The BBC just announced the identity of the man who will take over the lead on "Doctor Who" for the new incarnation's fifth season, and it's... a 26-year-old named Matt Smith.I'm going to profess ignorance on this, having never heard of Smith before his name joined the list of rumored candidates to replace David Tennant, alongside older, and better-known stateside guys like David Morrissey and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
If Ejiofor, or rumored front-runner Paterson Joseph, had been chosen, we would have had our first non-white Doctor. But rather than change The Doctor's ethnicity -- or his gender -- new showrunner Steven Moffat decided to go younger, with Smith easily the youngest actor to ever fill the role.
After his great individual "Doctor Who" episodes ("Blink," "The Doctor Dances," etc.) and his work elsewhere on "Jekyll," I trust Moffat pretty implicitly. But I'm curious for reaction from anyone who's actually seen Smith on stage or screen: do you think he has what it takes for the part?
I watched the broadcast of "Doctor Who Confidential" through the net (live) to see the new doctor and came away a bit... uneasy. The clips shown of him from his limited TV experience were fine, but he is just very young. He didn't seem to exude any kind of the authority that the Doctor needs. I won't call it a mistake, since it is impossible to know until we see him in action. A lot of it will depend on who his companion is. I would have gone with an older Doctor in the mold of Pertwee or Baker. But I do have faith in Moffat, so I'll have to trust that he knows what he is doing.
ReplyDeleteHopefully I'll get the chance to see "Ruby In The Smoke" and I just put "In Bruges" in my Netflix queue so that I can see what he can do.
ReplyDeleteI trust Moffat as well, but wow - after getting the chance to be daring with the choice (and with the suggestion of Paterson Joseph getting so much acclaim and ready-made acceptance), they're following the same mold basically. There's no major difference as you'd have from Hartnell to Troughton to Pertwee to Baker etc.
They could have least found somebody who's "ginger"! The Doctor wanted to be ginger!
But again, I trust Moffat.......
He was also in Ruby in the Smoke with Billie Piper, which I did see, but I don't actually remember him in it.
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed that they didn't go off the beaten path with the casting, and having the Doctor younger than me is a bit odd. However, I can't really judge until I've seen him in the role, so I guess I have to wait until 2010 to really have an opinion. David Tennant is going to be hard to replace, and I wish Matt Smith well. I've been scanning the forums and of course some are not happy with this choice and are saying it's the end of Doctor Who. Maybe the early announcement will help them get over this resistance to change.
Ha. My reaction is nearly identical to yours. When I saw the rumors about Paterson Joseph yesterday, what little I knew of his persona really fit the way I see the role. Race should also be unimportant in the big picture, but I also found myself really liking the idea of a Black man playing the role. This casting seems like far less of a risk than I would've expected of Moffat. To be honest, my first thought upon seeing the photo was, "They cast the guy from Twilight?" As a woman, I won't necessarily object to the Doctors getting progressively younger and hotter, but ... I'm iffy about this one. That said, I'm also an optimist when it comes to my shows, so I'll wait and see how it works out.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued but unsure - I watched 'Ruby In The Smoke' some time ago and Mr Smith (appropriate surname at least) didn't leave a strong impression, but then neither did that show as a whole. I'm going to obtain the sequel and pay a bit more attention to his performance.
ReplyDeleteI did pick up on some Doctorishness in his 'Confidential' interview - I can see what the showrunners were getting at when they said he has a presence that's a bit older than his years.
(Incidentally he's already slept with Rose Tyler in 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl', so he's ahead of the game on companion-seduction!)
He was in "In Bruges"? I don't remember him at all, but it's really a two man show.
ReplyDeleteI'm really pleased. I literally clapped with glee. I'd have been happy with Patterson Joseph - though many of my friends strangely hated that idea - but I really loved Matt's work on Party Animals, a show on young political aides in Westminster which ran on BBC2 the other year (also starring Andrea Riseborough, so amazing in The Devil's Whore). I've also liked him in the Philip Pullman adaptations. He's got obviously intelligence and energy.
ReplyDeleteI can vaguely see the Tennant comparisons, being hot and skinny and young, but I think having a young doctor - its strange to me having someone younger than me and i'm only 30 - will give something interesting to work with.
