Doctor Who II

[A Horse Named Stranger]

3 minutes ago, felice said:

The chronic hysteresis in Meglos? They carry out the exact same actions repeatedly, but have a bit of time at the end of each loop when they're aware of what's happening and can act freely before it resets.

That's the one I was thinking about, thanks.

[Werthead]

That was disposable floss of the highest order. Inoffensive but not particularly brilliant. Some great visuals, but it was another episode that felt heavily compromised by COVID restrictions.

The trailer at the end made up for it though.

Spoiler

Ace vs. the Daleks rematch! It just took 34 years.

 

[mormont]

'Yaz, if I could date anyone, it would be you. But I can't.'

'Why not?'

'This is as much queer representation as the BBC will allow'.

[IlyaP]

Well, I see the Doctor is going to die. Again. (Haven't her enemies learned anything about who and what the Doctor is?!)

 

[Maltaran]

Ncuti Gatwa: BBC names actor as next Doctor Who star https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61371123

[BigFatCoward]

1 hour ago, Maltaran said:

Ncuti Gatwa: BBC names actor as next Doctor Who star https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61371123

He's great. 

[john]

Nice. Like the fact he got it on the strength of his audition which is described as ‘blistering.’

[IlyaP]

11 hours ago, BigFatCoward said:

He's great. 

My partner watched him in Sex Education and said he was apparently amazing in that show. She was very pleased with the casting.

[IlyaP]

@Werthead I have a tin ear when it comes to accents - is Ncuti's accent a Glasgow accent? An Edinburghian (sp?) accent? Or something else? (I'm mostly curious for my own education, as I am *terrible* with accents.)

[mormont]

It's sort of an Edinburgh accent. He's clearly picked up quite a bit of London accent in his time down South, but the Edinburgh accent is still there.

[Ran]

I've not seen him before, but liked a couple of interviews I've seen with him (mostly to learn how to pronounce his name; this is an interesting discussion on Stackexchange about the linguistic aspects of his name). He looks young for the part for me but when I Googled I saw that Matt Smith was even younger when he was cast (Smith's the youngest to be the cast, I take it, unless there's been some novelty Doctor on a Christmas show or whatever?)

[Werthead]

48 minutes ago, Ran said:

I've not seen him before, but liked a couple of interviews I've seen with him (mostly to learn how to pronounce his name; this is an interesting discussion on Stackexchange about the linguistic aspects of his name). He looks young for the part for me but when I Googled I saw that Matt Smith was even younger when he was cast (Smith's the youngest to be the cast, I take it, unless there's been some novelty Doctor on a Christmas show or whatever?)

I think he's the third-youngest. Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor from 1981-84, was 29 when first appeared in the show and Smith was 27. Ncuti will be 30 by the time he first appears on-screen - assuming he briefly appears at the end of the BBC Centenary Special in October this year - and 31 by the time he does his first full episode, which is not slated to air (at present) until November 2023.

I have to say that Russell T. Davies is looking good for someone who turns 60 next year as well. He doesn't look much older than when he started doing the show at 42, seventeen years ago.

[Werthead]

Lots of barmy stuff revealed in the last few days. Confirmed information:

Spoiler

David Tennant and Catherine Tate are back as the Doctor and Donna Temple-Noble. They're already filming scenes in London (specifically Camden).

Bernard Cribbins and Jaqueline King are also back as Wilfred and Sylvia (Wilf's daughter and Donna's mum).

Director Rachel Talalay is handling the next episode. She was Moffat's go-to "big episode" director, handling Heaven Sent, Hell Bent and Twice Upon a Time.

Yasmin Finney has been cast as Rose Temple-Noble, presumably Donna's daughter or adopted daughter.

Tennant is still using Thirteen's TARDIS design.

Rumoured, but this was leaked alongside the stuff above that's been confirmed, so it's very likely true:

Spoiler

Apparently the Thirteenth Doctor's regeneration goes haywire and she "degenerates" back into Tennant. It's unclear if Tennant is playing "Ten again", Fourteen or an unnumbered War/Fugitive Doctor kind of deal.

Ten-Two (or whatever) is freaked out by this change and sets out to find out what's going on. He freaks out more when events reunite him with Donna and her family, 15 years after she last saw him (although she doesn't remember that, of course).

Reportedly there are three anniversary specials, not one, but they are trying to keep that under wraps for now.

The key to the mystery will be with a "classic" companion who hasn't appeared in the show for a long time. Smart money is on either Jamie or Susan, with Susan (the Doctor's granddaughter) the most likely candidate. Whether she'd be played by a returning Carole Ann Ford (who's now 81) or by her Adventure in Time and Space actress, Claudia Grant, or a new actor is of course unknown.

 

[IlyaP]

42 minutes ago, Werthead said:

Rumoured, but this was leaked alongside the stuff above that's been confirmed, so it's very likely true

Barmy almost seems inappropriate. What's the next level up after barmy?

[Werthead]

Multiple sources and job vacancy descriptions seem to be confirming that there will be three Doctor Who specials airing in 2023, with shooting from the end of April through to the end of July this year, followed by a break and then shooting of Series 14 proper will take place from 7 November 2022 to July 2023. The specials are expected to air in the back end of 2023, culminating on the 60th Anniversary (23 November 2023), with Series 14 to air in early 2024.

All of the filming leaks so far have been from the first special. They should move on to shooting the second next week or the week after.

[polishgenius]

So Whittaker and Chibnall's final special just aired. It wasn't bad, in fact taken entirely on its own it was really good fun (the Daleks didn't need to be involved at all, but Sacha Dhawan's Master is delicious, as ever, and there were oodles of fun nostalgic fanservice). And, honestly, I really liked the way Yaz and the Doctor's final scene, for all that their relationship was never really given the time it could have got because Chibnall's solution to not being a great writer of dialogue was just throwing as much chaos on screen as he could.
But it did completely fail to wrap up or even progress really anything Chibnall still had left hanging from his run. Probably not entirely his fault- he's definitely leaving before he really wanted- but it's disappointing to likely just never really know what's going on with a lot of what he set up.

I feel a bit bad for him, because I really liked a lot of his ideas- not so much Timeless Child, though I don't hate it as some did, but a lot of the other stuff- but he never really had it under control and like I say he just didn't write dialogue or individual scenes well enough to keep casual fan attention.

Got to say, though, visually his run slapped.

[Spockydog]

I think Chibnall did well.

The riding Daleks are the best innovation this show has seen for years.

And I absolutely love The Timeless Child, along with all the possibilities it brings.

 

 

[Denvek]

Who were the other companions with cameos in the meeting at the end? The only name badge I saw was the old man, "Ian" so I assume that was Ian Chesterton, but there were a couple of others who were only in that scene.

[mormont]

The others are Mel and Jo. Mel was a companion to Colin Baker's Doctor and Ian to the first Doctor, so each of the Doctors who appear also have a companion appear. Jo was a companion to the third Doctor. 

[Derfel Cadarn]

A fair point

I liked it but was disappointed the Division and Timeless Child arc wasnt picked up.

I donMt think Chibnall intended to; he was always keaving after these specials, and coukd have progressed the arc in the Easter special which was a filler.

Bit weird how Tegan was annoyed at the Doctor for not keeping in touch, given she left the Tardis due to the bodycount in Resurrection (?) of thr Daleks.

The return of previous doctors was good. Was also good to see Ian, pity he never met the Doctor.

edit: I wonder if Vinder was originally meant to be Jack Harkness, but owing to Barrowman being persona no grata at BBC, was changed to Vinder instead? Certainly seemed a random appearance.