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David Tennant Stands Down From "Doctor Who"

Dave Knott writes "After winning the outstanding drama performance prize at the British National Television Awards, David Tennant announced that he will be quitting the iconic role of The Doctor. Quoting Tennant: 'When Doctor Who returns in 2010 it won't be with me. Now don't make me cry. I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair.' Tennant will appear in a Christmas special, titled The Next Doctor, before filming four more specials in January. After that, the search will be on for the actor to play the 11th incarnation of The Doctor."

43 of 245 comments (clear)

  1. We have a problem by Selfbain · · Score: 3, Informative

    In the old Tom Baker episodes, the 11th doctor shows up and tries to steal the lives of his former self.

    Although, this could add a new twist to the show.

    --
    Well, it has never been successfully tested.
    1. Re:We have a problem by TheRaven64 · · Score: 3, Informative

      The Valeyard was created between the Doctor's 12th and final regenerations. It was not the 11th Doctor.

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      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    2. Re:We have a problem by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Baker had been WAY more typecast though. Plus with the success of the show I'm fairly sure Tennant's career is on a far better trajectory.

      And Tom Baker is an arse anyway. Refusing to appear with other Doctors at conventions etc... Always loved him, but given what I've read and heard recently, Baker was, and will always, an arse.

      Sad Tennant is leaving. He has been a fantastic Doctor. Not as big a wrench to me though as my kids. I've had eight Doctor regenerations now when this one happens. My eldest has only seen Eccleston (but never had time to get attached) and my youngest has only ever known Tennant.

    3. Re:We have a problem by nine-times · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd say that the bigger problem is that David Tennant has been a good Doctor. I hope they can find an equally good replacement, but fear they won't.

    4. Re:We have a problem by VojakSvejk · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ...also, it was Colin Baker, not Tom.

      And yes, I am a nerd.

      Even by slashdot standards.

    5. Re:We have a problem by Caduceus1 · · Score: 4, Informative

      It was the Colin Baker (6th) Doctor, not Tom, and the Valeyard wasn't the 11th Doctor. The wording was strange, but it was implied that it was his last, or 13th, incarnation. And since this is Doctor Who anyways, it is possible that particular incarnation will never come to be. Plus, if the ratings are there, the Doctor will obtain or be granted additional regenerations somehow, which has already been established as possible.

      --
      rm /dev/mem
      Sci-Fi Storm
    6. Re:We have a problem by sesshomaru · · Score: 2, Insightful

      He could just do what the Master did on Trakken. I loved it when, in the 5 Doctors, John Pertwee's Doctor said, "Another regeneration?" and the Master said, "Not exactly."

      Some people will say, "But the Doctor isn't that Evil," and I'll reply, "Now who's being naive?"

      --
      "MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
    7. Re:We have a problem by Falconhell · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Hugh Laurie would be a pretty good option I reckon.

    8. Re:We have a problem by Askmum · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sure they will. It's about time John Cleese becomes the Doctor.

    9. Re:We have a problem by Caduceus1 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, there is nothing about him personally knowing either Omega or Rassilon prior to him encountering them during the series - they are legendary Time Lord figures.

      And I don't remember any mention by Romana about his incarnations being that high.

      There is some debate about some images shown in the episode "Brain of Morbius" which some believe to be images of earlier incarnations of the Doctor, but it is explicitly stated elsewhere that the 1st Doctor we know of is indeed the first (either in "The Three Doctors" or The "Five Doctors" I believe).

      --
      rm /dev/mem
      Sci-Fi Storm
  2. Patrick Stewart by fangorious · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I know he was slated to play the Meddling Monk, but maybe he can take over as the Dr himself instead.

    1. Re:Patrick Stewart by fangorious · · Score: 2, Funny

      Not aloof enough? Don't you know he's seen everything? He's seen it all!

