It's time for an American Doctor

[The Wormhole]

The question, though is why would the Doctor regenerate into someone who talks with an American accent? Yes, the Doctor's voice and accent changes with regeneration, most notable with Eccleston's Northern accent or McCoy's or Capaldi's Scottish accents. But most, if not all Time Lords speak with a British accent. The only exception that comes to mind is the Eric Roberts Master, and that can be explained as the Master just adopting the speech and accent of his current host body. Given that Gallifrey is essentially Space Britain, a non-British Doctor speaking with a foreign accent is really going to stand out indeed.

 

[JRoss]

LOL, @Captaindemotion, I take it you've never seen Battlestar Galactica?

 

[VDCNI]

Well the last Batman, current Superman and current Spiderman are Brits (ok I know Garfield was born in the US but he was raised over here) so never say never...

the primary criteria for being the Doctor should be that you're a good fit for the Doctor, and it shouldn't matter whether you're male, female, black or white, British or American...

That said I think there is a certain quirky eccentricity that comes with a British accent as opposed to an American one, so in the same way I wouldn't be horrified by an American Bond, the deal breaker would have to be them affecting a British accent of some description, in the same way Cavill and Bale use American accents.

If they were going down the route of an known actor in American tv then I'd go with Simon Baker (he is Australian but has duel citizenship now I believe) or Gillian Anderson (who practically seems to be English these days anyway!)

As others have said, I can't see the BBC doing it unless an exceptional candidate became available.

There is a big difference though between what a film company looking for an International audience can get away with and a BBC that will always be primarily concerned with a domestic audience.

Though Anderson was brought up over here for a good chunk of her childhood so possibly.

 

[Captaindemotion]

LOL, @Captaindemotion, I take it you've never seen Battlestar Galactica?

His pseudo-Irish accent in it? I didn't mind it, actually. he also played one of the Guildford Four in In the Name of the Father and for years I didn't realise that it wasn't an Irish actor in the role. But I was thinking more in terms of him playing the Doctor with an American accent anyway.

 

[Iamnotspock]

LOL, @Captaindemotion, I take it you've never seen Battlestar Galactica?

His pseudo-Irish accent in it? I didn't mind it, actually. he also played one of the Guildford Four in In the Name of the Father and for years I didn't realise that it wasn't an Irish actor in the role. But I was thinking more in terms of him playing the Doctor with an American accent anyway.

He's an English actor so, if cast, why would he adopt a US accent for the role?

 

[Captaindemotion]

LOL, @Captaindemotion, I take it you've never seen Battlestar Galactica?

His pseudo-Irish accent in it? I didn't mind it, actually. he also played one of the Guildford Four in In the Name of the Father and for years I didn't realise that it wasn't an Irish actor in the role. But I was thinking more in terms of him playing the Doctor with an American accent anyway.

He's an English actor so, if cast, why would he adopt a US accent for the role?

I always thought he was American. Ah well, you learn something every day!

 

[Green Lantern]

If they made a Doctor Who USA then maybe but in the British show, I don't think it'd work.

 

[Blamo]

it would ultimately help the budget

It really really wouldn't. There's a reason British actors jump to the US as soon as they've made even a slight name for themselves.

And there was already a huge fuss made about how much the BBC paid their talent.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

American Doctor, huh?

Christopher LLoyd or no-one!

 

[Iamnotspock]

American Doctor, huh?

Christopher LLoyd or no-one!

"Great Scott! It's the Daleks!"

 

[JRoss]

Thanks for all of the responses. Truth be told, I started this thread as a study of sorts. I don't, repeat, don't want an American Doctor. I feel that Doctor Who is a British show that should feature British Doctors.

That said, I wanted to do a little searching through what people would think. Specifically, I want to know if there are folks out there who want a female Doctor but who abhor the idea of an American Doctor.

What gets me is that people who don't want a female Doctor are being painted as misogynists, anti-trans or otherwise close-minded. I don't consider myself any of those things, yet I'm a bigot because I don't want a female Doctor. Supporters mention a "glass ceiling" on Doctor Who, just because the role that was originated for and continued exclusively by men continues to cast men.

Now if someone has a problem with an American Doctor but considers anyone else a hater for not wanting a woman Doctor, they have some pondering to do. An accent is nothing to the Doctor, he's been Scottish, Northern, and everything else. It would be nothing for him to change it a little bit more.

