Metamatic Forums Socialising The Green Room Doctor Who?

I see we don't have a Doctor Who thread, like most other forums seem to, so here it is if a little belated as the fourth series is well and truly over (mind you I'm only just catching up) and Tennant is practically on his way out.

There seem to be mixed feelings about the "new" Doctor (even tho he aint even started yet), Matt Smith Matt Smith, ie. like him / don't like him / who gives a monkey's....

Glad to know your opinions, experiences about the classic series, the 21st century series, the various actors and (yawning already) the new guy....

Ooooh - good idea D! And as I got Planet of Evil and Destiny of The Daleks on DVD over xmas - not a moment too soon!

Matt Smith - I saw him in that Billie Piper thing by Phillip Pullman (no idea what it was called) and he was OK. No issues with him being the new Who from me - let's wait and see how he does.

I've not seen Matt in anything.

He looks a bit strange & quirky maybe that will fit the part.Have to wait & see.

The way he looks reminds me of the actor Crispin Glover (Marty's dad form the Back to the Future movies)

Well, thankfully it wasn’t James Nesbitt, but Matt who?

It just left me somewhat dumbfounded, obviously I’m from a generation where the Doc was always a wise old man in his various guises of professor, clown, shaman, adventurer and eccentric, so having a guy who looks like he’s taking a break from fronting an indies band, or playing a young heart-throb schoolteacher in Hollyoaks, has really left me wondering if this is going to turn into a Peter Davidson moment for me all over again… :rolleyes:

Personally I was cheering for Paterson Joseph he’s got a great voice, and was fantastic as Mark’s scarily over-confident boss Johnson (balls of steel) in Peep Show.

I got The Beginning and Trial of a Timelord box sets for Xmas as well as the Pertwee classic The Claws of Axos... very much looking forward to seeing these.

As for Matt Smith... well, I'd never heard of him. Initially, the idea of a Doctor younger than myself just seems like a bad idea. To me he's a 40-something (if not older) mature bloke.

But, having watched matt in an interview, I found him to be very charismatic, despite the lack of eyebrows (surely a core element in having charisma), very mature for his age, a good and interesting face with lots of personality and a strong voice.

I think he will be good. I have a good feeling about his casting.

And as the show has been reinvented for a modern audience, a young leading man at some point was inevitable - and why not? We've had the 30-something Doctors in Peter Davison and David Tennant, the 40-and-overs in most of the others, and the even older than that category with William Hartnell and Peter Cushing if you count the big screen movies from the 60s.

The Doc was young at some point, and there's no reason why he can't regenerate into any age, so I'm all for giving something new a try. If Matt plays the role well and brings to it what it needs, then his age isn't an issue.

my favourite Doctor was John Pertwee...

I’ve only seen The Claws Of Axos twice in my life, when it was first shown on TV in ‘71, at a period when I first got to watch Who regularly at the moment Pertwee morphed into appearance, (although I have very vague toddler memories of Troughton, and something to do with giant crabs!).

I saw The Claws Of Axos again after 30 year’s, in 2002, when I turned on UKGOLD one weekend morning at 6am and unexpectedly saw the whole compressed version of that story. How strange it was to sit there having woke up early due to adult worries keeping me from sleep, and watch those gold faced aliens like I had travelled back in time along with the doc, and Pertwee looking so unchanged, exactly as I remember him when I was a primary schoolchild. I’d forgotten just how cool he was, (Tom Baker had later successfully ‘exterminated’ him from my mind).

There was undeniably a comfort level for me as a child in seeing these wise older looking adult’s play the part of this guy who never appears to be afraid of anything, always wryly responding to any situation almost as if he already knows that the outcome will be a good one, and I guess deep down that kind of certainty linked to the appearance of age and wisdom never really leaves you.

Have to agree that Matt most definitely has a very charismatic face, much like some of the previous doctors before, but no eyebrows, oh dear he’s failed already! and where would Roger Moore have been without his when the plot called for a highly skilled response

Judging by the clips they showed in Dr Who Confidential of Matt in other things, I would say he is likely to be very very good - his versatility and charisma already shines through. I will definitely miss David Tennant though.

Am I the only one who would like to see a casting completely out of the box: e.g. a female Doctor? Or one who really looks like an alien?

According to the old folklore, won't the next one be his last regeneration? If so, we're running out of time to be creative with this ...

Yep!

I've been mulling over that lately. They'll find a way round! The Master has been in his final regeneration since 1973!

They could even make new serieses based on past Doctors - but at younger ages; ie casting actors (I'd probably get shot for posting this idea on any of the Who forums) who are like young versions of ex-Doctors.

Sean Pertwee as a younger third Doctor would be good (although, yes, we do know that he was already mature when he regenerated!).

Or it could be a young first Doctor - the 'early years'...

Like I said, I'm sure they would find a way - the great thing with the scope of Doctor Who is that you can really take it in any direction.

Before Eccleston a few names were bandied about - one of them being Joanna Lumley! I don't think Lumley would of been right but if the woman is a powerful enough actor I don't see why not.

Alex Kingston who appeared in one of the recent episodes, would also be a good candidate.

Sadly, some men barely out of sixth-form will be unable to deal with it as usual, but after a few episodes I think most people would adjust.