Will season 7 be Smith's last?

[Whofan]

The average time for a Doctor is usually 3 years, and Smith does seem to want to try other projects lately (Although his performance as the Doctor is still good).


If season 7 will be Smith's last, I suppose maybe we'll have some sort of announcement about him leaving and the next Doctor before the end of the year. But all this is really speculation at this point I think.

 

[Jax]

The average time for a Doctor is usually 3 years, and Smith does seem to want to try other projects lately (Although his performance as the Doctor is still good).


If season 7 will be Smith's last, I suppose maybe we'll have some sort of announcement about him leaving and the next Doctor before the end of the year. But all this is really speculation at this point I think.

Well I can see it now, he regenerates during the final moments of the 2012 Christmas special but something goes wrong and it ends with 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th standing in the Tardis setting up the 50th year special...What! Whatt!!

A fanboy can dream + the special could introduce the new Doctor at the end.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Depends on whether he's made a better offer before negotiations for series 8 start. Three seasons is normal, he's looking for Stateside offers.... OTOH he also said a few weeks ago that he and Moffat had been discussing plans for the 50th anniversary in 2013, so maybe he'll stay for that, or even go in a season 8 mid-season cliffhanger (how cool would it be if that was on November 23rd, which *is* a saturday in 2013...?)

 

[Starkers]

I think it would be a bit of a problem if Series 7 was his last, because that'd mean the 12th Doctor potentially had to hang out with his previous incarnations before we got a chance to really get to know him...unless the plan is that Series 7 will air in 2013 not 2012 of course!!!

I'd like him to stay for longer, but three years is ok, its the minimum I think an actor should be in the role really.

 

[Pauln6]

I'd still like to see a cross over with Paul McGann. Tempting Eccleston back any time soon seems unlikely given how he didn't really like the production schedule but maybe if he's mellowed and there is a different production team he might do a one-off appearance.

I've always thought it would be a cool idea to do an 'assistant swap' where we follow the assistant back with the older Doctor for a few episodes (a bit like they did with the Creighton clone in Farscape or maybe a year of specials). It could give the current Doctor a break without requiring a regeneration although it might confuse casual fans I suppose. Still, it would be great fun to tap a bit of the potential that McGann never got to show us and they could foreshadow events leading up to the Time War nicely.

 

[Saul]

3 years is good. So is 4 because he is still a young actor and there will be something waiting for him after he finishes. He won't miss his chance if he stays 4 years.
If series 7 was split maybe we might see a midseason regeneration.
Still at this time he is young and fresh and hip as the Doctor to me. Seems too soon to talk about it.

 

[scnj]

Hmm. I was hoping Smith would be around for as long as Tennant. If only to wipe the memory of Tennants tenure completely.

 

[Sindatur]

To be honest, if I was playing the Doctor at this time, I would feel it would be a foolish decision to leave prior to the 50th Anniversary, it's only 1 more year than the average 3 Series. I just don't believe I would want to miss the 50th Anniversary Series if I was the actor playing the Doctor.

 

[Starkers]

I guess it must be a tricky decision to make when you're the lead in a popular show, obviously you don't want to stay in a role forever, but leave too early and if there's no other work you're a bit buggered, of course stick around too long and suddenly nobody can think of you as anyone but that character and you don't get any work.

Maybe the 50th anniversary series could include a regeneration?

 

[Mr Awe]

It would be an awesome way to celebrate the 50th anniversary, with a regeneration. Although, I'm not in a hurry to see Smith off! Smith would be well established should past Doctors return.

Personally, I hope that 4 years becomes the new normal for a Doctor's tenure.

Mr Awe

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

This wouldn't bother me a bit - Smith's Doctor is the least interesting character in the current run of the show.

Maybe they can go to the parallel universe and snatch Ten's clone back as Twelve. Please.

 

[Lonemagpie]

If series 7 was split maybe we might see a midseason regeneration. .

No, he's signed for 14 episodes - Xmas plus a full season.

Now, series 8, OTOH...

 

[Bacl]

I'm sure it has a lot to do with what the BBC pay him. At a certain point, getting 100k per half season, or whatever laughable cheap offer they made him, just isn't worth it.

On the other hand, riding out a thing like Doctor Who, especially with its new American mainstream interest, is more of a benefit these days than a curse. The old typecasting problems still occur, but he'd do better to ride out Doctor Who for longer rather than shorter. Staying as the lead Doctor for the 50th anniversary would be a smart move career wise: in a room full of legends, he'd still be the focus.

 

[milo bloom]

I'm sure it has a lot to do with what the BBC pay him. At a certain point, getting 100k per half season, or whatever laughable cheap offer they made him, just isn't worth it.

On the other hand, riding out a thing like Doctor Who, especially with its new American mainstream interest, is more of a benefit these days than a curse. The old typecasting problems still occur, but he'd do better to ride out Doctor Who for longer rather than shorter. Staying as the lead Doctor for the 50th anniversary would be a smart move career wise: in a room full of legends, he'd still be the focus.

I'd love to see Smith match Baker's 7 years. It's only 13 eps a season, and if Smith wanted an extended bit of time off they could always do a story with McGann, Eccleston or Tennant as a "special" of sorts to keep the Who audience engaged during a break from Smith.

 

[Anbaric Amber]

I'd still like to see a cross over with Paul McGann.

This is the ONLY cross over that makes sense to me. We have no idea how long McGann's Doctor existed. So there's no lame aging excuse needed. It also would be a great reward for him after making the 2-hour tv Doctor into such a great (and best) audio fiction Doctor. Really, if you haven't listened to them they are so good.

And the general audience doesn't even need to know who McGann is - just that it's a previous incarnation. I don't know about you but I totally bought the idea in the Next Doctor - that it totally was the Next Doctor. But I like Smith just as much.

But I would love love love to see McGann and companion cross over with Smith and companion and maybe end up swapping companions through some devilishly complicated circumstances that leads up to a fantastic finale for Smith and leads into the the 12th Doctor! Then the new/old companion could remark about how her new Doctor is so much different (post-time war) than her old Doctor.

 

[Shatnertage]

I hope not, but it wouldn't keep me up at nights if he left.

 

[captcalhoun]

i'm going to change my sig.

Ecclestone's never coming back to Doctor Who. Deal with it.

 

[ClayinCA]

i'm going to change my sig.

Ecclestone's never coming back to Doctor Who. Deal with it.

I agree completely, actually (however sad that makes me), but you really should spell Christopher Eccleston's name correctly.

 

[captcalhoun]

 

[Gepard]

Maybe they can go to the parallel universe and snatch Ten's clone back as Twelve. Please.

While we're at it, can we have an RTD clone take over the whole show?