p_gray99 wrote: It's possible, although TBH I don't see it happening very easily. It seems far too deus ex machina for them to think all along that she's going to die then have it be her twin. Then again, this is Moffat, I wouldn't be too surprised.
Ok, lets pretend that Moffat uses more terrible dues ex machina plot devices then Russel T Davies. If it helps you sleep at night.
I don't think the Doctor will meet her before the ship crashes into the Asylum, unless she spent the entire episode lying about never seeing the stars and all that, which seems unlikely.
I honestly really liked the episode, much more than the ones from the season's first half.
Good to see Madame Vastra back. The Sontaran made a fair amount of light humor, though I'd have been fine without a few of grenade-related comments.
Clara? Love her as a companion, much more than Amy. The cleverness makes the episode brighter and prevents the "Sonic Screwdriver/TARDIS fixes the problem!" problem.
Very excited to see her communicate with River, ought to be very witty.
Her line about liking to bake soufflés actually made me sad, reflecting on Asylym of the Daleks.
I enjoyed it but it did not stand up as a solid Christmas special. It was more like an interlude episode that gets the Doctor a bit farther from the Pond era and nearer to the next Companion, when IMO it should have been able to stand up by itself.
Spoiler:
Richard Grant was wasted in such a small role. The sentient snow crystals weren't properly explained. Too much bleeding obvious foreshadowing. Overall it was "bitty". No meat. No real substance. No involvement with the characters. The weakest Christmas special in "new" Doctor Who so far, IMO.
I am tired of the plot device that every girl companion is a perky, warm-hearted rebel, with awesome unique cosmic secret that will save the metaverse at the end of their second series.
On the plus side, the new girl is very easy on the eye. It was nicely shot and had good locations. The Doctor's disreputable Victorian costume was good. I liked the cloud top Tardis fort. I really liked the scene where he put on a bow tie. I liked the Sontaran character giving comic relief.
Overall I liked it but I already see this heading down the path of recent years where the companion has to have some complicated paradox of a life which will dominate the series. It's not a lot of fun and just feels like the current producer is more interested in his own 'clever' characters than making the show. We've had Amy and River, was hoping that maybe we'd have something a bit more normal now so the series could be about the doctors adventures, not entirely used to create another arc for the latest companion.
I agree with all the points brought up so far, so I'll say something different.
With the new intro, Tardis design and potato men, gives a bit of a retro Doctor Who feel. If at least half the episodes are written by different, non-Moffat people with that theme in mind, I think this could turn out to be a great series. Or, at least better than the last few. Here's hoping, eh?
I loved it, from start to finish. I loved this bitter version of the Doctor and the way he comes back to his old form. New companion seems cool, and I actually don't mind if the story is focused on her.
So far I like her more than Amy. I do wish he had someone that was not in love with him or something. Probably why I loved Donna so much. She Loved the adventures with him but not HIM. She was even able to yell at him and be pissed at him.
Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones was, for me, the most potential wasted in an assistant. Incredibly hot, very smart, capable and what does that blithering twit Davis do? Have her mope because she's not the sainted Rose, have the Doctor mostly ignore her because she's not the sainted Rose, then pair her off with the only other black character, because he was miserable after being dumped by the sainted Rose because she was in love with the Doctor.
Don't miss Donna one bit, couldn't stand the OTT shrieking.
I loved the new companion, I loved the bitter (clearly scrooge themed in costume and character) version of the Doctor and I loved that the Great Intelligence is back (AND VOICED BY SIR IAN GODDAMN MCKELLEN). That said, there were far too many characters in that episode and the story was a tad dull.
MeanGreenStompa wrote:Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones was, for me, the most potential wasted in an assistant. Incredibly hot, very smart, capable and what does that blithering twit Davis do? Have her mope because she's not the sainted Rose, have the Doctor mostly ignore her because she's not the sainted Rose, then pair her off with the only other black character, because he was miserable after being dumped by the sainted Rose because she was in love with the Doctor.
Don't miss Donna one bit, couldn't stand the OTT shrieking.
Nor do I miss RTD, not one bloody bit.
Sometimes I wonder why you even watch the show in the first place MGS.
If that happens, it can only be a good sign, IMHO. And IIRC some other writers have written episodes before... though I'm not entirely certain of that.
It is for a book but could this lead to him scripting some TV?
YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! Eoin is the only author with a book that I love to read every year, over and over and over, and it's still great! (Mind you, I still haven't read the final Artemis Fowl book, but I'd say the first one got me into wargaming!)
I'm not interested in the first Doctor but I'm sure Colfer can write a good DW story. Back when I read Artemis Fowl for the first time, I was put off by the way he just throws weird new fantasy archetypes in your face (especially the dwarf that craps out the earths he eats while digging).
If you think the current ones are good, then you'll either think the earlier ones are amazing or terrible as they're partially the same style and partially not. But I really recommend you watch the first season through to the end. It's one of the best endings, if a little sue-ish on Rose's part.
hotsauceman1 wrote: We need that Sontaran from the latest episode too be a permanent companion.
He seems to be relatively permanent these days....at the very least he is definitely part of the Doctor's 'support staff' as it were and shows up pretty easily when needed....
I thought the Sontaran was the one who also appears in the "Devils Run" episode. It seems unlikely the Doctor would be hob-nobbing with Sontarans on a regular basis.
The first official notification of how much anniversary flavoured Doctor Who we’ll be getting was on display today. It was printed on display cards at the London Toy Fair.
Here’s a photo of one such card that we were sent by three different Little Bleeders. Its original provenance is unclear but do let us know if you’re the one who originally took it.
So, there it is in… er…. blue and white, with some orange too. There’s one anniversary special and it’s 60 minutes long.
The Mark Gatiss-penned drama about the creation of the show is going to run to 90 minutes, but the actual Doctor Who episode itself, just 60.
Quite what Doctor Who Revisited will be isn’t yet clear. It might be the same thing as, or at least a cut-down version of, BBC American’s talking head specials The Doctors Revisited – there’s an obvious similarity in their names.
Steven Moffat has said that his show would “take over television” for the anniversary. That’s starting to look like something of an exaggeration.
I would be happy with just the last four Doctors or so. Peter David and David Tenant did do a short together thought that was a lot of fun. I totally had a geekgasim when I saw that.
I'd rather they just do a few Doctors and do it to a competent or even, let's hope, a good level - rather than attempting too much and horribly fething it up.
Would be funny if that man from one of Tennant's Christmas specials who thought he was the Doctor somehow got involved, be that 'human element' that helps save the day, hopefully not in a stupid or deus ex machina way though. That might be asking for too much with these writers however.
One of the monsters in the nest season -- in the Gatiss episode set in a submarine -- sees the return of the Ice Warriors. Or one of them at least. Slight redesigning rumoured/seems likely.
Said aliens also featured in Mr. Abnett's Dr. Who novel he did back in.. 2011 ( ?) , which is great and well worth a read.
Yesterday we learned that the it would reach at least as far as the second series and the Daleks’ invasion of London. Today The Radio Times reveal that Patrick Troughton, the second Doctor, will also feature, and that he’ll be played by Gatiss’ old League of Gentlemen colleague, Reece Shearsmith.
I’ve seen Shearsmith be very good in a number of things, from the short film Him Indoors through to Betty Blue Eyes. Often, if not always, he’s managed the same blend of vagabond charm and surprising menace that characterised the second Doctor. I do think he can pull it off.
I agree entirely.
A few folk, including members of the Bleeding Cool forum, have guessed that actors featured as incarnations of the Doctor in Gatiss’ drama will then also appear in the 50th anniversary special of Who proper. It’s a sweet idea, and I can imagine it’s something Moffat and Gatiss might well try to pull off.
And I must say, it did seem a little more likely when I heard of Shearsmith’s casting, and it’ll seem more likely still should we hear that Pertwee will be a character too.
.. and...
.. I'd be alright with that too, could work very well.
Take this how you will but I was feeling rather sceptical about a Steven Moffat quote in The Daily Mirror until I saw an independent Doctor Who blogger back it up. That’s not how old and new media are supposed to relate, is it?
Here’s the key bit of Doctor Who Online‘s report:
Speaking at the recent BBC Drama Commissions event, and subsequently quoted by The Mirror newspaper, Moffat had the following to say regarding plans for the special:
“Getting the other Doctors involved would be very fitting for the anniversary episode, wouldn’t it?”
