#malcomtucker

Well... didn't see that coming. 

It still doesn't feel quite real does it. Peter Capaldi is the 12th Doctor. Peter Capaldi. 12th Doctor. 

The kind of casting everyone had in the back of their minds but wouldn't think would actually happen (myself included!). But here we are. 

Anyone less than Capaldi would have caused mass outpouring of twitter rage after being made to sit through 25 minutes of padding. Zoe Ball's inane questioning and insincere rictus grin taking a hammer to the window of goodwill. But as soon as Capaldi walked on stage, there was a sigh of relief over the UK that could have punched a hole in the ozone layer.

So what does this mean for the show now then? Ideally we'll see a shift away from the manic pixie dream boy that shaped the Tennant and Smith years. Not to knock them because they were incredibly important in modernising and popularising Doctor Who. They were what the show needed to appeal to the post-Buffy crowd. But now with Smith's time coming to an end, what's needed is a break away from the past. Moffat has described his approach to Doctor Who as a fairy tale. With Capaldi in the lead I'd love to see the fairy tale turn bad. We must remember that under RTD's reign, Moffat was known for the "scary ones". I mentioned last post that a present day recreation of the Hinchcliffe years would be ideal for Capald. Instead of Doctor Who the fairytale, we get Doctor Who the gothic detective.

There's always the danger that with a role being filled in such a fan pleasing way like this, the dream could turn sour. The general feeling now is that Moffat isn't quite the dream showrunner we imagined him to be. Russel T Davies had his faults but he imbued the series with a beating, progressive heart and when pressed could deliver a knockout episode.