Get Past It Or Move On.

For all those who have objected to Karen Gillan as the Doctor’s new companion in the upcoming 2010 series of Doctor Who, as being to young. I think we should all remember that there were many who traveled with the Time-Lord who were much younger then Ms. Gillan when they took their respective parts. From Jackie Lane who was 18 to Mark Strickson who himself was 21 when he took on the roll of Turlough. Understandably some believe that a younger Doctor shouldn’t have such a young companion, but wouldn’t be out of place to have an assistant older looking than the Doctor? Peter Davison was 29 when he took the part of the Doctor, and Matt Smith is only a couple years younger than the 5th Doctor. I agree that perhaps they should have cast an older bloke as the lead, but older fans of the show have to realize that for the series to continue there has to be a since of “new Blood” in the show to keep new viewers coming to the series and in fact that is what has happened since the shows return in 2005. As an older fan myself (and an out spoke critic of Russell T Davis as a writer) I understand that the show is not being made for older people. TV is for the young, it’s sad but true and the current series of Doctor Who is aimed at them.

As I look back at the series as a whole, Doctor Who has always been geared to the young children of the family, not their parents. As a parent myself I watch my sons as they watch the show I grew up with, and I see the same smile and excitement on their faces as I had when I watched the series as a younger man. I love Doctor Who, and always will. I continue to support the series even if there are a few things I would like changed.
As for those who just can’t get past it, well all I can say is support the current series of Doctor Who or move on to a different series like LOST where you will find pour optimism of the human nature and little connection with your children as you watch.

Past companions and their ages when they worked on Doctor Who
Jackie Lane (18)
Sarah Sutton (18)
Matthew Waterhouse (18)
Deborah Watling (19)
Wendy Padbury (20)
Maureen O'Brien (20)
Katy Manning (20)
Nicola Bryant (21)
Mark Strickson