Friday, January 26, 2007

MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE TV CHARACTERS

The BBC has confirmed that Sir Derek Jacobi will be in at least one episode of 'Doctor Who' in the coming series, the second season for David Tennant as the Doctor.

But they would not confirm that he plays a character called the Professor who helps the Doctor and his new assistant, Martha Jones, to save the Earth. (This was a report that came from the Mirror.)

So there's still some hope for one of my recent Wish-craft ideas which I've been puttering with - that Jacobi might reprise his role as the Roman Emperor Claudius, which he portrayed in the adaptation of Robert Graves' "I, Claudius".

At 68, he's certainly at the right age to play the role now with little make-up to achieve the illusion.

Claudius - as played on TV by Jacobi - is one of several TV historical characters I'd love to see the Doctor encounter, especially since the original purpose of the show was for the Doctor to visit historical time periods and meet the legends out of the past.

As for others, how about Al Swearengen & Seth Bullock - characters portrayed by Ian McShane and Timothy Olyphant respectively in 'Deadwood'?

And it doesn't have to be limited it to historical characters. Established TV characters throughout the history of Toobworld could be met by the Doctor - just so long as the original actor was around to play the role, of course!

Here are some examples:

Brisco County, Jr. - The encounter would have to take place early in the 20th Century of course, to account for the aging of Bruce Campbell. The man's still in great shape, I'd say, but ten plus years have taken their toll. ('The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr.')

Willow Rosenberg - Gallifreyan science must mesh pretty well with the rules of magic; otherwise, how else could the sonic screwdriver resurrect "Ursaslab" in "Love & Monsters"? So helping out the lesbian witch battle demons at some hellmouth might seem like business as usual for the Doctor. ('Buffy The Vampire Slayer')

Ross Geller - Working with the nerdy paleontologist would be a great way to cash in on the popularity of 'Night At The Museum'. Alien of choice? The Silurians and/or the Sea Devils, of course. ('Friends')

Jake Axminster - Wayne Rogers' private eye would now be working in a Los Angeles inundated with flower power, so both he and the Doctor would feel out of place, out of time. And it'd be great if they had to deal with as crazy a hippie character as Benjy "Blue Boy" Carver of 'Dragnet' infamy. ('City Of Angels')

Conor - There must be plenty of opportunity for the Doctor to find alien influence in the legeds that grew out of fifth century Ireland. Good luck though on getting Heath Ledger to come back to the small screen to once again play Conor! ('Roar')

Mickey Bricks & crew - Maybe Jamie or Albert could part the Doctor from his sonic screwdriver or even better, his psychic paper. And in exchange for their giving it back, he could help them pull a con on some alien who's done Mickey wrong in some way.

What would be especially great about this team-up would be the Doctor looking at Danny Blue and wondering, "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" ('Hu$tle')

Emma Peel
- Of course, we'd be dealing with the talented amateur Mrs. Peel as she is today in 2007 (or nearabouts in either direction on the timeline). I gotta say, I'm really looking forward to seeing Dame Diana Rigg in 'Extras' next Sunday on HBO! (Lucky all of you who've seen the episode already over in the UK.) ('The Avengers')

Jean Luc Picard - Isn't it about time for Television Sans Frontieres? Let's have a grand crossover between 'Doctor Who' and 'Star Trek'! I think they'd make for a great combination! ('Star Trek: The Next Generation')

Geoffrey Tennant - Fancy a trip to Canada in the TARDIS, Martha? And while they're oot and aboot, perhaps they could take in a Shakespearean play in New Burbage. Their theatre is known for its share of ghosts, as Oliver Welles can attest. The setting would make for a great return visit by the Gelth!

By the way, there would have to be room found for some kind of in-joke regarding Geoffrey's last name! Also, if the producers ever should look beyond to Canada for a future Time Lord, Paul Gross might just fit the bill. And his wife, Martha Burns would be great for a return of Romana in a new regeneration! ('Slings & Arrows')

So there you have it, just some more fantasy wishing from this televisiologist. A great way to pass the time on this very cold day!

BCnU!
Tele-Toby

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