The Doctor Who Thread.....

[mstrox 6,651]

Mrs. Flood is old Ruby Sunday.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

That's a good one, Mike.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Just watched - nice episode. Gatwa is going to be a great Doctor and Gibson is a good, believable companion, with enough of a backstory/home life that we care about her, similar to Amy Pond.

 

The story was ok - the goblin stuff was weird but fun and RTD is having some fun with some actual concepts and using them cleverly in the dialogue and plot. Evidently there's more to come with Mrs. Flood, although I'll be a bit disappointed if it's an older Ruby, and there's no way it's her mum unless RTD has some extra element to throw in.

 

Gold had better not be waiting for this series to end before he puts out an album for these four episodes - I loved the music. Especially as I just watched the trailer and it's not back until May!

 

On 27/12/2023 at 12:07 PM, Marian Schedenig said:

And it wasn't clear to me why the Doctor was waiting for Ruby at the end (new companion, sure, but usually you see when he decides to take on a new one, unless it happens by accident), or what made her join him without question or argument.

 

Yes, it's a bit of a stretch for the Doctor to rely entirely on Ruby working out that he's a time traveller but I suppose RTD saw it as a different way to do the whole Tardis intro thing. I can't even remember how Whittaker's Doctor did it.

 

Also, the bit with the policeman felt very Moffat-Sherlockian and I smiled quite a bit at that. Although... taking off in the Tardis in full view of said law enforcement?  Lots of 'muggles not panicking at the sight of a box disappearing' in this  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

May.

That's a long time to wait.

[DarthDementous 1,059]

On 30/12/2023 at 3:44 AM, Richard Penna said:

Also, the bit with the policeman felt very Moffat-Sherlockian and I smiled quite a bit at that. Although... taking off in the Tardis in full view of said law enforcement?  Lots of 'muggles not panicking at the sight of a box disappearing' in this  

I liked that detail because it showed he was more concerned with his partner saying yes than a box literally vanishing in front of him, that felt very human

[Tallguy 3,398]

So Timeless Child is not only locked in, it seems to be informing a fair bit of 15's character going forward?

 

We'll see what the show is like when things settle a bit.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Rewatched the special. Still felt a bit ... structurally disjointed or something, I dunno. 

I get that they were going for Christmas Day teatime family fun to an extent, but I must confess I wouldn't care if we never saw singing goblins again. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

It was tired, hackneyed, and clichéd, with very little in the way of anything new to offer.

The domestic scenes reminded me of "Rose" (only they weren't done as well), and I'm still not sold on Doctor #15. By the end of "Rose", "The Christmas Invasion", and "The Eleventh Hour" (heck, even "Spearhead From Space", "Robot", and "Castrovalva"!), you're left in no doubt what kind of a Doctor that Doctor would be. Gatwa makes no assertions (except something about believing in luck... or something).

The most interesting thing about it was the mysterious Mrs. Flood.

Still, I'm intrigued to see what RTD and the gang comes up with, in May.

[DarthDementous 1,059]

On 02/01/2024 at 12:15 AM, Slipperman9 said:

It was tired, hackneyed, and clichéd, with very little in the way of anything new to offer.

The domestic scenes reminded me of "Rose" (only they weren't done as well), and I'm still not sold on Doctor #15. By the end of "Rose", "The Christmas Invasion", and "The Eleventh Hour" (heck, even "Spearhead From Space", "Robot", and "Castrovalva"!), you're left in no doubt what kind of a Doctor that Doctor would be. Gatwa makes no assertions (except something about believing in luck... or something).

The most interesting thing about it was the mysterious Mrs. Flood.

Still, I'm intrigued to see what RTD and the gang comes up with, in May.

I feel like I knew exactly what kind of Doctor 15 was by the end of The Giggle

[Badzeee 110]

On 14/12/2023 at 12:56 AM, TSMefford said:

…What's Moffat got to do with this anymore?

 

Quite a bit, as remains to be seen. 

[Richard Penna 3,694]

On 01/01/2024 at 1:15 PM, Slipperman9 said:

The most interesting thing about it was the mysterious Mrs. Flood.

 

There's a River/Pond/Flood relation - I hope it's not going back to River Song and that whole thing as I never really understood what was going on with her storyline other than when it was revealed she's Amy's daughter.

 

But did you really not get engaged with the 'Turn Left'-esque bit where Ruby disappears and the foster mother's performance completely changes? I thought there was very little cliched about this episode.

[Tallguy 3,398]

 

Lovely little short. Good heavens Tom is looking his age. But he still sounds magnificent.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Well, he'll be 90 on the 20th of this month. 

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

Apparently, Millie Gibson has been fired from DOCTOR WHO, to be replaced by Varada Sethu (nope; me, neither).

