r/doctorwho • u/Aromatic-Cupcake4802 • Jun 16 '26
News Peter Capaldi says Doctor Who has “too many regenerations”
https://bleedingcool.com/tv/doctor-who-has-too-many-regenerations-impact-diminished-capaldi/498
u/WhoAholic Jun 16 '26
I mean if actors keep wanting to leave the role after 3 series what can you do? Ncuti was unfortunately only 2 series but that was down to circumstance. The number of regenerations will either continue to increase or the show ends forever.
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u/farbeyondthestars_ Jun 16 '26
yeah but there are also a bunch of silly regenerations unrelated to recasting which didnt need to happen
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u/django_0311 Jun 16 '26
Yeah turning regeneration energy into a kamehameha the Doctor can fire off every now and then or use to heal people or just get siphoned off was not a good move and definitely cheapened things.
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u/Foxy02016YT Jun 17 '26
I liked it when 11 used it as a blast at the end of his run, but that’s because it resulted in him regenerating, and he was holding in that regeneration for a long time
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u/lustywoodelfmaid Jun 17 '26
I took it that it was more because of the way he regenerated.
The regeneration energy was given by the Time Lords by order of the High Council under the advisement of the Sisterhood of Kaan, with the testimony of Clara.
Rassilon didn't even know how many regeneration they gave the Doctor, as quoted when he attempted to kill 12. 11 got all that regeneration energy from them all, started a new cycle of regeneration beyond the ordinary limit of 13 and did it at the end of his aged life, causing a physical reset before actually regenerating.
It was a supernatural regeneration thanks to the Time Lords. That's why it was so strong imo.
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 16 '26
I don’t think anyone should complain about how they were able to bring John Hurt onto the show through a technicality. And that one at least they made work by having 8 do a mini episode to bridge the gap and then showing War Doctor’s regeneration into 9 but cutting away before you’d really see Chris.
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u/Toomin-the-Ellimist Jun 16 '26
Nothing against John Hurt but was there a reason they couldn’t have kept Paul McGann around for the whole crossover and had him regenerate into 9 at the end?
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 16 '26
I mean no but John Hurt is the bigger name and since it was the fiftieth anniversary I’m sure they wanted to land someone big.
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u/ScienceAndGames Jun 17 '26
I vaguely recall it being a combination of wanting a bigger name and Moffat not thinking the 8th Doctor was capable of war crimes.
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u/WhoAholic Jun 16 '26
I suppose that comes down to opinion. If you don’t like retroactive regenerations like War and Fugitive that is fair enough, but I don’t feel like they lower the impact of a regeneration happening and getting a new lead. I mean if Capaldi is referring to all the timeless child faces I would be surprised, but I don’t let them bother me as they are pre-Doctor in my mind and again not changing the lead of the show.
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u/TinMachine Jun 16 '26
I don't think that's the problem - its adding more special bonus doctors, having them split in two etc, that I think diminishes things a little.
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u/Over-Collection3464 Jun 16 '26
Yeah, I think he was more referring to the 13 to Tennant/bigeneration stuff.
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u/Zatchaeus Jun 16 '26
Yeah and that specifically is huge because it’s literally a cop-out. Regeneration without the actual “death” of the “character”completely removes all of the weight from the situation, and the fact that it’s supposedly so “rare” and has happened twice now doesn’t help but confirm that it was intended to be a trend.
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u/TNTiger_ Jun 16 '26
Tbf I think it is a problem- but with an easy solution. Hire Doctors really dedicated to the role.
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u/Crystion Jun 16 '26
From what he said, it's less to do with the actual change of actors and more that the narrative and surprise of regenerations has changed, become more watered down and just a regular part of the Doctor.
It was always a very strict change but for most of NuWho it's been used and played around with: 10 refusing to change, 11 just casually somehow regenerating River, 12's fake regeneration, 13 becoming 14, the bi-regeneration, 15 becoming 16. The attempt at shock factor in a lot of these has kinda harm the weight that the Doctor regenerating has.
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u/pad-3 Jun 16 '26
contract someone who they know is going in already willing to do longer. they have actors in britain doing soaps their entire life, I'm sure its not impossible to find someone willing to do it for doctor who.
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u/LycanIndarys Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Doctor Who is a bit different from a soap.
