Doctor Who: Regeneration or Reboot? (plus "The Next Doctor" Preview)

"Change my dear. And not a moment too soon!"

So said Colin Baker's Sixth Doctor having just regenerated from Peter Davison on the floor of the TARDIS. For the long-running sci-fi series ‘Doctor Who’, regeneration means a lot more than adding a new name to the opening credits. Change is at the core of the series format, and it is this constant transformation and evolution that has kept the series going for 45 years.

(Read to the end for a sneak peek at the next Christmas special, 'The Next Doctor')

Unlike any other television format, and only matched by the 'James Bond' franchise, the change of the lead actor in 'Doctor Who' creates immense excitement in the audience.The betting agencies are announcing odds. Newspapers are rife with gossip, speculation and hot tips. PR agencies are spinning like mad in attempts to get their latest star turn associated with the huge media fever. Yup, it’s time to pick a new Doctor.

Every time it is the same. Speculation runs rampant as every unlikely name possible is linked to the popular Time-Lord in an attempt to scoop the answer. Considered one of the most sought after parts in British television, and guaranteed to cement you a life of media appearances for decades to come, the publicity surrounding the announcement that David Tennant will not be returning for Series Five illustrates the immense power of this unique television format.

Reboot or Regenerate?

A new Doctor means a lot more than a simple casting decision. Each time it represents change for the series, with a lead character who is the same, yet different. Each new Doctor has brought a fresh style and direction that bleeds through the series, even if many of the other trappings stay the same.

While other TV shows and film franchises have made gambles for longevity by rebooting and reinventing the entire mythology of the show, 'Doctor Who' has continual renewal built into the format. Brilliant.

In fact, throughout the forty five year history of the series, the only two constant elements have been the TARDIS and the various versions of the theme tune, with actors, monsters, writers and formats coming and going on a regular basis.

Reboots are all around us. 'Battlestar Galactica' had to dramatically revamp to be relevant and acceptable for a modern audience. 'Batman' ditched the Nineties camp style by going back to the beginning. 'Survivors' started this week on BBC One, reinventing the ‘70s drama originally created by Terry Nation. 'Night Rider' recently returned to US screens. 'Star Trek' is about to be rebooted in the cinema with new cast members in familiar roles.

But even though 'Doctor Who' was out of production for 16 years (apart from the woeful TV movie), there was never any question of rebooting the series on it’s relaunch in 2005.

“This old body of mine is wearing a bit thin”

The ability to completely transform the lead actor within the series while maintaining all the audience’s investment in the character was a stroke of genius. Originally devised to keep the series going after William Hartnell became too old and frail to continue in the role, the BBC had accidentally hit upon a formula that would sustain the series for forty five years this week.

Yes, there are many shows that have replaced the lead character after an actor decides to call it a day. For example; Tom Quinn (Matthew McFadden) left 'Spooks' to be replaced by Adam Carter (Rupert Penry-Jones). More often than not, the change of lead actor is seen as the point when the series jumps the shark. This is more than likely due to the audience investment in one character suddenly needing to transfer to a complete unknown. Penry-Jones recently said that he was uncomfortable with replacing McFadden and wouldn’t consider stepping into another actor’s shoes again.

'Doctor Who' neatly side-steps this betrayal of audience loyalty by maintaining the same character, even thought he actor transforms. As the fiction of the series allows such a transformation, this change is not met with the same derision as other examples of swapping actors on a continuing character.

No one prefers the second Darren on 'Bewitched'. Jason Connery will always be a distant second to Michael Praed’s 'Robin Hood'. The revolving door of actors and characters on soap operas has led to a greater cynicism in the audience. But we accept the change of actors on 'Doctor Who'. Moreso, we celebrate it.

Embrace Change

David Tennant has pointed out his surprise that, from the moment he accepted the part, people were asking him when he was leaving. This wasn’t because people wanted him to go, but because regeneration is a major event within the series. The audience actually wants the series to keep changing and evolving.

The penultimate episode of the last series managed to build up the audience’s expectations of a regeneration and resulted in the best ratings results the series has ever achieved – the number one show watched on UK television that week. Although the regeneration was a red herring, the tactic worked. In fact, the regeneration trick is being used again for the Christmas episode ‘The Next Doctor’, with David Morrisey playing a character called The Doctor. Is he playing a future incarnation? Is he therefore the next Doctor, as the title suggests? Or is he merely an imposter? (In all likelihood, the latter is probably true). Nevertheless, audiences are already excited about the possibilities this presents.

Here are the opening moments of the new episode, as previewed on 'Children in Need')

If creators of television formats should learn anything from this, it is to build evolution and change right into the fabric of the format. It is no good having a hugely successful show if your lead actor decides to quit after two seasons. By creating a fluid format capable of surviving, or even taking advantage from, the inevitable changes in cast and crew, a television format can continue to find audiences and remain successful for decades.