"To be told this could be my final year is] terrifying. But I’m doing next year – then I don’t know."

PC himself does not want to leave after 3, but thinks he maybe asked too because Moffat likely leaving('Im assuming)...


Was DT not given the option of a 4th series with Moffat after RTD left?


http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/sc...apaldi-6792591

Well any series can be any actors last all it takes is some half wit in power to make a decision.
No point worrying about it.

Tennant's decision to leave was definitely his own. Moffat has even spoken about his original plans for season 5, with the 10th Doctor crashing into Amy's garden rather than the newly regenerated 11th. Tennant said he was tempted to stay on for one more year because he was interested to see where Moffat would take the show and the 10th Doctor but eventually decided to stick with plan A and leave.

I can see the attraction (for Moffat) of keeping a very popular actor like Tennant in the role of the Doctor for his first season as Executive Producer. I think Tennant would have helped with the transition to the new cast and new style of storytelling.

But I'm not convinced an incoming Executive Producer would necessarily see Capaldi in such a favourable light. I think it would be very hard to give the show a fresh start with the prickly, doom-laden "Am I a good man?" 12th Doctor still in place (unless they completely rewrote his character).

Of course, I could be completely wrong and maybe the audience research is showing the BBC that Capaldi's incredibly popular and there are other reasons fewer people are tuning in.

It's only a might. A lot could change could change between now and the planning for the end of series 10.

Does make you wonder, if there were anything in it, the reasoning for such. Could it be Moffat leaving?, a perception of Capaldi as unpopular? or perhaps both. Either or both wouldn't surprise me.

As others have said, it's probably hard enough to get someone to commit to taking over such a big role as the show runner, so it wouldn't be surprising if they felt they had to at least offer them a fresh start with the chance to cast their own doctor.

Also, individual opinions aside, I do get the perception in the real world that Capaldi isn't very popular with the mainstream audience, and am forever hearing comments to that effect. It would be a shame for him to be pushed out when it seemed for the last three, it was very much their decision when to leave, but I suppose that's just how it goes sometimes.

Terrifying? Thought he had quit twice due to exhaustion - it should be joyous news.

its a shame though, they finally get an actor whos willingly to stay more than short template of 3 yrs...


As was Smiths and CE,

Perhaps the someone he spoke to was one of the most terrifying monsters known to men.

A creature called a "Doctor Who fan".

He has not said I am a good man since last season lol., and the character has lightened up considerably in 10. The only doom laden thing is the DW fandom LOL

PC will get a new companion in 10, So I doubt they will fire the companion to start fresh after only 1 series..


But The guy simply can't win with some people l

I'm split over Capaldi. I am mostly enjoying him as the Doctor. But I don't think he's connecting with the audience, more generally, and I personally think that's a key part of the viewing figures going down.

He really needed a new companion for season 9. I think keeping Clara has proven a big mistake, denying Capaldi (and the show) a much needed fresh start. I think season 10 is going to be the defining moment as to whether he's a popular Doctor or not.

I don't know, in series 8 it was very hard for me to get used to Peter Capaldi as the Doctor (up to this day I am not sure whether it was a my Doctor left and it's the new guy hangover or whether it was that I disliked the characterization) and I would find it much harder to watch the first few episodes if Clara wasn't in it, I suppose it was the one time I preferred the companion over the Doctor. I suppose that you who have been watching earlier than me could draw comparisons with Eleven/Amy and the possibility of Tennant staying for series 5 as you did earlier in the thread, but even if you personally didn't grow to love Eleven as much I don't think you could argue that at the beginning the characterization was more "likeable" for wider audiences than Twelve's last year. Personally, I can't imagine it being the 10th Doctor who met little Amelia as I feel that wouldn't fit with his characterization of the romantic hero. I always saw the Doctor/Amy relationship as the Doctor being somewhat of a senior figure to both her and Rory and as much as I liked David's Doctor I never felt that his Doctor had much of grandfatherly quality in him as Matt Smith's had at least sometimes.

Anyway back to Peter Capaldi, I have grown to like him over the curse of series 8 and am even starting to love him over this series. And I actually quite like Clara and I had never had an issue with her. Despite all that, this is hardly my favourite DW era (even though I did love the last episode), I can't quite put my finger on the reason why but I don't think it has anything to do with Twelve or Clara (and my 11 hangover and I find myself loving the 8th Doctor audio adventures or watching classic Who episodes, so it's unlikely that I grew out of Who).

