Matt Smith in London

So cute we can’t even stand it.

 

Matt Smith seen leaving the Groucho club on a rickshaw in London.

Love the boots and socks. Love his version of a limo.

People keep asking us about the new Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi. We think it was time to get away from the cute, sexy Doctor of Nu Who and look at another side of the character. Stephen Moffat, in choosing Capaldi, seems to be returning to the classic crotchet-y Doctor of Classic Who years and that actually appeals to us quite a bit, especially since Capaldi does cranky so well. We’re suddenly much more interested in Clara, for instance, because up till now, she’s been just a very pretty girl with a mild attraction to the very cute Doctor, which is something we’ve seen plenty of since the show relaunched in 2005. Besides, it’s been a long time – since Rose Tyler in season 2 – since a companion stayed with a Doctor post-regeneration. We’re interested in that transition.

Are we disappointed that they didn’t choose a non-white, non-male actor for the role? A little, but not enough to get mad about it. Moffat is simply NOT the man who should be writing a female main character, nor would we ever trust him to handle the issues of someone going from male to female with anything close to grace or wit or even intelligence. Put simply: he’s got lady issues.

Besides, we tend to think whoever the lady is that first gets cast as the Doctor, she’s going to need to be someone on another level from your average British TV actor. They’re going to need to put a star in that role to sell it, when the time comes. Everyone talks about Helen Mirren, but frankly, we’d much rather see Helena Bonham Carter do her wild-haired steampunk craziness in the role. She’s perfect for it.

We’re more disappointed they didn’t choose an actor who reflected modern Britain’s racial makeup a little bit more accurately. Even so, Capaldi is a fine actor and a good choice. We’re ready for the change. That it’s not quite the change we hoped for is to be expected with Doctor Who. Every single actor who took on the role was some fan’s disappointment, somewhere.

Oh, and be nice. Leave Matt’s drinking buddy out of the comments, please. He didn’t sign up for judgment.