Huh.

[apocalypsos]

So this is the new Doctor, is it?

I have no freakin' clue who he is, but okay.

Comments

[foenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he's a relative unknown. Done a few shows in the UK, but not much so far.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

That's probably better considering the role. With Nine I used to have "Whee, Christopher Eccleston!" moments. This guy's just Eleven now.

[foenix.livejournal.com]

*snickers* True enough.

I'm a little bugged by the 900 year old guy being played by someone younger than me, though. ;)

[l-vera01.livejournal.com]

He looks like he has a squishy face. Cute but I wonder if being unknown is going to help or hinder the fact that he's following Tennant and DT's popularity. I figured whoever came after DT would have an exceptionally tough act to follow.

[kimberlyfdr.livejournal.com]

It feels a little bit wrong that the new Doctor is younger than I am. The Doctor should NEVER be younger than me :P

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I saw him in Secret Diary of a Call Girl and didn't remember him. Seriously, they were all "he was with BP in SDoaCG" and I went... really? And had to pull up my copy of the episode he's in (1x06) to find him. He was utterly unmemorable. I'm not sure that's the best sign.

[suaine.livejournal.com]

Wow, he's young. This I did not expect.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I was wondering elsewhere if perhaps they went with a younger bloke because they've only got, what, two more incarnations after this? Eccleston left after one season, DT only lasted three. Maybe they're hoping if they cast him younger he'll stay around longer. It makes a bit of sense if they're planning to keep the show around as long as possible. And because he's nine hundred years old anyway, it doesn't matter how old his outer shell is.

[suaine.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think young actors are in more danger to jump-start their careers with DW and then move on to bigger and better things (if they exist). A middle-aged, well-established actor can afford to play the Doctor for ten years without that being the whole of their career, 's what I think.

Anyway, I'm a bit miffed it's a young white male, honestly - they're obviously not going to break any new ground with this, which I guess is alright, but it kind of keeps my excitement somewhat low.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's the only reason I can come up with because, really, young white guy? Again? When they obviously had a diverse casting pool and an opportunity to do something different? *hands in air*

On the other hand, I'm willing to give the guy a chance. It's not his fault the crew's going with the same old, same old, and he'd have to be an idiot to not pour his all into it. And it seems from his Wikipedia entry that he's got decent (if undiscovered) acting chops, so ... *shrugs* We'll see.

[suaine.livejournal.com]

Oh, he'll be fine, I really am just disappointed in the team for going with the same old template. I guess they didn't want to mess with the iconic figure.

[gallowglass.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, casting someone different just because they're different isn't necessarily in the best interests of the show. What we all really want is the best person for the role, whatever he or she looks like on the outside.

Steven Moffat's a guy who knows his Doctors and if he says this Matt Smith has something that makes him his choice for the role, then that's a pretty good recommendation.

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

I have decided that once he reaches the end of his regenerations, he'll regenerate as a woman. Yes. That's it.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

Have you seen The Curse Of Fatal Death?

[derryderrydown.livejournal.com]

Of course! Saw it at initial broadcast.

[sabra-n.livejournal.com]

Three seasons is a standard stay for a Doctor, if you go by the old series. Tom Baker was the outlier. The show actually thrives on the turnover. (I know this is hardly a universal opinion, but I was downright eager for Tennant to leave.)

Ha. You made a funny.

[seferin.livejournal.com]

This is a show with a canonical method of retconning anything, and where we have evidence (The Master) of a second set of regenerations being possible. The Doctor will never die until he becomes unprofitable.

I figure either they could be trying a massive break in actors in an attempt to make a strong contrast between 10 and 11. Doubtful that they're thinking that far ahead, but it's possible or they're putting in a placeholder. Like 9, this could be the lemon sorbet to clear the palate, to prevent comparisons to the two previous Doctor's of recent memory, expect whoever they put in to be overshadowed, and thus give us someone we expect to fail, thus either allowing them to take more risks, or to give a buffer for the next choice. Whoever followed, regardless of how good he was, might suffer in comparison, so maybe they are setting the stage for a later change.

Or they could just be batshit. It's possible.

[gallowglass.livejournal.com]

Honestly, the whole twelve regenerations thing isn't in any way binding. No one is going to cancel a successful series because they've reached the end of 13 Doctors when all it takes is throwing in a bit of technobabble to remove the whole limitation. After all, the Time Lords offered the Master a whole new cycle of regenerations in The Five Doctors back in 1983, so more than 12 regenerations is already canonical.

There is something to be said for an ancient alien being who looks like a young human. It creates the potential for moments of disconnection when the age and the alienness show through the facade and if properly written, it could be really good. Thank the gods it's in Steven Moffat's hands.

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Jeebus. Who's going to play the Doctor after this one, a twelve-year-old?

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I was thinking maybe they're casting him younger so maybe he'll stick around longer. Eccleston only stayed one season, DT made it three, and they've only got three incarnations left. If they want the show to last a good long while, they're going to need the last three actors to stick around.

Close--

[brigidsblest.livejournal.com]

I hear Macauley Culkin isn't getting much work these days...

Re: Close--

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Macauley Culkin is 28!

[titti]

I'm hoping that the fact that he's an unknown is going to make things better. Any other 'famous' actor would have constantly be compared to DT.

[jellicle.livejournal.com]

Funny detail: he is the XI Matt Smith listed on IMDB. Destiny?

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

He's so young!! Awww, I like his smishy face though.

[wal-lace.livejournal.com]

It's a depressing moment in every young person's life when the new Doctor is announced and it's younger than you.

Especially as I really miss the Doctor being all old and cranky.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Heh. I think it's possible too much Highlander and vampire shows have broken me, as the nine-hundred-year-old guy being played by a guy who's younger than me just makes me go, "Eh, whatev." :)

[doortje.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I was hoping that they'd go for something different. Its wait and see for now.

[gallowglass.livejournal.com]

My point of view is that, given the vast array of talent available for the role, if they picked this guy, then he's got to have something they particularly want for the role and since one of the people who picked him is Steven Moffat and he's a guy who really knows his Doctors, I'm going to put my trust in his opinion until I have the opportunity to form my own next year.

[all-shine-on.livejournal.com]

YES! THIS! Thank you! I'm obviously not that attached to the idea of who the Doctor *should be*, but I'm a New!Who fan so I'm used to younger Doctors. Obviously this guy did something to really impress them so I'm psyched to see what he does.

[brigidsblest.livejournal.com]

He's not Paterson Joseph, that's who he is. Dammit.

[spiritof1976.livejournal.com]

I'm British, and I haven't got a clue who he is either.


My initial thought on seeing him was, "He looks a bit like Stuart Townsend in Queen of the Damned. God, that was a bad movie."

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the EPIC FREAKOUTS on most DW coms? They're good for a laugh.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes. FW comes in handy for that sort of thing.

Ah, fannish amnesia. I'm sorely tempted to start a meme with the dates Nine, Ten, Rose, Martha, and Donna were all announced and have people go look at their first reactions to them. I bet half of these people don't even remember, say, that they took one look at DT and posted that "He's not MY Doctor!" shit. Cut to now, when they have twenty bajillion Ten icons ... ;)

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I fully support your efforts in combating the devastating illness that is fannish amnesia!