Hopefully baseless rumor suggests that Hugh Grant might be the new Doctor Who
Doctor Who is the name of the show, not the person, but you know what we mean
Aux News Hugh Grant
Current Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall are both leaving the venerable BBC sci-fi franchise at the end of this year, and while we know that Chibnall’s replacement will be Russell T. Davies—who created the rebooted version of the show and served as showrunner during the underrated Christopher Eccleston era and mostly good David Tennant era—but we still haven’t heard anything about who might be stepping in for Whittaker at the helm of the TARDIS… or at least we hadn’t heard anything until today, when a rumor came out that makes us long for last week when we still hadn’t heard anything.
The rumor came from British tabloid The Mirror, which says that Davies wants 61-year-old white man Hugh Grant to be the new Doctor, which will somehow “bring a fresh feel” to the show that has starred 12 men and one woman since it premiered in 1963. No deal has been made yet, but The Mirror says “conversations are in progress.” It also points out that Davies wanted Grant to play the Doctor when he first made the rebooted series in 2005, but Grant turned him down. (Grant actually played the Doctor in a 1999 Doctor Who parody for Comic Relief alongside Rowan Atkinson, Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, and Joanna Lumley.)
There’s also talk of the BBC spinning the show out into a Marvel-style universe with various tie-ins, which was already a hallmark of Davies’ original tenure with shows like the edgy Torchwood and the kid-friendly Sarah Jane Adventures that occasionally (very occasionally) connected to whatever adventures the Doctor was having at that point. That’s not an especially bold prediction, then, but it also seems fairly unlikely given the BBC’s history of drastic budget cuts. Would they really pay for a major star to play the Doctor and foot the bill for multiple Doctor Who shows?
More spin-offs could be fun, but at the risk of editorializing, Hugh Grant seems like an absurd choice for the Doctor. The show finally introduced its first female version of the Doctor with Whittaker, and immediately going back to the “fresh feel” of a white man—regardless of who it is—would seem like an insult to both Whittaker and anyone who was a fan of her performance (say what you will about her storylines, but she’s been nothing but a delight). Then again, the show has played with phony regenerations in the past, and bringing Hugh Grant in as a fake Doctor, or at least a Doctor who is not the official new Doctor, could be fun.
So… until we get more information about the next Doctor, let’s go with “this seems like a terrible idea on paper, but we’re open to it being used as a setup for a joke.” There’s still plenty of time for the BBC to figure things out, though, with Whittaker’s Doctor still getting a handful of feature-length specials to finish up her tenure.
166 Comments
Give it to Idris Elba! If he can’t be Bond then we will cast him in some other traditionally white franchise!
This. So much. Idris Elba would kill it.
Paterson Joseph was apparently considered before they cast Matt Smith, and he’d still be great. He needs to play it exactly like Johnson on Peep Show, though.
Is that normal Who-ing?
Now that you’ve said it, this is the only thing I’ll ever want in my life ever again.
Why does the Doctor got to be human why not a dog or a alien?
The Doctor IS an alien, a Time Lord, but just happens to look human. They have two hearts though.The practical reason though is that they don’t want to have to deal with too much makeup or VFX for the character, both from a time and money perspective, instead focusing that on the monster-of-the-week.
He’s not a Time Lord anymore. Which is one of the reasons most of the longtime fans have moved on.
You know any good dog or alien actors that won’t require a fortune in make-up costs for every episode?If the answer’s “no”, then there’s your answer.
Most dog actors wear very little makeup.
Yeah, but the really good ones do.
Most dog actors wear very little makeup.Clearly, you and I are getting very different Instagram recommendations.
They need to bring in Teddy Salad.
He is an alien, but he’s not Lupari
Now I want to watch a season of Dr Woof.
Bro what if she regenerated into an empty birdcage? Just have that be it then when the birdcage gets destroyed it regenerates into David Harewood?
There’s nothing in the rules that says the dog can’t be Doctor Who.
I thought this originated in the Daily Mail rather than The Mirror and, well… Daily Mail.Look, the rumor is they want a “big name transitional Doctor” for Fourteen for the anniversary, and then regenerate into a proper Fifteenth Doctor for when the anniversary is over. Personally, I believed the Michael Sheen rumors a lot more.Is it possible Hugh Grant is in the running? Sure, why not. Do I believe the Daily Mail or The Mirror? I do not…
It makes sense. I loved Capaldi, but viewership definitely declined in his era. And I loved Whittaker’s take, but the material she was saddled with continually let her down. A marquee name is exactly the thing the show needs to make it feel vital again. Granted, I would’ve loved that name to be an Erivo or a Mirren, especially since the latter has specifically expressed interest in playing the Doctor, but I’ll take what I can get tbh
Ooooooh, that’s right; I’d heard the Helen Mirren rumors! Her and RTD would SLAY!