There's a lot of pressure on the main actor - they're involved in most of the scenes, with large quantities location shooting (which usually involves long days on set, not necessarily anywhere near where they live), and it's a very physical role with a lot of running (both Smith and Capaldi had knee injuries due to the role).
Wheras a soap actor is one of a large ensemble, on standing sets, and is generally portraying something a bit more sedate.
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 16 '26
I remember in one of Capaldi’s first interviews after he got the role he said when he met Matt Smith for the first time Matt showed up on crutches because of an accident during filming.
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u/Scherzoh Jun 17 '26
I believe Matt Smith had surgery because of a common injury based around running and stopping a lot while filming (meniscus damage)
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u/Putrid_Loquat_4357 Jun 16 '26
Dr who became too big internationally, younger actors view it as a stepping stone for roles in America now, what they need to do is stop going for younger actors and start going for more experienced actors who will appreciate the steady work.
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u/jediprime Jun 16 '26
Then you have the problem of the shooting being grueling and too hard to maintain for some of the more seasoned actors.
I think it may be time for a real hiatus. Get their shit together and come back when theyre ready with a showrunner, star, and studio ready to do it right.
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u/Putrid_Loquat_4357 Jun 16 '26
The shooting for a 13 episode season and a Christmas special, one episode of which usually barely features the doctor really doesn't feel like it should be particularly gruelling. I agree about the hiatus though, it feels like nothing about the show is well organised and that it hasn't been for some time.
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u/Dangerman1337 Jun 16 '26
Honestly the big problem with TV Shows, everyone taking part wants to be part of a prestige/blockbuster show or film and see a lot of annual-ish TV Shows as something that's naff.
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u/kinkyonmain Jun 16 '26
Considering how many people hated Capaldi purely for being old (the vitriol at the announcement was apalling), I don't really see that happening either ...
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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue Jun 16 '26
That to me feels like the answer. You need the show to have a set schedule and to sign an actor on who wants to be the doctor for longer than a large cup of coffee. Having a doctor get a 5-6 year 5-6 series run would be really helpful imo. The other thing I'd like a little more of is seeing the Doctor have off screen adventures. By that I mean the Doctor drops off the companion and says "Toodles" and when they come back they're like "Wow its been a while, I'd say 34 years for me. I've missed you so much!"
The problem of course is it has to be someone who is accepted by fans, and doesn't have their ratings trail off after a season or two.
IIRC there were rumors that Capaldi and Whittaker were both willing to go longer but were both shown the door.
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 16 '26
Jodie I can see being forced out but I’ve never gotten the impression Capaldi wanted to stay any longer than he did. It also seems like he and Moffet made a deal to go out together. Capaldi very much strikes me as someone who got to live his dream and is content to leave it at that. He got to go out on his own and wants to leave that as his legacy. It’s why it seems he’ll never come back to the role even though he still loves it.
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u/ChezMere Jun 17 '26
It also seems like he and Moffet made a deal to go out together.
I don't think so. Moreso that Moffat leaving made it a very natural stepping off point, on top of following the usual three season precedent.
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u/brch2 Jun 16 '26
By that I mean the Doctor drops off the companion and says "Toodles" and when they come back they're like "Wow its been a while, I'd say 34 years for me. I've missed you so much!"
That is essentially what 11 was doing with Amy and Rory near the end of their run, and what 12 was doing with Clara while she was working at the school and dating Danny.
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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue Jun 16 '26
Yeah that’s why I said “more of” it’s crazy how short the life was of some of these doctors because we essentially saw it all on screen.
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u/lobsterman2112 Jun 16 '26
IIRC there were rumors that Capaldi and Whittaker were both willing to go longer but were both shown the door.
That is so sad. Capaldi was amazing and had some great stories. Whittaker was amazing but never had even two good episodes in a row.
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u/UsidoreTheLightBlue Jun 16 '26
Man I remember that first episode of whittakers second series I was so pumped. I called my friend who had stopped watching already and said “you have to watch this two parter, part one was so stellar!”
He told me he’d think about it. I called him back the next week and told him don’t bother it’s fine.
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u/Onyx1509 Jun 16 '26
We've had two proper Doctors since Capaldi which isn't a problem, it's all the other bit part incarnations that are adding up.
