Well, they did, David Tennant became the 10^th Doctor, Rose stayed on as his companion and all my worries were put aside quite easily and quite fast! Yes, David Tennant certainly was a different kind of Doctor, but he also was a brilliant Doctor. The Doctor had 3 companions in the early years, Rose, Martha and Donna. He and Rose also had a good relationship together and David Tennant's Doctor is very charismatic and lot of fun. I also was very fond of Martha Jones (Freema Ayeman), shame she was only there for one series, but she did do a number of guest appearances on Doctor Who and Torchwood! Donna was perhaps the most fun companion, she was a bit nutty, panicky, gave the Doctor a firm rebuttal all the time! I so love that about her.

David Tennant is arguably the favorite Doctor for most of the fans and I can’t blame them. I too love him as the Doctor. David Tennant stayed on for three series and a bunch of specials. These years were probably the most popular Doctor Who years. He could do nothing wrong, the writing at that time was still fresh, although, speaking for myself, at some point I was a bit done with Dalek and Cybermen stories, I much rather like(d) the little stories, the standalone stories, still do, at least with Doctor Who.

When David Tennant’s version of the Doctor regenerated, I again was very nervous what kind of a new Doctor we were going to get. When I saw the first publicity photo’s of Matt Smith, it didn’t fill me with much confidence, even more so, I really didn’t like his presence, I thought this was going to be a disaster. But again, apparently BBC had the ability to choose the right Doctor. Matt Smith surprised the hell out of me in a very positive way, his portrayal of the Doctor became, and still is my favorite Doctor! Not by much mind you, because I really dig the first two also, but for me, Matt Smith was just the perfect Doctor; His chaotic ness, his humor, his love for his bowtie, his bluntness and I can go on a while longer. Amy Pond was also a very fun companion and although at first I didn’t really like Rory much, he grew on me also. Matt Smith was the Doctor for 3 series and a number of specials. Like David Tennant, Matt Smith was also a popular Doctor. While I love him as the Doctor, I must also acknowledge that in series 7, his final series, the quality of the stories, already began to decline a bit.

What I always found it so peculiar that lead characters in British shows are done with the role after only 1, 2 or 3 series, while lead characters in US shows often stay on as long as possible. For one because of the paycheck, who knows when they get another profitable gig. So in the UK this definitely is different it seems, they rather challenge themselves after a few years with something new it appears. I think an important reason is that most likely the poule of actors in the UK is much smaller in comparison to that of North America. Plus you see more British actors in US shows than the other way around.

My final Doctor is Peter Capaldi’s version of the Doctor. In series 7 Amy Pond was replaced by Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman). By now I wasn’t worried that the BBC would come up with a capable Doctor, and they did, Capaldi rightfully stands besides Matt Smith, David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston. He makes the Doctor his own, with Clara at his side. I watched series 8 and I noticed even more uneven episodes in terms of storytelling quality, no fault to Peter Capaldi but just weak stories. This continued into series 9 and halfway I decided to stop watching it because I no longer felt the urge, or the need to watch any new Doctor Who. For me the magic was out of it. I hoped that the BBC would press the pause button for a few years, let the show rest for a bit, but of course this didn’t happen. We are now 6 series further, and I can tell you that I haven’t watched a single new Doctor Who episode since the second series (series 9) of Peter Capaldi, so that is now a little over 10 years!

I never watched the last two Doctors, and again I don’t feel any need to do so. For me, Doctor Who (2005) ended with Series 7, with Matt Smith as the Doctor. Sure, in the Peter Capaldi era, there are some good stories also, but the fact that I stopped watching mid series 9, says enough I think. I cannot judge the last two Doctors because as I said, I haven’t seen them, not one minute of it, but I did some checking and have seen that the ratings are in a steady decline, the last series has some of the lowest ratings ever! I hope the BBC, and Disney, make a wise decision and let Doctor Who rest for five years or so, but again, I don’t think they will listen to me.

Final Word:

Anyway, for me Doctor Who (2005) consists of 7 series, plus many specials. This is what I also wrote in 2020 on the Doctor Who (2005) home page on the website here, and I stand by that. Just finished series 7 and the specials earlier this year and this is it for me, I finished rewatching Doctor Who 2005. Anyway, happy 20^th Anniversary Doctor Who (2005)!