Yeah, I feel like even if most Doctor Who rumors weren’t complete bullshit anyway, I still wouldn’t trust the Daily Mail of all outlets to have the scoop.
Apparently High Grant has already debunked it, so your instincts are right on. I still think it would be hilarious, the classic Doctor technobabble would be adorable and infuriating with Hugh Grant’s 1990s stammer.
“Look, the rumor is they want a “big name transitional Doctor” for Fourteen for the anniversary, and then regenerate into a proper Fifteenth Doctor for when the anniversary is over.”Boy ever since they lifted the rules on number of regenerations, they’re just playing fast and loose with it, huh?
To be fair, Matt Smith’s final special resulted in the Doctor having his regenerations reset (before that was retconned as not being needed at all), so even without the Timeless Child stuff this would be possible.
They followed the rules. The Doctor was facing final death at the end of “The Time of the Doctor”, but the Time Lords granted them a new Regeneration Cycle.
Currently we’re at “infinite”.
“big name transitional Doctor”My suggestion:
My suggestion:
Jones or Gazza?
Yes.
Michael sheen will always be my dream. It’ll never happen, but that’s my dream. I sleep soundly knowing we had Capaldi though.
Based upon dialog in “Staged” Michael Sheen has long wanted to be the doctor and has been a sticking point between him and David Tennant even if it was exaggerated for the show. The recurring joke was that David Tennant stole a role that Sheen was the top contender for and it’s heavily implied it was Doctor Who.
I can’t remember if it was Tennant or Smith, but supposedly it was offered to Chewie [Chiwetel Ejiofor] and he turned it down (he was still my dream casting)… I don’t recall hearing the Sheen piece, but that’s interesting!
I could see him making a good companion for the Doctor, especially if he just played a version of himself.
Ugh . . . part of me is definitely intrigued by the idea, almost like watching a SpaceX launch that will either fail or succeed spectacularly. He could be an interesting palate cleanser one-season Doctor to draw fans back. We’ve been through about nine years of the show not quite living up to its potential. It’s been hampered by mismatched Doctors and showrunners, overlong companion tenures, underexplored or chemistry-less companions, and worst, the showrunners falling into black holes of ever more complicated and higher stakes mysteries that never, ever pay off. I’m not saying there haven’t been highlights in those years, but the last time I completely adored the show was around end of season 5. There are absolutely other, more diverse people that could save the show, but I won’t contradict RTD if feels like he specifically needs Hugh Grant’s combo of name recognition and skills.
And none of this is against any of the Doctors’ performances! Smith, Capaldi, and Whittaker all have fantastic moments and compelling approaches to the Doctor.
You know what the show really needs right now? A Bohemian Doctor, a Doctor who rolls into town just as Monster Of The Week shows up, unless of course it’s a six part season climax, where the last two parts are the Daleks or something, the mastermind behind whatever’s going on.
None of this story arc nonsense. Just 5 four part stories and 1 six parter, all unrelated. Tell a fun adventure romp, stretch the budget juuuuuust a little bit more and maybe throw a mysterious line from the Doctor’s past, or build the character of the companion a little. Do some of that fleshing out once a season, you’ll be doing okay!
So yeah, there’s no need for a super complicated plot. Just some good, clean fun adventure.
Yeah, I don’t hate this idea at all. I’m not craving it or anything, but I don’t see why everyone’s immediately against it. I think you don’t want the name taking over the character, which is a risk here, but I think he could be decent.
Largely because he’s Yet Another Straight British White Dude in a long-running series that only with the latest Doctor got away from that.Had the rumor mentioned Idris Elba, Patterson Joseph, Kumail Nanjiani, or Michelle Yeoh (sick of waiting for Kurtzman to get his thumb out of his ass and just do the Section 31 show already!)? I doubt this piece would have a problem with it.Those parts of the Internet ignored by people mocking “those parts of the Internet” upset about Hugh Grant possibly being the next Doctor? That’s another story….
That’s certainly fair enough. I wouldn’t mind seeing a minority in the role—I’d like it, actually—but since this is AVClub and AVClub commenters I really doubt they care that he’s a straight white man. They love that shit around here. I do think the Doctor needs to be British, though. It’s a quintessentially British show. But there are lots of non-white folks in Britain.
Sure are, ElectricSheep! That’s why I’d love to see one take over as The 14th Doctor….I know Chiwetel Ejiofor said “Hell, No!” the last time they asked him, but I still think he’d make a great Doctor. Actually, I once came up with a list for a spec article which contained everybody from Bollywood Megastar Amitabh Bachchan to Helen Mirren (guess she’s a popular choice) to Jackie Chan — the point being, the BC&E is full of talented and popular non-White Male actors who aren’t Hugh Grant…who’s been going “Who, me? First I’ve heard of it!”