    2. Re:Patrick Stewart by Artifakt · · Score: 3, Funny

      Actually, Rowan Atkinson has been The Doctor before - Google: "Dr. Who and the Curse of Fatal Death" for details.
      (It should all count, dammit. There have thus been at least 14 reincarnations through Tennant, including Joanna Lumley and Hugh Grant. Throw them out, and what's your justification for including McCoy? Plus tossing Lumley is sexist.).

      --
      Who is John Cabal?
    3. Re:Patrick Stewart by ynohoo · · Score: 3, Funny

      maybe it is time for a female Doctor? I like the potential...

    4. Re:Patrick Stewart by WCLPeter · · Score: 3, Funny

      maybe it is time for a female Doctor? I like the potential...

      Particularly if they bring back Jenny somehow. "You're my dad, but now you're my mum?"

      Me, I'm still hoping that they figure out a way for the Doctor to break to the time locks on the Time War so that they can do another Five Doctors episode with the remaining Doctor's still living.

    5. Re:Patrick Stewart by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't worry, the Daily Mail campaign to prevent him being female or gay has already started...

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
  3. Re:Continuity by KasperMeerts · · Score: 5, Informative

    No, they can regenerate 12 times. So we can still switch actors until the Thirteenth doctor, where they will have to invent a way to give him new "lives". The Master succeeded in this before he died permanently.

    --
    As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields.
  4. Interview with David Tennant by BorgAssimilator · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7698200.stm

    It's an interview with David Tennant about his thoughts of the show and him leaving. The best thing I saw in this article was the fact that Davies was leaving, hopefully paving the way for better episodes..... (but that's just my opinion).

    --
    "Intelligence has nothing to do with politics!"
    -Londo Mollari
    1. Re:Interview with David Tennant by sunami · · Score: 4, Informative

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7698200.stm

      It's an interview with David Tennant about his thoughts of the show and him leaving. The best thing I saw in this article was the fact that Davies was leaving, hopefully paving the way for better episodes..... (but that's just my opinion).

      And Steve Moffat is picking up the reigns of main writer, the man who, in my opinion, has made the best episodes of the revived series.

    2. Re:Interview with David Tennant by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The best thing I saw in this article was the fact that Davies was leaving, hopefully paving the way for better episodes

      Not so much that Davies is leaving as that Moffat is taking over. He's the author of pretty much all of the best episodes since it came back.

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      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    3. Re:Interview with David Tennant by PieSquared · · Score: 3, Informative

      Blink was probably my favorite episode, so I guess I might as well find out for you...

      From wikipedia:

      "Blink" is the tenth episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 9 June 2006, and is the only episode in the 2007 series written by Steven Moffat.

      --
      Does a line appended to your comment give your post meaning in and of itself, or only in relation to those without?
    4. Re:Interview with David Tennant by sapphire+wyvern · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yep. "Blink", "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances", "The Girl in the Fireplace", "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead" (hey, who turned out the lights?). In other words, every single one of the best stories in the new Doctor Who (while Russell T Davies is sadly over-represented in the "worst stories" category, although he's not responsible for all of them).

      Also, he wrote much of "Press Gang" and quite a few "Coupling" episodes, as well as a recent adaptation of "Jekyll" that was awesome. He's one of my favourite television writers in fact. I am looking forward to the next season *so much*.

    5. Re:Interview with David Tennant by AJWM · · Score: 5, Informative

      "Blink" took the Hugo Award (voted by science fiction fans registered for Worldcon) this year for "Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form". In 2007 that award went to the Dr. Who episode "The Girl in the Fireplace", also by Steven Moffat, and the year before that to "The Empty Child", again by Steven Moffat.

      Not a bad track record.

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      -- Alastair
    6. Re:Interview with David Tennant by actor_au · · Score: 2, Informative

      He wrote all of Press Gang and Coupling. A lot of British shows tend to have a single writer or fixed small writing team, its why their TV-show runs can be so short, because one guy pumping out scripts can become hard to keep up.
      J. Michael Straczynski's writing on Babylon Five(he wrote much of season 1 and all of seasons 2-5 with the exception of one episode) is one of the few times anyones ever written full hour long 21-23 episode seasons solo.

