Dr Who News (4)

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@whisht

I would have thought most of the key character traits would decided before actors try out. The name is often a reflection of those traits (either directly or ironically). My guess is that Bill will not be a “girly” girl.

[janetteB @janetteb]

@pedant I agree re’ Bill not that there is anything wrong with being “a “girly” girl”. 🙂

Cheers

Janette

 

[Mersey @mersey]

The appointment of Pearl Mackie as the new companion made me think about diversity in Doctor Who.

In the renewed series we had so far 5 companions and 3 of them were Londoners and 2 moved to London. (London, London, London, Leadworth (moved to London), Blackpool (moved to London, I bet Bill is from London).

According to Wikipedia „London is one of the most ethnically diverse cities on Earth”. In 2011 59.8% of London residents were White, 18.4 % were Asian, 13.3 % were Black.

„37% of the population were born outside the UK, including 24.5% born outside of Europe”.

But we can hardly see this in the companions’ names and surnames which are: Rose, Martha, Donna, Amelia, Clara, Bill (Bille, William, Wilhelmina?) Tyler, Jones, Noble, Pond, Oswald, ?

[ichabod @ichabod]

If I can’t have a Buddhist Doctor, why not a Buddhist companion, at least?  Some one who doesn’t go in for prayer rituals (I can’t see the Doctor let that go by without a challenge, in some one who travels with him) but who has spiritual beliefs about the universe at large that would be a challenge to the Doctor in more general terms.  Maybe an immigrant from Thailand?

[Missy @missy]

@whisht

Haven’t a clue, sorry.

Cheers,

Missy

[Juniperfish @juniperfish]

Hi everyone <waves>

Russell T. Davies’ version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on BBC1 at 20.30 this evening.

Bernard Cribbins (Donna’s Grandad) is in it, amongst many others.

Worth a watch!?

Here’s a clip of Oberon, Titania and the faeries:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03wg5dh

 

 

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@juniperfish

That looks rather fun.

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@juniperfish @pedant Just watched this, which is an interview with RTD and Maxine Peake from yesterday at the Hay Festival. Very enjoyable. The production was done by the Doctor Who team. Am looking forward to seeing the result tonight.

[Anonymous @]

@craig @pedant @juniperfish (I haven’t seen you in ages! Hope you’re well)

Thank you Craig -I really hope we get to see this here in Australia.

Kindest,

PuroSolo

[Anonymous @]

@craig @juniperfish and @pedant

That interview was speed-erastic! Boy, were they talking fast. I had trouble picking up the text of Peake during the delicious scene with Bottom? I’d need subtitles. Even for this! Daily Mail besides, it’s important to move Shakespeare on.

Yeah, Toni Collette! I remember her very well in early Aus film days. I would hope that happens.

Oh, 54:37 when Davies slams the questioner with his “I think it’s trite” was worth it also. And that’s not all he says…. (I think Peake looked a tad embarrassed. Not sure if you should be totally rude to those who come to listen to you but then again I understood Davies’ argument)

People, do keep watching the entire interview -magnificent stuff.

I have a girl crush on Maxine these days 🙂

[Alice @taplandia]

Not sure whether this should go in News or not, but Peter Davison did some interviews at Comic Con this weekend:

Doctor Who Staff Think Peter Davison’s DVD Commentary Is Too Brutal

Peter Davison: The Making Of The Five-ish Doctors

Who Is Peter Davison’s Favourite Companion?

Peter Davison: How He Became The Doctor

[janetteB @janetteb]

Ooh Something  fun to listen to tomorrow while “photoshopping”. Thanks @taplandia and welcome. (I don’t think I have seen you about here before.) I like the cat.

Cheers

Janette

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@juniperfish @puroandson @craig

Just watched, having recorded. That was thoroughly enjoyable – all the joie de vivre of his pre-Who Casanova, ramped up to the max. Thoroughly camp, without a hint of kitsch, and that’s a neat trick.

I imagine Private Eye will hate it.

[Missy @missy]

@juniperfish

Thank you, it does indeed look like fun.

@craig
Emperor thank you too. I shall watch this tomorrow.

@taplandia I shall watche these too. Thank you. and welcome.

I’m feeling spoiled.

Ttfn

Missy

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

This, via the Radio Times, is rather nice.

