An older Doctor...

[Jim Steele]

Eccleston evoked Hartnell, Colin Baker and McCoy for me. That sense of a man tired with the world, a grumpy bastard. Then Tennant came along and felt more like Troughton, Tom Baker and Davison. Still world weary, but far more joyous. Both 9 & 10 were fantastic though, I don't mean any of these as derogatory comparisons at all.

Can't wait to see how Matt Smith turns out. I think he's going to surprise us all.

 

[Peacemaker]

Do you think an older Doctor (maybe someone in his 50's) would work on this show? Why do you think they've been avoiding it, so far?

I think that the producers believe that a younger doctor would be more appealing to a new, younger Dr. Who audience.

Moffat was honest in the Doctor Who Confidential; he wanted an older actor. But Matt Smith sold him better than anyone else he saw (and pretty much right off the bat), and that's the direction he and Piers Wenger went. They didn't pick a young actor because they felt that would appeal to the audience. They picked a young actor because they felt he was the right actor for what they wanted.

Which is why I've got a feeling that Smith and the Moff are going to go the route of "an old man trapped in a young body, struggling to be taken seriously." I have a sneaking suspicion that Smith's Doctor may well be a throwback to Hartnell, wise but often disagreeable too.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

^Hopefully not too much grumpy Hartnell though. That was what got Colin Baker into trouble.

If I had to compare Eccleston & Tennant to classic Doctors, I'd say Eccleston reminds me more of Tom Baker & Sylvester McCoy than anything. I think they took a lot of cues from the Tom Baker years when first rejuvinating the series; a logical choice considering Tom Baker is the most popular & mainstream of the original Doctors. T. Baker & Eccleston are both very commanding presences but with a solid goofball heart (and I think they have the same smile). At the same time, Eccleston has some of McCoy's dark side. Also, I think Eccleston has some of Jon Pertwee's arrogance. Whenever Eccleston would refer to humans as "stupid apes" or be a dick to Mickey, it reminds me of when Pertwee would get a chip on his shoulder showing up the rest of UNIT.

As for Tennant, I don't see too much of a resemblance to Peter Davison. They both have a caring, heroic streak but Tennant is absolutely manic while Davison was the most sedate of all the Doctors. The only other Doctor who comes close to being as excitable as Tennant is Paul McGann, and even he is a good way off. (McGann was like an 8, while Tennant cranks it all the way up to 20.) I think he has some of the whimsy of Patrick Troughton & Tom Baker but none of the gravitas. And he overacts worse than Colin Baker.

But perhaps it's the writing and the shared backstory more than anything else that makes me view Eccleston & Tennant as such close cousins to each other. In particularly, I think Tennant channeled Eccleston quite a bit. There are times when I'll hear Tennant saying a line in my head, then I'll think back and realize that I was thinking of an Eccleston episode. But I suppose that only cuts the one way. I think Tennant's Doctor could do everything that Eccleston did but I don't think Eccleston's Doctor had the range to do a lot of the things that Tennant did.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

If we can't get an older Doctor, I would at least settle for an unsexy one. Perhaps that's one of the biggest differences between the old series & the new. None of the old Doctors were sexy. William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, & Jon Pertwee were all old guys (although Pertwee might have had some kind of old Sean Connery sexiness to him). Tom Baker, Colin Baker, & Sylvester McCoy were all goofy character actors (although supposedly Tom Baker did have a certain appeal to a very kinky subset of women). And while Peter Davison was a very handsome man, he gives a very antiseptic, asexual performance (by design, IIRC). Only the 3 most recent Doctors--McGann, Eccleston, & Tennant--conform to conventional attractiveness.

 

[Starkers]

Would you say the last three docs were that attractive, really? McGann maybe, but Eccleston isn't conventionally attractive (big nose, big ears) and Tennant is, as Donna describes, a thin streak of nothing. Obviously I'm speaking as a hetrosexual guy, but I don't know too many women who really fancy Tennant all that much. I realise a lot of people fancy both of them, but neither is as conventionally handsome as, say, Barrowman.

Re their similarity to past doctors...I think one of the things I most liked about Eccleston is that it's hard to compare him too closely to older doctors, whereas it's a lot easier with Tennant who seems (sometimes) to be chanelling other docs without bringing anything new to the part. In James Bond terms he's Pierce Brosnan. Now I liked Brosnan as Bond and I like Tennant as the Doctor, but both are amalgams of best bits of others.

Just IMO of course

 

[Jim Steele]

I'm a straight man, and I'd fuck David Tennant until my chode fell off.

 

[Starkers]

I'm a straight man, and I'd fuck David Tennant until my chode fell off.

I bet DT is quivering at the very thought!

 

[The]

I think Tennant's Doctor could do everything that Eccleston did but I don't think Eccleston's Doctor had the range to do a lot of the things that Tennant did.

