A few words regarding the new companion
For those with their heads in the sand or who haven't seen season two up to Army of Ghosts, it's going under a cut.
Now, I've no wish to get into whether Agyeman's a good choice in terms of what she'll bring to the role of companion. It's difficult to tell much from what I've seen of her in what is, after all, a fairly minor cannon-fodder part. What's confusing is the bile directed at casting her based purely on the fact that she's already been in it. Quite honestly, I think such objections are absurd.
My cousin Stephanie's 5-year-old daughter is a big Doctor Who fan and has managed to cope with this news. She's developed a sufficient level of awareness to distinguish between actors and their roles -- she knows it's fiction, pretend, not real. Given that she's younger than most of the audience, I think it's fair to say that even those who manage to recognise Freema nine months hence when she turns up as Martha Brown should be able to tell it's supposed to be a different character, and most won't mind.
Now, I feel sure somebody's going to come back at me by saying, 'They should've got someone else to play Adeola. It's only a small part.' Hate to burst your bubbles, dearies, but Who's made to a bloody tight schedule at the best of times; Freema Agyeman was called for auditions during filming, so it's more than likely having to re-schedule shoots with another actress plus all the other people who had scenes with that character -- including the rather overstretched Tennant -- would effectively be impossible, not to say costly.
And finally, to those of you who think Martha must be an alternate Adeola: while this isn't necessarily impossible, my guess is the character conception and draft scripts featuring her would've been in development long before Agyeman was seen. So don't get your hopes up.
There, I'm done now.
Now, I've no wish to get into whether Agyeman's a good choice in terms of what she'll bring to the role of companion. It's difficult to tell much from what I've seen of her in what is, after all, a fairly minor cannon-fodder part. What's confusing is the bile directed at casting her based purely on the fact that she's already been in it. Quite honestly, I think such objections are absurd.
My cousin Stephanie's 5-year-old daughter is a big Doctor Who fan and has managed to cope with this news. She's developed a sufficient level of awareness to distinguish between actors and their roles -- she knows it's fiction, pretend, not real. Given that she's younger than most of the audience, I think it's fair to say that even those who manage to recognise Freema nine months hence when she turns up as Martha Brown should be able to tell it's supposed to be a different character, and most won't mind.
Now, I feel sure somebody's going to come back at me by saying, 'They should've got someone else to play Adeola. It's only a small part.' Hate to burst your bubbles, dearies, but Who's made to a bloody tight schedule at the best of times; Freema Agyeman was called for auditions during filming, so it's more than likely having to re-schedule shoots with another actress plus all the other people who had scenes with that character -- including the rather overstretched Tennant -- would effectively be impossible, not to say costly.
And finally, to those of you who think Martha must be an alternate Adeola: while this isn't necessarily impossible, my guess is the character conception and draft scripts featuring her would've been in development long before Agyeman was seen. So don't get your hopes up.
There, I'm done now.