The first article reported on a Radio Times interview where Peter Capaldi is quoted as saying:
“There’ll be no flirting, that’s for sure. It’s not what this Doctor’s concerned with. It’s quite a fun relationship, but no. I did call and say, ‘I want no Papa-Nicole moments.’ I think there was a bit of tension with that at first, but I was absolutely adamant.”
Clearly Capaldi himself recognises the problem of Hunka Hunka Burning Doc. The fact that he sensed some tension at his ultimatum speaks volumes as to how deep-rooted this issue is. I hope the fandom, and let's be honest, it's largely the new female fans I'm referring to here, can accept that The Doctor can be just as engaging, heroic, and entertaining without being a love interest.
Nope. Just not doing it for me.
Me either.
That article also quotes Capaldi as saying:
“I didn’t want to be Doctor Who in a Doctor Who I didn’t like. I had to be convinced the show was going in a direction I was interested in.”
And as a well-known Whovian from way back, this is very reassuring to me (despite him referring to The Doctor as "Doctor Who.") I get the feeling he and I would have fairly closely aligned views here.
The second article that gave me hope was from Empire Magazine. In it, Capaldi comes out with this gorgeous insight:
"It can become a kind of franchise where it's not a real character at all, but just an amalgam of elements that people think are Doctor Who: a scarf, a bow tie... I wanted to be the actual Doctor Who."
This succinctly sums up the cause of many of my issues. I think both the writers and fans are guilty of this to varying degrees. By focussing on the small group of elements which are popularly seen as quintessentially Doctor Who to the exclusion of new or forgotten ideas, the show quickly becomes stale. The same monsters, themes, supporting characters, even jokes, churned out over and over, making it one big meme.
Yes, well, there may still be some work to do.
This is also true of The Doctor himself. We've had seven seasons of "Kooky Doctor" with six of those seasons getting "Sexy Doctor" as well. It really is time for a change. To that point, Capaldi mentions that Twelve will be more enigmatic and alien.
"He's more alien than he's been for a while. He doesn't quite understand human beings or really care very much about their approval."
Yes! This is exactly what comes to mind when I think of The Doctor. An alien exploring the universe, trying in his way to make things better but never truly fitting in. Human emotions and motivations should be completely foreign to him, and a perpetual source of confusion and frustration. I've already touched on this when discussing Capaldi's costume reveal, but The Doctor should constantly look out of place, because he always is.
Jenna Coleman adds to this point, saying:
"With Matt's Doctor [Clara] felt quite safe, really. She knew she'd be caught if she was in danger, but this guy is a lot less human-friendly and a lot less patient. He's more removed and inaccessible. You can't quite access him in the same way."
Maybe you could just stand over there, out of the way.
All of this points towards a wonderfully old-school Doctor, constantly cranky, snappish and frustrated with his comparatively ignorant companions. I'm hoping for something with touches of One and Three in equal measure, but of course with something new from Capaldi too.
Here's hoping.
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