View Full Version : DOCTOR WHO Series 5 (1) Production & pre-aired thread *SPOILERS*
As THIS THREAD (http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8450529#post8450529) has now reached the 1000post mark time for a new one.
Anyway here is a brief recap on some rumors from OG , some complete balls while others may be a bit more accurate:
SHOWRUNNER AND TEAM:
RTD leaving and Moffat taking over for series 5, some reports say that the series is "tied up till series 9", with Moffat having a 5 year contract.
There is talk that Murray Gold may be leaving the series after the specials too . The story seems to have originated with Eye of Horus who report, "According to a BBC WALES Source, Murray Gold could be discontinuing his (superb) association with DOCTOR WHO after the 2009 SPECIALS, leaving incoming Producers with the task (if not already completed) of allocating another Composer."
The job of producer for series 5 is being advertised by the BBC: contract to run from April 2009 until June 2010.
WRITERS:
Rough ideas were being put together for series 5 in May 2008 according to Moffat
SM was writing the first script in July '08 (Comic Con 24 Jul, on withaterrace livejournal). Apparently he started in January! (email from RTD to Benjamin Cook, printed in The Times and in RTD's book)
SM has completed the first episode of the season, it was "the easy part, as I'd written it in my head many times before."
Ed Thomas has read this first script and describes it as "very special".
SM has a broad overarching plan for the season that he's currently refining.
He has had emails from would-be DW writers, including some from "a few quite surprising names".
According to an interview in Death Ray (Aug '08) with Steven Moffat, he expects to write 5 or 6 episodes.
However, given RTD never managed to predict how many he would write, that could easily change.
SM has a broad overarching plan for the season that he's currently refining.
He has had emails from would-be DW writers, including some from "a few quite surprising names".
As of the end of 2008 scripts for episodes 1 and 4 have been written - Matt Smith has read them. They are presumably Moffats - Matt in commenting on them talks about how SM is "a brilliant writer" and adds "a funny writer"
Mark Gatiss gave a talk on TV and film horror that had influenced him at Nottingham's Broadway Cinema. He confirmed that he has been approached to write for Series 5; The Scotsman report Mark Gatiss as "busy writing episodes of the next full season of Doctor Who.
It is reported on this blog that Mark Gattis has been asked to adapt his novel "Nightshade" for series 5 .
Skins writer Jack Thorne is apparently down to write for Series 5.
Gaiman is still on the cards and has been asked to prepare two different ideas. Paul Cornell is likely too.
One of the ideas Gaiman is provisionally working on is the Ice Warrior story.
But some reportssay that the Gaiman/Ice Warriors/"Faces in the Dust" is not happening.
This is confirmed by Neil Gaiman in his blog (quoted in this post) which states that he is not writing a Doctor Who episode called "Faces in the Dust". However he is NOT denying anything else about Doctor Who (or confirming anything, other than dinners with Moffat)
When asked if he'd be writing for Steven Moffat, Paul Cornell said "Way too soon to say"
PLOTS/STORYLINES:
"THEY'RE BACK"... apparently. We don't yet know what "They" are (assuming SM wasn't just looking for a strong opening line!) (Steven Moffat, DWM 397)
SM confirms that there will not be a series of "Blink"-type stories, "[Y]ou couldn't have a whole series like that [...] You can't have that as the first episode. It's just too grim. So it's different contemplating it from this position, very, very different." The series will also continue to embrace a wide range of tones and genres, Moffat said. Rather than adapting the show to his particular writing style, he looks forward to experimenting with different voices to maintain the show's variety. SM also looks forward to "get[ting] to write episodes that I wouldn't normally write, that wouldn't be expected of me." (Moffat interview, ScifiWire)
SM has said (Death Ray #15, Aug '08,) he thinks the Doctor works best when solving problems rather than fighting armies, that the Doctor has always been a sexy, flirty character, albeit one who doesn't pursue love interests. Also...
It makes no sense, especially when you look at what I was praised for...They'd say "It will be great when Moffat takes over, because there won't be so much romance, there won't be all that soapy stuff, there won't be all this comedy..." But I do all those things, even more than Russell does! And I've got the record for gay jokes. (quoted in this post)
Don't despair of returning monsters in the Moff's reign; "Steven talked about the future in terms of... well, to the extent that I said 'Don't tell me any more!' I want to find out as a viewer. I was even surprised, because I was half-expecting there to be a No Old Monsters rule under The Moff. But no. So that felt good." (RTD, A Writers Tale)
"Zygons. Series 5. Apparently." Some romours say that there will be a zygon companion/alia hiding in human form.
However some reports say that Tennant demands Zygons...he gets Zygons.So they may be in one of his specials.
Daleks have been rumored to feature in series 5 with there story set in Edwardian times, however other reports say that Moffat has apparently seen the relevant posts on OG, and has mentioned to fans that rtd has really done all you can with the daleks and has no plans to bring them back for a while.
As for zygons, he got a hmmmm and a nod.
As for moffs submitted bible, as it were, only a few have seen it.
Basically, what was reported sounds great but it didn't ring any bells with the powers that be.
Also this post mentions rumblings heard previously about the Ice Warriors.
Latest from this post is that SM take on these rumors was "B*ll*x "to most of it.
Note : And in light of all this information, Moffat has delivered his Series 5 plans to people for considerations, feedback, planning etc.... (post, Sept '08) The Moff has presented his preliminary "bible", series 5 stuff is "subject to change but it is the initial outline for the next full series, with a two part opener and a very insidious and, in my opinion, excellent, arc culminating in the finale" (post)
FILMING DATES:
Piers Wenger says that filming for series 5 will follow its usual pattern (so probably July 2009).
A BBC job ad for Doctor Who producer says series 5 is "shooting from July 2009."
There is a distinct possibility they'll film the 2010 Christmas special in April 2010 i.e. immediately after series 5 as they did with the Next Doctor, so that series 5 will not have a Doctor light episode, but maybe an episode where he is not in it that much.
Format and scheduling
Moffat says he has fourteen episodes of Who to do. Since the special at Christmas 2009 will be an RTD special and Julie mentions a series return with thirteen episodes (Julie Gardner, Telegraph), the fourteenth episode is perhaps for Christmas 2010?
Series 5 will be shown in "Spring 2010" (DWC, "The Eleventh Doctor", BBC1, 3rd Jan '09)
- this ties in with dates given by BBC Entertainment News here ((6 Jul 08)) and here (23 Aug 08)
Though there is a rumor that series 5 could be moved back to a January 2010 start.
In the series 4 boxset commentaries, SM says that he prefers two-parters but that this will not affect how he approaches the series although they are easier to write, there will not be more two-parters in the series.
SM has also said that the current pattern of three two-parters was a good balance and it was hard to imagine straying too much from that (post regarding BAFTA Writers: Time Travel in TV Drama and Comedy Cardiff 6th Oct 2008)
The Doctor
Matt Smith is the Eleventh Doctor (DWC - "The Eleventh Doctor", 3 Jan'09), see here for the BBC answer to "Who on earth is Matt Smith?"
The Companion
Reports that the companion will not have a one-series arc; they are keen for her to remain into series 6, an this hinges on the Doctor-lite episode in series 6 apparently.
Supporting Cast
It has been suggested that casting has started already for series 5 and there will is an unnamed reoccurring actor cast for a reoccurring role (but not a companion).
Anyway the real reason for the new post is that you can have a look at Doctor Number 11; Matt Smith as he is the 2nd lead in Moses Jones; a 3 part story that starts on BBC2 on Monday 2nd Feb @ 9pm."
Moses Jones
Moses Jones, a vibrant and thrilling drama set in the heart of London, stars Shaun Parkes in his first leading role for television. Moses Jones is writer Joe Penhall's first original series for television, following his award-winning adaptation of Jake Arnott's novel The Long Firm (also for BBC Two).
Parkes heads up a cast of new and established talent which boasts Matt Smith, who was recently confirmed as David Tennant's replacement as the 11th Doctor Who, Eamonn Walker, Dennis Waterman, Indira Varma and Jude Akuwudike, and introduces newcomers Wunmi Mosaku and Obi Abili.
The story, told over three one-hour episodes, begins when a wave of violence hits London following the discovery of the bizarrely mutilated body of a man in the Thames. First appearances suggest a witchcraft killing, but the dark reality is more complicated – and even more frightening.
Assigned to the case are young hopeful DS Dan Twentyman and his senior partner, DI Moses Jones, seconded from Scotland Yard due to his supposed cultural links with the local African community. Confronted with a wall of silence, Jones and Twentyman become increasingly frustrated, but all roads lead to Joy, her friend Solomon and the Afrigo Club, where the ex-pat community goes to unwind to the irresistible music of Solomon's band.
As the search deepens, the violence escalates and the investigation grinds to a halt. But one name crops up again and again – Mathias Mutukula, a mysterious godfather figure rumoured to have both terror links and supernatural powers. Forced to ask himself tough questions about his cultural identity, Moses embarks on a frightening quest to track down his man and redeem himself before the community implodes ... or takes revenge itself.
Shaun Parkes is Moses Jones; Matt Smith is Dan Twentyman; Eamonn Walker is Solomon; Indira Varma is Dolly; and Jude Akuwudike is Matthias. Newcomers Wunmi Mosaku and Obi Abili play Joy and Joseph. Dennis Waterman, who plays Frank Costello, a former boxing champion and brothel owner, makes a guest appearance in episodes two and three.
The BBC has released a video diary from David Tennant recording his return to Cardiff and to Doctor Who for Planet of the Dead.
The video is also available via the official website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/thetennanttapes/).
They have also managed to get a new bus, which looks like will be off to Dubai to replace the damaged one.
*Insert obligatory 'let Zygons be Zygons' joke here...*
Cheers for a comprehensive roundup. I liked the Christmas one actually. Maybe I prefer Davis' writing when he's not concentrating on a backstory, like the one set on the crystal planet that was all The Doctor and no Donna...
I thought he was great in Moses Jones last night (actually I enjoyed the show too). When I first saw him I thought he looked like a freak and quite unattractive, but he made me look forward to him as The Doctor.
cliff homewood
03-02-2009, 13:02
He hardly said anything!
Well he wasn't a main character. But he didn't seem unnatural in the role to me.
Posters at OG who have got the new DWM (issue 405) say it confirms that the four 2009/2010 Specials will be filmed and broadcast in High Definition :thumbs:
I dont think there is any mention of Series 5 being in HD...as of yet.
There is also confirmation of Euros Lynn as director for the final Special two parter.
Official site update with a few Dubai/ location filming pictures (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/galleries/):
The BBC has confirmed that part of the forthcoming Doctor Who Easter special will be filmed in Dubai.
Planet of the Dead, which stars David Tennant as the Doctor alongside Michelle Ryan and Lee Evans, began filming in January in Cardiff and the team are now descending upon the Arabian Gulf to film further scenes for the episode.
"We rarely take Doctor Who abroad," said Doctor Who Producer Tracie Simpson. "We did visit Rome for Series Four's The Fires of Pompeii - which gave us some spectacular footage. The locations in Dubai are a perfect match for writer Russell T Davies's vision of the episode and we expect to film some incredible scenes while we are here."
Bionic Woman and Merlin star Michelle Ryan plays the mysterious Lady Christina de Souza who joins the Doctor on a bus-trip which takes a very unexpected detour into danger. British comedy star Lee Evans also joins the cast playing a character called Malcolm whose life becomes connected to the Doctor's under extraordinary circumstances and Noma Dumezweni returns as Captain Erisa Magambo - last seen helping Rose and Donna save the world in Turn Left.
