Have you... EVER even watched the show?

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Hah, well because Matt Smith's doctor is alot like the other ones, especially the second and fourth doctor - infact he's almost like all the doctors in one. He's got the wiseness of the first doctor, the drama of - well all of them and the humor of the second doctor. I will also have to say he's the best one of them all. He doesn't act like a human being which is what David Tennant did alot of times. Matt Smith dresses like an alien, acts like an alien and even looks a bit ageless like you believe that he could potentially be a 1200 year old alien. When you look at the other actors who've played the doctor you can sort of make out what age they actually are.

As for Murray Gold - why would you want the BBC to kick him? He's done an amazing job for the past 7-8 years. I think Doctor Who has the best TV-Show soundtrack ever.

Toby Withouse's (funny how you spelled it Whitehouse) most recent episode was dull (I gave it 6/10) but the God Complex and Vampires in Venice were great episodes, nothing amazing but I don't think School Reunion (didn't like that one) and A Town Called Mercy should be enough bad episodes to have him completely kicked out of the show entierly.
Mark Gatiss is a brilliant writer - on Sherlock. He's done good episodes on Doctor Who and he will never be kicked while Steven Moffat is still around and in my opinion he has never done an episode that I could consider bad.
I won't say anything about Karen and Arthur because that doesn't matter cause they are already out of the game but I will say they were fantastic on the show and DEFENITLY the best companions of the new series (Rose and Martha just sucked but Donna was fantastic)

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One of the reasons why some of the incredibly bad episodes in Series 1-4 are still watchable.

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Well Lucas, I would be very careful comparing someone like Tom Baker to... something like Matt. Tom's Doctor may have been a bit silly at times, but he was funny (just look at him in real life), and he could also become dark and serious in an extremely convincing way. Matt Smith's Doctor lacks Tom's gravitas, his style; he does not portray emotions well, nor can he mix them. He merely jumps from one to another, happy then sad, angry then happy. He acts like an obnoxious, hypoactive adolescent, unable to focus on one issue, fractured from reality. The first Doctor was a bland old (and I'm being frank) fart, who would sometimes snap at people, so in that sense, I guess Matt has something in common. Please give me an example on how Matt is so extremely funny, matching the second Doctor's abilities? John Pertwee (3rd Doctor) was an action-hero dandy, but he did it well, and he was a good Doctor. Matt is a bit of a dandy, in a bad way, too, with his lovely costume. Covered Tom already.

Now, since I have absolutely no connection with the 80s Doctors, feel free to compare Matt to the atrocious acting and costumes of the time (gotta love the 6th Doctor's outfit). And with the new series, Christopher Eccleston was fantastic, and so was David. They both could really keep you engaged with the storyline, plus they had some great episodes and very few bad ones. But I have to agree with you, Lucas, Matt Smith's dress sense (if he has any) is alien. It's pretty bad *bow tie, I'm looking at you*. At least they didn't add question marks on his collar, phew.

Now to the much awaited Murray Gold. I initially liked him, but as they years have gone by, he's kept his booming orchestral style, and I find it rather tiresome. Doctor Who not only needs new blood in the writing and acting department, it also urgently needs it with the music. His music, although composed differently, is always drones on in a grand style, and I feel it has long out lived it's use by date. So, the show needs a fresh start again. It would be great if Dudley Simpson, the composer from the Golden Era (1970-77), would come back. *dreams*

@AnnoyingNoisesProductions, Murray has been with DW since it's relaunch in 2005, so he also composed the music in seasons one to four...

Toby Whithouse wrote the God Complex, which, I'll have to disagree with all of you again, was not the greatest episode. They merely ran around in hallways that have a strange similarity to the ones in The Shining and hardly developed the Minotaur character. Vampires in Venice was okay. A Town Called Mercy was dull. School Reunion wasn't my favourite, but at least in had Sarah Jane. Mark Gatiss, on the other hand, has outdone himself with the awful Victory of the Daleks, The Idiot's Lantern was a bit idiotic, and Night Terrors... ugh. I didn't know the Doctor catered to obnoxious little boys across the universe, plus the dolls were a rip off of the gas mask people in series one. The only good episode that he's written, in fact it was great, was the Unquiet Dead.

And to cut the companion argument short, how dare you compare Donna to Amy and Rory?

Oh. Check out Dudley Simpson then...

Lucas, we could argue on and on... but let's just settle with the fact that we have fundamentally different opinions.

But before I depart from this particular discussion, I'll defend my statements for one last time. Lucas, I feel you, yourself, have a warped sense of style. Matt Smith can act to a certain degree, but he is certainly definitely not 'one of the best actors' Doctor Who has ever seen. After experiencing some first Doctor episodes, some Second Doctor episodes, most John Pertwee episodes, all Tom Baker episodes, a handfull of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Doctor episodes/movies and every single episode of the new series, I can whole-heartedly tell you puppy-dog eyes, 'heartfelt' recited lines and some groaning is NOT emotional.

And I'll leave you with this clip to savour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScUgeZ-f … re=related

Must I state it plain and clear? Your profile pic gives off a certain vibe (check out mine, it's invisible) but I'll continue anyway. That clip was actually emotionally sad, it's not like the Moffat era where everything, no matter how stupidly huge, gets resolved. That season purposely built a nearly unbreakeable connection between Donna and the Doctor, so at the end, the audience would really feel for the characters and their trauma as they were separated/erased forever. It was masterful piece of writing, and a testimate of David and Catherine's skills. If you cannot realise the powerful acting from both the companion and the Doctor, then I should not even bother trying to persuade you.

But I think I understand now what you consider 'emotive' or 'fantastic' acting... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mpmc198XApY

Do you have a Netflix account? Netflix has all the recent seasons and specials, plus selected episodes from the classic show.

On a separate note, people who want Doctor Who - a show that reinvents itself nearly every episode about a man who literally reinvents himself every few years - to continually stay the same, miss the point. I understand having preferences and likes and dislikes, obviously, but so many Doctor Who fans seem to think that one can only like one showrunner or one doctor or even one era of the show.

As someone who jumped on with the series relaunch, I think the Moffat era has been the best run of the show yet (even his single episodes beforehand were standout). That said, I loved the episode 'Rose' and I loved the RTD seasons and I've loved all three of the Doctors seen thus far. It's a marvelous show simply because it is so elastic, so adaptable and to lock it into one mode of operation would be a mistake.

We all have different opinions, but on a last note; it is obvious that the personality and characteristics of the Doctor will change with every regeneration, it's envitable. I realise and accept this, and I like many Doctors (Tom Baker, Chris Eccleston and David Tennant in particular) too. I understand the majority of people contributing on the discussion are Moffat-enthusiasts, which is absolutely fine (he wrote some fantastic episodes in RTD times), and I'm a pre-Moffat , but it is still all Doctor Who, so we should all just get along.

@Pritchard Studios, check out 'The Family of Blood' and 'Human Nature' from Season 3, 'The Girl in the Fireplace' from Season 2, Season 4 in general, and if you're interested, check out some of Tom Baker's earlier episodes when Phillip Hinchcliffe was producer (1974-77) such as 'The Brain of Morbius' or 'The Talons of Weng-Chiang'. You could probably find them in DVD rental stores...