Hello to Jason Isaacs for the Twelfth Doctor?

Jason Isaacs - the Twelfth Doctor?
Jason Isaacs – the Twelfth Doctor?

Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who after the 50th anniversary special this November, and the speculation about who will replace him as the Twelfth Doctor is starting to build, so let me throw my own pick into the ring: Jason Isaacs.

Isaacs is probably best known for his role as Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, but that wasn’t as much a showcase of his talent as his sadly short-lived series, Awake. That show only lasted one season but it had a very Whovian vibe to it – alternate realities, bending of space and time, and multiple incarnations, all helmed by Isaacs who managed to go from mellow to manic as the plot demanded. The parallels to Doctor Who are obvious!

It would also be nice to have a change of pace with an older Doctor for a change, one more weathered and reflecting the age and experiences, especially the multiple universe-saving, true-love losing (twice), companions-lost adventures of the past two youthful incarnations. As the Doctor once said, when he was very young, he acted very old, probably a reference to his first incarnation (William Hartnell as a grouchy grandpa). Isaacs would be a more honest reflection of the Doctor’s maturity, especially since more seems to have happened to him during his past two forms as during all the previous nine. And there’s also the appearance of his mysterious John Hurt incarnation, who may be 8.5. There’s plenty of reason for the Doctor to stop playacting at being a young man and let his wisdom and experience show – and with Isaacs we lose none of the physicality that the role requires in the modern day.

Hello to Number Twelve!

UPDATE: It’s Peter Capaldi as Number Twelve.

2 thoughts on “Hello to Jason Isaacs for the Twelfth Doctor?”

  1. I agree completely. He’d be great. I actually thought of him when David Tennant left. He could be an older more thoughtful Doctor. Less povertly “wacky” and manic.

    However, I suspect that they will go for another young unknown actor. That seems to be the template these days. Which is a bit of a shame really.

  2. I wish they would take an unexpected turn and get a British actor that I think would be perfect — Lenny Henry.

Comments are closed.