AFTER a month where I have not been able to find a spare minute to update the blog, it had to be something big to bring me back – and this was it.
Oh Dave – was it something we said? Come on mate, we can work it out … just give us another chance!
Everything was so right, so good, and now … well, now no-one knows what will happen to the Doctor.
While I can understand that Dave wants to move on bla bla bla, I fully expected him to stay for one more series, if only to work with genius in residence Steven Moffat. It was everyone’s dream team!
Some chat on the net about the series four DVD commentaries led me to believe they were already working together, sorting out what to do next. I’d heard Neil Gaiman was involved.
And then … fucksticks. First the worldwide financial crisis, then the looming recession and now this. 
Before you think I’m the ‘obsessed stalker, David Tennant tattoo covering his back, standing in the rain outside his house, crying’ kind of Who fan, let me just say I’m not. (Although I did do a wordle loud of his I’m leaving interview here, just for kicks).
But even I can see that if the Moff had his work cut out before, he is really under pressure now – he is already following on from the massively successful RTD, but now without our favourite twinkly-eyed national treasure to bring in the punters.
And what about the poor sod who has to take on the role next? By Bernard Cribbins’ hat, they’d better be good. In fact, they’d better be pant-wettingly brilliant to step into Tennant’s shoes, who was the up and coming actor of the moment when he first entered the Tardis and only got better.
Quite apart from making their take on the Doctor sufficiently the same but different to Dave’s, they have to convince a nation for whom DT is The Doctor to forget about him, a nation who will probably be saying ‘who in the name of Davros is this bloke?’ when the name is announced.
But hey – that’s a discussion for another day.
Looking on the bright side, what this has done is focus attention on the specials, at Christmas and next year.
They’re like a victory lap, a final encore, before the great man leaves the stage for the last time.
The knowledge that they will also end with a (no doubt) tear-jerking regeneration has also given them tremendous gravitas and importance for all DW fans, much more so than when they were merely specials before the Moff took over.
The Tennant era is coming to an end, and I – for one – will be savouring every minute until it does.
So, farewell then, Doctor Dave.
And to whoever follows, a message of encouragement and support – Doctor Who is great, don’t fuck it up.
I let out a massive NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! when I heard the news.
Robert Carlyle is the favourite to be the next one. Hm.
I don’t think it was though.
CE was good, but didn’t have the same broad appeal as Tennant, plus that was only 13 episodes.
I think Tennant has made the role his own, and while I think other actors could play Who, they face a tough job following DT.
New broom, new cast. I guess that does make sense, but I would be surprised if Moff didn’t do everything he could to get DT to stay.
Remember when Ecclestone left it was the end of the worl then as well. New broom, new cast. Makes sense to me.