I have to say this ..and i speak not as a fan but a causal viewer

when it is good its brilliant and the revival with
Christopher, David And Matt were brilliant. The new Dr and latest is too introspective for the casual viewer and i am sure that purists love it - but I am just lost!? I maybe ton my own as i don't know what the viewing figures/ratings and reviews are like.

Now there is talk to bring Matt back.
Thats an interesting idea for the next rejuvenation to be an Dr we have known already but with a different persona or character? But what about a Dr side kick? Could (Rose) Billy Piper be the first female Dr?

Drugs are bad, m'kay?

I think Matt might come back for a Series 4 like finale for the Moffat Era. But with the Chinballs era they might make it slighty more casual orientated like Series 1-6ish

Matt will not be the next Doctor, it defeats the purpose of the show, neither will any past companions.

Less mainstream, but it's up for debate whether that's a good thing or not. In my opinion, we have a much deeper and richer show now that's a lot more rewarding to get invested in.

Ratings aren't as good as they used to be, but it's not a big drop either, taking into account multiple factors that weren't as prevalent back then they are now. It's doing very well for a show that's more than a decade down the line.

Critically it had a very successful year with its ninth series, with Peter Capaldi's performance being a notable highlight for many, but stories have also done well and the penultimate episode Heaven Sent is probably one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of Doctor Who yet.

As for rumours of Matt Smith returning permanently to replace Capaldi, I'll eat my shoe if that happens. The show has always moved forwards, not backwards, and to bring back a previous Doctor simply wouldn't work. As a guest star, however, it's very likely.

I agree with your analysis of the current Doctor's adventures. Too introspective. The Doctor himself, however, as played by Capaldi, I think is excellent.

Purists may love it as it is, but though I'm a long time fan (and I mean long time) I don't love it at the moment. I hope for better things from the next series.

I'm sure Matt won't come back, except maybe as a one off as other Doctors have done. It's just not how the show works.

It's always interesting to get the opinion of a casual viewer rather than a die hard fan on this forum. I hope you come back with some more opinions when the next series starts.

Even if the show were more "accessible" it still wouldn't be doing all that well, most people just get bored of TV series after about 7 years.

It always ends up with mostly the keen fans watching, the general public have moved on to something else.

Nothing can be done about this, it's the way things are.

September's intake at our school were born after the show came back - it's almost scary

True ... if The Doctor were ever to regenerate into the form of a previous incarnation, or one that resembled
a previous incarnation of himself, it wouldn't even be a regeneration, it would actually be a regression.

It most definitely wouldn't be degeneration ... that's what once happened to The Master at an unseen point
when he tried to regenerate past his regeneration cycle prior to the events of "The Deadly Assassin".