Matt Smith "maybe" back on Doctor Who?
1 of 3
His exit always felt rather sudden; I would have loved for Matt to stay on for series eight before departing but alas he didn't. I think a full time return is definitely off the table but certainly a guest appearance in a future anniversary episode is almost inevitable.
He'd make for an entertaining juxtaposition against Capaldi's Doctor. Two Doctors who are so very different but also so very similar.
I wasn't comfortable finding out he was leaving at first, but it soon didn't bother me anymore since it meant we got Capaldi on for S8, and I'm sorry for Smith but his successor has been one of the best things to happen to New Who. Having Smith back wouldn't be a problem, though... he's not my first choice to return but he's not my last either.
I wasn't comfortable finding out he was leaving at first, but it soon didn't bother me anymore since it meant we got Capaldi on for S8, and I'm sorry for Smith but his successor has been one of the best things to happen to New Who. Having Smith back wouldn't be a problem, though... he's not my first choice to return but he's not my last either.
A brilliant, eccentric, inventive and physical performance...Childlike, bow tied, doing the odd twirl, hints of sadness and darkness, and jolting flashes of anger. Gene Wilder was a superb Willy Wonka. 
Sorry, just watched the film on ITV, first time in years, and was vaguely thinking about Matt's Doctor during it...Wonder if the lad saw it growing up! But yeah, never had a doubt we'd see or hear David as the Doctor again after he left, and have the same feeling about Matt. Maybe still a bit too soon, but think he'll be back in some capacity in the fullness of time.
Sorry, just watched the film on ITV, first time in years, and was vaguely thinking about Matt's Doctor during it...Wonder if the lad saw it growing up! But yeah, never had a doubt we'd see or hear David as the Doctor again after he left, and have the same feeling about Matt. Maybe still a bit too soon, but think he'll be back in some capacity in the fullness of time.
Matt saying he misses it, is not exactly the same as saying he will be returning for a guest spot in the near future.
Based on the usual way of things, I think it'll be another 7 years before a time when they'll want/need him (the 60th), and the problem with that is that being so young when he took the role, he will also look the most aged compared to his time on screen.
In comparison, Tennant and Eccleston, having both been that bit older seem to have barely changed so far, and I think Capaldi won't have physically aged that much either.
I think if Matt returned before the 60th, there would be cries of 'why wasn't it Eccleston/Tennant/Capaldi (if on doctor 13 at the time) who was asked back?'
Based on the usual way of things, I think it'll be another 7 years before a time when they'll want/need him (the 60th), and the problem with that is that being so young when he took the role, he will also look the most aged compared to his time on screen.
In comparison, Tennant and Eccleston, having both been that bit older seem to have barely changed so far, and I think Capaldi won't have physically aged that much either.
I think if Matt returned before the 60th, there would be cries of 'why wasn't it Eccleston/Tennant/Capaldi (if on doctor 13 at the time) who was asked back?'
Originally Posted by doctor blue box:
“Based on the usual way of things, I think it'll be another 7 years before a time when they'll want/need him (the 60th), and the problem with that is that being so young when he took the role, he will also look the most aged compared to his time on screen.
”
“Based on the usual way of things, I think it'll be another 7 years before a time when they'll want/need him (the 60th), and the problem with that is that being so young when he took the role, he will also look the most aged compared to his time on screen.
”
Given he aged into an old man during his incarnations life span that wouldn't really be a problem.
Just have him scooped out of time (or whatever explanation they use next time) from a few 100 years into his stay on Trenzalore.
Originally Posted by Michael_Eve:
“A brilliant, eccentric, inventive and physical performance...Childlike, bow tied, doing the odd twirl, hints of sadness and darkness, and jolting flashes of anger. Gene Wilder was a superb Willy Wonka.”
“A brilliant, eccentric, inventive and physical performance...Childlike, bow tied, doing the odd twirl, hints of sadness and darkness, and jolting flashes of anger. Gene Wilder was a superb Willy Wonka.
”
Well, Matt Smith's Doctor did bring back that old attribute of the character looking like something from a Roald Dahl or Dr. Seuss book. :P
It blended in very well with the fairy tale approach though. I did enjoy that absurd but romanticised tone of Series 5-7.
