BBC Approved Spoilers

[nerys @nerys]

@kevinwho Should we start calling this the divisive Chibnall era?

Reading this discussion, and similar ones elsewhere, I’m amazed at what short memories people have. As has already been pointed out, there’s been no shortage of debate over Doctor Who … certainly not since I started watching (I jumped on board with Chris Eccleston’s debut). Do people really not remember all the complaining about the superb Peter Capaldi being “too old”? And he was Jodi Whittaker’s immediate predecessor. And don’t even get me started on all the whining about Clara being “too Doctor-ish”!

I think the complaining becomes more pervasive as more and more people vent their spleens on social media, Internet comment boards and the like. So it gives the perception of overall negativity, when the reality may be just that, as always, the complainers complain, and the people who are satisfied keep quiet because they have nothing to complain about. Squeaky wheel, and all.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@kevinwho and @jimthefish

I think a lot of the ‘rumours’ have a very strong subtext of ‘we don’t like Chibnall’s style, we don’t like the Whittaker Doctor, and we want them gone as fast as possible.’

Hell Bent was broadcast 5th December 2015, Husbands of River Song was Christmas 2015, Doctor Mysterio (which was well liked, @thane16, I think you misunderstood and Jim was talking about the time gap, not the story) Christmas 2016 and then The Pilot was April 2017.

So if we had exactly the same pattern we’ll have Resolution on New Years Day 2019, another Special on either Christmas 2019 (they’ve currently said ‘full series 2020’, I think) or New Years Day 2020, then Series 12 April 2020.

If they choose to start in January 2020 instead, the gap will be about thirteen months. That’s three months longer than the ten month gap that was usual even in the ball-breaking schedule of the RTD period.

The gaps have seemed shorter than they were because an April to June/July series with a Christmas Special means that people aren’t as aware of a ten month gap as they are when the series is finishing in December, the Special is in three weeks, and it’s twelve months until even the next Special.

[Anonymous @]

@nerys @bluesqueakpip –

I have no doubt from the viewing numbers and such that the vast majority of people are loving the new series.  And honestly, for all my manifest disappointment, I don’t want JW gone or Chibnall either.  I just want a larger proportion of It Takes You Away’s and Kerblam!’s.

I’ve obviously overdone the quibbles, and will try to moderate them.

[Anonymous @]

So I’m watching the Who marathon on BBC America, and they had the ad for the New Year’s special again, and this time they added one word at the end.  Ready for it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exterminate!  (And yes, in that voice.)

[Devilishrobby @devilishrobby]

Trust the bloody yanks to spoil the suspense. Yes there is a general consensus that from the uk trailers info that it is probably the Daleks that are the big bad of the episode but at least the uk trailer so far had left for it to be a surprise and end up being something else. One has to hope that whoever authorised the BBC America trailer will get a royal ass kicking. I personally hoped it would end up being something else either a new monster  say dredged up from the deep dark past of the universe or one from earlier Who like the Dominators. At least prior to this the fans could at least bonkerise in hope.

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@devilishrobby

The are using that word in the UK trailer too.

Not every reveal is a spoiler.

[Anonymous @]

@pedant – They’ve been playing the ad for several days, and only started adding that just now.  I looked here on the forum and saw nothing, and thought perhaps this was a US-only version?  So I posted.

[Devilishrobby @devilishrobby]

@pedant @kevinwho like you Kevin I too thought this must be a US only trailer as I’ve not seen this new trailer in the uk so I suspect it’s only just started broadcasting. But I wonder if this is because of the US trailer. Oh @pedant if that is only true it would be wonderful if the BeeB had released a trailer with the intention to mislead us or even its an enemy that even the Daleks have been forced to side with the Doctor its not like that hasn’t happened before🤔😜

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Greeting from a somewhat groggy, post-Christmas state of being.

@devilishrobby

I am with @pedant. I think the juxtaposition of the Doctor’s statement: “This is the DNA of…” etc, followed by THAT word, is a misdirection. I suspect there is another big bad out there. Or perhaps, in my groggy, but optimistic, post-Christmas state, I hope there is a bigger surprise in store.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

BBC America has announced the start of production of series 12.