Planet of the Dead is the first of four Doctor Who Specials which will air in 2009. Written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts, the episode is will be screened on BBC One in Spring 2009.
The story will also be the first to be shot and broadcast in the Hi-Defintion format already used by Torchwood and several other major BBC Productions.
KennyVader
13-02-2009, 10:22
Can't believe they're going to pay that norman £200,000 a year each year for five years.
He should be paying THEM for the privilege, and making his money out of all the personal appearances and the like!
Grandmaster
13-02-2009, 11:17
It should've been in HD from day one, or from series two at a push after it became obvious how popular the show is. The increases in budget required would've been more than off-set from the future overseas sales rights, Blu-ray boxsets, re-issues etc etc.
Still, glad they've finally got the right idea, and presumably this means that all of Moffat's Who will be in HD too :thumbs:
Can't believe they're going to pay that norman £200,000 a year each year for five years.
He should be paying THEM for the privilege, and making his money out of all the personal appearances and the like!
To be honest I think they got him on the cheap. Tennant was supposed to be on a cool £1m for his last series, so there is a saving of £800,000 (or more money to spend on HD effects!) for Series 5.
Grandmaster
13-02-2009, 12:20
Well, five years is great as a tenure for a new Doctor. The old 'three years and out' mentality never sat right with me. Let's just hope that Smith is actually decent then.
hookbeak
13-02-2009, 12:23
£200k is nothing for a position that generates as much profit as Doctor Who does at the moment.
Lindsay Duncan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsay_Duncan) is apparently going to be the new assistant in the as of yet unnamed special after Planet of the Dead
From the Daily Record: (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/2009/02/18/lindsay-duncan-i-m-thrilled-to-be-doctor-who-s-new-assistant-86908-21133282/)
Lindsay Duncan: I'm thrilled to be Doctor Who's new assistant
Feb 18 2009
LINDSAY Duncan will star in this year's second Doctor Who special as the Time Lord's companion, the BBC confirmed today.
Duncan, who is starring as Baroness Thatcher in the BBC2 drama Margaret, will play Adelaide - the Doctor's cleverest and most strong-minded companion yet.
She will join David Tennant, who continues his role as the Doctor in the second instalment of four specials to be screened throughout 2009.
The second special will follow Planet Of The Dead, due to air this Easter on BBC1.
Duncan said: "I'm thrilled to be involved in Doctor Who. I've never done anything like this before and I'm really looking forward to working with David Tennant and the Doctor Who team."
The second episode is being written by executive producer Russell T Davies and Phil Ford.
It is due to go into production in spring 2009 and will be screened on BBC1 later this year.
Davies said: "Lindsay is an incredibly talented actress and I've been an admirer of her work for some time.
"We are delighted to announce that she will be joining the team and playing the Doctor's most strong-minded companion yet."
Andrew WK
19-02-2009, 12:52
Meh, another old bird. What happened to the tottie?!
Summerisle
07-03-2009, 12:52
Dalek's are pond scum! (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/doctor-who/4935903/Dr-Who-Dalek-found-in-pond.html):lol:
thescrounger
07-03-2009, 12:58
I dont think there is any mention of Series 5 being in HD...as of yet.
It will be. You don't switch to HD and then back to SD again.:nuts:
scoobyood
07-03-2009, 13:38
It will be. You don't switch to HD and then back to SD again.:nuts:
Unless you are Top Gear
Unless you are Top Gear :lol:
Anyway Series 5 has now been confirmed as HD as well, with a upgraded TARDIS to show off to.
The 2nd Special (the one after POTD) looks like it will be shown around Xmas.
There are set reports on OG of snow being used and an Ood.
NotW think they know who the series 5 companion is going to be:
It's her from off of Skins (http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/showbiz/xs/208641/DR-Who-Celeb-XS.html)
Not a bad choice at all, actually...
NotW think they know who the series 5 companion is going to be:
It's her from off of Skins (http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/showbiz/xs/208641/DR-Who-Celeb-XS.html)
Not a bad choice at all, actually...
This screams 'We have a picture of Matt Smith with that girl from Skins, let's make a story out of it'.
Oh. Presumably photos exist of him with quite a few different girls - do you think we can expect a lot of this sort of thing?
Neil Smalley
09-03-2009, 14:52
She looks a bit Lalla Ward...
http://www.huxter.org/dwfun/protectors/bagman-lalla-ward.jpg
NotW think they know who the series 5 companion is going to be:
It's her from off of Skins (http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/showbiz/xs/208641/DR-Who-Celeb-XS.html)
Not a bad choice at all, actually...
Wow, even by the usual standards, that's a really hideous picture of him.
"One of us! One of us! One of us!"
:lol:
Spooky_uk
09-03-2009, 14:57
.
19-year-old Hannah Murray is tipped to be the companion in next year's fifth season of "Doctor Who" says The News Of The World.
Murray, who plays OCD-suffering Cassie Ainsworth on the raunchy British teenage drama series "Skins", will join Matt Smith's eleventh 'The Doctor' in the TARDIS when it returns in 2010.
The news comes not long after word that the number of planned specials for this year, starring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, looks to have been shrunk. Instead of three or four there will only be two - the Easter episode "Planet of the Dead" and the Christmas Episode. A third special has been pushed back into early 2010 (though could be a New Year's Day special).
'Planet', co-starring Michelle Ryan ("Bionic Woman," "Jekyll"), involves a mysterious thief who ends up tagging along with the Doctor and leads to a 'shocking event' in his life. It was partially shot in Dubai and will air next month.
"Rome" actress Lindsay Duncan stars as the companion in the Christmas episode which sees the return of the Ood and will borrow elements from the novel 'Who' tie-in novel "The Highest Science". Model Gemma Chan will also star in the production which is currently filming.
The third special kicks off shooting at the end of the month. Set on Mars, it will include Aussie actor Peter O'Brien as the villain, and will serve as David Tennant's final story.
In an interesting coincidence, Matt Smith and Hannah Murray played brother and sister while Lindsay Duncan played their mother in the West End tour of the acclaimed play "That Face" last year.
Grandmaster
09-03-2009, 15:03
Set on Mars? An Ice Warrior return?
Has to be better than the bloody Ood, yet again... :|
scoobyood
09-03-2009, 15:15
Sick of the Ood. Why don't they come with a new "thing" ..? It can't be that difficult.
There are some set reports that suggest the Ood appearance could be a brief cameo that will be some sort of warning for the Doctor that will lead into the final two-part special.
There are also some rumors that Tennant may be sutley aged by around 10 years for the last special.
There are two reasons (guesses?) doing the rounds why. One is that the Moff wants to do a multi Doctor story in Series 6/7 and this way they will have more options for when it occurs on the 10th Doctor time line, the other so a future "Doctor lite" story for the 11th Doctor will be part flash back to the Doctor & River Song.
Personally I think its just a load of balls, but I also thought that when the Daleks v Cyberman in Series 2, and all the companions meeting up in Series 4 rumors were when they first started.
The Sun has an exclusive on Tennants final two-part special (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article2329695.ece):
Billie's back on Doctor Who
By COLIN ROBERTSON
Published: Today
BILLIE Piper will return to Doctor Who with ALL the Time Lord’s former companions as part of David Tennant’s final episode.
Billie, 26, will again play Rose Tyler and teams up with other sidekicks Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) and Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman).
The trio will join forces to take on the Doctor’s revived arch-enemy The Master, played again by John Simm.
The episode sees the Timelord regenerate into the new Doctor (Matt Smith).
An insider said: “This will be the most exciting episode Doctor Who have ever done. We really wanted to get all the companions back on board as a fitting send-off to David.
“And of all the enemies for him to face in his final episode it makes sense for The Master to be the main one. Getting Billie to agree is a real coup, but she loved working on the show so much it didn’t take much convincing.”
Rose — who left after series two — formed the strongest bond with the Doctor out of the female companions. She returned for a few episodes in the last series where she was reunited with the Doctor.
Rose then returned to Earth with a separate half-human version of the Time Lord.
Since she left Doctor Who, Billie has gone on to star in the raunchy ITV2 drama Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She plays a high-class hooker in the risque show, which is currently on its third series.
We revealed yesterday how her three brothers and sisters are embarrassed about her success.
David, 37, will quit the show after the last of the four specials.
Meanwhile the red London bus set to feature in the first special has been damaged in Dubai by schoolkids.
The double decker, which was smashed up shortly after arriving in Arab state for filming, was stripped for “souvenirs” after producers parked it outside a school.
A show source said: “This really is the unluckiest bus in the universe.”
More often than not the Sun gets these things right (got the Daleks v Cybermen & multi companion story right BUT it did also print that Harriet Jones would be the Rd Dalek :nuts: ), and there has been lots of rumors for a while now about the Master & Donna in one of the specials.
Filming for this two-parter is due to start in 1-2 weeks, so Im sure there will be a bit more info then.
BBC has confirmed the air date for Planet of the Dead (http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2009/wk15/unplaced.shtml):
Doctor Who – Planet Of The Dead
Saturday 11 April
6.45-7.45pm BBC ONE
When a London bus takes a detour to an alien world, the Doctor must join forces with the extraordinary Lady Christina, in this one-off seasonal special. But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets, hidden in the sand. And time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.
Planet Of The Dead features David Tennant as the Doctor, Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina and Lee Evans as Malcolm. It is written by Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts.
Planet Of The Dead is also being simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.
Trailer for Planet of the Dead (http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2009/04/doctor-who-planet-of-the-dead-trailer/)
Also in DWM; RTD has confirmed that there will only be TWO specials around Xmas, with the other one being before then:
the next three specials will be shown in the second half of the year, it was said in some interviews, that all three would air around christmas, but plans have changed since then - and dont worry the plans were changed before the shooting scripts were issued, and before filming began no exact date yet but 4.16 will be seen before christmas
Trailer for Planet of the Dead (http://blogs.thestage.co.uk/tvtoday/2009/04/doctor-who-planet-of-the-dead-trailer/)
That looks terrible, and the effects look worse than usual!
DeadWalk
01-04-2009, 18:18
The desert planet and flying nasty things with lots of teeth reminded me of Pitch Black.
scoobyood
01-04-2009, 19:53
Yeah pitch black in the daylight.... with crappy effects. That had 3 suns as well. No doubt he'll fend them off using his sonic screw driver.
I thought it looked quite good. And Michell Ryan :n0rty:
Fred2002
02-04-2009, 01:09
...and the bus they use is a Bristol VR, a type never ever operated by London Transport!!
(That sounded a tad nerdy didn't it?!?)
KennyVader
02-04-2009, 03:13
...and the bus they use is a Bristol VR, a type never ever operated by London Transport!!
(That sounded a tad nerdy didn't it?!?)
Isn't that because they dropped a shipping container on the one they had shipped out there first while it was being unloaded at the docks
Different trailer HERE (http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/media/)
They are currently filming the last two part special.
RTD has always stated that this will have an OAP as the main companion, and a certain :notworthyMr Bernard Cribbins:notworthy has been spotted on location filming scenes with Tennant.
I guess we can assume if Wilf is playing a big part then Donna might also be putting in an appearance?
:notworthyMr Bernard Cribbins:notworthy has been spotted on location filming scenes with Tennant.
...then Donna might also be putting in an appearance?
That was definitely a good news/bad news post.
Grandmaster
02-04-2009, 11:11
:lol:
Andrew WK
02-04-2009, 12:55
...and the bus they use is a Bristol VR, a type never ever operated by London Transport!!
(That sounded a tad nerdy didn't it?!?)Indeed, it won't affect my enjoyment of the programme one bit.
Hmm, looks very Pitch Black to me...
Hmm, looks very Pitch Black to me...
