[tiggerpooh]

I was thinking earlier today about who would be good as the Doctor after Matt leaves. Maybe Colin Salmon? I saw him on the Oscars coverage on Monday morning. Also on Watch earlier in part two of the 'Silence in the Library' story alongside David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Alex Kingston and it got me thinking.

Colin seems to be a fountain of knowledge. And the Doctor does have to know a lot to keep himself out of bad situations. He'd be great.

What do you think? Do you think it would be a good idea? Is it best to keep the Doctor white skinned, as the Time Lords on Gallifrey and the other Dr's have been?

This thread is a bit like the one about wether a female Doctor would work, or not.

Let me know in your comments, please.

[Sophie ~Oohie~]

It wouldn't be nearly as bad as a female or American one, that's all I'm saying.

[jimbo_bob]

I wouldn't be adverse to the idea of a black Doctor. As long as the actor was a decent one then why not?

[tiggerpooh]

I was also thinking, that if a woman was cast as the Doctor after Matt leaves, maybe Sophie Okenado? She was great as Liz 10 in the Starship UK story in 2010. And I enjoyed the TV movie biopic about Nelson Mandella's wife. I think it was called Mandella. She was not bad in Aeon Flux, either, although some people didn't like her, or the film that much. Apparently, so I've heard.

[TEDR]

Sounds good to me; I can't think why anyone would be opposed.

[tiggerpooh]

Originally Posted by jimbo_bob

I wouldn't be adverse to the idea of a black Doctor. As long as the actor was a decent one then why not?

Yes. If I was head writer and head showrunner on Doctor Who and I cast a black man, he would have to be British. Not, African, Indian, Jamaican or otherwise. Strictly British.

[DICKENS99]

I'll be interested to see if anyone responds negatively and manages to do so in a way which doesn't make it sound racist...

[TEDR]

Originally Posted by DICKENS99

I'll be interested to see if anyone responds negatively and manages to do so in a way which doesn't make it sound racist...

We could play the fun game of prefixing 'I'm not racist but...' to all our sentences just to muddy the water.

I'm not racist but right now my toe is really itchy.

[jackbell]

Usually the person cast in the role is an eccentric character actor, so as long as the new Doctor has those qualities it doesn't really matter on colour.

[performingmonk]

What if this guy was the 12 Doctor all along? - http://sjaguide.doctorwhonews.net/person.php?code=4565

I like him in this clip - http://youtu.be/M4wrFiDFLXo?t=1m20s

[Shawn_Lunn]

If he's a good actor and right for the role, it will definitely work.

[tomwozhere]

Idris Elba. Done.

[Sex]

Originally Posted by tomwozhere

Idris Elba. Done.

that's who i had in mind when i read this....
for it to work they'd need to cast the right person.

[Dogmatix]

Humans have evolved on Earth with skin colours from almost black to almost white with various shades in between (pink, red, yellow), usually depending on the sunlight in the regions they evolved in.

There is no real reason why Gallifreyans and Vulcans should have evolved in the same way. When Tuvok first appeared in Star Trek: Voyager, I started thinking that this was just a sop to the PC movement - I saw no reason to assume that Vulcans would have evolved in the same ways with the same skin pigmentations together with the same other facial and hair features as humans did. But I soon got used to him.

So should all planets upon which humanoid evolution took place be assumed to give rise to humans with different pigmentations? If the humanoids there evolved in different regions with different levels of solar radiation, they might well evolved with differing levels of protective skin pigmentation. Only with this reasoning can black members of evolved non-terran humanoid species be considered - not because it would be politically correct to cast a black actor. But if evolution took place in only one region, then all members of that species would have the same skin colour.

In the particular case of regenerating Time Lords, if they can change hair or eye colour to any colour normally found in Gallifreyans, then the same should apply to skin pigmentation.

The next question would be 'who?' Lenny Henry?

[Fairyprincess0]

Danny john-Jules.....anyone?

[saladfingers81]

It should totally happen if the right actor and by actor I mean MALE came along for the part. But can people stop naming people that have played characters before or have been in other genre shows? Its really boring and shows zero imagination.

[saladfingers81]

Also the Timelords haven't always been white as portrayed on screen. Check The End of Time for starters.

[Ed Sizzers]

I'll be honest, I don't really understand how this is a question. As others have asked, why wouldn't it work?

[king yrcanos]

It would, but it couldn't be referenced in the programme or it would feel as the 4th fall is being kicked in.

[Lii]

Originally Posted by tomwozhere

Idris Elba. Done.

Brilliant actor, but doesn't strike me at all as the Doctor.

No problem at all with the idea, actually sounds quite good as we do seem to be losing a lot of our best black actors to America.

The only thing I wouldn't want to see is any cultural shift in the Doc's personality, which would seem a very contrived change. He has to remain a very quirky British form of Gallifreyian, but that's still a pretty broad landscape.

[Corwin]

I think we should go with a Blue or maybe Green 12th Doctor.

We know Timelords can regenerate into any form (just with pink humanoid seemingly the default setting) so I think the next Doctor should be Green and about 4 feet tall.

[tiggerpooh]

Originally Posted by TEDR

We could play the fun game of prefixing 'I'm not racist but...' to all our sentences just to muddy the water.

I'm not racist but right now my toe is really itchy.

Well, give it a good scratch, then.

[Theophile]

Originally Posted by tiggerpooh

Yes. If I was head writer and head showrunner on Doctor Who and I cast a black man, he would have to be British. Not, African, Indian, Jamaican or otherwise. Strictly British.

Absolutely. There are plenty of black Britons and there is no reason why The Doctor could not be black as long as he is British and male.

[tiggerpooh]

Originally Posted by Corwin

I think we should go with a Blue or maybe Green 12th Doctor.

We know Timelords can regenerate into any form (just with pink humanoid seemingly the default setting) so I think the next Doctor should be Green and about 4 feet tall.

It wouldn't work. A lot of fans would stop watching. They would be saying, "It was fun, then, but not now." I for one would stop watching for good and I know for definate that my parents would too. The show would go dead in the water. Doctor Who would have the same feeling as when Colin's Doctor was put on trial in 1986.

It would be such a shame, after 7 good years of the programme. So no. A green Doctor the same size as one of Snow White's dwarves would not work.

[nebogipfel]

Does anyone think not giving a toss about the colour, height, weight, hair style or gender of the next Doctor would work?

I know it sounds a bit weird, but it could work.