Though again, many people, including my sister, though she wont admit it now, were totally against Tennant too before he started. So we'll see.
Colour me happy
I don't know. I do trust Moffat as well, for the same reasons, but as I just Twittered moments ago, on first sight of the photo, my thought was "Emo Who." (For those who know Mitch Benn and his music--if you don't, you should--I also thought that this Doctor was going through his Smiths phase.)
ReplyDeleteOf the things I've seen him in, he hasn't made any impression one way or the other, but I've never seen him in a leading role, so that's nothing to go by.
I'm also a little nervous when producers say things like "his bold and brash new take" on the role. Um, okay. Didn't work for Colin Baker, and I may be in the minority, but I don't think it worked for Christopher Eccleston, either.
For my part, I prefer Tom Baker or David Tennant to the rest. After thirty years of watching, I usually try a new Doctor out, but I don't feel a pressing need to watch if I don't care for the actor. So I'll reserve judgment until we see him in action, but I'm dubious.
I'll wait to see until I've actually seen him act, but if BBC central casting had said, "Right, we need a fellow who looks rather like Tennant, only younger and with a proper accent, please, and definitely less costly," this is who they would have picked.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping for a bolder choice.
Alan - I know this isn't the place to put this but it's something I just noticed which you might want to put somewhere where it will be seen.
ReplyDeleteDon't know is this is true for TIVO, but mythtv has a Record at any time on this channel option. I've been using it for Scrubs, as I didn't want the reruns from every channel it airs on.
It occurred to me to check if it was "on" this week, and I didn't have it set to record because It Changed Networks.
I'm sure there is *someone* that is going to bite. And Scrubs has enough problems being located, what with the 17 time slots it's been in. at last all of *those* were on the same crappy network.
DVR users - being DVR users (we tend to trust in the machine) may not notice till they've missed it (like I did when my DVR decided to scrap a Monday Chuck for a Saturday repeat that never happened.)
oddly my captcha is trustm
I'm a little uncertain about this choice right now, but then again it took me a few episodes to warm to Tennant so I'll give it a fair chance. As you said Alan. Moffat has earned our trust. It is weird to have a Doctor this young though.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the extended BBC interview with Matt Smith on Youtube. The actor seemed very weird and endearing. I like him! Too bad 2010 is sooooo far away.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as someone who has never watched Doctor Who, there is nothing about this pick that will encourage me to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that may be to the advantage, script-wise, is that being so young-looking (even though he's over 900 years old), he may find it even harder to get people to listen to him and follow his instructions in the face of destruction.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't worry so much about his age. He'll be about 35 or so by the time Series 5 hits the air, won't he, or does 2010 just seem that far away?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, I don't have much of an issue with a younger Doctor. The show is so physically demanding now that RTD stated quite plainly a couple of years ago that it would be a bit much for someone over 40. I don't think an older Doctor was ever really in serious consideration.
I am, however, a bit worried about his "hotness", or apparent lack thereof, if the initial reaction of many women on the various forums is anything to go by. Mind you, I never found David Tennant particularly attractive, but there's no denying that the female audience seems to swoon when he's about. Will they swoon over young master Smith? If they don't, will this be a problem?
The truth is, Doctor Who has usually suffered serious initial ratings drops upon a change in Doctor. Fans tend to gloss over this since we love the conceit of the changing lead, but the general audience hasn't always been so enthusiastic. In fact, David Tennant's phenomenal success might well be considered the exception rather than the rule.
Most Doctors either recovered their ratings eventually (Pertwee, T. Baker, Davison) or were accepted at lower rating standards by the BBC (Troughton, McCoy), and two were outright fired as their ratings continued to suffer (Hartnell, C. Baker). The point being that Doctor Who's continued existence has often been more fragile than most people realize, and I hope that Moffat, et al, know what they're doing...
Finally as to never having heard of the kid before, as an American, that's pretty much been true for me every single time, with the exception of Christopher Eccleston who I vaguely remembered from Cracker.