Wasn’t sure how to embed a twitter announcement, so:

Filming Begins On “Doctor Who” Series 12

p.s. just saw my post above again. Well, I got that one wrong!

 

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Hullo…apparently I do know how to embed a twitter announcement…

Very mysterious.

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

Jud-ud-ud-ud-ooooooon

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@pedant

OK… actual monsters from the past. Interesting. And given who the monsters are, I get the feeling that there will be a slight change of direction in this upcoming season.

(season…series…? I find this whole growing up with English terms and then getting used to North American terms very confusing.)

 

[janetteB @janetteb]

@pedant Thanks for the link. Exciting to see the start of new series spoilers. Felt like it was not going to ever happen.

The judoon are interesting “monster” to bring back. They have plenty of as yet untapped potential. They would be difficult to play seriously though so perhaps there will be a lighter mood to this next series as @blenkinsopthebrave has observed. I look forward to hearing J.W. speak “judoon.”

Also, having just been watching some recent episodes,  I was thinking that it is time to start revisiting some older foes. I do think CC made the right choice in taking a break from Daleks and Cybermen for a series. One criticism I do have of S.M. is his over reliance on the “same old” baddies. The odd appearance however of a familiar alien helps to reinforce the sense of continuity.

Cheers

Janette

[MissRori @missrori]

(shoofshoofshoof  as Miss Rori emerges from under the lurkers’ couch)

Hello.  Been working in other fandom circles of late, but wanted to check in.  I do like the idea of the Judoon being brought back — it’s been a long while since any AG monsters have had anything significant to do in the show after Twelve’s era focused on new one-offs and BG antagonists (not counting the expanded universe works).

[winston @winston]

@pedant  Thank you for that link, I needed a hit of something Doctorish and that did it. The Judoon are like intergalactic police  so I wonder what the Doctor is up too.

[toinfinityandbepond @toinfinityandbepond]

Jodie covers Coldplay for Children in Need

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

And we’re off!

Doctor Who. Coming early 2020. pic.twitter.com/qXLm6Jppgm

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) November 23, 2019

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Well, lots of shouty bits and explosions. I must confess my heart sank a bit when I heard the invocation of “family”.

Did I see a Cyberman?

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@blenkinsopthebrave

You did, plus what appears to be a Racnoss. The “Paris 1943” clip ties in with a rumour in the non-BBC thread. And there is clearly going to be a bit of James Bond fun.

And Goran Visnjic as…. Tesla, maybe? (He has time travel “from” via Timeless).

Stephen Fry, obv and Lenny Henry too. Apparently Robert Glennister has been confirmed. And something coming…

Fun fact: if you conjugate French possessive pronouns it sounds Judoon:

Mon Ma Mes

Ton Ta Tes

Son Sa Ses.

Bet you had never notices that!

[gamergirlavatar @gamergirlavatar]

Happy Doctor Who Day! Yay, we finally have a trailer! I know they want to keep everything a secret but they haven’t been trying to keep the excitement of a new season steady. There really is a lot of action in the trailer. That makes me worry the Chris is overcompensating about peoples complaints about last season. The action also seems to be all anyone is talking about, making Doctor Who sound like a thriller, which it isn’t. My favorite Doctor Who moments involve people talking. However, it’s a trailer, we’ll see the full show when it airs. It looks to me though that somethings in the trailer are getting over looked because of the action. The directing hasn’t seemed to changed much, I’ve counted atleast 28 close-ups in the trailer alone. Something that might go unseen because your eye is following the action. The lighting has gotten a little brighter on the TARDIS, which I like. That’s a room where The Doctor has to get a lot of work done. If she can’t see, she can’t work. I don’t care for the idea that “the darkness is a metaphor for darkness” when no one will have a room lite in such a way. It makes Doctor Who look like to many shows that are on television today when Doctor Who is unlike anyother show on television. I’m just not a fan of the shows direction of HD quality. HD makes things look so real that they become fake again. I wish the show would have stayed with the special effects used in Capaldi’s time on the show. Anyway, it looks like scenes where everyone is in black tie will be a two-parter. We have a black creature that looks like the spider monster from The Runaway Bride. We have a black scorpion to go with this. I hope that The Doctor’s joke at the begining is a sign Chris is also going to have a healthy amount of humor, although I don’t see him adding much. I hope another trailer airs soon, there isn’t much to go off of. However, thank you to the BBC and Chris for giving us something on Doctor Who Day. I would have had nothing if it weren’t for this.

