The Twelfth Doctor... (spoiler alert: actor's name)

[Heathcliff]

It's official- the Twelfth Doctor is Peter Capaldi.

I'm actually much more excited than I expected about this! I can't wait to see how he plays the Doctor. If the scripts are good, I think the forthcoming series could be the best yet.

What do you guys think?

[bloom]

I am over the MOON about this. It's exactly what a wanted - a handsome man in his late forties/early-mid fifties. I've wanted the Doctor to age up for quite a while.

I've not seen Capaldi in anything before today but I've been watching bits of him acting here and there and he seems completely brilliant, so I have very high hopes.

There were rumors it was going to be some 26-year-old Welsh actor (whose name I forget, of course) and I think I would've been really disappointed by that. I don't like the Doctor to have a baby face.

[count tiszula]

This was actually revealed on certain media some days ago; so much for the vaunted Beeb security.

I'm actually quite pleased to have a non-young Doctor Who. He is the same age as Hartnell was when he started, and frankly I hope he plays him as a wise old father-figure again. He could always play the recorder. L only hope he is not made to be quite as foul-mouthed and Scottish as his most recent role .

My favourite memory of him is in The Lair of the White Worm, starring against a young Hugh Grant and a very naked Amanda Donohoe. I think he was wearing a kilt throughout and even perhaps playing the bagpipes. Surely Ken Russell's chef d'oeuvre...........

ETA Yes! The whole film is on YT loaded by ModernArcane. The climactic bagpipes sequence is at about 1:15:00 ff. Surely this is up there with Spock's funeral ! In fact the entire film cannot be praised too highly for its combination of hot action and bathetic high camp.

[•.*°•☆. Q .☆•°*.•]

I'm resesrving judgement until I see him as the Doctor. That's what always really makes it or breaks it for me.

[Heathcliff]

I completely agree- I'm glad we have an older Doctor this time round. Matt Smith was better than I ever expected him to be, and really showed that a young Doctor could be great- but I'm pleased they have decided to change things around with an older actor.

I haven't seen Capaldi in any role other than Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It (insert joke about swearing at Daleks here) but he seems like an interesting choice.

I'm not surprised by the choice, but I actually thought they might go with a black actor this time- there were a couple of particularly fine black actors in the running, like the handsome David Harewood (I once had the pleasure of seeing him play Othello ). I also thought Richard Ayoade might be an interesting choice- but even though I think he's great, I can't quite picture him as the Doctor- so I'm sure old Stevie Moffat has made the right decision.

[Shay]

Well I was kind of disappointed just because I was hoping it would either be an actor that I knew better or a woman. I'd really like to see a woman Doctor for a change, but yeah I knew it probably wasn't going to happen. That being said I'm willing to wait and see how he does and be open minded until then.

[bloom]

<snip> I also thought Richard Ayoade might be an interesting choice <snip>

I know The IT Crowd isn't the only thing Ayoade has been in, of course, but it's the only thing I've seen him in. My husband turned to me today after someone mentioned him as a possibility and went "Can you imagine MOSS as the Doctor?" And I about lost my tiny little mind laughing.

[Nebula]

Personally, I'm really happy with the choice and think that he'll be an amazing doctor. I should probably hold judgement until I've seen him on screen as the part, though.

They only places I know him from are when he played John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth and when when he was in The Fires of Pompeii. From what I've seen, he appears to be a very good actor.

(Though on Tumblr I have come across some rather amusing gifs/photosets of him from 'The Thick of It' )

[Pseudosneeze]

It just kinda hit me that he's still not ginger. Still, I'm looking forward to this. We haven't had an older Doctor since Sylvester McCoy.

[murphy dee]

I'm really glad it's not a more well-known actor, I think that could ruin Doctor Who because all I'd be able to see was the well-known actor and not the Doctor. And I'm glad it's not a woman because I don't want Moffat's writing coming within 10 feet of a woman Doctor. Whenever a different writer takes over the show, THEN I'd be interested in an actress playing the Doctor.

That said, I'm really very happy that the Doctor will be older again!

[VoOs]

Capaldi is a great actor. I'm really excited for this! : D

[Blah!?]

I know absolutely nothing about the man. And honestly, that's probably the best praise I can give him as the next Doctor. If it was someone I knew, even just a little, I'd only be able to see the actor, not the character. I am pleased.

[TheCakeIsAlive]

I'm a bit curious whether they are going to reference his earlier appearance in the show at all (or, for that matter, his role in Torchwood), and I'm quite interested to see how he'll play the Doctor.

[Giant Steps]

I'm not a Doctor Who fan, but Peter Capaldi is quite excellent. I think ya'll are in good hands.