Aye. Made that same point on another forum yesterday. Or Pitch Light as this one might be called.
More fuel to the Donna will be back fire:
On Saturday 11th April, David Tennant and Catherine Tate will be standing in as the presenters of Jonathan Ross's BBC Radio 2 show, live from 10.00am to 1pm. Guests will include Tennant's favourite band, The Proclaimers (playing live), and John Barrowman.
Grandmaster
03-04-2009, 14:18
The Proclaimers and John Barrowman. I am so there!!
cliff homewood
04-04-2009, 20:31
Looks like attack of the killer sperm to me.
John Simm has been spotted on set of the last special
John Simm has been spotted on set of the last special
There are mixed reports about this on OG. No pictures of "him" are really clear, and there is one clear picture of what looks like an extra that looks sort of like him, but is clearly not.
ind you this could be a stunt double?
Nice interview with RTD & Tennant form the TIMES (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article6022914.ece?token=null&offset=0&page=1):
Why David Tennant and Russell T Davies are leaving Doctor Who
Easter special Planet of the Dead starts the departure, to be replaced by 11th Doctor Matt Smith and writer Steven Moffatt
The end is nigh. Doctor Who returns at Easter for the first of four 2009 specials that will culminate in the 10th Doctor, David Tennant, regenerating into the 11th, Matt Smith. When Tennant leaves, so does Russell T Davies; Steven Moffat will replace him as head writer and executive producer.
The partnership of lifelong Whovians Tennant and Davies has seen the show cement itself in the national psyche, exterminate all competition in the ratings and scoop award after award. During a break from making the next special in Cardiff, Tennant and Davies steeled themselves with a tray of BBC sandwiches to consider past, present and future. Very Who.
Tell us about the Easter special, Planet of the Dead.
Russell T Davies People are going to be Doctor Who-deprived this year, so it’s got everything in it: CGI monsters, prosthetic monsters, army, police, an alien planet . . . It’s our last chance to have a bit of a laugh. Now the Doctor’s facing the end of his life, it’s going to get dark.
David Tennant Some of it was filmed in Dubai, and there were sandstorms . . . We were despairing. I’d look into the distance and go (Acting), “What is this strange alien world?” Well, I couldn’t actually open my eyes to look at it. The Exfoliation of Doom would be a good subtitle. My hair was full of sand. And blonde. I looked like Tina Turner.
Come the final curtain, will there be a dry eye in the house?
RTD I should ********** think not!
DT Well, I cried (when I read it).
Did you make a pact to leave together?
DT We talked about it. It wasn’t a pact . . . I’d sort of decided. But then I nearly changed my mind again.
RTD We had dinner and chatted about it a few years ago. It just felt right. The BBC asked me to do a series five, but I didn’t shift at all.
DT I kept my options open as long as I could!
Your run on Doctor Who saw you bring back plenty of old favourites: K-9, the Master, Davros. Anything you didn’t get round to?
DT We certainly ticked rather more fan-boy boxes than I expected. The second episode I shot had (the 1970s companion) Sarah Jane and K-9 in it. My 10-year-old self melted rather when (the Sarah Jane actress) Elisabeth Sladen came in.
RTD I would have loved to have done a Star Trek crossover. The very first year, we talked about it. Then Star Trek finally went off air. Landing the Tardis on board the Enterprise would have been magnificent. Can you imagine what their script department would have wanted, and what I would have wanted? It would have been the biggest battle.
Didn’t George Lucas try to recruit you, Russell, as a writer for his Star Wars TV series?
RTD He came knocking on every single writer’s door in the whole land. And there are British writers working for him on this Star Wars series. But I’m not allowed to say who. The writers are out there now, at Skywalker Ranch (in California). Yesterday, they were allowed into the props room; they were playing with lightsabers. It’s a lovely job. But I’m not going to do a sci-fi series that’s second-rate compared to Doctor Who (hoots of laughter).
DT Do you feel you want to do something with grown-up people having sex?
RTD Yes. And I’d like to write something like that, too. Boom, boom!
DT Woo-hoo! He can still tell ’em, ladies and gentlemen.
Both of you must have been offered other sci-fi reboots.
RTD Oh, I get those. Someone did ask me about (the 1960s television series) Lost in Space, and that could be brilliant. Obviously, I said no. I’m sorry, I’ve done the best. But Lost in Space did make me think for a moment. If they got that right: a family, a robot, a villain, trapped on a spaceship . . .
DT I’ve been offered a sci-fi thing — that I’m not allowed to discuss.
David, your Hamlet attracted a new crowd for the RSC. Teenage girls dressed up like they were off down the disco, apparently.
DT Dressing up? No! Which tabloid have you been reading?
Come on, hundreds of people camped out overnight for tickets.
DT Well, I suppose there were people who wouldn’t have necessarily come to see the RSC do Hamlet. But there was never a sense that people were there for the wrong reasons. There was not anybody dressed up as a Cyberman in the front row. (Thinks) I’m not suggesting Doctor Who didn’t sell a few tickets, but. . . Who fans are clever people.
RTD They’re intelligent, literary people. I thought it was magnificent. Can I say that? And I do not want to sit through three and a half hours of Shakespeare. I said, “If I fall asleep, hit me.”
DT Thanks for that. What if the cast had seen you? “Aren’t you Russell T Davies?”
In Stratford, some shops had Doctor Who-themed promotions.
DT There was a chip shop that put up a poster — “Exterminate Your Hunger!” But this story has got out of proportion.
Will you concentrate on theatre after Doctor Who? You’ve said: “Theatre is my default way of being.”
DT Only because it’s always felt like my normal job. For the first few years, I’d do the odd episode of Rab C Nesbitt, but theatre paid the rent. (Not entirely convincingly) I have no idea what happens when I finish here. It’s a blank canvas. (Knowingly landing Davies in it)What about you, Russell? (Davies roars with laughter, ignores the question) Do you ever see yourself just producing and not writing?
RTD No. Though, if the right thing . . . maybe . . . No, no. NO. I hate other people’s scripts. (Laughs) I’m only in it for me.
The working title “MGM” — More Gay Men — has been mentioned for your next television project. Something more along the lines of your 1999 drama Queer As Folk?
RTD Yes, maybe.
DT You just made that up one day.
RTD Well, it wouldn’t be about just any gay men. If I said I was going to write about chipmunks, I’d spend the next six months being made president of the Chipmunks Society and would have chipmunks turning up at my door, saying, “Can we have work?” So, maybe I’ll write about gay men.
DT Not a bad idea, though, a chipmunk drama.
RTD You’d be a chipmunk, wouldn’t you? A gay chipmunk?
DT I can’t wait.
Doctor Who has done wonders for Cardiff, where it is filmed. Last month, the BBC awarded the University of Glamorgan £20,000 to investigate the Doctor Who effect.
DT What is that? You mean the effect on Wales itself?
RTD Tourism. Millions of quid have come into Cardiff ’cos of the people visiting here; in the bars, the clubs and the hotels. Taxi drivers take people round on tours now. Let alone the industry that we bring in to work on Doctor Who.
DT The Royal Hotel now does a Doctor Who weekend.
RTD Keeps you busy, doesn’t it?
DT Every weekend. . .
RTD . . . the honeymoon suite!
DT I’m exhausted. The perks of this job are magnificent. No. Apparently, you get a room — obviously — a ticket to the (Dr Who) exhibition and a remote-control Dalek awaiting you on your bed.
RTD That’s not bad, is it? I know, it’s funny: the boats do go up and down Cardiff Bay now, with Dalek voices . . .
It’s been a bad year for the BBC — Sachsgate, the University Challenge debacle. There were even complaints about your colleague John Barrowman on the radio, getting his penis out.
DT It’s never in.
RTD That’s just normal!
DT (As if the world's gone mad) It was on the radio.
RTD It’s getting quite ferocious now. It’s the papers. And, remarkably, we live in a BBC that listens to the papers. If the BBC holds its nerve for another 10 years, those voices will be gone. But I don’t know if the BBC will hold its nerve for another 10 years. And I’ll tell you another thing (bangs table), all those people who said “Get rid of the licence fee”, they haven’t said a word since advertising collapsed and the entire commercial sector’s in danger. ’Cos then you look at the BBC and think, “This is remarkable.” The trouble is, the BBC doesn’t have the nerve to stand up, because it’s so apologetic. It doesn’t fly its own flag and say, “Look how brilliant we are, and look what you’d lose if you attacked us.”
DT As someone who works for the BBC, of course I’ve got a vested interest. But as a consumer who has grown up in Britain, and someone who aspired to do the job I do by everything the BBC did, ******* we’d miss it if it goes.
The episode of Doctor Who Confidential when Matt Smith’s appointment was announced got more viewers than the FA Cup match on ITV.
DT Ha, ha! You see? It’s the final victory! It’s the final victory of spoddy kids like me, who grew up not understanding football and liking Doctor Who, and being ridiculed and seen as geeky, and finally . . .
David, will you be leaving Matt Smith a Bush-to-Obama style note? “From 10 to 11”?
DT We did chat on the phone. And we may well again, I suppose. But there’s nothing to say. He’ll do it his own way. He’s too good and too interesting an actor to want to know from anyone else how to do it.
You cooked up the Doctor’s wardrobe together, based on, of all things, Jamie Oliver appearing on Parkinson. How would you like the Doctor’s look to evolve?
RTD Oh, I wouldn’t presume to say.
DT He’s quite a natty dresser, is Matt. He could probably delve into his own wardrobe for something fairly . . . They may have to tone him down, actually. He’s quite wacky. In a very stylish way, of course. Makes me feel old.
RTD Maybe they should do something different every story. Have him dress like a real person.
DT “Like a real person?” You crazy heretic. He’s already got quite Doctoresque hair.
RTD Yes, but it’s not as good as David’s.
DT Ha! It’s different.
RTD It’s good hair. I like his hair.
DT It is quite . . .
RTD The poor man. We’re discussing his hair!
DT Well, so’s the rest of the country. We may as well join in. I’m just glad it’s somebody else for a change.
Will you, Russell, have any steer in Matt’s character?
RTD Absolutely none. I wouldn’t want to write a single word for him. When he appears, every word will be written by Steven Moffat. He’s Steven’s, and Matt’s, character.
Will you pinch any souvenirs from the set?
DT I never have done.
RTD A whole Tardis. Ha!
DT A sonic screwdriver would be nice. But there’s only two. And they’re worth a fortune.
RTD That would be lovely, wouldn’t it?
DT We’re angling now: “What we’d really like . . . presented in a nice gift box.”
The level of media speculation the show generates has never died down. It’s perhaps rivalled only by James Bond. Remarkable, considering it is, or was, a children’s show.
DT Because it’s got that cross-generational appeal, which few other things have. It’s not a working-class thing, it’s not a middle-class thing. The competition winner from Doctor Who magazine was on set today, a 15-year-old girl. When I was a kid, 15-year-old girls didn’t watch Doctor Who.
RTD It’s hard to express the joy of that. For 20 years, this thing was a joke. It was slightly embarrassing admitting liking it. In fact, very embarrassing. You’d see comedians taking the **** out of it. It would crop up on I Love the 60s shows, where they would make it look like rubbish. And to see it being what it always was in our hearts is just amazing. You mentioned it in the same sentence as James Bond. My God, that’s impossible!
DT The next special has Lindsay Duncan in it. Lindsay Duncan wins Tony awards. This is one of the poshest actors there is.
RTD That just feels so nice. But I always knew it was this good.
DT Are we going to sound terribly smug and sycophantic now?
