Topic: Doctor Who **USE SPOILER TAGS PLEASE**

[SP]

I'm surprised they haven't brought captain Jack back yet for a few episodes.

Captain Jack does not age. John Barrowman however does, and has, badly.

[gazzalfc]

I'm surprised they haven't brought captain Jack back yet for a few episodes.

He's back doing the audio stories for BBC but I think the Russell T Davies era is long dead now

[gazzalfc]

Any thoughts on how you would want the new doctor announced?

So with Capaldi they held an hour long announcement show with build up and teasers.

Personally I hope they dont do anything like that at all and he (or she) just appears ready to go. Want it to be a total surprise

[StormyDog]

I'd love it happen in show without any buildup.
In the days of twitter thisis almost impossible

[SP]

I'd love it happen in show without any buildup.
In the days of twitter thisis almost impossible

If it was a brief shot - like Capaldi on the 50th anniversary special, they could pull it off. Any extended filming and they are screwed though.

[Trada]

I hope the new Doctor is a woman..... maybe a Black woman.

Ok Im thinking Thandie Newton would be great in the role.

I know no chance but that would be amazing.

I have a feeling its going to be a young bloke a heartthrob for the girlies.

[JerseyKloppite]

Any thoughts on how you would want the new doctor announced?

So with Capaldi they held an hour long announcement show with build up and teasers.

Personally I hope they dont do anything like that at all and he (or she) just appears ready to go. Want it to be a total surprise

Hated that reveal, felt tacky. He's a TV character, he should appear in the program. If they want to run a special afterwards where they talk to whoever it is, so be it.

[reniformis]

Hated that reveal, felt tacky. He's a TV character, he should appear in the program. If they want to run a special afterwards where they talk to whoever it is, so be it.

To be fair, their hand may have been forced if they thought it would get leaked. Capaldi was a strong rumour before that anyway.

In an ideal world (or universe) they've learned from that and filmed the regeneration before the announcement that Capaldi was stepping down and no-one was spying on them. Maybe it's John Simm! However, it's all about who Chibnall wants when he takes over.

Spoiler

There was a radio times article about Chibnall http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-06-13/new-doctor-who-boss-chris-chibnall-has-some-bold-and-innovative-ideas-for-the-show suggesting that the regeneration happens in the Christmas special, so we're going to have to wait a while yet

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[Andy @ Allerton!]

I hope the new Doctor is a woman..... maybe a Black woman.

Ok Im thinking Thandie Newton would be great in the role.

I know no chance but that would be amazing.

I have a feeling its going to be a young bloke a heartthrob for the girlies.

If by amazing you mean totally shite then we agree.

Why don't we make Lara Croft a hairy-arsed 6 foot 2 wife beating docker from Bootle, The Hulk a 12 year old trainspotter from Devon, Wonder Woman a moose and James Bond a pile of dog shit with sunglasses on?

[PaulF]

Ep 12 tomorrow. Do the series normally run for 12 episodes? As I type I realise there is a stack of ways to see if tomorrow is a 'finale'

[Red Beret]

Yes it's usually 12, with a Christmas special.

[JerseyKloppite]

Thought that was great.

Spoiler

Great fun twist with the doctor for the Christmas special. One more Capaldi adventure, and I like having the first Doctor in it as he was fantastic in that anniversary special.

Nice ending for both Bill and Nardole (and allowing for the possibility of Bill returning. Which would be good as I think she's been a breath of fresh air.)

Thought the Master dilemma was interesting and I do like Simm's version. It's good there was some 'redemption' but thought it was a shame the Doctor never knew about it. Thought the line about regenerating seems unnecessary as I'm sure they'll bring the Master back. But Gomez was good.

Look forward to the Christmas special.

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[Red Beret]

Spoiler

I knew he'd be back.  He was just too good to let go.

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[Trada]

I thought it was a little boring and all about the ratings for the Christmas episode.

[Trousers]

Meh.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

I thought it was great.

