They're getting rid of Jack? Oh, sad. I guess it makes sense though, if you're gong for a more family friendly show. Can't have a pansexual existentialist messing with your head.

Oh, well. Robert Carlyle would have been awesome.

Family friendly Torchwood??? God Forbid! That's the nastiest rumor ever. For Shame!

What?! Oh man, thats all bad news.. Here's hoping it's a load of bollocks.

Noooooo!

You're my Doctor, David Tennant.

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This doesn't worry me much. I thought it was a disaster when Eccelston left and boy was I wrong about that one..

This plan annoys me greatly! I just got used to David Tennant, and decided that I actually DID like him just as much, if not more than my ninth doctor.

As far a Torchwood... I think the show might lose its appeal to me without several of the main characters. I often find Gwen tiresome, and enjoy the balance the others bring to the show. Although I do love Martha Jones.

@femto: Gives me a wee bit of the goose bumps that does.

I love Martha but hate Gwen, however the show just will not be the same without Captain Jack.

i love tennant (obviously) but i'm game for another hottie in the role, whomever he may be. but these Who rumors are not new, and may not even be true.

as for Torchwood - it needs work, but I can't see anyone watching at all without Captain Jack. Better to lose the whole rest of the gang and have him start over.

No Captain Jack? Then what's the point?

It would be understandable for any of the current Docrt Who/Torchwood actors not wanting to be typecast into acting oblivion (see Tom Baker's career)buT I still be put out by changes. Then watch avidly to see what happens next.
Tennant's career is white hot right now so he's got to go sometime. Hope the BBC doesn't mess this one up though (their past track record is less than sterling).
The rumors about Captain Jack leaving are being fueled by reports that John Barrowman has gotten the lead for a British revival of the musical Barnum. So Captain Jack may just take a season as a recurring character 'away on missions' for a time. I mean how big of hit could a revival of Barnum be?

If any of this is true, it just sucks on so many levels...

The addition of Martha to the cast makes perfect sense...but to lose Jack, Owen and Tosh would leave only Gwen and Ianto, neither of whom I think has the charisma (in terms of character) to lead the show.

I like the shows more adult tone and don't think we need another family friendly (aka Dr. Who) show.

Three seasons per doctor sounds about right to me. That still leaves us 12 years (4 more doctors) before they have to find a way to start his regeneration cycle over and that's plenty of time to swap in and out a few great actors and see what they do with the character.

Great, googly-moogly...'Cause yeah, we really need MORE family friendly television.
Say what you want about Torchwood. I know it's a little campy and contrived at times, but it it most certainly not milk-toast, watered down, sci-fi.
I LIKE the camp. I LIKE that every fifteen minutes, someone is snogging. It's good cheesy fun, without the aversion to anything but straight sexuality that you find on EVERY channel.
Seriously...in a sea of politically correct, conservative drek. Can't we have just ONE show outside the mainstream?

@gaygeek: Maybe if they had a musical version of Doctor Who, that crossed over to a musical version of Torchwood, Barrowman would be happy and stay.

Tennant sings:
"I've been around so long
I'm in a rut"
Barrowman sings:
"I, like half of the UK
want to touch your butt."

Gotta go. Joss Whedan's on the phone and he sounds PISSED.

The Doctor changes, folks. Tennant's easily one of the best Doctors, and I wouldn't mind him sticking around for another five years, but there were good Docs before and there will be good Docs to follow.

In fact, fan-casting the new Doctor is part of the fun. My personal favorite: a rumor that circulated back in the 80's that Brian Blessed was approached by the producers (as a possible replacement for Davidson, if I recall correctly).

family friendly torchwood? they can keep it. massive fail, just like k-9 and company.

@Jim (The Canuck One): i would sooo be down for the musical crossover....

@RusM: maybe they can get Phil Glenister to DCI Gene Hunt-up the Doctor.

The Doctor is regenerating. That's all. calm down, everyone.

As for Torchwood, whatever.

Carlyle's already denied one part of this rumour package. What makes the rest of it any more credible?

Ummm...Good riddance?

Ok, ok, stop throwing little tennant dolls, he's not that bad. He had a tough act to follow and he's done some really great episodes (Human Nature, Girl in the Fireplace, Doomsday) but...he's so...silly.

I know it's a kids show, but Doctor Who is best when it's a bit of a creepy kids show. The moment in Human Nature when he damns the three hunters to eternal life...shivers. He's an angry god, a mean 900 year old mystery man who is hiding so much that it kind of leaks out at the seems just a bit. He's avuncular and funny but he'd leave you to die 'for the greater good'. Tennant's fubbery funny man schtick just never caught that for me. He's not bad, but give us someone with a bit more bite, a bit more bottom (not that kind, thought a cutie would be nice) to them. Carlyle would have been great. James Nesbitt (from Jekyll) would be swell too.