RTD (Mock heroically) They can take the **** out of what we’re saying. But they’ll never touch us. (Thinks) The whole thing never lost its excitement for me. Otherwise I’d have been gone. That’s not why I’m going now. I’m going “in case”.
DT I would agree with that. I’m going in case it becomes a job. Because it still doesn’t feel like one.
A good rumour: Prince Charles was going to appear.
DT We did ask!
RTD He turned us down, bless him.
DT He didn’t reply personally?
RTD No. You don’t get past a serf.
DT He came to see Hamlet, though. I should have collared him . . . (quickly) That was nothing to do with me. He’s a patron of the RSC. He comes to most things.
Would you work together again?
DT Only if he asks me.
RTD Oh, do shut up. Yes, please. I would love to.
The Doctor Who special is on BBC1 on Saturday
Grandmaster
05-04-2009, 11:03
Good interview. I'd never have guessed in a million years that Russell Davies' next project would be about gay men.
Spotted today has been Wilf running into the TARDIS after the Doctor with his daughter screaming at him to "come back here at once", and also Catherine Tate is also on set filming too (they are filming outside there house today).
I know she had her knockers here, but IMO I would say she was Tennants best companion and hopes she gets a happier end this time.
pyrogena
09-04-2009, 18:21
Does anyone know if the Easter special will be on BBC iplayer afterwards?
Does anyone know if the Easter special will be on BBC iplayer afterwards?
Yep.
Someone shoult tell RTD that his big emotional "We're going to be split forever ever and no force in the universe can stop it" ending lose a hell of a lot of power when he regurgitates the characters back a few months down the line.
corkbouy
09-04-2009, 19:33
According to Digital Spy, the Doctor's companion in his last two stories is Bernard Cribbins!
Someone shoult tell RTD that his big emotional "We're going to be split forever ever and no force in the universe can stop it" ending lose a hell of a lot of power when he regurgitates the characters back a few months down the line.
Yup. He messed the Rose thing up. Let's hope he can redeem himself by giving Donna a nice HAPPY send off.
MovieMax
09-04-2009, 21:03
According to Digital Spy, the Doctor's companion in his last two stories is Bernard Cribbins!
There was an interview with RTD on the BBC Breakfast show the other day, when he said that.
internetuser
11-04-2009, 18:55
Well the new one was in HD I suppose..
KennyVader
11-04-2009, 19:03
So was the story about the bus being trashed in a dock loading accident an elaborate cover up or did they decide to use the wrecked bus after it genuinely got the top smashed in by accident.
That is my only thought after the episode.
Have pretty much forgotten it already.
Michelle Ryan was annoying, Lee Evans was annoying, that's about it really.
cliff homewood
11-04-2009, 19:04
I really enjoyed it.
Jedibitch
11-04-2009, 19:06
Awful for me.
HD was lovely though.
thescrounger
11-04-2009, 19:06
After seeing the trailer that looked a bit pants, I quite enjoyed that.
NicolaUK
11-04-2009, 19:06
Mr NicolaUK here:
I've messed up and thought it was on Monday, to get me out of the doghouse can anyone tell me when it's repeated?
I thought it was OK as well, Michelle Ryan was pretty decent and Lee Evans was great. They did add a line about the bus being smashed up as it went through the rift. Why could those three or four police cars catch up to it before it went through the rift :suspect:
I've messed up and thought it was on Monday, to get me out of the doghouse can anyone tell me when it's repeated?
Tomorrow at 19.00 on BBC 3.
Lee Evans can't act, he just gawps. Was Michelle Ryan supposed to be Lara Croft lite?
Hadn't seen any trailers or clips, so went in with no expectations at all.
Enjoyed it until the bus started flying. :nono:
Tennant looked like he was enjoying himself.
Ms. Ryan looked good, & I do like her posh accent. Suits her!
Evans was his usual self, so I was thankful he only had a very small supporting role.
& the music was very OTT, especially in the final 10 minutes or so.
Preview for the next one looked good. :thumbs:
NicolaUK
11-04-2009, 19:13
Tomorrow at 19.00 on BBC 3.
Thanks, although I'm still getting abuse :(
Lee Evans seemed to be working from a script written for Rob Bryden. I was waiting for him to say 'Just a bit of fun'.
Apart from that, enjoyed it immensely.
Terribly_Mauled
11-04-2009, 19:17
Tennant had dramatic crows feet in some of the shots in the HD broadcast. :lol:
Effects were middling too I thought.
The digital matte of the crashed fly people ship was quite stunning though.
Michelle Ryan in an almost catsuit? Yes please!
Kids loved it, youngest just the right side of scared. I thought it was good, if a little silly in places. With Moffatt at the help it could have been so much darker.
Great Saturday eveing telly though!
achookang
11-04-2009, 19:22
The digital matte of the crashed fly people ship was quite stunning though.
Agreed!
Liked: the look, the production values (apart from maybe the "flies" themselves, but that's par for the course for DW), the foreshadowing of the Doctor's future....
OK: Michelle Ryan was OK, but really should have played it a bit more scared. I mean, so she's some adventuring Lara Croft lite, but thrown through a wormhole and landed on Dune inhabited by giant flies and swarms of metal sting-rays, and she hardly bats an eyelid????
Not so keen on: UNIT and Lee Evans were a bit over the top. (Loved the goggles though - very Dr Horrible)
However.... the trailer for the next one looks great! Apparently the last couple are going to be darker, and that's fine by me!
thescrounger
11-04-2009, 19:28
The Michelle Ryan cat burglar character was very much like the companion Sylvester McCoy was going to have next if the original series hadn't come off the air.
Tony Keats
11-04-2009, 19:39
Not entirely sure why, but I found it a massive chore to sit through.
Things got off to a shaky start though, with Michelle Ryan doing some light-hearted CBBC style stealing. Then I had to deal with that annoying ‘psychic’ woman on the bus being portentous, and then there were the silly fly-men (who reminded me of the silly pig-men from Tennant’s nadir) along with some iffy CGI effects etc.
Thing is, I actually enjoyed the Cybermen episode from Christmas, and that wouldn’t be regarded as much of a high-point for new Who. But this just seemed... tiresome.
sleep4ever
11-04-2009, 20:07
Thanks, although I'm still getting abuse :(
Iplayer if you cant wait?
I do wonder what the point of filming in Dubai was when they could have pretty much got by by filming on a large beach.
Lee Evans seemed to be working from a script written for Rob Bryden. I was waiting for him to say 'Just a bit of fun'.
Apart from that, enjoyed it immensely.
I wonder if there would be a way of re-editing the episode so that the annoying **** Lee Evans never appeared?
and did the trailer have 'Jenny' - Georgia Moffett in it? It was just a very quick appearance of someone who looked like her?
I thought it was an OK episode.
So what do you think of the "4 knocks" comment? Do you think its a reference to the last 4 specials he is doing, with this being the first knock? Or perhaps it refers to the music (bad wolf?) which seems to be getting stronger from the start of the last series. This could then link to the other comments about Your song is almost over?
Difficult to look at much else when you have Michelle Ryan in a cat-suit, playing a decidedly Lara Croft style role. Was OK until the silly flying bus bit at the end, when it kind of side swiped the alien thing was a bit dumb too I thought.
I thought the same as KRW, it was almost like the part had been written for Rob Bryden then played by Lee Evans. The character was absolutely terrible anyway.
Also a woman in charge of UNIT is just so very wrong.
To summarise, Michelle Ryan in a cat suit.
I thought it was an OK episode.
So what do you think of the "4 knocks" comment? Do you think its a reference to the last 4 specials he is doing, with this being the first knock? Or perhaps it refers to the music (bad wolf?) which seems to be getting stronger from the start of the last series. This could then link to the other comments about Your song is almost over?
Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap, Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap? All that Master stuff?
AndyWilson
11-04-2009, 22:00
I guess the highlight was when Michelle Ryan perched her bum on the edge of the - erm - shaft.
Generally I liked it. The eaty things would have been scarier if they were smaller and nibbled you to death rather than big and swallowy though...
I don't understand the dislike for the flying bus. The Dr Who I grew up with had much "sillier" things - Bessie is the prime example - it was always part of what made Dr Who Dr Who....
Terribly_Mauled
11-04-2009, 22:02
Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap, Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap? All that Master stuff?
Yup, its exactly that
MovieMax
11-04-2009, 22:30
I enjoyed it, not a huge fan of Lee Evans as an actor, but I thought he played the character of Malcolm just right. Never watched ‘Eastenders’ but, from what I’ve seen Michelle Ryan in, she comes across very well. My biggest problem with the episode, why was the Doctor searching for the anomaly on a bus.
Chief Brody
11-04-2009, 22:34
"Also a woman in charge of UNIT is just so very wrong."
She was in charge of UNIT in the 'Turn Left' episode from the last series. If you go much further back, see Brigadier Winifred in the Mccoy-era story 'Battlefield' (or better yet, don't!).
Personally i like that we finally saw UNIT actually blowing the alien meanies apart with heavy artillery, rather than being as useless as Imperial Stormtroopers as per usual!
Overall is wasn't bad, watchable
Good:
Michelle Ryan was serviceable, I've always thought she was nice to look at. (are her breasts getting smaller over the years?)
Lee Evans was good until he met the Dr, then became embarrassing and bit OTT
The swarm, but as someone else said, they should have been smaller so when then victims got eaten it was more Paraná like :eek:
Bad:
Leader of UNIT was rubbish
Annoying ‘psychic’ woman on the bus
MUSIC WAS TOO LOUD COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE MIX
The Fly-men where the laziest alien concept i have ever seen. Everything else about them were fine.
thescrounger
11-04-2009, 22:48
Also a woman in charge of UNIT is just so very wrong.
They put Captains in charge of UNIT??
Poor effort. Storyline/plot that could fit on the back of a postage-stamp, Lee Evans playing Lee Evans in a labcoat, and some crappy flying bus FX. Only watchable due to the Michelle Ryan eye-candy (Nice audition for the next Lara Croft movie).
Looked good in HD but all it did was prove you can't polish a turd.
Sprout Crumble
12-04-2009, 00:48
Amazing how quickly Who has become very tired. Very poor, dipping into cringeworthy many times.
Its at its best when its being intelligent. This was shockingly dumb.
This was pretty bad. Actually a bit worse than the Xmas special methinks.
Recently watched Battlefield and found it very disappointing, especially as it was one of the stories I remembered quite vividly from when I was wee - but even that was better than this! As Brigadier Winifred might say: 'Oh, shame.' ;)
Fun for kids tho I'll give it that.
Grandmaster
12-04-2009, 06:18
don't understand the dislike for the flying bus. The Dr Who I grew up with had much "sillier" things - Bessie is the prime example - it was always part of what made Dr Who Dr Who....
The only thing silly about Bessie was the 'special effect' for making it look as though it could drive quickly. Otherwise the car was a perfect fit for the Pertwee persona.
Bapapapa
12-04-2009, 06:53
Thanks, although I'm still getting abuse :(Lucky git.. :n0rty:
Grandmaster
12-04-2009, 07:39
Much better than the Christmas special which had the usual Davies weakness of spectacle for spectacle's sake. This was a decent enough, if rather lightweight 'special'.
Once again the music was god-awful and the weakest element of the whole thing. Please can any one confirm that Murray Gold goes along with Davies and Tennant?
Not very "special" for a special. I wish RTD had learned by now that when he sits down and just writes a regular episode - rather than aiming to make something different he can deliver the goods in spades (Midnight for example).
I do tire of the fact that every seasonal episode has to be tied to its point of transmission (its always Christmas in the December episodes and teh Doctor had his easter egg in this one.) When the coulntless BBC3 repeats begin it WON'T be Easter or Christmas so why???
