The popular British television series Doctor Who may be headed for the big screen. It is also rumored that show creator Russell T. Davies is interested in casting Catherine Zeta-Jones as the doctor’s companion. As for the doctor, Davies says current doctor David Tennant is his first choice. "To have anyone else would be inconceivable," says Davies.
No firm date has been set for release as the plans are still in the earliest of stages. Tennant is only signed on for five more episodes (to be shown as specials) of the show. He is eager to further his film career, so a Doctor Who movie could be the best of both worlds. Fans still get the Doctor Who and Tennant would have an instant leading role in a feature film.
As an American fan of Doctor Who it’s hard to gauge how popular the show really is. Fans of the show are practically a secret society, where there is a level of excitement in just finding someone else who actually watches it. I have found that people either love it or pretty much don’t know it exists outside of “you mean that show on PBS where the guy wears a celery stalk?” That is not the case in the UK, where Doctor Who is a popular family show. And not everyone loves it. “Doctor Who is children's stuff. It's baby-food for the brain,” Michael Deacon writes in a article for the Telegraph. He goes on to say that he doesn’t mind that the show is on but he minds “that's it's absolutely everywhere else, too – in magazines, on the front of cereal packets, in conversation.”
While it’s hard to imagine seeing the Doctor on the front of a cereal box here in America, it’s easy to see why the show is so popular. Far from “baby food for the brain,” Doctor Who is clever and imaginative. The show can be watched by the entire family, but in no way is it just a “kids show.” David Tennant is excellent and very likable as the show's tenth doctor (though I also liked Christopher Eccleston in his one season as the ninth doctor). The adventures are usually fun and interesting, and it’s one of the few science fiction programs to not limit its ideas. Basically anything you can think of can happen in the world of Doctor Who. That is where the success of the show lies. It never seems to wear out. Doctor Who was originally on the air for an astonishing 26 seasons, from 1963 through 1989, going through eight different doctors. In 2005 it was resurrected, slightly modernized, and brought back to British television.
Article comments
1 - Dawn
The Telegraph - it's not so much that they dislike Doctor Who - they don't seem to like David Tennant. Although in the UK it is fashionable to pull to pieces anything or anyone of any success (which is probably why our bigger stars tend to move to the States.) They criticised "Hamlet" which David is in - and everyone else thought it was superb. I for one think a movie with DT would be a brilliant stroke and I think that Catherine Zeta Jones would be a perfect companion. As for Rose...why assume we Brits want her back. Yes, she was dynamic and we saw the character grow, but her time has passed and the production has to move on. I loved Catherine Tate but her character wouldn't suit a movie version...and it "needs" a name to play opposite The Doctor to give it more of a pull outside the UK. Of course Rose could come lokking for the (other) Doctor who has gone off the rails ("the dark lord") and found his way back to our universe... There's a storyline to think about....
2 - Christopher Rose
I think a Dr Who movie would be a great idea. Personally I can't stand Catherine Tate, who is mind-numbingly one dimensional in Dr Who and as a comedienne, so I hope she doesn't get the job. Zeta Jones would be good as a sidekick and Piper pretty cool too. Angelina Jolie would be good too.
3 - Alex McDonald
I hope the show gets a larger following stateside, and I suppose a movie could create a fan base here.
I grew up watching the old ones (on PBS where the shows were so jumbled that I had no idea he regenerated into the randomly different doctors for about a year,) and I initially refused to watch the new ones. I told my friend I wouldn't watch until K9 was on it, then School Reunion came around and I was hooked.
I think the new shows (writers, David, etc.) could sustain a movie but I fear that it could also kill the show. Movies are often the ruin of the shows they grow out of.
4 - NancyGail
Tennant good, but other actors out there who have been Doctor. Yes, DT in 'specials' next year. Also a chance 2010 when new season starts, Tennant returns. 'Specials' not part of season. Doc's not dead, remember?