In this time of quarantine and lockdown, people have been looking for things to do. Happily, Doctor Who fans have gotten to rewatch their favorite series on HBO Max.
To promote the show, three Doctors got together to make the media rounds: our current Doctor Jodie Whittaker, the Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith, and the Tenth Doctor David Tennant. If someone had asked me which Doctors I’d like to see doing interviews together, these three would be my top choices.
Entertainment Weekly recently spoke to the trio and asked them a question that would certainly have been on my list: “What’s the one episode of Doctor Who you would recommend potential Whovians watch first?”
Jokingly, Whittaker said that Tennant couldn’t pick an episode starring himself…and he didn’t! He went with the the very episode of the rebooted show, “Rose,” which starred Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston:
"It explains all you need to know. What was so brilliant about what Russell T. Davies (former Doctor Who executive producer) did when he brought it back, he was bringing back a show that had a huge fan base who were very precious about it, so he needed not to offend and alienate them, but at the same time introduce it to a whole generation, two, three generations who didn’t know what the heck it was. And in the forty-five-minute episode that is “Rose,” the first one of that new run, it was sort of a masterclass in how to reboot a beloved series, and bring the old fans with you and develop a whole bunch of new ones. And once you’ve started you can just follow in consecutive order and eventually end up with Jodie!"
There was something special (and cheesy) about that very first episode because it was ushering in a new generation of Doctor Who fans, while still trying to keep the original fans entertained. I don’t think it hit the mark quite as squarely as it intended, but it’s still a classic episode.
The series has come a long way since then, and now we’re enjoying the wonders that Whittaker has to offer as the Thirteenth Doctor. She’s only done two seasons, and it’s been everything I could have hoped for.
But you know what would make her time as the Doctor even better? If she, Tennant, and Smith did an episode together. Does the trio agree with that sentiment?
"Smith: I mean, you’d better ask the Doctor. I don’t know. Jodie?WHITTAKER: You’re not invited. [Laughs] I mean, when we all get back on set, I’m inviting everyone!TENNANT: Listen, I had such a great time when I went back to play the Doctor again when Matt was there. It could have been awful! But he was so welcoming and we just had a laugh. And, obviously, I know how difficult Jodie is to work with already, so that would be challenging.WHITTAKER: [Laughs]TENNANT: It’s not really up to us to decide. But we all like hanging out together, so it would be nice to do that."
I know they’re just joking, but this would be a Whovian’s dream come true, wouldn’t it?
As long as we’re talking about Matt Smith, Doctor Who fans out there might enjoy this look back at his first days trying on the Doctor’s costume, complete with bow tie:
The costuming in that first picture is very different than what we got. But Smith certainly doesn’t look comfortable in it, so bow ties and suspenders it is!
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