The Next Doctor

So, in 2010 we get a new Doctor. Well, the tail end of 2009 really.

Much is being made, in fandom, of who the next chap will be. Some interesting names are being kicked around, including a couple of black actors, and some parts of fandom are not entirely happy with that possibility.

Being charitable, I'd say they've fallen into the trap of "tradition" (a thing that is done because we've forgotten the reasons for doing it that way in the first place). The Doctor has always been a white guy, therefore he should continue being a white guy.

Which isn't really much of an argument.

My point of view is that the role should go to someone who is going to get the most out of it as an actor, someone who will hopefully stick with it for more than one season and someone who will be entertaining. The final choice of actor doesn't matter to me outside these criteria.

I'd like to see David Tennant's replacement last longer than a season simply because The Doctor is important to people. Give the actor a chance to get into the role, to become "my Doctor" for another set of fans, to do something interesting with the part. That's going to take more than one season.

Plus, I'm a fan. I like a bit of longevity in my Doctors. From the little I've seen of Patrick Troughton, I find myself wishing he'd done another year (if only to ensure that more of his tenure survived the great episode cull), but that's just a side effect of me really enjoying his performance and wanting more. I think David Tennant, like Patrick Troughton, has a shrewd eye on his career and has made the right decision for himself and his future - and I can hardly blame him for that, especially given all the fun he's provided over the last few years.

If you really want to speculate, you can probably narrow down the range given the comments made by the cast and crew over the last couple of years, but beyond that I don't really want to investigate too deeply.

Because for me, there's still something magic about regeneration. In a way, I'm hoping they keep this a secret until we actually see the regeneration around Christmas 2009. I'm looking forward to being surprised, and slightly wrong footed, by the choice. Looking at regenerations past -

- actually, one of my first memories of the show is watching the Pertwee/Baker regeneration scene and being curious, a little surprised, and a bit upset that the Doctor was changing. I was equally emotional over the change from Tom Baker to Peter Davison, and once again when Davison became Colin Baker. I was utterly nonplussed at the choice of Sylvester McCoy but by the time he changed into Paul McGann I didn't want him to go either. All the way through my time with the show, I've been enthralled and saddened when one actor bows out and another takes his place.

That magic remains.

In the end, it doesn't matter who plays the Doctor and in all honesty skin colour is probably the single least important aspect of the person who steps into the role next. Time and again, we've been shown that the writing, the ability of the actor and the dedication of the production team are what make the show captivating. As long as the folks in charge of the casting process are aware of this, I feel that they'll make the best decision for the show as an entity. If they want to do something non-traditional, I'm more than happy with that. Things that don't evolve tend to stagnate and a stagnant Doctor Who isn't good for anyone.