One more thought, please. Whilst I am accustomed to not recognizing these actors beforehand, this is the first time I've observed that a lot of the Brits don't seem to know who he is, either. That's an interesting new wrinkle, and I admit it's slightly worrisome, given the ratings history I mentioned in my previous comment.
ReplyDeleteThat is what I noticed as well on the forums, that the Brits don't really know this guy. Tennant had done Casanova, Blackpool(with Morrissey) and was even in Harry Potter before he took on the Doctor, where Smith has only had minor roles, except for this Party Animals series, of which I will make attempts to obtain.
ReplyDeleteI did manage to catch his brief interview on You Tube, and he seems interesting, and certainly exhibits more depth than most actors his age, or maybe I am just used to the shallowness of young American actors. If Moffat was honest in saying that they did not have a particular direction in who they wanted to have as the Doctor and picked him because he just seemed right, then that actually makes me feel a bit better about this choice, only because there must be something in him that we just haven't had an opportunity to see yet.
The publicity photo is a bit too Emo, but let's hope that was just because of the PR wonks and not Moffat's actual direction. He will also be closer to 28 by the time his Doctor actually airs, so I suppose the age thing isn't that much of a big deal.
As for previous Doctors, I thought that only Colin Baker was fired and that Hartnell left because he was getting ill and had difficulty with his lines.
Anyway, the extra time will give everyone a chance to check this kid out, after all, many hated Catherine Tate's casting as the companion for series four and I think that she has probably been one of the best ones.
"As for previous Doctors, I thought that only Colin Baker was fired and that Hartnell left because he was getting ill and had difficulty with his lines."
ReplyDeleteThat was always the official story, but in the last ten years or so the official stories have become more candid, and it seems to me that pretty much all of the Doctors were, if not outright fired, quietly urged to hit the road.
In particular:
William Hartnell - official story: too old and sick. Retired willingly. Real story: fired for being too difficult to work with.
Patrick Troughton - official story: chose to leave after three years so he wouldn't get typecast! Real story: fired for lousy ratings. Show, in fact, almost cancelled outright by end of his tenure.
Jon Pertwee - official story: he wanted to leave because five years was enough, plus he was grieving the death of Roger Delgado. Real story: apparently Jon wanted more money than the BBC were willing to pay.
Tom Baker - official story: seven years was more than long enough. Real story: apparently incoming producer John Nathan-Turner wanted to cast a new Doctor and put his own fingerprint on the show, and since Baker's ratings were plummeting, the BBC let him ditch Tom. The fact that Tom Baker had become an autocratic diva made firing him all the easier. Out of spite, Baker refuses to participate in The Five Doctors two years later.
Peter Davison - official story: three years is plenty, thanks! Real story: Peter actually changed his mind at the last minute and wanted to continue, but the BBC said "no thanks." His ratings had been sliding, plus they'd already announced Colin Baker as his replacement.
Most of these things were documented pretty candidly in recent years in Doctor Who Magazine.
The things you learn... :-)
I wanted to commented on something Toby pointed out earlier in regards to the young age and it's effects on writing. It certainly would be interesting if it ended up that the Doctor wasn't all too crazy about his new body because of how young it was. Not only does he have to go around saving the world, but he has to constantly battle comments such as "I'm not listening to you. You look about 12." Trying to acquire any authority whatsoever would be a struggle on its own, never mind the daleks/the Master/whatever.
ReplyDeleteWith such a young actor, I'd like to see him have an older companion. Maybe in his/her thirties or forties. That would definitely add something to a struggle for control storyline.
As for the look. I'm sure the actor will go through a little bit of a makeover before he actually starts filming. I don't think we're going to get an emo Doctor. Or, at least I hope we don't.
I can't wait to see what Moffatt does with his upcoming season.
Okay, one more thing (it's the story of the day - I can't resist):
ReplyDeleteI kind of hope that they go back to listing Smith as "Doctor Who" in the credits. That's how the actor was always credited throughout the first eighteen years of the program (sometimes as "Dr Who"), and when they went back to "Doctor Who" for the Christopher Eccleston cast list, it game me the warm fuzzies.
My biggest annoyance with David Tennant was the fact that he insisted they change it back to "The Doctor" because he's a big dumb fanboy! :)
"I don't think we're going to get an emo Doctor."
