Doctor Who … Needs a Time Out

The casting of Jodi Whittaker has led to an all out war in the whovian universe. Some love the casting of the first female actor to play the iconic role, while others are upset and vowing that the BBC will rue day that they ruined their beloved series.

This blog is not about the casting of Jodi Whittaker. She is an accomplished and talented actor hired to play a role … and a few years down the road will leave and a new actor will be hired to replace her. And the cycle of regeneration will continue.

The point of my short blog is about the fact that sooner or later, the BBC will need to put the series on a 10 to 15 year hiatus.

Yes, you heard right. The series will have to go bye-bye for a short while.

Just like Star Trek, the Doctor Who series is over 50 years old, and it’s run out of fresh ideas and storylines. And just like Star Trek went off the air for over a decade (2005 to 2017), Doctor Who needs to go away for a while and recharge its creative batteries.

Let’s be honest, Doctor Who is a hard sell. In a nutshell, the series is about a time traveler, aka, Space Jesus, who runs around in a blue box, fighting monsters and stopping alien invasions. And whenever the lead actor that plays the role exits the series, a new actor takes their place via a “regeneration” scene.

The BBC has made this gimmick work for over 50 years. And as a fan of the series, I have been there supporting every new Doctor.

But gimmicks can only take you so far. The casting of Matt Smith as the “young Doctor,” the casting of John Hurt as the “war Doctor,” the casting of Peter Capaldi as the “old Doctor,” the casting of Jodi Whittaker as the “woman Doctor,” all have one thing in common … they are creative gimmicks designed to get people to tune in and watch the series. 

The BBC has no fresh ideas. The ratings for series 10, starring Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas have been lackluster to say the least. And there is no reason to assume that the casting of Jodi Whittaker, no matter how great of an actress she may be, will fix the inherent problems the series has… old age.

Much to their credit, the BBC usually picks very talented and accomplished actors for the iconic role of Doctor Who, and Jodi Whittaker is no exception. Given time, she will make the part her own and she will win over the fans like every other actor that has played the role since 1963. However, fighting monsters, and stopping alien invasions will only take you so far.

The series is old and tired. The Doctor along with the Daleks, Cybermen, and the Master have logged a lot of space miles. And no amount of “ wibbly wobbly, timey whimey” gimmicks is going to make the creaking sound go away.  

Yes, the whovian universe is awesome. However, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

And a 10 to 15 year hiatus will make the fandom miss it, and rejoice once it resurfaces again.