It's nowhere on the BBC news website, and it's not on Wiki, which is usually pretty good at updating these sort of things.

All there is, is a load of clickbait from The Mail Online, etc.

Anyone know anything?

[Richard Penna 3,694]

It's on a bunch of somewhat more reliable sites now (not BBC) although whether she's been fired is more likely the clickbait as well as Gatwa 'breaking his silence'. Tbh, him doing only one season would be far more newsworthy than this.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

Agreed. Since its return, four companions have left after one season (I don't count the specials).

It's more likely that either Gibson, or Auntie, chose not to renew her contract.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Yeah, read something yesterday about how she'll only make a few 'tying up loose ends' appearances in Gatwa's second series. Reminds me a bit of them releasing the news that Eccleston would only be in one series soon after his first episode had aired.  

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

The way they handled Eccleston leaving was shameful.

The way they handled Baker leaving was also shameful.

[Tallguy 3,398]

Has she been fired or did she leave?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

That's the question, isn't it.

Usually, when a companion, or a Doctor leaves, there's quite a bit of publicity, and most of it from Auntie.

This time, the BEEB is keeping well and truly schtum.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Between only finding one of the recent 4 specials really outstanding and now this about Millie Gibson, must admit I'm a lot more 'Hmmm ... ' about RTD's return now. 

[Tallguy 3,398]

Happy 90th Birthday to Tom Baker!

 

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-tom-baker-photos-exclusive-newsupdate/

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

Unpopular opinion, but... I've never liked Tom Baker as The Doctor, but there is no getting away from the monumental influence that he had on the show.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Tch. There's always one who has to be an awkward sod, lol. 

[Thor 7,508]

4 hours ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

Unpopular opinion, but... I've never liked Tom Baker as The Doctor, but there is no getting away from the monumental influence that he had on the show.

 

I'm with you. When I first discovered DR. WHO, on Super or Sky Channel in the mid 80s, it was the Tom Baker years (probably syndicated), and I was taken aback by his oddness. Combined with the rather campy nature of the show, I lost interest quickly - even as a kid. Didn't revisit it until it was rebooted in 2005, after which I watched through all of the preceding episodes (yes, ALL!). At that point, however, I got his interpretation better.

[Tallguy 3,398]

You're both clearly monsters.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

An odd/eccentric/slightly mad etc streak to the Doctor is a central tenet of the character, IMO. It's why I was never 100% sold on Eccleston, too 'ordinary bloke you'd meet in any Manchester pub on a Saturday night' for me. People can go on about 'Time War PTSD' as the reason all they like, I ain't buying.       

[Richard Penna 3,694]

I went on a hunt today for the one single moment of the classic run that I remember as a kid, from 1989. It's an image of Ace being trapped behind some glass and nearly drowning which no doubt scared the shit out of me as a 4-year old. It's from 'Battlefield' but I have no memory of anything else from that era nor even the full context of the scene.

 

The other one I've seen was a special from the mid 90s produced in 3D.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,537]

7 hours ago, Sweeping Strings said:

Tch. There's always one who has to be an awkward sod, lol. 

 

Well, thank you, my good man 

For me Baker came in-between the absolute magnificence of Pertwee, and my all-time favourite Doctor, Davison, so, naturally he was going to be something of a letdown. As I said, however, I will not deny his enormous popularity. He did for DOCTOR WHO in the '70s, what Tennant did for DOCTOR WHO, in the '00s, and some of the greatest DW stories ever ("Genesis Of The Daleks"; "The Ark In Space"; "The Robots Of Death"; "The Talons Of Weng-Chiang") plus the re-invention of the Time Lords in "The Deadly Assassin ", are all Baker stories.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

What did the Doctor say to his companion as she ran into a supermarket? 

'Wait, Rose'. 

Thang yew, thang yew. I'm here all week, try the chicken-in-a-basket. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

[DarthDementous 1,059]

This was not the thread resurrection we were looking for

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Gag pinched from this meme - 

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

On 22/01/2024 at 12:31 PM, Richard Penna said:

I went on a hunt today for the one single moment of the classic run that I remember as a kid, from 1989. It's an image of Ace being trapped behind some glass and nearly drowning which no doubt scared the shit out of me as a 4-year old. It's from 'Battlefield' but I have no memory of anything else from that era nor even the full context of the scene.

 

The other one I've seen was a special from the mid 90s produced in 3D.

Something nearly went very wrong with that scene, leading to a real-life 'Doctor saves companion' moment - 

'The water-tank booby trap Ace is trapped in wound up cracking under the water pressure  and very nearly electrocuted her. She was only saved by the fact that Sylvester McCoy noticed, swore briefly so that no one thought he was ad-libbing and yelled for the effects team to get her out. It later turned out that the tank's glass had not been made thick enough by the supplier from outside the BBC. The whole incident was filmed and later used in a BBC studio safety film. The footage was also used in a short documentary which can be found on the DVD release of this story.' 