Initially The Mirror newspaper failed to state the source of the quote, but DWO today got confirmation that it was indeed at the BBC Drama Commissions event.
So, why did Moffat say this? It’s hard to imagine he’d want to set up disappointment by teasing an Eleven Doctors story and then not following through.
The quote could be out of context, though. For all we know, the next words out his mouth were:
But we can’t do that, sadly. Luckily there are lots of other ideas that would equally suitable.
- just for example.
But what does “getting the other Doctors involved” actually mean? It doesn’t have to mean they’d all appear on screen – but again, would Moffat risk the anticlimax?
All Eleven Doctors! In voice only! Some in silhouette! And Eleven different Tardises! That’ll do, won’t it? No?
Bleeding Cool is fully confident that David Tennant will be making an appearance during the anniversary shows, in some way or another. We assume that he’ll be reprising the role of the Tenth Doctor. Beyond that? Just guess work.
But if Moffat did make this new comment, and I feel pretty sure that he did, then I think we can pretty safely assume – and for the first time, by my reckoning – that there really is a full-set Multi Doctor story coming.
Production on the 50th anniversary special starts in April.
An extensive video interview with Steven Moffat was screened at the Gallifrey One convention this weekend. It’s a very interesting clip, and you can watch the whole thirteen minutes or so at the foot of this story.
But first, let’s talk about some of Moffat’s opening comments.
It’s very very busy. Doctor Who, the 50th is approaching and there’s various different things, a lot of different things going on. Don’t believe the nonsense about one sixty minute film, that’s complete nonsense.
Is it?
It’s nonsense to say that the only program marking the anniversary will be one 60 minute special, because that’s not true. There’s also Mark Gatiss’ special An Adventure in Space and Time. But after that?
Well, there’s a lot of retrospectives, talking head shows and other tie-ins. There might well even be a handful of these prequels and mini-sequels that Moffat has been producing. I would personally be surprised if we don’t see some classic episodes come out of the archives.
But there aren’t going to be any more new episodes of the show proper. Not until Christmas.
It’s going to go like this: season seven part two, or season eight as it really is, will return on Easter weekend. It will run for eight episodes.
Then there will be a break. And then there will be the one anniversary special episode, in 3D. That will also screen in cinemas. It’s expected to be around sixty minutes in length, but it may be longer. Slightly.
And then at Christmas, the next special.
And that’s really it until December 25th. I trust the two sources who have backed this up for me implicitly.
The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is going to make quite an impact on the BBC schedules, there’s no doubt of that, but it’s not going to do it with a multi-episode run of the show proper.
And that’s fine, of course. We don’t have a god given right to be delivered Who in elephant doses.
The show’s anniversary is going to go off in fine style. I believe the promises. I’m curious, and I wish I could find out more about what’s going on, but I’m also happy to have surprises to look forward to.
I just know that none of these surprises will be unexpected, unannounced episodes of the show.
One of the monsters in the nest season -- in the Gatiss episode set in a submarine -- sees the return of the Ice Warriors. Or one of them at least. Slight redesigning rumoured/seems likely.
I've been catching up on Dr Who when it's up for tv download. I'm still not exactly a particular fan of the show. However, as far as this season is concerned, Jenna Louise-Coleman does make it very much worth watching.
I just felt this Dr. Who was DARK near the end, and i LOVED IT.
Spoiler:
Well first is the Dr. Trapping her in the cloud, THEN hacking someones mind to be obeidiant, Then what happened when she "Reset" everyone. She was a child again, it was terrifying, along with the robots, those where horrific.
I love where this season is going, Way better then the "Dinosaurs on a spaceship" of last season. Anyone care to tell me who the guy at the end was?
Really? I loved it. I thought it had some good foreshadowing of things to come too. Like the children's book the boy had was written by Amelia Williams, and who was the "woman in the shop" that gave Clara the TARDIS phone number?
Who here knew that Disney had their own spin-off called "K-9"?
I discovered it last night whilst channel hopping at midnight, and it was so so so so so so+...+so so so tacky.
Hey look! A deus ex machina! and another one! and another! (Repeat until problem is solved).
Compel wrote: I'm a bit disappointed with tonights episode.
All that talk about Old Gods awakening and appeasing them, with sacrifices to them.
I was hoping for Cthulhu or one of his buddies.
I was hoping that they were going for an Old God theme for this series, as I believe in the original series The Great Intelligence was originally known as Yog-Sothoth, and was an elder god of some variety.
Alas, it ended up being a "the power of stories and friendship will defeat all!" Episode, which disappointed me.
hotsauceman1 wrote: They defeated cthulu, with singing.
Remember when he faced satan?
11 has never really come close to how dark 10 was...
Yup. Tennant was awesome because he could go from joyful nerd to harbinger of the apocalypse in 0.2 seconds. The episode The Family of Blood was an epic example of that.
I enjoyed the last episode. Wasn't as epic as I would've liked, but then it still had it's moment, like the speech to Mary on how she was unique. And they say being atheist takes away the wonders of the universe.
"Can you hear them? All these people who lived in terror of you and your judgement. All these people whose ancestors devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves to you. Can you hear them sing? Oh, you like to think you're a god? But you're not a god, you're just a parasite. Eat now with the jealousy and the envy and the loneliness of others. You feed on them, on the memory of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow. So, so come on then, take mine. Take my memories, but I hope you've got a big appetite, because I've lived a long life and I've seen a few things. I walked away from the Last Great Time War. I marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment until nothing remained. No time, no space, just me. I walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a mad man. And I watched universes freeze and creations burn. I've seen things things you wouldn't believe. I have lost things you will never understand. And I know things, secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken, knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze. So, come on then, take it! Take it all, baby! Take it! You have it all!" - The Doctor
TheRobotLol wrote: The whole leaf thing near the end of the episode made me want to apply something heavy and hard directly to the TV screen.
I mean it's a goddamn leaft!
I think the whole idea (foreshadowed by the currency of the folks they were visiting) is that objects retain memories of those who possess them. The leaf contained not only memories but the impressions placed on it by her family of the 'infinite possibilities'. Combined that with the fact that that leaf created the 'impossible girl' and it made it rather important. Not sure what the impossible girl thing is yet (although amusing that the Tardis doesn't like her just like Capt. Jack).
Wasn't my favorite episode, but certainly wasn't the worst.
I hope they bring in a Benton-type character as a companion. Not only do the British have impeccable taste in military uniforms, but Benton was such a great character. It would give a great tie-in to the historical doctor without being out of place (as long as they don't try to actually get Benton. I imagine the actor is rather old.)
That is because the rebooted series forgot everything befor 9th.
Seriously, know a guy who calls himself "The biggest Who Fan" and he doesnt know who tom baker is.
hotsauceman1 wrote: That is because the rebooted series forgot everything befor 9th.
Seriously, know a guy who calls himself "The biggest Who Fan" and he doesnt know who tom baker is.
I don't think that's true. There's a big difference between fans of New Who not knowing about Old Who and New Who not knowing about Old Who. The first episode of New Who was an old enemy from way back in the day. It isn't like they got rid of everything.
That was the worst episode I have seen in some time and I'm a fluffy positive kinda guy.
It was bland throughout, the new girl keeping my interest piqued but when the Dr started his rant at the sun and the sugar Oates music started getting louder I know the ending would be a poor one.
The real disappointment was that I didn't turn it off when I realised. I'd happily have that lanky ginger bint back over another episode like that, hot new companion or not.
Christ more Daleks would have been preferable to that!
hotsauceman1 wrote: That is because the rebooted series forgot everything befor 9th.
Seriously, know a guy who calls himself "The biggest Who Fan" and he doesnt know who tom baker is.
I don't think that's true. There's a big difference between fans of New Who not knowing about Old Who and New Who not knowing about Old Who. The first episode of New Who was an old enemy from way back in the day. It isn't like they got rid of everything.
But who knew that Old Who would pop up on New Who???? Hurts my head to think about.
TheRobotLol wrote: The whole leaf thing near the end of the episode made me want to apply something heavy and hard directly to the TV screen.
I mean it's a goddamn leaft!