I agree with everything you said, and found it to be genuinley insightful without regurgitating the normal points of popular discussion when comparing RTD's two Doctors. However, I disagree with the quoted line. I think it's the other way around. When Tennant does "furious", he's "shouty". When Eccleston does "furious", I can feel the thunder in my teeth. Chris has far, far more emotional depth in his acting range than Tennant does. I think David will grow in his talent and abilities as he ages. But, right now, it's no contest for me. Number 9 was "The Oncoming Storm" that made even Daleks shit their pants. Number 10 is a manic godling, wearing his emotional turmoil on his sleeves...

 

[The]

I think one of the things I most liked about Eccleston is that it's hard to compare him too closely to older doctors, whereas it's a lot easier with Tennant who seems (sometimes) to be chanelling other docs without bringing anything new to the part. In James Bond terms he's Pierce Brosnan. Now I liked Brosnan as Bond and I like Tennant as the Doctor, but both are amalgams of best bits of others.

Absolutely! Chris was the first actor since Davison to bring something completely and utterly new to the role. I like Tennant because he reminds me of my childhood Doctors. But, I love Eccleston because he IS The Doctor...

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Would you say the last three docs were that attractive, really? McGann maybe, but Eccleston isn't conventionally attractive (big nose, big ears) and Tennant is, as Donna describes, a thin streak of nothing. Obviously I'm speaking as a hetrosexual guy, but I don't know too many women who really fancy Tennant all that much. I realise a lot of people fancy both of them, but neither is as conventionally handsome as, say, Barrowman.

I've seen enough women drooling over Eccleston's shirtless photos from "Dalek" to know that women do fancy him. I think he's got kinda the same "sexy ugly" thing that Daniel Craig has.

And while Tennant may not be a total heartthrob, he's certainly far more conventionally attractive than any of the 1st 7 Doctors. He's handsome enough that it was perfectly plausible to play up the romantic lead angle with Rose & Martha. Compare that to how Sarah Jane's purported love for the 4th Doctor seemed to come completely from out of nowhere.

I think Tennant's Doctor could do everything that Eccleston did but I don't think Eccleston's Doctor had the range to do a lot of the things that Tennant did.

I agree with everything you said, and found it to be genuinley insightful without regurgitating the normal points of popular discussion when comparing RTD's two Doctors. However, I disagree with the quoted line. I think it's the other way around. When Tennant does "furious", he's "shouty". When Eccleston does "furious", I can feel the thunder in my teeth. Chris has far, far more emotional depth in his acting range than Tennant does. I think David will grow in his talent and abilities as he ages. But, right now, it's no contest for me. Number 9 was "The Oncoming Storm" that made even Daleks shit their pants. Number 10 is a manic godling, wearing his emotional turmoil on his sleeves...

I agree that, as actors, Eccleston has more range & gravitas than Tennnant. But as characters, the 9th Doctor was much more emotionally limited. For example, I can't picture the 9th Doctor playing out the whistful melancholy of his reunion with Sarah Jane in "School Reunion."

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I'm a straight man, and I'd fuck David Tennant until my chode fell off.

I bet DT is quivering at the very thought!

With excitement, or out or fear?

 

[Brendan Moody]

I've seen enough women drooling over Eccleston's shirtless photos from "Dalek" to know that women do fancy him.

Well, dig around on the Internet enough and you'll find extraordinarily detailed proof that there are women and men who fancy every one of the Doctors, but that doesn't mean they're "conventionally attractive."

The most recent Doctors are a bit more youthful (as opposed to young) than some of the earlier ones, and they're made-up and shot like leading men in a modern production rather than character roles in an older show, but I don't think they're that much less attractive under the gloss than in the old days. Personally, out of all ten, I'd take Peter Davison, "antiseptic, asexual performance" or no.

 

[wamdue]

I'm a straight man, and I'd fuck David Tennant until my chode fell off.

David Tennant isnt John Barrowman.

and there are people on this very forum who drool all over Eccleston.

 

[Jim Steele]

David Tennant isnt John Barrowman.

I prefer a challenge.

 

[Starkers]

And while Tennant may not be a total heartthrob, he's certainly far more conventionally attractive than any of the 1st 7 Doctors.

Well I'd agree on 6 of them, Davison is a lot more conventionally looking than Tennant, plus be interesting to see how good Tennant looks when he's a comparable age to, say, Pertwee.

 

[Starkers]

I'm a straight man, and I'd fuck David Tennant until my chode fell off.

I bet DT is quivering at the very thought!

With excitement, or out or fear?

I'd guess buttock clenching fear!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

David Tennant isnt John Barrowman.

I prefer a challenge.

How very rapey.

 

[Jim Steele]

David Tennant isnt John Barrowman.

I prefer a challenge.

How very rapey.

Rapey nothing sir. The challenge is convincing him it's a good idea!

"Hmmm, you say it could boost my career? Interesting. And, well, it is such a cute, wider than it is long penis..."

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I prefer a challenge.

How very rapey.

Rapey nothing sir. The challenge is convincing him it's a good idea!

"Hmmm, you say it could boost my career? Interesting. And, well, it is such a cute, wider than it is long penis..."

Does this "convincing" include rohypnol?

 

[Jim Steele]

No, just a silver tongue, rapier wit, and a penis too small to cause any lasting damage.