Theoretical Musings: How would they handle it if the actor died?

[The]

Here's a strange question:

How do you think the BBC and The Moff would handle the show if Matt Smith were accidentally killed or died? How would RTD handled it if Tennant had passed away?

I'm curious as to how they would have handled it in the story. Sure, a regeneration is obvious. But, how would they get around the whole sudden departure? Colin Baker to McCoy style, you think? Or would it go deeper/smarter than that?

Thanks for riding the what-if train with me.

 

[DimesDan]

They would have 11 regen into 12 and recast the actor.

 

[The]

No shit. But, how would the story be dealt with? Show the regen? Not show it? Do a fake-over like Colin to McCoy?

 

[diankra]

One of the last issues of In-Vision speculated on this (as part of a bunch of 'What If?' pieces). It went with the idea that Richard Hearne (who was quite old and in reality died in 1978) had been cast as the 4th Doctor after all (he was the first choice, but an interview convinced Barry Letts that he wouldn't cope with the pace), but died a year into the role.
The In-Vision piece gets round the problem by having him die during production of The Android Invasion (after doing the film work), so the Hearne Doctor and his android double appear on location, and then it later turns out that the real Doctor's been captured and interrogated early on, and has regenerated as a result while held prisoner.

 

[DimesDan]

No shit.

Ask a stupid question and all!

 

[Kibbin]

One of the last issues of In-Vision speculated on this (as part of a bunch of 'What If?' pieces). It went with the idea that Richard Hearne (who was quite old and in reality died in 1978) had been cast as the 4th Doctor after all (he was the first choice, but an interview convinced Barry Letts that he wouldn't cope with the pace), but died a year into the role.
The In-Vision piece gets round the problem by having him die during production of The Android Invasion (after doing the film work), so the Hearne Doctor and his android double appear on location, and then it later turns out that the real Doctor's been captured and interrogated early on, and has regenerated as a result while held prisoner.

I like this idea
With the new series I could easily see us starting the episode with the companion, doctor missing. We then go from there as we try to find the doctor who is being held prisoner by the daleks or something, wrok on from there similar to the idea above.
This I suppouse is one advantage to having mostly stand alone stories

 

[The]

Also, take into account in the modern age, the death of the actor would give the writing a little leeway into how much they wanted to cover up the obvious absence of the main actor during the transition. It might be too "tragic" to show the actor...as The Doctor...getting killed in some way. We'd probably have another McGann to Eccleston offscreen jump...

No shit.

Ask a stupid question and all!

Come on, Dan. Have some imagination, you crabby bastard...

 

[Nerys Myk]

No shit. But, how would the story be dealt with? Show the regen? Not show it? Do a fake-over like Colin to McCoy?

All viable options.

 

[Cuhl]

1) Make it a mystery. Where is the Doctor? The last Doctor's companion searches for the missing Doctor, finally finds him but won't believe that he's really the Doctor, like Ben and Polly had a hard time accepting the 2nd Doctor as the real thing.

2) Show it from the villain's viewpoint. They're tracking the Tardis, fire their super-ultra-weapon at it, crazy special effects scene of devastation, then the new Doctor staggers out and away we go.

3) Don't deal with it at all. Start the first episode with the new Doctor travelling alone and finding a new companion. "Hello! I'm the Doctor!" with no questions asked.

 

[23skidoo]

Not to sound morbid or anything (too late!) but of all the shows on the air, Doctor Who is perhaps the best equipped to deal with this sort of scenario, thanks not only to regeneration being an option, but let's say something had happened to Matt between his filming the regeneration and filming the first episodes of the new season (since nothing did happen it's safe to say that without temping fate) -- even if that had happened, The Christmas Invasion established that the Doctor can regrow a severed limb immediately after regeneration, and Destiny of the Daleks showed us that Romana was capable of choosing other forms. So Moffat, being the huge fan he is, probably could have resurrected one of those ideas.

If it had happened later on, then it would just be a case of rewriting accordingly, as was done when Eccleston decided to leave. RTD handled that situation brilliantly (to the point where I'm convinced Eccleston was only ever hired for the one season, despite claims to the contrary), and I'm certain Moffat would have handled it fine, too.

Alex

 

[The Nth Doctor]

1) Make it a mystery. Where is the Doctor? The last Doctor's companion searches for the missing Doctor, finally finds him but won't believe that he's really the Doctor, like Ben and Polly had a hard time accepting the 2nd Doctor as the real thing.

This is the idea I would go with. Make the viewers question whether this person is really The Doctor or not. A mix between Power of the Daleks and "The Next Doctor."

 

[Starkers]

Well with luck (if you could call it such a thing since the resident Doctor has died) there'd be some footage lying around of him being zapped or knicked out or something. For me the best way to do it would be to drop an entire episode (that featured the aformentioned zapping/clubbing whatever) I'd end the season openended, maybe with a McCoy kinda ending.