I think the whole idea (foreshadowed by the currency of the folks they were visiting) is that objects retain memories of those who possess them. The leaf contained not only memories but the impressions placed on it by her family of the 'infinite possibilities'. Combined that with the fact that that leaf created the 'impossible girl' and it made it rather important. Not sure what the impossible girl thing is yet (although amusing that the Tardis doesn't like her just like Capt. Jack).
Yes, I already know that, having actually seen the episode and all.
It does just seem...silly really, I could have fed o'l Starthulhu a fork and said 'Think of all the infinite meals this fork could have helped deliver, think of all the possible things I and others could have eaten with it!' Like you say, not the worst episode, but in my opinion no way near the best.
You could have but that fork hasn't absorbed a lifetime of psychokinetic energy to back that assertion up. I'm not saying it was a great episode but at least that part made a little sense.
notprop wrote: That was the worst episode I have seen in some time and I'm a fluffy positive kinda guy.
It was bland throughout, the new girl keeping my interest piqued but when the Dr started his rant at the sun and the sugar Oates music started getting louder I know the ending would be a poor one.
The real disappointment was that I didn't turn it off when I realised. I'd happily have that lanky ginger bint back over another episode like that, hot new companion or not.
Christ more Daleks would have been preferable to that!
Yeah the second episode was complete crap. I think I am actually considering stopping watching Doctor Who, but I'll give the next episode a go.
might be of interest for those of you with an interest in mini wargaming.
I might have to go pick some more up after the last ones... though packs of 8 (and looks like just new paradigm) isn't quite as good as packs of 11 with 5 NP and 6 classic...
A bloke that lived opposite where I used to live went and bought an actual dalek prop from the series, it was rather surreal when I saw a dalek moving down the street...
Yeah, much better than last weeks one; though that would not be hard.
Wet companion ....good.
Decent attempt at a bug hunt type script.....good enough.
Cast...pretty top notch (companion - just pretty )
Set....a surprisingly roomy nuclear sub but not in the least wonky.
Creature effects - Ice Warrior costume....sweet!
Ice warrior hands....straight out of a 70's episode! They were just building up some suspense and the next thing you know a pair of rubber joke shop hands are caressing Russian sallies heads? Fearsome warrior my arse, he was on earth to do some amateur psychic head bump reading!
So generally better but it petered out at the end I thought.
One is forced to question how the Martians had a technology 6,000 years ago that let them send a power armoured warrior to Earth, get him frozen in a glacier, lose him, forget about him, preserve him for 6,000 years, wake him up alive, activate a help beacon that was recognised after 6,000 years, from inside a submarine under 700m of sea, and get from Mars to Earth in 30 minutes to rescue him, using a transporter beam, and no-one ever noticed the Martians, nor have they done anything interesting in the solar system.
"The title of the series finale has been revealed and is the hugely intriguing: The Name of the Doctor.
The ‘poster’ for the series’ final adventure (above) was unveiled today and it also confirms that Alex Kingston is back, joining Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman for what promises to be a jaw-dropping end to a spectacular series.
But we’re not there, yet! We’ve still to unravel the mystery of Clara – the woman ‘twice killed’ and yet still by the Doctor’s side… What secrets does she hold? And in the weeks ahead we’ve a trip to a haunted house, a journey to the centre of the TARDIS and a nightmare clash with the mighty Cybermen. But after all those adventures we have The Name of the Doctor and stand by for something that you might always have believed to be impossible…
You can see all the posters for the final four episodes of the series in our latest gallery and Doctor Who continues tomorrow at 6.45pm on BBC One with Hide."
Thoughts about the "Ghost Story"? I honestly had no idea what happened. Something about a ghost, then they're on a planet, and there's an astronaut. And the chemistry between the doctor and his companion remains non-existant, it honestly wouldn't surprise me if this series was the last.
I have no idea what happened in Doctor Who Rips of the; Evil Dead, Paranormal activity and White Noise, other than loud noises and crappy visual effects where quite common.
If you want to make Dr Who scary, then put it in a scary environment, instead of trying to appeal to the people who scream and cry when watching Paranormal activity. If you have to rip something off, try doing it well, instead of poorly replicating the "demon shots" from the Evil Dead.
Again, another in the line of poor episodes in the new Dr Who.
It's best of you think of the episode as a subversion of a ghost story. - It's basically a 'romance' story by the end (between the Ghosthunter and the psychic, and the two 'monsters' reuniting.)
Mind you, I just watch it for Jenna Louise Coleman anyhow...
There was a few good scenes though, for one, they trying to avoid the whole Martha Jones situation. Clara Vs The Tardis was rather funny too. - "I was right, you are a..."
blood reaper wrote: I have no idea what happened in Doctor Who Rips of the; Evil Dead, Paranormal activity and White Noise, other than loud noises and crappy visual effects where quite common.
If you want to make Dr Who scary, then put it in a scary environment, instead of trying to appeal to the people who scream and cry when watching Paranormal activity. If you have to rip something off, try doing it well, instead of poorly replicating the "demon shots" from the Evil Dead.
Again, another in the line of poor episodes in the new Dr Who.
Let me guess... you forgot the show is for kids? It really annoys me that people expect the episodes to be up there with Supernatural / X Files or Millennium. The production values are way better than they were before it's relaunch and people seem to think that just because they are no longer using cardboard sets, disused sand pits or rubber suits that somehow that makes the shows for adults. They aren't. It's simple really... little Johnny sites down to watch Dr Who, mum and dad have a number of options. Either leave him to it or sit down as a family and watch it. As it's on at the time that most TV stations deem as family viewing, it makes sense to have a show that gets kids excited and mum & dad are happy just to veg out with the kids.
Some adults seem to forget that when they were kids in the 70's watching Dr Who, they would sit behind the sofa or with hands over their eyes whilst watching it, and this is with the cheesy special effects previously listed. If you are an adult moaning about the show I suggest you go and find something else to do as you are obviously missing the point.
Yeah there was some good tension being built up in the early "horror" bits, I could easily seen the 10 year old notprop kacking it a bit. Then it went scifi interdimensional lite and it slowed down a bit.
Then the attempt at adding logic by having them as great x10 grandparents was a bit, well...meh, then the alien lovers bit was just the usual modern cutesy wrap up I suppose, but in my book badguys are there for a good kicking.
notprop wrote: Yeah there was some good tension being built up in the early "horror" bits, I could easily seen the 10 year old notprop kacking it a bit. Then it went scifi interdimensional lite and it slowed down a bit.
Then the attempt at adding logic by having them as great x10 grandparents was a bit, well...meh, then the alien lovers bit was just the usual modern cutesy wrap up I suppose, but in my book badguys are there for a good kicking.
An enjoyable episode nonetheless.
Thing is, the monsters in love could have been good, If the went the route of "It will do anything to get back to its mate, stop at nothing, evn harming you" and have the doctor bring the monster in the house to it.
notprop wrote: Yeah there was some good tension being built up in the early "horror" bits, I could easily seen the 10 year old notprop kacking it a bit. Then it went scifi interdimensional lite and it slowed down a bit.
Then the attempt at adding logic by having them as great x10 grandparents was a bit, well...meh, then the alien lovers bit was just the usual modern cutesy wrap up I suppose, but in my book badguys are there for a good kicking.
An enjoyable episode nonetheless.
I thought it was a really good episode. Hasn't dr who always been scifi lite? Like when they fall out of the tardis into space with no suits and survive ect. I have also thought that dr who has a very high number of bad guys who are sympathetic/don't get a kicking (i thought it was one of the hallmarks of the show).
It's the first episode I've actually begun to warm, to the "new" doctor, i still wish the angry manic doctor from series 1 of the new dr who era was back :(
Wow. People are picky nowadays. I thought it was a pretty good episode. I will second (third?) the 'people expect too much from Doctor Who' sentiment. Watch some old Who and then complain about bad special effects or weird stories.
I know there are a lot of people here who don't like Doctor Who anymore. Or at least stick around hoping that it will become a lot better than they currently think it is. The last few episodes were the first time for me, where I felt it's kinda losing steam. I loved how absolutly bad-ass the Doctor was in Bells (even though it wasn't really him )but the 3 episodes after that were all me. I'm not sure why though. Something about the director's style maybe?
