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Peter Capaldi Unveiled As the New Star of Doctor Who
Dave Knott writes "After months of speculation since Matt Smith announced that he was exiting the long-running British SF show Doctor Who, the BBC has announced the latest actor who will be taking on the titular role. In a live television announcement, with several previous stars on hand, it was revealed that Peter Capaldi will be portraying the newest incarnation of The Doctor. Capaldi is 55 years old, ending a recent trend towards younger Doctors, and had been flagged by bookmakers as the odd-on favourite in recent days, to the extent that they had suspended betting on the issue. He is best known for his role as the foul-mouthed government bureaucrat Malcolm Tucker on the The Thick Of It and has in fact showed up on Doctor Who previously as a guest star. But now Capaldi is set to take his place in the iconic lead role. To help celebrate the 50th anniversary, and the naming of the next Dr. Who, an ice cream shop put up a 35ft straw Dalek sculpture."
No bitching here. I have no idea who this actor is but he has some gray hair in publicity shots so I'm sold. The ever-younger Doctor was moving ever farther from the role I liked - but then, I'm a big fan of the 3rd Doctor, even if his character was a bit of a jerk from time to time. A 55 year old actor get my benefit of the doubt.
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IMDB says that in War World Z, he played the character of a Dr. from the W.H.O.
Coincidence?
Yes, because if there's one thing that Peter Capaldi is known for, it's his habit of never, ever, shouting
A 55 year old actor get my benefit of the doubt
Strangely enough, Capaldi is about the same age as William Hartnell was when he was the first Doctor. But Hartnell looked a lot older.
"She's furniture with a pulse"
I don't mind younger or older, either is fine with me. The only gripe I can see in my now 15 second old research of the man I have never previously heard of before is that IMDB has some really unflattering photos of him where he looks positively frail. Shortest lived Doctor ever.... regenerates walk to the first set of stairs falls and breaks a hip and 2 days later regenerates because pneumonia is killing him.
Digital is, by definition, imperfect. Analog is the way to go.
He's an extraordinarily versatile actor. I think he might actually be able to pull off not shouting as well.
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Now we have a Doctor Who, who has been a real Doctor Fan for a long time!
What, David Tennant doesn't count? Getting into acting was practically an accidental by-product of his life-long quest to be the Doctor.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
Frail? Wait until you hear the man curse. "The thick of it" is essentially the original bbc show that has since branched out to the US as Veep. It is pretty hilarious and Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker is unforgettable in every sense.
Check out this compilation but be warned of strong language. My favorite quote at 5:20.
Gosh, thanks. That must be why the other ships call me Meatfucker -- GCU Grey Area (Eccentric)
Okay, he is, now, best known for the Malcolm Tucker role but I remember him better in other roles; the Angel Islington in a BBC adaption of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (although that show was really stolen by Paterson Joseph's Marquis De Carabas) and as Uncle Rory in the TV adaption of Iain Bank's Crow Road.
And it's kind of nice that the Doctor is portrayed by an actor older than me again. That hasn't happened for a while.
I think people have come to respect that choices for the role of the Doctor are pretty much always excellent and second-guessing and pre-judging is useless. I say this as someone that loved Christopher Eccleston and didn't want to like Tennant. Then absolutely adored Tennant's portrayal and was definitely not going to accept the young goofy looking Matt Smith character... and then find myself sad to see Matt Smith go.
Doctor Who is all about the doctor and his companions. They have to be likeable, interesting, compelling. They're the entire point of the show and they realize this - they always choose pretty damn well, even if all of us watching approach every change with skepticism and distrust.
Personally, I'm really excited about Capaldi, even though I have no idea who he is. He looks like someone I won't mind seeing on screen for dozens of hours and I appreciate that they aren't just constantly skewing young. They didn't need to go older for older's sake, but I am really glad they are making a choice other than "twelve year old girls won't watch if we don't make it a semi-cute barely pubescent actor". Variety is the spice of the Doctor. I think I'm going to enjoy this incarnation. Good on them.
To clarify: 'Doctor' is indeed his name. Time lords, by their custom, may adopt a new title of their choosing to serve as their name, and from that point on no longer use their old name - though the exact circumstances in which this happens are unclear, it seems to apply predominantly to those who have left Gallifrey or who hold a high rank. The Doctor, the Master, the Rani, the Valeyard, the Corsair.
But he also has a doctorate that would be recognised on earth - honorary, but sufficient to get the title. Thus he may be addressed as 'Dr Doctor.'
He may also be assumed to have graduated from the Academy on Gallifrey with something equal to or greater than a doctorate, as this is a requirement to be a licensed (Since revoked) TARDIS traveler. The time lords don't let just any meddler screw around with time - there's a training course.
Capaldi's Glaswegian, not Boston Irish. Don't know why you went with an American dialect rather than something fae Glesca.
Rough translation into Barras Glaswegian -- "Haw, d'ye fuckin' ken who yer fuckin' dealin' way here? Well Ah'm th'fuckin' Doaktur ye bastardin' wee alien ba'heid, noo get fuckin' oota my fuckin' sight afore ah fuckin' stick th' fuckin' heid in ye!"
I'm rather excited to see an "older" Doctor. I've grown weary of the "sexual tension" between the Doctor and his recent assistants. Donna Noble was glorious as she/the Doctor so violently opposed to it..
I'm glad to see an older Doctor. Matt Smith and David Tennant did brilliant work, but the next Doctor needed to be a step in a different direction.(Personally, I was hoping for a female Doctor, but I'm more than happy with the choice of Peter Capaldi.
Actually, I thought I saw a bit of David Tennant in Capaldi. Like he could be Tennant's uncle or something, there's a passing resemblance. Not to mention the Scottish brogue, which is Tennant's true voice.
;-p
I dunno, I admit Capaldi's a bit older than I would've liked; but then again, any younger than Matt Smith would've been just too young.
I started to wonder if they were going to make doctors younger and younger until at some point, the next regeneration resulted in a baby, fetus, or embryo.. which just immediately regenerated again and then the whole thing started over again somehow, with an old Doctor. Reset the cycle, so to speak. Hmm.. Benjamin Button, the next Doctor Who.
Well.. we'll see.. but to me, Tennant will always be THE Doctor. (I didn't really watch it when Baker was reigning, but he'd probably be my pick of the original Doctors) To each their own I suppose.
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Personally, I was hoping for a female Doctor
Please tell me you're joking.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
*sigh* Not this again. It was his life long quest to be the Doctor, not to be the Doctor for 10 years and run the show into the ground. He had the best interests of the show in mind. The only reason Doctor Who has lasted this long is because of its continual reinvention, the re-casting of the lead being the most obvious (but no means only) change.
Patrick Troughton advised Peter Davison to only do four years. Peter Davison then passed this same advice on to his then-future-son-in-law David Tennant.
His last line as the Doctor was "I don't want to go," which was exactly how he felt about it. Some people just aren't entirely selfish.
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