Spoiler

The best bit was pissing off all the teeny-bopper fans by not just keeping the Doctor as Capaldi, but in introducing another 'old fogey' into the mix.

Really looking forward to seeing 'The Two Doctors' strut their stuff   Before they ruin it with either a teenager or a woman actor.

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[Riquende]

It was okay. As ever, the first part hit such a high note that there was always going to be some disappointment. A few musings:

Spoiler

• What was the point of the Master/Missy subplot? They cackled at the start but then lounged around bored for 20 minutes before saying "we're off, good luck", then killing each other. Didn't add anything to the episode and just wasted screen time. No writer has the stones to permanently kill the character anyway. The nucleus of the two Master idea was so good it should have been the focus of a mid-season 2/3 parter instead of the awful Monk thing they did.
• Bill's rescue is probably going to divide opinion. I don't mind the event, but it would have been nice to have foreshadowed it through the season with Bill catching her face in pools/puddles of water every so often. Also I notice she didn't turn up when Bill died in space that time. If one of the key scenes at the end of your story relies on a flashback to a throwaway line in act 1 then it's not a well crafted story.
• Never really came to care about the villagers, although the 'scarecrows' were a nice and creepy touch.
• They shouldn't have had the different cybermen models.

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[Anthony]

Spoiler

Is it me or did the they just recycle the Clara exit for Bill?

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[Red Beret]

Nice little promo image for the Christmas special.

Spoiler

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[MagicHat]

I enjoyed it

Spoiler

-The Missy/Master thing  was a lot of fun, took me a few moments to adjust from how I remembered Simms master to what was on screen but after that, thought it provided a lot of humour but also an emotional heart between three time lords. I assume the Master, in another form, will return at some point

-Cyber men made decent baddies but first episode was better for them

-Nardole was fun, been a likeable third wheel which I wasn't expecting when he was announced

-The Bill storyline was one where I appreciated what Moffat was trying to do but it didn't quite work for me. I wasn't bored by it but I wasn't engaged, should have had much more impact. Her ending feels like they are giving Moffat's successor to chance to keep if he wants, I hope they do becuase Bill has been a, as everyone says, a breath of fresh air.

-I liked the pre-ending as it were, Capaldi lying on battlefield, Bill meeting the water lady but when it moved into Tardis, it felt clunky and the two ladies stopping clicking. However since Capaldi still has his goodbye and hopefully so does Bill, I would say I am excited for the two Doctor's at Christmas. I slightly worry it could be too "Doctor Who" involved for the Christmas audience but as someone who watches it weekly and saw that first doctor film the BBC did, looking forward to it

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[Red Beret]

Spoiler

The first Doctor turning up dovetails quite nicely, as he regenerated after the first Cyberman encounter.

I have a mild concern that Bradley, having played Hartnell playing the Doctor, might be a bit of a fourth wall breaker which harms suspension of disbelief; but he is just so perfect in the role that I'm happy to see him.  My other mild concern is that this leads to a wholesale recasting of Classic Doctors.  I don't think anybody should be trying to play 4th for example - who could match Tom Baker's level of insanity anyway?

I think the Christmas special will be 1st guiding 13 12 through this regeneration; I also think it's meant to remind the newer audience about Classic Who, and that the show wouldn't exist without it.

But that leads me to my biggest concern: that the whole Christmas special might prove a pretext for the Doctor regenerating as a woman - at which point I'll switch off.

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[Ray K]

Spoiler

Would the ending make any sense to the casual viewer who hadn't seen An Adventure in Time & Space?

I really enjoyed it. It's the most emotionally satisfying of all the end of series two-part cliffhangers.
Pearl Mackie has been a great addition - bringing out the kindness that had been missing in the Capaldi Doctor. The first series he was written as too much of a Malcolm Tucker-esque gruff exterior, withdrawn from the world. This series he has been so much more engaged and engaging. This was Matt Lucas's best episode too.

