couldn't they have used the real Alistair Campbell, just so we know where he isn't?
Peter Capaldi named as 12th Doctor Who
The next Doctor Who has been named. He's Peter Capaldi, a 55-year-old Brit who has good form for the role, having already been on Dr Who and its spinoff Torchwood. The new Who – played John Frobiser in Torchwood's 2009 arc "Children of the Earth" – and popped up as Roman Lucius Caecilius in the 2008 episode "The Fires of …
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Monday 5th August 2013 00:03 GMT Anonymous Coward
Been a fan since he was a kid
And when I say "fan", I mean hardcore fan. One of the higher profile figures in the very earliest days of organised fandom in the 1970's. Apparently tried to get control of the fledgling Official Doctor Who club and was considered a bit of a pest by the Who production team. From http://www.odwfc.com/#/reviews/4563033009 :
"Because of the nature of their correspondence, we never see Keith’s letters, but it’s fun reading Sarah’s replies and filling in the gaps in the unfolding story. As time passes, the two build up quite a touching relationship; Sarah gently offers counsel when Keith’s father passes away and shares her frustrations at the rise of the Super Fan as Peter Capaldi – that Peter Capaldi – and pals proceed to make themselves pests to the Doctor Who production team, and commence on a grubby quest for Whovian power. There’s even a terrific bit where Keith frets that Sarah’s serious when she suggests he pops over to Glasgow to duff up the proto Malcolm Tucker."
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Monday 5th August 2013 07:15 GMT Magister
Re: I haven't watched Doctor Who since I was a kid ...
My favourite line from yesterday: "From spin-doctor to The Doctor!" (Perhaps he could swear in Gallifreean?)
He's actually a damn good actor; I suspect that he will do a really good job. Possibly, he might make it a touch darker; somewhere along the road to Torchwood without being quite so adult. Could be well worth watching.
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Monday 5th August 2013 02:37 GMT K. Adams
About time (no pun intended)...
I've been thinking that Doctor Who's been going a bit too "Benjamin Button" over the past few series.
Don't get me wrong, I very much liked Chris Eccleston's, David Tenant's, and Matt Smith's Doctors, but the backward trend in apparent age as of late has been leaving me a bit wanting.
As a long devotee -- 25+ years -- of the "classic", pre-2005 series (from Hartnell to McCoy, plus McGann), I liked it when you were never quite sure of what (or rather, Who) you were going to get from one incarnation to another.
It'll be refreshing to see a new Doctor that brings forth the aire of careworn dignity and aged experience which comes from having lived almost too long and seen way too much...
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:24 GMT Anonymous Coward
Don't blame Sylvester
He was actually a very good Doctor, just let down by appalling scripts from the BBC because they wanted to kill Doctor Who off. Read the New Adventures books and his Doctor is very good. Very dark at times and quite happy to manipulate his friends and companions to do what needs to be done. Ace's character is developed very well, she hates that the Doctor uses her so leaves him and becomes a mercenary. Comes back later in the series as a battle-hardened cynical companion, well worth reading :)
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Monday 5th August 2013 16:10 GMT sawatts
Re: About time (no pun intended)...
After you account for the opening and closing credits, and the repeat of the last episodes cliff-hanger, those 25min were down to about 20min of actual new story.
I much prefer the 45min block (hour slot on commercial TV) to develop stories without having to fit into the cliffhanger-every-20mins structure.
Though in them olden days the Beeb did show reruns of serials as single shows (editing all episodes of a serial together). I remember watching the "Brain of Morbius" in this form from the next room (the sofa was too close!).
I would defend Sylvester McCoy's Doctor though - that period was beset with awful scripts. As I understand it, he was trying to be a darker and more mysterious figure, something that would work better in the current format. Though I admit that after missing one episode during the 70s, those late 80s episodes were less appealing than the pub...
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Monday 5th August 2013 08:34 GMT Sir Gaz of Laz
Re: Yea! But you know...
I agree, I prefer the anticipation of the whole regeneration episode and reveal. I'm guessing the BBC has done this as its the 50th anniversary year and more importantly to counter any tabloid spoilers ahead of time. Capaldi is too high profile an actor for that secret to have been kept.
Great choice though, looking forward to seeing how he does!
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Monday 5th August 2013 13:41 GMT Ugotta B. Kiddingme
you mean...
