Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.

As discussed in my previous post, the titular role in Doctor Who is up for grabs yet again, and I'm pleased to say that the current front-runner with the bookies* is female:  Tilda Swinton, with odds of 7:2 in her favour.   Other female favourites are Olivia Colman (5:1, but a Doctor Who veteran, which may work against her), Maxine Peake at 8:1, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Who? 12:1, regardless) and the intriguing long shot of Gwendoline Christie at 20:1.

No ill will, but I actually don't want Ms. Swinton to get the part. She's certainly a talented actress with lots of genre credibility, but I feel that every time someone wants to cast an unusual female character, her name is the first one on the list, and it would be interesting to look past that sort of obvious casting choice. I also can't help but feel that her performance would be somewhat predictable - again, no ill will, but having seen her in a number of roles, she does tend toward a somewhat uniform delivery.

So let's think outside the box for a minute. Scottish actors have been popular, and of course we want the person playing the Doctor to have a strong personality.  A couple of the actresses on the list have a touch of androgynous appeal to their look, and there's some feeling that the Doctor should have a certain maturity - Helen Mirren isn't on the odds sheet, but her name has come up in the past as an ideal candidate for the first female Doctor.

Our survey says?  Annie Lennox.

Yes, I know, not an actress as such, but think about it!  I mean, just look at that face, that fabulous combination of humour, strength, experience and insight.  And she's overtly Scottish, what a fun piece of continuity.  I can easily imagine what her Doctor would be like, a far more restrained and low-key presentation than Smith or Capaldi, but with hidden depth and passion - earnest, committed, caring, and powerful.

Do I expect her to get the role?  Of course not, I sincerely doubt that the BBC has even momentarily considered scheduling Annie Lennox for an audition. The purpose of this exercise is simply to demonstrate that an unexpected replacement for Peter Capaldi might well bring a new dimension to the part.  Hopefully new show-runner Chris Chibnall will be equally willing to consider the benefits of a surprising choice when the time comes.

- Sid

* Odds are courtesy of The Independent.  For a full list of candidates and their chances, visit their web site.  I have no idea where you would place your wagers, but, as per the BC Lottery Corporation, The Infinite Revolution requests that you gamble responsibly.

The Woman Who Lived.

Peter Capaldi has announced his planned departure from Doctor Who following the 2017 Christmas special, and once again, the debate is on: whether or not his replacement will be a woman, whether it should be a woman, and what woman it should be.

Blah, blah, blah.

Every time the role of the Doctor has been recast since the revival in 2005, everyone says that it's long overdue for the Doctor to regenerate as a woman, then a man is cast for the role anyway, and we're done for another couple of years.

I don't deny that the time seems right. The show itself had laid the foundations for the switch: the Master's female regeneration, plus that of the General in 2015's Hell Bent, have clearly demonstrated that regeneration can result in a change of gender*.

There is apparently some bias in the process: the regenerated General comments: "Oh, back to normal, am I? The only time I've been a man, that last body. Dear Lord, how do you cope with all that ego?", but in spite of that conditional statement, the door has certainly been opened for the next regeneration to result in a female Doctor.

Michelle Gomez's brilliant turn as Missy has wonderfully demonstrated that a change in sex is not a liability for a Time Lord (or perhaps Lady).  Her version of the Master is certainly feminine, but it is not one bit less evil and dangerous than her predecessors, and she has added an edge of instability and insanity to the role which has only improved it.  One could only hope that a matching change in the Doctor would extend the character's depth in a similar fashion.

Regardless of whether or not this is the ideal time for this change to happen, I'm not certain that people have really looked past that moment of decision to the inevitable consequences, so here's my message to the people behind Doctor Who.

This is a great opportunity, but it's also an immense challenge. The instant that you do decide that a woman will be the next Doctor, you will be walking a tightrope, and you will not be permitted to make any mistakes. Everything you do  - EVERYTHING - will be subject to an exacting scrutiny far beyond the spotlight which is normally focused on the show when the lead role changes.

And the first time you have the female Doctor say something that doesn't ring true, the first time that you let some unfortunate cliché about being a woman sneak through, the first time you substitute cleavage for cunning in the Doctor's strategy, you will have failed, and you will suffer for it.  People who have previously never even heard of Doctor Who will descend upon you in punishment like a plague from the Old Testament, and it might even prove to be fatal for the show itself.

So, to summarize:  yes, it's time for the Doctor to be a woman.  Don't screw it up - or else.

- Sid

* And race, which was equally provocative. 

"If you believed, they put a man on the moon, man on the moon".

It's not always easy to be in a relationship with a geek, but I have to say that Karli has been an accommodating and flexible partner, one who has been more than willing to participate in things like visits to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle or side trips to photograph giant robots in Japan.

However, I was a little apprehensive when I suggested that I was interested in going to see ex-astronaut Chris Hadfield perform with the Victoria Symphony at the end of March. It somehow struck me as being above and beyond the call of duty to expect that she would be interested in joining me.  To my extreme pleasure, she instantly expressed her eagerness for a weekend away on Vancouver Island that would culminate in attending Commander Hadfield's symphonic performance.  Tickets have been purchased, hotel reservations made, and we're looking forward to a fun little getaway next month.

All that being said, I'm a little curious as to the actual content of the show.  Presumably it will highlight songs from his 12-cut album, Songs from a Tin Can, but even with an orchestral backup, that's only about 40 minutes, and the performance is slated to run from 8-10 pm.

The description of the event says that Commander Hadfield "will be singing, playing his guitar and telling stories about his time as an astronaut and is joined by the VS performing space-themed music."  "Space-themed music" certainly opens the door to a wide variety of fairly epic Hollywood movie scores for the orchestra - John Williams' Star Wars theme, Thus Spake Zarathustra from 2001, and so on - but I wonder if Chris Hadfield covers any pop songs other than the well-known version of David Bowie's Space Oddity that he recorded on the International Space Station?

Even if the show is called Rocket Man, it would be a very confident person* who would perform that particular Elton John hit with the spectre of William Shatner's version looming in the background.  Deep Purple's Space Truckin' really isn't Hadfield's style, and Peter Schilling's Major Tom seems a bit derivative after covering Bowie.  Bif Naked's Spaceman?  Cygnus X-1 by Rush?**  I think I've seen a video of a Hadfield version of the Beatles' Across the Universe, so that's probably part of his non-album repertoire.

Probably not Man on the Moon by REM, though - I don't think that a retired astronaut would approve of the chorus.

- Sid
 

* On the other hand, based on all evidence I think it's safe to say that Chris Hadfield would classify as a very confident person, so who knows.

** Do people actually cover Rush? I'm sure that there are several tribute bands working their way through small town bars in Northern Ontario, but it's difficult to imagine, say, Adele deciding to reinterpret Spirit of Radio for her next album.