![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Or, a Third Doctor picspam thinly disguised as a meditation on Doctor Who casting.
You see, I've been seeing a lot of people talking about casting the 11th Doctor, and saying things about how now that Doctor Who is such an action show, it's really important to cast a young actor who can handle the physical demands of the part. No more old guys.
Absolutely, I say. Doctor Who has to move with the times and embrace its new identity as a show with lots of running up and down corridors. To further illustrate my point, here are some screen grabs from "The Sea Devils", a 1972 serial filmed when then-Doctor Jon Pertwee was about 52 years old, making him the second-oldest actor to play the part (not counting actors returning to reprise their roles in various specials and the like). Look below the cut to see the sort of sedate performance required to accomodate an elder actor...
First, we have running...
Climbing up and down ladders...
Descending a cliff face on a rope...
Hand to hand combat with both humans and aliens...
Fencing (though he does take a break for a snack in the middle)...
Somersaulting through barbed wire...
Chasing the Master in a speedboat...
Being rescued from the sea after escaping from the Sea Devils' underground base...
It's just too bad that they had to scrap the planned waterskiing sequence due to bad weather!
It's possible that this proves nothing more than what we already knew: Jon Pertwee is awesome. But I think it's a good reminder not to discount older contenders for the role just yet.
You see, I've been seeing a lot of people talking about casting the 11th Doctor, and saying things about how now that Doctor Who is such an action show, it's really important to cast a young actor who can handle the physical demands of the part. No more old guys.
Absolutely, I say. Doctor Who has to move with the times and embrace its new identity as a show with lots of running up and down corridors. To further illustrate my point, here are some screen grabs from "The Sea Devils", a 1972 serial filmed when then-Doctor Jon Pertwee was about 52 years old, making him the second-oldest actor to play the part (not counting actors returning to reprise their roles in various specials and the like). Look below the cut to see the sort of sedate performance required to accomodate an elder actor...
First, we have running...
Climbing up and down ladders...
Descending a cliff face on a rope...
Hand to hand combat with both humans and aliens...
Fencing (though he does take a break for a snack in the middle)...
Somersaulting through barbed wire...
Chasing the Master in a speedboat...
Being rescued from the sea after escaping from the Sea Devils' underground base...
It's just too bad that they had to scrap the planned waterskiing sequence due to bad weather!
It's possible that this proves nothing more than what we already knew: Jon Pertwee is awesome. But I think it's a good reminder not to discount older contenders for the role just yet.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-12-16 03:11 am (UTC)My favorite part of that whole sequence is the sad look she gets when he hands the sandwich plate back to her. With nothing on it, because the Doctor never learned to share. :( Poor, long-suffering Jo.