ReplyDeleteTen has been an emo Doctor for the last three series!
I presumed Colin Baker was the only one fired because he refused to do the regeneration scene into McCoy, but I suppose it doesn't surprise me that the rest were forced out one way or another.
ReplyDeleteEccleston and Tennant are then quite lucky to leave on their own terms.
Now let's just hope this regeneration doesn't have anything to do with a brick.
It will be weird, and I'm bracing for weekly "You don't look old enough to be a doctor" jokes and at least one Benjamin Button reference.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he'll be too emo to run all over the place.
(I will hold my David Morrissey comment until Sci-Fi plays Christmas-in-July or whatever they call their torrent-enabling import policy.)
Ooh, here's a nice collection of interview clips in which Matt Smith discusses his reaction to being cast, amongst other things.
ReplyDeleteHe also reveals that he's read the first and fourth scripts of Series 5 already!
I'll grant you that Ten has had his Emo moments, especially with Rose, but his most badass moments were usually in Moffat penned episodes (Family of Blood comes to mind).
ReplyDeleteSeeing as there are still four RTD specials left, (not including the already aired Christmas special), I wonder how many of those have been filmed, if Eleven starts filming in the summer.
It would be also nice if they cast an unusual companion for Eleven so that we don't have another cycle of Doctor/Companion angst to go through. Had Doomsday been the last Doctor/Rose story, I wouldn't have been as annoyed, but my one irritation with Series four was the whole clone Doctor fan fic ending to an otherwise very solid set of episodes.
He has a really interesting face. In the clips I linked to in my last comment, you can see how he goes from being sort of handsome to sort of ugly all depending on how he holds his head. That's really quite interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteActually, Nicole, Paul Cornell wrote The Family of Blood, not Steven Moffat. Moffat wrote "Blink" that year.
ReplyDeleteHere's one more interesting link: former Doctor Who novel writer and notorious misanthrope Lawrence Miles has chimed in. He's not pleased.
I think Miles tends to be sort of a jerk, but his Who opinions are usually interesting. Look at the snarky stuff he puts in his right-hand column, for example. Some of it is really quite funny, especially his "Moffatt Times-Tables" (somewhat far down the page but worth the scroll).
He's really not known, even in the UK. Having had a few hours to process my thoughts, I think it's the unknownness which bothers me maybe more than the age. I knew and really liked both Eccleston and Tennant prior to them being cast, so trusted them being the Doctor. The fact that I've seen this guy in nothing (plus some fairly ill chosen clips on Confidential) added to his youth makes me nervous. Yes, Davidson and Tennant were young, but both have an avuncular charm I don't yet see in Matt Smith.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, Moffat's preference was for an older Doctor and yet he ended up casting this guy, so I'm presuming he was very special at audition. I'm hoping to have my misgivings gently removed when I see him in role. Fingers crossed.
I've never seen him in anything, so I can't really say much. But he is a weird looking boy, that's for sure. Also, In Bruges is not even listed on his IMDB page, so I'm not sure what that means about his apparent presence in that movie.
ReplyDeleteOh, also, Alan, I really hate that you called him the new "Doctor Who." His name is not Doctor Who; It's The Doctor.
ReplyDeleteReading Lawrence Miles' thoughts about this new Doctor actually captures my hesitation about this choice, mostly that it's safe, and just a slightly younger version than David Tennant. He may be able to go in an entirely different direction, but that's only if Moffat lets him, and still being so young, he may not have the power to make his own mark.
ReplyDeleteAs for Alan's blog entry title, I thought he was going for a conflation of And the New Doctor is.. Who is this guy?
In any case, Kensington pointed out that old school DW would list the Doctor as Doctor Who, so we may not have to send the Valeyard out to get him just yet.
I trust Steven Moffat.
ReplyDeleteI thought he was going for a conflation of And the New Doctor is.. Who is this guy?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got that right after I posted, but I didn't want to post three times in a row. Heh.
Re: Lawrence Miles' thoughts; I can see where he's coming from, but I don't like how people judge actors who haven't even started to CREATE their character, let alone perform in front of a camera!