Doctor Hugh
So obvious, yet so brilliant, so mad I didn’t make the same joke
If we’re going with a late-middle-aged white man named Hugh can’t we have Hugh Laurie?Or I’d be delighted to have Stephen Fry. He could be the best Doctor yet.
He’d be just fine, he’s been doing great TV work that the AV Club has mostly ignored for years now. I doubt it, tho. At most some RTD sleight of hand for a special or two.
Yeah, before people get too wound up in a cloud of self-righteous fury or whatever’s going on here, Grant’s already came out and said it’s not true.
Daily Mirror is not a credible source. End of story.In actual rumors that have been floating around GalifreyBase, Hugh Grant was considered before they actually locked 14th down. It’s David Tennant. Apparently he’s set to be the new Doctor for some specials, and then a new actor for 15th would take over for the next series.
Wow, if that’s true, they really must be desperate.
There’s something pretty hilarious in the Doctor who famously regenerated into *himself* showing up yet again. You “don’t want to go”—jesus, we get it, buddy.
Well he’s going to regenerate back into Tom Baker at some point so right now all bets are off.
Well, Liebkartoffel, The Curator did say that The Doctor might, in later years, revisit a few of his faces — but just the old favorites, eh?
They should be desperate, after the mess Chibnall’s leaving them with.
They brought back RTD as showrunner, ScottyEnn.I’d say that’s “Push the Whopper Button!” levels of desperate right there.
That’s only a rumor ciruculated by people who grew up with exactly one Doctor and think that’s the only thing Doctor Who should be.
It’s a rumor coming from people who had a history with breaking all kind of DW stuff for years. Too much smoke for this to not have some truth to it.
I like Tennant, but I really hope that’s not true. If they have to bring back an old Doctor, Eccleston deserves one last victory lap. He seems to have put whatever happened before behind him, he’s starting to do more Dr Who stuff and he’s in another family show on the Beeb so I’d like to think he’d at least be open to the idea, especially if it was just for a single limited season.
That makes sense because I was thinking a Hugh Grant Doctor would likely be very Tennant-y.
If they’re looking for a famous British person, I suggest Patrick Stewart. He was good in Excalibur and could probably handle science fiction.
He’s done a bit of science fiction — he played Gurney Halleck in the 1984 version of Dune. Also I think he did some SF work on television, but that was rather obscure.
It’s not Patrick Stewart. That just deepfake. He obliviously never made a genre/sci fi/superhero movies./s
You’re forgetting his greatest ever star-making turn in a sci-fi/action movie!I refer, of course, to Lifeforce.
I owe you a Generic Cola Beverage, Doctor Memory.
Stewart was also in Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce, so we know he’s can do SF!Also, the Poop Emoji — I’d say it’s all over but the shouting for Sir Patrick Stewart as The Doctor.
The rumor came from British tabloid
An old rumor… from The Mirror… repeated by Barsanti.
It’s like an unholy trinity of bs.
Worth it for the “it would be an INSULT to Jodie Whitaker’s memory if the new Doctor isn’t sufficiently woke” take.
I actually think it’s kind of more insulting to Jodie Whittaker to cast her as the first female Doctor in the show’s history and then immediately imply that there were actually a whole bunch of other Doctors who were even more sufficiently woke than her floating around before the series even started and that she’s actually nothing special in the context of the show’s history at all. Like… way to completely undermine the significance of the actor and the moment there, Chibnall.
“then immediately imply that there were actually a whole bunch of other Doctors who were even more sufficiently woke than her floating around”But obviously there were tons of other options floating around. Like…obviously. There’s no reason she should have been under the impression that she was literally the only person ever considered for the role.
Sure — but she was the one actually chosen and cast in the role. Sure, she almost certainly wasn’t the only candidate, but once she’s been cast surely it’s not unreasonable to suggestion that she should be the central focus, surely? It’s a moment of significance in the show’s history and for her. So it just seems kind of weird and harsh that they seem to barely give her any time to enjoy that moment of significance and specialness before immediately suggesting that actually, there’s nothing special at all about her or the act of casting her at all because we’re rewriting the show’s history to include loads of other women Doctors, so it’s actually something that’s happened all the time. Nothing especially interesting about Jodie whatsoever. And furthermore, if adherence to increased representation in casting is what you’re looking for, there were apparently even a whole bunch of better choices that could have been made in the casting call, thus apparently making her not even a particularly good choice from that perspective; why not just cast Jo Martin as the main Doctor instead of a guest Doctor?Like… why even bother casting Jodie Whittaker in the first place if you’re just going to almost immediately undermine her and the significance of doing so like that?