[quote=doctor blue box;83102042
I think if Matt returned before the 60th, there would be cries of 'why wasn't it Eccleston/Tennant/Capaldi (if on doctor 13 at the time) who was asked back?'[/QUOTE]
Yeah, probably. Sigh.
When Patrick came back in 1985 for a story fans were just delighted to see him. Don't recall any "Why isn't it Jon or Tom or...." going on! Didn't think much of the story myself personally, but just loved seeing more of him onscreen. They're all the Doctor....
I think if Matt returned before the 60th, there would be cries of 'why wasn't it Eccleston/Tennant/Capaldi (if on doctor 13 at the time) who was asked back?'[/QUOTE]
Yeah, probably. Sigh.
When Patrick came back in 1985 for a story fans were just delighted to see him. Don't recall any "Why isn't it Jon or Tom or...." going on! Didn't think much of the story myself personally, but just loved seeing more of him onscreen. They're all the Doctor....
I think there's scope to someday have two incarnations appear in a series of stories together, without it being a gimmick for an anniversary.
Imagine a normal series, just The Doctor and the companion having adventures, but in some episodes we get a glimpse of another Doctor, watching, or a cut to them in their TARDIS, talking to someone cryptically. They could even have the companion interact with them briefly, unknowing to his true identity. And this would build towards the finale, which would be a big, multi-stranded narrative, with the companion being our eyes, discovering what the big threat is they are trying to prevent.
I don't know, I just think that whilst Doctor Who is all about change, they don't play on their history enough at times, when there is potential to have some varied and generically unique stories. Even past companions are always open to being explored as a way to further explore The Doctor and how he influences those around him, and yet they never seem to hit that as powerfully as they could.
Imagine a normal series, just The Doctor and the companion having adventures, but in some episodes we get a glimpse of another Doctor, watching, or a cut to them in their TARDIS, talking to someone cryptically. They could even have the companion interact with them briefly, unknowing to his true identity. And this would build towards the finale, which would be a big, multi-stranded narrative, with the companion being our eyes, discovering what the big threat is they are trying to prevent.
I don't know, I just think that whilst Doctor Who is all about change, they don't play on their history enough at times, when there is potential to have some varied and generically unique stories. Even past companions are always open to being explored as a way to further explore The Doctor and how he influences those around him, and yet they never seem to hit that as powerfully as they could.
Originally Posted by Corwin:
“Given he aged into an old man during his incarnations life span that wouldn't really be a problem.
Just have him scooped out of time (or whatever explanation they use next time) from a few 100 years into his stay on Trenzalore.”
“Given he aged into an old man during his incarnations life span that wouldn't really be a problem.
Just have him scooped out of time (or whatever explanation they use next time) from a few 100 years into his stay on Trenzalore.”
True, but would Matt really want to have to come back under a layer of prosthetics?.
Also, I always felt than the whole 'reset' at the end of Time of the Doctor that put him back to his normal appearance had no real story reason (going through fully on the clock tower would have been much better in my opinion) and was only done because they were determined that he HAD to have his normal appearance back for the change. That being the case, I can't imagine they'd want to bring him back for an appearance looking not like the 'standard' 11th doctor.
When some were fretting that the 50th Tennant appearance would only be the 10.5 human version, and not the actual 10th doctor, I always felt certain it wouldn't be, for one because it would have been a waste of bringing Tennant back, but mainly because it seemed obvious to me that in trying to appeal to as many people as possible, including casual viewers and some who might never or hardly usually even watch at all, they were never going to make something as important as the 50th hinge on expecting the audience to remember in detail the events of a single story that aired 5 years prior. It is for that same reason that I'm pretty sure that if Matt was required at a time when he had notably aged, such as the 60th for example, they would almost definitely slap on as much make up as they could to make him look youthful enough to just about be passable as the normal 11th doctor before they would ever consider putting him as the Trenzalore version.
The Daily Mail made even more a hack of the story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...rn-series.html
As already mentioned, 'would love to come back' means nothing more than 'yes, I'd come back to do the occasional special now and then' (which was probably the original question thrown out to him and Steven Moffat).
Smith also says, 'he misses being on the show'... well of course anyone would if they had such a lovely three years of doing it, especially the cast, the crew and wonderful creative experience.
Newspapers and websites tend to omit the full questions and just print their answers which they then can speculate to give the story a whole new angle (ie. not the truth) just for the pure click bait (which brings in their revenue).