... Survivor: Gallifrey
Gallifrey's Got Talent
The W Factor
I could go on but, as has been mentioned, I really REALLY shouldn't. It's really a shame that this couldn't have been kept under wraps until Christmas but the new reality is that there is no possible way this secret could have been kept.
I look forward to a more mature Doctor. I've really enjoyed the "new breed" but still love "the classics."
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Monday 5th August 2013 06:36 GMT volsano
Re: the Doctor can take on any form imaginable...
Yes, they've cast their Baker's dozenth plus 1 or 2 (depending on who you count) white man to the part.
But there is hope yet. We have not seen his costume or make up. He may play the Doctor dressed as a Masai warrior with a ginger wig and in tasteful blackface.
That may not please the feminists I know, but it'd be a nod toward multi- culturalism. They have, after all, previously cast a Scot playing the part with a Lundunish accent.
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Monday 5th August 2013 08:12 GMT JDX
Re: the Doctor can take on any form imaginable...
Um, how do you know Galifreyans can be black? Having black skin is part of the human genetic diversity. The idea that would evolve on every world with humanoids is simply ludicrous. We haven't had an oriental doctor either, so what?
The doctor is Galifreyan not human. He doesn't change race.
Time to dismount the PC hobby horse. With James Bond you have at least a small argument, here it's just daft.
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Monday 5th August 2013 06:41 GMT Anonymous Coward
Good-Bye DW?
I have been watching since it was aired in the US in the early 70's. It was only a matter of time before DW was history. The new producers have seen to that. It has lost all the wonder and brilliance (RTD) that was DW and has been turned into a third rate "americanized" tragedy. The new Dr is creepy at best. I have always thought that Capaldi played weak characters anyway. I couldn't stand Matt Smith. Guess I got stuck on David Tennant as a younger Tom Baker (the best Drs).
And that pathetic reveal show. Obviously they know they're in trouble. Pity Moffat and Minchi aren't smart enough to know that over hyping never ends well. Grabbing at straws is not pretty.
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Monday 5th August 2013 10:11 GMT VinceH
Re: Good-Bye DW?
"And that pathetic reveal show. Obviously they know they're in trouble."
I think it's more a case of obviously they know the news is going to get out, so why not make the most of it themselves?
I watched it live via iPlayer because I felt that although I'd rather be surprised when the regeneration actually happened, at least if I hear the news directly from the BBC in some kind of vaguely relevant context it's far better than stumbling across it somewhere on the intertubes, for example in the headlines of an RSS feed, such as one I saw this morning, which read "Peter Capaldi named as 12th Doctor Who".
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Monday 5th August 2013 07:02 GMT Chris D Rogers
Matt Smith was too young
As an old git with fond memories of Jon Pertwee playing the third Doctor, I'm pleased they have an old timer in the part, rather than a more youthful actor.
Jon Pertwee remains my favourite Doctor, let's see if Capaldi measures up and brings some fun and excitement back to the show - I'm not into all this sexual nonsense, which is best left to pron stars.
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Monday 5th August 2013 07:40 GMT Robert E A Harvey
Re: Matt Smith was too young
I recall watching An Unearthly Child and suspect that an older, creepy, irrascible Doctor is long overdue. Remember William Hartnell!
I also don't like this cyberpunk Tardis. Since it can rebuild itself when the Doctor is in trouble, I'd welcome a return to the old style console.
Welcome Mr Capaldi, anyroad.
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Monday 5th August 2013 08:52 GMT Julian Bond
Cyberpunk?
I think you meant "Steampunk". And yes, I don't like the brass and big wooden handles. But then I'm not sure plugging the TARDIS into the the back of Dr Who's neck would be such a good thing either. If it's going to be perpetually 2014 in the next incarnation's TARDIS, then surely the UI should be an app on an android cleverphone?
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Monday 5th August 2013 07:43 GMT Steven Raith
Just to say...
"Look, half an hour ago you were in with a shot! This is half an hour hence! We've f-cking time-travelled, yes? We're in a weird and wonderful world where everything is different! Maybe outside the polar ice caps have melted! Maybe there's f-cking robots knocking about and Davina Maccoll is the new Pope! Maybe you can download rice!
That last part caused coffee to shoot out of my nose and ruin my shirt.
Off to change it then go to work - that's made my morning.
