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

[PaulF]

You'll be ruing the day when you moaned about over use of daleks and cybermen instead have to watch the doctor with her new side kick jar jar take on the marvel universe.

[jillcwhomever]

How many episodes are in this series of Doctor Who?

[Riquende]

How many episodes are in this series of Doctor Who?

It was a one-off for the BBC's centenary.

[jillcwhomever]

It was a one-off for the BBC's centenary.

Oh, I thought there was a new series in the pipeline. 

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Oh, I thought there was a new series in the pipeline. 

Three episodes before the new lad takes over from the old,old lad.

[Red Beret]

I'd heard that Disney had bought the rights to stream Dr Who on Disney+ outside of the UK, but the Telegraph are now reporting that part of the deal involves hugely boosting the production budgets.

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing to be honest.

Watching some response on YT and I get the impression the Telegraph's article is largely based on supposition. I've not read the article myself though.

Disney are paying the Beeb, but they're not obligated to funnel the money into DW production. The question is whether Disney tries to exercise any creative leverage over the show, especially on LGBTQ representation. That seems to be a mild concern with one YouTuber I've seen react to the news.

It also opens up the separate possibility of the Tories privatising the BBC and Disney subsequently buying the rights of Doctor Who outright, as they've done with so many other franchises. I don't know how probably that may be though.

[jillcwhomever]

Three episodes before the new lad takes over from the old,old lad.

Got you. 

[wampa1]

How many episodes are in this series of Doctor Who?

3 specials next year, then not sure how many episodes are in the following season.

[Kashinoda]

Watching some response on YT and I get the impression the Telegraph's article is largely based on supposition. I've not read the article myself though.

Disney are paying the Beeb, but they're not obligated to funnel the money into DW production. The question is whether Disney tries to exercise any creative leverage over the show, especially on LGBTQ representation. That seems to be a mild concern with one YouTuber I've seen react to the news.

It also opens up the separate possibility of the Tories privatising the BBC and Disney subsequently buying the rights of Doctor Who outright, as they've done with so many other franchises. I don't know how probably that may be though.

Disney will have a say in LGBTQ representation in Doctor Who? The same Doctor Who being helmed by 'It's a Sin' Creator Russell T Davies who's cast a black gay man as the next Doctor and Neil Patrick Harris as an upcoming villain?

[Red Beret]

Disney will have a say in LGBTQ representation in Doctor Who? The same Doctor Who being helmed by 'It's a Sin' Creator Russell T Davies who's cast a black gay man as the next Doctor and Neil Patrick Harris as an upcoming villain?

Well I'm just repeating concerns raised by others. I'm sure in the short term little will change, but who knows what the long term implications might be? 

I did think it odd myself, and I found myself thinking similar thoughts to you. I guess it falls under a general fear of the show becoming Americanised, and we know how Florida is right now.

[wampa1]

I see they've covered all demographics for the new Doctor Who companion:

Young - The Teens
Female - The Nerds
Blonde - The Dads
Former Soap Star - The Mums

[oojason]

Fair play, Tennant... fair play...




(his son looks like he is familiar with his dad's 'dad jokes' )

[PaulF]

Those yellow slip stop boxes with pipes leading from the ceiling that seem to be popping up all over supermarkets.  Gotta be a baddie in a plot line soon?

[Kashinoda]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/FtzRP0fycII" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/FtzRP0fycII</a>

[PaulF]

I'm surprisingly unexcited by this trailer. Maybe because of the long wait for the episode.

[[new username under construction]]

[Kashinoda]

[tubby]

Is that for a particular episode or will he be dressed like that full time?  If it's full time that'd be amazing.

[duvva 💅]

Big fan of the outfits, does make it sound like it might just be for a particular story though

[duvva 💅]

More different outfits, plus the guy out of Mindhunter

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/first-look-jonathan-groff-doctor-who-ncuti-gatwa

[duvva 💅]

And after her little cameo in the final episode of Jodie, Bonnie Langford is back for a full adventure with the new doctor.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bonnie-langford-doctor-who-return

I’m a sucker for the nostalgia and the previous companions returning, but have to say there were others I’d have preferred.

[Trada]

Michael Sheen would make a good future Dr Who.

[WhereAngelsPlay]

Michael Sheen would make a good future ?Dr Who.

He would but I really do want this new bunch to be a success and be in their rolls for at least 3 series.

Positive that he'd make an amazing old Doctor though & as a kid I loved those more.

[Kashinoda]

Re-watching 'NuWho' and I'm still astonished Donna only gets one season as a companion, actually criminal.

Hope she she gets a good send off in the specials.

[Kashinoda]

New Trailer

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tEkC6InjWQ8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tEkC6InjWQ8</a>

[duvva 💅]

Looking forward to this in 50 mins

[gazzalfc]

Well it's going to boil the piss of every Daily Mail reader

[gjr1]

Pretty good start to the specials.

[wampa1]

Well it's going to boil the piss of every Daily Mail reader

Think about all those poor souls who thought Chibnall's Who was too woke and political and were lauding the return of RTD : D

I thought it was largely fine elevated by Tennant.

[Red Beret]

Love the new look TARDIS.

