Doctor Who. Official!

[Timelady Gallade]

Im going to be 1000th poster here and say that if all 12 doctors + the Valeyard and Master came together there would be chaos.

[Light]

So, I kinda need a head GM for a whovian tbrpg...

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

Im going to be 1000th poster here and say that if all 12 doctors + the Valeyard and Master came together there would be chaos.

Correct, except you are the 1001st poster. And that would be intresting. Did anyone notice the Eight doctor near the second in the Doctrs Name?

[Artezza Magnus]

Haven't verified this myself, but apparently someone has pointed out that

 

The John Hurt Doctor is wearing the 8th Doctor's waistcoat and the 9th's jacket.

 

 

Make of that what you will.

[Timelady Gallade]

Matt Smith is gonna leave soon. D:

So ugh, who do you want for the nest doctor?

I want Ron Weasly. Because why not.

[Ice the Great]

Im going to be 1000th poster here and say that if all 12 doctors + the Valeyard and Master came together there would be chaos.

Well, the only time we ever SAW the Valeyard, he was WITH the Master. But now the Master is Time-Locked along with the rest of the Time Lords (the Valeyard might be there, too, we never heard from him again). However, if they DID come together, the Valeyard and the Master would be defeated swiftly. They couldn't beat ONE Doctor, let alone 12.

[ChocolateFrogs]

Like I said in the blogs, it's a bit sad to see him go, but the writing was on the wall with how much non-Who stuff he's been working on lately.

 

On the flipside, the rumor mill's saying that Series 8'll be a return to a solid block of 12-13 episodes rather than weirdly split like Series 6 and 7 were, which I'm looking forward to - the scheduling with these split series has been getting messy.

 

But series 8 won't air until Fall 2014/.

 

I want Andrew-Lee Potts to be the next Doctor!

 

-CF

[Alyska]

I've just realised... if The Doctor did regenerate into a woman... poor Clara. It'd be like a canon version of the Curse of Fatal Death. But, either way, it's going to drop a huge anvil on the developing relationship between her and Eleven. I am kind of disappointed that that arc is getting cut short in a way- I still don't feel that we've seen the best of what those two can do together. I wonder how much warning Matt gave the writers before deciding to quit.

 

Another discussion that's been going around at the moment is whether Doctor Who has racist elements to it. Some are even saying that if they cast another young, white male actor in his 20s or 30s it would be considered "regressive." I find this a bit ridiculous- they're trying to get the best person for the job, regardless of age, race and, one would hope, gender. Casting someone of colour just for the sake of pleasing the critics would be an insult to everyone involved.

 

That said, there are some aspects of the show that could be seen as problematic- a lot of the time, when a black person appears in the opening scene, it means they'll be the one to get devoured by the monster first. Hasn't happened much recently, but there was a lot of it in S6. That's not to say that having a black character die in any circumstances is unacceptable, but it's important to consider how the audience is expected to respond to the character. If a character is well developed and sympathetic, their death will be meaningful and have a genuine emotional impact. If the full extent of their characterisation is "unsuspecting monster chow," and it's always a certain type of person who gets killed early on, the audience might become apathetic to that type of person or character. (For an example of this sort of attitude, look at all the people who said they felt less sympathetic towards Rue in the Hunger Games film because of her actress's ethnicity.) Then again, this may have been a problem more with the casting department than the writers, since these cannon fodder characters get so little development I doubt that the scriptwriters bother giving them a physical description.

 

But defining a show as either "racist" or "not racist" is misguided. Many shows have elements that could be considered problematic in one way or another, and no show is perfect. Doctor Who has, I'd say, generally done a good job at portraying interesting characters from a variety of backgrounds, as both supporting and major characters, but there is still room for improvement.

 

One thing I think might be worth discussing, though: If the Doctor's apparent ethnicity did change, how much would this affect the storyline? I think any story taking place in the modern day or the future would not differ significantly, but it'd be interesting to see how his trips to Earth's past were affected. He certainly wouldn't enjoy Victorian London nearly as much. The trouble is, all his interactions with characters from that setting would be defined by his race, and yet, the writers most likely wouldn't want to make those stories all about race just because the Doctor wasn't white any more. Victorian society's reaction to Jenny and Vastra is always played for laughs; they've never been seriously ostracised for their gender or sexuality (there are hints that it happened offscreen with Jenny's family, but it's not really explored), but I don't think race issues could really be dealt with in the same quaint, campy Victorians-say-the-darndest-things kind of way. It would require a bit more thought and sensitivity to make it really work. That's not to say it couldn't or shouldn't be done, just that it presents some interesting challenges as a thought experiment.

[CHTrilogy]

Well wait! Maybe it's John Hurt! Maybe the answer is staring right at us!

