as many of you know, david tennant has decided to leave dr. who at the end of 2009. (he decided it was a natural time to bow out as the show’s reviver, russell t. davies steps down and gives steven moffett a chance at the wheel.)
first of all, i love russell t. davies and will be sad to see him go, but i am thrilled moffett is taking on the show. he has written some of my favorite episodes including the must-watch-from-behind-the-counch blink episode. (i still worry that the angels might have the tardis.) he’s also written one of my favorite television mini-series to date, jekyll, which included an amazing performance by james nesbitt in the lead. (i thought nesbitt’s portrayal as jekyll gave anthony hopkins’ performance of hannibal lecter a run for his money.) i am not a scary movie person, but i was absolutely gripped to the tv by this mini-series.
but i digress…
so of course, the most important question is who do i want to play dr. who now that tennant is on his way out? well, i’ve started a list, and i’ll preface it by saying i’m not drinking the same fanboy water as everyone else. first of all, i am not rooting for patterson joseph. he’s a good actor, but he was just dreadful in jekyll and i still haven’t forgiven him for that terrible american accent. (yes, i know, i know. we americans butcher the british accent nine times out of ten, but still. awful.) if you know anything about me, you know i hold grudges. (you can blame j.j. abrams for that, though i’ve begrudgingly agreed to go see the new star trek movie.) second, i am not selecting people necessarily because i think they will (or will be able to) play the doctor. i’m basing my choices purely on who i think would be awesome spinning the wheels and pumping the levers inside the TARDIS.
so, here’s my short list:
david morrissey — he’s fabulous in viva blackpool, and he can be seen in the upcoming dr. who x-mas special. (click here for the preview.)
james nesbitt — i’ve already raved about him in jekyll. ’nuff said.
graham norton – don’t you think the tardis could benefit from a wee bit of irish humor and glitter? take a minute to think about it, mull it over, and then tell me that would be effing hilarious.
patrick stewart – apparently, he’s quite the doctor who fan, especially after working with tennant on hamlet in london this past year. my guess is he’s not up for another tv series, but will likely make a guest appearance in one of the specials if his schedule works out. i’m basing that guess on absolutely nothing factual, so don’t gripe if i’m wrong.
stephen fry — we’ve gone through two young, blonde doctors, and i wouldn’t be opposed to someone more mature with a little more gristle. (heh. insert dirty joke here.) not to say that stephen’s not handsome in his own right, but he’s definitely got the experience and acting chops, but more importantly the right amount of snark crossed with geek cred (he was the 2nd person in the UK to own a mac, you know) to hold his own as a more mature doctor.
billy bob thornton — ok, ok… i know, not everything can be as good as bad santa, but wouldn’t it flip your lid to hear the doctor talk like he’s from arkansas? i tease.
