Doctor Who: David Tennant’s American Doctor

The idea of an Americanized Doctor Who is a terrifying thought for many fans of the show. But could an American Doctor work? David Tennant has one in mind who could take on the role.

Let’s face it – just about the last thing that anyone wants is to see America get their mitts on any of our favorite television shows. They simply do not do justice to most of these programs, changing key aspects of the shows to fit their desired audience. Yet, in doing so, they lose those elements which make these shows special.

Another idea that is potentially frightening is to bring in an American to be the Doctor. In fact, having a Doctor from some part of the United Kingdom is a hallmark of Doctor Who. A Doctor of a different nationality just would not seem right.

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Yet, that does not mean that the idea of an American Doctor is not frequently speculated upon. In fact, even at least one former Doctor has considered who he would want to see, should an American take on the role. David Tennant has considered the possibility, and during Wizard World Con in New York, both he and Matt Smith were asked who they would consider for the role.

Smith chose English actor Peter Sellers as the one he would have wanted to see as the Doctor, but as Sellers passed away in 1980 from a heart attack, such a dream will unfortunately not come to pass.

Tennant, meanwhile, chose American actor Bradley Whitford, best known for his role on The West Wing. It makes sense that Tennant would choose Whitford; after all, Tennant is a huge fan of The West Wing, and even dominated a trivia contest about the program. Whitford would be an obvious choice for him.

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Doctor Who is a British institution, and the idea of an American Doctor just does not seem right. If there were to be an American taking on the role, however, Whitford may not be a bad choice.