Hope the fake out over Wilfred's death isn't just a bad taste joke and that he actually makes an appearance. I know Bernard filmed scenes, but no idea if he did enough to be usable.

[jillcwhomever]

Well it's going to boil the piss of every Daily Mail reader

That has to be a good thing, surely? 

[Kashinoda]

Tenant was in fine form and Beep the Meep was so well done.

It was a mess by the end though, Donna's metacrisis was resolved quickly without any reasonable explanation was not very fulfilling after her tragic end back in the day. I think it's made worse by the whole "you wouldn't get it because you're a bloke" bit, in an episode where they've gone, rather hamfistedly, all in on breaking gender norms too.

I like RTD and he has a good track history of dealing with marginalised groups, It's a Sin is phenomenal. It's so tokenised and clumnsily handled in this episode to the point he shouldn't have bothered.

[tubby]

Managed about 20 minutes before tapping out, really ham fisted and just... it wasn't good.  Think that might be me done with Who now, it's been coming.

[PaulF]

What was the list they were saying before "it" happened? Sounded like the shippping areas to me, but really have no idea!

[Riquende]

What was the list they were saying before "it" happened? Sounded like the shippping areas to me, but really have no idea!

Presumably some sort of verbal code the Doctor could use to undo the memory erasure, a long string of words too random to come up in that order otherwise. I don't remember if it was featured way back when it was done though, my memories of the post-2005 Dr Who episodes are patchy at best.

Seemed like a typical Dr Who special (the kind we used to only get at Christmas) - some good ideas, some bits that didn't match the ambition of the writer, so on. Doubt I'd ever watch it again but wouldn't complain about anything really. I do agree that the resolution of Donna's "problem" was very clumsily handled with clunky dialogue that dropped me straight out of "watching a TV show" - I'm happy to have whatever "dangerously Woke messaging" they want in Dr Who though, it's a great show for it.

Amongst other seeds for things, I'm wondering who the "Woman in Dubai (I think?)" is who was ordering all of Rose's plush toys?

[Trada]

I thought it was great,

It got 5.08m viewers  second for the night behind Strictly with 7.67m, beat I'm a Celebrity with 4.83m, biggest drama launch of the year

The best overnight viewing figures for Dr Who for 5 years.

[LuverlyRita]

Tenant was in fine form and Beep the Meep was so well done.

It was a mess by the end though, Donna's metacrisis was resolved quickly without any reasonable explanation was not very fulfilling after her tragic end back in the day. I think it's made worse by the whole "you wouldn't get it because you're a bloke" bit, in an episode where they've gone, rather hamfistedly, all in on breaking gender norms too.

I like RTD and he has a good track history of dealing with marginalised groups, It's a Sin is phenomenal. It's so tokenised and clumnsily handled in this episode to the point he shouldn't have bothered.

I love Tenant and he is my favourite of the modern Doctors (John Pertwee being my original favourite). The one problem I had with the Meep is that the look of it felt like it had been designed with input from the marketing department and I wouldn't be suprised to see it appearing in Toy Shops. I wasn't overly impressed with the other aliens who looked like a minor step up from Blakes 7 standard.
But I disliked the "messaging" as a point of principle rather than this particular "message" per se. I've no objection to RTD using original dramas as a vehicle to promote issues in which he's interested. However I view any Dr Who scriptwriter as a custodian of the "franchise" (sorry to use that word, I couldn't think of anything better) and I think the focus should be on writing cracking good science fiction that appeals to all age groups as opposed to clumsily shoe-horning in messages. The likes of "Blink" and the "The Empty Child" were just perfect. Most important, if you give the script writer leeway to include "messages" (subliminal or otherwise), who gets to say what messages are allowed? Given this government's track record and recent (clearly political) appointments at The BBC, I'd hate to think of treasured dramas being hijacked

[Betty Blue]

I love Tenant and he is my favourite of the modern Doctors (John Pertwee being my original favourite). The one problem I had with the Meep is that the look of it felt like it had been designed with input from the marketing department and I wouldn't be suprised to see it appearing in Toy Shops. I wasn't overly impressed with the other aliens who looked like a minor step up from Blakes 7 standard.

Th Meep originate from a 1980 Doctor Who magazine comic strip, and it fairly closely resembles the original drawings -





The storyline they used and episode title is even identical to the original - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beep_the_Meep

Doctor Who has always leaned into 'so bad it's good' costumes too. I'm all for it 

[PaulF]

I agree with Betty, part of the charm is a broken chamelean circuit as they don't have the budget for a new tardis every episode.

Spoiler

The alien kind of had to be cute to appear to be the victim, I'm not sure theyd sell many, that said pretty much everything my daughter owns has Disney's Stitch on it, so who knows.
I also don't have an issue with messages in it. Sci fi, especially TV series seems to have this. Though it did feel very ham fisted, so much so I think I missed some of it. Was being non binary a benefit to coping with the TL knowledge stuff, or was it just because it was shared with child?

[close]

[duvva 💅]

While I agree the solution to Donna not dying was a bit rushed and not fully explained, I did actually like the way they worked it out,  it does kind of make sense.
Other than that I enjoyed it. Having Donna back was a lot of fun and Tennant is one of the best doctors. Looking forward to the next two over the next two weeks