Aw, c’mon. That way you’d never get that giddy thrill when he bites the big one. 
Odd things in his pockets. I always loved the way he could pull out something completely unexpected.
References to historical figures he’s met or to odd smells and sights from Earth’s past.
Underplayed visual references to other incarnations.
Hitting the console to get it to work.
And I agree with the big three - keep the theme, keep the police box, and NO SMOOCHING!
I’ve always thought that if a female Doctor had the same essential characteristics (as I view them at least) as the previous Doctors - i.e. Somewhat bumbling, crotchety to a greater or lesser degree, imaginative and inventive and essentially non-violent (but prepared to use force where necessary) - you have the scope for a very interesting feminine take on the Doctor.
So for me the characteristics are important, not the gender.
Regarding humour, I have enjoyed those Doctor’s with a sense of humour (esp. Tom Baker), but I don’t view this as an essential characteristic - a serious and brooding Doctor would IMO be very interesting.
So perhaps the flexibility of non-essential characteristics is an essential characteristic!
Of course my essential characteristic is an inability to correctly use apostrophes.
If I were to cast a female Doctor, I would go along the lines of Judi Dench. Someboby who seems a little smarter, wiser, and more willfull than the rest of us.
Ralph Fiennes as the Master
I have some ideas though I’ve only seen a few episodes.[ul][li]The Doctor: male.[]The TARDIS: if not a blue call box, paint it red and make it a phone booth. More often than not, where it lands is purely by chance.[]The companion(s): Romana or someone similar should turn up eventually. I liked The Doctor’s reactions when Romana was deciding on her new look.[]Relationship between The Doctor and his companion(s): platonic, of course. He should notice if a companion is being sexy but should not take any action other than to let her know she’s a distraction. []If the Daleks are to exist, the Movellans should also.[/ul][/li]Why, yes, I have seen “Destiny of the Daleks” recently.
The novels are hit and miss… some of them are quite in the spirit of Doctor Who, while others are just awful. Sometimes you get bits of both in the same book. “Year of Intelligent Tigers” is a good example… beautifully Whoish and yet offensively unWhoish at the same time. On the balance a great read, IMHO.
Try the audio dramas, legomancer… most of them are traditional stories. “The Spectre of Lanyon Moor” has such a 70’s Who feel it’ll make you cry.
-fh
Some other important aspects of the show…
Dr. Who solves problems with his brains. Even if violence is needed, it is still something thought out first.
The Dr. has very strong personal convictions, and does not suffer from situational ethics much if at all.
I will, but I just don’t think I can get into an audio drama. I don’t much care for audio-only dramas, books-on-tape, and the like. And for Doctor Who, well, I want to SEE it.
I gave up on the books because, as I said before, I found them to vacillate between overripe fan-fiction and silly bloated “Important” sci-fi. It frustrates me that everyone writing a book wants to make the show deeper, darker, and more ‘mature’ - which usually just means unfathomable, dull, and overwrought.
Riboflavin–off the top of my head, the following Who stories are on DVD:
The Five Doctors
The Robots of Death (T.Baker)
Tomb of the Cybermen (Troughton)
Remembrance of the Daleks (McCoy)
Spearhead from Space (Pertwee)
The Key to Time (season 16) boxed set (T. Baker)
Caves of Androzani (Davisson)
Vengance on Varos (C. Baker)
The Ark in Space (T. Baker)
There are plans to release others in the near future. I think “The Aztecs” (Hartnell) and “Carnival of Monsters” (Pertwee) are on the launching pad.
For more info on all things Doctor Who, visit Outpost Gallifrey at http://www.gallifreyone.com
I’ve heard a rumour that there IS a new series of Doctor Who being planned, with Anthony Head(I think) as the Doctor - the Librarian guy from Buffy - I think he would make an ideal doctor, millions of time better than Mcgann!
I believe that rumor has been quashed. Unfortunately, every few months something like this pops up, but nothing’s ever come of any of it. I for one don’t think Anthony Head would make a good Doctor, but then again I admit I have only seen him as Giles, not in anything else. I also thought McGann wasn’t bad. I always thought David Dixon, who played Ford Prefect in the BBC’s production of “Hitch-Hiker’s” would have made a great Doctor, as would Derek Jacobi.
Scratch that…Ralph Fiennes as the Doctor, and Alan Rickman as the Master.
Enola , word to your mother (tell her it’s from me, she’ll understand). Alan Rickman would be a fantastic pick for The Master. Not sure about Ralph Fiennes as the Doctor though. He seems to naughty.
~t
“I’m not a petty villian. I’m an exceptional villian!”
Gotta luv Alan Rickman as a bad guy
Want to really shake things up? Martin Lawrence as The Doctor! Or at least as a several show companion. Giving him the “Gift of the Time Lords” would lead to some fun. He would have to go quickly, though, to make sure it stayed as relatively serious sci-fi.
Actually, if we’re casting here, I vote for Timothy Dalton as The Doctor.
Patrick Stewart as the Brigadier.
Find ways to bring back some of the Eight (BBC says Eight, y’all) in cameos or in single shows.
Sophie Marceau as someone, anyone… (lightly clad, of course)
How about Robbie Coltraine as the Doctor?
Fat, wise-assed, a real man’s man. Probably the most interesting would-be Doctor since Tom Baker.
Hasn’t done much since Cracker, right?
I like the idea that the Doctor should be played by a newcomer to all of us. Or at least a relative newcomer anyway. Tom Baker was a struggling actor working on a building site when the news came through that he was to play the fourth Doctor.
Having a better known face (like McGann’s) runs the risk of bringing baggage to the part (Having viewed ‘Withnail and I’ about a dozen times this makes viewing him as the Dr. a bit tricky for me).
Of course, there’s always been a dream I’ve harboured since the age of about 6…
Okay, you’ve given me an idea: Paul McGann as the Doctor and Richard E. Grant as the Master!
No.
Nein.
Non.
Nyet.
No.
Essential component of the Doctor is that he has dignity. Loads of it. Even that smarmy Colin Baker had dignity.