Changing from a man to a woman, genetically, is a much bigger deal. That's the core of your being, at least for a human. Seeing as we only have two canonical trans-Lords, it seems to be something of a rarity. If you're against a simple thing like an accent change but actively campaign for and insult those who are against a female Doctor, you really ought to rethink your position.

Thank you.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Now if someone has a problem with an American Doctor but considers anyone else a hater for not wanting a woman Doctor, they have some pondering to do. An accent is nothing to the Doctor, he's been Scottish, Northern, and everything else. It would be nothing for him to change it a little bit more.

Like into a woman? Someone that's not white?

If I have some pondering to do, don't you? Aren't you essentially arguing that the Doctor can change into anything? So, why would you be against the Doctor being a woman? Or a person of color?

 

[Timby]

I feel that Doctor Who is a British show that should feature British Doctors.

If you're against a simple thing like an accent change but actively campaign for and insult those who are against a female Doctor, you really ought to rethink your position.

No, I really don't need to; Doctor Who is an intrinsically British show and the Doctor is an intrinsically British creation -- and you yourself admit that. The Doctor is a time-traveling alien with a preternatural fascination with Great Britain who takes one or more (usually human) companions along to experience adventures through time and space, and the rest comes out in the wash. Whether or not the Doctor is a woman is immaterial.

 

[JRoss]

I'm saying that it's far easier to change your voice than your sex. I'm sure there will be a woman Doctor. If the Moff ends up doing it, it'll suck. They need a woman writer, at least for the first lady Doctor.

@Timby, accents are far more immaterial than gender.

 

[JRoss]

Also, to make clear. I want a British man to play the Doctor. That's my preference. And no, I don't care if he's white or not. Never have, never will. A little extra melanin isn't anything surprising.

 

[The Wormhole]

A few years ago I would have been against a female Doctor, feeling gender is the one thing regeneration shouldn't change. But now that we've had a few references indicating gender can change, not to mention a female Master, I've done a 180 and will have no problem when a female Doctor is cast. Provided she's British, of course.

 

[Ithekro]

Considering the various forms Romana tried, a Timelord doesn't even have to come out entirely human looking. She at first was what we get for Second Romana, but then went with something short and blue. Then extremely tall (Tom Baker is a rather tall man, and this Romana was maybe two feet taller than him). Then there was what was possibly a transgender. Then back to Romana's first choice (Princess Astra)

The Doctor could be anyone or anything. However the production logic says that the actor should probably be British for easy of production. The Doctor could one day get the face of Captain Jack Harkness with his American accent, but if John Barrowman were to be the Doctor, he's still be a British actor playing as a American.

 

[The Wormhole]

Considering the various forms Romana tried, a Timelord doesn't even have to come out entirely human looking. She at first was what we get for Second Romana, but then went with something short and blue. Then extremely tall (Tom Baker is a rather tall man, and this Romana was maybe two feet taller than him). Then there was what was possibly a transgender. Then back to Romana's first choice (Princess Astra)

The Doctor could be anyone or anything. However the production logic says that the actor should probably be British for easy of production. The Doctor could one day get the face of Captain Jack Harkness with his American accent, but if John Barrowman were to be the Doctor, he's still be a British actor playing as a American.

Unless Barrowman used his natural Scottish accent hen he played the Doctor. And Romana's changing room regeneration, not to mention the Ninth and Eleventh Doctor's implication that regeneration could turn up something with two heads or none, we've never seen a Time Lord look like anything other than the standard human/Gallifreyan norm. And they've all spoken with British accents.

 

[Professor Zoom]

I'm saying that it's far easier to change your voice than your sex.

Sure. For humans, changing our gender requires going to the hospital. But, unless you are the same kind of fictional alien the Doctor is, you don't know squat. Changing gender seems to be a matter of regeneration... the same thing that changes his/her/its accent.

@Timby, accents are far more immaterial than gender.

While accents might be immaterial, character isn't. An American actor brings something very different to a role, like a Russian or a British actor would. So casting someone outside of the UK is changing something more than just accent. Think about the American production of Doctor Who. Think about a reboot of Doctor Who done by Americans and how different than that would be.

Changing geography would be greater than changing gender or race. The whole personality of the show would change.

 

[Venardhi]

The only non-Brit that comes to my mind is Simon Baker. Though after 7 years as a lead on a primetime network show, his quote may be a bit high for their budget.