ReplyDeleteMatt Smith might be intriguingly middle-aged in his attitudes, in a way that humorously contrasts with this 26-year-old look. He might struggle to be taken seriously as a figure of authority because of his age, which will be interesting. He might even have a companion in their forties! Or, yes, he could be a teen-Doctor type that might take some getting used to, but might actually breathe new life into the show? I don't know. But I won't judge until I see him make a proper debut in 2010. He has an intriguing look and I trust The Moff to have chosen wisely. He's too much of a fan to knowingly risk scuppering the series, even if that might mean we have a Tennant-lite incumbent for the next 3-4 years.
"Yeah, I got that right after I posted, but I didn't want to post three times in a row. Heh."
ReplyDeleteAw, go on, it's liberating! Heh heh!
Seriously, though, re "The Doctor" versus "Doctor Who," the show itself even explicitly dropped that ball and accidentally referred to him onscreen as "Doctor Who" in the 1966 serial "the War Machines." There used to be a Youtube clip of the moment in question (when a computer refers to our Time Lord as "Doctor Who"), but I can't find it now.
Anyway, I just like that the character used to be listed as "Doctor Who" even if we all know that's not really his name. I like the incongruity of it, plus the nostalgia value gives me warm fuzzies.
Another reason I'm feeling better and better about Matt Smith is that he was hardly a front-runner yet apparently wowed Moffatt and the other casting people by making really bold choices in his audition. That's not the sort of thing an actor can do without both chops and confidence. He may be young, but if he's been dedicated to his craft for a significant number of years, he could well have the goods.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the credit for the success of the new series has gone to the fact that both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were known commodities who brought both star power and a track record to the party. That Matt Smith was good enough to not only blow away the front runners but also overcome any need on the part of the BBC to cast a known star is very impressive and speaks highly of his abilities, I think.
I liked his snarky character in "Ruby in the Smoke" and "Shadow in the North," one of the few things I liked about those two movies.
ReplyDeleteOK, I know he's busy with "Life" and all, but how awesome a Doctor would Damian Lewis be? Well, *I* think he'd be awesome anyway. :-) I don't know about this new guy ... I've never heard of him until just now, but then I'd never really heard of David Tennant until he was cast, and he became my favorite Doctor *ever* (yeah, including Tom Baker, whom I love). So ... I'll trust, for now.
ReplyDeleteI just saw "Silence in the Library" again on BBC America. River Song says to the Doctor, "You are young--younger than you have ever been."
ReplyDeleteHa! won't she be surprised by Smith.
I agree with an up-post about authority. Smith must have some sort of "essence" for Moffat to have chosen him, but I hope that it's not at the sacrifice of the authority a Time Lord needs.
Kensington said Here's one more interesting link: former Doctor Who novel writer and notorious misanthrope Lawrence Miles has chimed in. He's not pleased.
ReplyDeleteI think Miles tends to be sort of a jerk, but his Who opinions are usually interesting.
I agree with both parts of that though I'll replace Usually with Sometimes. The completely non-sequitur slam on Neil Gaiman from left field is both pointless and nonsensical.
As for his comments on Smith, I see what he's going for but I think he misses the point.
While Matt is Young. He is vary different from Tennant. With all due respect to the guy, Matt Smith is not what I'd call traditionally handsome.
A lot of the females on boards I've visited are not thrilled by this.
And there are a lot of people who aren't happy that The Doctor is younger then they are.
I think going older than Eccleston was pretty much out because of the demands of the show.
I get the feeling that had they gone with Joseph, Miles would be complaining that he was an obvious choice a post Obama pandering.
To say that Moffat doesn't like risks and that Matt Smith doesn't represent one is a bit foolish especially given the reaction.
The safe option would have been to go with an older actor, probably someone a little more rugged. But still handsome as different as you can get from Tennant physically while staying within a leading man role.
Matt Smith seems like more of a character actor which makes sense acting wise, but not necessarily casting wise.
I just know I'm going to miss David Tennant. He's the first Doctor I ever really got into. I guess I am one of those people who get attached to actors more than characters.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete'm sorry for being bitchy (again), but is there anyone on this or any other planet who could have cast in this role without wailing, gnashing of teeth and predictions of the end of days?