[winston @winston]

Stephen Fry and the Doctor! My head just exploded.

[Devilishrobby @devilishrobby]

Given last series’s proclivity to have real life historical characters I wonder if Fry will be playing an Oscar Wilde like character

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

New trailer plus kick off date:

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

Okay. So the rumours were correct.

That said, I wonder why the BBC were keeping the kick off date so firmly under their hats.

[syzygy @thane16]

Riight.

So, big crisis! And, sorry is that NY only? I got the impression it’s more than one episode or have I truly lost the ability to interpret a trailer?

I’m not sure about the “it’s French that, isn’t it?”

I get that….it’s this Doctor. But it’s exactly the sort of thing a ….I’m going to get trolled now, I can feel it…..a …..companion would say & the Doctor would say, back “oh, yes, the French invited kissing you pillock!” Which is the funny bit.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@thane16

It’s a full series. It looks like they simply made the New Year Special episode one, possibly sneaking in a few NY references. There are rumours they may be going for an Easter Special as well – last time that happened was with David Tennant’s Doctor.

It sounds to me as if the decision has been made that Christmas Day is absolutely mined out. So they’re seeing if they can move the yearly special to a different date, and are trying out New Year (not as good as the Christmas Specials, audience wise) and Easter (which hit No. 5 for the week last time they tried it).

[syzygy @thane16]

@bluesqueakpip Very good. Thank you.

Also, my silly comment above: “the French invented kissing, you pillock.”

It was *invented not invited. Aaaand, just ignore me. I had a bad night prior to me watching the trailer & then commenting. Not clever.

[janetteB @janetteb]

Lovely trailer for a change. (In general I dislike trailers) It has vineyards, French vineyards, which bring back some happy memories.. Now I am excited. I was watching Christmas Specials yesterday and feeling a bit sad because I did not think there would be a seasonal special this year so started writing my own. (Now at almost 3,000 words and not even half way through. A reminder of why I don’t attempt short stories.)

Cheers

Janette

[winston @winston]

@janetteb   I think it is really great that you decided to write your own Xmas story for the Doctor.It is good to know that the Doctor will have  Xmas at your house this year.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@winston I intend to share it. Will get it proof read first though as like Ryan, I have dyspraxia.

Regards

Janette

[Devilishrobby @devilishrobby]

@janetteb I’m sad to hear you’re prone to falling over or do you mean you have dyslexia which is a problem with reading and writing which in no way means you’re stupid just that your brain interprets what it sees and how to write it differently. In fact some of the smartest ppl in the world have had dyslexia.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@devilishrobby

Dyspraxia affects the ability to organise writing.

@janetteb The thing they have missed out with Ryan is the interesting set of bruises collected as you misjudge the distance from the doorway, cupboard, chair… at least, I do that. Two years of stage fighting training,and the eventual verdict was ‘I think you’ve now reached a point where you’re no longer a danger to your fight partner.’ 🙂

[Devilishrobby @devilishrobby]

Ah sorry was only really aware of the motor coordination element from working with clients with Learning Difficuties and brain damage as it’s quite common problem

 

 

[Miapatrick @miapatrick]

@devilishrobby as @bluesqueakpip says.

The misconception is a problem – I was diagnosed with dyslexia at school, later told that it was dyspraxia I had when I was tested before starting study again. In my case it affects spelling, punctuation, and grammer in my written work, as well as handwriting (doesn’t help that I’m sinister…) but reading not at all. I read at an adult level very early on.