Should anything huge change I suppose that I would much prefer if it were the showrunner rather than the Doctor. I don't know what happened, Moffat had been my favourite writer ever since I started watching Who, but it's not working for me anymore, I suppose. But that leads to the troublesome question: who? I don't think that I would like any of the current writers taking over more than I like Moffat's writing at this moment, where I find myself enjoying his writing the least from his run so far.

A load of fuss over nothing.

Lots of people love Peter's Doctor, his performance on Saturday was stunning and likely to get the folks at BAFTA interested. Peter may not have a longer contract, but these things aren't important.

Assuming someone new takes over S11, why would they want to change the Doctor? It's terrifying enough taking over the show, without dumping the leading man. Moff would have loved David to stay on for S5, as it would have taken away one risk from what was almost an all new show.

Hot news: it substantially strengthens your bargaining position if you ensure that your employees know that they're replaceable. I'll bet he's on a three-year contract and either (a) somebody is genuinely prepping him not to negotiate too much over pay, or (b) it was a fairly lighthearted comment and Capaldi's quote as above was in the same vein.

I think series 5 is meant for Matt and only he could pull it off picturing Tennant instead of Matt seems weird the stories wouldn't be very Tennant.

Tbh I think Capaldi should have been handled by a new showrunner and Moffat should've saved him, because for the new showrunner he'd be bursting full of story ideas, plots and arcs and great charactefs to interact with Capaldi that it would've kept him busy as The Doctor for a long time like Tennant and Smith

I feel like I would love Capaldi 100% if a new showrunner redid his episodes and his Doctor because it would be much more bursting and exciting and would even become my favourite next to the Ninth Doctor.

Argh why cant't they give. Capaldi a fresh start again with a new showrunner a new story arc, new better characters and stories that dont feel too overworked on.

Surely when the actor wants to stay it then falls to ensure the new showrunner is also interested in that particular Doctor, and feels they don't need an entirely fresh slate.

Cue Toby Whithouse, who has said he thought Twelve was fascinating to write for. I'd be all up for a fourth series with Capaldi with Whithouse at the helm - provided Capaldi doesn't keel over from "exhaustion" of course.

To counter that I know a whole lot of people who gave up with Smith and have come back with Capaldi, or show much more interest over Capaldi. My own personal experience regarding people who could be considered "the mainstream" is that he's not Tennant-popular but he's a whole lot more popular than Matt Smith was. As such, I don't think anyone's personal reflection of the mainstream audience - even with personal opinions cast aside (and I've liked both Smith and Capaldi) - is actually indicative of anything.

well said, plus 12's series 10 companion will remain.

Capaldi has grown on me this series, but three series is two more than Eccleston and three more than McGann.

Well, Matt and David did 3 full series, as did Billy boy, Patrick, Peter D and Sylvester. Only Jon and Tom have done more. So I guess this was pointed out to Mr Capaldi by some diplomatic person and he thought, well, cheers, mate!

Indeed, and Tom demonstrated that longevity isn't always a good thing. 3 years is an absolute minimum tenure with 5 being the maximum imo. You cant really stamp your mark unless you get 3 series then again, 3 years is probably enough to determine that an actor isn't for the role.

Tennant made a huge mistake not staying.

Eccleston made the huge mistake not staying.

Of course I wasn't or can't speak of the entire mainstream audience, I was just saying my experiences of what I hear personally. Mostly I hear the 'he's too old' rhetoric, which is a shame really that people can't look past that, but it is what it is.

Matt Smith got the "he's too young" rhetoric (and some people thought his Doctor was too childish), some people hated David (the gurning and shouting), others hated Chris to looking too much like a "bloke", Paul was too good looking, Sylvester was too silly and lightweight, Colin's Doctor was too horrible etc

i.e. while the Doctor Who fandom is full of negative comments, they're not necessarily representative of the wider audience...

No, he didn't. He left at the right time and the show has moved on as it was always going to do.

Capaldi, I think won't go further than the tenth series but I'm willing to be proved wrong though.