What next for The Doctor?

Yesterday evening, the bulk of the nation's TV viewers watched "Journey's End", which chronicles the final adventure with The Doctor for Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane Smith, Mickey Smith, Captain Jack Harkness, and Donna Noble. The way that they all were helping to fly the TARDIS was the perfect end to their travels. In spite of this sense of joy they seemed to share, the end of the episode was a sad one, as Donna had been returned to a mental state, prior to the moment where the Huen particles within her transported her into the TARDIS. Yet, it seems the best way to wipe the slate clean, in terms of the programme as a whole.
However, it is not only the story threads that have been woven over the past few years that are coming to an end. The very production of the longest ever running sci-fi TV show is undergoing massive changes, albeit necessary ones. The largest being that Russell T Davies is handing over control of 'Doctor Who' to Steven Moffat, the best of the current crop of the show's writer. It now falls to him to take the reins and put his own spin on the stories in general. There will doubtless be differences, but these will be needed to keep the show alive for as long as possible, or at least until the end of The Doctor's thirteenth incarnation. Moffat has succeeded in creating new iconic moments that will be now woven into the fabric of the forty-five year history of 'Doctor Who', namely The Weeping Angels and the child in a gas mask, asking where its mummy was. These things have made him a Robert Holmes for the twenty-first century, but he manages to be a lot more than that, and he is brilliant at not riding on such comparisons with the late former script editor. The direction of the show is probably going to change now, but fans of RTD's own take on the show that Sydney Newman created shouldn't worry. A fresh start will bring a whole new legion of fans.
The future of 'Doctor Who' is going to be a whole lot healthier. The four (or five) specials in 2009 will be RTD's way of leaving the show he revitalised, and preparing the ground for his successor. Change is one of the things that has helped the programme continue to survive, especially for the main character, The Doctor. The principle of regeneration has been at the forefront of the changes that have shaped it the show over the years. The 10th Doctor may not have become the 11th in 'Journey's End', but it can only be a matter of time before the tenth regeneration happens for real. My own personal prediction is that Tennant will leave the role of The Doctor at the same time that RTD hands the baton over to Moffat. Whether this happens is very much up in the air, but I do feel that a new Doctor is the best way to highlight that Steven Moffat is the new head honcho in charge.

Welcome....

Welcome to the newest blog dedicated not only to 'Doctor Who', but to 'Torchwood' and 'The Sarah Jane Adventures' as well. Every month I'll be posting an entry. That doesn't mean that nobody else can post messages. I'll be glad to hear your thoughts, gripes, and praises for these three programmes. You can also post news, as long as it's relevant to the Whoverse.