Honestly, my first reaction to the casting choice was vehement disgust - for a lot of reasons I think he's all wrong for the role, and as my absolutely favourite fictional character of all time, the casting of the Doctor is kind of important to me.
I'm a member of a lot of different Doctor Who fan pages on facebook, so naturally when the new casting choice was announced, a whole slew of stuff showed up in my newsfeed. One of the things I've always liked about DW is that the fandom has always had a tendency for being open-minded and accepting - as it should be, since it's one of the core themes of the show. Who cares if you're black, or gay, or atheist - or a thorny red midget cyborg from a galaxy far far away? The point was that none of the superficial differences between us mattered when we were all drawn together by a show about someone who wasn't even human.
So you can imagine my shock when all those DW threads popped up, and anyone who dared display the slightest hint of uncertainty regarding the suitability of PC as the latest Doctor were all abused and scorned and mocked without mercy. It seemed that everything I came across was doing the same thing, and the haters - those in support of PC - automatically assumed it was because of his age (he's 55, more than twice the age of MS when he was cast) and therefore it wasn't a valid reason not to like him, and anyone who didn't like him was stupid, etc.
It went on. And I got pissed, because that's what happens when I'm faced with such intolerance and bullying. So I posted a very long-winded rant on my favourite fan page explaining why I was honestly upset about the reaction - after expressly stating that I wasn't referring to anyone on that page, because while there'd naturally been disagreements before, no one had ever been cruel about it, and I wanted to be clear about that.
Basically, I just said that his age was not the only reason that some people didn't like him, and it was stupid to assume that was the case, and that even if it was the reason, as it was for some, there were still valid reasons for concern. For one thing, some idiots were saying that the lead actors from the classic series were much older - not true! William Hartnell, the First Doctor, was fifty five - the same age as this guy - the oldest ever to be cast in the role, and he retired only a few years later due to serious health concerns. (I really loathe it when people use a point in their argument when they clearly have no idea what they're talking about.)
That's one of the reasons why PC's age is an issue for me - not the only one, and possibly the least important, but it is a point of concern. I've gotten fond of the young-ish Doctors; the energy they bring to the role, the running around like a mad thing, the ancient being with a young man's face. It takes a lot of skill to pull that off, but that's always been one of my favourite things about David Tennant and Matt Smith, and I like the youthful exuberance they bring to the role, in contrast with the Doctor's millennia of experience. I think it keeps the show fresh, and just seeing an old man acting like an old man wouldn't be as interesting.
Also, there is a lot of running involved and it's very physically demanding - something even the younger actors can struggle with, so I think it's fair to be concerned that working around an older guy in the lead could change the show in ways I won't like, and he just won't be able to keep up with the pace.
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I'm a member of a lot of different Doctor Who fan pages on facebook, so naturally when the new casting choice was announced, a whole slew of stuff showed up in my newsfeed. One of the things I've always liked about DW is that the fandom has always had a tendency for being open-minded and accepting - as it should be, since it's one of the core themes of the show. Who cares if you're black, or gay, or atheist - or a thorny red midget cyborg from a galaxy far far away? The point was that none of the superficial differences between us mattered when we were all drawn together by a show about someone who wasn't even human.
So you can imagine my shock when all those DW threads popped up, and anyone who dared display the slightest hint of uncertainty regarding the suitability of PC as the latest Doctor were all abused and scorned and mocked without mercy. It seemed that everything I came across was doing the same thing, and the haters - those in support of PC - automatically assumed it was because of his age (he's 55, more than twice the age of MS when he was cast) and therefore it wasn't a valid reason not to like him, and anyone who didn't like him was stupid, etc.
It went on. And I got pissed, because that's what happens when I'm faced with such intolerance and bullying. So I posted a very long-winded rant on my favourite fan page explaining why I was honestly upset about the reaction - after expressly stating that I wasn't referring to anyone on that page, because while there'd naturally been disagreements before, no one had ever been cruel about it, and I wanted to be clear about that.
Basically, I just said that his age was not the only reason that some people didn't like him, and it was stupid to assume that was the case, and that even if it was the reason, as it was for some, there were still valid reasons for concern. For one thing, some idiots were saying that the lead actors from the classic series were much older - not true! William Hartnell, the First Doctor, was fifty five - the same age as this guy - the oldest ever to be cast in the role, and he retired only a few years later due to serious health concerns. (I really loathe it when people use a point in their argument when they clearly have no idea what they're talking about.)
That's one of the reasons why PC's age is an issue for me - not the only one, and possibly the least important, but it is a point of concern. I've gotten fond of the young-ish Doctors; the energy they bring to the role, the running around like a mad thing, the ancient being with a young man's face. It takes a lot of skill to pull that off, but that's always been one of my favourite things about David Tennant and Matt Smith, and I like the youthful exuberance they bring to the role, in contrast with the Doctor's millennia of experience. I think it keeps the show fresh, and just seeing an old man acting like an old man wouldn't be as interesting.
Also, there is a lot of running involved and it's very physically demanding - something even the younger actors can struggle with, so I think it's fair to be concerned that working around an older guy in the lead could change the show in ways I won't like, and he just won't be able to keep up with the pace.