ReplyDeleteAs for "rumoured front-runner" Patterson Joseph, with all due respect to our host you should take anything you read in the British tabloids (or fan boards), with a grain of salt and a whole bottle of tequila. And I've got to note the irony that some of the very papers and blogs touting Joseph as "our first non-white Doctor", were muttering about the casting of Frema Ageyman -- the first non-white companion -- being "political correctness gone mad".
Anyway, Jospeh was out of the running for me when the BBC announced they were commissioning a second series of 'Survivors' - the 'reboot' of the 70's post-apocalyptic drama from the pen of Dalek-creator Terry Nation. I wasn't impressed, but despite mixed reviews it apparently drew solid and consistent audiences.
And let's tell the truth here: Who'd heard of David Tennant before he was cast as the Doctor? If my memory serves, his highest profile telvision work was a minor role in an adaptation of Trollope's 'He Knew He Was Right' and 'Blackpool' -- which were well-reviewed but hardly smash hits.
From Jan:
ReplyDeleteDon't know this new guy at all, but the main reason I got into "Doctor Who" was that I really liked David Tennant in "Viva Blackpool." And after seeing Catherine Tate in the Christmas special, I didn't have much hope for her as a companion (I liked Frema Ageyman, not Billie Piper so much), but I think she turned into the best one of the three, and I'm sorry she won't be back.
From Jan:
ReplyDeleteOK. Now having viewed the YouTube interview, I think Matt Smith looks interesting. I'm hopeful.
Craig, I've seen some nashing of teeth, but by Who standards, I think people have faith in Moffat and are pretty calm. Notice I say by Who standards!
ReplyDeleteI think DT was far better known when cast. Blackpool was prime time and popular and more importantly, he'd played the lead in RTD's Casanova (a first outing for the Ten persona - the accent at least) which got him a lot of attention and kudos. He'd also been about in small parts on telly for years - I first saw him in Takin' Over the Asylum in the 90s.
It's difficult to talk about Paterson Joseph and Survivors without spoiling the finale so I won't. Put it this way, I think he was at the very least happy to raise his profile and help the Beeb out with some misdirection. But DT was always one of the front runners to take over from CE, whilst this guy was unheard of until some betting shenanigans yesterday morning. It's much more of a surprise, notwithstanding the concerns that he's very Tennant-ish in a few respects.
I was crossing my fingers for Bruce Forsyth.
ReplyDeleteHey Alan, I love your blog. I've been recommending my readers go to it for a while. I've been off of the TV gig for a little while but wanted to let all your people know that Roemer's Reality is back at www.lauraroemer.com with all new responses to the upcoming Bachelor season. Spread the word!
ReplyDeletethanks!
They really did do a great thing by making the doctor younger and more attractive by casting Christopher Eccleston and then David Tennant, but this is way too young. The Doctor's 900 years old, can a 26 year-old really pull off an air of knowledge like that? I don't just mean skills, either, I mean his actual youthful appearance. He looks like he's in high school. Furthermore, his hair and thin frame look pretty similar to Tennant. I know it's just the first publicity shot, so I hope they give him his own look and personality, so that he doesn't just come off as a no-talent loser trying to copy his predecessor's persona.
ReplyDeleteI've seen some nashing of teeth, but by Who standards, I think people have faith in Moffat and are pretty calm. Notice I say by Who standards!
ReplyDeleteHeh... fair point, but I;d be tearing what's left of my hair out inside a week if I was in Moffat's position. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't and damned no matter what you do.
In a funny way, I'm actually pretty glad Matt Smith is 'Doctor... who the frak is he?" :) Much as I like Peter Davison's take on the role, it took me a while not to see the work-shy fop Tristan Farnon from 'All Creatures Great and Small' with a stick of celery pinned to his lapel.
I actually feel encouraged the new production team felt confident enough -- and had the support from the BBC -- not to go the obvious route of casting a 'celebrity'. Tennant and Davies aren't the only ones leaving behind very big shoes to fill. Producers Phil Collinson and Julie Gradner worked miracles on an hourly basis stretching the budget and making schedules work in a most TARDIS-like manner -- something Davies, to his credit, had been fulsome in his praise of.