Anyway..
Good - Lee Evans. After the pre production bashing he got from certain areas he turned out well. Michele Ryan - very Mrs Peel in places.
OK - the Fly people - good that they were just crash survivors rather than villains - as with the Rill don't judge by appearances. The desert - but woefully underused.
Bad - ripping off the Langoliers. The police - can't they drive faster than a bus and wouldn't the driver have pulled over?? And the "I'm putting you under arrest for aiding a fellon " "Oh I ll just go and hide in that police box" was just silly. The flying bus went on TOO LONG!! No real menace from the stingrays. The psychic woman.
Enjoyable and very nice in HD but very forgettable, and not really a "special" for me.
fivebyfive
12-04-2009, 09:18
it was ok but went downhill when the bus started flying as it looked so poor and it side swiping the alien look even more poor. Michele Ryan was good as lara croft/mission impossible girl (nice scene when she sat on edge of the tunnel shaft). :n0rty: Nice to see aliens that where not evil for once (the sand creatures were just natural predators)
but the other people on the bus were annoying and dull, the ending
The police - can't they drive faster than a bus and wouldn't the driver have pulled over??
this too
thescrounger
12-04-2009, 11:33
Amazing how quickly Who has become very tired. Very poor, dipping into cringeworthy many times.
Its at its best when its being intelligent. This was shockingly dumb.
Why? Everything was explained.
PaulieC79
12-04-2009, 11:38
Just finished watching on iPlayer and enjoyed it. I was a bit worried with the cringeworthly dumb opening of Michelle Ryan stealing the cup almost comic style, the flying bus wasn't all that bad though the fact the driver of the bus didn't pull over when being pursued by numerous rapid response police vehicles, which as mentioned were driving at what 20mph!! was laughable. Anyway, the time pretty much passed rapidly and it was much better than most of the previous specials in my opinion. Preview of the next one looks good.
cliff homewood
12-04-2009, 12:12
An example of dumbness for you an infamously uncatchable jewel thief who has no exit plan so just jumps on a bus ???
Not highly intelligent scripting to me, to her be of that level of criminal she should have about 10 different exit scenarios. Whilst on the robbery a cage with no roof designed to be robbed from above? As I said I enjoyed it though, lightweight fun, to me it was enjoyable enough to carry its flaws, unlike the xmas special which was superb for the first half and then just got embarrassing with its throwing of spectacle after spectacle on top of the plot.
Sprout Crumble
12-04-2009, 12:15
Why? Everything was explained.
The worlds most stupid thing can be explained. Doesn't make it any less stupid.
thescrounger
12-04-2009, 12:16
The worlds most stupid thing can be explained. Doesn't make it any less stupid.
So, in other words you have to submit to that fact that none of it was.
Fantasy only needs to make sense within it's own reality, and it did.
Grandmaster
12-04-2009, 12:26
In this reality, it seems that police pursuit vehicles can't keep up with a decades old bus! The opening was the only weak element for me. The reasons for Michelle Ryan to get on the bus in the first place were really rather lame.
thescrounger
12-04-2009, 12:39
Oh Noes!
She had a getaway car for the robbery, I thought. There was a quick shot of someone getting arrested outside next to a car.
cliff homewood
12-04-2009, 15:26
ALso was wondering on the "they're about a hundred miles away at the speed they're going they'll be here in about 20 minutes" lines, compare with the fact they are going around the planet fast enough to create a wormhole. Know it made me think of timetravel where if you move something around fast enoguh to create its own gravitational force - but to do that I woudl have thought they woudl be moving near the speed of light 186,000 miles per second. But if they were moving that fast to create the wormhole the instant you saw them they would be on you.
But it is one of the reasons why I found the story acceptable, like scrounger said it had its own logic that seems to make sense. Seems may be the operative word though!
Not a bad episode at all - quite fun apart from psychic woman, don't mind it being a little ott knowing things are going to get darker.
Michelle Ryan = :luv::luv::luv::luv::luv:
If they are testing new possible companions, her please. :thumbs:
sleepy67
12-04-2009, 15:47
Mediocre.
Michelle Ryan, nice curves, but Lara Croft lite is such a tired concept.
Too many passengers on the bus diluted any empathy I could develop for their plight. Plus the pyschic woman was just annoying.
The science part was laughable.
Oh and since when do double deckers run on petrol?
thescrounger
12-04-2009, 15:52
Mediocre.
Michelle Ryan, nice curves, but Lara Croft lite is such a tired concept.
Eh? Did Lara Croft steal from museums. The Ryan charatcer is a cat burglar thief. Not a relic hunter.
sleepy67
12-04-2009, 16:26
Eh? Did Lara Croft steal from museums. The Ryan charatcer is a cat burglar thief. Not a relic hunter.Busty, attractive, acrobatic, aristocratic, English women. So ones a thief the others a relic hunter, a minor detail easily ignorable given the overwhelming similarities.
thescrounger
12-04-2009, 17:42
Busty, attractive, acrobatic, aristocratic, English women. So ones a thief the others a relic hunter, a minor detail easily ignorable given the overwhelming similarities.
I suppose the Tomb Raider is all you've got to compare with. But the cat burglar model has been around a *lot* longer. Never seen a Pink Panther film?
gjkendall
12-04-2009, 17:44
Bobbins...what was it all about?
Chops and gravy! ****!
Keystone cops! ****!
Ryans Arse! Delish!
The next one looks good though...could have the potential to be proper creepy!
scoobyood
12-04-2009, 18:16
Meh.. it was all right. We are just waiting out RTD with these "specials", Moffat can't come along quickly enough.
Best bit of the episode...
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/435/snapshot20090412190542.jpg
It really was a bit chilly on that fly ship.. that's attention to detail.
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4761/snapshot20090412190515.jpg
cliff homewood
12-04-2009, 20:51
I didn't mnid the psychic character but did note that Dr Who traditionally will not have any supernatural elements, there always has to be a pseudo scientific explanation for it. RTD is breaking this rule with psychics, I say good it needs to be broken! But he normally adheres to it so perhaps she's an alien, a time sensitive.
Gloriously entertaining, exactly what Who should be. Can't believe it was written by RTD. Excellent stuff, well acted and reminded me how much I've missed Dr Who on a Saturday. I liked everything about it.
"100 Malcolms = 1 Bernard" :lol:
ALso was wondering on the "they're about a hundred miles away at the speed they're going they'll be here in about 20 minutes" lines, compare with the fact they are going around the planet fast enough to create a wormhole. Know it made me think of timetravel where if you move something around fast enoguh to create its own gravitational force - but to do that I woudl have thought they woudl be moving near the speed of light 186,000 miles per second. But if they were moving that fast to create the wormhole the instant you saw them they would be on you.
Alright Malcolm, give it a rest!:thinking::lol:
At the end of the episode I was just left thinking, and..........
Really had a first episode of a new series feel about it where they set up the compaion for the series, but in this case thats the last we will see of her on that flying bus. Over all it was OK but at the end of it was left with no need to go back and watch it again.
Like the look of The Waters of Mars, and the " he will knock four time" bit is so going to be the Masters sound of the drums.
AdamBrunt
12-04-2009, 22:32
I suppose the Tomb Raider is all you've got to compare with. But the cat burglar model has been around a *lot* longer. Never seen a Pink Panther film?
Never mind Pink Panther (which was a MALE cat burglar wasn't it ?? ... David Niven IIRC) ... think more Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment :luv:
Really had a first episode of a new series feel about it where they set up the compaion for the series, but in this case thats the last we will see of her on that flying bus.
Remember Shouty Tate? She did that one special and came back later on to be a travel companion. Michelle Ryan would certainly be alot better if the same was to happen :thumbs:
Is there more Doctor Who filming going on? There is a bizarre sight in Swansea today, with the old Kardomah cafe decked out in Christmas lights and tinsel, and a decorated tree outside. There are tonnes of lights and trailers, and if werent for the mass pack of chavs it had attracted I would have hung about longer to see what was going on.
I'm amazed there's any room to move about in "the dark" the amount of portentous things that hang out there in their spare time in Who and Torchwood.
mnementh
13-04-2009, 14:20
Really enjoyed it.
Next one looks like its going to be great from the trailer. Is that the cloister bell ?
Oh and since when do double deckers run on petrol?
One of the passengers said they'd run out of petrol. The Doctor always referred to it as diesel from that point. And besides, since when do double deckers run on anti-gravity clamps :thumbs:
scoobyood
13-04-2009, 18:12
The whole "anti-gravity clamps" thing epitomises the problem I have with RTD's Dr Who. Why have some utterly ****, easy "answer" to solve the problem? The whole plot revolved around them getting a double decker bus a few metres across sand.. while they are in it. That's a lateral thinking puzzle, and with Doctors intellect, there should be a satisfying solution to the problem. It is a genuinely good setup for the Doctor.
Even them using the 'alien tech solution', they always resort to, could still be okay... But "oh let's just have the doctor stick these alien clamp thingys to the wheels 5 seconds before the monsters get to them" ... is just crap. Clearly ZERO thought had gone into actually serving a plot. RTD is just clueless. Why would a crystal need anti-gravity things on it? Why on earth would a random clamp out of the 5 be able to move the other 4 clamps in 3D space.. and keep them in positional sync with one another?? How do you steer the ******* bus with a single 2D steering wheel?? It's all a load of lazily written ****.
Yes, they were in Swansea filming today - http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Doctor-flies-day-filming-Swansea/article-897494-detail/article.html
I quite enjoyed this one too, felt sorry for the fly people that died.
Yes, they were in Swansea filming today - http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/news/Doctor-flies-day-filming-Swansea/article-897494-detail/article.html
Balls :eek: I knew I should have stuck around. Ta kandee.
Eh? Did Lara Croft steal from museums.Has since the 3rd game (and she wore the classic black cat-bugler outfit for it), and she's been "liberating" artifacts from private possession since the 2nd (and she squeezed in a bit of cut-scene office breaking & entering even in the 1st, but that was for info). If your going to nit-pick fictional characters' job descriptions at least get your facts straight ;) :dork:.
the " he will knock four time" bit is so going to be the Masters sound of the drums.
I hope that's more of a reference to the next Doctor (4 specials = 4 knocks?) rather than a re-tread of the foretelling of The Master (again.)
Wasn't impressed with this at all... this show has started to get very stale, roll on the new production team.
AdamBrunt
14-04-2009, 08:55
The whole "anti-gravity clamps" thing epitomises the problem I have with RTD's Dr Who. Why have some utterly ****, easy "answer" to solve the problem? The whole plot revolved around them getting a double decker bus a few metres across sand.. while they are in it. That's a lateral thinking puzzle, and with Doctors intellect, there should be a satisfying solution to the problem. It is a genuinely good setup for the Doctor.
Even them using the 'alien tech solution', they always resort to, could still be okay... But "oh let's just have the doctor stick these alien clamp thingys to the wheels 5 seconds before the monsters get to them" ... is just crap. Clearly ZERO thought had gone into actually serving a plot. RTD is just clueless. Why would a crystal need anti-gravity things on it? Why on earth would a random clamp out of the 5 be able to move the other 4 clamps in 3D space.. and keep them in positional sync with one another?? How do you steer the ******* bus with a single 2D steering wheel?? It's all a load of lazily written ****.
Not forgetting a fleet of police cars not being able to overtake a london bus or the bus driver not stopping on seeing/hearing the sirens.
It all just detracts from the totally believable alien travelling through time and space in a little old police box that's bigger on the inside than the outside ;)
Not forgetting a fleet of police cars not being able to overtake a london bus or the bus driver not stopping on seeing/hearing the sirens.