Then I'd let the series rest...

Waits for screaming and shouting to cease...

I'd let the series rest for a year, maybe even two. Then I'd cast the 12th/13th/ whatever Doctor. I'd opne the new season much like Rose with the Doctor in place, actually possibly even start with a Pertwee style stagger out of the TARDIS. He knows who he is, but he hasn'ty a clue why he regenerated. Cue a season long arc as he tries to remember how this happened. And this is where that lost episode comes into play. I'd hack it to pieces and scatter them like confetti (or Bad Wolf) throughout the year. think of it as The Manegerie spread out for an entire year. And obviously the season finale would see the new Doctor defeat the foe who 'killed' his predecessor.

That's how I'd do it. But I hope to hell Moffat nor anyone else ever has to handle this situation!

 

[Piper]

They'd stick the next Doctor in the old one's coat, put a wig on his head representing the old one and have him fall off some sort of exercise equipment to regenerate.

 

[Candlelight]

Fade in.
A bedroom inside a Tardis. Two people are underneath the bedcloths, going at it.
Someone yells out "my hearts!"
There's a flash of energy.
The companion and a newly regenerated timelord bath in the afterglow. So to speak.
Cut to Titles.

 

[Newspaper Taxi]

I'd do a Doctor-Lite episode or two to give some emergency casting/writing time. Have the story be about the companion waking up and remembering they were locked in an epic battle with Davros/some other villian, and that the Doctor died. The Companion could do alot of 'coping' with it in an episode, as a sort of mirror of fan-greif. Throw in some montages or something. As the companion is sneaking around wherever it is he/she is, they find out that the Doctor was frozen in statis in a regeneration cocoon.

When they've got the next Doctor picked out the companion can rescue him (or her :P) from stais and we pick up with a regeneration scene, and the companion is glad that at the least there's still the Doctor, even if it wasn't 'his'/'her' Doctor. So I guess basically a "Rescue the Doctor" episode with a frozen flame that erupts into the next one at the end.

 

[Tom]

Got a great idea! The Tardis is zapped by an energy bolt and hurtling out of control. we see the Doctor lying on the floor face down, Amy goes and rolls the Doctor over and we see his face all distorted (weirdly though, his hair looks like a wig) as he is regenerating then boom!! there is a new Doctor!! hmm this sounds very farmiliar?? LOL

 

[Nerys Myk]

Call up a few past Doctors and have them cover the role until the "regeneration" stabilizes.

 

[Mr. Sin]

Unexpected death has changed the course of WHO in the past, but mainly for companions.

-The most recent case being Donna's father actor dying and being replaced by Wilf.


-The only guy who knew how to work Kamelion (The robotic shape-shifting companion introduced in The King's Demons, played in his real form by an actual animatronic robot) dying in an accident, hence the character being written off and killed in the next season.

-There was talk of Troughton coming back to replace Colin Baker, but Troughton died before it was seriously considered. Some fans feel that the casting of Sylvestor McCoy-who was similar in stature and appearence to Troughton-was influenced by this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Howard_Attfield&action=edit&redlink=1

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

If it had happened later on, then it would just be a case of rewriting accordingly, as was done when Eccleston decided to leave. RTD handled that situation brilliantly (to the point where I'm convinced Eccleston was only ever hired for the one season, despite claims to the contrary), and I'm certain Moffat would have handled it fine, too.

He wasn't? I'd always gotten the impression that Eccleston was one of those snooty "I don't do TV" actors, so even getting him for one season was an amazing coup. So what would have happened at the end of "The Parting of the Ways" had Eccleston stayed on?

Fade in.
A bedroom inside a Tardis. Two people are underneath the bedcloths, going at it.
Someone yells out "my hearts!"
There's a flash of energy.
The companion and a newly regenerated timelord bath in the afterglow. So to speak.
Cut to Titles.

I like it!

BTW, I think I've figured out how the show can bring back Paul McGann as the Doctor. Just have a scene where Dr. Grace Holloway finds him in the shower and says, "I've had the strangest dream."

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I posted on the Eccleson thing a couple of weeks ago but no-one ever came back to me. My understanding was that when Eccleston, who'd worked with RTD before, heard that DW was being brought back, he e-mailed Davies saying 'if you haven't cast the role yet, I'd be interested, want to bear me in mind?' or words to that effect.

Davies got in touch with him and it was agreed that CE would play the Doctor but only wanted to do one season for fear of typecasting. It had been hoped to keep his leaving secret until the end of his first (and only) season but the Sun broke it a few days after Rose aired.

I keep hearing suggestions and inferences on the BBS that there was some fall-out or less amicable reason but no-one ever elaborates. Is what I've suggested the sanitised PR version? What's the juicy version?