Tour Honchos have noted, with some credence, that the focus of late has squarely been on the classic series.
But the surprise runaway success of the recent Jumanji film, and Karen Gillan’s major role in it, refocused us on a surprising but crucial fact. Despite the notion that Doctor Who has been since 2005 a high profile and acclaimed BBC series, it need not necessarily follow that all of the principal cast likewise be high profile. Certainly that wasn’t the case, with a few exceptions like Bonnie Langford or even Peter Davison, during the classic run.
RTD, knowing that higher profile casting could give a fledgling franchise a much needed boost, had an eye for named talent, but the advent of the Mofatt era moved in a conspicuously different direction.
While not completely unknown, the casting of each of his principal actors for series 5-7 thrust Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Jenna Coleman, and today’s focus Arthur Darvill directly into the spotlight. It’s a testament to each of these actors that their post-Doctor Who career has been remarkably successful on both sides of the Atlantic, with each appearing in other notable series.
In the case of Darvill that includes a turn on Broadway in the musical “Once” and appearances in all three series of “Broadchurch” (acting against both David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker) and his current role on the DC series “Legends of Tomorrow.”
The Tour recently has more or less tripled the images in our Arthur Darvill gallery. And if we’re right about the arc of his career, there’ll be plenty more to come.
