The twelfth Doctor to be announced this Sunday!

I follow very few series currently, and even for the one I’m about to write about, I haven’t seen the last season in its entirety! That being said, it’s nonetheless my favorite series currently aired, and this since 2005, date of its rebirth. This is Doctor Who, without a doubt the longest science fiction series in the world, since its first phase lasted from 1963 to 1989 (Doctors 1 to 7), then a single telefilm was aired in 1996 (Doctor 8), before the current iteration since 2005 (Doctors 9 to 12 soon). Doctor Who is an institution as can be Maigret or Navarro in France, or Derrick among our German friends. The good side of the Englishmen for a geek is that their institutions are sometimes in the science fiction realm! The bad side is that the old Doctor Who’s budgets were tiny. If you think Star Trek in the Sixties was “cheap”, it’s nothing compared to Doctor Who in the Eighties, which was filmed for most of it on video!

Nothing like that for the new series since 2005, which doesn’t have anything to envy to the most recent science fiction series. The beauty of the Doctor Who concept is that its main hero regenerates himself, which makes it possible for the series to have a single continuity since 1963. Even if the special effects have made immense progress since, the basic design of the Doctor’s enemies remained unchanged. The scenarios are exhilarating, always different, and one can alternate in the same episode all kinds of different tones, from comic to dramatic, from comedy to suspense, from buffoonery to pure horror (not too horrible though, the series is intended to be seen by all members of the family). The concept of time travel ensures a permanent renewal of the topics and atmospheres featured. In short, great stuff!

The eleventh interpreter of the Doctor, Matt Smith, is about to take his leave after three years of good and faithful services in the traditional Christmas episode aired each year. The twelfth Doctor will be revealed live this Sunday on the BBC. Long lives the Doctor!