Doctor Who in 2005

Sylvester McCoy has already done a Re-generation in the TV Movie, and the BBC classes that as canon, so he has definitely snuffed it.

It dosen't look like Paul McGann will get a re-generation in the TV series, however they will prob give him one in the Big Finish audios. It does make sense.

Noooo! That'll be sh*t! Even if they show the regeneration part way into the series as a flashback, rather than at the start, they can't not have one!

Because Colin Baker (6th Dr) was sacked, the 6th-7th Dr regeneration had Sylvester McCoy in a blond curly wig and 6th Dr's costume, with his face blurred out, before turning into "himself" (7th Dr) if you get my meaning.

Many fans say that this was a poor visual effect, because it was so obviously not Colin in the scene. However, in it's defence...

A sh*t regeneration (or, indeed, a late/flashback regeneration) is better than no regeneration.

That sentence is a monumentally important point.



But, for any Dr Who "purists" (like me) for whom it's really only the TV show that counts, having something as important as a regeneration happen outside of Dr Who's ORIGINAL format (i.e. a television programme , NOT books/audios) is RUDE!

I'll be very angry if there ain't a regeneration in the TV show. Even if they have to stick Eccleston in a McGann wig and 8th Dr costume.

I'm afraid to say that the desires of the Dr Who purists are probably very far down the list of requirements for this production. There just aren't enough of them to make a worthwhile difference to the ratings. A regeneration doesn't really mean much to the new viewers (who will, let's face it, make up the majority of the ratings). The only reason I could see for including it would be to introduce the viewers to the idea that the Doctor can regenerate. But everyone knows that anyway.

Sorry mate, looks like you're just going to have to get over it. No-one cares about the ramblings of the purists.

Bruno Langely (Todd Grimshaw in Corrie) has now been signed up to take part in Doctor Who.........well according to DS anyway!

But surely a "casual"/non-"fan" viewer is, by definition, less likely than a "fan" to have read novels/listened to audios, so the regeneration happening in the actual TV show is even more important.

That's true, but what is there to be gained from a regeneration? Let's be honest, the McGann "movie" was utterly terrible, with Paul himself the only half-decent thing in it. The quicker we can put that load of americanised "trash" (to use their word) out of our minds, the better.

I'm not personally in objection to there being a regeneration sequence, and indeed I think I've heard somewhere that one will feature. However my main point is that one shouldn't be included just because the die-hards will get upset without one.

What absolute b*ll*cks. It makes no difference whatsoever to anyone with the possible exception of a few hardcore fans, and they're always going to find some reason to hate it.

Remember, this is being pitched as mainstream primetime entertainment , and as such it has to appeal primarily to the general audience, who aren't going to give a flying toss whether McGann, McCoy or "any f**ker with an equity card" are in it.

You're clearly a fan yourself, as am I, so I'll say this to you - they aren't making this series for you or me, they're making it for that guy next door who remembers "that one with the Darliks", or thingy at work who used to watch the bloke with the scarf when he was a kid. JNT made the series for the fans in the late 80s, which is why no bugger watched and it got axed.

So, to get back to your original point, bringing back McGann (or anyone else) just to kill him off and regenerate him into Eccleston is only going to confuse the average viewer. And if the average viewer gets fed up and turns off, there ain't gonna be a second (oops, sorry, 28th ) series. Bring up the issue of regeneration when Eccleston leaves - if they decide to keep the show going that long.

No, it isn't, because it doesn't matter to a new viewer whether Eccleston is the 1st, 9th or 23rd Doctor.

I think you need to try and loosen your grip on the past - it's blocking your view of the future...

What a stupid thing to say!

I agree that a new viewer wouldn't care if there wasn't a regeneration, but equally I don't think it'd put them off if there was !

I think most people will be aware that the show has a past and so will understand that this is a new Doctor. Regeneration isn't a thing of the past, it's a characteristic of Doctor Who, like the Tardis, time travel, evil aliens and companions. If people think that it will confuse new viewers then DW may as well be abandoned!

I'm not a DW geek, but I did used to watch it when I was a kid (Tom Baker) and read a few of the books. The things that interested me then were that he was an alien and did these strange things like regenerate and travel round the universe in a phone box.

Perhaps he should have a space ship now as the Tardis is a thing of the past?

Well, it put off a lot of viewers of the TVM, who didn't follow why the main actor was replaced halfway through the story - especially as the regeneration didn't actually add anything significant to the story (and I say that as someone who did enjoy the TVM)



Regeneration isn't really a feature of Doctor Who per se. It was a handy plot device to explain the change of lead actor, so the series could continue. It's like many more modern series which have continued after their main lead has left (or died) e.g. Taggart, Silent Witness.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice to see, but I think this first set of new episodes has got to focus primarily on grabbing viewers. I have every faith that Russell T Davies (who I met the other week ) has the show in good hands and will make sure that there are sufficient touches to keep long-term fans happy, but at the end of the day they are probably not going to even form the majority of the hoped for audience.

Well-thought out, interesting and dramatic stories will grab the audience. Slavish adherence to the past won't.

As much as i liked Paul McGann as the doctor, i do want a new start and hope they don't deal with baggage, because there's no point!

As someone mentioned on here, this show isn't for the fans! If it was made only for the fans it would be rubbish, as is proved by the later 1980s stories which were full of pointless continuity just to please the fans. John Nathan Turner had that problem of listening to the fans! No no noooo!

I don't think so. Why clutter up the series with blither about regeneration when you don't have to. Deal with regeneration when it becomes an issue, and don't clog the plot with irrelevant details.

As for my comment about letting go of the past - remember who it's aimed at. I believe RTD has said that he'll do whatever works for this series, and if that contradicts a throwaway line spoken by a minor character who appeared in one scene in 1973, then so be it. Sorry to bring up the late 80s JNT episodes again, but they were full of fan-gratifying references that would have left the general public quite cold, and I for one am glad that RTD isn't going to do that.