Take a good look, boys and girls, and forget David Tennant - this is your new Time Lord
According to some Big-Mouth actor, Patterson Joseph (of National Theatre, Peep show and Green Wing fame) is "gonna be - potentially - the new Doctor Who".
It's true, Paterson's name was in the regular line-up of names listed for the Great Honour, but Phillip Rhys's almost farcical attempt at maintaining the conditional tense has all but confirmed the rumours.
Paterson is "Typical Doctor Who Material", too: so sayeth some wise TV sage. I would agree. However, the backlash has begun. Some people seem to think that a Black Man cannot - nay, SHOULD NOT - be the Doctor. Of course, no-one has admitted to this being the reason, and the non-cynical part of me is certain this has nothing to do with race, but let's be honest with ourselves, here. The Doctor is "quintessentially English", and always has been. In an ideal world, it would be great to see this quintessential Englishness being represented by a black - the cultural significance would be great - but does "quintessential" include Middle England? The same Middle England who voted for Magaret Thatcher three times in a row, and who are likely to vote for David Cameron at least once? If it does, would the BBC be making a huge compromise with one of its biggest cash cows?
I'm not saying Tories are racist (even though they are), or that people who vote for them are racists (one often wonders, though), but Doctor Who is safe, mainstream television, more worried about ratings and merchandising for Christmas, than being subversive. Occasionally, it will delve into moral, sexual, political and psychological issues (and that's just "Midnight"). But, if one assesses the new series' output, it's mainly frothy, light entertainment, with some cool special effects and and couple of one-liners. Sometimes, it isn't even that; just a bunch of Daleks killing people, and seeing too many companions from recent series teaming up against them (cough cough splutter). It's bad enough the series' new Head Writer, Steven Moffatt, is an intelligent, apt scriptwriter, capable of meshing hardline sci-fi topics with the flash-bang-wallop format of Doctor Who, but could the Couch Potatoes in need of Vegetable Food handle seeing a darkie's head pop out of the TARDIS? If they switch off, so does the BBC...
Let me get something absolutely clear. I want Paterson to be the new Doctor. I've seen him on stage, and he's an amazing actor. He would make an excellent Doctor, no doubt about it. But that's the point. Maybe he's too good for it. Knowing what some Doctor Who fans are like, if the show fails, the people who'll be blamed are the actors (just doing their jobs), and the people promoting it (likewise). Being The Doctor means you are never left alone. Children and adults alike all over the UK know your face, and want to talk to you, have you sign something, and possibly take a photo. Doctor Who fans, however, are somewhat different. If it isn't endless invitations to some god-awful convention, it's quoting your lines back at you, discussing the intricacies of certain implications in one shot/line/look you gave, and not-so-subtly trying to get your phone number and be your best friend. Imagine all the negative responses you would get, if you happened to be the last Doctor Who... Has Paterson asked himself if the career boost would be worth the hassle?
Having said all of that, I may be being way too negative, and absolutely wrong. After all, I remember sitting in my Student Union bar, telling my white freinds why there would never ever be, in my lifetime, a black President (I'm still very uncertain we'll have a black Prime Minister, though). So, who knows. If David Tennant's time has proven anything, though, being The Doctor does open up some opportunities: would the RSC's production of Hamlet have been so popular with another nearly-forty-year-old playing the role...? Not to dismiss Tennant's acting. I new his name and liked him before Doctor Who even came back to the screen. And, after all, Paterson is a big boy: I'm sure if some petty people think he can't be the Doctor before he's even been given a chance, then why should he care? Just get on with the job. Look at what happened with Daniel Craig, and he managed to prove them wrong.
In any case, no announcements have been made, save one gaffe in an obscure interview, so why don't we get on with savouring Tennant in the role for his last few flings, before jumping to any conclusions, eh...?
No comments:
Post a Comment