Doctor Who is ready for his 14th regeneration (*). After 3 years with the sharp and aged face of Peter Capaldi, the Doctor will be played by an new actor that is, for the first time in 54 years, a woman: the british actress Jodie Whittaker.
(source)
The 13th Doctor will debut in next Christmas Special. How she will be? I saw Whittaker in Broadchurch season 1, in Black Mirror and in the funny sci fi movie Attack the block. She is a very good actress, both in drama and in comedy. But beeing a good actor/actress is not enough to play The Doctor.
Much will depend on the plots that new showrunner of the series, Chris Chibnall, is writing. Chibnall, by the way, wrote some episode of Doctor Who's spinoff Torchwood, and was also the author of Broadchurch.
Whovians do love novelties, but they are also very fond of the known features of the series and of the character: this is always the challenge every author have to handle to write new Doctor's stories.
Furthermore, every fan noted how the Doctor's plots became more complex and thick, in the last seasons. This started during the Tennant's seasons, in my opinion, with the "Bad Wolf" story, and reached its top in the "3 Doctors Special" during the 50th anniversary of the show. From that point, the task of Doctor Who's authors has been harder.
Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor, played the role in some of the most complex and amazing stories of the whole saga (A Good Man Goes to War, for example, or the Pandorica episodes, or also the Silence episodes)
Peter Capaldi too, as the Doctor, had to handle hard and complicated situations, as in the Gallifrey cospiracy against him, and in every story involving the new The Master's incarnation, Missy.
What awaits the 13th Doctor and her companion, Bill? About Bill, we know she is a funny character (and so is the last co-companion, Nardole), so this will be a trait to consider in shaping the next Doctor. I mean, I think Jodie will be a grumpy Doctor, at the beginning.
I just know that I'll paint a T-shirt with the 13th Doctor too, for sure. ;)
(*) Yes, this will be the 14th regeneration, since David Tennent played the role in 2 different regenerations.
A me ispira un botto lei come dottore
Really? Me too
It is over due for a female Doctor. I think how she does depends on the story's she is given. Will be very interesting to see. Stay Tune.
Tried to get into Peter's Doctor and had trouble. Admittedly, I always have trouble when the Doctor changes but I will totally give this new Doctor a shot!
Wow! I've been really fascinated with Doctor Who, but recently I fell away from really watching it. This was the first time that I heard anything about the next Doctor being a girl! I think that this could be a pretty big twist in what people are thinking is going to happen in the Doctor Who series! Thanks for putting this out there and it might have caught my interest enough to get me back to the show! Thanks!
I knew Jodie Whittaker looked familiar. Attack The Block and Black Mirror - thanks for straightening that out in my head.
To be honest, the Doctor Who stories have been leaving me cold for the past few years (I did love the Christmas special with Greg Davies for goofy fun). I feel like they hit a high point with "Silence in the Library." It was just a tightly written story and Catherine Tate brought a lightness to the companion role that has been lacking since.
So hopefully this shake-up is just what the series needs. I'll at least give it another try.
As a fan of the Doctor in the last 40 years, it's hard for me to understand how people can see the series at the first try ;)
I jumped in with the 2006 (I think) reboot. Quite enjoyed it for a few years there.
Come to think of it the Amelia Pond story arc was satisfying too. I think that's about where I left off.
I look forward to see where they take it next. I really don't care if the Doctor is male, female, black, white, gay or straight. It's the stories that matter. This is all fantasy. Some people take it too seriously.
I agree, what I want are good stories with those amazing characters ;)