Want to bet on the next Doctor?

[wshaffer]

Someone over on the Doctor Who forums posted a link to a site where you can bet on who will be the next Doctor.

I'm surprised to see my current favorite, Patterson Joseph, being given the best odds at 3-1. This has a certain plausibility, since he's been talked about for the role ever since he appeared as the Marquis de Carabas in Neverwhere and he's worked with incoming producer Steven Moffatt before. Every time he comes up in conversations I have with fans, someone solemnly declares that The Fans Are Not Ready for a Black Doctor. Presumably in the same way Americans are not ready for a black president.

Next up, David Morrissey at 5-1. Morrissey is a fine actor, though not someone who's struck me as particularly Doctorish in the roles I've seen him in. Morrissey is guest-starring in the upcoming Christmas special, which is titled..."The Next Doctor". When this title was announced, I thought it was a wind-up in the same vein as "The Doctor's Daughter". Now I'm wondering if RTD has just pulled off the greatest double-bluff in the history of the show. We'll see.

After that is James Nesbitt, who has been a popular object of Doctorly speculation since he appeared in Moffatt's Jekyll. I don't see it, personally, though I can't quite say why. Nesbitt's about the right age, he's slightly funny looking in the right sort of way, and he can do quirky.

After that, it's pretty much a collection of everyone who's ever appeared on a fan wishlist for the part. Although, I'm rather surprised that they're offering odds on John Barrowman (dear God, please, no) and Christopher Eccleston.

Comments

[capra124.livejournal.com]

The odds on John and Chris are surprising to me as well. I mean, both have/had significant roles within the Whoniverse, so placing odds on them is just baffling to me.

Whoever does get the role, is gonna have to be good. David's left some pretty big shoes to fill, not to mention the rest of the line of Doctors before him.

[amoken.livejournal.com]

I mean, both have/had significant roles within the Whoniverse, so placing odds on them is just baffling to me.

There's a fair amount of reuse in the old series, though I suppose it tends to go from smaller parts to larger ones. Nicholas Courtney, Lalla Ward, Colin Baker, .... They even go so far as to "explain" Lalla.

[capra124.livejournal.com]

Part of what I meant was that Chris has already played the Doctor. I'm not completely familiar with the Classic series, but has the Doctor ever backtracked and had the same actor play the role as more than one version? If Chris were to get the part again, that would make him both 9 and 11. That just doesn't make sense to me.

As for John, he's Captain Jack. Jack is not only a major character within this latest series, but also Torchwood. How would he go from playing essentially one of the companions who's got his own thing going on to playing the Doctor as well? I can't see that as going over well with fans, simply because it would be confusing. Just like that of John Simm. Simm portrayed the Doctor's archnemesis, The Master, so going from that role within the Whoniverse to playing the Doctor would be confusing and even a little baffling for fans.

I understand that actors have been used more than once in a series in various roles, yet when an actor has portrayed a big enough character to get an opening sequence mention, I can't see it working as well as if the actor had had a smaller role within an episode or two.

[amoken.livejournal.com]

Oh, I completely agree that it's lame and confusing to the audience. Mostly I was referring to Lalla Ward, who portrayed a princess who was a key character (pun intended for those familiar with the episodes) at the end of the season. Right at the end of the princess's involvement, the Time Lady Romana, who had been traveling with the Doctor, regenerated. She chose to regenerate as the body of the princess (Lalla Ward) because she "quite liked it". They could always reuse that explanation, no matter how much I dislike it...but fortunately I suspect Moffat is cooler than that.

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

I'm for Patterson Joseph, simply because I like this trend of HAWT Doctors and would like for it to continue plzkthx.

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

I am in that tiny minority that is inexplicably immune to David Tennant's sex appeal. (Ask me about McGann or Eccleston, though...) But I totally agree that Patterson Joseph would be a welcome addition to the ranks of HAWT Doctors.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

*joins you in that minority and in the Paterson Joseph love*

[amoken.livejournal.com]

If we can have a black Ford Prefect, we can have a black Doctor, no?

I do enjoy the hotness, but I also think it would be nice to have more regulars over 50 on the show. Even >40 has become uncommon (though I note that your favorite is over 40).

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

I certainly wouldn't have a problem with a Doctor over 50, and producer Steven Moffat has indicated (admittedly long ago, before there was a revived Doctor Who on TV) that he thinks the Doctor should be over 40. A lot of the names being bandied about for the 11th Doctor are much younger than that, though.

I'm guessing that for this round of casting, they'll probably play it safe and go with an actor in his mid-thirties to mid-forties. (I'm going to assume that they're not brave enough to go for a female Doctor yet, either. Perhaps for the 12th.)