News RUMOR: Whittaker potentially leaving
- Thread starter Relayer1
- Start date
Like Jodie, he was played up to be something more than a time lord. To steal a quote from a game handbook of the late-80’s/early 90’s...it was as if lost memories were opened up to that seventh (the number of perfection) incarnation. Jodie’s doctor had a flashback, but Seven knew...everything.
In my mind, Seven would have known who River was without even meeting her.
The Fourth Doctor is my fav—but...were I a villain—Seven is the one I’d least like to face off against (a post-regen sixth I might put something over on.)
He’d be the perfect Lower Decks cross-over, with Tom and TOS.
I’ll miss Jodie. I wanted to see more.
My knowledge of British actors isn't the best (I don't know if I've recognized any of the names that have been thrown around this thread), but ever since I watched the Quatermass Experiment with Tennant and Gatiss I've wanted to see Jason Flemyng as the Doctor. I know another white man is unlikely, but if they were to do that then he's the one I'd go for. Otherwise, probably David Harewood.
The show has been trying to downplay the unique and weirdness of the franchise and turn it into a standard Sci Fi show. Tennant's doctor is I suspect seen as the template for which ever version of the character must be like from now on. Likely be that way for awhile if BBC is insisting on it. Problem might even be beyond Chibnall. Show might not become good again until it becomes so unpopular they lets someone in to just do whatever they want because they are desperate or they have given up on the brand.
Jason
There was a cut scene from Remembrance of the Daleks, where 7 says he's "more than just another time lord". (featured in More than 30 Years In The TARDIS)
There was a suggestion in some of the novels (inspired by Cartmel's plan?) that the Doctor was there at the start of Timelord history with Rassilon and Omega as "The Other" whose name is forgotten.
This is something that will always bug me. To push so strongly for a female Doctor and then to swamp her with companions (including a middle aged white guy with more screen presence than Jodie, not to mention someone much better known than her in the UK) and then to suck the agency out of the Doctor and make her little more than an observer much of the time...if I was more conspiracy minded I'd have thought she was set up to fail.
I've seen enough to know that Jodie can be a good Doctor when she gets the right material, and I'm not saying a woman has to be a gun wielding Ripley/Sarah Connor type to be a strong character. By all means play up the observer aspect, by all means have her negotiate rather than go in guns blazing, but at least let her make a difference more often than not (and not let the bad guys get away with it. No comeuppance for Lenny Henry and Chris Noth has got off the hook twice now!)
It says something when Jo Martin can make such an impact with just, what ten minutes screen time as the Doctor?
Don't forget the Master. She has the opportunity to stop him and instead chooses to run away, letting Ko Sharmus die in her place, while giving the Master time to escape, making the sacrifice pointless.
That really bugs me. They went all out for Jo Martin. Her Doctor had a great impact. Meanwhile, Jodi gets lumbered with scripts where she doesn't have much agency and there often were not strong antagonists, which are great foils for the protagonist.
Even for the big reveal about the Doctor's true past, besides the fact that I don't like it, the Doctor was literally tied down by the Master who told her what he found. It could've been a great story if she had been the one discovering these ancient Time Lord secrets.
I'm also not sure why Chibnall won't have the Doctor travel alone with Yaz. Seems like it could be helpful for both characters. Instead, they're going with another old, white guy!
Indeed. While I had a suspicion they were probably going to bring a new companion anyway, I had hoped that with Yaz being the one who had been there already, she'd basically be the "primary companion" which could have helped her out with some much needed character development. And I hoped without a white male in the main cast the show could do something somewhat risky. Instead we have our replacement white male and with him being someone who is well known in the UK, I fear he's going to overshadow Yaz and become the primary companion for the season.
If Yaz stays for the entire season, she will be the longest-running companion in nuWho, and possibly the least developed.
Purely speculative here, but being from the Radio Times, it may add a little more fuel to the fire https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/scifi/2021-01-19/doctor-who-secret-regeneration/
I thought that Lady Peinforte said that in (a possibly deleted scene from ) Silver Nemesis.
I barely remember that episode. saw it when it first aired and never bothered since.
Jodie and her era keeps reminding me a little too much of Peter Davison, actually - the oh-so-nice Doctor with too many companions who finds him/herself at the total mercy of too many villains in a very cold and sadistic universe. Not dominating the scene, not single-handedly turning things around, sometimes lucky just to be getting out of there alive. Peter held it together and stayed kind, but towards the end he was getting increasingly tempted to start swinging (even shooting) back. Which, of course, culminated in Colin Baker's Doctor - and the Valeyard storyline.
With all that's happened these last couple seasons, I feel like Thirteen's got to be getting close to some kind of psychological breaking point by now. She's lost everything but the TARDIS, found out everything she thought she knew about herself was a lie, and she can't/won't talk about it with her companions. (Well, until the sit-down with Ryan at least.) I'm probably giving Chibnall and his 'masterplan' too much credit, but I have to feel this very slow burn is leading up to something HUGE come the next regeneration, if not sooner.
Last edited:
This 100 percent this...... Ditch Chibnall he's not good.
But the rumours seem to be rather persistent.
I definitely think a surprise regeneration is possible, even setting aside the Master/Jack/Ruth revelations under Chibnall the appearance of Jenna in Asylum of the Daleks proved it can be done. Just not sure how you could keep Jodie leaving a secret. I suspect the best you could hope for is knowing there's going to be a regeneration, but not knowing who it's going to be. Have it happen in the Tardis with just Yaz and Dan, limited crew and maybe you could pull it off.
There's some similarities you're right, but I think Davison fared better. For starters while he had too many companions, often one of them would be side-lined, rather than the Doctor being pushed into the background, additionally they were all younger than Peter and he was still clearly the one in charge (and nobody ever walked up to Nyssa and said "Ah Doctor you've regenerated") plus Peter (much like Matt) did the whole cranky old man in a young man's body very well. I wish Jodie would show more in that regard.
I think the darkest the 13th Doctor has gotten was killing a TARDIS in the New Years special. I will never get my wish of a really dark doctor run.
Personally, I don't see a surprise regeneration happening. Not because it would be difficult to keep secret, but rather because these days regenerations are Big Deals. It's a marketing and publicity spectacle, the fact that a regeneration is coming gets talked about in all the press coverage the show gets, and there are those who claim regeneration episodes are the only episodes they watch. Combine all this with the ratings struggles the show has had in recent years, and there would not be any reason at all to keep secret the reason the episode would be a draw to so many. Not to mention I would think the new Doctor would be upset they didn't get the spectacle to usher in their era that a majority of their predecessors got.
I especially can't see a "closed set" regeneration scene being filmed. In The Writer's Tale, RTD talks about how everyone who had even the most ancillary involvement with TEOT were all invited on set the day Tennant's regeneration was filmed, with Timothy Dalton especially expressing his enthusiasm about watching The Event. Then again, I guess with pandemic protocols in place, they wouldn't be able to go all out like that this time anyway.
Similar threads