Of course she was the only one chosen. That’s how it works. Multiple people are considered. One is chosen. The fact that one is chosen doesn’t retroactively make it insulting that others were considered. As for her being the central focus, what? She’s been the central focus for the past couple of years that she’s been on the show. Yes, it is clearly unreasonable to suggest that she should be the central focus when they are talking about who should be the next Doctor. “So with Jodie’s contract running out, I guess we better start planning for the next stage of our show. I guess it better be Jodie.” “What? But you said her contract is running out…” “Yeah, but we don’t want to insult her by considering someone other than her. She’s our star and she should be our focus.” “Yes that makes sense.”I don’t want to be rude but your objection is nonsense. I guess I should say your outrage because we don’t allow people to have objections anymore without accusing them of outrage. Anyway, it’s nonsense because of course it is. You really think Jodie’s attitude will be “I was the first woman Doctor and I don’t want there to be another woman doctor for a really long time because I want to feel special”? That’s really how you believe marginalized communities think? That once they’ve been the first they don’t want anyone else from their community having the honor? I can assure that that is not the case. As for the weird conclusion that such a move would mean “there’s nothing special at all about her or the act of casting her at all,” that only oddly assumes that literally the only thing special about Jodie was that she is female. I assure you that that is also not the case.And for the record, literally no one said anything that could remotely be construed as “there were apparently even a whole bunch of better choices that could have been made in the casting call.” Just because there are other actors from marginalized communities to consider doesn’t mean they are better than Jodie now or would have been a better choice then, and I have no idea how you could possibly draw such a conclusion.“Like… why even bother casting Jodie Whittaker in the first place if you’re just going to almost immediately undermine her and the significance of doing so like that?”Well, because no one but you considers it undermining her or her significance. It’s called “breaking the glass ceiling” for a reason. It means you break it so that others like you can follow behind without bullshit obstacles in their way.
Yes, it is clearly unreasonable to suggest that she should be the central focus when they are talking about who should be the next Doctor.I think we might be talking at crossed purposes, to be honest. I’m not talking about the process of casting who will be the star of the show after Jodie Whittaker (as in, who is going to be the next Doctor). Of course it’s not insulting to her to cast another woman or a black woman or what have you as the Doctor in such circumstances. That’s just building on the foundation that’s been laid. I’ve no problem with that at all. That’s all fine as far as I’m concerned. What I’m talking about an in-show plotline they introduced about one or two seasons ago wherein it turns out the Doctor has had secret unknown incarnations, several of whom are also women (and the most notable of whom is a black woman played by the actress Jo Martin), who are established to predate the canonical ‘first’ incarnation (as in, the one played by William Hartnell back in 1963). This is what I’m arguing is arguably somewhat disrespectful (almost certainly unintentionally so, I’ll concede, but nevertheless) — that, in only the second season of having Whittaker as the ceiling-breaking star of the show, the writers have introduced a plotline that kind of suggests that actually, there’s nothing really that special about her at all, because in-universe she’s just one of many female Doctors who have existed, we just didn’t see them — at least one of whom (the Doctor played by Jo Martin who I alluded to earlier) is even arguably more representative of marginalised communities than Whittaker herself is, and so acts as a symbol of how much further the show could have gone in the casting process yet for some reason didn’t. And on top of that, this plotline arguably detracts from the narrative of the first female Doctor in her own show. Because, instead of doing something which made Whittaker’s Doctor the central focus of the show’s narrative, the show’s writers instead make what should be her show about the mystery of who is this other, even more representative Doctor is. This is what I’m arguing is disrespectful and somewhat undermining; not the act of casting a non-white female Doctor in and of itself, but the act of doing so as part of a plotline that detracts from the focus that Whittaker should be receiving as star of her own show, and as the show’s first female lead. In my view, the show’s writers have, symbolically and metaphorically, seemingly gone out of their way to downplay and minimise the significance and accomplishment of the show’s first female lead while she’s still starring in the show. So, to the degree that I’m offended (and I would normally dispute that I am, but hey, I’ve reached the point of writing multi-paragraph long posts in this conversation, I’ll just take my lumps on that one), I’m not offended by the possibility of a non-white woman playing the Doctor. I am to some degree offended, however, by what seems to be the current showrunner’s bungling and inept creative instincts and storytelling, which have arguably in some ways sabotaged his own ceiling-breaking lead and diminished the attention, significance and focus that should, as the first female Doctor, rightfully be hers. FWIW I have no idea if Jodie Whittaker is offended or insulted by this particular plotline, of course — however, as far as I’m concerned, if she was she’d have a valid reason to be. I hope this helps clarify my position.
