TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: The New Doctor, Fosters, Emmy Snubs, Dance, Glee
Aug 12, 2013
by Matt Roush
Keep sending your comments and questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com or on Twitter!
... Question: What are your thoughts on the selection of Scottish actor Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who's Twelfth Doctor? I have to admit that I had no idea who he was — I assume he's more of a household name in the U.K. I don't want to prematurely bash the selection and I'm willing to see how things work out, but it seems to be a traditional choice and even more so since the modern Doctor Who series has featured younger actors. During the special that announced the selection, the show runner floated the possibility for a female Doctor, yet the selection did not seem to do much in terms of moving the show into modern times. — Brian
Matt Roush: "Modern times" is a rather quaint concept for a Time Lord, don't you think? But I get your point. I wish Steven Moffat hadn't teased the notion of a female Doctor so strenuously if it weren't an actual option, but otherwise, I have nothing but high hopes and great expectations for Peter Capaldi's reign as the next Doctor, though I'm going to miss the verve of Matt Smith tremendously. Besides, I don't see this as a particularly "traditional" choice, in part because the recent history of Doctor Who has favored younger actors, and this is a chance for someone with a fairly high media/TV profile to put his stamp on this iconic character. If he's not a household name here, he should be, and Capaldi's credits are sterling, from the vicious political satire of The Thick of It to his devastating performance in the great Torchwood miniseries Children of Earth and more recently as an enigmatic boss in BBC America's The Hour. As many have noted, he has a history with Doctor Who, having guest starred during the David Tennant era in the 2008 "The Fires of Pompeii" episode. I see no negatives here, although I do hope a female Doctor is in the franchise's long-term future...
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BBC VIDEO ANNOUNCING THE NEW 12TH DOCTOR WHO
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