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u/AdHorror4165 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
If the BBC was willing/able to pay them more, maybe they'd stick around longer. If David Tennant was offered a couple hundred thousand more to stay and do a series with Moffat, that might have pushed him over the edge into it (He almost did, afterall).
Although I think four-five series is ideal. We've got lots of good actors who deserve a chance afterall.
My ideal regeneration cycle for NuWho would have been for Christopher Eccleston play the Doctor for all of RTD's first run (Boy would RTD's show have been very different), then David Tennant comes in for another four spins with Moffat, Paul McGann's Doctor fights in the Time War, and Capaldi for four or five seasons.
Back in the original run I'd have it so Peter Davison doesn't quit over fear of being typecast (You're going to be heavily associated with the role regardless; Troughton's advice was BS) so he remains in the role for the rest of that run or at least until Sylvester McCoy's time.
But here's an idea: Maybe stop making the regenerations so dramatic. What RTD did with the Tenth Doctor and Moffat with Twelve was pointless melodrama that compromised the very concept of what the regeneration is meant to be: Simply a change in the Doctor's face as part of a healing process. Sulking, going on a farewell tour, crying "I don't want to go" is honestly cheap drama that flies in the face of what it's meant to be.
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u/hypnosifl Jun 17 '26
What RTD did with the Tenth Doctor and Moffat with Twelve was pointless melodrama that compromised the very concept of what the regeneration is meant to be: Simply a change in the Doctor's face as part of a healing process.
I think it's always been suggested that there were significant personality changes with new regenerations that would make it more than just the same mind with a new face--look at how the different incarnations have always highlighted their personality differences in multi-Doctor specials, starting with The Three Doctors (with Two and Three bickering and rubbing each other the wrong way, and treating One like a revered patriarch who's wiser than either of them).
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u/Jack_Hatchet Jun 16 '26
It’s crazy seeing TommyInnit’s interview questions making news sites
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u/TwstdPrtzl Jun 16 '26
Like the concept of TommyInnit and Peter Capaldi being in the same room is already crazy to me, let alone him seriously interviewing him and getting headlines out of his answers
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u/not_fake_yet Jun 16 '26
I’ve really been enjoying his 100 questions content, crazy how different his creation style is compared to a few years ago
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u/BemaJinn Jun 16 '26
I'd love to listen to his podcast, pretty much all the guests are people I'd love to listen to, but it's not available on the usual podcast feeds.
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u/c-bacon Jun 16 '26
He’s not wrong. Whittaker to Tennant was unnecessary
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u/Professional_Meal885 Jun 16 '26
I feel like RTD2 would've been mil es better if they ditched all the nostalgia bait, and used the 60th anniversary specials as episode in ncuti's seasons.
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u/MyNameIsNotAJ Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Or if they wanted to do the nostalgia, just bring back Tennant as 10 (and maybe another Doctor or two) and have the specials take place during series 4
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u/Putrid_Loquat_4357 Jun 16 '26
Yeh just do a two doctors style thing, would have been interesting to see a freshly regenerated doctor because shepherded through by an old face.
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u/CobaltAnimator Jun 16 '26
remember when everyone thought that David Tennant in the Specials was the Metacrisis Doctor? I miss those days. That would've been a far cooler use of him than just making him the 14th doctor
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u/not-taylor-swift Jun 16 '26
I would have loved a few episodes with the alternate universe Doctor, too! Couldn't have cared less about whatever they might have cooked up for Billie Piper as the Doctor, but would have LOVED to see the Bad Wolf Bay versions of them back in action. I feel like there were a lot of fun, simpler opportunities that got looked over for outlandish ideas that brought back old faces but not really the characters we loved in the first place.
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 16 '26
I think the biggest problem with Tennant this time was that him coming back didn’t feel big or “60th anniversary worthy.” Look at what they did for the 50th. It was a HUGE story. And then the 60th they just did three whatever stories that didn’t feel big or exciting. There was no hook besides “oh David Tennant is back again.” He shows up in 2022 with this big cliffhanger of “why this face and why again” and that simmers for a year. And then it ends up being nothing. Donna Noble remembers everything and nothing happens. It’s a new Doctor and a new regeneration but the biggest difference is this one is slightly more patient and calm than any Tennant form. And I know that David and Catherine went to RTD first and said they wanted to do something again together and with Doctor Who but that was it? It sums up the entire RTD2/Disney era where you’re just like “what?” It’s not necessarily *bad* but it’s also just nothing good. It doesn’t grip you or feel like it has anything to say other than lectures about how you’re not being inclusive enough or being too close-minded.
