The Oncoming Loss

So, the dust has settled and everyone knows now; David Tennant is leaving Doctor Who. At the end of the 2009 specials, the Tenth Doctor will be no more.

Being the big ol' girl that I am, (how convenient, since I am a girl) I blubbered like a baby the night I found out. Not constantly, mind you, but every now and then I'd see something that would set me off. The first being while I was watching David make his announcement at the NTAs. Despite the shock, I kept it together...until David's voice broke with emotion and it was all over for me. The floodgates opened and I was a blubbery mess. Then, deciding to go back and watch all I could of series 2 again, I was watching The Christmas Invasion, and when Ten leaned into Jackie and said:

"It's all waiting out there, Jackie. It's brand new to me. All those planets, creatures and horizons, I haven't seem them yet! Not with these eyes..."

I was gone again.
I'm mostly okay now. I've come to accept that he'll be gone, but I will miss him terribly. Despite being 31 years old and having already seen previous Doctors on PBS in my childhood, David was my Doctor. I didn't start watching New Who until series 2, and from the moment he popped his head out of the TARDIS in The Christmas Invasion, I was intrigued. When he popped out again in his jim-jams near the end, I was captivated. Now that I've gone back and thoroughly watched all of the Doctors, I still have to say that Ten is the best of the lot. A perfect mix of excitement, energy, joy and tragedy. David's Doctor could make you laugh or cry without even uttering a word.

Okay, yes, I'm gushing. Shush.

Now, that's not to say that I'll lose interest in Doctor Who after David's gone. Oh, absolutely not. I am a complete fan of Steven Moffat's writing, so I'm completely excited to see what he does with the show while at the helm. Every episode he's written has been fabulous, so I'm sure it will be great.

I just have two concerns:

• Who they will get as Eleven
• What David will do after this

Whether you liked David Tennant or not, you have to admit that it will be very difficult to fill his shoes in series 5. Any actor that steps into the role of the Doctor is going to have to be able to portray a very complex personality with about as wide an array of emotions as any character they may have played in the past. They also have to have the energy to do all that running.

Now, apparently David Morrissey is playing the title role of the Christmas special, The Next Doctor...or is he? I know he's supposed to be a Doctor, complete with sonic screwdriver, but is he really the next Doctor? I wouldn't oppose that. I've seen him in a few roles and think he might actually be able to pull it off. Or, the Who Crew could pull a switcheroo and the next Doctor will be someone completely different. As long as they're good, I don't mind if it's David Morrissey or not.

I know they love reusing actors, but it will really mess with my head if they use an actor they've already had as the Doctor. I mean, it's fine to do that when casting a companion, or some other mortal, but not the Doctor. It's easy to use the explanation they did with Martha and why she looked like that woman in Torchwood.

While you could technically come up with the explanation that the Doctor can try to force himself to regenerate into the form of someone who's already existed, but really...in the case of Patterson Joseph, (as much as I loved his acting) would the Doctor really say, "Gee, I think I'll make myself look like that git who was running around Satellite 5 yelling about his money"? I...don't think so.

Should he turn into a woman? No, no, a million times no. Time Lords are Time Lords, and Time Ladies are Time Ladies. Think of how well it would have gone over if Romana II had come out as a man? It wouldn't be Romana anymore. I understand that it's supposed to be thoroughly modern of us to think that the essence of who we are is completely separate from our gender, but it's generally not. Romana was thoroughly feminine and the Doctor has always been thoroughly masculine. And that's neither a good thing or a bad thing. It's just how the characters are. To have the Doctor be male for 45 years, then suddenly make him female just screams "Gimmick!" to me. And, canon-wise, I don't think there's ever been a Time Lord that has become a Time Lady or vice versa. I have a feeling that when they're first born, their gender is sort of set. I have nothing against transgendered people, I just don't think the Doctor is one. Jack on the other hand...well, he's been pregnant, so who knows? ;)

I've also seen a few movie stars on the "possible 11th Doctor" lists, and I must say I think the people making these lists up are mad. Movie stars, especially those of the Hollywood variety, are not going to go back to doing a TV show on the BBC. A mini-series, sure, but not a full-blown television show where they'd have to devote nine months of their lives to filming. Sure, Chris Eccleston was in a few movies, (heck, I've seen him in a scene opposite Nick Cage) but look what happened with him. He left after only one season. Considering we can only have thirteen Doctors (twelve regenerations), having Eleven only last one season would cut the show's run by a significant amount. Which means...sorry ladies, it's not going to be Daniel Radcliffe or James McAvoy, and probably not Robert Carlyle either (even though I'm quite intrigued about the idea of him being the Doctor). They'd all be good, but I doubt they'd give up their Hollywood careers for a TV show, no matter how good it is.

And now, one last name I've seen on lists: John Barrowman. Okay, that name convinced me that these list makers are insane. Torchwood is still running, folks, and even so, John Barrowman is Captain Jack, and will always be (as far as Doctor Who goes) Captain Jack. Same goes with John Simm. He's the Master. Sorry folks, I don't think he'll be anyone else. And Christopher Eccleston? Why, so he can leave again? I loved him as an actor, but just up and leaving seems to be his M.O. with television shows, so...no thanks. I want to be able to experience this new Doctor for a few years, thanks.

Honestly, my money's on David Morrissey, and that suits me just fine.

As for what David will do in the future, I'm sure anything he does will be fabulous. My worry, however, is admittedly completely selfish. What if he decides that he wants to stick to theatre as a full-time member of the RSC ensemble? That would pretty much guarantee that, except in some sort of miracle situation where a lot of money and time comes into my hands and I am able to travel to wherever they're doing a play at the time, I would never get to see him perform again.

But, you know what? It's honestly a silly worry. He's done TV before Doctor Who, and he'll do TV after, I'm sure. Or movies, though considering he doesn't seem to be the Hollywood type, he probably won't be doing that a lot.

Whatever he does will be great, but, again...I'll miss Ten.