In a nutshell, it's a load of crap and so are 95% of the dopey comments at the bottom of that Daily Mail article.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...rn-series.html
As already mentioned, 'would love to come back' means nothing more than 'yes, I'd come back to do the occasional special now and then' (which was probably the original question thrown out to him and Steven Moffat).
Smith also says, 'he misses being on the show'... well of course anyone would if they had such a lovely three years of doing it, especially the cast, the crew and wonderful creative experience.
Newspapers and websites tend to omit the full questions and just print their answers which they then can speculate to give the story a whole new angle (ie. not the truth) just for the pure click bait (which brings in their revenue).
In a nutshell, it's a load of crap and so are 95% of the dopey comments at the bottom of that Daily Mail article.
Originally Posted by doctor blue box:
“True, but would Matt really want to have to come back under a layer of prosthetics?.
”
“True, but would Matt really want to have to come back under a layer of prosthetics?.
”
Why would he need to wear prosthetics?
It took the Doctor 900 years to age into the old man look, at some point in those 900 years he will look exactly like Matt Smith does in 2020 (or whatever year he returns to the role).
Smith could return to the role next year or in 30 years and all you have to say was he was taken from a different point in time.
Originally Posted by Daniel Dare:
“The Daily Mail made even more a hack of the story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...rn-series.html
As already mentioned, 'would love to come back' means nothing more than 'yes, I'd come back to do the occasional special now and then' (which was probably the original question thrown out to him and Steven Moffat).
Smith also says, 'he misses being on the show'... well of course anyone would if they had such a lovely three years of doing it, especially the cast, the crew and wonderful creative experience.
Newspapers and websites tend to omit the full questions and just print their answers which they then can speculate to give the story a whole new angle (ie. not the truth) just for the pure click bait (which brings in their revenue).
In a nutshell, it's a load of crap and so are 95% of the dopey comments at the bottom of that Daily Mail article.”
“The Daily Mail made even more a hack of the story:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...rn-series.html
As already mentioned, 'would love to come back' means nothing more than 'yes, I'd come back to do the occasional special now and then' (which was probably the original question thrown out to him and Steven Moffat).
Smith also says, 'he misses being on the show'... well of course anyone would if they had such a lovely three years of doing it, especially the cast, the crew and wonderful creative experience.
Newspapers and websites tend to omit the full questions and just print their answers which they then can speculate to give the story a whole new angle (ie. not the truth) just for the pure click bait (which brings in their revenue).
In a nutshell, it's a load of crap and so are 95% of the dopey comments at the bottom of that Daily Mail article.”
Well...exactly! Which is why I'll give the DM story and comments a miss. The Moffat quotes are from a DWM interview from *months* ago and Matt has said plenty of times that he'd love to reprise the role at some point in the future cos he loved playing it...s'all.
Originally Posted by Corwin:
“Why would he need to wear prosthetics?
It took the Doctor 900 years to age into the old man look, at some point in those 900 years he will look exactly like Matt Smith does in 2020 (or whatever year he returns to the role).
Smith could return to the role next year or in 30 years and all you have to say was he was taken from a different point in time.”
“Why would he need to wear prosthetics?
It took the Doctor 900 years to age into the old man look, at some point in those 900 years he will look exactly like Matt Smith does in 2020 (or whatever year he returns to the role).
Smith could return to the role next year or in 30 years and all you have to say was he was taken from a different point in time.”
If you read the rest of my post I also said I think they would always want him to look as the 'normal' 11th doctor wherever possible. If he returned in a few years noticably aged, they'd just slap on the make up with a trowel so to speak so he was still passable as the usual looking 11th doctor though.
I really don't think they'd use the Trenzalore version for any special, even 30 years from now when he may look right for it, because it relies on all viewers, casual or otherwise, remembering the events of a single story years old. As such, the only way I could see him returning in 30 years is with a cgi version of his younger self (like the tron legacy/arnie in terminator salvation sort of technlogy, which I imagine will be in much more frequent use then, and greatly improved) with him actually just doing his own voice.
P.s Also, when he actually gets old he may look completely different to the way they aged him in Time of the Doctor.
Reminds me of Sidney Newman's barmy idea of bringing back Troughton in the 80s when the show was failing the last time.
Now we have the show losing serious momentum, popularity and popular cultural relevance (like the X-Factor) and a desperate suggestion to hit the undo button and bring back the last successful formula.
