Published: Thursday, 30th October, 2008 12:30
Doctor who?
By NarinBahar
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Suffice to say if you were a BBC Press Officer yesterday was probably the kind of day that left you huddled under your desk weeping.
Having spent the day juggling calls from people demanding to know whether prank calling cads Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand were going to get their wrists slapped, last night saw the worst kept secret in scifi finally revealed - David Tennant is to leave Doctor Who in 2010 after four specials to be aired next year.
The fact he announced it on ITV1 while accepting a National Television Award for Best Dramatic Performance is a bit churlish, but we'll let that slide as it now means that we can have frenzied fun discussing who the next inhabitant of the Tardis should be.
Lots of names have been bandied about already, here's my rundown of the top ten I've heard of:
David Morrisey - he's in the Christmas special and as such the conspiracy theorists are suggesting he's the one, missing the main points - he's too early. And also a bit obvious. Let's make it someone more fun.
James Nesbitt - After Jekyl he's proved he's got the chops for genre TV, but I'm not sure I want him in charge of the Tardis. I bear a grudge for his terrible turn in Match Point. And those Yellow Pages adverts.
John Simm - Fab actor but sets alarm bells ringing for two reasons. Firstly how on earth do you explain he was the Master and he's now the Doctor? Let's not confuse the kiddiwinks. Secondly, as Life on Mars proved he's an Eccleston type - unwilling to sign on to shows for the long haul. We need a Doctor for at least a couple of years. Let's not eh?
Russell Tovey - appeared in last year's Christmas special, was great in The History Boys and was George the werewolf in Being Human, the show about a werewolf/vampire house share which premiered last year and is now being made to into a full series. Russell T Davies mentions in his book that he thinks Tovey would be a great Doctor, and it's hard to disagree. He's a great actor but I'd rather they did a good few series of Being Human please, so we'll leave him for now too.
Richard E Grant - Has been involved in the Doctor's audio adventures and has the eccentric qualities to make a good Timelord.
Alan Davies - Yes him off Jonathan Creek. Too surly for my taste. Let's keep him on QI.
Aidan Gillen - Stuart from Queer as Folk, has a strong Russell T Davies connection through that which seems to be why people are suggesting him, missing the point somewhat that Steven Moffat is the show's new showrunner which means that more of a possibility is...
Jack Davenport - Formerly of Coupling, the underratedly brilliant Ultraviolet and This Life.
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Good actor, and would be the first black Doctor. Has a good scifi pedigree thanks to roles in films like Serenity and Children of Men, although it does beg the question, would he want to swap making Hollywood blockbusters with the likes of Denzil Washington and Clive Owen to spend nine months of the year in Cardiff.
Stephen Fry - Possibly the most bonkers suggestion I've heard and yet one of the best. He's a big Who fan, and is a really charismatic actor, although perhaps too cuddly for the action-figure obsessed young Who fans today.
These are just a few of the names - there are already dozens on the list. But I'm going to add mine.
I'm sure someone will come in and tell me if this is impossible, but why can't we have the Doctor regenerate into a female form? Wouldn't that be interesting?
And I've got just the right actress to play her... Emma Thompson. She's amazing. She's eccentric. It'd be perfect.
I don't know that it'll happen, but you never know. We've put it on the internet now (and the last time this blog dipped a toe into lobbying it was for Being Human which turned out quite well) so it might just work - Emma Thompson for the next Doctor Who!
If not, who do *you* think it should be?
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