Breaking News...!

[jjpor]

This literally just in from the BBC (yes, I have a smartphone nowadays):

Peter Capaldi to leave Doctor WhoA sad day, as always, I think, although I'll be honest that I'm not entirely surprised given the impending Moffat-Chibnall changeover. The new guvnor, no doubt, will want to have the same chance to establish his vision of Who as Moffat got in

Comments

[ravenskyewalker]

This makes me emotional, so should probably not comment. ...Oh well

[jjpor]

I hear you, and I think we're in pretty broad agreement regarding the various eras of NuWho; although I remain an unreconstructed Eleven fan I have been 100 percent on board with Capaldi from the beginning. He has been a delight and I will be sad to lose him, although I'm willing to give Chibnall and whoever is cast as Thirteen the benefit of the doubt until I am able to judge them properly. I am a firm believer in renewal and reinvention being an integral part of Who, and am interested to see what form that takes this time.

And we live in dispiriting times generally, I agree, so my condolences for any additional emotional distress this news may be causing you. :(

[persiflage_1]

I heard months ago that Chibnall wanted an all new team - which infuriated me since it means that Pearl, like Freema before her, will only get one season, and she doesn't even get to fly solo with PCap since they've also shoved in Nardole, or whatever that annoying white dude's called.

[gaiamix]

I bet Bill will be with Thirteen. She may possibly be the last NuWho companion, before it ends in 2020.

[jjpor]

I mean, NuWho will have been on for 15 years by then, and nothing lasts forever, but that's an oddly specific date. Do you have inside information I ought to know about...? :)

[gaiamix]

I think either Moffat or RTD wants it to be for 15 years (perhaps both of them?) and that's also when Big Finish's Classic Who license ends.

[lost_spook]

Aw, it's sad to see him go - but it's been a 3 year plus run for him, so about usual for a Doctor, and it allows Chris Chibnall to start afresh with his own take, so it's not surprising, as you say.

But Peter's been wonderful - at least we still have a whole series and special to go!

[jjpor]

Indeed, the timing is not surprising, and the conspiracy theorist in me is whispering that announcing it now also helps build hype for the impending Series 10.

But indeed, he has been a great Doctor and I will be sorry to see him go, so we should make the most of his last year in the role.

[alumfelga]

I can't say I'm surprised. I'm sure I will be sad to see Peter go, but at the same time, I was hoping for a new start for Chibnall. Three full series is enough, even if Peter's first one failed to introduce the new Doctor properly.

I joined the fandom way after Peter was announced as a new Doctor, so now I can join discussions and speculation about the next Doctor for the first time!

Season 10 can be Twelve's best. Moffat often decides to write something deep about a character just before the character leaves a series. I hope he has a good idea for Twelve's reason of regeneration.

[jjpor]

Exciting times to be a Who fan of relatively recent vintage! :)

I tend to take a similar view whenever one of these changeovers takes place - sad, but also hopeful and curious to see what comes next. I'll miss Capaldi, though, and tbh Moffat as well, who I don't think deserves (most of) the stick he gets from various parts of the fandom. So yes, here's hoping Series 10 will be a fitting swansong for both of them...!

[alumfelga]

I've been critical about Moffat, but I'll still miss the good parts of his writting. I guess we'll all going to speak warmer about his tenure when it's over, isn't it what we do as people?

[ravenskyewalker]

Except I still dislike RTD's time, and will never like Chibnall based on his output to this point, whereas I got tired of Moffat as showrunner/head writer during Smith, but he got on my good side by casting Capaldi, I enjoyed S8-9 more than the rest of modern DW, and the vicious hatred for Moffat in fandom's lunatic fringe is utterly exhausting. (Hey, RTD stans, your lord and savior actually likes Moffat and wanted him in there, so "poor babies" to you

[liadtbunny]

Not entirely surprised that Capaldi is leaving. I think he's good, but the stories have not been skewed towards the casual viewer who just want to sit down and not think much about. Some of the stories fandom absolutely loved last series casual viewers I know thought were a big steaming pile of ...!

[jjpor]

I have heard similar anecdotal evidence, but obviously as a firmly entrenched denizen of the Who "bubble" I've never let it trouble me. :D I don't really think that's the reason for the departure, though. I think it's probably mainly down to the handover to Chibnall, who probably wants to start with a similar clean slate to the one Moffat had when he first began as showrunner, and also Capaldi has been in the role for three and a half years by now - more than four years by the time he actually leaves. Patrick Troughton would have said that was long enough for anybody. :)

[liadtbunny]

Fortunately for the actors, DW isn't TV weekly rep anymore phew.

Every new producer wants to make their mark it's true.