal Death.”??
I never saw this but would love to see it.
It’s probably still availible online. That’s how I saw it.
David “I’ll explain later” Serchay
‘Curse of Fatal Death’ was a spoof put together for the annual ‘Comic Relief’ TV fund-riser over here. As a clear spoof, it’s obviously non-canonical. A few years earlier – and I swear I’m not making this up – they put together a ‘Dr Who Meets EastEnders’ special for the show in – I swear I’m still not making this up – 3D. (There were these nifty glasses you could buy – I still have mine – that let you see it that way.)Since it featured Sylvester McCoy as the Dr and was played straight rather than for laughs, I would imagine that it’s theoretically part of the canon. I’ve never seen it anywhere ever again, though.
Because I have a tendency to go way out there in discussions like this, the moment I saw Chris Barrie’s name mentioned, I thought:
Craig Charles.
Now, that would be a Doctor like we’ve never seen before. Unfortunately, I only thought that because I was picturing Lister-as-Doctor. Which would be a hoot, but might not exacty thrill and delight Whovians of long standing.
For a Doctor played straight, Head would be fine. If he declines, and we want to discuss British actors who would never, ever commit to the project (like Patrick Stewart and Dame Judi Dench), how about Michael Caine?
Paul
Rob,
yes, Doctor Who meets East Enders is called “Dimensions in Time”, that was shown in 1993.
Most Who-fans believe that it was the BBC way to say “Look what we can do with the Doctor and noone can stop us now!”
Sad.
i thought the mcgann doc was the last incarnation? how many regenerations can a timelord have?
Nope, that was the 8th of 13.
the master was on his last one. could a half breed timelord have more than that?
Well, technically, the Master in the tv movie was *beyond* his last one. Silly. 🙂
Either McCoy just wasn’t suited for the role, or they were writing dismally for him.
I always felt that McCoy was suited for the role. They were going for a darker Doctor, one who had some things in his past that were possibly starting to surface again.
But unfortunately, yes, there were many crummy episodes for the 7th Doctor, and the show got canned.
I watched a couple of episodes of Dr. Who in my youth, and it was pretty good. Boy, what a lot of people besides me, I’m sure, would give to have a house similar to the Doctor’s own time device – bigger on the inside than on the outside! 😀
I think a new Doctor Who would have to be plotted and characterized carefully… but that said it could be done well…if thoughtfully.
On the marketing side, if they want to launch BBC and American audience at the same time, Head really is the best choice… despite my own desire to see Peter Wingfield in just about anything!
I’d like to see someone like Colin Salmon play the Doctor. It’s high time for a black Doctor, dámņ it!
I have to admit that when I read “ASH” I immediately thought of Bruce Campbell as well – which would be a terrific choice, as he has a great way of playing the arrogant, cocky hero who can say an insult in such a way that you don’t know if he’s serious or not, pretty much in the spirit of Dr. Who really.
“Good. Bad. I’m the one with the TARDIS.”
Well, we know that’ll never happen, so everyone can rest easy (although it is great to imagine). Just put in in the same category as the rumor a couple of years ago about Samual Jackson playing the part.
Seriously, Paul McGann should be given a crack at it. It’s only proper, and he did a great job of it in the TV-movie back in ’96.
unconfirmed reports say that Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) is first choice for the role.
What is confirmed, is that it will be produced and written by the team that brought us Channel 4’s Queer as Folk.
More news as i get it ………
I have been playing “cast the Doctor” for years. My current best choice is Robbie Coltrane.
Why? Well, obviously he can do the comedy and eccentricity that the Doctor needs. But as can be seen in Cracker, he has the dramatic chops too.
The Doctor is more than just funny. He has a keen sense of social justice, a huge anti-authoritarian streak and a large amount of anger (directed at all the right things). And he can be arrogant, stubborn, and mysterious. And yet, once again, funny.
I really think Coltrane could nail both the light and dark elements of the Doctor.
Also on my personal list — Paul McGann, Stephen Fry, and definitely Anthony Stewart Head. I also think Hugh Laurie has done some nice drama along with his comedy.
Allen
“What is confirmed, is that it will be produced and written by the team that brought us Channel 4’s Queer as Folk.”
Specifically the creator of Queer As Folk, Russell T Davies. he’s written a few other things which would lead me to believe he’s perfectly suited. He wrote two popular sci-fi shows for “Children’s BBC” in the early nineties (One of which starred a young Kate Winslett!), an excellent two-part drama “The Second Coming”, with Christopher Ecclestone as a Manchester video-shop employee who finds out he’s the son of God (Track this down!)… oh, and a book called Damaged Goods… sorry, a DOCTOR WHO book called Damaged Goods.
So – fan, talented writer… perfect.
Other writers I’d recommend for the show: Mark Gatiss, Paul Cornell, Terrance Ðìçkš, Joss Whedon, PAD…
Hugh Laurie was really impressive on one episode of Spooks/MI5 as a very smart and utterly amoral politico. He could bring an edge to the Doctor that nobody’s expecting.
Pearse Harman played the unit leader on Ultraviolet, and would also be good for that intense side.
Diana Rigg, now. *wistful sigh*
I think either Paul McGann or Richard E. Grant deserve a shot a being the Doctor for a few years on Television before we move on to yet another new Doctor. However, there have been a lot of good choices listed here if that is not possible. I really enjoyed Hugh Grant’s brief portrayal in Curse of Fatal Death especially.
Just saw an interview with Tom Baker mere minutes ago. He says he knows who the new Dr is and it’s Eddie Izzard. He did not appear to be joking.
Someone elsewhere mentioned that Bill Nighy would be good, and I’m inclined to agree (I believe he was seen in the US in comedy mode in ‘Auf Wiedesehn, Pet’, but is probably better known now for ‘Underworld’, which was played pretty straight)
Apparently, Tom Baker has been known to wind up the press in the past, so I wouldn’t gamble the house on Eddie Izzard just yet.
By the way, the previously mentioned Who/Eastenders crossover can be found online – And the 3D process works by tinting one eye (with the image onscreen moving sharply from left to right), so you can experience the 3D effect by wearing a pair of sunglasses wonky. You’ll look stupid though. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
In an interview for BBC Radio Five Live on October 2, former Dr. Who Tom Baker stated that Eddie Izzard has already gotten the part.
Keep in mind that Baker is known for usually trying to cause a stir in his interviews (just for giggles, I’ve always suspected).
Still, here’s the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3158624.stm
At best I was only a casual Who fan, but if the Izzard thing turns out to be true, I’ll be there.
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