# Doctor Who - Doomed innit **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371 "2005-04-08T09:18:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/1 "2005-04-08T09:18:18Z")
Further to recent threads about the imminent departure of Christopher Eccleston from the role, the latest candidate for the job on the BBC website seemingly with a lot of support is [Devon Anderson](http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/drwho/2005/04/07/18358.shtml). He looks younger than Bilie Piper for ogs sake. This will most likely alienate any older fans such as myself and turn it into a true kids programme. I have nothing against a black doctor, but at least give the role to someone with some gravitas, for example Don Warrington, not a young kid. If this is yet another attempt by the pc movement to hijack the series (there have always been accusations of sexism etc), why not really panda to the masses and give them a chav doctor.[New Doctor and Assistant](http://www.chavscum.co.uk/4images/details.php?image_id=2207) . If this is the future of Doctor Who, I say kill the series off now. Blow up the TARDIS, no more sequels, at least let us have the memories, rather than dragging it down to the crap depths of the rest of British TV. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/2 "2005-04-08T09:27:13Z")
Agree completely. The Doctor regularly has to deal with world leaders, etc, how would he be able to do this credibly whilst looking about 12? ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/3 "2005-04-08T09:53:31Z")
> [@One And Only Wanderers](#): > > Agree completely. The Doctor regularly has to deal with world leaders, etc, how would he be able to do this credibly whilst looking about 12? The new Doctor is either going to be the bloke that’s currently poking everything with a pulse in Casanova or that Gattis fellah from the League of Gentlemen. Bill Nighy fancied a go at it - he’d be my favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/4 "2005-04-08T11:08:41Z")
You know you’re getting old: When the **Dr Who** s start looking young. Just why is Eccleston bunking off so quickly then? ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/5 "2005-04-08T11:20:49Z")
> [@Small Clanger](#): > > You know you’re getting old: > When the **Dr Who** s start looking young. > > Just why is Eccleston bunking off so quickly then? Apparently filming is quite hard work and he doesn’t want to get typecast [BBC Story](http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2005/04/04/doctor_who_eccleston_calls_it_a_day_feature.shtml) In my opinion, if he feels that way he should not have taken the job in the first place. I hope **Owlstretchingtime** is right about the new Doc, I support his idea for Bill Nighy, who was allegedly in the running last time. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/6 "2005-04-08T11:36:07Z")
Can I get a shout-out for Timothy Spall? ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/7 "2005-04-08T11:38:23Z")
Stryfe, I think you’re getting worked up about nothing. That article looks like nothing more than a plug for an item on children’s television – it isn’t really a serious bid for the role. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/8 "2005-04-08T11:38:35Z")
> [@Stryfe](#): > > Apparently filming is quite hard work and he doesn’t want to get typecast [BBC Story](http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2005/04/04/doctor_who_eccleston_calls_it_a_day_feature.shtml) > > In my opinion, if he feels that way he should not have taken the job in the first place. Didn’t the BBC later apologise for putting words into Eccleston’s mouth? Because he never said that. I read something about him becoming discontent with the way the character was evolving. It claimed that he thought the Doctor was becoming too camp or comedic or something, didn’t want to become known for that kind of part. Could all be newspaper bollocks too, though. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/9 "2005-04-08T19:31:44Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > Stryfe, I think you’re getting worked up about nothing. That article looks like nothing more than a plug for an item on children’s television – it isn’t really a serious bid for the role. Yeah. “K 8.5”? Gotta be a joke! ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/10 "2005-04-08T19:51:45Z")
What utter nonsense. One part I have always loved about the doctor, is that he can always stop off to visit a relative in the far future, and whether he is old, young, or ageless-looking, she will still call him, “Grandfather!” ---
**Author:** ![Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walker\_in\_Eternity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walker_in_Eternity)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/11 "2005-04-10T19:28:14Z")
> [@Scott\_plaid](#): > > What utter nonsense. One part I have always loved about the doctor, is that he can always stop off to visit a relative in the far future, and whether he is old, young, or ageless-looking, she will still call him, “Grandfather!” What’s nonsense? If I knew they’d give the part to kids I would have auditioned 20 years ago. :dubious: I’m all for having a character that has credibility with the youth of today, but lets not make him one of the youth of today, he’ll end up ending every statement with “innit” or “yeah”. BTW when the hell did “yeah” become a question anyway? I’ll take my grammar nazi hat off now and move back to Doctor Who. I have just seen episode 3 “The Unquiet Dead”, pretty good. has anyone started a thread for this episode yet? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/12 "2005-04-10T19:51:22Z")
I can imagine Bill Nighy as an interesting Doctor. But my #1 choice for the role would be Hugh Laurie. No chance that he’d do it, though, since he has a fairly successful television series going (“House”). ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/13 "2005-04-10T20:58:57Z")
> [@Stryfe](#): > > I’m all for having a character that has credibility with the youth of today, but lets not make him one of the youth of today, he’ll end up ending every statement with “innit” or “yeah”. BTW when the hell did “yeah” become a question anyway? I’ll take my grammar nazi hat off now and move back to Doctor Who. I remain optimistic, no matter what the curcumstances. 🙂 Theoretically, he could drop the “yeah”, and play a 500 year or so old time travling humanoid alien, who just so happens to have the body of a kid. After all, he’s an actor, theoretically. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-who-doomed-innit/298371/14 "2005-04-11T13:22:52Z")
Ohhh. I just took a look at slashdot, and found the following: > [@](#): > > BBC Apologizes To Who Star > > Posted by Zonk on Sunday April 10, @10:43PM > from the sorry-doc dept. > An anonymous reader writes “SciFi Wire is reporting that ‘The BBC, which earlier reported that Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston was leaving the show after the first season, issued an unusual [apology to the actor for mischaracterizing his reasons for departing](http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire2005/index.php?category=0&id=30784)…the network broke an agreement with Eccleston not to reveal that he had planned to film just one season of the hit show all along.’” We covered the [announcement of his resignation](http://slashdot.org/mainpage/05/03/31/1258253.shtml?tid=214) late last month. > [Read More](http://slashdot.org/articles/05/04/11/000229.shtml?tid=214&tid=129&tid=1) Under the same site, I found the following: > [@](#): > > The thing everyone seems to miss… (Score:2) > by Bill\_Mische (253534) on Monday April 11, @06:17AM (#12198910) > …is that the new series of Dr Who is a return to proper Saturday night family entertainment. You know when the whole family sit and watch something together. (My six year old sits on my lap and peeks over my arm at the scary bits - makes me all nostalgic). > > Oh and actually on the main story - Christopher Ecclestone is well known in the UK, and _he_ asked the head writer for the part. That he didn’t run to two series is a pity but since it took 8 months and the second series wasn’t actually confirmed until after the first episode went out understandable. **He is committed to a Christmas special so that’s when to expect the next regeneration.** > > Anyway, it’s back, they’ll have trouble getting rid of it a second time and the new Chairman of the Governors has been strangely quiet;-) Hopefully, he will not turn to the camera and wish eveyone viewing a home has a pleasant chrismas, like he did last time.