I'm not familiar with classic Who (just started the first season, but it's very slow) so I had no connection to the Ice Warriors. What bothered me about that episode was that nobody had a russian accent. I know, translation matrix and all that, but it would've made the episode a little bit better imo,
Hide startet of very interesting, but it was kinda weird how the skipped the horror angle so soon. It could've been much scariere. But Smith was great in that one.
The last one was pretty cool because we finally got to see more of the Tardis. We had two episodes last season which focused more on the inside of the Tardis and we never got to see that much. Lovely details here and there, live the voices of previous Doctors explaining what the Tardis is, when that one guy opened the hatch.
All in all, it doesn't have quite the same... pull it used to have. I loved the previous Smith seasons but something about this one feels off. After the explanation about the "zombies" in this episode though, I can't wait to see what they'll do with Clara.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Ovion wrote:
reds8n wrote: http://lawhammer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/doctor-who-adventures-and-free-daleks.html?spref=fb
might be of interest for those of you with an interest in mini wargaming.
I might have to go pick some more up after the last ones... though packs of 8 (and looks like just new paradigm) isn't quite as good as packs of 11 with 5 NP and 6 classic...
I enjoyed this week's effort. Clara looked particularly appealing in a rather retro style dress. My daughter thinks the various retro stylings foreshadow something about Clara that will get revealed as part of the big secret.
The episode was a decent one I have to say. It was also nice to see more of the Tardis.
A small spoiler if you haven't seen the episode...
Clara found out the Doctor's name and yet her reaction was incredibly underwhelming as if it almost didn't make a difference which makes me think that the finale where supposedly there will be a big reveal about his name won't even be interesting.
Darkvoidof40k wrote: Clara found out the Doctor's name and yet her reaction was incredibly underwhelming as if it almost didn't make a difference which makes me think that the finale where supposedly there will be a big reveal about his name won't even be interesting.
Way to think positive. A name itself doesn't hold power without context. A few people have seen his name, iirc. If it says the 'The Doctor's name is Other' that will mean butt-all to most of the people who have seen it in universe, including Clara. If you say that on screen, however, it will mean quite a bit to everyone who watches Doctor Who.
edit: And that's only one example of in universe names that could be attributed to the Doctor and would be a pretty big deal.
edit2: It is also a hugely big deal since, at least according to some in-universe sources, his name should really not be spoken unless you want some reality shaking cataclysm going on. (that was the whole point of the Silence arc, after all).
e latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine reveals the returning guest stars for the season finale, "The Name of the Doctor," will include Madame Vastra, Strax, Jenny, Richard E. Grant's Dr. Simeon in a "posthumous" capacity, and River Song, who will apparently come from a time after the Library in her timeline, so all bets are off. Here's the magazine's description of the episode:
"Every journey taken by a time-traveller tears a wound in the fabric of reality, and the Doctor has time-travelled more than anyone. But the trail runs cold in Trenzalore, the one place in all of time and space that he should never go. The most dangerous place in the universe... Who is kidnapping the Doctor's friends, leading him to Trenzalore? Could the Fall of the Eleventh be nigh? Or does an impossible girl hold the key? The Doctor's past, present, and future lives are in grave danger... and his greatest secret is about to be revealed."
And here's a quote from the episode that you really have to assume comes from the Doctor:
"The path I carved through time and space, from Gallifrey to Trenzalore. My own personal time tunnel, leading back to every moment I ever lived. Every step, every tear, every kiss. Even the days I haven't lived yet. Which is why I shouldn't be here. The paradoxes... very bad..."
[Blogtor Who]
Moving onto the currently filming 50th Anniversary special, here's a set video that reveals a very familiar, very awesome sign: 76 Totter's Lane, the home of I.M. Foreman, Scrap Merchant, which is where the series began way back in 1963. Indeed, the police officer walking past the sign appears to be a visual shout-out to the constable who appeared in the very first shot of "An Unearthly Child." So, for those worried about the lack of past Doctors — and yeah, it's pretty much confirmed now that only Matt Smith and David Tennant will appear — this is still one hell of a beautiful nod to the show's past.
whilst Bleeding Cool have another little spoiler...
Doctor Who is to debut a special prequel to its finale episode via the BBC's red button service.
A prelude to 'The Name of the Doctor' will be available to watch following Neil Gaiman's 'Nightmare in Silver' on Saturday, May 11, according to the Radio Times.
The three-minute episode will see the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) speak directly to camera, as each considers how little they know about the other.
'The Name of the Doctor' promises to resolve the ongoing mystery surrounding Clara, while showrunner Steven Moffat has also claimed that the episode will "change the course of Who forever".
"It's full of surprises and questions that have never been answered in the history of Who, including the Doctor's greatest secret," said the sci-fi drama's head writer.
The finale prequel will be available to users of the red button service from 7.40pm to midnight, every evening up until 'The Name of the Doctor' airs on Saturday, May 18.
I liked it, first time the Cybermen have been threatening since.. well... ever really.
Kids did seem a bit tacked on I'll grant you, but the older one was at least funny.
... the phone thing.. significant or not ..
and as for the regen bit....
Spoiler:
One of the theories going round about the 50th special is that John Hurt will in fact play the actual 9th Dr., the one who fought in..or through/whatever the Time War , and this version was either forgotten or lost in time or somesuch.. so Eccleston was actually #10, with Tennant 11 and Smith #12.
So I'm unsure if the frequent references to and showing of his past lives we've seen is either a set up so people go wow over this or in fact rules this out.
has some truly mental sounding rumours about the plot of the last episode
I'll C & P the relevant bits
Spoiler:
likely you’ll skip this sentence than what follows.
So, River Song does speak the name of The Doctor. It’s not heard by us, the viewers, and the image is slowed down, too. As a result, his tomb opens, and inside are “strands of the Doctors timeline and history.”
The Great Intelligence walks into this and intercepts the Doctor’s life at multiple points, spoiling it:
through flashbacks we see his greatest victories over the years turn into defeats and dozens of regenerations that were never meant to be
This prompts Clara to go into the timestream too, and she becomes the one who dies, over and over and over, saving him… but not always saving him. The Eleventh Doctor is still dying.
Until River sacrifices herself. It sounds like pure Moffat-logic, but River’s erasure from time means she can never say his name, and so he’ll live.
It’s no coincidence that ‘timey wimey’ and ‘mumbo jumo’ both rhyme, is it?
But it is interesting, if it’s true, because it makes this third Clara, the one we met in The Bells of Saint John, a kind of Clara Prime, the original of all of the others, and that makes it well worth while that we’re spending all this time with her, and her with The Doctor.
.. blimey eh ?
sounds plausible enough .... maybe smacks a wee bit of Moffat putting away all his toys for a new 'runner to take over and do their own thing with .... ?
I really enjoyed this episode as it showed the Cybermen as the implacable menace they should be. The only other time I felt that chill was in their first episode, if only for the one quote.
"You belong to us, you will become like us."
The kids seemed rather annoying, in fact.
The Doctor vs. Doctor was very well done.
I'm excited for the finale and perhaps we'll finally see the infamous explosion.
I dunno, there's always been something that's bugged me about Dr Who and its enemies. Why does everything need to be an 'impossible' threat? I mean, surely the cybermen would have been enough of a threat without having to add in super speed, immunity to wearpons, borg-like instant adaption etc etc
Also, are humans supposed to be immortal or something now, in that future? I thought they mentioned the war v the cybermen happening a thousand years ago?
EG, would it have been any less of a threat if the first ranks of cybermen had been defeated by the electrified moat, and then the later ranks walked over the ones before it?
Because its fun. His enemies have been adapting. Also the cyber men have had millennia to perfect themselves. That would probably lead to upgrades.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Oh and I would assume the emperor gets all the equivalent rejuve treatments that the resources of a 1000 galaxies could buy. Thea rest of them not so much.
Automatically Appended Next Post: According to FB, they accidentally sent out DVDs of this season this week. BBC is asking anyone who got it not to release details.
notprop wrote: Best episode of the series so far. Most enjoyable....best Warick Davies performance since Wicket!
Agreed, I was really happy to see Warwick Davis on the show, although him asking Clara to marry him was a bit out of the blue, but not enough to be episode breaking.
As for the kids, I had really hoped they'd not just be the annoying brats that got tagged along and would actually be decent characters and maybe even go back to the Doctor having more than just the 1 companion. I suppose that's expecting too much of Moffat though.