Okay, I thought you were talking about the article as I’m unfamiliar with that storyline. I still object to the idea that acknowledging that there are other versions of marginalized-community Doctors, either in-story or in the future, is somehow undermining of Jodie Whittaker’s “specialness” or that she would feel in any way insulted. I think any Doctor would (and has, if I recall correctly, which I might not) acknowledge that the Doctor can take any form and could easily have been a woman or minority in the past. I don’t think it’s weird to acknowledge that statistically it doesn’t make sense for literally every incarnation of the Doctor to have been a white man.
Acknowledging that the Doctor can be non-white and non-male is fine. Actually writing storylines where you’re casting completely new actors as the Doctor while your current actor is both paradigm shifting and is only just barely established in the room just seems like a step too far IMO, since that’s going beyond acknowledging the issue and is actually introducing a whole new Doctor to compete with the current one for the audience’s interest and attention. Which doesn’t seem entirely fair to the current one IMO.To be honest, while I can see why someone might disagree with that viewpoint, I’m honestly not sure what you would find objectionable about it. But as I’ve made my position clear and you admit you haven’t seen the storyline in question that I’m critiquing, it doesn’t seem like continuing this discussion is going to be particularly productive for either of us.
Worth it?
I wish it was.
Barsanti’s “I’m an ALLY, damn it!” hot takes are one of the few sources of entertainment left for me on this site.
But is he an ally to his fellow AVC staffers and freelancers who quit to protest G/O Media’s unfair labor practices?
I would have to log off the internet for probably forever to avoid all the takes that would be bestowed upon us
Seriously. One could just as well declare that a pick more diverse than Whitaker would be insulting in its erasure of her contributions.
Ugh…people who use the word “woke” whenever there is a whiff of something being non-white-male in the room.
No, I’m using “woke” to describe Barsanti’s performative outrage on Whittaker’s behalf.
Except “woke” doesn’t mean performative outrage. That’s what the white people who stole the term from Black culture have decided it means because they’ve categorized all forms of activism for social justice as performative outrage. Literally nothing in this article qualifies as “outrage” in the least. If you think so your bar for “outrage” is incredibly low. Like, your bar is basically set at “mild disagreement.”
“Activism” that consists of nothing but posting is absolutely performative
Well, bringing awareness to an issue is the opposite of “performative,” and furthermore books and film have a long history of promoting and making actual steps toward social justice, and they are by definition “performative,” so I get that “performative” is the anti-progressivism word du jour, but it’s not actually a bad thing to perform social justice. And even if we are talking about social justice performance that is not directed toward an actual end, for the sake of argument, then that sort of activity is by definition not “woke,” so the OP shouldn’t be using it for such a thing.
thank you for your service “bringing awareness” to the comments section of a half-dead pop-culture news site, i just heard capitalism has crumbled and it’s all down to you
Okay.
“More spin-offs could be fun, but at the risk of editorializing, Hugh Grant seems like an absurd choice for the Doctor. The show finally introduced its first female version of the Doctor with Whittaker, and immediately going back to the “fresh feel” of a white man—regardless of who it is—would seem like an insult to both Whittaker and anyone who was a fan of her performance (say what you will about her storylines, but she’s been nothing but a delight)“^That’s outrage. “would seem like an insult to both Whittaker and anyone who was a fan of her performance” lol so they have to one-up themselves instead? What meets the “non-insulting subsequent hire after white woman for The Doctor” quota? Also, repeating the phrase “61-year-old white man” multiple times? Coooooooooorny
Then you and ScottyEnn are both in the same club of having an *extremely* low bar for what qualifies as “outrage.”
I may indeed have a low bar for what qualifies as an outrage, but I’m correct in what I said in my other post about us having crossed wires, it looks more like you were misinterpreting me.
Doctor Who is the name of the show, not the person, but you know what we meanYes, the person is technically Doctor Who’s monster.
I thought it was the name of the bell, not the clock tower.
And it’s actually not a duck at all, but a fish.
But taxonomically speaking there’s no such thing as a fish.
Doctor Who fans love to correct people who call him Doctor Who, but he’s been credited that way in the past, so their gatekeeping pedantry isn’t even correct.
Ah! I only ever thought that Peter Cushing played Doctor Who, I never knew he was Doctor Who in the show as well.