Steven R
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Monday 5th August 2013 09:34 GMT Stilted Banter
BBC PR = news
Actor has new role. Gosh whatever next. Coming to you straight from that section of the BBC News website front page devoted to shameless self-promotion. Just because the BBC think anything to do with Dr Who counts as internationally-important news doesn't mean the rest of us have to go along.
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Monday 5th August 2013 09:56 GMT djack
Re: BBC PR = news
"Just because the BBC think anything to do with Dr Who counts as internationally-important news doesn't mean the rest of us have to go along."
Regardless of what you may personally think, it was an international "event". The thing was broadcast live pretty-much globally. Just out of interest, I tried the BBC America website at 7PM and the thing was basically flattened. Getting some global viewing figures would be interesting.
Come to think of it, I can't think of many other live global broadcasts like that (even thing like the Olympics had different anchors/commentators etc.)
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Monday 5th August 2013 10:50 GMT BoldMan
Re: BBC PR = news
News isn't news anymore... an old drunk who used to be a good footballer arriving at the court for hit trial for assault isn't "news" but Sky News this morning had a "Breaking News - News Alert: Paul Gascoigne arrives at court" headline interrupting their "normal" "news" coverage...
Meh
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Monday 5th August 2013 13:00 GMT 0765794e08
Re: BBC PR = news
This is so true. I was watching BBC News 24 an hour or so before the ‘reveal show’, and there was a long news item featuring their entertainment correspondent standing outside the broadcast studio, in front of a queue of ‘Whovians’ waiting to go into the studio…
And I’m thinking….. never mind Syria, never mind Egypt, never mind Zimbabwe, never mind anything else important happening in the world… the self-obsessed and self- important BBC proclaims to planet earth: WE ARE THE NEWS
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Monday 5th August 2013 15:04 GMT NightFox
Re: BBC PR = news
I think you're getting "news" mixed up with "bad news". Just because something's entertainment related doesn't mean it can't be news, nor does have to detract from more serious (bad) news items. I'll wager that there's been more discussion today about the new Doctor today than there has been about Egypt - that's human nature for you though.
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Monday 5th August 2013 09:41 GMT Frankee Llonnygog
Damn - I was so close
Commenting on "Who should play the next Doctor? Nominations needed!", I wrote:
Posted Wednesday 5th June 2013 09:52 GMT Frankee Llonnygog
Bill Nighy gets the William Hartnell vote
However, as the Doc is often in the thick of it, I'm voting for (swerves to avoid Peter Capaldi) Rebecca Front
Must have had a faulty triode in the Prognosticator that day
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Monday 5th August 2013 09:52 GMT Anonymous Coward
Why is it always you f*ing Daleks?
How the f* do you motherf*ers keep ending up causing trouble? Master f*ing race? Master f*ing race my f*ing arse. All you got is an egg whisk and a sink plunger - do you get you f*ing weaponry from the IKEA kitchen range? Why don't you just pop upstairs, get down on your knees and suck my f*ing dick? Oh no, wait, you can't - you haven't got any f*ing knees. Just f* off and let me get on with something important, like doing a f*ing Sudoku on a Cyberman's bollocks.
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:05 GMT Anonymous Coward
Dr Who is lame crud
No amount of gravitas from a serious actor like Capaldi is going to rescue what is nothing more than poorly written child oriented sci fi with the occasional politically correct agenda thrown in. The laughably portentious storylines frequently have a habit of wrting cheques they can't cash - Quick , daleks are taking over the universe! Will the doctor round up a space fleet and attack them!? Err no , he'll talk loudly too them for 5 mins and they'll all go home. As Tucker would say , Oh give me a f*cking break!
And they spend far too much time based around Earth - presumably for budget reasons. Plus the effects are generally rubbish and there's no excuse for that in 2013 when a decent desktop PC can do better effects than the whole of Lucasfilm could manage back in the 1980s.
To anyone who reads serious sci fi - Ian M Banks, Neil Asher, for example - Dr Who is a sad joke. It should be on CBBC,
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:35 GMT Gordon 10
Re: Dr Who is lame crud
You do get that there's room for more than 1 genre in Sci-Fi dont you? And that millions of people watch DW precisely because of its current tone. If it wasnt for the current interpretation - whether you like it or not - it probably wouldnt be running again.