Otherwise an excellent episode as others have said, especially the Doctor's chess game. Would have been nice if the soldiers had actually had enough weaponry to put up a fight, because that would've made for some cool scenes.
Only thing that didn't make sense to me in the episode and was rather cliché was the cyber leader in the Doctor's head shut down all of the cybermen to try and work out the move, the Doctor's simple ploy fooling him.. would've expected it to just have the cybermen kill everyone and surround the Doctor and take him prisoner without any chance of fighting back. Of course, that wouldn't have been in the spirit of the show.
Darkvoidof40k wrote: Only thing that didn't make sense to me in the episode and was rather cliché was the cyber leader in the Doctor's head shut down all of the cybermen to try and work out the move, the Doctor's simple ploy fooling him..
That was a nod to a much earlier episode of old who. Big villains are always overconfident.
This just happened.
I like how his outfit resembles a halfway point between Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston, it adds to the theory that he's the real 9th Doctor.
Is anyone else of the opinion that they may use John Hurt to get a few extra regeneration of the Doctor? Sacrificing his remaining regenerations for Smith or something along those lines. Sounds like something Moffat might pull.
Having just watched the first Doctor Who I've seen in years (today's) I am glad I don't watch it. Especially when
Spoiler:
The Doctor comments on how the new Doctor gave up the name, then new Doctor is immediately introduced as The Doctor. It's just an odd choice.
Also I second the comments on the sonic screwdriver. To quote a favorite Youtuber of mine, The Doctor is a Deus Ex Machina, carrying a Deus Ex Machina, riding around in a Deus Ex Machina.
Great episode, agreed about the whole rewriting time thing happening a bit too fast and being quite silly but I think the rest of the episode was awesome. Love the '9th regeneration' but not '9th Doctor' angle, does this mean we are really on twelve, or will they come up with an excuse for the extra regeneration?
4ourswords wrote: The Doctor is a Deus Ex Machina, carrying a Deus Ex Machina, riding around in a Deus Ex Machina
Yep, some episodes have been ruined by really rushed and boring endings where they solve all the problems instantly and everything is back to normal. I can put up with the Deus Ex Machinas when the rest of the episodes been good but I found with RTD period most of the episodes were ruined by this for me, less so with Moffat.
Not quite - from what I remember is, that they used to have the limit imposed by the council and such, being the power to regenerate was drawn from was controlled by them (they could confer more as needed / wanted, but normally the limit was 12 regenerations).
Now that his people are gone, it is the link to the Tardis and the Time Vortex alone that sustains him, and as long as the damage isn't too great, and his link to the Tardis isn't severed, he can regenerate.
Basically, The Doctor Chose the name "Doctor" because he likes it.
But John Hurt is a regeneration that isnt the doctor because he did something so heinous he could not bring himself to call himself the doctor.
I thought the finale was awesome... very satisfying...
So, the river in this episode was the data-ghost river, but, we still haven't seen the doctor tell her his name, or give her her sonic as seen in the library, so I don't think we have seen the last of her just yet.
The John Hurt being a regeneration of the Dr that wasn't the doctor is a cool angle, however, the Dr has always taken responsibility for ending the time war by essentially committing genocide on both the Daleks and the Timelords, so why is it so secret? I mean what could be revealed that goes above the twin genocides anyways?
I am also hoping that after this they go back to a multi-episode arc format, these one-offs are rarely satisfying, and it will be nice to get back to some mythos building instead of low-import adventuring. It doesn't evolve the show to spend so short a time with characters and villains...
Still, this episode was the best in quite a while for me, November will be a tough wait!
The one-off episodes work better as part of a longer series. Until last year, the series were each about 12 episodes, which let a major arc develop more slowly and gave room for two parter stories. In effect, one year's episodes have been split over two year's series, with two different major story arcs.
Compel wrote: What I haven't figured out is how exactly did a psychic projection of River manage to open the door of the tardis in the first place?
And how come noone questioned the door opening either?
The Tardis is psychicly linked to everyone who has traveled in it. Being River was being projected through Clara, it's unsurprising that the Tardis could perceive her.
I really liked how they got the other doctors in there.
Spoiler:
I'm thinking maybe the 11th doctor is actually the 12th.
Did anyone notice Susan is shown with the first Doctor, stealing the Tardis? I guess that would confirm that she was indeed a timelord. But still no one knows what happened to her.
CDK wrote: I really liked how they got the other doctors in there.
Spoiler:
I'm thinking maybe the 11th doctor is actually the 12th.
Did anyone notice Susan is shown with the first Doctor, stealing the Tardis? I guess that would confirm that she was indeed a timelord. But still no one knows what happened to her.
Spoiler:
The whole theory that was going around before this episode and was further helped by this is that after the 8th doctor, there was a 9th doctor (not Eccleston) who was part of the Time War. All of that took place between McGann and Eccleston. So now, we have a very strong indication that Hurt was the 9th body, but not the 9th doctor. So the timeline looks like this
- 'Valeyard' - Not a Doctor, between 12th and 13th Regeneration
As for Susan, it was always assumed that she was a time lord just based off of the history presented in her episodes. We know what happened to her. She decided to stay in 22nd Century Earth after the Dalek Invasion. She also shows up later during the 5 doctors episode.
CDK wrote: I really liked how they got the other doctors in there.
[spoiler]I'm thinking maybe the 11th doctor is actually the 12th.
Did anyone notice Susan is shown with the first Doctor, stealing the Tardis? I guess that would confirm that she was indeed a timelord. But still no one knows what happened to her.
Spoiler:
The whole theory that was going around before this episode and was further helped by this is that after the 8th doctor, there was a 9th doctor (not Eccleston) who was part of the Time War. All of that took place between McGann and Eccleston. So now, we have a very strong indication that Hurt was the 9th body, but not the 9th doctor. So the timeline looks like this
- 'Valeyard' - Not a Doctor, between 12th and 13th Regeneration
As for Susan, it was always assumed that she was a time lord just based off of the history presented in her episodes. We know what happened to her. She decided to stay in 22nd Century Earth after the Dalek Invasion. She also shows up later during the 5 doctors episode.
Spoiler:
Except Hurt is one of the Doctors, since he is labeled as such in this episode.
Except Hurt is one of the Doctors, since he is labeled as such in this episode.
Spoiler:
Correct-ish. The dialogue right before that is that he is the version of the Doctor that didn't take the name because he was the one who broke the promise. I think it was silly that they labelled it like that at the end but I think it was so they made it perfectly clear that Hurt was 'technically' the doctor even if he didn't take the name.
Lint wrote: But what does everyone think of Hurt as the new Doctor? I'm pretty impressed with the choice.
He isn't the 'new doctor'.
Matt Smith is still 'The Doctor'. Hurt is either a past or future doctor depending on the theory. My money is on past since it would be silly to make the same mistake as they did in the past and use an actor for a future doctor when there is no way that they could still have him around in 5-10-15 years. Although, it could be possible that he is the next doctor. Unlikely, since that would mean the series is about to take a dark, dark turn.
I still standby him being the Time War regeneration and not a doctor. It is also very possible that they chose him as the 'old' version of Paul McGann. If you look at his outfit, it is similar to what McGann wears during his tenure. I.e. McGann was the one who eventually went to the Time War and then lost the name of the doctor based on his actions.
I meant "New Doctor" in the sense that he seems to be the new series* lead.
I was under the impression that Smith was done doing the show after this year, and assumed since Hurt was clearly introduced as "The Doctor" at the end of the episode that he was going to be the main guy of the series* going forward.
*I know you call it differently in the UK and I always get series and season mixed up.
Lint wrote: I meant "New Doctor" in the sense that he seems to be the new series* lead.
I was under the impression that Smith was done doing the show after this year, and assumed since Hurt was clearly introduced as "The Doctor" at the end of the episode that he was going to be the main guy of the series* going forward.
I don't think that is the case, Hurt will probably just be around for the special in November and then we will either have one more series of Smith or a brand new Doctor.
Lint wrote: I meant "New Doctor" in the sense that he seems to be the new series* lead.
I was under the impression that Smith was done doing the show after this year, and assumed since Hurt was clearly introduced as "The Doctor" at the end of the episode that he was going to be the main guy of the series* going forward.
