Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see...
- Publication: Sunday Express
- Date: 2014-08-24
- Author: David Stephenson
- Page: 3
- Language: English
THE TARDIS will soon need to install a revolving door to cope with the flow of new visitors. With the new Doctor Who barely settled in the job, we may be seeing the last of his current assistant, too.
As actor Peter Capaldi took control of the Tardis last night, actress Jenna Coleman failed to rule out speculation that she would be exiting, either at the end of the current eighth season, or in the Christmas special of the BBC's sci-fi hit.
Coleman, 28, has played Clara Oswald for two years but has been the Time Lord's companion for only one full series.
However, a storyline involving her character was resolved at the end of the last series, when she "jumped into the Doctor's timeline", in the last episode before the 50th anniversary celebrations.
Once seen as a plum, glamorous role for actresses, the part is now seen as a stepping stone to fame. Karen Gillan, the previous assistant, has landed leading roles in TV and film. Coleman's career, which started in Emmerdale before a turn in ITV's Titanic, has also gathered momentum during her spell with the Doctor. She was in the BBC's Dancing On The Edge before landing a film role in 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger.
She also played Lydia Wickham in the BBC drama Death Comes To Pemberley last Christmas. Neither Capaldi nor Coleman would quash the speculation about her future.
Capaldi said: "I'm not looking for a new assistant. I don't know where these rumours have started. I've read she may be leaving at Christmas but I don't even know if she will get to Christmas. You'll have to watch and see what happens."
Coleman said: "The truth is, I do not want to tell you the truth. I quite like these rumours. People don't have any idea [if I'm staying or going]. I think people can watch the show, not knowing whether I am [going] or not and I think that is exciting."
If she does leave, she could be available for the Time Lord's job, as the BBC has again floated the idea of casting a female Doctor. Asked at the Edinburgh TV festival if he would like to see a woman in the role, BBC TV boss Danny Cohen said: "I don't see why not."
He might have a fight on his hands. When former Doctor Peter Davison was asked about the prospect, he said: "To have a female would be like having a female James Bond. It would be a rather odd thing."
A BBC source said: "Doctor Who is the BBC's biggest global drama but we're concentrating on the current series at the moment. It is all speculation."
Terrific comic timing in the tartan Tardis
AS PETER CAPALDI, the new Doctor Who puts it himself: "Well, here we go again." Indeed.
This is the fourth new Time Lord since the "reboot" and we have gone from the youngest Doctor, Matt Smith, to one as old as the first incarnation, William Hartnell.
He is also, arguably, the most Scottish, teamed with writer Steven Moffat, a compatriot. There is a reference to the upcoming referendum. On learning he is Scottish, Capaldi says: "That's good. I can complain about things!" Did Alex Salmond have a hand in this script?
Capaldi plays the tartan time traveller as a serious thinker, an almost troubled being, with a burden. An independent soul, he is not finding his way in the world - he has already been there.
In short, the new Doctor is one of us; older, kindly, grumpy at times, and with regrets. "I've made mistakes," he says solemnly. In some respects, the person who has the most issues with him is his assistant, Clara. "He looks old," she says, sounding like a prodigal daughter back from a gap year
This also opens up the potential for comedy, which will lighten the load of centuries past that Capaldi is carrying around.
Once he gets over his post-traumatic regeneration disorder, this worldly Doctor could become a classic but do not expect the scarf to make a return. He may be an avuncular Doctor in a frock coat but he will not be reaching for the pipe and slippers.
He has already fallen through a tree, ridden a horse, hung from a service lift and jumped from a bridge. If we are also to get a new Doctor's assistant, I hope she, or he, has a first aid certificate.
Captions:
DINNER DATE: Coleman and Capaldi in last night's episode
TOP SECRET: Jenna Coleman, who plays Clara, is refusing to reveal her next move
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: Stephenson, David (2014-08-24). Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see.... Sunday Express p. 3.
- MLA 7th ed.: Stephenson, David. "Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see...." Sunday Express [add city] 2014-08-24, 3. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Stephenson, David. "Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see...." Sunday Express, edition, sec., 2014-08-24
- Turabian: Stephenson, David. "Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see...." Sunday Express, 2014-08-24, section, 3 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see... | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Will_I_quit_Doctor_Who%3F_You%27ll_have_to_wait_and_see... | work=Sunday Express | pages=3 | date=2014-08-24 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 March 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Will I quit Doctor Who? You'll have to wait and see... | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Will_I_quit_Doctor_Who%3F_You%27ll_have_to_wait_and_see... | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=19 March 2025}}</ref>