[TBO1711 32]

During or After Episode Two - The Devil's Cord i wonder if they'll release a song album for the episode because i think it's going to be a musical episode. By the way in case anyone hasn't found out yet on May 10/11 they are releasing 2 episodes

[DarthDementous 1,059]

well, this is surreal: https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/steven-moffat-returns-to-write-episode-for-new-season-of-doctor-who

[eitam 364]

Great news ! Given what he had said, I didn't dare hope he would return so fast. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Clearly the scars from his time as showrunner have healed. lol.

Given how much of a mixed bag the recent episodes were for me, the bigger variety of writers the better.  

[Tallguy 3,398]

2 hours ago, eitam said:

Great news ! Given what he had said, I didn't dare hope he would return so fast. 

 

Given what he had said he might as well have put it in neon "I'm coming back!" It was exactly how he lied when he was showrunner.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

That's good news, although I think I have a more positive view on the four new episodes thus far than some.

 

I hope Gold is maybe going to put out a specials soundtrack to coincide with this series' premiere, but given his most recent comments about being pissed at his own fans for "stealing" his music (I'd have a few questions about what sort of security his agent's site has, or why it was stored there to begin with) I wonder what sort of release he's going to do at all. I hope he doesn't become the sort of composer that decides his music is just for the show and say FU to fans that have bought his entire DW discography.

[Marian Schedenig 8,200]

11 hours ago, DarthDementous said:

well, this is surreal: https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/steven-moffat-returns-to-write-episode-for-new-season-of-doctor-who

 

Yes! I didn't dare to hope that Moffat would return, but I very much wished he would. I thought the four new episodes were good, with one of them being very good and another one mostly really good. Which is not a bad average for RTD, I think. I've liked Moffat more, overall, but enjoy RTD's years very much as well. And RTD wrote quite a bit of his best stuff for the RTD era when he didn't have to care much about his own story arcs, so this is very promising.

[TBO1711 32]

I though the 4 new Disney Plus Doctor Who episodes were great, way better that the Chris Chibnall episodes. I mean what the hell, galifrey and the timelords were created because of The Doctor as a child, makes no sense. I don't know why everyone is hating on the new episodes

[Tallguy 3,398]

33 minutes ago, TBO1711 said:

I mean what the hell, galifrey and the timelords were created because of The Doctor as a child, makes no sense.

 

RTD apparently disagrees.

[Tom Guernsey 2,286]

36 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

RTD apparently disagrees.

Publicly... He's too sensible to actively shit on his predecessor. Plus it's DW, he can acknowledge it and maybe write round it but also effectively ignore the bits that make no sense or hamstring the character.

[mstrox 6,651]

I thought the Timeless Child/Division stuff was fine, and overall enjoyed Chibnall’s run.  Whittaker was great. I thought Flux was a pretty novel way (by Who standards) to serialize a season.  I prefer it immensely to some of the ultra-twisty gobbledygook Moffat had going on in the 11 era.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Whittaker was fun and some of Chib's stories were good (particularly the first series) but most for me were a bit on the boring side and all that timeless child stuff went way over my head. I have no idea what was going on for most of Flux. While I love the show I don't get annoyed by (or tbh, usually notice) canonical issues or inconsistencies as long as the story and general vibe of the episode has something going for it.

 

I lost Moffatt a bit towards the end of Smith's era a bit (series 6 is a bit rubbish, really) but I'd rather have his or RTD's attempts to be clever than Chibnall's and I really liked the four new specials.

[TBO1711 32]

New trailer for Season 1/Series 14 tomorrow!!

[Tallguy 3,398]

Is it just me or did Ncuti feature more prominently in the promos for Masters of the Air (including the credits) than he did in the actual show? It would be like seeing Goblet of Fire to see David Tennant.

[Richard Penna 3,694]

Isn't that pretty normal for shows that want to capitalise on a recently prominent figure? IIRC one of the Godzilla movies had a trailer heavily featuring Bryan Cranston fresh off his BB prominence, whereas I read he was in the movie for only a few minutes.

 

Evidently the makers of MotA think Gatwa is now sufficiently well known both sides of the pond to use his as promotion.

[Sweeping Strings 2,363]

Latest trailer - 
 

Yeah, it looks like a blast ... but my enthusiasm is tempered by how I found the specials to be, and the fact that the first episode is called 'Space Babies' (and seems to feature the Tardis becoming full of talking infants) seems to suggest a continuation of the 'feel' of the Xmas Special. On the other hand, one of the only 2 episodes (out of 8) not written by RTD has been written by Moffat (as we've previously discussed), and that at least gives me hope.