Oh no, not again...

In “The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy” there is one passage whereby a bowl of petunias is summoned into existence above a planet and only has time to think, “Oh no, not again…” , before crashing to the ground below. This is explained in a later novel as an incarnation of a character called Agrajag who has met many unfortunate and premature demises at the hands of an oblivious Arthur Dent. Given that Adams was also the script editor for Doctor Who at the time I have often wondered if he had the Timelord in mind. After hearing Peter Capaldi’s interview on Radio 2 on Monday night ,in which he announced his pending departure from the show, I think my initial reaction was also “Oh no, not again…”

In fact, Capaldi will have completed three full series of the programme by the time he leaves which is a pretty standard stint for the lead actors with only a couple doing significantly less and two significantly more. I have a hypothesis that the portrayal of the Doctor when one first watches Doctor Who gives the impression of what the Doctor should be like. For me, it was Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker and Peter Capaldi fits strongly between those two which has made him my favourite Doctor since the 1970s although I have enjoyed discovering the older episodes, particularly Patrick Troughton, and have like some of the later ones, notably Matt Smith who often channelled Troughton. However, Capaldi has really been my favourite since the show returned and I will miss him.

This all leads up to the big question of who will take over the title role to become Doctor Number 13 (although that numbering is now somewhat debatable). I suspect that the new showrunner, Chris Chibnall, already has someone in mind – in fact I would be surprised if he hasn’t already got them lined up. The usual names seem to be popular with the bookies, a typical wish-list of fan-boys and fan-girls alike, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he went with an actor that he has worked with previously, possibly from the series Broadchurch. There are a couple of actors that can presumably be discounted as they were regulars on Doctor Who: David Tennant, who has obviously been there and done that; and Arthur Darvill, who was a companion for two and a half series. There are quite a few other actors in Broadchurch that would seem to fit the profile: Andrew Buchan, Matthew Gravelle, Joe Sims, Jonathan Bailey or even Olivia Coleman?

This does seem to raise the question of whether the Doctor could be a woman. Personally, I rather baulk at the suggestion as it would stink of stunt casting although I think that the right actress could be very good: Tilda Swinton has that certain alien other-worldliness that would be ideal for the role. I think the main problem is that it would rather change the dynamics of the show. The stories are nearly always told from the perspective of the Doctor’s companions and this means that the storytelling is usually from a female perspective. If the Doctor was a woman, would the companions usually be men or would there have to be a mix to provide that female perspective? Amongst the whole gender equality arguments it should also be noted that the Doctor has always been white – there is no reason why (s)he should be and there are quite a few black and Asian actors who I think would be superb in the role. However, the role should be cast for purely dramatic reasons and not to fill out some quota.

I expect that the next Doctor will probably not be a household name and will leave most of us saying Who? The only great certainty is that in three years or thereabouts we will all be saying “Oh no, not again...”