I've been reading a lot about Doctor Who in preparation/whetting my appetite for the 23rd, and I found a couple of neat articles.
This one states that the show nearly ended after Tennant left, due to the fact that higher-ups at the BBC wondered if anyone else could carry the role, and Russell Davies had to convince them that it could be done.
This one is Moffat laying out possibly what would have happened if the Tenth had been around for one more season.
Finally, there's another article (which I could not find) which has Tennant saying that if he knew that Moffat was going to become the showrunner, he would have stayed.
This got me thinking-what would have been the effects of one last season of Ten?
-It would be only one season, as I don't think that the storyline would have made sense with the Tenth Doctor moving forward.
-The End of Time would have finished differently-possibly less of the Doctor saying good-bye to his companions, knowing that he's going to die (which I think would be shifted to Series 7, the first season of Eleven). Or we might see more companions from the Davies-era crossing over into the Moffat-era.
-River's lines in Silence in the Library about "the crash of the Byzantium," and "picnic at Asgard," make more sense, since the Tenth would be the Doctor doing those things instead of the Eleventh. Also, there would be more tension between the Doctor and River, with River constantly waiting for "her" Doctor to show up, and the Tenth getting resentful about the fact that she basically is telling him to hurry up and die. Also, probably a bit less flirting between the Doctor and River, since Ten would have lost Rose, Martha, Donna, et al., and is not looking for a new relationship (but knowing that he is going to have one regardless).
-Ten's relationship with Amy would be very different than Eleven's. Amy would probably still have the "Raggedy Doctor" syndrome that got her sent to a bunch of different psychiatrists, but there would be less of an element of flirting, of the choice between Rory and the Doctor that was presented in the series.
-Series 7 would be different-instead of introducing Eleven, it would be the wrap-up for Ten, and so certain moments, like he Atraxi invasion of Earth and the "I'm the Doctor. Basically.....Run." scene from The Eleventh Hour (which wouldn't be named that), Victory of the Daleks (which hopefully could be made better), and a few others, would have to be redone for better effect. Also, The Doctor's Wife, the episode that Neil Gaiman wrote, was originally intended for Ten/Tennant, and so instead of getting pushed back might be included in that series.
-Who would become the Eleventh? Would it still go to Matt Smith, or would Moffat swing in a different direction? Moffat has mentioned that Peter Capaldi went through his mind for Eleven the first time around, but he was dismissed as not being right for the part at the time. Would he be correct this time? Or would Eleven be out of the box-John Hurt, perhaps, who is a bit of an out there selection and might do an Eccleston and stay only one season? Or someone completely unexpected?
Those are just a few thoughts (kind of disorganized), but I'd like to see what other people think.
This one states that the show nearly ended after Tennant left, due to the fact that higher-ups at the BBC wondered if anyone else could carry the role, and Russell Davies had to convince them that it could be done.
This one is Moffat laying out possibly what would have happened if the Tenth had been around for one more season.
Finally, there's another article (which I could not find) which has Tennant saying that if he knew that Moffat was going to become the showrunner, he would have stayed.
This got me thinking-what would have been the effects of one last season of Ten?
-It would be only one season, as I don't think that the storyline would have made sense with the Tenth Doctor moving forward.
-The End of Time would have finished differently-possibly less of the Doctor saying good-bye to his companions, knowing that he's going to die (which I think would be shifted to Series 7, the first season of Eleven). Or we might see more companions from the Davies-era crossing over into the Moffat-era.
-River's lines in Silence in the Library about "the crash of the Byzantium," and "picnic at Asgard," make more sense, since the Tenth would be the Doctor doing those things instead of the Eleventh. Also, there would be more tension between the Doctor and River, with River constantly waiting for "her" Doctor to show up, and the Tenth getting resentful about the fact that she basically is telling him to hurry up and die. Also, probably a bit less flirting between the Doctor and River, since Ten would have lost Rose, Martha, Donna, et al., and is not looking for a new relationship (but knowing that he is going to have one regardless).
-Ten's relationship with Amy would be very different than Eleven's. Amy would probably still have the "Raggedy Doctor" syndrome that got her sent to a bunch of different psychiatrists, but there would be less of an element of flirting, of the choice between Rory and the Doctor that was presented in the series.
-Series 7 would be different-instead of introducing Eleven, it would be the wrap-up for Ten, and so certain moments, like he Atraxi invasion of Earth and the "I'm the Doctor. Basically.....Run." scene from The Eleventh Hour (which wouldn't be named that), Victory of the Daleks (which hopefully could be made better), and a few others, would have to be redone for better effect. Also, The Doctor's Wife, the episode that Neil Gaiman wrote, was originally intended for Ten/Tennant, and so instead of getting pushed back might be included in that series.
-Who would become the Eleventh? Would it still go to Matt Smith, or would Moffat swing in a different direction? Moffat has mentioned that Peter Capaldi went through his mind for Eleven the first time around, but he was dismissed as not being right for the part at the time. Would he be correct this time? Or would Eleven be out of the box-John Hurt, perhaps, who is a bit of an out there selection and might do an Eccleston and stay only one season? Or someone completely unexpected?
Those are just a few thoughts (kind of disorganized), but I'd like to see what other people think.