[Arcalis]

One rumour I've seen going around is Russel Tovey (who played Moriarty in Sherlock). I think it's certainly plausible, he's worked with Moffat, he can do serious and quirky/cooky in balance and appears to mainly work on television these days. Unlike Mr Hurt who has a large and well known film career, making it difficult to get him in for filming (I'm fairly sure he's on board for a film filming next year for example)

 

EDIT: I apologize, I meant Andrew Scott (the true actor who was Jim Moriarty), not Tovey (who played a character in the Hound of Baskerville episode of Sherlock)

Edited June 5, 2013 by Arcalis

[Meiko]

Well wait! Maybe it's John Hurt! Maybe the answer is staring right at us!

John Hurt is an amazing actor and would do a great job having that role, IMO.

[Alyska]

Russell Tovey wasn't Moriarty- you're thinking of Andrew Scott. Russell Tovey was in an episode of Sherlock as Henry Knight, and has also been on Doctor Who as a minor character called Alonso. Although, both actors are plausible choices for the role.

[Arcalis]

Sorry, don't know where I got my mix up (was researching actors names that had appeared on some lists betting services had created, and both of those names came up as previously being in Sherlock) Therefore I meant Andrew Scott (I apologize for that). On the subject of Tovey, I think a number of factors mean he shan't portray the Doctor, firstly his previous appearances on the show (not too major of a problem, but still there) and secondly that for a time he was considered for the 11th incarnation of the time lord, and has in an interview said that he was relieved that he wasn't chosen, and had gotten quite stressed when considering the role (or something to that effect).

So, in short, please regard my previous post as referring to Andrew Scott, as I personally doubt Russell Tovey taking on the role

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Russel Tovey has always struck me as a bit of an everyman. He's the sort who's great at looking dumbfounded when strange things happen. Good companion, perhaps not so much the Doctor

[Alyska]

I think it's safe to say it will not be any of the main ten-twenty actors that everyone's talking about. It will be someone none of us have heard of before. Someone that comes out of nowhere and makes us go "Huh? what? Who?" followed by "NOOOO it will be terrible.WHY?" then blows us away with their brilliance.

 

Neil Gaiman has a really good blog post on the subject that I can't link to.

[Ice the Great]

I think it's safe to say it will not be any of the main ten-twenty actors that everyone's talking about. It will be someone none of us have heard of before. Someone that comes out of nowhere and makes us go "Huh? what? Who?" followed by "NOOOO it will be terrible.WHY?" then blows us away with their brilliance.

 

Neil Gaiman has a really good blog post on the subject that I can't link to.

Wasn't that how Matt Smith started off?

[Alyska]

Pretty much all the New Who Doctors- I couldn't really comment on the old ones- weren't well known at the time of starting out. And Steven Moffat has openly said he likes giving new, up-and-coming actors their big chance at success, rather than getting someone who's already well-off.

 

Also, I just had a thought- In an alternate version of reality, not too different from this one, the actors playing the Eleventh Doctor and Sherlock could be switched. Benedict Cumberbatch is good friends with David Tennant, and he thought long and hard about going for the role of the next Doctor, but decided he didn't want the whole "face-on-a-lunchbox" dealie (his words). But if he had wanted to go for the role, he probably would have got it. And he probably wouldn't have auditioned for Sherlock a few months beforehand if he was putting the time aside for Who.

 

Meanwhile, Matt Smith initially auditioned for the role of Watson in Sherlock. Moffat rejected him on the grounds that he was barmy, and therefore more suited to being a Sherlock than a Watson, but they already had a Sherlock by that time. But if they hadn't... who knows?

 

Personally, I'm happy with the current version of reality, but it's interesting to consider what could have been...

 

Meanwhile, the Doctor silently weeps at his lost chance at being ginger.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

My favourite pick for the Doctor is now, and will always be, David Bowie. It's not going to be David Bowie, but it would be amazing, and I think there's no denying that he would be good at it.

 

But, David Bowie notwithstanding, there's absolutely no point in guessing. It's going to be someone I've never heard of, and then I'm going to find myself really enjoying their work, and looking for other things they've been in. Heck, they might manage to be better than Matt Smith and Christopher Eccleston.*

 

*David Tennant, while a great actor, had to work with some distinctly 'eh' writing, which brings down the overall quality of his run as the Doctor.

[ChocolateFrogs]

Pretty much all the New Who Doctors- I couldn't really comment on the old ones- weren't well known at the time of starting out. And Steven Moffat has openly said he likes giving new, up-and-coming actors their big chance at success, rather than getting someone who's already well-off.

 

Also, I just had a thought- In an alternate version of reality, not too different from this one, the actors playing the Eleventh Doctor and Sherlock could be switched. Benedict Cumberbatch is good friends with David Tennant, and he thought long and hard about going for the role of the next Doctor, but decided he didn't want the whole "face-on-a-lunchbox" dealie (his words). But if he had wanted to go for the role, he probably would have got it. And he probably wouldn't have auditioned for Sherlock a few months beforehand if he was putting the time aside for Who.

