The New Who???

[johno]

There are blogs starting to buzz with "insider info" that Patterson Joseph has been named as the new Doctor in the long running series Doctor Who.

Most US SF Fans would know him as the Marquis de Carabas in Neverwhere.

If true, chriso likes the continuing era of sexy Doctors.

Comments

[knaveofhearts.livejournal.com]

He also played the role of Benjamin in the BBC miniseries Jekyll. He did a *fabulous* job.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

He is indeed a fine actor, just as David Tennant is, just as (within a certain range) Christopher Eccleston is. We enjoyed him in Neverwhere very much.

If this is in fact true, though, it highlights the fact that the nuWho production team have either forgotten, or are choosing to ignore, the fact that the Doctor is supposed to be an individual. If a character in, say, a long-running soap, had to be recast because of the original actor's illness, and the producers chose to recast him or her using an actor of a different colour, the audience simply would not stand for it. It would involve a complete reinvention of the character. And imagine the outcry if a black character were recast using a white actor!

And yet, because of the regeneration thing, people have the idea that there is nothing about the persona of the Doctor that can't be changed, no bones to it at all, no structure. On this logic, he could come back as anyone or anything.

Still, why not. People have been clamouring for a female Doctor for years, and this is no more radical a change than that would have been, and certainly no more radical than making the Doctor "sexy." Maybe he'll bridge the last great gap and play him as an American...

[johno.livejournal.com]

That would be a step to far!!!!

[jemstone.livejournal.com]

While I agree that the regeneration tactic can be played to that angle, I'm actually really excited about the concept of Joseph as the Doctor. The Doctor has regenerated into the likeness of an influential person in one of his adventures before (as has Romana, although the Doctor didn't seem to give himself such a talking to when he did it), and I'd hazard to say Joseph's character was at least a bit more than passing in his influence. :)

To tell the truth, I'm still waiting to see when, or if, the NuWho (I like that phrase!) team decides to go back and revisit the whole "How many Doctors have there been, really?" question from The Brain Of Morbius, where there are at least five Regenerations before Hartnell shown (one of them bearing a remarkable resemblance to Abraham Lincoln). It was fairly well established that the Doctor had some very interesting secrets in his past, especially in the Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy episodes, and more than a bit implied that the "Original Four" Time Lords were Rassillon, Omega, a Ship's Master, and a Ship's Doctor... But perhaps that angle will never be explored again. But wouldn't it be great if it was! :D

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

If they stuck with the idea that he had been Omega way back when, it would make "The Hand of Omega" really weird. If the continuity could be salvaged at all.

I sometimes think that things like that should just be relegated to "the team threw that one in for laughs". Right along with the in-joke about Jack and the Face of Bo. :)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Patterson Joseph and David Tennant don't seem to be more different from each other than Tennant is from, say, Tom Baker (who was a fabulous Puddleglum in the BBC's Silver Chair, as, well, it's him).

[luna-torquill.livejournal.com]

You have seen "The Curse of Fatal Death", right? :)

There was a parody done at one point (for BBSpot or some other charity) that had Chef as the Doctor; it was quite entertaining. It did kind of open the door for a black man to play the role, even though it was a joke.

Now, if you want controversy, let's have David Tennant be the new (female) companion! :D

[emmett-the-sane.livejournal.com]

I don't think the Doctor being black is much of a change at all, but I do think it's vitally important that the Doctor's personality be wildly different with each new persona -- something that was decided in 1966. The production team haven't forgotten a thing, I think.

Personally, I'd boycott the show were an American cast as the Doctor, though. :)

All that said, I'm not that fond of him (Paterson Joseph).

[madfilkentist]

The blog entry you link to mentions that Joseph has played a survivor of a "global meta-plague."

Wouldn't a meta-plague be a plague that attacks plagues, and a survivor of a meta-plague be a virus or bacterium?

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

OOOOOOOooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Loved him in Neverwhere

*swoon*

[edgreen86.livejournal.com]

An interesting choice. I'll be interested in seeing how he works out. I like the some the choices the show runners of the new series have been making, although I'm wondering when (if ever) we'll see a female Doctor.

Being a full convert to the Dr. Who 'Verse only through this new run (I had a fair idea of the general plot points of Who before that), I have no idea if there aren't laws against that sort of thing.

[jbetando.livejournal.com]

YES! He'll be good. I was worried because I really love David Tennant, but now my mind is definitely at ease. :D