THere's no overtaking allowed in the Butetown tunnel.:lol:
Xenomorph
23-04-2009, 21:01
You lot are off your game.
SPOILER FOR POSSIBLE RUMOURED CASTING DECISION:
Gillian Anderson to possibly play The Rani.
Oh... I'm not allowed to use tiny URL... the URL I have gives it away through the spoiler.
Erm... it's over on io9 somewhere.
http://io9.com
I'd love to see her back on TV and this strikes me as potentially alot of fun.
Most reports have her as being asked to star in Series 5, but as for the character bit I wonder if its a case of the old newspaper 2+2=7.
More detials HERE (http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/13919/gillian-anderson-a-who-villain-/)
Would love her as a companion:luv:, but doubt if we would ever get that lucky.
My problem with Planet of the Dead was that it seemed stretched out and didn't feel "special". We are only getting a handful of episodes this year and I would have liked someting spectacular. For what use they made of Dubai the may has well have used green screens of a desert and there was no real threat, the stingray things were weak.
Like Adam Brunt I thought the police cars unable to stop a bus spoiled it. And that tunnel was supposed to be in London - not Wales so no overtaking wouldn't apply! Can't see it would to the police anyway?
I'm not sure about the Police car bit - I dont know what police procedure is, and I know Dr Who isn't the Wire for realism, but how would the police stop a bus by overtaking? There were civilians on board, with a potentially armed and dangerous criminal so perhaps they were just chasing and not interfering with a vehicle in motion to protect potential civilian casualties :dork:
Coolhand
24-04-2009, 09:21
Once again I'm stunned when people complain about lack of realism in a show about a man who travels through time and space in a police box....
Thats be honest when you watch something like Who you accept that its not going to be an accurate portrayal of everyday life right from the start, BUT it also needs to have some sort of realism in it so you can connect to it and also not spend the whole of the episode going people/police would not do that.
I had problems with the whole thats guard this valuable object with lasers and guards and cameras, but that not have anything actually looking at the thing. It kind of reminded me of the old Who where people used to escape, break into places by tiptoeing behind peoples back, or hiding themselves by standing as flush against a wall as they could :nuts:
I would be willing to over look that if the story etc was good enough to carry it (as it was in a lot of the old classic Who), but unfortunately that was just not the case with POTD.
I would not say all the other specials have been works of TV art, but all have felt right timing wise where as this just come across a normal 1st episode to a new series with bits tacked on to try and make it a special.
Going back to the last special there are growing rumors that the Sycorax might be playing a part in the final special.
M And that tunnel was supposed to be in London - not Wales so no overtaking wouldn't apply! Can't see it would to the police anyway?
I wasn't seriousd you know :lol:
I had problems with the whole thats guard this valuable object with lasers and guards and cameras, but that not have anything actually looking at the thing. It kind of reminded me of the old Who where people used to escape, break into places by tiptoeing behind peoples back, or hiding themselves by standing as flush against a wall as they could :nuts:
Yeah, I get that, but when it happens in new who, I pretend its some sort of homage. :lol:
The finale includes:
Rose and Jackie, Sarah Jane and Luke, Captain Jack and Midshipman Frame
so it might be another Journeys End dogs dinner.
The Sun are saying that Timothy Dalton is going to be the villian in one of the last Tennant episodes. :notworthy
(although, as it's coming from The Sun, this should probably be taken with a hefty pinch of salt)
thescrounger
17-05-2009, 11:18
No he is, I've heard it from reliable on set sources.
Once again I'm stunned when people complain about lack of realism in a show about a man who travels through time and space in a police box....
That's the laziest defence in the world though isn't? Good sci-fi is grounded in reality, making the more fantastic elements work all the better.
Just because it is sci-fi doesn't mean the characters should make ridiculous decisions, or that the writers should use the fact it's sci-fi to introduce last minute deux ex-machina's.
The Sun are saying that Timothy Dalton is going to be the villian in one of the last Tennant episodes. :notworthy
(although, as it's coming from The Sun, this should probably be taken with a hefty pinch of salt)
There was a large amount of rumors ON OG around Feb that Simm's Master would regenerate into Dalton at the end of one of the specials and Dalton would go on to be the Master for the 11th Doctor in Series 5. At the time these were laughed off, but now.................
The3rdMan
18-05-2009, 21:41
There was a large amount of rumors ON OG around Feb that Simm's Master would regenerate into Dalton at the end of one of the specials and Dalton would go on to be the Master for the 11th Doctor in Series 5. At the time these were laughed off, but now.................
...he (Dalton) is staying at St. David's Hotel, Cardiff from some sources.
According to Ben Cook(DWM writer) on Twitter; bar any last minute pick up shoots, re-shoots David Tennant filmed his last scenes as the 10th Doctor yesterday.
However there is growing speculation of the often talked about Doctor Who Movie going ahead with Rose and Doctor 10.1 (played by Tennant) set in the alternative Universe.
Grandmaster
26-05-2009, 16:57
David Tennant to play the Doctor in two episodes of the Sarah Jane Adventures:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8068435.stm
God knows how they got the budget to afford him, but a nice brucie bonus nonetheless.
Andrew WK
27-05-2009, 13:07
I'm a bit out of the loop, did we know this?
BBC Films has confirmed that plans are afoot to bring Doctor Who to the big screen.
In a BBC News article about current Time Lord David Tennant's appearance in spinoff series The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spokeswoman for the corporation's film division disclosed that "a script is in development" for a Who feature.
It is not yet known if executive producer Russell T. Davies or incoming showrunner Steven Moffat are writing the script, or whether Tennant or his replacement Matt Smith will play The Doctor. Tennant will appear in special 'The Waters Of Mars' this November, and two subsequent one-offs, before handing the role to Smith.
The Doctor has previously appeared in the 1965 film Doctor Who And The Daleks and 1966's Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 AD, with Peter Cushing playing the Time Lord on both occasions.
pyrogena
27-05-2009, 15:33
I'm a bit out of the loop, did we know this?
BBC Films has confirmed that plans are afoot to bring Doctor Who to the big screen.
In a BBC News article about current Time Lord David Tennant's appearance in spinoff series The Sarah Jane Adventures, a spokeswoman for the corporation's film division disclosed that "a script is in development" for a Who feature.
That was aparantly snuck in at the end of the Sarah Jane spin off announcement. Rumour mill is already going into overdrive.
Lack of roles for Tennant post departure announcement made him have a re-think? ;)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8073734.stm
Looks like the ginger bird from Tatu.
She shouldn't be too bad - I'm cautious, but I reckon we could be in for a good year for Who in 2010.
boonspoon
29-05-2009, 12:39
Set photos from the two-part Christmas special (not The Waters of Mars, which is currently expected in November). Obviously SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...49307376d5.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...17354f4c67.jpg
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...7230501d26.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/qx3wk1.jpg
Looks like the first three images are gone already.
boonspoon
29-05-2009, 12:51
Blimey!! :eek:
Anyways they were:
Bernard Cribbins
Donna
Donna's Mum
and the fourth pic is...
JOHN SIMMS!!
scoobyood
29-05-2009, 13:04
Don't you have them in your cache boonspoon? Repost them some place else.
The ginger looks far more attractive than that one from tatu. If you google her it looks like there are a load of pictures of her drunk on some 'red appreciation' website :lol: Though it could be some one else.
boonspoon
29-05-2009, 13:14
Good shout!! :D
http://tinypic.com/r/55447o/5
http://tinypic.com/r/2cxticg/5
http://tinypic.com/r/ehejvp/5
http://tinypic.com/r/154vlth/5
There we go.... Same order as the last lot.
degeneration
29-05-2009, 20:45
She looks very nice from the image on bbc.co.uk but also looks a little young, although she is actually 21) so its ok for me to perv.
Blimey!! :eek:
Anyways they were:
Bernard Cribbins
Donna
Donna's Mum
and the fourth pic is...
JOHN SIMMS!!
Moffat's time can't come soon enough. He *might* be as bad but it's a risk I'm willing to take...
It appears the Doctor Who Forum and News Page (ie OG) are closing :(
I'd be quite interested in trying to put something together to fill this hole - anyone else up for getting involved?
douglasb
03-06-2009, 11:45
Good God. You think this place is hard to police ...
:lol: Well someone else can do that :D I'd just set it up :D
It appears the Doctor Who Forum and News Page (ie OG) are closing :(
I'd be quite interested in trying to put something together to fill this hole - anyone else up for getting involved?
Well belive it or not this subject sort of interests me:D
In what way would you need help?
Not really up on-line skills (ie setting up sites) but could I help in other ways (moderating)?
Feel free to e-mail me about it if need be.
pyrogena
03-06-2009, 14:39
Ygm :)
Hey Colin - I might be interested aswell. Email info if you still need help.
Initial early stages here:
http://beta.strangememories.com
The name will most likely change (being a domain I just had hanging around), but the early building blocks are coming together. I want to get a team together to work on it before I set anything set in stone as I want the site to reflect what we all want it to be rather than just what I think.
The contact form doesn't work yet, so if anyone is interested, just email me through the Forums here :)
I've done some more work on this now and it's shaping up quite nicely... Does anyone have any thoughts on the site?
mnementh
03-06-2009, 17:33
Looks nice - works well on Firefox on a Mac.
Are the header photos random ?
Got the Dalek and Chris loads of times, Davros and David once each.
The navigator bar is longer than the photos on the right.
Thanks - corrected the nav bar now. The header photos/quotes are random.
douglasb
03-06-2009, 19:28
Running a single-topic site can be a real hoot. You def get a much better sense of community. Shame about SF fans being such hard work ;)
A DVDT/TMF-style site with distinct news/review sections + forums should be a winner. Esp. as the site would come without some of the baggage associated w/ similar ventures. So many of these things are run by cliques and what have you.
thescrounger
03-06-2009, 19:30
Looks good so far.
I've done some more work on this now and it's shaping up quite nicely... Does anyone have any thoughts on the site?
You dont waste time do you!
Looks good so far.
I have e-mailed a couple of people who do set reports on OG, as if we can get them on board I feel they will be a real assist to the site.
Do you want me to post a link to the site in the OG forum yet (there is a section dedicated to other Who sites), or would you rather wait a bit and get the forum part up and running first?
You dont waste time do you!
Looks good so far.
I have e-mailed a couple of people who do set reports on OG, as if we can get them on board I feel they will be a real assist to the site.
Do you want me to post a link to the site in the OG forum yet (there is a section dedicated to other Who sites), or would you rather wait a bit and get the forum part up and running first?
Let me sort out the domain first and then post tomorrow :)
I'm quite excited by this one as I've been wanting to do a sci-fi site for a while.
OK - slight change.
I've registered the name 'themedusacascade.com' which I'll be using as a central hub for multiple sites eventually if the DW site takes off.
So the URL will be:
http://doctorwho.themedusacascade.com/
I've added user registrations and comments now. My next big task is to implement the forum.
Anyone else fancy being involved?
mnementh
04-06-2009, 10:35
Registed with no probs.
I'd like to be involved but not sure how much time I'll be able to commit
Well anyone who just wants to help shape the site is welcome to come in and take part in the initial discussions. Contact me directly and I'll set you up an admin account so you can get involved there.
LooneyJetman
04-06-2009, 11:04
OG had a tendancy in recent years to descend into flame wars, mainly over new series casting etc. Replacing it would be a big task, but if there's anything I can do, I'd be happy to help.
Hey Colin, if you need any help with anything let me know, I'm sure I can wander the web <strike>stealing</strike> finding Doctor Who/Sci-Fi stories. It'd be good if the place did not devolve into the Outpost Gallifrey, which is closing down soon, so you might have a chance to push this and make Doctor Who fandom more interesting discussion and less handbags at dawn.
