New Doctor Who to be announced

The name of the actor who will replace David Tennant as Doctor Who will be announced on Saturday.

Tennant said in October that he would stand down from the show after filming four special episodes in 2009.

His replacement - the eleventh Doctor of the TV series - will be revealed in a Doctor Who Confidential programme on BBC One at 1735 on 3 January.

The casting was confirmed over Christmas and filming for the 2010 series begins in the summer.

Tennant is due to begin shooting the first of his four specials this month, just weeks after surgery on his back.

The last of these episodes is expected to run in early 2010.

'Nail-biting Christmas'

The casting decision has been a priority for the show's new creative team, led by executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger.

The BBC said that in Saturday's Doctor Who special "the actor playing the new Doctor will be giving his or her initial reaction" to becoming TV's most famous time traveller.

Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales, said: "We believe the actor is going to bring something very special to the role and will make it absolutely their own.

"I just can't wait to tell everyone who it is - it has been a nail-biting Christmas trying to keep this under wraps!"

Shortly after Tennant's announcement, bookmakers were tipping several well-known names as the next actor (or actress) to step into the Tardis.

Murphy's Law and Cold Feet star James Nesbitt emerged as one of the favourites, along with Paterson Joseph, John Simm and David Morrissey - who appeared in the 2008 Christmas special.

Paterson Joseph, who recently starred in Survivors and appeared in two Doctor Who episodes in 2005, has said "any actor would love the challenge" of playing the Time Lord.

Bookmakers made him an early favourite - offering odds of 3-1 on him becoming the first black Doctor.

Comedian Jennifer Saunders, former Doctor Who assistant Billie Piper and film star Catherine Zeta Jones have also been mentioned in connection with the role.

The show's outgoing executive producer Russell T Davies said last month: "Whoever becomes the Doctor has got to take on a whole life. It's not just becoming a part of a TV show."

In October, when Tennant was asked who he thought should replace him, he joked: "Well, I've always been a big supporter of Wee Jimmy Krankie!"

Doctor Who began in 1963, and seven actors played the Doctor before the show was dropped in 1989.

After a TV movie in 1996 - starring Paul McGann - the TV series returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role. Tennant took over the role the same year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7807742.stm



Fuuuuuuuuuuuck! They'd better not choose someone shit!

And funnily enough, going with some friends tomorrow to a Doctor Who Wxhibition at Earl's Court...just before it gets announced.

Of the names mentionned, I'm rooting for Nesbitt.

David Morrissey is obviously not happening after the Xmas special. And as much as I like him (seeing him in a play next week actually), I'm not convinced he'd be right for the part anyway, he was irritating in the special.

I'm not convinced of Paterson Joseph acting, something about him I don't buy (I'm watching Survivors but remember him from Green Wing too and saw him recently on stage).

And because I love John Simm I hope he doesn't do it because I think it'd be a waste of his talent and a trap role (for the same reason I think Tennant should have left earlier, Eccleston got it right leaving after just 1 season). Plus he played a villain a couple of seasons back didn't he?

Nesbitt I like, he's a decent actor (see Bloody Sunday), but he's over the peak of his carrier so won't get hurt by playing the part.

but whatever.

...and it's a relative unknown:

New Doctor actor is youngest ever

Matt Smith has been named as the actor who will take over from David Tennant in Doctor Who - making him the youngest actor to take on the role.

At 26, Smith is three years younger than Peter Davison when he signed up to play the fifth Doctor in 1981.

He was cast over Christmas and will begin filming for the fifth series of Doctor Who in the summer. Tennant is filming four specials in 2009.

Smith was named as Tennant's replacement in Saturday's edition of Doctor Who Confidential on BBC One.

He said: "I've got this wonderful journey in front of me where I've got this six months to build this Time Lord - and that's such an exciting prospect."

Piers Wenger, head of drama at BBC Wales, said that as soon as he had seen Smith's audition he "knew he was the one".

"It was abundantly clear that he had that 'Doctor-ness' about him," he said. "You are either the Doctor or you are not."

Wenger said a broad range of people had been auditioned, but they had not set out to cast the youngest Doctor.

Smith's TV debut was in the 2006 adaptation of Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, which starred former Doctor Who companion Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart.

He has also acted opposite Piper in the follow-up, The Shadow in the North, and in ITV2's Secret Diary of a Call Girl.

In 2007, he had a leading role in BBC Two's political drama Party Animals, in which he played a parliamentary researcher.

Smith's stage work has included stints with theatre companies such as the Royal Court and National Theatre. His West End debut was in Swimming With Sharks opposite Christian Slater.

He was born in Northampton in 1982 and studied drama and creative writing at the University of East Anglia.

The star is due to begin shooting the first special this month, just weeks after surgery on his back forced him to pull out of a London run of Hamlet.

The last of these special episodes is expected to run in early 2010.

With a new creative team in place for the 2010 series led by executive producers Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger, the casting of the Doctor was the first job to be completed before scripts could be finalised.

Doctor Who began in 1963, and seven actors played the Doctor before the show was dropped in 1989.

After a TV movie in 1996 - starring Paul McGann - the TV series returned in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston in the lead role. Tennant took over the same year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7808697.stm


I honestly don't know what to make of it, or him. Not really familiar with his work.

I'm quite excited about this!
I've seen the guy in several plays in the last 3 years (a trio of short plays at the Cottesloe in 06, That Face at the Royal Court upstairs in 07 and Swimming with Sharks in the west end with Christian Slater a year ago) and he's really very good.

He's got both innocence and darkness.. can be very interesting

Interesting. At first I thought "Oh shit, not another young one" but he may be a bit different.

I'm just wondering how he will play it. Either way, it will be very intriguing!