I was unreasonably happy when Ryan made a comment about a job he had, and struggling to understand instructions because the bike thing, nice though the representation was, is the sort of thing every body knows about.

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

First clip  – called ep apparently called Spyfall

[winston @winston]

@pedant   Permission to sqeeeeeeeee!!

[janetteB @janetteb]

@miapatrick. I am like you, unable to spell at all. I lost grades in first year Uni due to spelling it being before the days of hand written essays. I was told I was dyslexic which, being an avid reader, I am clearly not. My dyspraxia did not however effect my ability to ride a pushbike though I am happy to use it as an excuse/reason for being so hopeless at competitive sports. I just wish that I had been able to do so when I was a kid, getting bullied for missing the ball yet again. Hopefully kids are more aware and forgiving now then they were then now that we have greater knowledge and understanding of “condistions” like dyslexia and dyspraxia and “the spectrum”.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @janetteb]

@pedant thanks for the link. That has a “Fringe” feel about it. (Which in my view at least can never be a bad thing.)

Cheers

Janette

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@miapatrick

I’ve got both. Yay! Apparently I’m ‘co-morbid’, which is a lovely word that gives me the impression of a little black cloud floating above my head and busily mixing up all the brain connections.

Spelling was fairly terrible until about my twenties, when I’d finally memorised most common words. It’s still bad when I get tired. As far as organisation goes, I was taught to use spider diagrams. Once I’ve thrown everything I want to say at the diagram I can work out what order things should be in. One odd consequence of not understanding instructions very well is that I’m told I write extremely clear instructions. Possibly because I’m writing the instructions so that I can understand them?

Diagnosing the dyslexia was fairly complicated because, while I was late learning to read, I can read. Providing, that is, it’s pulp fiction or a script, and I’ve got time to read it more than once. I need support for more complex texts – which is what finally clued them in to ‘it’s dyslexia’. Nowadays I tend to read almost entirely on electronic devices unless a book doesn’t have an e-version.

@janetteb I really felt for Ryan and his bike. I did think it was pretty brave of Chibnall to decide not to have Ryan finally succeed at the end of The Woman Who Fell To Earth – the payoff, I think, came with Ryan’s arc end in Resolution. Me, I can ride a bike – provided you only want me to go in a straight line or turn left. For some weird reason I can’t turn right without falling over and as for gears, forget it.

@pedant – thanks for the link. My reaction is ‘Ooh, shiny!’

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Hmm, as @janetteb says, a trailer with a certain Fringe feel to it. Hopefully Chibnall will be giving us something complicated for the new year. And thanks for posting @pedant. Which reminds me of someone who used to keep us up-to-date, the long-missing (and much missed) @wolfweed. It is great that you are stepping into the breach, @pedant, although I hope it does not impose on your cutting and acerbic reflections on the odd troll that wanders by occasionally. Thankfully, the site has been fairly troll-free of late. Perhaps they are all preparing themselves for Christmas, which doesn’t really seem suited to the troll hive mind. Indeed, it raises the question: what do trolls give each other for Christmas?

 

[winston @winston]

@blenkinsopthebrave   Maybe they give each other shiny new rocks to crawl under.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@bluesqueakpip Yes indeed. There is nothing more annoying than the old, “try hard enough and you will do it” line because sometimes no matter how much time is wasted trying it is impossible master it. Ie ryan and the bikde and me and spelling. That applies to everyone really without or without dyslexia/dyspraxia. A very dear friend just does not get along well with technology, particularly anything post fifties and most particularly computers. She uses them for work but does not enjoy doing so. One night she threw her laptop across the house, into a door. (Ryan’s throwing the bike reminded me of this story) Feeling better she collected the parts thinking up a story to  tell her son when he got home, to explain why the laptop no longer worked. He went to his room and returned holding a hard drive. “Muum what did you do?”

@winston  I fear that they are busy under those rocks preparing the ammunition for when the series does start.

