If you are a fan of the new Doctor Who, then you probably know by now that David Tennant only has a few more goes in him this year as the Doctor. Next year we will be given new adventures with the "11th" Doctor.
However, I am not convinced that we will actually be seeing the 11th Doctor at all. My feeling is that we will be seeing the 1st Doctor again and that the BBC is "rebooting" the whole show.
Let's review some facts that have led me to this line of thinking.
FACT 1: "The Doctor's Song is ending" The Ood told him this, as did the psychic woman in "The Planet of the Dead." Now, this can mean many things but it pointing to the Doctor finally dying and not regenerating could easily be considered. And with SPOILER the rumored return of John Simm in the final Tennant episode END SPOILER who else could kill him completely.
FACT 2: The new actor playing the Doctor is the youngest ever. Normally this wouldn't give me pause since the age of the actors from Doctor to Doctor has varied over the last 40+ years. But take a look at the following shot of him from the set:
Wearing what I call a "1950's professor chic" look, Matt Smith gives us an interesting look for this incarnation. It just seems younger and more representative of the time when Doctor Who first aired.
FACT 3: The TARDIS looks shiny and new. Another shot from the set:
Technically, one could easily theorize that the Doctor has repaired the long broken chameleon circuit and makes the box look a bit nicer but still retaining it's classic look. But one could also theorize that this TARDIS was recently stolen from the Time Lords and doesn't have many miles on it.
FACT 4: A certain symbol is back on the TARDIS.
Take a look at this shot of the original first doctor and his TARDIS:
Now, look at this close up of the new TARDIS:
That is the St. Johns Ambulance symbol that was only on the first Doctors TARDIS.
OTHER POINTS OF SPECULATION:
SPECULATION 1: The Sonic Screwdriver looks a bit "retro"
Again, could easily be considered a new Doctor makes a new driver (wouldn't be the first time) but the potential for a younger Doctors tool is there.
SPECULATION 2: It's now the 21st century, everything changes. Captain Jack's famous lines from the opening of Torchwood. And after everything the earth has gone through recently (Cybermen/Dalek, Children of Earth aliens, Daleks moving the earth across the Galaxy) I think it is safe to assume that the earth of Doctor Who is well aware they are no longer alone in the universe. This changes everything in how the story progresses. The Doctor is no longer a secret myth, everyone can know about him. Not much potential for good storytelling there in my opinion. As grand as RTD's stories have been these last few years, they do seem to write themselves into a corner. Moving the show back into "the past" has potential.
SPECULATION 3: If we are to accept the mythos that a Time Lord only has 13 re-gens available that means we only have 3 more Doctors to see. The BBC could very easily be looking ahead at its most popular property and sees a need for a reboot to protect the life of the franchise.
So all in all I have no idea what truly is going to happen. This is all theoretical based off of what I am seeing from set photos only and my own imagination. What ever direction the show goes I am excited to see it and can't wait.
ADDENDUM:
The following additional speculation is based off of the 15/11/09 airing of the episode of Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" the following is considered spoiler based off of this episode.
SPECULATION 4:
At the end of the episode "The Waters of Mars" the Doctor starts to go a little nutty. He is upset with viewing so many "fixed" points in time and not being able to do anything about it so he decides to take time and fate into his own hands and becoming a walking god. Due to the actions of one "stupid ape" he is then shocked to realize that perhaps he can't change things at all. But I do not see this happening. I feel he is going to continue on this path. With the final episodes being labeled as "The End of Time" and now with confirmed proof of the return of the Master (he who will knock 4 times) I feel we are on course for a major cataclysm in the universe of Doctor Who that can result in a reboot of the franchise. Or something along those lines.