I can't imagine either Smith or the show would benefit from a return. It would be an acceptance of failure and make everyone involved look like a bunch of sad drunks putting the world to rights in a pub.
This story should set off alarm bells that the show is struggling to find a way forward and needs to regress. Imagine if Pierce Brosnan was suddenly announced as the successor to Daniel Craig because they couldn't find a proper replacement (or no one wanted their careers to be tarred by what's become a dirty brush).
Smith was absolutely amazing, but all too often let down by the writing. Perhaps there's only so many stories you can write for Doctor Who, and all have been written? Hence recent weird tripe like Sleep No More and Kill the Moon.
Also, Matt Smith's final episode is carefully created to allow for him to reappear in future specials aged, on the basis that he's been taken from his ageing years on Trenzalore. But bringing him back full time is a step too far.
Now we have the show losing serious momentum, popularity and popular cultural relevance (like the X-Factor) and a desperate suggestion to hit the undo button and bring back the last successful formula.
I can't imagine either Smith or the show would benefit from a return. It would be an acceptance of failure and make everyone involved look like a bunch of sad drunks putting the world to rights in a pub.
This story should set off alarm bells that the show is struggling to find a way forward and needs to regress. Imagine if Pierce Brosnan was suddenly announced as the successor to Daniel Craig because they couldn't find a proper replacement (or no one wanted their careers to be tarred by what's become a dirty brush).
Smith was absolutely amazing, but all too often let down by the writing. Perhaps there's only so many stories you can write for Doctor Who, and all have been written? Hence recent weird tripe like Sleep No More and Kill the Moon.
Also, Matt Smith's final episode is carefully created to allow for him to reappear in future specials aged, on the basis that he's been taken from his ageing years on Trenzalore. But bringing him back full time is a step too far.
Originally Posted by Isambard Brunel:
“Reminds me of Sidney Newman's barmy idea of bringing back Troughton in the 80s when the show was failing the last time.
Now we have the show losing serious momentum, popularity and popular cultural relevance (like the X-Factor) and a desperate suggestion to hit the undo button and bring back the last successful formula.”
“Reminds me of Sidney Newman's barmy idea of bringing back Troughton in the 80s when the show was failing the last time.
Now we have the show losing serious momentum, popularity and popular cultural relevance (like the X-Factor) and a desperate suggestion to hit the undo button and bring back the last successful formula.”
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe...
Seriously, though, I think you're misunderstanding things here. They're not actually going to bring Matt Smith back full-time, if that's what you're suggesting... they're talking along the likes of a guest appearance.
Honestly, I can't tell half the time if your posts are satire, or if your tin foil hat is screwed on tight.
Originally Posted by Lord Smexy:
“Honestly, I can't tell half the time if your posts are satire, or if your tin foil hat is screwed on tight.”
“Honestly, I can't tell half the time if your posts are satire, or if your tin foil hat is screwed on tight.”
Good good.
But you do concede the parallels with bringing back Matt Smith and Louise Walsh?
Originally Posted by Isambard Brunel:
“Good good.
But you do concede the parallels with bringing back Matt Smith and Louise Walsh?”
“Good good.
But you do concede the parallels with bringing back Matt Smith and Louise Walsh?”
Not at all, because I'm not scraping the barrel for reasons to moan about a supposedly failed show.
After all, bringing back previous Doctors is a common practice in the show that is appreciated by many fans; it didn't start with Troughton in the 80s.
But that's Doctor Who fans for you.
Originally Posted by doctor blue box:
“True, but would Matt really want to have to come back under a layer of prosthetics?.
Also, I always felt than the whole 'reset' at the end of Time of the Doctor that put him back to his normal appearance had no real story reason (going through fully on the clock tower would have been much better in my opinion) and was only done because they were determined that he HAD to have his normal appearance back for the change. That being the case, I can't imagine they'd want to bring him back for an appearance looking not like the 'standard' 11th doctor.
When some were fretting that the 50th Tennant appearance would only be the 10.5 human version, and not the actual 10th doctor, I always felt certain it wouldn't be, for one because it would have been a waste of bringing Tennant back, but mainly because it seemed obvious to me that in trying to appeal to as many people as possible, including casual viewers and some who might never or hardly usually even watch at all, they were never going to make something as important as the 50th hinge on expecting the audience to remember in detail the events of a single story that aired 5 years prior. It is for that same reason that I'm pretty sure that if Matt was required at a time when he had notably aged, such as the 60th for example, they would almost definitely slap on as much make up as they could to make him look youthful enough to just about be passable as the normal 11th doctor before they would ever consider putting him as the Trenzalore version.”
