Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi Says No To Male Companion
By Joel Getter
Doctor Who will see a new companion next season, and if Peter Capaldi has his way, we will have another female joining him aboard the TARDIS.
Now that the Doctor and Clara Oswald have parted company, there appears to be a vacancy in the TARDIS. The internet is in a frenzy regarding who will replace Jenna Coleman as the Doctor’s latest companion. While there have been rumors that this could be a recurring character, Steven Moffat insists that it will be someone completely new. Doctor Who has done a phenomenal job of creating strong and compelling women next to the Doctor. However, there have been some great male assistants to the Doctor over the years (Ian, Turlough, and Captain Jack being among my personal favorites). While several Doctor Who fans think that a male companion would bring an exciting dynamic, the most important fan of all would tend to disagree.
In a recent interview with Radio Times, Peter Capaldi reported that he is not so keen on having a male companion. Here is part of his explanation:
"“With the best will in the world, I don’t want a bloke,” he says, “because I’m frightened that they’ll give him all the action and I’ll be standing around spouting scientific gobbledygook… ‘Oh, Peter’s not up to chasing those Zygons down the corridor, let the chap do it.’ And that would be awful. I want to chase the Zygons!”"
Capaldi also extolled the virtues of the classic series by identifying dynamics that he thought worked well:
"“I quite like the idea of classic Doctor Who, which I must probably identify as Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker. Which is Jon Pertwee with Katy Manning and Elisabeth Sladen; and Tom Baker with Elisabeth Sladen – I just think that combo of the slightly strange and alien Time Lord with the intelligent, enthusiastic, and inquisitive girl is a good combo. I don’t know why – but it just seems to work.”“I quite like the idea of classic Doctor Who, which I must probably identify as Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker. Which is Jon Pertwee with Katy Manning and Elisabeth Sladen; and Tom Baker with Elisabeth Sladen – I just think that combo of the slightly strange and alien Time Lord with the intelligent, enthusiastic, and inquisitive girl is a good combo. I don’t know why – but it just seems to work.”"
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While I can understand Capaldi’s reasoning, surely there is more than enough action to go around for both his Doctor and a male assistant. After all, it worked with Captain Jack and Rory. Capaldi has definitely established himself as a Time Lord of action. It would be great if he would be willing to share the wealth. However, it appears that Steven Moffat is also leaning in the direction of another female companion for next season. While I am fine with this, hopefully he might change his mind and consider a male companion. Why not have two companions in the TARDIS, a male and a female?
What are your thoughts regarding a male companion? Sound off in the comments below as we love your feedback!
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Next: Alex Kingston Wants a River and Jack Spinoff
[Editor’s Note: Capaldi’s attitude implies a few questionable views and assumptions: 1) that male companions in the past have usually been given more action than the Doctor, 2) that every male companion would be capable of this sort of action, 3) that the current writers would necessarily do this for a new male companion, 4) that no female companion would be capable of such action, and 5) that the writers would not give a female companion more action than the Doctor. I am not sure who is being sexist here, the writers, Capaldi, or both. I think that he’s probably just being paranoid, really. – Leah Tedesco]