Sophia Myles Has 'Doctor Who' Fans A-Twitter
Or is it simply hype being generated by showrunner Steven Moffat?
The search is on to find an actor or actress that can fill the shoes of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill. But will the tradition of looking back in order to look forward continue with Matt Smith's new companion in "Doctor Who"?
Sophia Myles, who played Beths in the short-lived CBS series "Moonlight" as well as the British "MI-5," is now being rumored as the actress to play the new companion in "Doctor Who." And the rumor -- well, it started on Twitter.
"Doctor Who" showrunner Steven Moffat got it started on Jan. 11 when he told his 215,000 followers to give the same courtesy to Myles. He explained that Myles -- a former girlfriend to "Doctor Who" star David Tennant -- was Madame De Pompadour from the "Who" episode "The Girl in the Fireplace," which Moffat wrote under Russell T. Davies.
Asking followers to follow someone else is not uncommon, even when it's not a Friday. But it's Myles' Twitter response that has started fueling speculation.
At first, Myles was poking a little fun at the promotion, announcing that Moffat should run for president. The next day, however, she simply tweeted "The plot thickens." And then on Jan. 13, it was "Who is ready to rock? Count me in!"
Most recently, however, Myles responded directly to a followers question of whether or not she would be the new companion in "Doctor Who." Her response? "Ask the Moff," referring to Moffat.
Would Myles come back as Pompadour? There is precedence in the modern "Doctor Who" series. Catherine Tate played Donna Noble in the second Christmas special, and returned as that character in Season 4. However, she could also come back and play a totally different character.
Freema Agyeman appeared in "Army of Ghosts" as Adeola before coming back in the next season as Martha Jones. Gillan was the Soothsayer in Season 4's "The Fires of Pompeii" before taking over the companion role two years later next to Smith.
Even Bernard Cribbins had a Doctor Who history before he played Donna Noble's grandfather. Yes, he appeared as a newspaper seller in "Voyage of the Damned," but we're not talking about that -- he played the same character that he reprised later as Donna's grandfather. Cribbins played Tom Campbell in 1966's "Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.," a film version of Doctor Who that featured Star Wars' Peter Cushing in the starring role.
It's not clear when a new companion will be announced. Gillan and Darvill will return to "Doctor Who" when the new season premieres in the fall, but everyone is hushed on how many episodes the two will appear in, and what their departure will be like. It's also not clear if we'll see a new companion this season, or the next. But bets are on that we'll see a new actor in the role sooner rather than later.
None of this has been confirmed by BBC, so treat this story as you would any rumor.
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by browncoat1984 | Sat, 01/14/2012 - 16:10 #1
"Yes, he appeared as a newspaper seller in "Voyage of the Damned,""
You realize that the newspaper seller in Voyage of the Damned is the same person as Donna's grandfather? They're the same character.
Anyway, I'm excited for a new companion. The journey with the Ponds has been fun, but honestly after last season I expected to hear of their departure soon. I'm also glad Smith is sticking with it and we'll have a Doctor longer than 3 full seasons.
If she IS going to be the new companion though, I hope they bring her in as Pompadour. Thing is, while yes, two companions have previously been on the show before they were companions, their characters are not as memorable as Pompadour - Girl in the Fireplace is considered next to Blink by fans as one of the best episodes of the modern series. Doctor Who isn't the only show to re-use actors as both Star Trek and Stargate have not only re-used actors but also cast different actors in the same role (in Stargate's case at least).
by mhinman | Sat, 01/14/2012 - 20:17 #2
Ummm, yes, Browncoat. It specifically says that in the story.
Here is the WHOLE sentence ... Yes, he appeared as a newspaper seller in "Voyage of the Damned," but we're not talking about that -- he played the same character that he reprised later as Donna's grandfather.
:-)