h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Love the new trailer with David Tennant throwing a police box at a council estate.
Does look like Richard Hammond off Top Gear though...

I haven't seen that trailer I have to confess. I do agree that there are some facial similarities between the Tenth Doctor and Richard Hammond though! He looks like being a very promising incarnation of the Doctor!

You'll get no argument from me on that one.
Much as I liked Christa Freckleston, he wasn't Who-ey enough. His coat was too short for one thing...

I think that the Ninth Doctor showed potential to be a very good incarnation of the Doctor, but Eccleston wasn't given enough time to explore the depths of his personality, as Russell T. Davies made him leave after only one season to introduce to the new fans the concept of the Doctor's regeneration ability. I think that the Ninth Doctor combined the clown-like behaviour of the Second Doctor and the eccentric behaviour of the Fourth Doctor, while also having a touch of the darker side of the Seventh Doctor. I think he was at his best when he had to be angry, like in the episode "Dalek" where he realised that the Daleks had survived the Time War when he thought they were all dead. I think Russell T. Davies could have extended Eccleston's contract to include the second season as well, as that would have allowed him more time to explore the darker side of the Ninth Doctor's personality.

Let's hope David Tennant is allowed to stay on for a few seasons so that the Tenth Doctor is put across more completely to the new fans!

"Eccleston wasn't given enough time to explore the depths of his personality, as Russell T. Davies made him leave after only one season to introduce to the new fans the concept of the Doctor's regeneration ability."

Care to back this up with a source? My understanding is that Ecclestone didn't want to continue after the first year because of the workload and the fear of being typecast. I don't believe it was RTD's choice.

I loved that trailer too. Every time I see a new snippet of the Christmas Invasion DT seems to have a mad (as in crazy) look on his face, and it makes me laugh without fail! Less than 2 weeks to go......

Christopher Eccleston leaving after only one season because he didn't want to be typecast was only a media story issued by the BBC to cover up the fact that they wanted to introduce the idea of the Doctor's regeneration ability as soon as possible to the new fans.

I don't know of a specific source that confirms that, but I have a very good friend called Simon (known as spook on h2g2) who is a big "Doctor Who" and he reads the information on official BBC websites that give news about the 2005 series, in which he read about the cover story and then proceeded to tell me about it. If you want to confirm it with him, I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss it with you.

"big "Doctor Who" fan" I should have said...

Well, it's just that this is the first suggestion I've heard that it was RTD who wanted a regeneration at the end of the first series. Every report and interview I've read has said it was Eccleston's decision. And just because your friend reads a lot from the official website doesn't really confirm your story. I'm not saying it isn't true (I genuinely wouldn't know) but this is the first I've heard of it.

Well you'll have to discuss it with him but I'm more inclined to believe the websites which are updated regularly with the latest information than any interview or report. Thinking about it, I also vaguely recall reading in a magazine about the BBC's cover story. Anyway, the fact is the Ninth Doctor has gone and the Tenth Doctor looks set to be absolutely fantastic!

Morning chaps and chapesses! (Oh for a Lethbridge-Stewart smiley...)
Season 1 was, I realise, an entire series of fanboy dreams-come-true without ever being indulgent or to the exclusion of the casual/hitherto hostile viewer (eg. Michael Grade! Who saw that coming?).
First, we got the series back! On BBC1! Not Three, although it was great having the repeats on there! And on Saturday night, about teatime! Plus, it was better than I think anyone realistically dared dream!
We got Daleks. We got a brilliantly and convincingly done TARDIS (although I have slight reservations about the windows), which really sells the notion of transcendental dimensions, especially in the bit with the tow-truck. And as if we weren't spoiled enough, we got a regeneration. A new Doctor Who!
I'm quite envious of new fans for whom this is a novelty. Even if you're aware of the process, if you've only ever seen Christa Freckleston, this must be like when Patrick Troughton took over!

My thoughts exactly! I do think Tennant is like a younger version of the Second Doctor!

Not exactly what I meant. Plus, it's a little soon to be making assessments of the new boy's character, I feel.
No bricks without straw!

The rumour can be found at http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/twistblog/?p=6 . I do not know how seriously we can take it because there are comments about David Tennant that we know are not true. Christopher Eccleston did NOT make the Christmas special, and David tennant IS the new Doctor.

Then there is an interesting interview at where RTD talks about this. http://scifipulse.net/Dr_Who/BadWolf_RTD.html

I do not think that it was always on the cards that there would be a regeneration but RTD did not lose any sleep over things and could see what was coming, so dealt with it as it came.

The clue really is that the title for the final episode was unveiled a long time ahead of the beginning of the season. While Russell might well have wanted Christopher to stay on, the production team were already aware that he wouldn't be staying way into production. They certainly knew before last Christmas. The only 'conspiracy' is that, realising they'd be casting a new Doctor, they wanted to keep this a surprise until the final episode went out, to really shock everyone.

Of course, the big surprise was spoiled by the tabloid - just as Russell predicted it would be in the pages of DWM.

But it wasn't a case of Russell demanding that Eccleston only got one series any more than it was Eccleston only deciding at the end of filming not to do any more.

OK.

You can watch trailers and clips at http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho