I have no pre-conception because I don't know a thing about Capaldi.  He looks like a Doctor at least.  I was hoping for a younger guy 30's or 40's but at least he is not unattractive.  I think it's going to make things weird with Clara.  At least being an older Doctor I may get my wish for someone less hyperactive.   

I was really hoping it would be Damien because Doctor Who is one of the few UK shows has made it big over here in the US and it would have been so good to see him better recognized over here.  I don't have any friends watching Ripper Street and only a hand-full who watched Being Human.  So they're all, like, "who the hell is Damien Molony?" 

-- Edited by Random Jane on Sunday 4th of August 2013 08:16:11 PM

I knew it wouldn't be Damien, i've said it all along. As soon as Stephen Moffat mentioned having the actor in mind for David's replacement, i knew then it wasn't him. 

This is my first reaction but i'm so disappointed at the moment. Not because Damien didn't get the job just that i'm not currently enamoured with Peter Capaldi being Twelve. I could've coped with any other choice but him. I'm not au fait with his back catalogue and knowing me, i'll probably end up loving his Doctor but right at this moment desperately disappointed. Sorry. 

I'm intrigued tbh. It's good that it's not going to be another actor that would be compared directly with David and Matt; Peter simply can't be that kind of Doctor, so they can wander off in a different direction and maybe go dark again like Christopher Eccleston or make him a much more 'mental' Doctor.

My husband and I will definitely give him a go...

And yes, I'm gutted it's not Damien, but he's got such a bright future ahead that I have no doubt at all that Ripper Street will expose him to the wider public and he'll continue to get bigger and better...

PradaKat wrote:

---

And yes, I'm gutted it's not Damien, but he's got such a bright future ahead that I have no doubt at all that Ripper Street will expose him to the wider public and he'll continue to get bigger and better...

---

 well said Kat!

I'm gutted for damien for not getting the part but yes extremely happy at the amount of support damien has gotten from fans and media sources online!!

On a personal note I'm happy that we may see him soon in theatre or something instead :) xx

I'm a bit gutted that Damien isn't the next Doctor, but I'm very happy that it's Peter Capaldi. He's brilliant! I'm sure he's going to be an amazing Doctor.

I'd like to see Damien in another role in Doctor Who. The Master would be great for him, domino.

I have woken up this morning feeling incredibly optimistic for Damien, and so excited as his fan, the level of interest and exposure given to his career and talent during the DW speculation can only bode well and with his graduation to a prime time slot BBC One in Ripper Street coming in next to no time, and now he is free (not tied up in one role for years) to explore ALL KINDS of amazing things! eeek!

I don't mind it being an older Doctor but I would have preferred someone other than the one they chose.

Your message, Domino, is so wonderfully put and positive that I am going with that. Doctor Who????

Theatre would be good but for people like me, I wouldn't be able to get to see him in anything in the West End! I want prime time TV!

Oh, yes! I watched the first series as I am not averse to a bit of gore! Matthew McFadyen was the draw then but that has, obviously, changed for Series Two!

After this, between the second and third series, I would like him to be in a modern drama or even something with a bit of light relief - a comedy/drama would suffice.

domino wrote:

---

I am so incredibly proud as a fan to have watched all the support for Damien as an actor over the past weeks, we always knew what a special talent he is, but to see that acknowledged by a wider audience, the general public and the betting odds is a thrill..and bodes extremely well for Damien's career!

And now we can get back to being excited about his next TV appearance... on BBC One in Ripper Street !

---

 I agree with all of this Domino.  While part of me is disapointed that he's not the Dr, when I was watching that programme last night and seeing all the Who fans there in costume, a apart of me was relieved that he's not going to be a part of that mayham.  We would have lost that "personal" relationship that we have had so far.  No stage door meet-up for us (Daniel Radcliffe is in the West End at the moment and does not come out of the stage door when the other actors leave, and David Tennant was mobbed two yeas ago when he and Catherine Tate were in Much Ado About Nothing) & I don't think he would be able to drink in the Royal Court Bar afterwards without security. And no watching the filming like people could with Being Human.  

I think in 2011 he said something about looking forward to the recognition that Bring Human would bring, but I get the feeling that he did not realise just how overwhelming it would be and the extent the fame would invade his private life.  When I read that interview with John Simms moaning about how the Whovians would stop him in Tescos I went off him a bit, but I've since heard some scary stories about Who fans coming up to cast members in restaurants & in public when they're out with their family and I'm glad that he's out of all of that, as I think his personality would change and that would be a shame.

I agree that Damien would be part of a whole new world if he had become the Doctor, and a world with an existing and also totally dedicated fanbase, but if he had gone for it he would have made that choice and I would have been deeply happy for him. It would have been ace for fanbases to connect too don't ya think?

I don't need to tell you how much I hate the intrusion info actors' private lives, whoever they are, but that is a symptom of a societal disease called 'celebrity culture' and it is not just Doctor Who! we'll have to protect Damien from that more and more, the more famous he becomes..

A few Damien fans have commented to me that they didn't want him to become the Doctor because us original fans would lose that connection, but from my perspective Damien would never forget! And without meaning to sound glib, he IS going to get more and more well known and is destined for bigger and bigger things, if that is something he wants it feels inevitable. Some of us have never met Damien at a stage doors, but we are still his hardcore fans, and i include myself in that - the sites being my dedication. his 'hardcore' fans will hopefully gravitate here with the rest of us (I know this is a huge generalisation and forums are not for everyone) but we know he appreciates here and is aware of the key players so all the more reason for us all to keep making this place what it is and keep improving! I was quite inspired by how passionate many WHOvians were towards Damien becoming the Doctor. No way could they have swallowed him whole, because the Damien Molony fanbase is there now solid as a rock irrespective of which project he is working on.