Interestingly, I don't know if anyone has seen World War Z? In that he plays a doctor for the World Health Organization (W.H.O). Thought that was kinda funny.

[Joal 555]

*bad pun alert*

I haven't seen Capaldi in any role other than Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It

.....in which he plays a spin Doctor

[snuffle-bunny]

He played the Angel Islington in the BBC series Neverwhere, and he was amazing.

this is from the final episode of the series. (Warning...spoilers!)

[bloom]

He also played a World Health Organization doctor in World War Z.

He played a WHO Doctor.

<giggle fit>

[Vongola Undicesimo]

Yeah, it's a little late to be responding to this, but whatever. Even though I feel like they decided to play it safe somewhat (older, white, male, and British) I'm still really excited. Before my favorite Doctor was the one I was currently watching, so right now it's Matt Smith, I don't really know if I want that to change. But still, I'm excited about the Christmas special. And Moffat, if you make this as sad as "The End of Time" was... I don't really know what I'll do.

[Heathcliff]

Even though I feel like they decided to play it safe somewhat (older, white, male, and British) I'm still really excited.

Maybe they were playing it safe with a white male, but I think it shows that they are willing to take risks that they cast a 55-year old actor.

Capaldi is the oldest person to start the role since William Hartnell (Doctor number 1), and since a lot of the younger audience might only associate the Doctor with David Tennant and Matt Smith (who were 34 and 27 when they started) I think it is not totally a 'safe' choice.

However, I think it's great that they've made this choice, and in a way it shows they aren't patronising the young audience by saying "young people cannot possibly be interested in this if it has an actor over 50 in the lead role."

[tma]

Well... they pretty much HAVE to cast as British... I mean... WHY would they ever cast otherwise. *teasing grin*

[VoOs]

And I'm glad it's not a woman because I don't want Moffat's writing coming within 10 feet of a woman Doctor.

I'm currently re-watching all of New Who as preparation for the 50 year anniversary, and boy, can you say that again. While I do think the Moff is a pretty clever writer (not always, but he definitely has his moments), he couldn't write a good female character to save his life.

But I shall spare you my angry feminist anti-Moffat rant. Seeing as he is in charge of two of my favourite shows, I'll just have to put up with him for now.

[Heathcliff]

And I'm glad it's not a woman because I don't want Moffat's writing coming within 10 feet of a woman Doctor.

I'm currently re-watching all of New Who as preparation for the 50 year anniversary, and boy, can you say that again. While I do think the Moff is a pretty clever writer (not always, but he definitely has his moments), he couldn't write a good female character to save his life.

But I shall spare you my angry feminist anti-Moffat rant. Seeing as he is in charge of two of my favourite shows, I'll just have to put up with him for now.

I'm interested in why you think Moffat is particularly bad at writing women? I mean, don't get me wrong, I think most of the main female characters in the revived show have been pretty crap; but that seemed to be right from the start- young female companions who idolised the Doctor. I'm pretty sure even in Russel T. Davies' episodes we frequently heard women talking about how wonderful the Doctor was.

There were a couple of interesting companion ideas from the Doctor Who audio dramas (yes, I know I always go on about audio dramas- sorry). In one, the Doctor was paired with an older female companion; a history professor in her 50s (Evelyn Smythe). That was a really cool change to the dynamic, because she wasn't so in awe of the Doctor and would question some of his decisions.

Another idea from the radio show (which I think would be far more likely for them to do in the TV show) was a young woman (Lucie Miller) who the Doctor was forced to take as a companion by the other Time Lords, against the wishes of both of them. Of course, they grew to like each other over the series- but it was a nice change to have them initially getting on each other's nerves.

I suppose my favourite companion in the new TV series was Donna, and for this exact reason- she didn't seem to be completely in awe of the Doctor.

[VoOs]

And I'm glad it's not a woman because I don't want Moffat's writing coming within 10 feet of a woman Doctor.

I'm currently re-watching all of New Who as preparation for the 50 year anniversary, and boy, can you say that again. While I do think the Moff is a pretty clever writer (not always, but he definitely has his moments), he couldn't write a good female character to save his life.

But I shall spare you my angry feminist anti-Moffat rant. Seeing as he is in charge of two of my favourite shows, I'll just have to put up with him for now.

I'm interested in why you think Moffat is particularly bad at writing women? I mean, don't get me wrong, I think most of the main female characters in the revived show have been pretty crap; but that seemed to be right from the start- young female companions who idolised the Doctor. I'm pretty sure even in Russel T. Davies' episodes we frequently heard women talking about how wonderful the Doctor was.

There were a couple of interesting companion ideas from the Doctor Who audio dramas (yes, I know I always go on about audio dramas- sorry). In one, the Doctor was paired with an older female companion; a history professor in her 50s (Evelyn Smythe). That was a really cool change to the dynamic, because she wasn't so in awe of the Doctor and would question some of his decisions.

