Despite all that, I simply could not let a monumental time like this go by without making some sort of contribution. I feel it is my duty as a tax-paying member of society to make my voice heard. This may very well be the most important decision of our lifetime and the individual elected could easily affect the lifetimes that follow. And while I know I speak for everyone when I say David Tennant’s imminent departure from Doctor Who will no doubt leave us all bereft of joy and wonder; we must not wallow in our bereavement. A new Doctor must take up the mantle and I put it to you, that new Doctor should be John Simm.
Think about it. How delicious was Simm’s portrayal of The Master in season 3? Simm was enigmatic, unpredictable, poignant and altogether mesmerizing. I know many Doctor Who purists stand by Anthony Ainley but from what I’ve read from even the most diehard, Simm was the closest to mastering The Master. (Ahh, see what I did there!) At any rate, just think about the possibilities. Granted, this territory has kind of been covered in movies like Face Off but just superficially. How amazing would it be to deal with the ramifications of looking and sounding like your greatest enemy (Daleks and Cybermen notwithstanding) for multiple episodes/seasons?? Apart from The Doctor’s usual, awkward getting-to-know-himself period that follows any regeneration, he’d have to deal with the constant reminder of what The Master was, what The Master did to him, and what The Doctor was willing to sacrifice the last time they were together. Russell T. Davies, if by some miracle you see this, listen to me, it could work! Perhaps it was when The Master used The Doctor’s DNA to make him age in The Sound of Drums and then when The Doctor used the screwdriver doohickey to stump The Master it somehow affected the doc’s DNA further so that on his next regen, this would be the result!
The beauty of Doctor Who is you really can have a second chance with a cast. Unlike with James Bond. I always thought they missed out on a goldmine when they cast Timothy Dalton as Bond instead of a latter day bad guy of the Blofeld oeuvre. How fabulous was Dalton in Hot Fuzz? He was just too serious for Bond. He lacked a sense of humor at the time. And while the part didn’t necessitate Roger Moore-type goofiness, the actor portraying Bond should have a healthy dose of sardonicism. That’s why this Daniel Craig works so well…That and the whole Steve McQueen thing he’s got going on. The point is, think outside of the box, Russ!!
Mind you, the box does serve some purpose. I was recently dismayed to hear that Robert Carlyle was being considered as the new doc. Now I don’t have a problem with Carlyle at all; I think he’s a splendid actor. He just resides in an altogether different geometric shape. Carlyle is brilliant but there is something so perpetually forlorn and vaguely heartbreaking about him that I would be hard pressed to think of him taking on this role. Sure the doc has both those qualities just from living so long, but there’s also a vital wonder about him that keeps him doin’ his thang. But the thang that specifically makes Carlyle not a valid option is that he seems to lack mystery and, for me, that’s the one quality all the best Doctors have shared.
When I heard that Doctor Who was coming back on the air in 2005 I was elated by Christopher Eccleston’s casting. He’s always been a spectacularly intense actor (I recommend Revengers Tragedy if you like your intensity in copious doses) with a healthy sense of humor (I find him chillingly hilarious in Gone in Sixty Seconds) who has the innate ability to wrench your heart apart (Let Him Have It – if you haven’t seen it, just stop reading this and go out and rent it now). The Doctor has to be unpredictable. Almost like an animal. The character always reminded me of this time a stray cat came up to me and started nudging up against my leg. When I reached down to pet it, it inexplicably popped out its claws and scratched two long, vicious lines down my calf. Apart from the fact that I was fairly scarred for life (psychologically; not physically – the disfigurement lasted as long as it took the Neosporin to do its magic) and now have a mostly dubious trust of felines; the point is, like a wild animal, you should never know 100% what The Doctor might do next. Eccleston reeked of that abandon during his tragically short tenure. Tennant “mastered” (I feel like Kevin “Mr. Subliminal Man” Nealon suddenly) in his first episode with the way he handled his whole “button” speech and the succinctness with which he dispatched the Sycorax guy (Incidentally, Sycorax sounds far more like Dr. Seuss than Doctor Who, but..you know..that’s past tense).
The main point is Doctor Who is one of those iconic figures that stand the test of time because his singular persona allows him to take the risks we wish we took; go on the adventures we’d like to take; and be the hero we’d all like to be. It takes a truly special actor to take over this persona and create something we could still believe in. The best candidate for the position is the electrifying John Simm! Russ! Make the right choice!!