New Doctors are fun and keep the show fresh. I'd love to see another surprising Doctor like Eccelston, who knew he'd be so awesome?
This season of Torchwood has been much less sexy and had better writing (mostly) so I can see that as a logical direction. Maybe if Cpt.Jack is just a guest he can get some of his awesome Who mojo working.

@femto: That really made me day. Thank you very much for posting. I've always had a soft spot for Peter Davison.

Changing the Doctor has always been one thing that works pretty well. I like Tennant, but I am pretty sure that whoever comes along next will also be the Doctor.

I'm guessing this is around 95% BS.

Lamest thing ever changing up Torchwood like that. Why not just get better writers?

Generally, rumors from any UK press are the equivalent of the Weekly World News, so I'm none too concerned here.
Sure, Tennant will leave eventually. But Torchwood minus 3/5 of the cast? Give me break. The reason the show was created was to be edgier than DW, just like Sarah Jane's show was for the kiddies.

I call bullocks on all of these.

I'll wait to see any of it happen.
The last stuff I remember reading a week or two back was that this season was going to be the last for Dr. Who as the Russel T. Davies and the entire crew were going to quit en mass when production wrapped up this year.
That turned out to be false.
so, I'll take any new rumors with a grain of salt.

I like what they've done with the Doctor so far.
A new actor in the spotlight would help keep things fresh.

I want to know how they plan to explain away the inevitable bump up against the 12 regeneration limit.

@tspack: Exactly! I have to hope this is just rumor mill garbage, in regards to Capt. Jack that is.

Unfortunately, Tennant isn't my Doctor, but I will miss him!

I would like an American Doctor... but that has about as much chance of having a Polish Pope.

Seriously tho'. The Doctor changing is not a big deal, who will be leading the shows new team, that is the important news. The story direction is much more important then who is saying the words.

As for Torchwood. I am not too worried. I still think we will see Capt. Jack jumping between the two shows each season, and that may work better. And the idea of a Gwynn and Martha XFiles type show is not that bad.

Changing the Doctor is inevitable, I just hope they give Richard E. Grant a proper go I rather liked his voice in Scream of the Shalka or what ever it was called.

But no Jack and no bisexual innuendo? Wheres the fun in that?

@Killa_Charlie: I'd have thought fans would have trouble taking Richard E. Grant seriously after Dr. Who: Curse of the Fatal Death.

I'm also going to play the "wait and see" game. It's all rumor up to this point, and I plan to treat it as such.

I am cool with Tennant stepping down though. Regeneration keeps the show fresh, and I am sure he wants to try other things.

My wish for Eleven - Damain Lewis.

Nah, I don't believe it. This is his dream role. And I've a sneaking suspicion that he wants to set a new record...

the best part about torchwood is how over the top it is. where else on major cable or network channels can you get so many episodes involving so much sucking face in so many different combinations of sexes, races, and/or aliens? making it family friendly or losing more of the cast (or both) would kill it for sure.

Listen, Torchwood should can Gwen (and the bf) and Owen (I'm gonna say it again: whiny, weedy, mandibularly-challenged). Keep Capt. Jack (who is THE WHOLE POINT of the show), add Martha for less dithering, more kick-ass, keep Tosh and Ianto around for support and eye candy. Keep the sex and violence and random snoggage.

Doctor Who: he's going to leave eventually, but obviously Carlyle isn't going to do it (tho he would be amazing).

@jane2073: Yeah the gap in the teeth... hard to ignore.

@Gyrus: From what I've read elsewhere, John Barrowman is looking to go back onto the stage, hence they are not getting rid of him. John is likely leaving because of other commitments.

Honestly, without Jack, why would anyone watch?

Removing Jack would remove the sole reason to watch Torchwood.

Unless they replace him with Marsters.

I'm hating the idea of my beloved TW getting any changes like those in the article...but a friend who is a long term Doc Who fan assures me that the source of these rumors (Sci Fi Pulse) has a terrible track record in DW fandom, and she advised me to take these with a grain of salt.

I hope so! A family-friendly TW is a TW that I won't be watching!

@Huxleyhobbes: now THAT would work!

Personally, I find Captain Jack un-sexy and boring.

I wont believe any rumours about david Tennant leaving until his dad tells the Paisley daily Express about it, which is the local paper which generally has up to sdate news from the families of DT and Paolo Nuttini and anyone else famous from Paisley.
And I cant quite see them getting rid of half the cast of Torchwood they would be as well creating a new series as doing that especially if they are adding MArtha to the mix.

initially i didnt like the idea of Carlyle as the new doctor, nothing against him, but the more i think about it the more i like the idea, but i'd think he would be better as a darker version of the doctor rather than the "jolly" version we currently have, as for torchward the whole point of the show was that it was the dark sexy version of the who'niverse, we have the sarah jane show for kids, dr who for everyone and torchward for the adults, keep it dark, keep it sweary, keep it rude and most of all keep captain jack