Cheers

Janette

[syzygy @thane16]

@janetteb

I lost grades in first year Uni due to spelling it being before the days of hand written essays. 

Blimey. Did you have to read them aloud?

😀

Oh, hang on, you had exams, not assignments. Gotcha. It took me 24 hours to work that out.  Talk about slow! Sorry about that.

I was always told if you rode a bike once, you can ride it always. I was one of those. As for ball & racket sports, out of the question.  I could manage badminton. Until I joined a raggedy club of pretty nasty blokes who laughed sarcastically every time I missed a serve. Never went back/

Trolls eat smaller trolls. I think. I must use empirical testing, data & graphs for certain.

Also, back to the Christmas viewing questions? Are we watching Scrooge with Mr Sim? Or It’s a Wonderful Life? Or, something more ‘modern’ like Die Hard (I like the airport one) although Die Hard 1 has some funny lines: “come to the coast, we’ll get together, have a few laughs.” Makes me smile every time. Off to the pub for violence….

Syzygy

[janetteB @janetteb]

@thane16 Badmintten was the only sport I ever enjoyed. My friend, who was my equal in sport, and I would play at lunchtimes but then the teachers joined in and we quickly disappeared. We did join a school  squash team but lost every single match and the sports teacher made sure we were not about when he made up the teams the following year. Enjoyed the walk home from the squash courts however, around the lake at dusk.

I was re watching the Christmas Specials but now  sure how that is going ot work now as the wireless head set I use appears to be dying and I still have three to go.

I usually watch one version of A Christmas Carol but don’t think I will get time this year. Watched the Blackadder version for the podcast a couple of weeks ago. It was not as funny as I remembered. Several people suggested that we discuss the Muppets Christmas Carol next year so I will finally get to see it.

Cheers

Janette

[Miapatrick @miapatrick]

@bluesqueakpip that makes a lot of sense about the instructions. People were getting confused about how the MA module was scored, and people kept linking to the information on the website which is frankly, on first encounter, a mass of acronyms (had to use google and then cut and paste for that word) many quite similar to each other (TMA, EMA, OCS, OCAS). But I’d had a chance to get to grips with it during my undergraduate degree so I spelt it out for them.

Never could ride a bike. I got a motor scooter, eventually passed my CBT, then crashed into a post. You really do need a good, instinctive grip of left and right to be in charge of an engine, I think.

and @janetteb, absolutely. Sometimes you can improve on things (my spelling is better now the mistakes are no longer masked by my appalling handwriting, though, unfortunately, they are a lot more noticeable) but a lot of the time you need alternative strategies, or extra help. The worst thing is when people think the mistakes are down to laziness, when it’s honestly not that I didn’t bother to proofread, or didn’t put much effort in. I have a weird blindness for vowels within a word.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@miapatrick

it’s honestly not that I didn’t bother to proofread,

This. I had one postgrad marker who would *not* accept that I honestly couldn’t tell if I’d misspelled the name of some highly important source for my research.

I mean, there was an official ‘this student is dyslexic, do not mark them down for spelling and/or grammar’ on the front page of all my essays, and I’d still get ‘you need to proofread more carefully’.

[syzygy @thane16]

@janetteb

have you seen the new Sennheiser MB Pro 2 headphones? They’re Bluetooth enabled. I’d avoid anything Kogan from  experience but the Logitech ‘phones work quite well -again from experience at university & in high school where kids are coding, watching plays for drama modules, musical composition. etc….

I might head to the pub for this…..

Syzygy the Senior 😀

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

Another clip (And per @blenkinsopthebrave, @wolfweed – where are you!)

"Okay if I record?" The new series of #DoctorWho arrives on New Year's Day! pic.twitter.com/Ysiww2nNh0

— Doctor Who Official (@bbcdoctorwho) December 10, 2019

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

More casting news: https://www.doctorwho.tv/news/?article=further-cast-series-12-doctor-who

Anjli Mohindra and Laura Fraser.

[Author]

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