Quick! Name the longest running TV show with original episodes! If you said anything other than Doctor Who or COPS, you were wrong. Starting with season one and counting this current season, Doctor Who has aired 759 episodes and been on TV since 1963 – and, with a 2010 season already slated, Doctor Who shows no signs of slowing down.
In a recent interview, BBC Film entertainment spokeswoman Lizo Mzimba confirmed that “a script is in development” for a Doctor Who movie, but if the project moved into full production, we likely wouldn’t see a release for several years.
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(In that time we could have three or four more “Doctors” because, as sure as I am geeky, the show will still be on the air.)
What makes the Doctor Who show so extraordinary is the fact that the show remains highly popular even though the lead actor has changed not once, twice or even five times but an astonishing ELEVEN times! William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith have all sported the sonic screwdriver and been behind the “wheel” of the Tardis – the Doctor’s time machine shaped like a British police box.
Usually, when a TV show decides to change the actor playing the lead role, it is considered by many to be the “jump the shark” moment. When the person playing that character changes, it forces us to re-bond with them all over again, and many times we simply stop watching the show. Can you imagine someone other than Hugh Laurie playing Dr. House and millions of people still tuning in every week to watch?
The constant character change hasn’t seemed to adversely affect the Doctor Who series. I think it’s because the writers never pigeon hole themselves into one specific story line. Throughout the series they have run 124 different story arcs, each one different and interesting. For that reason, out of all the Sci-Fi shows in existence today, I think Doctor Who makes itself the most adaptable to big screen treatment.
All you need is a Doctor, a time machine shaped like a British police box (which looks to us Americans like some sort of phone booth), a cute girl to travel with and a bad guy to fight. And get this: all three can be different in EVERY SINGLE MOVIE! Heck they’ve been doing it for forty-five years on TV and it seems to work just fine, so why stop now? Fans of the show would be happy because they are used to constant changes and newcomers would be drawn to it as well because a well told sci-fi movie almost always does well at the box office.
There are obviously no rumors about the script at this point but here is my suggestion. Let’s see an origin story of Doctor Who and how he became alone in the universe. Writers have long been mentioning the Time Wars between the Time Lords and the Daleks (think R2D2 with a bad attitude and a toilet plunger for a hand). That would make an epic battle to watch on screen and set up the next series of shows or movies quite nicely.
What do you think about a Doctor Who movie and who would you like to see play him? I’d personally like to see Christopher Eccelston return to the post.
Dr. Who the movie is still in development and has no release date.
Source: BBC
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39 Comments
the comments were definitely tl;dr, so here you go:
In my opinion, there needs to be a movie that does handle the Time War, which isn’t mentioned in the first iteration of the series (as there are trips to Gallifrey) so it has to happen somewhere between the Seventh and Ninth Doctors.
Perhaps this would finally give fans the McGann/Eccleston regeneration sequence? At any rate it would be something fans would want to see because, as you mentioned, the Time War has been hinted at so strongly ever since the show came back.
And here’s my piece of uber-geekitude: The Fifth Doctor did not in fact use the sonic screwdriver – he went “hands-free” as they mention in “Time Crash.”
My final tidbit: In the new Torchwood miniseries, I would LOVE to see Matt Smith show up as the 11th Doctor in a cameo before he actually takes over for Tennant. Given the whole time travel thing, it’s definitely not out of the question.
I think they shouldn’t do anything about the Time War. What they should is make a story(s) of its’ consequences that the Doctor must set right.
And here’s a little nugget, how about Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliff as a future Doctor Who? After all Harry was a little instrumental in bringing back the Doctor.
I so want to see the Last Great Time War! Lets have 10th telling someone about it as a frame story, 8th as the main character, and a regeneration into 9th near the end. That would be simply fantastic.
@Timebender13, I totally agree with you! THAT’s exactly the movie I imagined/wished for all this time. Bring on 8,9 & 10!
I agree with those who want to see a telling of the whole Time War saga.
Personally, I had strong feelings about the Doctor Who movie (”Enemy Within”), both really liking many aspects and really disliking others. I thought McGann was awesome and showed real promise, and felt it tragic we were deprived of seeing more of him on film. The only regeneration sequence viewers have never seen is the one between the 8th and 9th doctors. SO…
Why not make the film a bridge between the old, the ‘attempted’ new, and the new by telling a story that many feel needs to be told anyway AND would fill in a missing piece of Doctor Who tradition!? We could even throw in some Eccleston/Tenant action since, let’s face it, I bet a lot of us are curious to see those two on screen together as Doctors. I say bring in McGann, Eccleston, AND Tenant! Let’s watch the tragedy of the destruction of Gallifrey unfold, give a chance for McGann to shine again, watch him transform into the 9th Doctor, and somewhere along the way watch the 8th, 9th, and 10th Doctors bump into each other!
BTW – I’m pumped that it looks like there’s going to be a Children In Need 15-minute special with all 11 Doctors featured!!!
@ Anthony B, thank you for so clearly expressing my own thoughts and hopes for this rumored movie.:)
I completely agree with you!
As for the Children In Need special,I’m afraid that’s just another recycled rumor.
As much as we all want to see it happen, I’ll believe it when I watch it.
Hey IzzyD,
Thank you! Regarding the Children in Need special, I can understand your skepticism. For some reason (or rather a collective of little reasons), I believe it this time.
(1) Russell T. Davies likes big endings, and a special featuring all 11 Doctors would certainly play into that.
(2) The likelihood of having McGann included, in my opinion, would have been a factor in favor of disbelieving the rumored special, BUT… he has done and is remarkably still doing a boatload of radio programs as the 8th Doctor, and add to that that he recently attended his first ever convention, met with a very overcrowded room of 15,000 people! So McGann is in a better position than ever to make some sort of appearance – his popularity is on the upswing.
(3) The series has been seeded with VISUAL references to past doctors. Davies wanted a break with the old in certain key respects, but he’s very, very loyal to the old shows. So while these can be seen as mere tidbits to please the fans, I think they may be preparing us for something. The show is signaling that it does not want to forget the past. An 11-Doctor special would be a wonderful part of the climax to this.
Some of this doesn’t only speak in favor of the special this time around – it also speaks to a movie which might tie together the old and the new with someone like McGann present.
They should cast an actor to portray The Doctor in a way that only his people saw. Then he should regenerate into a different form, starting a point in which the first episode of the VERY first season could pick up from. That would be great.
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