The new Doctor has been announced!

[Morrus]

Yeah, anybody who's 56 or older, ALL the Doctors are younger than them! Luckily I'm still quite some way from that.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Doctor starting ages (debut not announcement)

Hartnell 55
Troughton 46
Pertwee 50
Tom Baker 40
Peter Davison 29
Colin Baker 40
McCoy 44
McGann 36
Eccleston 41
Tennant 34
Smith 27
Whitaker 35
Gatwa 30/31 (depending when in 2023)

Those old ones weren't as old as you might think! I guess people age better these days!

CAPALDI????

How soon we forget (and 55). Also, people are younger now than they used to be.

I think Gatwa will be amazing, but I also agree that the main thing is the writing. Whittaker and Capaldi were both amazing actors with great takes on the Doctor, but were let down by the writing (IMO). On the other hand, Smith was an unknown (at the time) who was amazing at the role, both because of his ability and because he had some good scripts (well, for a while).

I am pleasantly optimistic. Especially because I know a few people that had gotten off the Who train recently* but are now very excited because Gatwa had done such an amazing job on Sex Education.


*ETA- recently being relative. Just not that into it over the Capaldi/Whittaker tenure.

 

[payn]

CAPALDI????

How soon we forget (and 55). Also, people are younger now than they used to be.

I think Gatwa will be amazing, but I also agree that the main thing is the writing. Whittaker and Capaldi were both amazing actors with great takes on the Doctor, but were let down by the writing (IMO). On the other hand, Smith was an unknown (at the time) who was amazing at the role, both because of his ability and because he had some good scripts (well, for a while).

I am pleasantly optimistic. Especially because I know a few people that had gotten off the Who train recently* but are now very excited because Gatwa had done such an amazing job on Sex Education.


*ETA- recently being relative. Just not that into it over the Capaldi/Whittaker tenure.

This is my take almost entirely. A "like" is not enough.

 

[MarkB]

I am pleasantly optimistic. Especially because I know a few people that had gotten off the Who train recently* but are now very excited because Gatwa had done such an amazing job on Sex Education.


*ETA- recently being relative. Just not that into it over the Capaldi/Whittaker tenure.

I'm in that category. I stopped watching UK broadcast TV (and paying a TV Licence) a few years ago, and caught Whittaker's first couple of seasons by buying them on YouTube, but haven't been moved to purchase her most recent seasons.

I checked out Sex Education yesterday evening and am hooked. Will most likely watch the rest of it in the next week or two.

 

[Janx]

I hope he gets good support from all the haters. Disney wasn't so good at that for the SW folks.

Beyond that, I trust he will do a good job.

 

[Zardnaar]

CAPALDI????

How soon we forget (and 55). Also, people are younger now than they used to be.

I think Gatwa will be amazing, but I also agree that the main thing is the writing. Whittaker and Capaldi were both amazing actors with great takes on the Doctor, but were let down by the writing (IMO). On the other hand, Smith was an unknown (at the time) who was amazing at the role, both because of his ability and because he had some good scripts (well, for a while).

I am pleasantly optimistic. Especially because I know a few people that had gotten off the Who train recently* but are now very excited because Gatwa had done such an amazing job on Sex Education.


*ETA- recently being relative. Just not that into it over the Capaldi/Whittaker tenure.

Capaldi was wherevthe show started to go meh. We were discussing about quitting back then.

Screens for free here on the tvnz app watched that Dalek special with Whittaker and that was decent.

 

[Dausuul]

Capaldi was wherevthe show started to go meh. We were discussing about quitting back then.

Screens for free here on the tvnz app watched that Dalek special with Whittaker and that was decent.

Capaldi was more misses than hits, no doubt about that, but some of the hits (mostly in the latter half of his run) were absolutely stunning. I'll put "Hell Bent" and "Extremis" up against any episode in the show's entire history. Even a burnt-out, overstretched Steven Moffat could still conjure up the old magic once in a while.

Sadly, I can't think of anything comparable from Whittaker and Chibnall's run. The hits were decent, but no more than that. And the misses were... well, let's just say they did damage.

 

[Zardnaar]

Capaldi was more misses than hits, no doubt about that, but some of the hits (mostly in the latter half of his run) were absolutely stunning. I'll put "Hell Bent" and "Extremis" up against any episode in the show's entire history. Even a burnt-out, overstretched Steven Moffat could still conjure up the old magic once in a while.

Sadly, I can't think of anything comparable from Whittaker and Chibnall's run. The hits were decent, but no more than that. And the misses were... well, let's just say they did damage.

I thought Capaldi was great had the potential to be a Doctor for the ages.

And then the storylines were a bit pants.

Jodie gets a pass she's a good actor. Chibnall no comment.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Smith certainly did.

Yeah but I think he nailed old man mannerisms. He often sold “I’m extremely tired” much better than I’d expect from a very young person.

 

[JThursby]

What kind of doctor will this new one be? I'm not familiar with the actor so I don't really have a good idea what character direction their going to take the doctor this time around. As I recall the old ones (from the eras I was watching) went something like this:
9th - Defeated optimist.
10th - Sad puppy masquerading as a cheery lunatic.
11th - Vindictive and arrogant demigod masquerading as a cheery lunatic.
12th - Jaded old man.
13th - Cheery lunatic.

It has been nearly a decade since Doctor Who has sparked any real joy in me, I got tired of the 11th doctor's run pretty quick when the season spanning plot arcs turned out to be garbage (I still get mad about the origin of the Silence). Given that the series has sunk so low, I'll take anything new at this point, it can't possibly be worse than the status quo.