I will fully admit that I am more than fashionably late to the party. In fact I have only watched one series of Doctor Who in it's entirety, the current Matt Smith run that is coming to an end this Christmas. I have always wanted to give it a try but much like an outsider looking to get into comic books, the longevity of the series seemed far to daunting a task and I didn't know where to start. I had heard rave reviews for David Tennant's run but a man with a family and a full time job only has so much time to spare. So I finally made the exectutive decision to start a new with the current series and it's cast of characters. Turns out I made a solid decision as Smith's 3 seasons as the TARDIS wheeling Doctor are some of the most entertaining tales that I've witnessed on the small screen! And just as I went all in and got emotionally invested in MY Doctor, it's announced that he's leaving the show. I am finally at my last stage of grief (acceptance) and am ready for another chap (or dame?) to step in, grab a bow tie and flaunt his intergalactic PHD.
But who?
The interwebs almost immediately exploded with rumors about who (no pun intended) would take up Smiths mantle, from Christopher Plummer to Helen Mirren. While both are fine actors lets face it neither are happening. Nor do i think they would be good fits. Then the question arose, are we ready for a female Doctor Who? I don't see why not. After all, Doctor Who is an alien not a human being does the gender of the Doctor even matter? With the proper story and casting (Billie Piper?) it could work indeed.
My personal pick for the role would be Hugh Laurie. The British know Mr. Laurie form his days as a BBC funnyman along side comedic partner Stephen Fry (see: Fry and Laurie), while Americans know him best as curmudgeonly Doctor Gregory House, from the smash hit Fox medical drama, House. I believe if you meet somewhere in between the dry wit and borderline sociopathic natures of these roles we'd have a rather interesting new arch enemy of the Daleks on our hands.
I stepped on board several years ago, and my first Doctor was David Tennant. Matt Smith though has done a brilliant job on his run as the Doctor, helping to overcome the grief of loosing the talented, and charismatic David Tennant. I would absolutely recommend you find time to watch some of those episodes. Hugh Laurie has the charisma and ability to portray mannerisms, something that is unique and essential to the character of each doctor - though as someone relatively well known, I'm not sure if that will happen. As the Doctor continues to evolve, we can only hope they make the right choice to whom takes over in the next regeneration. I'm hoping for another relative unknown, in which they will embrace the opportunity, and put their passion into given us a new doctor we will all love.
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