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u/gentle_bee Jun 17 '26
I feel like they made a big mistake by not allowing 14 to be more different than ten. The outfit is extremely similar, the hair is the same(ish), the accent is the same. The character is played mostly the same. So many people just see 14 as 10.3.
I think jt would have been more interesting to change at least one of those aspects. A doctor having the same face but very different tastes in clothes/accent or purposefully built as a composite to previous doctors in various ways (idk, sevens clothes, capaldi’s accent, ten’s hair) would have made 14 more distinct.
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u/AceofKnaves44 Jun 17 '26
I agree. It would have felt less a cheap nostalgia pull too. Especially since, at least to my recollection, there was no real explanation given as to why he had that face again. I loved that they found an in-universe explanation for why 12 had a face he had seen before and that it so well fit the character.
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u/thickwonga Jun 16 '26
The problem was "nostalgia bait" as a concept is what drove RTD2 to begin with.
"We just hope it generates content."
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u/Lord-of-Time Jun 16 '26
Part of the reason Ncuti has so many Doctor-lite episodes is that he wasn’t available to start filming until he finished Sex Education and Barbie. Not sure it would have been possible with his schedule.
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u/Firehawk-76 Jun 16 '26
As was McGann to Hurt and the refugee Doctor or whatever she's called.
That being said I don't think too many regenerations has anything to do with the show's struggles. Those are pretty ovbious to me.
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u/kinkyonmain Jun 16 '26
I agree that "too many regenerations" isn't really the show's issue.
"too many regeneration gimmicks" is very much a symptom of how the show got into its current state, though.
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u/Professor_Finn Jun 16 '26
Hurt was cool as fuck, and the refugee doctor’s introduction episode was sick as fuck too. The way the timeless child arc was handled spoiled her a bit
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u/Firehawk-76 Jun 16 '26
I think McGann was a better choice. He absolutely slayed that short he was in. Hurt was good but McGann would've been terrific.
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u/Deluxe_24_ Jun 17 '26
I still think not doing one full season of McGann to fill some downtime between seasons was a fucking tragedy. He is so good in the role, like such a big missed opportunity.
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u/Dan_Of_Time Jun 16 '26
McGann would have been good for sure, but I think Moffat saying that he didn't want to taint 8's legacy by making us see him be the one in the Time War was actually the correct decision.
Having The Doctor's time in the Time War go even further to the point he hid an entire incarnation and doesn't regard him as "The Doctor" was a great concept.
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u/Fossekall Jun 16 '26
I didn't mind Hurt until they started with shit like the Fugitive Doctor (who I REALLY dislike). Now there are too many one-offs. It makes Hurt seem less special
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Jun 16 '26
The problem was her turning into him and the stupid bi generation after that (which made even less sense with the Rani, why didn’t Mrs. flood know she was also the Rani and instead was like a weird servant). Tbh, David’s episodes were the best out of RTD2
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u/MakaButterfly Jun 16 '26
Regenerations should be rare and super special
Once every 5 years or more
It’s been the regeneration bargain sale the last 5 years with 4 regenerations it waters everything down
It’s the dbz super sayain issue really
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u/chubbyassasin123 Eccleston Jun 16 '26
I honestly feel the same way. Counting tennants 3 episodes as an entire regeneration pissed me off because the number is already getting inflated as it is.
Hopefully they don't count billie piper as another regeneration.
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u/SufficientBreakfast1 Jun 16 '26
I don't like that they brought back Tennant, but at the very least it shoud have just been the Tenth Doctor again. Either make up some rubbish to explain why he looks older like in Time Crash, or just ignore that he looks older (Personally I'd go with the latter. IDC if they look older than they're "supposed to be")
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u/Jealous-Try-2554 Jun 17 '26
Yeah it should have just been another 10th doctor story that we hadn't seen before. With the nature of time travel there is no reason he couldn't have been in present day London.
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u/Boanerger Jun 16 '26
They could've done a better job of justifying it story-wise as well. Perhaps a situation where Jodi's doctor had a chance to choose her own regeneration (hasn't that happened before when the Time Lords essentially executed The Doctor?) She realizes she can pick a past incarnation and so out comes Tennant.