Colin started a thread about this in General with the new site link:
http://www.thedvdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=567499
We now have a forum online:
http://forum.themedusacascade.com/Forum
We're giving away some DVDs... I'll stop posting here now as this isn't really a thread for my promotion :D
http://forum.themedusacascade.com//Thread/t-8/p-last/win-planet-of-the-dead-and-the-war-games-on-dvd.html
Warning!! :dork: overload
EDIT: Removed the image as it is a massive spoiler.
You can see it here:
<a href="http://doctorwho.relativedimensions.com/Content/41/huge-finale-spoiler.html">http://doctorwho.relativedimensions.com/Content/41/huge-finale-spoiler.html</a>
cliff homewood
16-06-2009, 09:10
and some are probably going to be mighty ****** off with you, classing it as a spoiler. Even though it does say SPOILERS in the thread title.
thescrounger
24-06-2009, 16:37
According to this months Doctor Who magazine the 2010 series will be called 'series one'.
I smell a Star Trek style reboot and clean slate...
scoobyood
24-06-2009, 17:23
According to this months Doctor Who magazine the 2010 series will be called 'series one'.
I smell a Star Trek style reboot and clean slate...
Praise the lord Jebus! I hope that means zero camp and maximum bed wetting darkness. How amazing would it be if they moved it to 9pm and tried to make some proper world class entertainment.. like Lost meets Battlestar meets Buffy*. They could pull that off and the BBC would make a mint.
We can but dream! :(
.....
*okay tiny bit of camp in that. :D
According to this months Doctor Who magazine the 2010 series will be called 'series one'.
I smell a Star Trek style reboot and clean slate...
There have been rumors on OG about a reboot for sometime.
Really hope it does not go the re-boot route, and this is just one of those things like RTD first Who series being called "Series 1" as it was a new production team.
Actually in last months DWM the editors comment actually singled out how for not having to re-boot its self (like Star Trek, Bond etc), and how great it was that it was a continuous show, with a continues Doctor that is the same character.
Also I cant see a big Who fan like Moffat wanting to ditch all the shows past (I know RTD is writing the last special, but he has always said the Doctor will be left exactly as Moffat wants him.
Oh well just have to wait and see.
Praise the lord Jebus! I hope that means zero camp and maximum bed wetting darkness. How amazing would it be if they moved it to 9pm and tried to make some proper world class entertainment.. like Lost meets Battlestar meets Buffy*. They could pull that off and the BBC would make a mint.
We can but dream! :(
Sounds like a nightmare to me.
For me Doctor Who is great because its Doctor Who and not a UK copy of a US show.
As a family show its already "world class entertainment" and has been for some 40 years+ now.
fivebyfive
24-06-2009, 18:27
hoping for a new start/reboot as well
scoobyood
24-06-2009, 21:22
Sounds like a nightmare to me.
For me Doctor Who is great because its Doctor Who and not a UK copy of a US show.
As a family show its already "world class entertainment" and has been for some 40 years+ now.
"copy of a US show" how on earth could it be that? With the current Who RTD was influenced massively by the likes of Buffy, does that make the show the same as Buffy?
What I was suggesting is that it still needs a little of that comedy/monster of the week.. but there's no reason it can't go more towards Lost's verisimilitude/visual polish and Battlestar's epic scale/grittyness. I mention these "US shows" because they are SciFi with massive crossover appeal. That's what I want for Dr Who.
The tone and visual quality of the show needs a massive overhaul (see the "fly people" on the last episode). A Dr Who without camp sets and multicoloured lighting and camp Rhino/potato monsters is what would elevate it. Instead of making a Alien 4 they should start making Alien 1.
I have no doubt that Moffat can do this for the show. Blink proves that. It's a case of how far the BBC suits let him go.
"copy of a US show" how on earth could it be that? With the current Who RTD was influenced massively by the likes of Buffy, does that make the show the same as Buffy?
What I was suggesting is that it still needs a little of that comedy/monster of the week.. but there's no reason it can't go more towards Lost's verisimilitude/visual polish and Battlestar's epic scale/grittyness. I mention these "US shows" because they are SciFi with massive crossover appeal. That's what I want for Dr Who.
The tone and visual quality of the show needs a massive overhaul (see the "fly people" on the last episode). A Dr Who without camp sets and multicoloured lighting and camp Rhino/potato monsters is what would elevate it. Instead of making a Alien 4 they should start making Alien 1.
I have no doubt that Moffat can do this for the show. Blink proves that. It's a case of how far the BBC suits let him go.
But doesn't Doctor Who appeal to kids too? It has a big audience with that demographic. You're taking the show away from them if you go down the darker Lost/BSG route.
gavinhanly
24-06-2009, 21:43
Could it be a reboot to allow RTD and Tennant to carry on making big screen movies set in the "old" universe?
scoobyood
24-06-2009, 21:49
But doesn't Doctor Who appeal to kids too? It has a big audience with that demographic. You're taking the show away from them if you go down the darker Lost/BSG route.
Nah. Not a problem. For instance some of the DVD's for Dr Who go to a 12. They could move to that on all the DVD releases.. rather than some of them being PG. The upper end of a 12 or 12A. The Dark Knight is a 12, Hell Boy 2... it doesn't have to be crazy with blood and stuff to go dark.
Neil Smalley
24-06-2009, 22:40
I hope they don't do a reboot. Time for some new monsters/villans/companions etc. I wish they would leave the Daleks, master, captain Jack, Rose, Donna et al alone and move on. Build on the base sure, but dont keep going back and over using them.
It was like star trek and the borg. The first couple of times, great. But then they overused them and spoilt the whole thing
"copy of a US show" how on earth could it be that? With the current Who RTD was influenced massively by the likes of Buffy, does that make the show the same as Buffy?
What I was suggesting is that it still needs a little of that comedy/monster of the week.. but there's no reason it can't go more towards Lost's verisimilitude/visual polish and Battlestar's epic scale/grittyness.
But we have that already.
Blink, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Turn Left, Midnight, Dalek, etc type story one week, Smith & Jones, Shakespeare Code, etc another week, Army of Ghosts/Doomsday, Christmas Invasion, Stolen Earth/Journeys End, etc another week..
The tone and visual quality of the show needs a massive overhaul (see the "fly people" on the last episode). A Dr Who without camp sets and multicoloured lighting and camp Rhino/potato monsters is what would elevate it.
Granted the last story; Planet of the Dead was not that good at all, but this was more down to one of those below par episodes that even shows like even LOST, & BSG have in there season run. I dont pretend every single story in Who's long history has been fantastic. Far from it (Planet of the Dead, Fear Her, Daleks in Manhattan spring to mind!), but its format is still a winning unique one that no other show has managed to copy successfully.
Instead of making a Alien 4 they should start making Alien 1.
No,no, no, they just need to carry on making Doctor Who.
I have no doubt that Moffat can do this for the show. Blink proves that. It's a case of how far the BBC suits let him go.
While I think Moffat taking over is what the show now needs, I think those that think he's going to take it in a drastic dark/'Blink' new direction will be in for a shock. Moffat is a life long Who fan and I fully expect there to be a series run with some dark, some light, some comedy, and even 'camp' moments in his Series 1. Nearly every Who series since the 60's has had these sort of episodes and I dont expect the new one to be that much different.
fivebyfive
25-06-2009, 06:31
Of course the show's tone will not change drastically (although the quality of eps like Blink, Human Nature/Family of Blood would very very welcome compared to stuff like Stolen Earth/Journeys End or the master episodes) But those expecting (eg the dr who jihadists) a massive continuation of the shouting, gurning, everything fixed with the sonic screwdriver will be will be in for a shock
hookbeak
25-06-2009, 07:49
If it's a reboot then i'll eat my hat.
If it's "dark and for adults" i'll eat everyone elses too.
Everyone expecting sweeping changes is going to be in for a huge dissapointment.
Heard a rumour about the Tardis being based on the original 1963 one too. Could this be a temporal anomoly re-imaging thing where Matt Smith is a young 1st Doctor, yet he is Doctor 11 at the same time? It would side step the 12 regenerations thing that fans keep nerding on about.
I suspect the show will be exactly the same as it was before, more or less, but all the campy nonsense will now be blamed on "BBC suits for not giving Moffat enough free reign to make Dr Who more like Dead Space".
scoobyood
25-06-2009, 14:52
Heard a rumour about the Tardis being based on the original 1963 one too. Could this be a temporal anomoly re-imaging thing where Matt Smith is a young 1st Doctor, yet he is Doctor 11 at the same time? It would side step the 12 regenerations thing that fans keep nerding on about.
Don't think they need a 'Temporal anomaly' for that. Or for continuing the Tennant versions for a movie. This is time travel and the doctor jumps back and forth all the 'time'. For all we know there could have been a hundred years of travels between 'Journey's End' and 'Planet of the Dead'. If Matt Smith is the young first doctor then that's just what happened.. It's a pretty cool idea actually. :thumbs:
thescrounger
25-06-2009, 15:16
Everyone expecting sweeping changes is going to be in for a huge dissapointment.
I think there will be plenty of big changes. Things we know will change are:
Theme Music arrangement.
New interior TARDIS console room
New Doctor Who Logo
And of course new actors and production team.
AndyWilson
25-06-2009, 15:27
Moffat has expressed his admiration for RTD's "lighter" writing - so I think we'll continue to see that style.
hookbeak
25-06-2009, 16:27
I think there will be plenty of big changes. Things we know will change are:
Theme Music arrangement.
New interior TARDIS console room
New Doctor Who Logo
And of course new actors and production team.
That's not that sweeping though - the music has changed every year anyway and the logo is not much of a change.
Personally i don't think the tardis will change *that* much either, i think it'll be expanded and have more detail (because of HD) though...
Of course it *will*be different, i just don't think it'll be *that* different.
Grandmaster
25-06-2009, 19:20
Is Murray Gold still doing his Tom and Jerry musical routine for the new series or has he been retired?
I agree that a reboot would be absolutely terrible. If Davies proved anything, it's that the new series and the old can work together as one big, rich cohesive story. One character, one concept, one history that literally spans generations.
As for the Russell Davies/David Tennant movie idea, I think they both need to accept that they've had their time and the show and the characters don't belong to them any more.
cliff homewood
25-06-2009, 21:58
well th enew series started as season 1 because of the fact it was a new production team according to Davies, so that coudl be the case again here? Although it would be bloody confusing so I'm assuming its a false rumour.
My understanding from the magazine is that the production team will call it series one internally but that that is unlikely to be what will appear in publicity or on DVDs - it will be series 5.
hookbeak
26-06-2009, 13:10
makes sense - it's a marketing nightmare to start at season 1 again. Just adds a lot of confusion and totally not needed.
Besides, as it's going to be a direct continuation of the specials (and series 4) it'd be more than ridiculous.
pyrogena
26-06-2009, 14:17
Don't forget there's the new Doctor Who site created by ColinP over here:
Doctor Who @ Relative Dimensions (http://doctorwho.relativedimensions.com/)
The discussion forum (http://forum.relativedimensions.com/Forum) could so with some, well, discussion! Seperate spoiler section (http://forum.relativedimensions.com/Forum/f-16/p-1.html) too.
/end shameless plug :D
Waters of Mars clip has been released:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid20170988001?bctid=28952681001
Apparently there is a major Doctor Who press release on Monday 20th July. Not sure if they mean 00:01 Monday or midnight Monday, so could be more like Tuesday AM.
They also start filming Series 5 (or 1, or 31 depending on your point of view) that week so its expected to tie in with that.