“True, but would Matt really want to have to come back under a layer of prosthetics?.
Also, I always felt than the whole 'reset' at the end of Time of the Doctor that put him back to his normal appearance had no real story reason (going through fully on the clock tower would have been much better in my opinion) and was only done because they were determined that he HAD to have his normal appearance back for the change. That being the case, I can't imagine they'd want to bring him back for an appearance looking not like the 'standard' 11th doctor.
When some were fretting that the 50th Tennant appearance would only be the 10.5 human version, and not the actual 10th doctor, I always felt certain it wouldn't be, for one because it would have been a waste of bringing Tennant back, but mainly because it seemed obvious to me that in trying to appeal to as many people as possible, including casual viewers and some who might never or hardly usually even watch at all, they were never going to make something as important as the 50th hinge on expecting the audience to remember in detail the events of a single story that aired 5 years prior. It is for that same reason that I'm pretty sure that if Matt was required at a time when he had notably aged, such as the 60th for example, they would almost definitely slap on as much make up as they could to make him look youthful enough to just about be passable as the normal 11th doctor before they would ever consider putting him as the Trenzalore version.”
I always took it that he reset because he had reached the end of his regeneration cycle and his body was resetting for the new one; I always accepted this as a valid reason for his body reverting back to the original version of youth; clearly the Doctor doesn't always reset as the first regenerated because of his body wearing out but he didn't revert to a younger looking self; this is because he had another regeneration waiting in the cycle; Eleven didn't and so the new cycle reset his body before it began to alter it. That's the way I took it anyway and it washes with me. (I know One didn't regenerate strictly because of his age but it's almost the same and it's the easiest way to accept Eleven's reversion)
EDIT: Thinking about it Hurt's Doctor actually DID regenerate because his body aged too much and he didn't revert to a younger version. So yes, it's because of the new cycle and that's what I'm sticking to.
Who's Louise Walsh?
As far as I'm aware, no one ever working comtemporaneously on the show has ever considered bringing back an 'old' Doctor full time. Thank god! Terrible idea...with all due respect to the legendary Mr Newman.
As far as I'm aware, no one ever working comtemporaneously on the show has ever considered bringing back an 'old' Doctor full time. Thank god! Terrible idea...with all due respect to the legendary Mr Newman.
Originally Posted by Lord Smexy:
“I'm not scraping the barrel for reasons to moan about a supposedly failed show.”
“I'm not scraping the barrel for reasons to moan about a supposedly failed show.”
Lost 1.5M viewers and placed on an 18-month hiatus with a new show-runner signed up kinda thing.
Originally Posted by Michael_Eve:
“Who's Louise Walsh?”
“Who's Louise Walsh?”
Her off the X-Factor. See above.
Originally Posted by Isambard Brunel:
“Lost 1.5M viewers and placed on an 18-month hiatus with a new show-runner signed up kinda thing.
Her off the X-Factor. See above.”
“Lost 1.5M viewers and placed on an 18-month hiatus with a new show-runner signed up kinda thing.
Her off the X-Factor. See above.”
Nope. Still lost. And what have the kinda got to do with it?
Originally Posted by Isambard Brunel:
“Lost 1.5M viewers and placed on an 18-month hiatus with a new show-runner signed up kinda thing.
Her off the X-Factor. See above.”
“Lost 1.5M viewers and placed on an 18-month hiatus with a new show-runner signed up kinda thing.
Her off the X-Factor. See above.”
Indeed, some people are so obsessed with their year-by-year ratings that they fail to see the bigger picture. That, or they refuse to move with the times.
Take, for example, the comic book industry. These days, comics that earn sales of around 150,000-ish are considered huge hits... yet half a century ago such sales would have signalled the gloomy bells of potential cancellation (sorry, Rip Hunter). What happened? The industry and its consumer habits changed.
TV may work in different ways, but like the growth of apples and oranges the basic concept works the same. That's not to say sales and viewer ratings and the like don't matter, but as the content expands, so does the wider scope of factors that need to be taken account of.
1 of 3
