We know, of course that after Matt Smith leaves Peter Capaldi is going to take up the reigns as the next Doctor. Speculation is still rife about the role that John Hurt's doctor is going to play, but we do know now that the 12th Doctor isn't going to be a woman.
I think that Peter Capaldi has the potential to play the doctor very well and I'm not one of those people who are freaking out. In my opinion the casting of the doctor has generally been done well and each new actor always brings something good to the role. Even if the worst happens and we get a terrible doctor, it's not a big deal. The beauty of the show is that it can refresh itself with each new regeneration! So the point of this post isn't to complain about Capaldi's casting or anything, I think he'll be great, it's just that I also think Maggie Smith would be great and would love to see her play the doctor in the near future.
I know there's been a lot of general speculation about a female Doctor and Maggie Smith's name has been mentioned in several places. I agreed with this because Maggie Smith is excellent and I was on board with the idea of seeing a female Doctor. Recently I was trying to watch the show Downton Abbey (which is terrible, except for Maggie Smith's one-liners and parts of season 1) and it just struck me that Maggie Smith would make an excellent Doctor. In Downtown she plays the dowager countess, the grandmother in a very rich family in England around World War I. Things are changing in society, especially after the war and what makes her character fascinating is that she's an old, privileged woman with old habits and ways of thinking that make her out of place in this changing world. The way she handles that out-of-place-ness if I can invent a word, is wonderful to watch.
She's used to getting her way and she's not above using manipulation to get it. She also doesn't care much when others don't agree with her or think her values are outdated or plain terrible. The way Maggie Smith delivers her one-liners and her come-backs is excellent, I find myself grinning even when I totally disagree with her!
Here's a sample, and ofo course there are many more such quotes, but obviously they make more sense in context.
So yes, I think she'd be excellent at portaying that other-worldly smarter-than-human Time Lord. Some have said that the actress' age and her inability to run up and down corrdidors would make her unfit for the role, but I think this explanation doesn't hold up and lacks imagination. She would be playing a thousand-year old alien with superhuman intelligence and a machine that can travel through time and space - I'm sure she'd be able to manipulate someone into doing any required running around for her!
Besides, the best moments and the best episodes of Doctor Who didn't involve that much running at all. I keep thinking of the chilling episode Midnight that took place inside a small bus/cabin and something like Blink where running quickly is not going to help anyone. Girl in the Fireplace was a big fan favorite and it involved a lot of hopping through to different time-periods, but not much running that I can recall. Human Nature/The Family of Blood did have some running in it, but not really on the part of the Doctor. And the list goes on. The Doctor isn't awesome because he runs nor do his best stories neccessarily have to involve running. There are many ways to get around that supposed hurdle with creative writing.
Anyway, that's my two cents. I'd love to see Maggie Smith play the Doctor! What do you think? Let me know below!
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