Bur creatively, I think the Fifth Series is only going to stay interesting if Moffat and new executive producer Piers Wegner make it their own.
Let's start a new rumor - Paterson Joseph as the next incarnation of The Master!
ReplyDeleteA pretty sloppy satire of the fan reaction here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thetartpaper.com/articles/view/497
he could be good, you never know, we have to give him a chance; i hate to admit it but after the first time i saw tennant, i wasnt happy. but my main concern with this new guy is that he doesnt seem to have a strong presence and personality that the doctor should have. he seems quite weak and feeble
ReplyDelete"Seeing as there are still four RTD specials left, (not including the already aired Christmas special), I wonder how many of those have been filmed, if Eleven starts filming in the summer."
ReplyDelete***
Being in the UK, and thus being subjected to seemingly daily updates on Tennant and his recovery from back surgery, they start filming the specials on 19th January. DT returned to Hamlet on Saturday, is performing tonight and they are taking a day-by-day approach for the rest of the run (which finishes on Saturday night.)
Matt Smith has some strong theatre credentials. Given that Moffat was convinced Matt was "it" as soon as he auditioned him (even though Moffat had been expecting to find himself choosing an older actor) I am cautiously happy about the news. I liked what I saw of Matt in the DW Confidential on Saturday. He comes across as intelligent, which is essential to this role.
I'll miss Tennant as the Doctor, but I'm looking forward to seeing him in other future roles.
I didn't find DT 'hot' to begin with, but he grew on me, partly because of the character of the Doctor adds something to the actor, but mostly because DT seems such a funny, quick-witted and genuinely nice guy when we get to see/hear him in the behind the scenes footage and other shows he does as himself. I think Matt will find some of the Doctor-ishness rubbing off on him and adding to his allure, even if to begin with he doesn't have hordes falling at his feet! :-)
As I have no real clue as to who Smith is as an actor, I'll reserve all judgement til we actually see him in action in the new season.
ReplyDeleteWe'd have all year to get used to the idea anyway. I'm just hoping for kickass stories and episodes.
Toby said...
ReplyDelete"They could have least found somebody who's "ginger"! The Doctor wanted to be ginger!"
Ha! I wanted to say that!
I think no matter who hey got no one would have been happy I personally wanted Joel Beckett,Im gutted David is going I was so glad when he was made the doctor as he had already done some good work,ie Cassanova,blackpool,secrete smile,when he is the docor you see loads of different dimenions to the charactor and it takes a true artist to do that and o get people o warm o you like he has,children who watch need to believe that they are safe in the hands of the man they see on screen,but im afraid this new one doesnt hold so much hope,he seems to lack any real charisma,which lets be honest David had,yes the story lines must be great,but the men want someone they could se them selfs being mates with and the ladies do want eye candy,and the kids ant a role model...not a playmate or the pen....he looks stange looking,kinda freaky,I hope bbc havent just killed of the series with a big mistake
ReplyDeleteWhilst Matt doesn't have much TV experience, he's performed aplenty in the theatre, to much warm critical response and held his own in a lead role in Swimming With Sharks alongside Christian Slater and Helen Baxandale. Michael C Hall had no TV experience before appearing in 6 feet under, so please give Matt the chance before you all start criticising the choice. Having seen a lot of his stuff on the TV and the theatre, I'm sure he's going to be a success.
ReplyDeleteAnd Matt's role in In Bruges was cut out from the final cut - he played a young version of Ralph Fiennes' character, I think.
And, hey, Who fandom can start obsessing about that other essential casting choice -- the new companion. Personally, (and with no disrespect to Billie Piper and Frema Ageyman intended) I hope Matt Smith hits the road with someone more like Donna Noble -- who was only interested in the Doctor's enormous Time Lord.... brain. Call me a heartless SOB, but a little bit of the semi-requited companion crush (and, yes, I'm looking at you too Capitan Jack!) goes a very long way indeed.
ReplyDeleteAnd here's a thought: Why not be really daring, and cast a full-time (straight, not even a little bit bi-) male companion with a bit of attitude? Someone like Brigadier Sir Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart?