I happened to be visiting my British homeland during the first season of the revamped Doctor Who and caught an episode at a friend’s house. "It’s really good," my chum told me beforehand, adding "It’s so good I usually start crying with joy." "What an idiot," thought I. And yet within minutes there we both were sitting on the sofa (or "couch", if you will) moist-eyed with the sheer thrill that a sci fi show we loved so much as kids had been resurrected in such fantastic fashion. (I should also probably add that, for reasons which need not detain us here, said couch had once belonged to Simon Pegg from Star Trek, Shaun of the Dead and Doctor Who itself. In retrospect it seems a miracle we didn’t create some sort of nerdishness-fuelled black hole.)
Christopher Eccleston played the Doctor in that first season but for the last few years he has been portrayed in brilliant and eccentric fashion by David Tennant. Alas, Tennant recently retired from the role which is a huge blow and if his replacement Matt Smith is even half as good he will be doing well. The good news? According to Variety BBC America have picked up the rights to screen the last five Tennant-starring Who specials. The first, which is called "The Next Doctor", will be shown on June 27. I caught the show back in the UK last Christmas and it is quite a corker thanks in large part to guest star David Morrissey. A great British actor Morrissey is best known in the UK for his role in the original TV version of State of Play though sadly here he is best known for being That-Dude-In-Basic-Instinct-2.
Check out the UK BBC trailer below and tell us how excited you are (or not!) for Tennant’s Who curtain call(s).
I have been waiting for BBCAmerica to get off there duffs and bring us these episodes along with the new seasons of Torchwood and Primevel. I can’t fathom why they are delaying them.
Matt Smith is the actor replacing Tennant as the Doctor; Steven Moffat is replacing Russell T. Davies as executive producer.
Ah, as one nerd to another, Moffat is replacing Russell T Davies (who truly is the real Doctor). Matt Smith is replacing Tennant. And even writing the words, ‘replacing Tennant’, makes me want to cry. Love, love Tennant’s Doctor. Ecceslton was great, as were Baker and Davison–but the greatest was Tennant. #And Davies who writes him.# Moffat is an incredible talent, but Davies set the bar very high. Thanks for the happy news that we’ll be able to see the new shows on BBCA. They don’t look as good when you watch them in pieces, on youtube.
Yep, you must be a huge Dr. Who (and Coupling) fan, since you didn’t know that Steven Moffat is writer and producer and will be taking over for Russell Davies as showrunner, not for Tennant as the Doctor. 15 seconds of research on Google. That’s all it takes.
Did you not even do a Google search before writing this and posting it on a major website? IS there no effort toward fact-checking whatsoever? Jesus H, people. If you want to write about Doctor Who, learn one thing about it — like, the new head writer is Steven Moffat, the new doctor is Matt Smith, etc.
Thanks for pointing out my mistake. Can I get away with blaming the grief caused my Tennant’s departure? Thought not.
Thank goodness they’re showing them on BBC America! I’ve been waiting and hoping to hear something! I’ve been watching “Doctor Who” since the new episodes with Christopher Eccleston started (and I’ve seen quite a few of the old ones, too). I could gush about the show all day – I just love it! So creative, exciting and fun!
http://www.fwdailynews.com/jenny
I’m just happy because John Simm is due to appear in 1-2 (or more?) of these specials. Looks like The Master is back, baby!
I will grieve David Tennant’s departure, but rejoice that the doctor lives and we get to live with him.
Clark, sorry to further nitpick you, but the show is called “Doctor Who”, not “Dr. Who”. The spelling seriously does make a difference, because of the Torchwood anagram.
Anyway, thanks for posting the news that BBC America is finally going to air those specials. Although, I’m still in total denial that the brilliant David Tennant is leaving. The best Doctor ever, and certainly one of the best TV performances ever – which inexplicably always gets overlooked for major acting awards (even in the UK!!). Here’s hoping that Tennant goes on to become the huge, worldwide star that he deserves to be – dammit.
Your headline made my heart stop. Please don’t do that! I thought you were announcing that the show had been cancelled!
Actually, Laura, if you want nitpicking, it’s actually called ‘Doctor Who?’, so ner. Personally I think Christopher Eccleston easily ties with Tom Baker as the greatest every Doctor. Although I have enjoyed Tennant in the role, I think his portrayal has run its course, due in large part to some appallingly self-indulgent writing from Russel T Davies in recent series. I’m not hugely enthusiastic so far about Matt Smith (there’s young and then there’s young, and he looks far too much like Tennant) but Stephen Moffat has written some terrific episodes and I can’t wait to see what he does at the show’s helm. With any luck, he’ll nix all the ridiculous ‘Doctor as Christ’ references and return him to what he’s supposed to be: an exciting, but also slightly scary and unfathomable alien. Yes please.
My friends and I are serious Doctor Who nerds. I had actually just converted one into a devoted fan when the Tennant switch was announced. Your first Doctor is your only true Doctor, I always say. With eps like ‘The Planet of the Ood’, ‘Midnight’, ‘The Weeping Angels’, and countless others,the show is beyond imaginative, terrifying, and heartwrenching all at once, and some of that magic is gone now. We will miss you, Mr. Tennant.
Finally! Thanks for finally remembering us Yanks, BBC America! (I’ve already seen The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead…ssshhh.) I’m DREADING Christmas/New Year’s and the demise of my beloved Ten. I’m hopeful that Matt Smith will be good, but David Tennant will ALWAYS be MY Doctor. Why does this man not have more awards? He’s BRILLIANT!
If you have doubts about Matt smith (I did until 10 seconds in his first interview)
check this out : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7x5eo_entretien-avec-matt-smith-le-nouvea_creation