New Doctor Who is Confirmed !!!!

The Brigadier

Eccleston to Take Control of the Tardis
By Rachel Williams, PA News

Actor Christopher Eccleston is to be the new Doctor Who when the cult sci-fi show returns to our screens next year, it was announced tonight.

Eccleston, star of Flesh and Blood and The Second Coming, will appear as the TV Time Lord in the 13-part BBC1 series to be shown in 2005.

The BBC said the Salford-born 40-year-old would take the famous doctor into the 21st century in a “fresh and modern approach” involving travelling through time and space and fighting monsters on all fronts.

Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, said: “We are delighted to have cast an actor of such calibre in one of British television’s most iconic roles.

“It signals our intention to take Doctor Who into the 21st century, as well as retaining its core traditional values – to be surprising, edgy and eccentric.

“We have chosen one of Britain’s finest actors to play what, in effect, will be an overtly modern hero.”

Executive producer and writer Russell T Davies said: “We considered many great actors for this wonderful part, but Christopher was our first choice.

“This man can give the Doctor a wisdom, wit and emotional range as far-reaching as the Doctor’s travels in time and space.

“His casting raises the bar for all of us. It’s going to be a magnificent, epic, entertaining journey, and I can’t wait to start.”

The series will be filmed in Cardiff later this year.

ixoy

Well the choice works for me! Would remind me of a darker Davison I think, allowing a somewhat greater complexity.

By the way, it's worth noting that he's the psycho tenant in "Shallow Grave", given that's a more widely known source.

The Brigadier

I think we have a great choice here....Things are looking good...

mr_angry

I hope they don't give it a big budget - it ruined the feature-length film! What we need is more bizarre storylines, more talking licquroice allsorts, more crappy lazers, and it all to come together into a genius series. Thats my hope anyway.

Anyone remember the "Survival" episodes with Tom Baker? They were definitely my favourite - freaked me out at the time (I was 7).

ixoy

Originally posted by mr_angry
Anyone remember the "Survival" episodes with Tom Baker? They were definitely my favourite - freaked me out at the time (I was 7).

? "Survival" was the final Doctor Who story, starring Sylvester McCoy. What one are you thinking of? Or do you mean in general....

I also hope for the quirkiness. It's helped by Russell T.Davies being involved - did anyone else here read his Doctor Who New Adventure book? It's quite good, shows good insight to the Doctor and his companions (the companions being purely from the novel series). It gives me great hope. You can probably find it online if you have a look.

The Brigadier

They are giving it a big budget. This is going to be a cornerstone of BBC1s 2005 lineup.

They have signed up a top actor in Christopher Ecclestone for the doctor.

Russell T Davis has extensive experience behind him....They have signed up some strong writers as well incliding the likes of Mark Gatiss who wrote the League of Gentlemen...

I predict good times ahead.

The Brigadier

Confirmed details on show below :

Produced by BBC Wales for BBC1

Thirteen 45-minute episodes, broadcasting on Saturday evenings on BBC1 beginning in early 2005

Starring
Christopher Eccleston
(The Second Coming, The Others, 28 Days Later, Gone in Sixty Seconds... l)
Rose Tyler, companion, not cast
Additional characters TBD

Production Team
Russell T. Davies (producer)
Julie Gardner (exec producer)
Mal Young (producer)
Phil Collinson (producer)
Andy Pryor (casting)

Series One Writers
Russell T. Davies (8 episodes)
Steven Moffat (2 episodes)
Paul Cornell (1 episode)
Rob Shearman (1 episode)
Mark Gatiss (1 episode)

Additional details
13 episodes on BBC1, to be broadcast in early 2005, possibly as early as January 1
45 minute (approximate) episode lengths, a mixture of stand-alone stories with one or two two-parters
No decision yet on foreign distribution to North America, Australia/New Zealand
Stories will be a mixture of Earth-based adventures and outer space/alien worlds

The Daleks may feature if the rights can be worked out with estate of Terry Nation

Possible appearance of the Autons in first story; Bill Baggs (BBV) negotiated rights in February, and Sunday Times reported possibility on March 7
Moffat writing two episodes; Shearman, Cornell, Gatiss each 1 episode; Davies the balance of the episodes

ixoy

Some good names here. For a taste of his work, check out Paul Cornell's "Love and War" - a great Doctor Who story. Also "No Future" and "The Shadows of Avalon". He's particularly adept at getting the character of the Doctor, including his darker more tortured side.

Mark Gatiss contributed, among other works, the neat Doctor Who story "Nightshade" which was good fashioned mystery-monster fun, with a slap of darkly veined humour.

I've already mentioned Russeell T. Davies' work. The others have, I think, just contributed short stories so far - check them out in the Decalogy anthologies and the Short Trips series to see how they tackle the Whoniverse.

Karl Hungus

I'm rather dissapointed that it's not going to be Richard E. Grant in the role, but Ecclestone is a very good actor anyway.

The Brigadier

Whaaaaaaattttsss thaaatt (in my best overacting Brian Blessed)

I really didn;t think REG would be a good choice...
I don't think he really would have had the presence to carry it off...He could do whimsical...

Karl Hungus

I don't think he would've been whimsical, I think he would have been more obtuse and strange in the role. Which I tink would have been really rather fitting.