What could happen during the Interregnum?

 Politics   This long read from The Atlantic outline the scary scenarios of what might happen after the US election now that we know that the current POTUS isn't interested in a peaceful transition of power:

"There is a cohort of close observers of our presidential elections, scholars and lawyers and political strategists, who find themselves in the uneasy position of intelligence analysts in the months before 9/11. As November 3 approaches, their screens are blinking red, alight with warnings that the political system does not know how to absorb. They see the obvious signs that we all see, but they also know subtle things that most of us do not. Something dangerous has hove into view, and the nation is lurching into its path."

Between COVID-19, the no-deal Brexit and this, the three month between the end of November and January are going to put Western civilisation at a precipice politically and economically and I don't know if any of us are properly prepared for it.

Polls. Polls. Polls.

Politics You will have seen perhaps that the Radio Times has published the results of a poll amongst Doctor Who fans as to who their favourite incarnations are. I'm on the fence as to whether this a good use of polling or bad use of polling since it didn't include everyone ignoring Jo and John because they aren't “actors who canonically held the role as the incumbent Doctor at one time or another”. But to be fair, there have to be limits. Where do you end? The Morbius incarnations would add at least another six and what can we say about them? 

Anyway, let's look at the topline numbers: 

 1. David Tennant 10518 / 21% 

2. Jodie Whittaker 10423 / 21% 

3. Peter Capaldi 8897 / 18% 

4. Matt Smith 7637 / 16% 

5. Tom Baker 3977 / 8% 

6. William Hartnell 1983 / 4% 

7. Paul McGann 1427 / 3% 

8. Christopher Eccleston 1144 / 2% 

9. Jon Pertwee 1038 / 2% 

10. Patrick Troughton 915 / 2% 

11. Sylvester McCoy 462 / 1% 

12. Colin Baker 359 / 1% 

13. Peter Davison 351 / 1% 

 Some comments: 

 (a) The most obvious change from similar polls in recent times is the emergence of Paul McGann in the mid-table because as The Guardian notes he has "also played the Doctor in an audio drama" which rather undersells how just how many boxed sets I've had to buy in the past few years in order to keep up with everything.  Yes, I know I'm behind with reviews, but with one thing and another, my mind has been elsewhere.  Night of the Doctor also has to be relevant -  it still has its semi-permanent berth on the iPlayer and probably turns up whenever viewers search for the rest of the show on there.

(b)  Davison at the bottom, which should please Colin, who is notoriously unhappy when he comes last in polls.  Just a few votes in it though.  All of the 80s incarnations are down there, which isn't easy to explain considering how much Big Finish material is pumped out for them.  Perhaps they would have done better with an alternative vote system.

(c)  William Hartnell's pleasingly high although I wonder how much of that is David Bradley transfer votes.

(d)  OK, yes, David above Jodie.  As Mark notes, Tennant has replaced Tom as the default Doctor which underscores just how popular the show was back then, by which I mean a decade ago.  The new Big Finish stuff will have helped, as well as the pre-publicity for upcoming Whovian arts festival Time Lord Victorious which puts David front and centre.  Plus he's the busiest actor on the list and rarely off the television in a variety of shows, so there's a constant reminder of just how good he is.

Do these polls mean anything?  Not really although the gap between Tennant and Davison is sure to come up at the next convention.  Find at the top Peter explaining what it was like to become David's father-in-law.