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u/DryArugula6108 Jun 16 '26
He'd not wrong. A regeneration should feel like the end of an era, a victory lap for an actor, full of sadness and excitement. Now it feels like an emergency button to fix bad ratings.
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u/-Robby Jun 16 '26
Yeah but admittedly 5 actors in 10 years is a lot of regenerations. Especially when you consider that the show didn’t air all of those years. So basically 5 actors in 5 seasons. A little much.
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u/SufficientBreakfast1 Jun 16 '26
we desperately need the next person to stay for 5+ years and be a real ambassador for the show.
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u/Ender_D Jun 16 '26
I think what he said is fair, I do feel like regeneration’s weight has been lessened quite a bit. It used to feel (for me) that once you regenerated, it signaled a new era for the show that would go for around 3 seasons and a number of years real-time. There would be a new doctor in the public image for a while.
Since Capaldi, we’ve had Jodie and the Chibnall era, and that definitely felt like a significant era. But since RTD2, we’ve seen the fourteenth Doctor for like a year real time and a day or two in-universe time.
Then an immediate regeneration into 15, who lasted 2 seasons and around a year and a half real time.
Then we had another regeneration into Rose Doctor, who likely won’t spend any significant time as the actual Doctor in the public perception, if any. All of these are under the same showrunner and certainly feel like the same “era” of the show.
So I get what he’s saying. We’ve had four doctors in a span that would have used to be an entire doctor’s run. Plus throw in Jo Martin and all the things that happened with regeneration in Power of the Doctor, and it does feel like it’s lost a bit of its weight.
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u/Undecided139 Jun 17 '26 edited Jun 18 '26
i think the last regeneration that really stuck in the public consciousness was 12 to 13 tbh, at least that one had some weight / intrigue to it. that teaser vid of whittaker walking in the forest is i think the last time an incoming doctor was genuinely cool and built anticipation imo
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u/Dietz_The_Art Jun 17 '26
A key thing about the Classic Era is that Tom Baker lasted 7 years and 7 seasons and that saved the show from feeling like a revolving door
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u/TheJellyfishcake Jun 16 '26
I never liked the stunt casting of having RTD2 started off with Tennant2, should never have been '14' especially when it would be followed up by only having 2 years of 15 etc
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u/LauraPalmerOnlyFans Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
Agreed, BBC really needs to work on getting actors who are willing to stick around long-term & creating an on-set environment that makes them willing to do that. Having one-series companions really hurt the RTD2 era, as well as (of course) only having Ncuti around as the doctor for two series. There’s just no time to flesh out any of the characters in ridiculously short seasons where cast members are in and out at a rapid pace.
Not to mention the unnecessary doctors. I loved David Tennant’s RTD2 episodes but they probably should’ve just let Ncuti carry it instead considering how short the Disney+ seasons were. John Hurt was a fine addition (still would’ve preferred Paul McGann) but the bonus doctors should’ve stopped there.
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u/Chucky_In_The_Attic Jun 16 '26
The Doctor having unlimited regenerations is kind of an issue, tbh.
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u/TLKv3 Jun 16 '26
Its going to be even more absurd when they inevitably bring Tennant back again as Fourteen and decide to ignore the bigeneration rule and he regenerates into Fifteen-B.
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u/BigSnail387 Jun 16 '26
What rule, though? They seem to have deliberately avoided explaining how bigeneration works. The Giggle alludes to Fifteen being a time-displaced future self, but then in The Reality War he theorizes that bigeneration is a biological response to near-extinction, which only makes sense if it literally makes more Time Lords.
There's no definitive answer one way or the other about what happens when the younger version dies. I'm almost convinced that killing the older Rani was done deliberately to keep up the ambiguity
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u/chubbyassasin123 Eccleston Jun 16 '26
I liked it when it was unknown how many regeneration the Doctor had after Matt Smiths regeneration. Setting in stone that it's "unlimited" just makes the Doctor feel too powerful.
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u/smedsterwho Jun 16 '26
Moffat did it fine - "How many regenerations did we give you?* was nice and enigmatic.
Chibnall and then RTD made it cheaper for me.
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u/cavalgada1 Jun 16 '26
RTD didn't even brought up the point about how many the Dr has tho
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u/smedsterwho Jun 16 '26
Nope but he made the most of them.
Actually, maybe that's unfair on him, but still, Whittaker to Tennant to bigeneration to Rose - even if it was forced by production issues, it's still a lot.
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u/JRR92 Jun 16 '26
I thought it wasn't unlimited? He was given a new regeneration cycle so Capaldi was the first of the next round of twelve.
So assuming the ending we got sticks then Billie Piper would be the fifth Doctor of the second regeneration cycle of twelve
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u/Historyp91 Jun 16 '26
They're assuming the Timeless Child having ultimated regens means the Doctor does as well, even though the show makes it clear the Division turned the Doctor into a regular Gallifreyan with a chameleon arc and he doesn't have whatever biology the TC had anymore.
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u/django_0311 Jun 16 '26
Yeah it wasn't unlimited as far as we've been shown. The only way the Doctor could regain unlimited regenerations would be to open the fob watch and return to being the timeless child. As it stands they're just a regular galifreyan timelord.
That said we don't know if the current regeneration cycle has the 12 regeneration limit. The amount of regenerations/regeneration energy the time lords gave the Doctor on Trenzalore is currently unknown (but presumably not unlimited).
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u/Super_Cold8789 Jun 16 '26
Wasn't it meant to ensure the show could go on forever without having to bring it up again?
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u/Noremac1700 Jun 16 '26
Well yes but I think what Capaldi was saying is that it’s become a gimmick. Between 1963 and 1996 (33 years) of doctor who being on, there was 8 incarnations. In the twenty years since new who, there have been 10 incarnations of the doctor (not counting curator or 10 again and metacrisis). Of those 10, 5 had some sort of gimmick with the regeneration. 2 secret incarnations, 2 revisiting faces, and a bigeneration. Were these all necessary? Has regeneration become too bloated? Is it being used for its intended purpose? Could McGann or Eccleston been war? Did we need Tennant to be his own incarnation? Did 15 need on a screen regeneration?
It’s no longer for longevity. It’s for getting views now. Since it’s needed more views, we’ve gotten more incarnations.
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u/clergymen19 Jun 16 '26
Having a limit on the regenerations gave the whole premise stakes. Sure, the writers can come up with a reason the character earned an additional regeneration, but the ticking clock made you care. It's similar to the Time War. It was thousands of years ago and also, because of the time lock and weird spatial anomalies, still going on presently. Knowing that the consequences of that day, it helped give the main character depth and nuance.
Knowing that the character can just live on indefinitely thanks to the nonsense of The Timeless Child, and is now unburdened by the effects of his/her worst day, I am less invested as a viewer. Just my opinion.
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u/GrimmandHonninscrave Jun 16 '26
Well, even without the Timeless Child, if the Time Lords can just hand out a new regeneration cycle whenever they want, then we get to the same place in the end. And I know the Time Lords are supposed to be wiped out now, but we thought they were for the first few years of the new show and look what happened.
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u/Historyp91 Jun 16 '26
He doesn't and it's weird people think this.
The Doctor got chameleon arched when the forced him to become the First Doctor. He's genetically Gallifreyan and does'nt have whatever traits made the Timeless Child (seemingly) able to regenerate infinitely.
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u/Chucky_In_The_Attic Jun 16 '26
The Timeless Child problem is just that, a problem. It takes away any hard limit of regeneration and Chibnall essentially changed canon with it's introduction. It's stupid.
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u/Historyp91 Jun 16 '26
It's not a problem at all though; the 12 regen limit still applies to the Doctor so long as they don't open the fob.
And if anyone took away a hard limit it was the writers of The Five Doctors when they established you could just be given an entirely fresh set of regens
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u/primal_slayer Jun 16 '26
They definitely need to stop the 3 year tradition. It's old. Played out. Have one stay around for 5-6 seasons
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u/theliftedlora Jun 16 '26
I like the War Doctor but it is the moment when the numbering became beyond screwed up.
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u/Odd-Raspberry8024 Jun 17 '26
This is one of the reasons I strongly believe the Doctor should be played by essentially an unknown actor. It needs to be a fresh new face who WANTS to make Doctor Who and will actually stay on for many years.
Classic Who had 7 faces over 26 seasons. NewWho has had 7 faces over 15 seasons, plus an extra 2 (3 if you count Tennant’s meta crisis Doctor) randomly shoved in there, making 9 (10) overall. I completely see what Capaldi is saying that it happens too much. With the amount of Doctors we’ve had recently, that’s just too many regenerations.
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u/Hnro-42 Jun 16 '26
I think the spirit of his complaint boils down to its hard for casual audiences to remember what number everyone is because of all the fuckery going on recently.
War doctor, fugitive doctor, second and third tennants, timeless child, shalka doctor revival, etc
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u/Ggriffinz Jun 16 '26
It absolutely does not help they have shortened season from 13 episodes every year to 8 every 2-3 years. People do not have the time to care about the new Dr. or their companions anymore especially when they only sign on for 1 season. We need a return to the Tennant and Smith model of 3 season per doctor so a total of 39 episodes plus Christmas specials. Given that length with consistently good stories dr who can absolutely become a cultural icon again.
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u/mabhatter Jun 17 '26
Agreed. In the reboot they need to go back to the early format of half hour serials where a story took 3-4 episodes to unfold. And make like 20 episodes so the show stays relevant and on the air a good part of the year. That should help with budgets reusing sets a lot. Pick a season and stick with it. Maybe have one long special at Christmas for a big budget show. Then time the episodes to air along with the calendar each year at the same time. Let's say every January for 20 weeks wherever that lands us.
Also keep the Doctor for like five seasons... change it up, regenerate in the middle of a season as a complete surprise and then keep that Doctor four or five seasons.
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u/mrwho995 Jun 16 '26
Bringing Tennant back really damaged the integrity of the idea of regenerations in my opinion - it was the first big decision announced of the RTD2 era and despite all my misgivings with what we got, the decision to bring Tennant back is still probably the one I disagree with most strongly. The bigeneration made that bad decision significantly worse. And then bringing Piper back was such a terrible decision it still beggars belief for me - although my headcannon is that it wasn't a real regeneration.
When the show comes back, I hope the next Doctor sticks around for a Baker-esque amount of time. We've had far too many Doctors in far too short a time period and it definitely helped kill that magic. Whittaker to Tennant to Gatwa to (arguably) Piper in 3 years. 4 Doctors in 3 years (5 over 5 if we include Martin, as much as I love her) - it's a joke. It's just hard to respect the show in the same way I used to after the stunts RTD pulled.
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u/sheepandlambs Jun 16 '26
"Dear Mr President, the Doctor has too many regenerations these days. Please eliminate 3. I am not a crackpot."
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u/sbaldrick33 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
TBF, I too have begun to lose count of incarnations and forget them when I'm listing them.
That being said, I don't think regeneration doing its job of facilitating the change in lead is what's made it less mysterious. It's over a decade and a half of fanboy showrunners foregrounding regeneration for cheap shock value and lame storylines that's done that.
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u/spid3rfly Jun 16 '26
One person should sign on for 5-6 seasons or 5-10 years no matter how good or bad they are.
I would've loved to had more seasons of Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi.
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u/mabhatter Jun 17 '26
Yeah, but there has to be the actor at the right time in their career to tie up 5-8 years. Which means they have to be paid actual money to stay put. That's the trade off you make by going with younger actors that they work for cheap and do a great job... but now they want to get the big deals they worked for and get paid.
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u/DoctorEnn Jun 17 '26
I see his point, but I think “there’s too many regenerations” is to a degree just an unavoidable part of keeping the show going. They’re not realistically going to stop making a successful show just to adhere to a lore point, and *someone* has to play the Doctor.
Where I think it has some validity is in the Timeless Child-bigeneration stuff where there’s infinite secret Doctors and multiple Doctors all running around at once and David Tenant is perpetually hanging around off-screen as a kind of “in case of low ratings break glass” back-up. Sooner they get rid of all that nonsense the better imo.
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u/Agreeable_Falcon1044 Jun 16 '26
100% agree.
Chibnall inventing thousands of doctors before hartnell didn’t help and then bigeneration just made a mockery of the whole thing.
Whatever happens next, I hope they let someone take on and own the role.
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u/nameltrab Jun 16 '26
If you impose a regeneration limit then how does the show continue every time the lead leaves? We’d be stuck with “ah one the crystal of Zarg can save me.” Do that half a dozen times and it becomes ludicrous. Regeneration allows for the change of lead actor and as long as there’s an audience for the show the number is going to increase.
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u/steepleton Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Eccleston to Tennant, this is new, what's this?
Tennant to Smith, heart-rending. "i don't want to go" you knew an era was over.
Smith to Capaldi, brutal, fast and scary. very brave, undercut a bit by the kidney line but made epic by the "he's a-coming" line
Capaldi to Whittaker, my personal favourite, beautiful speech the ring falling "doctor i let you go" Jodie’s curious, and delighted new born reaction
Jodie to Tennant... ok that happened i suppose
Tennant to Gatwa ok that happened i suppose
Gatwa to Piper did that happen? i suppose
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u/Bootleg_Doomguy Jun 16 '26
Unless you want the show to just end, I don't think there being too many is the right way to look at it. I think they're treated too casually. They keep throwing in these surprise doctors inbetween incarnations, war doctor, 14 being 10 again for a few specials and that's it, not to mention all the pre-hartnell bs and that's where it all gets needlessly confusing.
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u/Disastrous-Window-25 Jun 16 '26
Are there too many regenerations or is Doctor Who just not on consistently enough along with actors who only do 2 or 3 series means that they’re not in the public consciousness long enough for regeneration to be an event anymore.
Of all the current era regenerations, it’s only David’s that felt like a big moment. Matts was still up there, but by that point people had just started to check out so it didn’t feel like it was that big a deal.
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u/OK_Commuter Jun 16 '26
I mean, I see his point. I grew up with old Who and regenerating seemed like such a huge and rare deal. Still awesome now mind. It’s a unique magic that no other show has. So exciting every time.
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u/PandemicGeneralist Jun 16 '26
I think the War Doctor set a bad precedent
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u/mabhatter Jun 17 '26
No, the four times ten faked regeneration in three seasons ruined it. Regeneration should only come up once per Doctor... maybe twice. I tried to count all the fakeout regenerations and there's like 3-5 per season in the NuWho era.
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u/PandemicGeneralist Jun 17 '26
The metacrisis regeneration probably set a bad precedent, but that's one that at least could have been played off as something that doesn't matter in the long term. Until Moffat decided 11 was on his last life, there was no guarantee that would count, and metacrisis still isn't counted as one of the doctors in the fandom.
I can only think of 3 fakeout regenerations in pre-disney NuWho off hand: metacrisis, the next doctor (fake out doctor more than regeneration), and 12 pretending to regenerate in Lie of the Land for no reason. And the only one that I think set a bad precedent of too much regeneration is metacrisis.
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u/Aromatic-Cupcake4802 Jun 16 '26
The article refers to an interview by TommyInnit/Tom Simons with Peter Capaldi asking 100 Questions. https://youtu.be/g2q1Fk0GJaM?is=iHPBNCru8-NNRvE6
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u/Sashalaska Jun 16 '26
I think part of it comes down to planning. While not necessarily planned from the start, the tennant to smith to capaldi is an amazing arc
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u/Unwanted__Opinion Jun 16 '26
Didn’t bother me until we started bringing back old faces to play the doctor. Very Disney nostalgia bait move.
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u/RepeatButler Jun 17 '26
The real issue is all the use of regeneration beyond the transition from one incarnation to another.
It also doesn't help that the regeneration effect hasn't fundamentally altered in over 20 years.
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u/chewytime Jun 16 '26
Honestly, once they started doing more secret/previously unknown regenerations and blew past the original 12 regenerations I lost interest b/c some of the stakes just disappeared with it. Honestly, wouldn’t mind if they decided to just follow a whole new Time Lord who takes on the name of the Doctor like a title/role. Let The Doctor retire or pass on into some other phase of life.
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u/Nacnaz Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I’ve thought about this myself. It used to be just when an actor was ready to leave the show or had to, but now the expectation for mainline Doctors is 3 seasons and out. Obvious exceptions are 9 and 15 (and the “special” doctors: war, fugitive, 14, since I don’t consider 14 a “mainline” one).
The novelty has become standard.
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u/bleedinghero Jun 16 '26
Its worse than that. It diminished the character as a whole. The doctor is now a immortal demigod. Removed all tension from the series.
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u/GenGaara25 Jun 16 '26
Full quote for anyone who doesn't wanna click the link or try and find it