Were there to be another regeneration in the foreseeable future, who do we think might make a good Eleven?

I like Adrian Lester.

Is [RTD] out of the picture totally, or did he just step back?

After the four specials, he's out.

aha! interesting. i always assumed it was a long-standing thing.

I know! I was so surprised to find out it wasn't a Thing before because it essentially defined Nine and, thus, the Doctor for me. I couldn't imagine a Doctor romping around pre-Time War.

Initially there was the implied possibility that the Time War had involved the Daleks and Time Lords making causality-defying strikes against each other's origins until some final effort of the Doctor's resulted in both species being erased from history and restructuring the whole universe absent the influence of either, with himself as the sole survivor. But it sort of became more and more pedestrian as they continued referring back to it, and it now seems that the Eighth Doctor just pulled the trigger on some big weapon that blew up Gallifrey and all the attacking Daleks with it.

I suppose I should be thankful since that means the Doctor's history with prior companions (like Sarah Jane) hasn't been erased, and he's still the Boogeyman that immediately sends the Daleks to Defcon One. But I liked the initial concept of a brave new world in which the Time Lords not only no longer exist but had never existed in the first place.

Initially there was the implied possibility that the Time War had involved the Daleks and Time Lords making causality-defying strikes against each other's origins until some final effort of the Doctor's resulted in both species being erased from history and restructuring the whole universe absent the influence of either, with himself as the sole survivor.

Really? I never got that. It always seemed to me that he'd sent both races into some crazy void or something. That doesn't explain why exactly the Doctor doesn't run into any of the past Time Lords on his adventures now, though.

Were there to be another regeneration in the foreseeable future, who do we think might make a good Eleven?

A recent British "poll" (basically, "who off of this list of five random actors would you hate the least, supposing that David Tennant were to turn his nose up at the vast sums of cash we are prepared to offer him?") had Robert Carlyle as the Eleven of choice.

Unlikely that he'd do it, though. He left "Hamish Macbeth" because he was becoming too much of a movie star.

I liked the explanation in DW 4.13 that the Time War was time-locked, which explains why we've managed to completely avoid it for four years.

Edit: just realised that I completely failed to answer your question, Fay. I really haven't given much thought to who I would like to see as the next Doctor. Ideally, though, it would be someone like Tennant: not terribly well-known yet, but some really good acting credits under his belt, who can grow into and stay with the part for a few good years. And perhaps a little bit older again, mid-forties or so?

i've often wondered how it is that the Doctor doesn't run into himself in different incarnations(Children in Need special with 10 and 5 notwithstanding). i mean, he's 900+ years old. how can he remember every place he's been and every time he's been there. i think it would be fun to see him run into himself.

i mean, he's 900+ years old. how can he remember every place he's been and every time he's been there. i think it would be fun to see him run into himself.

maybe the Tardis won't let him go to a place where he already is. I loved in Blink when she ran into the Doctor and realized that he hadn't met her yet.

Thing is, if he's run into himself...he already knows it! So he would, in fact, have to deliberately go meet himself to prevent the universe from collapsing.

What would be kind of tricksy and sort of weirdly awesome is for Ten to run into Eleven.

maybe the Tardis won't let him go to a place where he already is.

For the most part, that's the case. Rarely, when the shields are down (such as in the Children in Need special) or when he overrides it (Such as in "Father's Day") he can cross his own timeline, but the TARDIS' automatic settings mostly stop that from happening. Because that way leads to bad things happening. Wibbley-wobbley, timey-wimey stuff.

Moreover, I suspect there's a level where the current Doctor is consciously avoiding Time Lords entirely thoughout time. (Which isn't hard. Very few of them traveled.) He'd probably say he was trying not to muck about with history, but I think running across any of his people from before The Time War happened would simply be too painful. The temptation to, say, go back and look at his son/daughter (it's never explicitly stated), or Susan, or Romana must be overwhelming, and theoretically within his power. And it would probably devestate him.

Moreover, I suspect there's a level where the current Doctor is consciously avoiding Time Lords entirely thoughout time. (Which isn't hard. Very few of them traveled.)

Really? What the shit did they do, then? I mean...they were TIME LORDS. LORDS OF TIME. And they just hung around Gallifrey musing upon all of creation? What purpose did they serve, and why did anyone care about them? I'm still unclear on what non-Doctor Time Lords are like.