Another idea from the radio show (which I think would be far more likely for them to do in the TV show) was a young woman (Lucie Miller) who the Doctor was forced to take as a companion by the other Time Lords, against the wishes of both of them. Of course, they grew to like each other over the series- but it was a nice change to have them initially getting on each other's nerves.

I suppose my favourite companion in the new TV series was Donna, and for this exact reason- she didn't seem to be completely in awe of the Doctor.

You know, you're right. Save for Donna, there is an embarrassing lack of good female characters in Who, regardless of who's the script writer. I guess I tend to analyze Moffat's female characters with an extra critical eye, for several reasons. <---- it's hard to know how much of that is true, how much of that he has and hasn't actually said, but I think I've seen enough of his writing to form an opinion regarding his female characters. And no, I am not impressed.

But yeah, I completely agree with you about the problem with having all these young girls idolizing the Doctor. Not only is it problematic from a feminist standpoint, but it also gets incredibly boring seeing that dynamic over and over and over.

Oh, and never apologize for going on and on about audio dramas! I've only listened to one Who radio play so far, but now you've gotten me curious... Perhaps I should check out more of them.

[Heathcliff]

You know, you're right. Save for Donna, there is an embarrassing lack of good female characters in Who, regardless of who's the script writer. I guess I tend to analyze Moffat's female characters with an extra critical eye, for several reasons. <---- it's hard to know how much of that is true, how much of that he has and hasn't actually said, but I think I've seen enough of his writing to form an opinion regarding his female characters. And no, I am not impressed.

I agree- judging by all those quotes, even if some of them are not quite true, Moffat does sound like a dick. However, I think a couple of examples on the website were a bit silly:

2:43pm, 18-05-12. Responding to polite comments regarding the fact that River doesn’t really contribute to bi-visibility if the majority of Doctor Who’s viewers are unaware of her bisexuality. (x)

“When did I say I thought I was contributing to bisexual visibility?? Please stop being rude to me, you have no reason to be.”

Why exactly should Doctor Who be contributing to bi-visibility? I assume this comment is because Moffat has stated that River Song is bisexual, so he has invited the question... but why exactly should River's sexuality be openly mentioned in the show? Doctor Who is relatively sex-free.

6:11am and 6:16am, 10-05-12. Regarding what The Doctor would say about gay rights.

“You’d have to explain gay to him first. Then straight! Then why you were still talking when there’s ALL THESE SPACESHIPS!!” and “Then he’d be very cross it was ever in doubt, add a gay marriage setting to his screwdriver and accidentally marry a Krynoid. Again.”

A flippant response perhaps- but he did say that the Doctor would be angry that it had ever been in doubt that gay people should have the same rights as straight people. Anyway, didn't we have a pair of gay soldiers who were married, in the cleric-army from 'A Good Man Goes to War'? I know it was only a small appearance, but he slipped in two married gay men as if it would obviously be a normal thing in the future.

But yeah, I completely agree with you about the problem with having all these young girls idolizing the Doctor. Not only is it problematic from a feminist standpoint, but it also gets incredibly boring seeing that dynamic over and over and over.

Yes- I totally agree, it just gets boring. I do like the idea of having a companion who questions him more. If you will forgive me for shamelessly plugging my own Doctor Who fanfic, I've given the Doctor a young female scientist as a companion- I thought it made sense that they would respect each other as scientists.

Oh, and never apologize for going on and on about audio dramas! I've only listened to one Who radio play so far, but now you've gotten me curious... Perhaps I should check out more of them.

Thanks! I have to admit- some of the Doctor Who audio dramas I have were downloaded via torrents- obviously I cannot encourage anyone to do that or share links, it's illegal. However, the 8th Doctor audio dramas with Paul McGann were broadcast on BBC radio, and are sometimes repeated on Radio 4 Extra (which anyone in the world should be able to listen to on the internet). If they are repeated again I will let the forum know.

[Vongola Undicesimo]

Not all of the female characters idolize the Doctor. For example, Rose (who happens to be my favorite companion, so I'm somewhat biased) got in fights with the Doctor sometimes. She also didn't really idolize the Doctor, just fell in love with him.

And while I get what you guys are saying, I think the reason why it looks like this is because there are generally more female characters then male characters in Doctor Who. In the new series the only prominent male characters (besides the Doctor) have been Mickey, Jack, Wilfred, and Rory. And don't forget, Wilf idolizes the Doctor, and so did Jack for a time.

I think what I'm getting at is, if you met a time-traveling alien with a box, wouldn't you be in awe of him too?