12 Reasons Why the 12th Doctor Could Be the Best Ever

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By Chris Taylor2013-08-08 04:06:38 +0300

Doctor Who fans have had a few days now to process the new guy who just got handed the keys to their favorite character. The choice of Peter Capaldi — the odds-on favorite to get the role, who was nevertheless revealed in a masterfully orchestrated live TV stunt — has pleased some and irked others (many of whom were simply hoping for a Doctor of a different race or gender).

But now that we have to deal with Capaldi on his own terms, what do we think? He's not new to the world of Who, having appeared in the historical episode The Fires of Pompeii. For a more in-depth look at Capaldi's work, we recommend his starring role in the excellent spin-off Torchwood: Children of Earth. It's available on Netflix and Amazon Prime; BBC America is screening it again starting August 11.

Watch masterful performances like that, and you start to get the sense that Capaldi could be the best of the 12 actors to inhabit the role so far. Here are 12 more reasons:

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1. His Screen Test Ended the Search

According to showrunner Steven Moffat, the search for the next Doctor pretty much began and ended with Capaldi. He downloaded a few scripts, developed a Doctor persona by reading them out loud, then went on Moffat's camera. That was it: He was the Doctor.

It's not often I ask for something specific to be leaked onto the Internet, but in common with a lot of Whovians I would probably trade a good chunk of my right arm to see that screen test right now.

2. He's Got a Proven Track Record

Actors tend to be unknown when they step into the Doctor's shoes. Peter Davison and Jon Pertwee, both previously seen in starring roles on British TV, were the biggest exceptions. But Capaldi is known around the world. An accomplished writer and director, he won an Academy Award in 1995 (for his short comedy film, Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life) and a BAFTA in 2010.

He's done his time in major movies, from Local Hero to Dangerous Liaisons to World War Z this year. Meaning ...

3. He's Not in a Hurry to Leave

Matt Smith, David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston all seemed to rush out of the TARDIS to pursue bigger and better roles. Capaldi has been there and done that. Hollywood holds no glamour. He's closer to the end of his career than the beginning. For his predecessors, the role of the Doctor was a cage that could trap them in typecasting; for him, Doctor Who is almost like coming home.

4. He's Not Afraid to Be Typecast as the Doctor

In fact, it might even be a career advantage. Right now Capaldi is stereotyped in the UK as Malcolm Tucker, the foul-mouthed spin-doctor in the political comedy The Thick of It. When most viewers see him, they think of hardcore Glaswegian cursing. It'll take a few seasons of playing the Doctor to get past that, no doubt, but what better way to do it? Especially given that ...

5. He Really Gets Doctor Who

Capaldi is five years older than the show itself. He grew up with the series, knows every Doctor, and famously wrote a letter about it to the storied UK TV listings magazine Radio Times at the age of 15. Matt Smith, by contrast, had to give himself a crash course in the series before he took on the role. For Capaldi, who admits to playing the Doctor on the playground at school, this is literally the role of a lifetime. And that means ...

6. He Could Be the Longest-Running Doctor Ever

The longest-serving Doctor is Tom Baker, who stuck with the role for seven years between 1974 and 1981. Fans have been waiting for an actor to outlast him ever since. If Capaldi is as comfortable in the TARDIS as any fan would be in their dream role, and doesn't feel the urge to go off and make a career in Hollywood, why not hold on to the Doctor and really make the character his own the way Baker did?

Indeed, if Capaldi stuck with the role for a decade, that would dovetail nicely with retirement at the age of 65.

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7. He Has Incredible Range

Capaldi has played an angel, an oil executive, and everything in between. He does a lot of comedy and a lot of drama, and appears to take special delight in journalists (huzzah!) and flawed public officials. Check out this Guardian story for an illustrative set of videos.

8. He Can't Rely on His Physical Performance

Yes, we're sure he's very spry for his age. But no 55 year old can move with the frenetic pace of a 25 year old, nor would he want to. The 11th Doctor was all about the kinetic aesthetic; Capaldi will want to draw a line under that performance. With less running around, the scriptwriters will be forced to rely more on his intellectual prowess — the Doctor as Sherlock.

We keep hearing how brilliant the last of the Time Lords is; it's time to show more and tell less.

9. He Can't Rely on Romance

Young companions falling in love with the Doctor made sense when he looked young. Now it would seem a little, well, odd (not unless we're going to see the return of River Song, the Doctor's wife, played by Alex Kingston, age 50). To not hang so many plots on the companion's longing is no bad thing. It may even allow the Doctor to have a proper male companion for the first time since the classic series — one who is more than just a sidekick. (Sorry, Mickey and Rory.)

10. That Said, He's a Young 55

William Hartnell, the first Doctor, was 55 when the show started, but looked more like 70. He played up the cranky old man aspect of the role. Capaldi is 55 going on 40, and gives hope to oldsters everywhere. He can turn on the boyish charisma when he wants to.

11. He Could Have Been Doctor Number 11

Steven Moffat has also revealed Capaldi was in the running for the Doctor role the previous time he had to fill it, when it ended up going to Matt Smith. That means Moffat has been thinking about a Capaldi Doctor in his head, on and off, for years. Given that they're both Scottish, and roughly the same age, we could be in for one of those rare eras of synergy between showrunner and lead actor.

12. He Really Is a Madman With a Box

That may have been Matt Smith's phrase, but try as he might, the good-looking young pup never quite sold us on the "madman" part. Capaldi can do the necessary Baker-style bulging eyes, thousand-yard stare and thousand year-old voice. As befits a Gallifreyan traveling through time and space, everything is about to get a bit more alien.

Image: Mashable composite, BBC

Topics: Doctor Who, Entertainment, Television