Doctor Who

[The Dark Knight]

The End of Time Part One was pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but entertaining nonetheless. It was really just a set-up, and I expect Part Two to bring down the house. Can't wait to see the regeneration sequence and Matt Smith - who I think is going to be outstanding.

[Paul (ral)]

My misses is a Dr Who nut - so i have to watch it too.

watched Rivers of Mars last night and should be watching end of time part 1 tonight.

[The Dark Knight]

My misses is a Dr Who nut - so i have to watch it too.

watched Rivers of Mars last night and should be watching end of time part 1 tonight.

It's The Waters of Mars, ral. 

Anyway, as the 9th Doctor would say - Fantastic!

[johnnygobbs]

Do you really think that Matt Smith is going to be as good as Tennant?  I'm not so sure at the moment, but I'm sure the new doctor will grow on me once I've seen him.

[The Dark Knight]

Do you really think that Matt Smith is going to be as good as Tennant?

Absolutely.

I was told by a friend a while back who has a fairly good source that word from the Doctor Who set is that Matt Smith is so amazing in the role and could well upstage Tennant quite quickly.

Even if Matt is undoubtedly better - which I think he will be, I doubt we?re going to see the die hard haters admit that. It seems to me some have already made up their mind, and no matter what comes next, it won?t measure up for them. I don't think they want it to. I'm sure there are people like that. Which is a shame.

Tennant was brilliant in the role and I think he had another few seasons left in him. But the fact is, he's gone. I am instead embracing reality and the future of this series, and I will fondly look back at Tennant?s contribution to the program.

Doctor Who is all about change. The series has survived this long, forty years or whatever. The series survived fine when Christopher Eccleston left. It will survive when David Tennant leaves. No matter how well received he has been.

People will embrace Smith if they want to continue watching the series. And I'm confident true Doctor Who fans will want to do that.

Anyway, I like Smith's look. I think his outfit works very well because while he is the youngest Doctor ever, he's dressed in rather old fashioned clothing. He himself and his fashion sense are still old. He looks like an authoritive teacher or something, but has a ton more energy to burn. I'm glad he kept the hairstyle as well.

Heard some audio of him on set, too. I liked what I heard. It sounds like he's really getting into character. Shouting, breaking words down into syllables and so on. I like the fact he's being all serious with the shouting, and he's still retaining a glint of eccentricity. The Doctor can emphasise anything he wants. He doesn't have to have a reason why, and he doesn't have to explain himself. He can do as he wishes.

I have a feeling he will become my favourite Doctor of them all. There's nothing to worry about and there's plenty to be excited about.

[johnnygobbs]

Well, I trust your word.  To be honest it's not that I've got that many doubts about Matt Smith, it's just that I think Tennant will be a very hard act to follow.  I was never that into Doctor Who before Tennant took on the role, although I am familiar enough with the other doctors to consider myself qualified to give an opinion, and I've got to say, Tennant is arguably the best doctor so far (with Tom Baker a close second).

[The Dark Knight]

Well, I trust your word.

Very wise.

To be honest it's not that I've got that many doubts about Matt Smith, it's just that I think Tennant will be a very hard act to follow.  

Fair enough. I can safely say that Smith will not be doing a Tennant impersonation, as some people have stupidly claimed. Expect something quite different.

[Paul (ral)]

I'm looking foward to Tennent leaving.  He is likeable but I get bored of his bi-polar antics (serious one minute and jumping around like a clown the next).

I gather Russell T Davis is leaving too? I am looking forward to this as well.

[The Dark Knight]

I'm looking foward to Tennent leaving.  He is likeable but I get bored of his bi-polar antics (serious one minute and jumping around like a clown the next).

Love Tennant and that sort of behaviour is integral to the character, but I get what you mean. I feel he's kind of a generic Doctor, blending and rolling in aspects from the past into one. If he did another series, I feel like I would've already seen all the episodes and what he has to offer.

I gather Russell T Davis is leaving too?

Yes. New TARDIS, new logo, new title sequence, new sonic screwdriver, the lot.

EDIT:

Steven Moffat on Matt Smith from the latest Radio Times (2 - 8 January 2010).

"Because Matt is the youngest actor to play the Doctor, people might be thinking they?ll get a ?young geezer? Doctor, but he isn?t. He?s restored the more professional aspect of the character - he?s very much the ?nutty professor? Doctor.

What I least expected from Matt, given the nature of the modern Doctor, is that at times he?s very quiet: the strong, quiet man. I suppose I thought instinctively that he?d be a leaping-about, loud Doctor, as we?ve got used to. Yet some of Matt?s most powerful moments are when he?s very, very quiet? very, very gentle, in a way that a very powerful person can be. There?s a scene I watched just recently in which he was chillingly good: a big confrontation-with-the-alien scene, and instead of playing it - as he could have - in a much more bombastic way, he was very quiet, very matter-of-fact, very simple. It?s all implied strength rather than demonstrated bluster.

Matt carries off the gravitas thing perfectly and has no difficulty at all in lording it over other people. He has scenes with Winston Churchill - in which he behaves like Winston Churchill?s dad! And you have no difficulty in buying that on-screen. And then of course he?ll behave like a complete spoilt child, which is what the Doctor has to do - to suddenly become a huge big kid.

He?s a terribly distinctive actor. And he has the most extraordinary face. He was born to play an alien, because it just doesn?t quite add up. He?ll hate me for saying this, but he looks like caricature of a hand-some man; it?s all just a bit to much: perfect profile, perfect jaw-line, extraordinary. And the camera adores him. So you?ll be seeing a lot of that face, suffering, in close-up, I tell you!"

[johnnygobbs]

Great article Dark Knight.  I'm looking forward to a strong silent type Doctor Who.  Sounds like the kind a 'Doctor' I'll probably be able to relate to on some level.

On a side note, I've just read that Tennant has been voted as the best Doctor Who of all time so far, with Tom Baker a close second.  I guess the Dr Who fans have got good taste.