Dessa
Sr Member
...Don't time lords have a total of 12 bodies? The first plus 11 regenerations? Not counting the weirdness with the "war doctor" and Tennant's hand/clone, how does Capaldi get to regenerate? Hasn't the cat used all of its lives at this point?
Come on, nobody seriously thinks they will ever stop regenerating the Doctor so long as the concept makes money. They'll make up an excuse.
Will and have.
Twelve regenerations, so thirteen incarnations (not bodies, they're all the same body, according to the Fourth Doctor). Smith was the thirteenth (yes, Tennant's hand counts, as does the War Doctor), but at the end of The Time of the Doctor, he was granted a new set of regenerations. However, it's unclear (and has been questioned by both Twelve and Rassilon) how many regenerations he still has.
Personally, here's my thoughts on the new Doctor:
1) Not female. I don't trust them to pull off a female Doctor well. They can't pull off a male Doctor without throwing romance into it, or making him appear 2-3 times his Companions' age, so all I can see with a female Doctor is sexytimes.
2) British. It's a British show, not anything else. I don't mind the occasional Companion or guest who's not British, but it's inherently a British show for British audiences.
3) In the 35-50 age range. While I do enjoy the cranky grandfather Doctor, the age of the actor does limit what the character can do. Likewise, I'm not a fan of the younger Doctors like Smith or Tennant (I loved Tennant, but I do prefer a bit older).
4) Relatively unknown. I don't mean "brand new," but someone who's not hugely famous. I don't want the Doctor to be a "big name" actor. Let him become well known because of his performance, not people watching it because of him.