I would also argue that since Moffat - the man responsible for 2 of the BBC's biggest hits in recent years - and whose worked with half of Hollywood - knows more about what works for a Global audience than you do.
Oh and BTW the fact that you cant come up with anyone but Iain M Banks and his lesser sweary clone doesnt give your post much credibility.
Dont get me wrong I have every Neil Asher in HB but he's a sweary bloody derivative of Banks and is no more heavy duty science fiction than DW is. Now if you had mentioned Donaldson, Stross, Doctorow, Scalzi et all you might have gained yourself a little more credibility.
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Monday 5th August 2013 12:43 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Dr Who is lame crud
"You do get that there's room for more than 1 genre in Sci-Fi dont you? "
You're confusing differing genre with differing quality. The storyline s of Dr Who are extremely poor and the execution appalling.
"If it wasnt for the current interpretation - whether you like it or not - it probably wouldnt be running again."
And I should care , why? If the BBC didn't waste money on this they could spend it on other more deserving Sci Fi dramas instead.
"I would also argue that since Moffat - the man responsible for 2 of the BBC's biggest hits in recent years - and whose worked with half of Hollywood - knows more about what works for a Global audience than you do."
You could say the same about the producers of Big Brother. So what?
"Oh and BTW the fact that you cant come up with anyone but Iain M Banks and his lesser sweary clone doesnt give your post much credibility."
Says the man who mentions Stephen Donaldson - a poor fantasy hack who churns out tedious Tolkein knock-offs - in the same breath as Banks. I mean seriously??
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:38 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: To anyone who reads serious sci fi - ... - Dr Who is a sad joke
I like serious science fiction, but I also like a bit of non-serious sf. Whilst Dr Who could be improved, it's entertaining enough (although maybe I'm prepared to cut it a bit more slack than usual because I used to watch it when I was young).
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:38 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Dr Who is lame crud
Well, that's the thing about family shows, they tend to be aimed at the lower age groups so they're suitable for them.
Also, FTFY
"Ian M Banks, Peter Hamilton, for example"
I tried reading some Neil Asher, it was awful. Please don't put him in the same sentence as the late great Mr Banks.
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:14 GMT no-one in particular
Thnaks a bundle, Register
I'd avoided looking at the front pages of newspapers (dead easy), played a CD instead of radio news on the way into work this morning, had a pile of old El Reg articles open in the browser so I had something to read without having to look at your front page - and you bung the new actor info info a "most read" headline dropped onto those old stories!
Some of us would have liked to have kept it as a surprise until the episode airs.
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Monday 5th August 2013 11:43 GMT Hope Spirals
Re: Thnaks a bundle, Register
No no - you miss the point, it's a game.
How long can I go without finding out about _______?
This one was Dr Who but there are others.
General Election - just over 2 days is my best.
The budget is a good one for beginners - avoid the results and news for 48 hours then see how long before you actually notice something that affects you and you can definitely attribute to the chancellor.
It's not news, it's (mostly) gossip.
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Monday 5th August 2013 13:01 GMT Hilibnist
Well done everybody
I feel like I'm the only one here who hasn't seen Malcolm Tucker in action! Still thanks to everybody for the recommendations.
Now, where was Peter Capaldi in the El Reg readers' poll?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/06/07/who_poll/
Any suggestions why his name didn't spring to mind earlier?
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Wednesday 7th August 2013 08:10 GMT Anonymous Coward
a BIT pervy ???
Hang on a minute, all those people who live their lives in Daily Mail space going on about it being OK for a young (Matt Smith) Dr Who to get off on a cute female companion, but it's pervy and offensive if the Doctor looks over 50, have really lost the plot.
He's a frikkin' Time Lord from Gallifrey. He's an intergalactic alien - doesn't that count as qualifyingly pervy whatever his current incarnation happens to look like?
What if Time Lords have something else unusual about them (apart from the two hearts and 12 lifetimes) like a prehensile todger?
At least Romana (in Tom Baker's era) was also a Time Lord, i.e. the matching species, and he didn't cop off with her, nor did we see her having a crisis from playing with the settings on a sonic screwdriver.
Anyway, Capaldi is an excellent choice for Dr Who, and even better, he doesn't look like he'd been at the Jarvis Cocker School of Acting and Dance, like Matt Smith.
This topic is closed for new posts.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
