The Curator.... Who is he? (SPOILERS for "The Day of the Doctor")

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by Emperor-Tiberius, Nov 24, 2013.

  1. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    I was thinking about that earlier in the day myself. While Tom Baker may have been the first choice for the role for a variety of reasons (oldest living Doctor, fan favourite) I imagine they have been prepared to go to one of the other classic Doctors.

    Ouch, really? I know Davison is Moffat's favourite, but I didn't realize he was so harsh towards C Baker and McCoy. I can easily picture any of them portraying the Curator perfectly.
     
  2. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2000
    Location:
    South Pennsyltucky
    A caveat, this interview is now almost twenty years old.

    It struck me this evening that the Curator could have been Eccleston's role. Imagine that how that would have played. The Doctor we had always known as the one who suffered the most for Gallifrey's destruction, to have him suddenly appear and hint that, no, it was saved after all! I'm probably thinking nonsense here, yet it makes so much sense to me intuitively.
     
  3. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Wow, what an awful thing for Moffat to say. My respect for him just declined precipitously.

    I was wondering myself what they would have done if Tom Baker wasn't available. Peter Davison would have been just fine with me, since he's "my" Doctor. But any of the Doctors would have been fine with me. Maybe they would have put David Tennant in old age makeup. :D
     
  4. Emperor-Tiberius

    Emperor-Tiberius Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2005
    Location:
    Kavala, Greece
    If Tom Baker had proved unavailable, I think David Bradley would've been a good choice... He'd have supped for Hartnell, as per the Adventures in Space and Time.

    If anything, it'd been a nice nod back to that's ending.
     
  5. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2001
    Location:
    Behind Enemy Lines
    Well that quote was from 20 years ago, and from the sounds of it alcohol had been imbied, and whilst I probably wouldn't have put it quite so harshly, he does have a point with regard to acting ability.

    I guess it depends which came first, the role of the curator or the availability of Tom. Did Moffat always intend there to be a curator, or was the role created once it became apparent Tom was willing to appear. If it’s the former then Peter would have been the logical choice (and there would have been an interesting synchronicity, the two youngest Doctors meeting) but if it’s the latter then the scene might have played out very differently. Other than with Tom or Peter I can’t see that scene as working very well.
     
  6. Iamnotspock

    Iamnotspock Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2008
    Location:
    Bristol, England
    He's since expressed appropriate mortification and revised his opinion on McCoy, at least publicly. I've still only ever known him to keep quiet about his thoughts on the sixth Doctor...
     
  7. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2011
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    I enjoyed both Colin and Sylvester's Doctor portrayals, and I think McCoy has shown good acting skills otherwise, in other roles. I Can't think of anything else I've seen Colin in, other than The Stranger, and he's pretty much playing his Doctor in the early episodes of it (I gave up on it, when they changed it to distance it from an Unofficial Doctor Who)

    Regarding Hartnell, until I read posts here pointing it out, I always just assumed his stumbling over lines was an intentional schtick in his portrayal of the Doctor when he's playing Giddy (and his mispronunciation of Chesterton definitely felt like The Doctor doing it deliberately, ala Endora in Bewitched or Lucy's mother in I Love Lucy)
     
  8. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2001
    Location:
    The Wormhole
    ^^I assumed mispronouncing Chesterton was intentional since it actually got acknowledged in the show itself. But then An Adventure in Space and Time suggests Hartnell really couldn't remember the name.
     
  9. Alidar Jarok

    Alidar Jarok Everything in moderation but moderation Moderator

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Location:
    Norfolk, VA
    IIRC, it wasn't intentional at first, but they decided to make it a "thing" to help explain it.
     
  10. DWF

    DWF Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 19, 2001
    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    The Doctor stopped misprouncing Ian's name when he scolded the Doctor about it, but I do think it was in character.
     
  11. NCC1701MF

    NCC1701MF Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2004
    Location:
    Hudson County, NJ
    Regarding Tom Baker being the Doctor revisiting an old face. We have Elizabeth I appointing the Doctor as the Curator (mentioned earlier in this thread). The Curator said "Who knows" but he may have really said "Who nose" as he points to his nose. The action of pointing to your nose means "this is a secret between us". We've seen Santa Claus performing this action also (just saw Santa in the Macy's parade); this gesture comes from the poem Twas The Night Before Christmas.
     
  12. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    ^^ Not to mention The Sting. :D

    Well, that's good.
     
  13. sidious618

    sidious618 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2005
    Location:
    sidious618
    Yeah, that interview was done with plenty of alcohol way back in the 90s, before the show was even revived.
     
  14. RJDiogenes

    RJDiogenes Idealistic Cynic and Canon Champion Premium Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2003
    Location:
    RJDiogenes of Boston
    Hmm. And before it became his job. :rommie:
     
  15. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2000
    Location:
    South Pennsyltucky
    In vino veritas. :)
     
  16. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2011
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    He apparently has some gems that come out when he's imbibed, "I'll erase you from Doctor Who".
     
  17. The Doctor

    The Doctor Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2004
    Location:
    The Doctor's TARDIS
    Exactly. The Doctor's (possibly) final regeneration was the same physical form as the Fourth and he retired to the Black Archives to finally take up the curators job he'd been offered so long ago.

    It isn't and needn't be more complicated than that.
     
  18. Chrono85

    Chrono85 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2013
    Location:
    USA
    I think he was a future Doctor who chose to regenerate into a body that was identical to that of his fourth incarnation. Maybe in the future, the Doctor finds a way to control the regeneration process.
     
  19. Allyn Gibson

    Allyn Gibson Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2000
    Location:
    South Pennsyltucky
    Close. It was "You are erased from Doctor Who." :)
     
  20. Sindatur

    Sindatur The Gray Owl Wizard Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2011
    Location:
    Sacramento, CA
    Apparently, I didn't have enough to drink before opening my mouth....er...keyboard ;)