This second exploration of Whovian DNA focuses on the two most important people in regard to any Doctor Who episode. You see it's not just Doctor Who... but also 'Showrunner Who'.
If Doctor Who as a series is a balance between heart and head, then the brain is the Showrunner and the heart is the Doctor. Both are vital to bring life to the series - but which of these two is the most important? For the viewer we might immediately say "the Doctor", the physical manifestation of the character. But in recent interviews Steven Moffat, like Russell T Davies before him, revealed that he maps out the season to please himself, not the audience. Yes, the writers and directors have a hand, but ultimately the showrunner is responsible for Who the Doctor is and embeds that interpretation into the season. What we are seeing on screen is Davies and Moffat's idea of who this character is, so the showrunner is the most important person in regard to Doctor Who
Both Davies and Moffat have written brilliant scripts, but also penned and allowed real stinkers to be filmed and aired. Though it is important to have an individual create the story arcs and the journey which the Doctor will take, to provide connectivity across a season, does the showrunner also need to be the main writer? I don't think it should be an essential requirement. There is constant talk of who will replace Steven Moffat when he leaves, and the names that are thrown out tend to be people who have written for the show - Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts, Phil Ford, to name but three. But is there a better man for the job?
By looking into past interviews, the ability to simply change the world to fit a whim often sets the actor portraying the Doctor and the Showrunner at odds from each other. Whether true or not, there are stories that Doctor's 9 to 11 have all wanted different things than their showrunner, and in some cases that ended their time in the TARDIS. So it is clear that there will always be potential for a conflict of interest between these two jobs.
The lead role in the rebooted Doctor Who is a roller coaster of motivational challenges that the actors make work even when the story doesn't. In total six Doctor's have ridden the peaks and valleys taking us right along with them since 2005. Each is well deserving of the iconic role, and each is as unique as those that went before them.
But Doctor 12 has a special qualification...a distinction. Harder than it seems, I will use Vastra's trick to honestly answer the question with a one word answer---oh, and in alpha order...
Peter Capaldi = definitive*
Christopher Eccelston = disarming
John Hurt = diffident
Paul McGann = devalued
Matt Smith = dynamic
David Tennant = dignified
*DEFINITIVE is beyond characterization. Peter Capaldi is an Academy Award winner, a consummate actor and life-long Whovian. In August, during the Cardiff Q&A session for Deep Breath he said:
"I was brought up on Doctor Who, so really William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison and all the others, but especially the first four. They taught me how to act. When I was new in the business, I was probably channeling those actors"He knows the show inside and out. Now, David Tennant was also a life-long Whovian with a clear passion for the role, but he doesn't have the all round experience in the industry that Capaldi has. Clearly, Capaldi is capable of being more than just a Doctor, and with season eight completed and in the can, why not replace Moffat with the Doctor himself?
Peter Capaldi could serve in BOTH jobs. He could be the heart and head of Doctor Who. A man who loves the character and could provide the journey and connectivity a series like Doctor Who demands. This proposal is not over-reaching when you remember that many shows do this to a degree. Take NCIS, a world-wide hit, that has Mark Harmon as both lead actor and Executive Producer. Certain men control their own destiny, yes? Capaldi is more than capable of controlling the Doctors.
I am stating it outright, Peter Capaldi should chart the trajectory of series nine, ten, or beyond... Join the petition below asking for the 12th Doctor to fly the TARDIS... Solo!....eyebrows and all!!
Previously
The Three R's - Robots, Rose & River
Risk adverse, Stacy would never even enter the TARDIS, but admires those who do. Happily watching and writing from the distance of Indiana, USA. She enjoys writing and discussing her observations and critiques.