 

Meanwhile, Matt Smith initially auditioned for the role of Watson in Sherlock. Moffat rejected him on the grounds that he was barmy, and therefore more suited to being a Sherlock than a Watson, but they already had a Sherlock by that time. But if they hadn't... who knows?

 

Personally, I'm happy with the current version of reality, but it's interesting to consider what could have been...

 

Meanwhile, the Doctor silently weeps at his lost chance at being ginger.

To add more facts (afaik): Christopher Eccleston is a well-known actor chosen to revive the role after the 16-year gap of regularly-scheduled Doctor Who episodes because he was well-known and would get people excited for watching a revived show.

 

Cumberbatch has said, at least now that he's been Sherlock, though I thought it was always, that he didn't quite want to be The Doctor but wouldn't mind a recurring role. (I say have John Simm play the Master one more episode and then regenerate into Cumberbatch!)

 

Because Moffat had seen Smith's audition, he later offered him the role of The Doctor (or maybe invited him to audition for that).

 

-CF

[GSR]

If memory serves, Cumberbatch has said he doesn't want to be the Doctor because he wouldn't be interested in doing all the publicity that's involved with the role, not to mention stuff like getting your face on kids' lunchboxes and the like. I don't think he's ruled out doing something else on the show, though.In other news, the rumor mill's swirling that the BBC plans to announce the 12th Doctor soon to beat leaks and filming for the Christmas special. Would be a bit odd for them to do it this quickly, but I wouldn't complain.Still, any way you cut it, there's going to be quite the gap between the announcement of the actor and his first full ep as the Doctor, if series 8 really is airing in the fall of next year.

[Alyska]

Oh, good, it'll give us all plenty of time to get our whining over and done with.

 

See, it's all an elaborate trick to deprive us of the show for an extended period of time, so that by the time the new series rolls around, we'll all have gotten over most of the cynicism, and we'll be all excited and welcome the new Doctor.

 

Cumberbatch actually wanted to play The Master in the Big Finish audio series, but was rejected for being too closely associated with Sherlock. The whole idea becomes much more amusing when you consider that "The Master" was a fan nickname of sorts for Sherlock Holmes in the days before Doctor Who.

[Ice the Great]

I just realized... how they described Tren Krom in Bionicle... isn't he just a giant red Dalek with more eyes physically?

Edited June 14, 2013 by Ice the Great

[Snoopy82]

For 12th Doctor: Alan Cumming. That is all.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Snoopy82

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

Ice The Great is right, I think you're describing him as a red Dalek Mutant with more eyes.

[CHTrilogy]

It occurs to me, whichever Doctor John Hurt plays is probably going to be a big Caligula-ish - isn't he? I think you know what I mean.

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

Am I the only one suprised at how few people have seen the old series?

and how many people saw the 2 nost recently recovered episodes?

[ChocolateFrogs]

Am I the only one suprised at how few people have seen the old series?

and how many people saw the 2 nost recently recovered episodes?

Well it doesn't surprise me. There is so much to watch, and a lot of it is kind of unbearable (9-episode stories, poor graphics, bad writing, etc). Plus classic Who DVDs are expensive (if watching the legal way), sometimes being $20 for only four episodes (one story). Ouch. (I myself have only seen a few Tom Baker stories for such reasons.)

Compare that to simply needing to catch up since 2005. That's three Doctors, better stories and graphics (usually), and a vast internet to google any references to Whonivers history (Cybermats, Autons, the Master, etc).

 

Lots of people might have seen the most recently recovered two episodes because it's exciting news and available to get a hold of for fun.

 

-CF

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

I meant that since about only 50 dvds were able to be sent out. (one of which I saw at a convention, Con Kasterborous.)

Edited June 24, 2013 by rahkshi guurahk

[Timelady Gallade]

I'm back.

 

Also, why does an undisguised TARDIS have to look like a cylinder? Its weird.

[Ice the Great]

I'm back.

 

Also, why does an undisguised TARDIS have to look like a cylinder? Its weird.

Simple, compact, and functional, maybe? Or maybe it's like a baby being born?

[Rahkshi Guurahk]

This topic has now officially regenerated. Carry on with your Time Lord/ Time Lady buisiness.

[Timelady Gallade]

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.

That would be awesome.

[Ice the Great]

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.

That would be awesome.

The 50th Anniversary teaser makes it seem interesting. It also feels like it'll be REALLY backed. I'm willing to bet it'll be a feature-length film.

[Protodite Karzahni]

 

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.

That would be awesome.

The 50th Anniversary teaser makes it seem interesting. It also feels like it'll be REALLY backed. I'm willing to bet it'll be a feature-length film.