*I know you call it differently in the UK and I always get series and season mixed up.
Lint wrote: Damn though. I'm not a huge Smith fan. Was looking forward to a less goofy/eccentric, more sinister/insane Doctor.
So not doctor who? When has Doctor Who ever not been goofy/eccentric? Basically you either get goofy or eccentric on each Doctor (sometimes both). That's how he works. If you're looking for sinister/insane, you're looking for the Master. edit: The whole idea of a 'evil doctor' has been in continuity before with the Valeyard and now exists with the HurtDoctor. It has never been the main character or series doctor, however, and I doubt it ever will.
And your mom's irish boyfriend is pulling crud out his butt.
pretre wrote:
So not doctor who? When has Doctor Who ever not been goofy/eccentric? Basically you either get goofy or eccentric on each Doctor (sometimes both). That's how he works. If you're looking for sinister/insane, you're looking for the Master. edit: The whole idea of a 'evil doctor' has been in continuity before with the Valeyard and now exists with the HurtDoctor. It has never been the main character or series doctor, however, and I doubt it ever will.
Fair enough. I don't want an evil Doctor though. Just one who is portrayed as a little darker. I just find Smith to be on the goofier end of the spectrum. Maybe it's the writing he's had lately.
pretre wrote:And your mom's irish boyfriend is pulling crud out his butt.
Lint wrote: Fair enough. I don't want an evil Doctor though. Just one who is portrayed as a little darker. I just find Smith to be on the goofier end of the spectrum. Maybe it's the writing he's had lately.
Really? I'm kind of a fan of Smith because he portrays the eccentricity and range of Doctor Who rather well. I think Tennant was goofier (although I rather liked Tennant).
Oh well, opinions may vary.
Lint wrote: Fair enough. I don't want an evil Doctor though. Just one who is portrayed as a little darker. I just find Smith to be on the goofier end of the spectrum. Maybe it's the writing he's had lately.
Really? I'm kind of a fan of Smith because he portrays the eccentricity and range of Doctor Who rather well. I think Tennant was goofier (although I rather liked Tennant).
Oh well, opinions may vary.
I thought Tennant's Doctor had a bit more range, he was goofier at times, but also had a darker side than Smith, although that may be in part due to the writing.
I really don't like the idea of Hurt being the older 8th Doctor. If they wanted the 8th Doctor to have gone bad, they should have gotten that actor to reprise the role or just not have done it at all. I would prefer to think the Doctor is lying about his current incarnation, have it be a future incarnation, or come up with a plot line where that incarnation occurred but was somehow not considered part of the time lords cycle. But with the entire 11ths run we have really not seen any well written plot lines, just rehashed half thought out ideas that a barely strung together. I am just looking forward to seeing Tennet again and the death of Matt Smith's Doctor.
Well, personally, I think he's the 'doctor' between the McGann and Eccleston. We've never seen McGann's regeneration and that would cover the time war.
Then the incarnation that the 9th, 10th, and 11th have claimed to be is wrong. Though this could be the secret that several characters have accused the doctor of keeping and the answer to the question Doctor Who? could be answered by the Doctors actual incarnation number.
NecronLord3 wrote: Then the incarnation that the 9th, 10th, and 11th have claimed to be is wrong. Though this could be the secret that several characters have accused the doctor of keeping and the answer to the question Doctor Who? could be answered by the Doctors actual incarnation number.
Exactly. Basically, as said in this episode, that incarnation is the one who broke the promise and was not 'The Doctor'. It means that the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors are actually correctly the 9th, 10th and 11th doctors because the one after 8 was not the doctor just the 8th regeneration.
I laid it out a couple pages back like this:
- Hartnell - 1st Doctor, Unregenerated (or X previous regenerations that are unknown)
- Troughton - 2nd Doctor, 1st Regeneration
- Pertwee - 3rd Doctor, 2nd Regeneration
- T Baker - 4th Doctor, 3rd Regeneration
- Davison - 5th Doctor, 4th Regeneration
- C Baker - 6th Doctor, 5th Regeneration
- McCoy - 7th Doctor, 6th Regeneration
- McGann - 8th Doctor, 7th Regeneration
- Hurt - Not a Doctor, 8th Regeneration
- Eccleston - 9th Doctor, 9th Regeneration
- Tennant - 10th Doctor, 10th Regeneration
- Smith - 11th Doctor, 11th Regeneration
- 'Valeyard' - Not a Doctor, between 12th and 13th Regeneration according to the Master
The valyard was between the 12th and final regeneration, they never stated a final number.
12 regenerations sounded good back when they were only on the 5th doctor, but they'll find a way to keep him going as long as the ratings hold
The master was offered a complete new set of regenerations from the time lords, so the doctor who was president at the time probably knows how that can be done.
The doctor was also given a bunch of regeneration energy from his wife.
Plus he's on the good side of the white guardian, so he could probably pull some strings
MajorTom11 wrote:The John Hurt being a regeneration of the Dr that wasn't the doctor is a cool angle, however, the Dr has always taken responsibility for ending the time war by essentially committing genocide on both the Daleks and the Timelords, so why is it so secret? I mean what could be revealed that goes above the twin genocides anyways?
That bothered me too. Ten never made that a secret. Still would make sense though and be a great set-up for a full season.
CthuluIsSpy wrote:Also, the last episode is a cop out. They don't tell you his name ><
Look at it this way: The episode never was about what the name of the Doctor is, but instead what it means in regards to John Hurt.
A series about an old man traveling around in his panel sided vehicle and trying to lure those less than a fifth his age inside with promises of adventure and candy.
AduroT wrote: A series about an old man traveling around in his panel sided vehicle and trying to lure those less than a fifth his age inside with promises of adventure and candy.
Matt Smith wrote:"Doctor Who has been the most brilliant experience for me as an actor and a bloke, and that largely is down to the cast, crew and fans of the show.
"I'm incredibly grateful to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day to realise all the elements of the show and deliver Doctor Who to the audience. Many of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last four years.
"Having Steven Moffat as show runner write such varied, funny, mind bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most rewarding challenges of my career. It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven - he's a good friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor.
The fans of Doctor Who around the world are unlike any other; they dress up, shout louder, know more about the history of the show (and speculate more about the future of the show) in a way that I've never seen before.
"Your dedication is truly remarkable. Thank you so very much for supporting my incarnation of the Time Lord, number 11, who I might add is not done yet - I'm back for the 50th anniversary and the Christmas special.
"It's been an honour to play this part, to follow the legacy of brilliant actors, and helm the Tardis for a spell with 'the ginger, the nose and the impossible one'. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go and Trenzalore calls. Thank you guys. Matt."
pretre wrote: Both have big careers right now, don't they?
Automatically Appended Next Post: We need an old doctor. Or a woman or both.
Benedict Cumberbatch's is doing season 3 of Sherlock and has already recorded his voic work for smaug in the Hobbit. Otherwise his public schedule is clear.
Though there is an actor or two from Game of Thrones who will have open schedules pretty soon.
Compared to everyone that doesn't die soon, yes it is. He doesn't have a whole lot of scenes in A Feast for Crows unless we're really stretching out that boat trip.
The producers had indicated that seasons 4 and 5 will depict the events in A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons to maintain the chronological sequence of events unlike the books. Partially a reason for not adding a subtitle to each season that corresponds to the books.
NecronLord3 wrote: A news article floating on FB is suggesting The Doctor is coming back female this time.
To satisfy critics they should be bring him back as a half black, half Asian female.
Not disabled?
Bigot!
I haven't heard of anyone complaining that the Doctor doesn't represent the disabled but I guess they could accommodate that mid season where the Doctor suffers a disabling injury and has to construct a wheel chair ramp for the Tardis and realizes that he is gay.
I think that covers all the minorities... oh and we will make sure his next companion is Hispanic.
William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, John Hurt, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith…
Who will play the Thirteenth Doctor? And, according to Time Lord lore, The Last Doctor?
We have some history here. Last time, Rich said for ages that it was Paterson Joseph. Because, at the time, it was. He was the Moffat favourite for some time, before Matt Smith’s audition. And Joseph has said publicly that he was second choice.
But you know, Rich did get it right. Eventually. And before it was announced.
