Elf Blood

So, the new Doctor has been announced, and it’s cute’n’cuddly Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, most recognised for his role in political satire The Thick Of It.

Now, I stopped watching Dr. Who a fair while ago. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t because the show’s quality declined, I just found myself less and less motivated to watch the programme. With Capaldi on board, however, things might just well change. For a start, they’ve gone for an older Doctor again, which will lend a lot more gravitas to the role; for all the brilliance that David Tennant and Matt Smith have brought, they do feel like they are somewhat geared towards a younger audience. Capaldi definitely appeals to older viewers, and opens up the possibility of writing more mature scripts (and I’m talking mature like documentaries about the industrial revolution, not mature like the shagfest that is Torchwood).

Capaldi is a brilliant actor, capable of conveying complex characters and making even the nastiest bastard somewhat likeable. What I believe he’ll bring to Doctor Who is not so much the cheerful optimist of Tennant and Smith’s Doctors, but more the slightly cynical overtones of the Eccleston doctor. I want to see that more, the jaded penitent, the sad and embittered man who can only try to struggle against an unforgiving cosmos, sometimes winning but never forgetting the pain of his losses.

Of course, it’s much more amusing to think that he’ll be bringing the foul-mouthed puppet-master persona of Malcolm Tucker on board. I, personally, would pay VERY good money to see that! … I feel a charity special coming on 😛

M.