Has The New Doctor Been Found?

By ALAN STANLEY BLAIR Aug-2-2007

If you are an avid fan of David Tennant as the 10th incarnation of the legendary Time Lord, then what you are about to read may sting.

According to various sources, Tennant will depart the series as early as the end of the fourth season along with executive producer Russell T. Davies. But that’s nothing new … right?

Well, in their usual tradition, the British newspaper tabloid The Sun has come out with another “Doctor Who” scoop claiming that Tennant's replacement has already been found: popular Irish actor James Nesbitt will become the next Doctor.

Nesbitt, who is one of Britain’s most recognizable actors due to his appearance in the popular Yellow Pages commercials, currently stars in the new BBC series “Jekyll” which was created by Steven Moffat, who also is a writer for “Doctor Who.”

Moffat, whose episodic credits include “The Empty Child” and “Blink,” is tipped to take over as showrunner when Davies throws in the towel. However when he was recently asked if he would indeed be taking the job at a press conference for “Jekyll” in California, he refused to comment and instead moved on to other questions.

“Moffat has worked with James on Jekyll and the talk in BBC Drama is that he’s a shoo-in as the next Doctor,” an insider told the newspaper. “First a Scottish Doctor -- now we could have a Northern Irish one.”

Toward the end of the third season of “Doctor Who,” the series was hit exceptionally hard by the British tabloids with stories that new companion Freema Agyeman had been sacked due to poor performance, Tennant would be killed in the season finale and also that Dennis Hopper would become a new villain early on in season four. The BBC quickly denied these rumors and has spent a lot of effort setting the records straight.

"Doctor Who" returns for its fourth season on BBC One next year, but the third season is currently being aired Fridays on SciFi Channel. It’s spin-off series "Torchwood" -- which will premiere its second season early next year on BBC Two -- debuts on BBC America Sept. 9.

Thanks to Raissa for the tip!

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About the Author: Alan Stanley Blair is the news editor for Airlock Alpha and assistant news editor for its sister site, Inside Blip. Contributing from his home in Scotland, he is currently studying for a diploma in freelance journalism and feature writing.
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