      Moffat also wrote Time Crash(the Fifth and Tenth Doctor cross-over charity special last year) and The Curse of the Fatal Death(another charity special with Richard E Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Broadbent ,Hugh Grant, Joanna Lumely all playing the Doctor), I've had a man-crush on him since I watched Press Gang.

      RTD did write some horrible episodes(Gridlock, Last of the Timelords(not horrible until the end), the last two Christmas Episodes, , ), , I think his problem was that he had great ideas for huge arcs but didn't believe in the little details that lead up to the later important big picture. His humour has been good, not brilliant, but he's been funny at times and Midnight and Turn Left were two brilliant episodes that I felt will really cement him as a good Who writer looking back (although I sometimes think that Turn Left was only really strong because the actors in it just hit their roles perfectly with a level of intensity that really hit the script for six), also in previous seasons Love & Monsters and to a smaller degree Boomtown(the whole boogie board thing was stupid but it was an interesting look at the doctor facing up to his responsibilities) were pretty good as well.

      --
      Read Errant Story.
  5. Re:Continuity by Eudial · · Score: 3, Informative

    Isn't the Doctor out of regenerations now?

    Con-ti-nu-ity? What is this strange and alien concept? And what does it have to do with Doctor Who?

    He's been out of generations for quite a while, if you count the fact that the serial "The Brain of Morbius" indicates that he's had several regenerations before the first doctor.

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    GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
  6. New direction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I love Tennant but this could be a good thing - current show runner Russell T Davies is leaving at exactly the same time, so not only will there but a new Doctor, but also a new guiding hand on the show.

    It would be nice if we could have the Doctor actually leaving Earth for more than 1-2 episodes a season again. Less soppy romance with companions swooning over him couldn't hurt, either.

  7. Re:Continuity by otopico · · Score: 3, Informative

    This was sidestepped by some Dr Who by saying the regeneration limit was artificial and the actual process of regenerating has more to do with the mind than the body. Some high energy being what not. But the catch is the person must not desire the change or their desire for it prevents it.

    Yeah, Dr who people are odd, but it is science fiction so they can do pretty much whatever they want.

  8. We need an older character to play the doctor. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The old doctor who was all about a kindly gradfather/father figure giving wise advice to his young companions. Now we have a doctor who is obviously young, being disrespected by an obnoxious older companion. And nowadays the sum of his intellect is contained in his hacking his way, mcgyver-style, out of every situation.

    TOM BAKER AND JON PERTWEE RULE!

  9. Re:Wasn't the 1st doctor by Goldberg's+Pants · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not always younger. Or at least that's not part of the canon, but it does seem to go that way. (At least until you get up around Baker/McCoy).

    If I remember my lore, the only non-death regen was Troughton/Pertwee where the regen was forced on the Doctor by the Timelords. May be remembering that wrong though.

    Just hope RTD has no say in the casting given that fuckwit has said he wanted to cast JK Rowling AND Price Charles in the show.

    God bless you for getting the show back on the air Russell, but you are a fucking moron. "Midnight" was awesome. Take the rest of your lame scripts with you and shove them up your arse. (And you'd probably enjoy you big gay ball of Welshness.)

  10. I know I have the key here somewhere by TornCityVenz · · Score: 2, Funny

    Where does one go to try out for the part?

    --
    I Need someone to rebuild a Digitech Digital Delay pedal for me....for me...for me...for me.
  11. Re:Continuity by tuffy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Yet "the Three Doctors" establishes that the first Doctor is, in fact, the first. The dating of UNIT stories is also impossible to pin down (an alternative 1970s? the 1980s?) not to mention the mess caused by the TV movie's "half-human" line. Even the Daleks' origins differ wildly between what's established in their original story versus what came much later in "Genesis of the Daleks."

