outsdr | Fascinating Doctor Who speculation

Over at Lying in the Gutters, Rich Johnston has some interesting Doctor Who tidbits:

DOCTOR WHO STUFF

So was David Tennant's leaving the show all down to his need to move on? A now or never thing? Not quite. He had been in negotiations with the BBC for a fifth, even a sixth full series, but wanted another 2009-lite Doctor Who break in 2011, a film pursued, and money above the current BBC wage cap. It didn't happen.

The one bigger casualty, as well as casting for The Doctor sooner than expected, has been an arc in Series Five for the River Song character, revealed in Series 4 as the Doctor's possible future wife. Arc plans are being rewritten, but the new team has plenty of time...

As for Paterson Joseph, the positive response that rumour has received has pleased a lot of people, especially the lack of expected "you can't have a black Doctor" responses.

I hear that Paterson Joseph, Sean Pertwee and Marc Warren are the three main contenders. But that right now Paterson is still the favourite.

But I'd also like to remind all and sundry that, according to "Doctor Who Magazine" editor Clayton Hickman, Bill Nighy was Russell T Davies' favourite for the role back in 2005. And that went nowhere.

Me? I like the idea of Paterson Joseph. While I wish his voice was a little deeper, his chin alone could be given co-star billing. Marc Warren is just too pretty to follow Tennant; including him with a reunion of the previous three would look like a boy-band tour. Sean Pertwee at times looks like his father so closely that, given another 10 years, he could probably easily fill the role of Doctor Three. I don't know enough about his acting and performing abilities to judge; he may very well easily carry the role- but I don't know if I could see past the heredity.