Both Matt Smith & Karen Gillan have been spotted out of costume in Wales and a few GB (taken over from OG) members have posted them on line. When they have been asked both have referred to the new series as "Series 5" and not "1" and have confirmed that filming starts next week.
Both have been asked about the strong OG rumors of a new TARDIS, Daleks in episode 1 of the new series, and that its set seconds after the last special finishes. Both have said they cant say anything, but there will be some news soon.
Matt has also been quizzed about what his costume is going to be which has also been replied with a "wait and see" answer and if he is keeping his hair; to which he replies "I hope so!".
The question they have been asking Karen is what her character name will be and what planet or time will she be from. She has also used the "wait and see" or "cant say" reply. This has sent the GB forum into over drive that if she cant say then it must be a BIG secret, so she must be either a young Donna or some sort of regeneration of the Doctor/Donna character.
On the plus side for fans; both actors have been very friendly and approachable when fans have come up to them for pictures etc.
The question they have been asking Karen is what her character name will be and what planet or time will she be from. She has also used the "wait and see" or "cant say" reply. This has sent the GB forum into over drive that if she cant say then it must be a BIG secret, so she must be either a young Donna or some sort of regeneration of the Doctor/Donna character.
Jumping to conclusions? Surely there's a press blackout over ALL of the elements of the new series so refusal to answer about her name etc isn't really suprising and doesn't indicated anything!
hookbeak
18-07-2009, 10:11
if she's got a donna link i'd be *astounded*. They are wiping the slate fairly clean from what i hear and whilst not rebooting, they are starting out afresh - new doctor, new companions, new monsters.
Saying that, Moffat has said he wants to keep the dynamic the same, with a the young human female companion who is the grounding for the viewer. In short, it'll be the same - but different.
By introducing donna into this, it completely screws with everything they are trying to do.
scoobyood
18-07-2009, 10:13
Young Donna? Huh? Firstly she doesn't look anything like Catherine Tate... secondly why the hell would they bog down the show by going back over a character they've already finished up with??? No chance. Stupid idea.
Jumping to conclusions? Surely there's a press blackout over ALL of the elements of the new series so refusal to answer about her name etc isn't really suprising and doesn't indicated anything!
Remember these rumors were from OG/GB, who have come up with other gems such as "Adam is Davros" and "Harriet Jones is the Red Dalek" :lol:
I think most of them are basing it on the fact that she is also a red head anyway.
There are a few posters on OG that must have some sort of inside info as they get quiet a lot right, but none of these have jumped on the young Donna or Donna Mark II band wagon. New TARDIS is a VERY strong possibility and the Daleks in episode 1 is mentioned by some of the more reliable ones too.
Apparently her name is...
Amy
....according to The Mirror. (http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/tv/tv-land/2009/07/17/great-scot-doc-who-s-the-girl-115875-21525962/)
And no, I have no idea why I put that in a spoiler. :thinking: :p
mnementh
18-07-2009, 11:19
I'm going to throw out some complete speculation and say ...
her surname is Foreman and she's the Dr's Great GrandDaughter
:D
Apparently her name is...
Amy
....according to The Mirror. (http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/tv/tv-land/2009/07/17/great-scot-doc-who-s-the-girl-115875-21525962/)
And no, I have no idea why I put that in a spoiler. :thinking: :p
ZOMG that is an anagram of Yam which is a fruit this is a clear indication that the gay agenda is alive an well in the Moffat era, also she I think she is probably the Rani's daughter after being bummed by a Yeti.
I hope they aren't going down the entirely new monsters route, as it would be interesting to see Moffat deal with some of the classic ones.
I expect we'll eventually see some returning monsters but the Daleks are in need of a thorough need of a vacation.
or a decent script/director
of the 'classic' monsters brought back so far, I think the Sontaran's have been handled best.
of the 'classic' monsters brought back so far, I think the Sontaran's have been handled best.
I think that <B>Dalek</b> was a great introduction for a classic villain - one Dalek was a real threat, something to be scared of....
Unfortunately, since then RTD seems to have gone down the route of throwing a hundred / thousand / million / billion Daleks at the screen on each appearance and each time gets rid of them with a huge reset button press which has made them pretty much impotent.
I'd presume the press release will be to show the new Doctor in costume. If the new series is shooting as of that week the alternative is that the first look will be via spy shots from the set.
I think that <B>Dalek</b> was a great introduction for a classic villain - one Dalek was a real threat, something to be scared of....
Unfortunately, since then RTD seems to have gone down the route of throwing a hundred / thousand / million / billion Daleks at the screen on each appearance and each time gets rid of them with a huge reset button press which has made them pretty much impotent.
agree 100% with this post
'Dalek' was fantastic, ever since then it's been a case of 'one louder' with each finale, with the same ending regardless of villain (daleks/daleks vs cybermen/master/daleks) all having some kind of cosmic 'smart bomb' ending.
agree 100% with this post
'Dalek' was fantastic, ever since then it's been a case of 'one louder' with each finale, with the same ending regardless of villain (daleks/daleks vs cybermen/master/daleks) all having some kind of cosmic 'smart bomb' ending.
While I agree that 'Dalek' was and is the best Dalek story in years, do think they were handled almost as well in Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways.
Also felt the Cult of Skaro were delt with in a more plausible way (sent back from where they come from) in Doomsday.
Stolen Earth/End Game ending was a bit hard to swallow, but then again this was more about Davros V the Doctor, with Davros pointing out how much the Doctor can destroy lives while he goes about saving the universe. Also felt the whole thing had a nice nostalgic fan boy feel that hit home with me, so I will forgive it the "you can wipe out the whole Dalek fleet from inside its prison end!"
As for the whole human Dalek idea:gag:
Apparently the first 'exclusive' look at Matt Smith in costume will be today at 8.45AM on BBC Breakfast, while other sources say the press release will be online at 8:30am.
http://i32.tinypic.com/20pvguv.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8158556.stm
Doctor Who fans have been given their first look at the new costume being worn by Matt Smith, the 11th actor to play the role.
The Time Lord's new look consists of tweed jacket, bow tie, rolled up trousers and black boots.
http://i27.tinypic.com/2ijsr6c.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/20pvguv.jpg
She looks gorgeous, he looks like a geography teacher!
thescrounger
20-07-2009, 08:13
Bigger picture http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/medialibrary/images/wide-screen/karen_matt_1440x900.jpg#
Agree that she is a very pretty girl, but a bit to young for me for me in any other way (she's more near my daughters age than mine :lol: ).
Surprised they did not gave Matt a bit more of a 'younger' looking outfit.
Word is that apart from something in an up coming edition of DWM, this will be the only "official" look/press release of the new series until after the last RTD special has aired.
So although we might get set reports and pictures from fans, it looks like we might have to wait for any pictures of a new look TARDIS, logo etc.
Location Filming Update:
A new TARDIS has been spotted on location. No pics yet but by all reports it looks more like the Hartnell version with white window frames & a St John's Ambulance sign.
Prepare for the Gallifrey Base rumors that Matt is not the 11th Doctor but a young first Doctor:nuts:
EDIT - By all reports there is also there's a man in his 60's with fishing equipment, 1960's style computers being set up, and what looks like a crashed space craft on the beach.
KennyVader
20-07-2009, 10:13
He looks a lot better than I thought he would when his name was first announced judging from the pics/video that was about at that time.
Agree that she is gorgeous!
Preacher
20-07-2009, 10:40
http://www.indy4.info/images/about-indiana-jones-1.jpg
:suspect:
Location Filming Update:
A new TARDIS has been spotted on location. No pics yet but by all reports it looks more like the Hartnell version with white window frames & a St John's Ambulance sign.What the hell?? By all means mess around with the interior (i thought the Paul Mcgann movie version is still the best one by miles) but don't change the outside!!! :eek::eek::cuckoo:
What the hell?? By all means mess around with the interior (i thought the Paul Mcgann movie version is still the best one by miles) but don't change the outside!!! :eek::eek::cuckoo:
Why not?
The great thing about Who is that pretty much anything AND everything can change and still things carry on as normal.
What if The Doctor fixes the 'chameleon circuit' so the TARDIS can take any form? What will fans do then? I think it'd be a pretty daring thing to do myself given the fact the TARDIS is an icon - but even then would it really make any difference?
Mr Majestik
20-07-2009, 11:14
Considering the Tardis is suppose to change shape i don't see the problem.
It's just a design that the new production team prefer - it's not as if it hasn't been altered countless times before now.
What if The Doctor fixes the 'chameleon circuit' so the TARDIS can take any form?Then that's fine, have it change in every episode, it would be fun (i always liked how the Master climbed out of a grandfather clock in one of the old episodes)
But go all out and have it fixed or not at all, not something that's half arsed
Personally I'd like to see the Hartnell console room make a comeback at the same time. RTD can keep his "it's alien so it must have green lighting!!!!" design ethic.
Grandmaster
20-07-2009, 11:46
Surprised they did not gave Matt a bit more of a 'younger' looking outfit.
Yeah I'm having difficulty envisaging that costume on the front of millions of toys and other kiddie merchandise! Still, you can't argue that Moffat isn't doing things his own way.
What the hell?? By all means mess around with the interior (i thought the Paul Mcgann movie version is still the best one by miles) but don't change the outside!!! :eek::eek::cuckoo:
The exterior prop has changed pretty drastically across the years and nobody's ever cared before. The fact is that you'll look at it once, notice it's changed a bit then never think about it again.
New Tardis and some extra pics here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1200883/His-time-come-New-Doctor-Who-Matt-Smith-begins-filming-gorgeous-young-redheaded-assistant.html;jsessionid=563B5224252713EE3E4CFD379F23CC3A
I quite like it!
Mr Majestik
20-07-2009, 12:15
If you hadn't have told me that the Tardis was different i would never have guessed from those pictures.
Is it huge or are they tiny? :suspect:
It does seem oddly proportioned :suspect:
Maybe it's just camera angles
Well it's obviously a different, brighter, blue to the previous TARDIS.
Is it slightly bigger?
Look who's in the episode too, standing next to Matt Smith:
Spoilers if you click
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article2544923.ece?slideshowPopup=true&articleId=2544923&nSlide=1
pyrogena
20-07-2009, 12:35
Look who's in the episode too, standing next to Matt Smith:
Spoilers if you click
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article2544923.ece?slideshowPopup=true&articleId=2544923&nSlide=1
:clap:
KennyVader
20-07-2009, 12:35
I don't recognise her :shrug:
pyrogena
20-07-2009, 12:38
Alex Kingston
Aka - River Song
KennyVader
20-07-2009, 12:40
Oh well, thanks, still never heard of her, just checked her wikipedia page and I did see the production of Cuckoo's Nest that she was apparently in though, I remember the part, don't remember her playing it.
edit: OK Pyro's post brings back vague memories of her.
AdamBrunt
20-07-2009, 12:40
Look who's in the episode too, standing next to Matt Smith:
Spoilers if you click
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/article2544923.ece?slideshowPopup=true&articleId=2544923&nSlide=1
ooh ....is that Alex Kingston or the woman who played the Master's wife a couple of series ago ?
EDIT: Nevermind ;)
pyrogena
20-07-2009, 12:42
ooh ....is that Alex Kingston or the woman who played the Master's wife a couple of series ago ?
EDIT: Nevermind ;)
:nono:
Coolhand
20-07-2009, 12:42
I thought she was
the doctor's wife?
pyrogena
20-07-2009, 12:50
I thought she was
the doctor's wife?
Never confirmed, only assumed.
AdamBrunt
20-07-2009, 13:16
:nono:
Why the :nono: ?
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