If I had to pick one thing to clearly illustrate the difference between American television and British television it would be the length of time shows stay on the air and/or the length of time actors stay on shows. If something lasts less than three years in America it’s seen as a bit of a failure and yet three years in Britain is somewhat more of a norm. Then if a show does last for many years, it’s cast very often doesn’t stay the same. Of course there are exceptions to these rules. One show that clearly illustrates the “show stays, cast changes” rule is Doctor Who.
In it’s original run of 26 seasons, there were 8 Doctors. Since it’s return in 2005, there have been three. Now the search is on for the fourth, the 12th Doctor.
“Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show. I’m incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.
Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It’s been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven, he’s a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.
The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I’ve never seen before, your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number Eleven, who I might add is not done yet, I’m back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special!
It’s been an honour to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the TARDIS for a spell with ‘the ginger, the nose and the impossible one’. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. Thank you guys. Matt.”
That’s right, Matt Smith, #11 is leaving Doctor Who after the Christmas special as reported by the BBC. While it’s sad for fans of the show and fans of the 11th Doctor, Steven Moffat does such a great job at giving these actors (not only the Doctor but also his companions – go watch the Ponds’ departure and tell me you didn’t cry) a proper send-off that’s it’s difficult to not look forward to seeing how they’ll go about it. Not only that but there’s a built in excitement when it comes to the regeneration of a new Time Lord. What will he wear? What type of personality will he have? How will he interact with his companions? What will his catch phrase be? There’s so many questions! We’ll find out soon enough, for now let’s enjoy #11 while we can.
Grizzly Bomb 