    Continuity has never been one of Doctor Who's strong points since the show is often self-contradictory.

    --

    Ita erat quando hic adveni.

  12. Re:Continuity by nine-times · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yeah, Dr who people are odd, but it is science fiction so they can do pretty much whatever they want

    I remember reading an interview recently of someone... I think it was the head writer of the current show... saying something to the effect of, "You can't have continuity errors when you're writing a scifi show about time travel, because no matter how crazy it gets, you can always come up with a crazy explanation."

    I'm paraphrasing.

  13. Life on marzzzzzz by Shanoyu · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That last master (Sims) would make a great doctor. Plus there's history of time lords regenerating into people they've seen before. At least Romana did.

  14. Re:Continuity by gd2shoe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I love Dr Who, but please don't call it science fiction.

    --
    I won't join Slashcott. OTOH, If Beta goes live, I just won't be back until it's fixed. Sorry Dice.
  15. Re:The next Doctor should be ... by schon · · Score: 2, Funny

    So, let's see. Middle-aged, powerfully built, intelligent, charismatic, funny but with a serious side, male but not necessarily white.

    Jeremy Clarkson! :)

  16. Re:Hugh Laurie by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think Laurie could pull off the British accent. Zach Braff's was waaay better.

  17. The Doctor's Regenerations by nordaim · · Score: 4, Informative

    Time Lords were limited, I believe by Rassilon, to 12 regeneration cycles, allowing for a possible total of 13 Doctors. However, in one of the early seasons, this limit is removed from the Doctor and it is not clear whether or not it was ever reapplied.

    But, with characters such as Captain Jack or Jenny (the Doctor's clone-daughter), it would be easy enough to write it out so the show can go on forever.

    I am still hoping the 13th doctor is evil.

    --
    -- You don't shoot to kill, you shoot to stay alive.
  18. Re:Continuity by sesshomaru · · Score: 3, Informative

    However, The Master has been able to "come back to life" before, so fingers crossed.

    I wouldn't worry about that, they deliberately included that scene with his ring being taken at the end so they can bring him back if they want.

    Of course, I can remember the Master being burned away in a fire till he was completely gone with nothing left, and coming back in a later episode.

    He responded to the Doctor's "WTF?" (echoing those of us in the audience) with, "Come now Doctor, you know I'm indestructible."

    --
    "MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
  19. Re:Continuity by OrangeCowHide · · Score: 3, Informative

    The 12 regeneration limit was added in as an arbitrary plot point to give a impetus to a single character in a specific episode. With a single stroke of the pen a Time Lord could only regenerate 12 times. This is fiction, as a result, with a single stroke of the pen the limitation could be removed. We knew the Doctor's real name for 8 years, before it was removed as easily as it was put in.

    The deified Robert Holmes had a bit of tendency to demystify the Doctor, which is a bit of a shame. Of course, he never expected people would be talking about Doctor Who 45 years after it started (note: Robert Holmes not only created the 12 regeneration limit, he also wrote the majority of the episode which implied the Tom Baker Doctor is the 8th or 9th Doctor).

    --
    Creationists are a lot like zombies. Slow, but powerful and numerous. And they all want to eat our brains. - Evilest Doe
  20. Re:Continuity by Nazlfrag · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You've almost got it. The real reason though, that continuity has never been one of Doctor Who's strong points is that time travel itself is often self-contradictory.

  21. Re:Hugh Laurie by hal2814 · · Score: 3, Informative

    For those of you confused by the joke...

  22. Re:Continuity by Your.Master · · Score: 2, Funny

    Other franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars have continuity departments and even they can't get it right 100% of the time.

    Or like...3% of the time.

  23. Re:Anne Robinson for the Doctor! by LMacG · · Score: 2, Funny

    > Oh, oh, how about a CGI Doctor provided by Lucasfilm!

    Meesa no think that's a good idea.

    --
    Slightly disreputable, albeit gregarious