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do you think the doctor can regenerate to the same form from the past

I believe Time Lords could control what they look like when they regenerate (Romana choose to look like someone else - the 6th Doctor ended up looking like a guard his previous incarnation met). Unfortunately, the Doctor's regenerations tend to be the result of being shot, irradiated, crushed, poisoned, etc... so we never see him choose to regenerate on his own terms. Of course, 10 explains the "new man" thing so even if 12 looked just like Tennant, he wouldn't be the same character as 10.

At once point in the 1980s, during the 1985 cancellation crisis if I recall, Michael Grade contact Sydney Newman himself to ask for ideas on putting the show "back on the right track", and a key point of Newman's (unused) proposal was to bring back Troughton.

I have to say, I'm glad this hasn't been done. It'd be kinda like... well... handing Leno the Tonight Show again.

Earl Green wrote:

I have to say, I'm glad this hasn't been done. It'd be kinda like... well... handing Leno the Tonight Show again.

My thoughts exactly...do you think if there's a huge drop in ratings for Matt Smith's episodes (regardless of good they may actually be), and once Tennant's pilot tanks (yes, he's great, but...anybody see Entertainment Weekly's Top 50 TV bombs of all time? Does the concept behind "Rex is Not Your Lawyer" sound like it could headline that list?)...well...do you think the BBC capable of 1) sacking a Doctor (history says yes) and b) er, 2) doing whatever it takes to lure Tennant back?

With the existence of Rose's "duplicate" Doctor, Tennant could easily be written back into the show. No regeneration necessary...the original Doctor just "goes away" for the time being (trapped in the alternate universe or wherever else you like) and Duplicate Tenth takes over the TARDIS. When Tennant leaves again, you bring the real Doctor back (some new actor rolling around on the TARDIS floor wearing a Matt Smith wig).

Yes, this scenario is certainly ridiculous. I don't believe the show's ratings will drop that much and I don't think Tennant would be that ready to come back and undercut a fellow actor in the process. Plus the fan in him would of course be outraged.

But I never really believed NBC would give Conan the boot after seven months mostly because Leno's new show was horrible. Yet it's happened. If "Doctor Who" was an American show, I'd believe the above could happen.

And I do believe that if an American "Doctor Who" is made in the next few years...it will star David Tennant. But that's for another posting.

Kind of off topic, I dont watch late night tv, although I did watch Craig Ferguson when I did, HE would make one wacky Doctor! Anyway, I did watch Conans last episode and the thought occured to me, what if Leno's crappy numbers follow him back? Then they dump him too. I thought five nights of talk show was the stupidest idea since Golden Palace was put on.

i think they'll just go on like they always have. if i remember correctly, they wanted tom baker to be in the tv movie(because us audiences knew him best), but the producer was smart enough to insist on mccoy. if smith tanks like colin baker did(no offense to baker), they'll just hire someone new, hopefully someone older, and not one of the jonas brothers.