[clears throat, puts on pedant hat]Technically he’s not, as in the show he’s only ever referred to in-universe as “the Doctor”, not “Doctor Who”*. He was credited as “Doctor Who” on the titles and is commonly referred to as such by people outside the show, though. Because if you think about it for more than five seconds without a patina of fannish pedantry over your eyes, “the Doctor” is a really generic and commonly used title to just throw around and expect everyone to immediately know who you’re referring to without adding “You know, the one from Doctor Who” immediately after.*unless you count, like one reference to ‘Dr Who’ in an episode from 1966 I think, which a lot of contrarians in the fan community like to because it turns out insufferable pedantry goes both ways (yes that’s right people maybe already typing replies to point this out to me, I know you), but that way leads madness. Trust me. You do not want to go too far down this road.
Right. They’re always referred to as “The Doctor,” except for all the times when they’re not. Because it’s not just 19 years of end credits and that one time with WOTAN. There’s also the story titles “Doctor Who and the Silurians” and “The Death of Doctor Who,” neither of which make sense if they’re referring to the show. And sure, they’re outliers, but they’re evidence that the people in charge of the show thought that was his name. (Don’t @ me that the “Silurians” thing was a captioning error; they had seven episodes to fix it.)Add to that the times the Doctor used an alias related to the word “who,” or put “WHO” on his license plate. Or went through a phase where he was slapping question marks on everything, including his calling card. But sure, they’re absolutely, inarguably, no-way-in-hell not “Doctor Who.” Keep telling yourself that.
Doctor Keith Who
Hasn’t his redemption with The Gentlemen, A Very English Scandal, and The Undoing earned him some “take me seriously” points?
Hmmm, no, according this article Hugh Grant is some random “61-year-old white man” they grabbed off the street in order to deliberately outrage internet writers.
Makes you wonder why they went to such trouble. Outraging internet writers is easier than shooting fish in a barrel with a shotgun.
Your simile would work better if that process involved the fish somehow locating a heretofore-unseen gun and shooting themselves.
I thought for a second maybe they let recognitions write it.
Well, Grant is Yet Another Straight White Dude….
As if this guy has the taste to watch em. It’s cute seeing famously not-very-diverse AV Club complaining about white guys, tho.
There are a lot of things I dislike about this piece and about the current state of the site, and it’s obviously a fine line before you get to Zombie Deadspin. But in a vacuum, the idea that writers of a site comprised mostly of white men should be mocked for advocating for diversity elsewhere in their published work sits weirdly with me. Again, if it’s just performative word salad, that’s one thing, and I’m not defending this post. But do you think the writers do the hiring?
The terms of his redemption were wholly satisfied by his role in Paddington 2.
And a career-best turn in Paddington 2
Not to mention Paddington 2, which proved him to be a very game comedic actor who understands the assignment. The premise of this article is downright goofy.
Or Florence Foster Jenkins, or the repeatedly mentioned Paddington 2….
Not to mention Paddington 2!
Maybe they can get Paddington to be the next Doctor.
I just looked it up and see that he may have turned down the role before Matt Smith took the role, but the person that popped into my head was Chiwetel Ejiofor
He has experience playing aliens. And dancing.
As long as he can parlay his Redbelt fight training into Venusian aikido skill, I’m in.
Why would Hugh return to the role? He accomplished everything he needed to as The Doctor in The Curse of Fatal Death.
I’m gonna miss Whittaker. She was great (so were her companions) but the stories were mediocre. While I like the new Master, I will always miss Missy. We could’ve had a season of the 13th and Missy both trying to figure out situations in their own ways, where sometimes Missy’s more pragmatic/ruthless solutions worked better than the Doctor’s. But nooo.
Never even got to see a version of the Master brutalize Weeping Angels in a way The Doctor would cringe at.
It’s like Chibnall looked at the Peter Davison years and said “pfff, I bet I can strand a competent actor in a series of even worse scripts!”
Jodi deserved way better stories! She did a great job considering the show runner had zero interest in telling Doctor Who stories.
How bout Richard Ayoade? He’d be an interesting choice.
Ayoade has repeatedly — and with notably increasing irritation as the years have ground on and people keep asking him — stated that he doesn’t have the slightest bit of interest in the part.
Really? I did not know that, Doctor Memory.
No range, no interest, no sale
Only Ayoade is, by his own admission, “utter pants” as an actor.He can play Richard Ayoade, and he’s carved out a good career as that.
Just jumping in here to recommend James Acaster for any British role that exists, in the mere hope that somehow, through force of attrition, it ends up paying off in a way that I deem hilarious.
Just hire Thandiwe Newton, OK? We all know she’d the best person for the job.Talented actress? Check? Intelligent? Check. Commanding presence? Check. Familiar (but not too famous) actor? Check. Don’t-fuck-with-me attitude? Check and check.
She’d be amazing in the part (she’s amazing in everything) but she’s working regularly in the US these days and it’s hard to imagine her wanting to move to Cardiff.
I’d like to see Paddington Bear as the next Doctor. There, I said it!
Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the Fourteenth Doctor!