Okay, okay, it turned out that he was the Twelfth Doctor. But still. We knew for a fact that David Tennant was coming back for the 50th anniversary, and that Matt Smith was absolutely, definitely leaving long before the announcement came. And we did have this extra regeneration thing tied up a few weeks ago…
First up, we understand that whoever the lucky actor is, they were cast earlier in the year. Moffat may be talking about looking for a replacement in the present tense, but the individual in question has been locked down since January. But who? Not sure. And is the actor in question male or female?
Now. Every time this comes around, the tabloids (and now The Times) start speculating if we will get a female Doctor. My instinct is still to say no…but if the Doctor gets an extended run past his thirteenth incarnation, that’s when something radical could and probably should happen. Maybe we’ll get a run of thirteen female Doctors from about 2017 on…?
But who are the names in the hat this time round? Here are thirteen Bleeding Cool suggestions for who we think may be up for playing Thirteen. Or not.
1. Ben Daniels
The Bleeding Cool favourite. You may know him from the recent House Of Cards remake, Cutting It or The State Within but he’s better known for his theatre work. Mentioned by a fair bunch of people, he’s seen as a sign that the Who crew may be going older this time.
2. Stephen Mangan
The star of Green Wing, Dirk Gently and Episodes. Again, he was mentioned by Who people. And before announcement last night, he tweeted this:
3. David Threlfall
Star of Shameless, which has recently come to an end. His range is far broader than the broadness of Frank Gallagher though, and you may also recognise him from Hot Fuzz. Again, we’ve heard his name suggested this time round.
4. Paterson Joseph
Yeah, well, second time lucky. Watch Neverwhere to see how he nailed pretty much this exact character in a completely different TV show. One written by Neil Gaiman too.
5. David Harewood
The bookies are giving good odds, and he also nailed The Marquis de Carabas. A popular pick with pundits in the press today too, so let’s just add to that.
6. Jenna-Louise Coleman
Another Bleeding Cool favourite. Seriously – don’t dismiss this out of hand. And wouldn’t it just put a particularly ferocious cat among the pigeons.
7. Sue Perkins
If one thing is guaranteed to keep Brendon watching the show, it would be the casting of Sue Perkins. There’s a twitter campaign too, with the hashtag #doctorSUE. And it’s okay, we wouldn’t have to have either Mel Geidroyc or Giles Coren as the companion.
8. Idris Elba
With barnstorming roles in The Wire and Luther, he has genre form in Ultraviolet, Prometheus and Thor, and can run down a corridor like nobody’s business.
9. James Nesbitt
He has history with Moffat in Jekyll, he’s dead sexy and every planet has an Ireland.
10. Benedict Cumberbatch
A proper fan favourite, this casting choice would probably crash Tumblr. And if Cumberbatch is unlikely to make series of Sherlock and Doctor Who in the same year, then Moffat would be too, and that’s what he really needs – time off to get fresh.
11. Chiwetel Ejoifor
Mentioned a lot the last time this all happened. His roles in Dirty, Pretty Things and Serenity have cemented his fandom. And he’s got an effortless charm.
12. David Tennant
Shut up.
No, think about it. What if he can sometimes regenerate backwards? Or what if Moffat sends the regenerating Smith off into a dark corner of the continuum, leaving a revitalised Ten (or Eleven, as it now is) to track him down and rescue him? Or something.
13. Alan Davies, Bill Bailey, Eddie Izzard and so on
No way. Straight off. They always get mentioned and… no. Also Bill Nighy turned it down once already. And Rowan Atkinson doesn’t want the work load. David Walliams has a slightly different ‘brand’ these days.
The “popular comedian player that always gets mentioned” can be a single entity for our purposes. A singular, never-gonna-get-it entity. It’s been too long since John Pertwee. Though, as we said before, Sue Perkins is a special case.
Brendon is going to put a couple of bets on tomorrow and Rich is going to put on four but we’re both favouring the same candidates, really, based on… what we’ve heard echoes of. Maybe we can make some money.
Though Rich is still down fifty quid from last time. If you are thinking of having a flutter, register with Ladbrokes, William Hill or Betfair via TopCashBack.co.uk and you’ll get cashback with your first bet – William Hill gives you £11, Betfair gives you £20, Ladbrokes gives you £20, Paddy Power gives you £25.
William Hill also runs a free £25 bet after your first £25 bet, Betfair gives you a free £25 bet when you register, and Paddy Power give you £20 extra to bet when you bet £10…
The star of Green Wing, Dirk Gently and Episodes. Again, he was mentioned by Who people. And before announcement last night, he tweeted this:
............
I don't usually go in for the usual whovian obsessing/navel gazing debates but....
While I appreciate that I'm just biting Bleedin Cool carrots lefts out there to get the unwary, if this comes to pass I will not be able to watch and will have to hand in my multi-coloured scarf at the nearest police phone box.
James Nesbit would be fantastic. He's shown great range in the past, but the role might be too juvenile for him, depending on how its written. Almost certainly wouldn't do fishfingers and custard.
Well I liked Matt but I look forward to a new one too. The speculation on a new guy is nuts but actually fun lol. I'm for Rupert Grint so he can be Ginger finally.
I think Hurt is not the first or in between doctor or something like that. I think he's the Last Doctor. The one that is dead and buried on that world. We have no idea how many regenerations are between them though. It could have been 10 more for all we know.
CDK wrote: I think Hurt is not the first or in between doctor or something like that. I think he's the Last Doctor. The one that is dead and buried on that world. We have no idea how many regenerations are between them though. It could have been 10 more for all we know.
Unlikely. Since we saw no other future doctors in that episode. Also, his outfit is very Paul McGann-y. Ultimately, we'll find out but the whole crux of the dialog in that episode was that he was a Doctor not named the Doctor because of what he did. Which easily slots him in between 8 and 9.
CDK wrote: Then who was the Doctor that was the cause of that great war and was dead and buried there? I think it's was that one.
Probably doesn't matter because by the end of it he will probably cease to exist.
That one was the final doctor. It is unlikely that the Doctor is going to die anytime soon and they wouldn't actually show the final doctor so that they don't have to dig up a look alike in 50 years.
NecronLord3 wrote: It is kinda strange that the Parody featuring Hugh Grant as the 12th doctor still referred to the same planet the Doctor is Buried on by name in the last episode...
NecronLord3 wrote: It is kinda strange that the Parody featuring Hugh Grant as the 12th doctor still referred to the same planet the Doctor is Buried on by name in the last episode...
You sure about that? I thought it was Tersurus.
Never mind it was Trenzelor inthe name of the doctor and Zaston IV in the Parody. Sounded the same when I read it.
CDK wrote: I think Hurt is not the first or in between doctor or something like that. I think he's the Last Doctor. The one that is dead and buried on that world. We have no idea how many regenerations are between them though. It could have been 10 more for all we know.
Unlikely. Since we saw no other future doctors in that episode. Also, his outfit is very Paul McGann-y. Ultimately, we'll find out but the whole crux of the dialog in that episode was that he was a Doctor not named the Doctor because of what he did. Which easily slots him in between 8 and 9.
Sounds like the most logical choice to me as well, but it's not like the Time War is a secret. Ten talked about it all the time.
CDK wrote: I think Hurt is not the first or in between doctor or something like that. I think he's the Last Doctor. The one that is dead and buried on that world. We have no idea how many regenerations are between them though. It could have been 10 more for all we know.
Unlikely. Since we saw no other future doctors in that episode. Also, his outfit is very Paul McGann-y. Ultimately, we'll find out but the whole crux of the dialog in that episode was that he was a Doctor not named the Doctor because of what he did. Which easily slots him in between 8 and 9.
Sounds like the most logical choice to me as well, but it's not like the Time War is a secret. Ten talked about it all the time.
He may have talked about it all the time, but was he telling the truth? It always seemed like he was saying how 'it was the only way to end it' when he spoke about wiping out the Time Lords and Daleks, almost as if trying to convince himself of it or justify his actions. Maybe, and it is a big maybe, it wasn't the only way he could have ended it but it was the easiest way? Perhaps he recognised that after the Time War whichever side emerged victorious would end up doing great harm to the rest of the galaxy and so decided to renounce his 'Doctor' status and commit genocide to prevent a possible future?
