And the new Doctor Who is......

[jake]

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40624288


Half of Britain explodes.
My favourite reaction (not sure if this is viewable for non-Twitter users)
https://twitter.com/CrowdedScouser/s...22192804536320

[Jerjo]

'Bout damn time!

[Brave73]

She was great in Broadchurch and will bring a new dynamic to this show. Looking forward to her first appearance!

[per anporth]

She was great in Broadchurch and will bring a new dynamic to this show. Looking forward to her first appearance!

I thought she was pretty dreadful in Broadchurch, especially the latter series.

I was hoping for Tilda Swinton.

I don't have high hopes for Chibnal.

[Valen]

I started watching the show with Jon Pertwee in 1970, so I go a long way back, and have always associated the Doctor as a sort of male father-figure.

That's probably why I've really enjoyed Capaldi's tenure in the blue box, and am genuinely sorry to see him go. I get the impression he decided to leave earlier than planned, possibly because of the shoddy way his second year was scheduled - he went very public about it, arguing reasonably that if the BBC wanted to capture a weekly family audience they needed to show it at the same time each week. That's partly what contributed to the huge ratings mid-seventies - you could always predict when it was coming on, straight after the sport round up.

As I watched yesterday's teaser, I was convinced it was going to be Kris Marshall from the way the character walked, and as they showed the hand opening, my wife said "Oh yes, that's a man's hand..." So the big reveal was a surprise.

I'm actually fine with it - probably time for a major shake-up, but I hope it's not a BBC knee-jerk reaction to accusations of gender bias, and a desperate bid for publicity and ratings.

As long as the writing is as strong as this year's episodes, I'm sure it'll still be worth watching - not ready to hang up my long scarf yet!

[moecurlythanu]

I don't watch / follow the show, but when I saw the thread title, I thought to myself, "In these times of political correctness, it will likely be a minority or a woman." Given the show's concept, there's no reason it wouldn't work just as well as all of the previous doctors, but it is a bit predictable.

[Steve F.]

made me laugh

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[Hobo Chang Ba]

This is why people like Trump win.

As long as the writing is as strong as this year's episodes, I'm sure it'll still be worth watching - not ready to hang up my long scarf yet!

This to me is the bigger hurtle for the show to overcome. I'm a huge Moffat fan, and based on Chibnall's work with DW previously (and in general) I'm skeptical of his ability to fill those shoes. Especially from the ideas perspective.

[Poisoned Youth]

I don't watch / follow the show, but when I saw the thread title, I thought to myself, "In these times of political correctness, it will likely be a minority or a woman." Given the show's concept, there's no reason it wouldn't work just as well as all of the previous doctors, but it is a bit predictable.

From that standpoint, I'd give more credibility to casting a female Starbuck in the Battlestar reboot than this. This feels like more of an attempt to leverage a franchise name more than a groundbreaking statement. Admittedly, I haven't followed Dr. Who much at all since the 80s, but I recall the regeneration thing was originally a device the writers used to explain why there was a new actor playing The Doctor.

made me laugh

20031887_10154786662708441_987922285485959158_n.jpg

As funny as that is, you have to admit that one should always approach the decision making behind stuff like this with a healthy sense of skepticism.

Let's take male/female out of the equation for a moment. There's a long history of tinkering with established characters to cater to a different audience. One of the first things that comes to mind for me is how well branded superhero/comic characters are re-imagined in different forms, notably "tween versions" to cater to children. Look how iconic characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are portrayed to continue to capitalize on their established brands. This is especially pertinent in these times where there is a glut of content fighting to remain relevant in an attention economy.

[moecurlythanu]

From that standpoint, I'd give more credibility to casting a female Starbuck in the Battlestar reboot than this. This feels like more of an attempt to leverage a franchise name more than a groundbreaking statement. Admittedly, I haven't followed Dr. Who much at all since the 80s, but I recall the regeneration thing was originally a device the writers used to explain why there was a new actor playing The Doctor.

I wasn't suggesting that they were trying to make a statement. Merely that they hadn't done it yet, and doing so would have been so very much in keeping with Pop Culture norms today.

[Dave the Brave]

Should have been a black lesbian woman with a disability to cover all the PC aspects.
DtB