An older Doctor...

[Ubik]

I don't know if this is a tired topic, already discussed ad nauseum around here, but....

Is anybody else vaguely disappointed that the new show always and only conceives the Doctor as a young guy? Don't get me wrong - I liked Eccleston and Tennant both very much, and I enjoyed Tennant's constant channeling of a combination of Davison and Tom Baker, but I also miss the calmness of some of the earlier performances. Tom Baker, for example, could be quite calm, even serene, at times, and it seemed to come with a bit more age. Pertwee, though obviously not a favorite, never had that manic energy that Davison and Tennant both had. I even miss some of Hartnell's calm wisdom. An older Doctor would get us out of the romantic rut that the younger Doctor always seems to get caught in, and it would allow him to be a bit of a father figure again, something that I think the new show might do well to try out.

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?

 

[wamdue]

not to blow a hole in your theory, and whilst I agree both Tennant & more so Matt Smith are "young guys" Eccleston was born in 1964, making him 41 in 2005, how could that he be considered young?

 

[sidious618]

41 is not young but it sure ain't old either. It's not even middle age at this point.

Anyhow, I do agree that an older Doctor would've been cool. Obviously, I can't judge yet but yes, I'd be happier if they went with an older Doctor.

 

[auntiehill]

I think a slightly more mature Doctor would be nice--50s or even 60s. At least we wouldn't get so many endless shots of him running.

 

[wamdue]

I think a slightly more mature Doctor would be nice--50s or even 60s. At least we wouldn't get so many endless shots of him running.

but that could be achieved by RTDs not writing the episode.

 

[auntiehill]

Well, yes, there is that.

 

[bigdaddy]

41 is not young but it sure ain't old either. It's not even middle age at this point.

The average age of a male in an "industrialized country" is 75 to80ish. So how isn't that middle aged?

 

[Brendan Moody]

Practically speaking, an actor who is seriously older probably wouldn't be able to handle the current production schedule: it's exhausting for 30/40-somethings like Eccleston and Tennant, so the odds of finding a skilled older actor who would be ideal for the role aren't great. Early 50s, maybe, though, and if an actor in that age range had a great take on the character I'd love to see it.

Personally I don't like the idea of setting out to make the Doctor older or younger, or calmer or more energetic, or more this or less that. The key, I think, is to start with the basic idea of the character and let the actors you audition impress you with what new approaches they can bring to the Doctor. Looking too hard for a type is too limiting.

 

[wamdue]

if he is not middle aged at 41, now hes 45 he is middle aged, living to 100 is not that common, not even for women, but 41-45 is pretty much middle aged on the dot.

 

[Brendan Moody]

I think a slightly more mature Doctor would be nice--50s or even 60s. At least we wouldn't get so many endless shots of him running.

but that could be achieved by RTDs not writing the episode.

Yeah, RTD did invent running scenes in Doctor Who.

 

[wamdue]

I think a slightly more mature Doctor would be nice--50s or even 60s. At least we wouldn't get so many endless shots of him running.

but that could be achieved by RTDs not writing the episode.

Yeah, RTD did invent running scenes in Doctor Who.

obviously not, but do you not remeber Sound of the Drums?

The Doctor has had a telephone call with the Master, can see that he is being watch via CCTV, he puts the phone down and says "run" like that is going just the act of them running will make a blind bit of difference. The Doctor was in an urban area covered in CCTV, no matter how fasts he runs he is not theFlash, the CCTV can follow him, and actually running would probaly have drawn attention to themselves, and I dont recall them being followed by anyone at that time.

 

[Brendan Moody]

...Doctor Who in "implausible moment that makes it more dramatic" shocker!

At least it wasn't "When I say run, run."

 

[wamdue]

I still say that once RTDs goes there will be less running in general on Doctor, obviously there will always be some, but there will be less, also there will be alot less "up & down" as we know that is something RTDs is fond of.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Less up and down, maybe. Less running? Not a chance. There isn't really any more running in a RTD episode than there is in the average Who story from the past. It's more obvious and memorable because it's being done to the FAST FAST FAST standard of modern television rather than the electronic theater standard of the classic series, but significantly more per story? I don't think so. It's a sci-fi action drama; movement at high speeds is part of the job description.

 

[bigdaddy]

I like the episode Rose when he tells Rose "Nice to meet you, now run!!!" or soemthing like that.

However old people can't run?

 

[wamdue]

as ive said I dont disagree there will still be running in Doctor Who, I just dont think there will be running for no good reason, like there can be in some RTD stories.

 

[Brendan Moody]

I could explain why the running in your sole given example is not "for no good reason" but part of the tension-building dramatic structure of the episode, but we've already beaten this topic to death, haven't we?

 

[bismarck_1892]

I don't know if this is a tired topic, already discussed ad nauseum around here, but....

Is anybody else vaguely disappointed that the new show always and only conceives the Doctor as a young guy? Don't get me wrong - I liked Eccleston and Tennant both very much, and I enjoyed Tennant's constant channeling of a combination of Davison and Tom Baker, but I also miss the calmness of some of the earlier performances. Tom Baker, for example, could be quite calm, even serene, at times, and it seemed to come with a bit more age. Pertwee, though obviously not a favorite, never had that manic energy that Davison and Tennant both had. I even miss some of Hartnell's calm wisdom. An older Doctor would get us out of the romantic rut that the younger Doctor always seems to get caught in, and it would allow him to be a bit of a father figure again, something that I think the new show might do well to try out.

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.

 

[wamdue]

I could explain why the running in your sole given example is not "for no good reason" but part of the tension-building dramatic structure of the episode, but we've already beaten this topic to death, haven't we?

in my sole example I did not feel that it built tension, just that it the Doctor did it because either he or RTDs couldnt think of anything else for him to do. That is why I used that example.

however yes I agree we have beaten the topic to death

 

[Brendan Moody]

Yes, that's exactly the point: the Doctor runs because he doesn't know what else to do. For the first time (in the new series), he's been so consistently outfoxed by his opponent that he can't come up with a plan to save the day, so all he can do is respond to the Master's shouts of "Run!", even though it doesn't make a lick of sense. If the Master had said "Tap dance!," the Doctor would have done a double pullback.