That's the way I'm looking at how he might fit in, mostly as it always seemed too neat that all the Time Lords and all the Daleks were in one place at the same time so he could easily end the war. If he had to hunt down those that were elsewhere, well, that doesn't seem to Doctor like to me.
Yeah. Whatever he did was for 'peace and sanity'. Hunting down and killing every last time lord and dalek? Certainly might bring peace and sanity, but it is not something that he would want associated with his name.
If he's the last Doctor he could still be taken out of existence at the end of the episode as well. They can change the future so he never becomes that Doctor/Not Doctor. They have shown to be pretty loose with paradoxes and stuff.
He seemed damn proud of what he did in the time war. But what did it accomplish? The Daleks are still active and a threat, he just has his passed off race to fear.
The time war must be a part of it due to what we saw in Journey, but I think there is more to it than the John Hurt being the one involved in the time war.
My question is why does he refer to himself as being 900 years only in the 9th version, and 1000 years old in the tenth when he never lives a full life time in each incarnation? Plus considering time is not even linear to a time lord, it's on odd way to measure existence for them.
NecronLord3 wrote: My question is why does he refer to himself as being 900 years only in the 9th version, and 1000 years old in the tenth when he never lives a full life time in each incarnation? Plus considering time is not even linear to a time lord, it's on odd way to measure existence for them.
We do not see all of what happens to the doctor. Between each episode could be years of time where he is travelling or just staring at a wall. We have seen a tiny percentage of his lifetime. That's how 100 years can pass between 9 and 10.
CthuluIsSpy wrote: I never understood how a time lord could age. Is 1000 the number of years in total he spent in the tardis?
It is the number of years he has been alive 'local time'. Meaning if you had a stop watch running from when the doctor was born to right now and you followed him around with it and never left his side, the stop watch would show 1000 years.
NecronLord3 wrote: He seemed damn proud of what he did in the time war. But what did it accomplish? The Daleks are still active and a threat, he just has his passed off race to fear.
The time war must be a part of it due to what we saw in Journey, but I think there is more to it than the John Hurt being the one involved in the time war.
My question is why does he refer to himself as being 900 years only in the 9th version, and 1000 years old in the tenth when he never lives a full life time in each incarnation? Plus considering time is not even linear to a time lord, it's on odd way to measure existence for them.
I took it that he did a lot of lone travelling between the Ponds leaving and finding the new one. A Time Lord would be able to measure subjective time at any rate, whatever period of galactic history they went to.
NecronLord3 wrote: He seemed damn proud of what he did in the time war. But what did it accomplish? The Daleks are still active and a threat, he just has his passed off race to fear.
The time war must be a part of it due to what we saw in Journey, but I think there is more to it than the John Hurt being the one involved in the time war.
My question is why does he refer to himself as being 900 years only in the 9th version, and 1000 years old in the tenth when he never lives a full life time in each incarnation? Plus considering time is not even linear to a time lord, it's on odd way to measure existence for them.
He was 900 yearsish as the eleventh doctor at the start, then 1000/1100ish> (I forget the exact number) later - he took a 'break' (or was lying, not entirely sure).
But there's a lot of off-screen adventures, a lot of books, and tons of stuff not covered in either format.
Time isn't linear around a time traveler, but their personal timeline is - they still age, and he can mark this progression by X time to establish his age.
CthuluIsSpy wrote: I never understood how a time lord could age. Is 1000 the number of years in total he spent in the tardis?
It is the number of years he has been alive 'local time'. Meaning if you had a stop watch running from when the doctor was born to right now and you followed him around with it and never left his side, the stop watch would show 1000 years.
CthuluIsSpy wrote: I never understood how a time lord could age. Is 1000 the number of years in total he spent in the tardis?
It is the number of years he has been alive 'local time'. Meaning if you had a stop watch running from when the doctor was born to right now and you followed him around with it and never left his side, the stop watch would show 1000 years.
So it refers to his biological age then?
Yes. When the Doctor says he's 1000 years old, he means biological age as we think of it. Even though he has regenerated multiple times, he's still the same person born 1000 years ago.
NecronLord3 wrote: He seemed damn proud of what he did in the time war. But what did it accomplish? The Daleks are still active and a threat, he just has his passed off race to fear.
The time war must be a part of it due to what we saw in Journey, but I think there is more to it than the John Hurt being the one involved in the time war.
My question is why does he refer to himself as being 900 years only in the 9th version, and 1000 years old in the tenth when he never lives a full life time in each incarnation? Plus considering time is not even linear to a time lord, it's on odd way to measure existence for them.
He was 900 yearsish as the eleventh doctor at the start, then 1000/1100ish> (I forget the exact number) later - he took a 'break' (or was lying, not entirely sure).
But there's a lot of off-screen adventures, a lot of books, and tons of stuff not covered in either format.
Time isn't linear around a time traveler, but their personal timeline is - they still age, and he can mark this progression by X time to establish his age.
I would accept that except that he isn't reborn a child. So you can knock of like 20 years at least per incarnation, not to mention the incarnations that die within a few years of that. We see the incarnations age relatively normally, and I accept the possibility that time lords age differently, I just think its a stretch for him to claim an age of 1000 years, just because he's on his 11th incarnation. An age of around 300-500 years seems more reasonable without further explanation. But don't get me wrong, I accept this fiction and do not desire explanation, I learned my lesson with Star Wars and Star Trek, so things just require a suspension of disbelief.
It seems Michael Jackson's daughter Paris is as surprised as the rest of us to read the Daily Star's claim that she has been "lined up" to be the next Doctor Who...
Somehow Jackson's tweet about wanting to be Doctor Who became the Daily Star's front page announcement that she was set to be announced as the next Timelord.
It seems Michael Jackson's daughter Paris is as surprised as the rest of us to read the Daily Star's claim that she has been "lined up" to be the next Doctor Who...
Somehow Jackson's tweet about wanting to be Doctor Who became the Daily Star's front page announcement that she was set to be announced as the next Timelord.
Easy E wrote: Jason Statham would be a more "action" oriented Doctor. Think of the possibilities.
No.
Yeah, I can't really either, but if it means we get less "Man Of Action" companions like good old Ian, Jamie, Harry, etc. I might be for it.
Not thanks. Other than Pertwee, and even then, the Doctor did more with words than with fists. I wouldn't mind a companion however that could fight. Lela anyone?
Easy E wrote: Jason Statham would be a more "action" oriented Doctor. Think of the possibilities.
No.
Yeah, I can't really either, but if it means we get less "Man Of Action" companions like good old Ian, Jamie, Harry, etc. I might be for it.
If you're going that route, I think Vin Diesel would be better than Statham
Though as an alternate, sort of the 'best' (or worst?) of both worlds - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson!
XD
Easy E wrote: Vin and the Rock would be great, but they aren't from the UK old chum.
Yuck. As much as I like them as action stars, neither would be good Who material. And I don't think being from the UK is a requirement, although it is probably a factor.
Easy E wrote: Vin and the Rock would be great, but they aren't from the UK old chum.
Yuck. As much as I like them as action stars, neither would be good Who material. And I don't think being from the UK is a requirement, although it is probably a factor.
I only said Vin Diesel as he is better than Statham (who as much as I like, doesn't really have much range.... quilet/slightly louder/punchingpeople is not the greatest variety of acting ).
However, I could see the Rock, even if only for a brief time - because it's silly. And in his sillier roles, such as Tooth Fairy he actually does relatively well. xD
TBH, if they announced it as Dwayne Johnson... I don't think I'd have a problem with that.
But ultimately, I'm not entirely serious - I'm sure there's a better choice.
Ovion wrote: I only said Vin Diesel as he is better than Statham (who as much as I like, doesn't really have much range.... quilet/slightly louder/punchingpeople is not the greatest variety of acting )..
Surprisingly, Vin would probably decline the part if offered. He's a fan of the series. Though I think he'd have made an awesome Time War era regeneration.
What about Ausies? Are they UK enough? I know it's not N. Ireland, Scotland, or Britain but it's still very close isn't it? I don't really know to be honest.
I see that Russell Brand has made some comment about it and I think it could work. He see's himself as a Baker'ish type of Dr Who. Would be interesting to see an audition video at least
Yeah except Eccelstein refused to participate and McGann wasn't asked. It's a shame I would like to see as many of the living actors as reasonably possible included. The narrative would have to explain some of the Doctors advanced ages.
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