I’d prefer Frobisher the shapeshifting penguin
“and mostly good David Tennant era”
Tennant was a top 3 Doctor.
For charm right after Tom Baker. Think how much better Tennant’s performances would’ve been if they let him use his own accent! It would’ve let him have a firmer grip on the shouty scenes where the Mockney would crumple.
it also seems fairly unlikely given the BBC’s history of drastic budget cuts.I don’t think it’s being funded by the BBC anymore – I think Bad Wolf Productions (seriously – although they also make His Dark Materials) are financing it moving forward. Davies has always been vocal about wanting to create a big Doctor Who shared universe and I’m guessing this is a big part of the reason he’s coming back. I’d love a Vider/Bel spin-off but in all likelihood the entire Chibnall era will get a soft retcon – not erased from continuity, just never spoken of again (apart from the odd Big Finish audio drama)
I feel like if it is Hugh Grant, we may be looking at another one season Doctor like Eccleston. It’s a bit of a publicity stunt because it would bring in more viewers. It would also be pretty much the last time he could ever play the Doctor, seeing as he’s already 61 years old. The role was grueling for the likes of Capaldi or Hartnell who were both in their 50’s when they took on the role.Personally, I think Grant is a good choice. I know people are touchy right now because going back to an old white man feels like a step back, but it should always be the right person for the job. The casting call should be open to all races, genders, and body types. If Davies feels some sort of inspiration with Grant, then fine. I think a large portion of the fandom is more concerned with fixing the writing from the disasterous Chibnall era. If you look at the memes, most people really liked Whittaker and hated Chibnall. The Doctor could be played by a ‘90s himbo and I would be happier than if the Doctor was still being written by that hack.
The casting call should be open to all races, genders, and body types.
It should be but it hasn’t been for going on sixty years and it’s a bit rich to say that to support casting someone who fits the exact mold they’ve been casting for most of that time.I want a season of Doctor Ruth. I want a season with an Alex Kingston regeneration. I want three seasons with a Naoko Mori regeneration.
Bring back the Doctor’s Daughter!
I mean, some of those ideas sound really fan servicey and dull, but I’m up for whatever as long as it works.
I can see them wanting a big name for The Doctor. Due to a lot of factors (releasing one 10-episode season every 2 years being a major one), the franchise has lost a LOT of momentum after Matt Smith left. Hence why RTD was brought back in the first place.
They’ve already made the spectacular unforced error of making the first black Doctor a character who’s inherently lesser than the “main” one.
Man, Chibnall really was shit at this, wasn’t he.
More spin-offs could be fun, but at the risk of editorializingWhen has that ever stopped the A.V. Club?
I think Grant would be fine as the Doctor. Doctor Who is so famous and well known that a brit like Hugh Grant might take a pay cut just to have the opportunity to be in the show.
He could play John Bishop’s stuntman.
Why is a random white man nobody’s neither heard of or cares about getting outraged over A Talented English Actor playing a role? Surely Hugh Grant could be like a John Hurt type of Doctor? It’d put butts into seats.
The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Doctor
This would certainly be the Monkey’s Paw granting the wish of assholes who spent the past 3-4 years rooting against both Whitaker and Chibnal.
I hope the next doctor is Jodie Whittaker, but brunette
Still waiting for a ginger Doctor.
Karen Gillan??
That’ll work!
The idea that this would be an insult to Jodi Whittaker in any way shows that you are just trying too hard here.
“The show finally introduced its first female version of the Doctor with Whittaker, and immediately going back to the “fresh feel” of a white man—regardless of who it is—would seem like an insult to both Whittaker and anyone who was a fan of her performance…”why, pray tell? Because as a white man he can’t possibly give a performance (of a character on a silly sci-fi comic series that’s most known for being campy, goofy and British to the max level) of any worth? Is the AV Club default setting now just “Anything with anyone in it who is white (or not a POC) is not worth watching”? It seems like just about every other article is some kind of coy, sly condescending commentary on how old, outdated, boring or evil it is to allow white people- I’m sorry, white MEN, only- to be the focus/star/main part of anything now. If it’s a tv or movie review, they point out how out of touch it is to focus on a man. Or how it could have been more timely and important if they’d focused on more POC’s. Or less on the white man.Listen, I’m a self-hating white liberal man of 44, and I’ve always advocated for more representation, of different races, genders, sexual preferences, etc.. But that doesn’t mean demonizing and shtting on anyone else who is not those thing as that is not exactly promoting the value of treating the same and providing the same outlet/place to showcase those stories. It’s just not. It’s ignorant, arrogant and polarizing to continually promote one while insulting/demeaning/dehumanizing the other- we all know that when it’s done a certain way, yes, and that way should apply to all directions. And yes, I know whites dehumanized others in the past, I’m aware, thank you for your clever responses. It’s just not the optimal solution, to fix a problem we should all be a part of improving, without causing more isolation, finger-pointing, blaming and shaming of those who cannot help the race, color or anything of who they were born as. It’s just ridiculous. Come on. And also, jeez, it’s Hugh Grant, in a british tv show. Is that really such a hard sell, or such a terrible attempt at casting, that we need to get our signs and picket line outfits ready to protest the horror of a respected longtime actor being hired to star on a show that has been a staple of UK television since before most of us were born? Christ, he was in Paddington Bear and we all loved him then!