 

 

Which teaser would this be? I just did a quick hunt and there doesn't seem to have been anything official released yet.

 

Also I think it's more likely to be an extended episode. If it were a feature-length film, it'd be getting a theatrical release. This is appearing on the telly. We're more likely to get a 60 minute special, or maybe 90 if they dare to push to Sherlock territory.

[Ice the Great]

 

 

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.That would be awesome.

The 50th Anniversary teaser makes it seem interesting. It also feels like it'll be REALLY backed. I'm willing to bet it'll be a feature-length film.

 

Which teaser would this be? I just did a quick hunt and there doesn't seem to have been anything official released yet. Also I think it's more likely to be an extended episode. If it were a feature-length film, it'd be getting a theatrical release. This is appearing on the telly. We're more likely to get a 60 minute special, or maybe 90 if they dare to push to Sherlock territory.

 

I'd link you to it, but you can't link to... that site on BZP. Search "Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Special Trailer - in 3D!" uploaded by one "John Smith" using a picture of Ten. Uploaded 1 week ago, account has two videos. Length of 1:04. There's footage there NEVER seen anywhere before, it's not possible for it to be fake."Hello again..."

Edited July 5, 2013 by Ice the Great

[Alyska]

It's fake, but there's an extensive "making of" video that just absolutely blows my mind. Some of those 3D pans were apparently constructed from still images. Still. Images. Including the train in the London Underground. Including the shot of The Doctor dangling from the TARDIS. The special effects are good enough to make me genuinely afraid that it's now quite possible to fake a video of someone doing or saying whatever you want, without any help from that person. It is just that good.

 

Go watch it, if you haven't already.

[Timelady Gallade]

I just got a mini plushie Tardis. :DDD

 

*keeps replaying the brakes sound* wheeee

[Vakama-san]

It's fake, but there's an extensive "making of" video that just absolutely blows my mind. Some of those 3D pans were apparently constructed from still images. Still. Images. Including the train in the London Underground. Including the shot of The Doctor dangling from the TARDIS. The special effects are good enough to make me genuinely afraid that it's now quite possible to fake a video of someone doing or saying whatever you want, without any help from that person. It is just that good. Go watch it, if you haven't already.

Yeah, I've seen that. I'm still flabbergasted at how he pulled that stuff off. Whatever program he's using, I want it.

[Protodite Karzahni]

 

 

 

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.That would be awesome.

The 50th Anniversary teaser makes it seem interesting. It also feels like it'll be REALLY backed. I'm willing to bet it'll be a feature-length film.

 

Which teaser would this be? I just did a quick hunt and there doesn't seem to have been anything official released yet. Also I think it's more likely to be an extended episode. If it were a feature-length film, it'd be getting a theatrical release. This is appearing on the telly. We're more likely to get a 60 minute special, or maybe 90 if they dare to push to Sherlock territory.

 

I'd link you to it, but you can't link to... that site on BZP. Search "Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Special Trailer - in 3D!" uploaded by one "John Smith" using a picture of Ten. Uploaded 1 week ago, account has two videos. Length of 1:04. There's footage there NEVER seen anywhere before, it's not possible for it to be fake."Hello again..."

 

 

 

Yeah, sorry. That's fake. I'd suggest you watch John Smith's only other uploaded video which is a walkthrough of how he faked it. He did a very good job though and if that were how the episode was going to look, I'd be pretty excited too.

[Ice the Great]

 

 

 

 

I want to see the return off Susan in the 50th.That would be awesome.

The 50th Anniversary teaser makes it seem interesting. It also feels like it'll be REALLY backed. I'm willing to bet it'll be a feature-length film.

 

Which teaser would this be? I just did a quick hunt and there doesn't seem to have been anything official released yet. Also I think it's more likely to be an extended episode. If it were a feature-length film, it'd be getting a theatrical release. This is appearing on the telly. We're more likely to get a 60 minute special, or maybe 90 if they dare to push to Sherlock territory.

 

I'd link you to it, but you can't link to... that site on BZP. Search "Doctor Who: 50th Anniversary Special Trailer - in 3D!" uploaded by one "John Smith" using a picture of Ten. Uploaded 1 week ago, account has two videos. Length of 1:04. There's footage there NEVER seen anywhere before, it's not possible for it to be fake."Hello again..."

 

 

 

Yeah, sorry. That's fake. I'd suggest you watch John Smith's only other uploaded video which is a walkthrough of how he faked it. He did a very good job though and if that were how the episode was going to look, I'd be pretty excited too.

 

I hereby pronounce you "Moffat point 2", for shattering my world just like the showrunner has more than once. I must admit, though... it's the most masterful trailer fake in Doctor Who history. He should submit that video as his resume and apply to work on the show.