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The Doctor's Father

starsuperion

Commodore
Commodore
Okay, so I have been contemplating this father and son type storyline idea.. I am writing

I know it is a far off dream, but I intend to send the script to the BBC, just for the heck of it..

But, if let's say the Doctor found a pocket dimension, to where he met his long lost father, who would you choose to play him?

I am stuck on only one actor..but am open to new ideas.

My choice would have to be Sir Ian McKellan...

Or if his father is really old, say near his last regens, being in a pocket dimension means time in our universe flows differently..

would his Father look young? who could pull that off opposite Capaldi?
 
There is no point sending a script to the BBC no matter how good it is they're not going to make it, frankly they're possibly not even going to read it. If you want to be a script writer it will be a long road and even if you become successful the chances of being commissioned to write for Who are tiny.

As fan fiction or as a developmental exercise go for it but don't harbour any expectations of a spec script being made, this isn't like the days of Next Gen (unfortunately).
 
When it comes to the script, everything Starkers said. If you have an agent and a WGA card, you might be a little better off, but you'd want the agent to make the query and, if they're interested, submission. Otherwise, yeah, the script is going in the bin unread.

As for speculative casting, I could see Ken Branagh as the Doctor's father, Ulysses. Given regeneration, there's no reason his father needs to be an old man. He can be in the prime of his life.

An interesting choice might be an actor around the age of 30 to 35. Someone younger than Capaldi. Only he acts like he's 80 or 90. Maybe someone like Bradley James from Merlin or Ben Whishaw from The Hour or Jim Sturgess from a bunch of movies.
 
There is no point sending a script to the BBC no matter how good it is they're not going to make it, frankly they're possibly not even going to read it. If you want to be a script writer it will be a long road and even if you become successful the chances of being commissioned to write for Who are tiny.

As fan fiction or as a developmental exercise go for it but don't harbour any expectations of a spec script being made, this isn't like the days of Next Gen (unfortunately).

Hmm.. Yea, I suppose you are right.. I thought with Moffatt's pension for taking ideas from Fans, and comic story lines, he might be open to maybe suggestions rather then a full blown script, but from what I am getting here, it would have to be like a viral type thing, even for them to consider such ideas..

I guess they probably get hit with scripts and suggestions all the time given the popularity the show now garners world wide. I can understand why they would not accept scripts, or maybe even fan fiction Ideas. Plus from what you are saying you would have to be an established writer, with an agent event o be heard. That, I am not.. amateur at best is what I would describe my writing in script format..

But in the study of Quantum Physics for the last 12 years, Meta Physics (spirituality and the study of the Pineal Gland) and Architectural design, I can safely say, I am pretty good.. Not the best, and not the worst..

I hadn't even considered the politics behind the entertainment business as being an obstacle to ideas..Thanks Starkers, nice to have the ground under my feet before climbing too high in the clouds on lofty ideas. :techman:

When it comes to the script, everything Starkers said. If you have an agent and a WGA card, you might be a little better off, but you'd want the agent to make the query and, if they're interested, submission. Otherwise, yeah, the script is going in the bin unread.

As for speculative casting, I could see Ken Branagh as the Doctor's father, Ulysses. Given regeneration, there's no reason his father needs to be an old man. He can be in the prime of his life.

An interesting choice might be an actor around the age of 30 to 35. Someone younger than Capaldi. Only he acts like he's 80 or 90. Maybe someone like Bradley James from Merlin or Ben Whishaw from The Hour or Jim Sturgess from a bunch of movies.

Ken Branagh now that is Brilliant! I saw some reviews of him in Macbeth, he is such a great Actor! If not as the Doctor's father, then as a future Doctor himself, he would be absolutely smashing!!

I agree, if the Doctor ever met his father, playing a character in the prime of his life, with the attitude of someone in their 80's and 90's would be quite a task, also having to do it opposite Capaldi, and have some Father son Angst thrown in for tension purposes, and familial respect would have to come both ways, and would be an interesting emotional roller coaster to see.

Bradley James, Tho I like his character and range, I don't feel like he could necessarily hold his own against Capaldi..

Ben Whishaw - He would be a good choice and has some interesting quirks which could lend to being a great Father figure to Capaldi if played correctly, but could he play a young body with an old mind? Not sure... Tho I admit, I haven't seen much of his work.

Jim Sturgess He could do well I suppose, and it would be kinda cool to see the Doctor's father oft walking while singing a tune.. and Capaldi being annoyed, and yet if they were captured and in trouble, I can see Capaldi requesting a tune from his child hood days.. great suggestion there! :techman:
 
I think we've only had two real references to the Doctor's father: in the TV movie, and in Listen. Apart from that, the Doctor has referred a few times to his family in general, but never really elaborated on it. This is "Doctor Who"(?) after all.


There was an idea somewhat similar to the OP, except in reverse, that William Hartnell pitched, that the Doctor would encounter his son who was evil or something.
 
I think we've only had two real references to the Doctor's father: in the TV movie, and in Listen. Apart from that, the Doctor has referred a few times to his family in general, but never really elaborated on it. This is "Doctor Who"(?) after all.


There was an idea somewhat similar to the OP, except in reverse, that William Hartnell pitched, that the Doctor would encounter his son who was evil or something.

well that would be interesting indeed.. I am wondering tho, What ever happened to Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter..
 
I think we've only had two real references to the Doctor's father: in the TV movie, and in Listen. Apart from that, the Doctor has referred a few times to his family in general, but never really elaborated on it. This is "Doctor Who"(?) after all.


There was an idea somewhat similar to the OP, except in reverse, that William Hartnell pitched, that the Doctor would encounter his son who was evil or something.

well that would be interesting indeed.. I am wondering tho, What ever happened to Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter..

She quickly returned to the colony upon realizing her shuttle didn't have FTL and even with a Gallifreyan lifespan the chances of getting anywhere else were very slim. So now she's working with humans and Hath trying to build a society upon the foundation of a man who never would (except for those times when he did).
 
I would be interesting to have a wacky family reunion with Jenny, Susan (does Carole Ann Ford still act?), River and the Doctor's parents.
 
Still, it might be fun to write. I wrote a script and gave it to JNT at a con in Miami in 1983. He was there with Peter Davison. It wasn't a Who script but he actually read it.

I still have the rejection letter, which was lovely.

BTW – I am very intrigued at your mention of study on the pineal glad & metaphysics. While I am aware of that connection, I didn't know anyone had written on it. Any specific boo, or such, that you could recommend? Thanks
 
At one stage in the early 1990s I remember reading that the proposed US TV script would feature the Doctor's father. There was talk of trying to land Peter O'Toole for that role (the article I read suggested Eric Idle for the Doctor).
 
Considering Time Lords can swap genders at regeneration, who says the Doctor's father has to be played by a man?
 
Not that I'd ever want to see a flashback on Doctor Who, but Patrick Stewart would be the perfect choice to play the Doctor father. Either Patrick Stewart or Tom Baker that is.
 
At one stage in the early 1990s I remember reading that the proposed US TV script would feature the Doctor's father. There was talk of trying to land Peter O'Toole for that role (the article I read suggested Eric Idle for the Doctor).

I believe Peter O'Toole had actually said yes before that version of the script (full reboot and politics on Gallifrey with the Master as the Doctor's full-Time Lord half-brother, and the Doctor as the half-human black sheep of the family) was dropped in favour of one set on the more familiar - and budgetary-possible - ground of Earth. Though I think O'Toole was to have been their grandfather, the President, with their father (Ulysses) AWOL somewhere in the universe.
 
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