Should Capaldi Stay or Go with Moffat?
DiscoP
Posts: 5,931 Forum Member
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Time for a heated debate and one of those shiny poll things (that I've not done before - ohh exciting times).
It's a simple question. Assuming he wants to and is allowed to should Capaldi stay on beyond series 10 or should he be thrown into the same skip as Moffat at the end of series 10 to give Chibnall a clean slate?
I'll try and keep the poll options as neutral as possible but just to plant my flag pole firmly in the ground I would personally prefer Capaldi to stay on for at least the first series of Chibnall's era. I think he's a fantastic actor and he's really acted his chops off during series 9.
More so, I'm not really keen on each show runner's era being so clearly defined and it almost being treated like a soft re-boot of the show each time the big chief changes. I would prefer it be a little more seamless, as when cast members change and more like it was in the good old days. Fair enough that Chibnall should be able to start off with a clean slate, and he certainly should be free to ditch as much Moffat fluff as he wants to but I would prefer to see his take on Doctor 12 than starting off with a new guy just for the sake of it.
Finally I'm not too hot for the three years and out rule which seems to have crept in and would very much like someone to break that and think Capaldi is the most likely candidate to do that.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Let the voting and fighting commence...
It's a simple question. Assuming he wants to and is allowed to should Capaldi stay on beyond series 10 or should he be thrown into the same skip as Moffat at the end of series 10 to give Chibnall a clean slate?
I'll try and keep the poll options as neutral as possible but just to plant my flag pole firmly in the ground I would personally prefer Capaldi to stay on for at least the first series of Chibnall's era. I think he's a fantastic actor and he's really acted his chops off during series 9.
More so, I'm not really keen on each show runner's era being so clearly defined and it almost being treated like a soft re-boot of the show each time the big chief changes. I would prefer it be a little more seamless, as when cast members change and more like it was in the good old days. Fair enough that Chibnall should be able to start off with a clean slate, and he certainly should be free to ditch as much Moffat fluff as he wants to but I would prefer to see his take on Doctor 12 than starting off with a new guy just for the sake of it.
Finally I'm not too hot for the three years and out rule which seems to have crept in and would very much like someone to break that and think Capaldi is the most likely candidate to do that.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. Let the voting and fighting commence...
Should Capaldi Stay or Go with Moffat? 177 votes
Capaldi should stay
64%
115 votes
Capaldi should leave
27%
49 votes
Undecided
7%
13 votes
0
Comments
I'll use the alert button.
EDIT: Oh there it is. My first, shiny happy poll
I voted for Peter to stay, as I want to see what he can do under a new production regime.
As I said elsewhere, I think there will be enormous pressure from the BBC to replace him with a younger prettier actor as soon as possible, but I'd like him to do at least part of series 10.
Why not a regeneration part way through the series? That's never been done before, but there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't be.
But it would be nice to have a new doctor with a new EP. Series 5 was very much like a total refresh of the show. It was new everything.
When RTD and Tennant left together it felt so strange with everything changing so dramatically. It was a new show, yet still the same. I would like a little more continuity this time round.
But to a certain extent Chibnall can change Capaldi's interpretation of the role to suit his own vision of the show. He won't just be writing for a character that he didn't create. Look at the differences in Tom Baker's portrayal from Hinchcliffe to Williams to JNT.
I do accept that though that in this day and age of show runners instead of producers, ultimately it should be the show runners decision (as long as he makes the right decision
Given that Capaldi and Chibnall are both life long fans of the show I expect ultimately the decision may come down to whether their visions of the show and the Doctors portrayal are cohesive and if these forums highlight anything it's that different fans can sometimes have wildly different opinions about the show and the direction it should take.
I'd like Capaldi to stay for at least one series (or possibly a partial one to make it different as someone above said) but then that would (in my scenario) mean the Series 10 companion would be a 1 series and done companion.
If Capladi does leave with Moffat I think the Series 10 companion should stay on (possibly with the Chib introducing a 2nd or even a 3rd companion in Series 11).
Series 9 didn't perform poorly, but compared to the previous 8 series which were all pretty consistent there was a very noticeable drop in the viewing figures. If the ratings decrease any further with Series 10 then I think the only thing which would reignite interest in the show is a Series 5-style revitalisation- ie. new showrunner (which we now know will be Chibnall), new Doctor, new companion, new opening credits, new look, new style, new direction.
I'm personally happy for Capaldi to stay as long as he wants, but if it turns out that he simply doesn't engage viewers as much as the other Doctors then I think a fresh start may be necessary.
Waiting till the Ratings for Series 10 come in wouldn't really work in my opinion.
The scripts for Series 11 will be (if not finished ) in the process of being written at that time, deciding to cast a new Doctor as late as April/May 2017 would throw everything into turmoil.
Voted Stay as he's great. But don't think he will. Guessing a Christmas 2017 regeneration.
Aside from that though, Capaldi is just brilliant. I think he needs a little more of a chance to shine through as a 'fun' personality now - as the Christmas specials have shown him - but even then I absolutely love his darker, wittier approach. If we can have a few less shoehorned in guitar-on-tank scenes that show a lack of confidence in his character, Capaldi can really carry the weight.
I think as well that it may be kind of important for someone to break the three-year tradition we've had going between Tennant and Smith. I'd hate for it to become an unwritten rule that some fans come to expect, as it serves to only make the show feel a bit more predictable and formulaic and to also then potentially lead actors to leave before their natural end game.
If it was already done and dusted and, for example, Chibnall had come in demanding a clean slate and new Doctor would the BBC not have included in yesterday's news that series 10 will also be Capaldi's last, and already be billing the next series as Moffat and Capaldi's final series?
There's no point in trying to keep these things secret and just look at the fanfare the BBC made last time the role was re-cast.
I know that's not how it was handled with RTD and Tennants departures but wasn't that because Tennant wanted to a little more time to consider the options before he ultimately decided to leave with RTD?
It seems to me that there's at least a discussion to be had involving the transition...
Capaldi still has a whole series to go at the very least - and with Christmas 2017 as well he'll still be the Doctor in nearly two years from now - which is a longer period of time than he has been the Doctor on our screens so far. We won't be getting a full episode with the next Doctor for over two years yet in the event that Capaldi is leaving. I guess it wouldn't be in the best interests of a drama show to announce the departure of their lead so prematurely... people will then be obsessed with "who's next" rather than giving Series 10 any focus.
And this is all hypothetical anyway. There is still an equal chance Capaldi will stay on into Series 11 as well.
No because that would look very bad. The headlines would be all about the show being in crisis as BBC bosses frantically swing their axe amongst cast and crew in a last-ditch attempt to save the ailing show, etc.
I suspect at Capaldi's time of life, he's happy to stay in any job as long as it lasts. Chibnall is probably yet to think about what kind of show he wants to make and whether Capaldi fits his plans. And Moffat will probably think it's some kind of clever publicity thing to drum up viewers by teasing people about whether Capaldi's leaving with him or not. Just as he did at least twice before with Coleman.
imo...1. He needs to break this ridiculous short eras of 3 yrs of actors who only use this show as a stepping stone
2, He should be given a choice to quit or not just like CE. DT and MS
3/ He's the best actor this show has ever had.