I have never watched Dr. Who, but based on this article the obvious solution seems to be to fast track UK citizenship for Ken Jeong. Although I am not sure how easy it would be to transfer his medical licence.
Even in the unlikely event that Grant was actually considering this, I assume his agent would have him kidnapped and held somewhere with no cell service until the urge passed.But seriously, much though I loved Capaldi in the part, his tenure was one slow slide downward in the ratings: I think there is no chance in hell that they cast someone over the age of 45 here. Plus you really want someone with good knees in the role.
I’ll be brave and say there is absolutely nothing wrong with a white guy playing Dr. Who. Not everything has to pander to the extreme left. Not everything has to be a celebration of diversity. Female Dr. Who sucked. You know it did. I love Jodie, but not as Dr. Who. She had a few good moments. Here’s another statement to rile the progressives: most white men are cool. Wow, I know. That would get me labeled a misogynist on Twitter, for sure. An apologist for millennia of patriarchal oppression. Because, of course, the best way to fight the patriarchy is to slam white men at every turn – that’ll work. I don’t want a lady Jamie Bond, either. It’s also OK for a straight actor to play gay and for gay actors to play straight. Shocking! It’s called acting for a reason. I’d like to see Dr. Who become fast, furious, fun like it used to be. We don’t need a black trans woman or perhaps a gay Latino to be Dr. Who. He’s a fucking white-ass Brit. Let it be. The show itself has always supported diversity of every sort – and that is great, in and of itself.
I really hope they don’t turn it in to a shitty Marvels-style extended universe where they are just constantly churning out content. That would suck and would cheapen the franchise.
If all you care about is the race and gender of the actor chosen, you’re sick and should get help…
Hugh Grant to be the new Doctor, which will somehow “bring a fresh feel”
to the show that has starred 12 men and one woman since it premiered in
1963.
Yeah — the only reason I can think of that the BBC might seek out Yet Another British White Dude is because of all the flak they’re getting from the bigoted Not Misogynistic at ALL, No Sirree! Incel male portion of the fanbase.
They’ve already fixed the biggest problem of the last few years when they replaced Chris Chibnall, though the jury’s still out on whether or not The Return of RTD is the right step.
Eh, not denying those wankers exist, but if they were to cast a Famous British White GuyTM I think it’d be less to pander to the incels (I mean, say what you will about RTD, if anyone’s unlikely to have time for that shit it’s the guy who wrote Queer as Folk and It’s A Sin) and more because they desperately need someone who people recognise and like as way of shouting “HEY LOOK WE’VE GOT A FAMOUS PERSON DOCTOR WHO IS GOOD AGAIN YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH IT” to the general public. They could, of course, do this with a famous woman or a famous non-white person, granted, but given the shitshow of the last few years I think it’d be more about playing it as safe and trad as possible. It’ll be more about trying desperately to remind people of David Tennant and Tom Baker and the like rather than pandering to incels.
Oh, I don’t think Davies is pandering to Incels, except inasmuch as he’s the guy who revived DOCTOR WHO — and most of that bunch of misogynist fuckers don’t know he’s gay anyhow because they’re too stupid to look! (I saw a Facebook group on DOCTOR WHO ruined by these assholes, and I want them punished severely for it.)I want DOCTOR WHO to keep pushing forward, not safely scuttling back to British White Dudes like I’m sure they’re considering doing.
He’s already played the character before, written by Steven Moffat no less
I prefer the baseless rumor that the 14th Doctor is gonna be Helena Bonham Carter
MAKE PADDINGTON DR. WHO YOU COWARDS
“Would they really pay for a major star to play the Doctor?”Was this written in 1995 or something? Hugh Grant isn’t exactly front-of-mind anymore when someone says “Hugh Grant”
Here’s a radical idea, cast the best actor available regardless of sex, color, etc.
Since the producers ruined my top pick of Sacha Dhawan (who is still very high on my Bond shortlist), my current top want is Benedict Wong.
Ha, that would be a fun choice. Enjoyed his performances since 15 Storeys High. He’d work as an intensely hammy Master as well.