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[PaulF]

Spoiler

  My other mild concern is that this leads to a wholesale recasting of Classic Doctors.  I don't think anybody[/ki] should be trying to play 4th for example - who could match Tom Baker's level of insanity anyway?

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Spoiler

And just thik how we'd all look forward to a re-incarnated Sylvester McCoy Doctor

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[gazzalfc]

New Doctor to be announced this Sunday after the Wimbledon final

[Ray K]

New Doctor to be announced this Sunday after the Wimbledon final

Ooh, it's going to be Roger Federer, isn't it?

[gerrardisgod]

Wish they'd just try and keep it under wraps. The whole announcing of Simm's return totally wrecked his reveal.

[tubby]

Pls no Kris Marshall.

[reniformis]

Ooh, it's going to be Roger Federer, isn't it?

Well if the Christmas special first Doctor is anything to go by, it'll just be someone who looks like him. Jimmy Carr probably.

[Trada]

I was hoping they would keep it a secret this time until he changed.

[Skeeve]

I was hoping they would keep it a secret this time until he changed.

Haven't they rushed to announce previous ones to avoid getting scooped by a newspaper getting a leak, presumably that has happened this time too.

[Red Beret]

You always knew in advance in Classic Who, and although it was still something of a media event it was far less the feeding frenzy it is these days.

I have a bad feeling about this.

[Kekule]

You always knew in advance in Classic Who, and although it was still something of a media event it was far less the feeding frenzy it is these days.

I have a bad feeling about this.

Wrong sci-fi.

Pls no Kris Marshall.

Concur with this, although I've only ever seen him in about 15 minutes of that awful sit com and having to sit through Love Actually. Played the same irritating character in both so avoided him like the plague. Maybe hoping the doctor gets his face repeatedly smashed in with a dustbin lid would be an interesting new way to watch it?

[John_P]

New Doctor to be announced this Sunday after the Wimbledon final

Bit of an odd time to do it as if the match goes 5 sets people won't know the right time to tune in.

They really shouldn't be announcing it and have it be a complete surprise, even if it means filming the new actors part of the regeneration scene a week before the broadcast.

[PaulF]

It's going to be Benedict cumberpstch isn't it?

[Andy @ Allerton!]

The New Doctor Who revealed - DO NOT OPEN IF YOU STILL WANT TO BE SURPRISED ON SUNDAY!!

Spoiler

"I have a cunning Tardis, My Time Lord"

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[oojason]

The New Doctor Who revealed - DO NOT OPEN IF YOU STILL WANT TO BE SURPRISED ON SUNDAY!!

Spoiler

"I have a cunning Tardis, My Time Lord"

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I heard it's going to be...

Spoiler

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[Red Beret]

It's going to be Benedict cumberpstch isn't it?

I wish.

As long as it's not a woman I'll survive.

[JerseyKloppite]

I wish.

As long as it's not a woman I'll survive.

I don't care if it's a woman as long as they're right for the part. Michelle Gomez was great as the Master. Don't think you can write it off until you've seen it. I'm not suggesting you're being sexist as I know there's been plenty of debate about whether having a woman play a 'male' character is appropriate or desirable but I don't see his manliness being so intrinsic to the plot or the show. Would hope any actual fans of the program would give it a chance before writing it off completely.

Maybe, if they have picked a woman, it's because she's the best for the part? Or suits the stories? Not just because of political correctness.

[[new username under construction]]

The shout for Matt Berry was the best, make it happen!

[Riquende]

My only concern with the idea of a female Doctor is visions of a Janeway-like character, who the Voyager producers felt had to always be the best at everything as they didn't want to have male characters be seen to talk down to her... That might work in Who actually, where usually the Doctor is genuinely the best, most knowledgable person in the group.

Sod it, I'm in. As long as it's not literally Janeway.

Spoiler

I don't think Comic Book Guy could handle it...

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But what character archetype would the (presumably male) companion be? Unless we're bringing Bill back for more 'young companion pines after the sexy older Doctor' scenarios.