I guess I’m not a Doctor Who fan.
Doctor Who started in 1963, and went through eight versions of the Doctor. Even though Doctor Who ran for over thirty years with various actors, I wasn’t interested in the show because it always made me think of this guy.
That is Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor Who. He looked like a nerd. The British would call him a tosser. I’ve since gone back and watched many of the older Doctor Who shows, and except for the special effects, they are better than I had anticipated.
In 2005, Doctor Who was rebooted. Christopher Eccleston was a great Doctor because he was funny, irreverent and ambivalent to violence. Billie Piper was an excellent choice as a companion. Eccleston only lasted one season, but it was a good season. Billie Piper stayed in longer.
That is a pretty long video, but you get the idea.
The tenth Doctor was David Tennant. He is a great actor and has a broad range. He is likeable, sentimental, funny, intense and dangerous.
Tennant was the Doctor for four and a half years, so there are many “Best Moments”.
After Tennant, Matt Smith was the eleventh Doctor. I tried, but that’s where they lost me. Smith acts like a bright, but manic middle school student.
Matt Smith ran for nearly four years, and was replaced by Peter Capaldi. He is a serious actor, but by then, the writing was getting so bad, he couldn’t save the series.
Jodie Whittaker was the woman Doctor. We were supposed to be excited by that. She is also an accomplished actress, but that couldn’t save it. Whittaker always looked baffled, or goofy or trying too hard. She seemed like a middle school science teacher.
To be fair, by this time Doctor Who was trying way too hard to appeal to “Modern Audiences”. In short, the BBC was committed to going Woke. In her nearly five years as the Doctor, the audience dwindled.
The pattern is clear. When modern audiences reject shows that appeal to “Modern Audiences”, the producers double down. Since the franchise is trashed, BBC has nothing keeping them from going into full preach mode.
The problem is not that Doctor Who is Black, just like Whittaker’s problem wasn’t being a woman. It’s not even a problem that the Black Doctor has a name, Ncuti Gatwa, that nobody can pronounce or even ever heard of. The problem is that the BBC now produces every episode to give a heavy-handed lecture to the audience about the Progressive agenda.
Doctor Who is now unwatchable. David Tennant is back as the Fourteenth Doctor to smooth the transition to Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. Once Tennant is gone, the audience will be too.
In the manner of Disney and the MCU, there will be excuses for why nobody wants to watch their propaganda videos. The BBC is intending to move Doctor Who away from science fiction and toward fantasy.
Russell T. Davies, the showrunner for Doctor Who has said, “The show is taking a sly step towards fantasy, which will annoy people to whom it’s a hard science-fiction show.”
After Davies has annoyed whatever fans remain, Doctor Who will be left with no audience. BBC will explain that Doctor Who needs to take a breather, and the show will be cancelled.
We all hope that eventually writers and producers will relearn how to tell a compelling story. Actors and actresses will learn to keep their opinions to themselves and just do their jobs. Maybe then, Doctor Who can return.
Since I have only enjoyed five out of the last 17 years, I guess I am not a Doctor Who fan.