[Missy @missy]

Rather nice indeed, thank you @pedant.

I enjoyed every bit of it, and realised just why I loved. and love. every one of the Doctors.

Just need a tissue.

ttfn

Missy

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@pedant

Yes, very nice indeed.

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

Matt Lucas to join the cast.

I like Lucas. Much more subtle than he is generally given credit for.

Linky.

Also, Stephanie Hyam – don’t – don’t know anything about her.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

At last, some actual Who news. Nardole is back. But am I enthused? Well….

If he is semi-regular, as seems to be implied, that does imply rather more comic episodes than I was expecting. It is just that I cannot see Nardole working at all in serious episodes. Compared to Dorium Maldovar, for example, who was used to brilliant effect in a range of settings, Nardole, I fear, might be a bit too “K9”, if you see what I mean.

Still, who knows?

[Whisht @whisht]

@blenkinsopthebrave hmmm … I kinda know what you mean, but what my initial reaction was:

ah, so Dan Starkey is no longer the recurring comic character.

Weirdly(?) in my mind, I’ve had this daft feeling that Moffat resented that Starkey (brilliantly) made the Sontarans a figure of fun. To the extent that the Ice Monsters needed to be re-introduced as a monster that the Sontarans had been originally (kind’ve – but with added “soldiers’ honour” which neatly echoed Danny Pink).

Which was why the feeling was daft – I’m sure Starkey’s character existed on the page of the script – but there you go.

I do love Starkey’s Sontaran but will hopefully enjoy the time when Sontarans are somehow transformed ‘back’ into horrible figures – even if via a dark past.

Having said all that (which wasn’t too interesting!) it was interesting to read of Lucas that “Few people have his facility for acting like someone who can’t act.”

Which may feel a little samey, but that train of thought led me to thinking….

Maxine Peake as the next Doctor….. hmmmmmm

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@whisht

Maxine Peake as the Doctor…that is rather inspired.

Apparently, she was recently in a new Comic Strip story where she plays Rebekha Brooks. Sounds brilliant. Have you seen it? I would love to see it, but unfortunately, as a resident of one of the colonies I am denied such opportunities.

[Missy @missy]

A female doctor? NO! NO! NO!

At least, not whilst I’m alive to see it.

Is nothing sacred? They’ll have a female Sherlock Holmes before long.

I want it put on record, that I’m strongly against bantering, karioke, mime and a female Doctor!

So there!

 

Missy

[Mersey @mersey]

If every Time Lord and Time Lady can change his and her sex and the only Time Lord who will never change his sex is the Doctor it appears that this show is really really sexist.

It’s worth noting that Doctor lived all his 12 lives and was never a woman. That’s very sexist of him.

I don’t want Doctor to be a woman and I think they went too far with this sex switching. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@mersey

Steven Moffat dealt with that with The General in Hell Bent. The General regenerates into a woman, heaves a huge sigh of relief and then says ‘only time I’ve been a man’ (with a strong undertone of ‘and I hope it never happens again’).

So if Chris Chibnall wants to experiment with a woman Doctor, he’s not obliged to stick with that gender if it is a disaster. He can regenerate the Doctor back into a man.

🙂

[Mersey @mersey]

@bluesqueakpip

Moffat created the society in which everyone can be a man or a woman. He made sort of a statement. But I don’t think this is the real equality. As every man can change into a woman it’s rather convenient to treat woman equally (no man wants to ‘suffer’ from being a woman). But as Moffat said categorical no to female Doctor (there’s the interview on BBC iplayer in which Moffat is clearly stating that there’s no room for female Doctor) I don’t think he was (really, really) genuine in this matter. It’s not an issue for me really.  I’m not a big fan of female Doctor so I didn’t like the idea of changing sex from the start.

But I would welcome another strong, independent, brilliant, female character (Missy doesn’t count as she is a villain). So maybe it’s worth a try with another writer.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@mersey

It doesn’t matter whether Steven Moffat is personally uncomfortable with the idea of a female Doctor or not. Even if he is, he’s still laid all the groundwork for another producer, one more comfortable with the idea.

He’s established that Time Lords can change sex when they regenerate. He’s established that it is possible for a major character (The Master) to change sex (Missy) and still be incredibly popular. He’s established that the gender switch is not permanent, and can even be a one-off event in a Time Lord’s life.

So even if he, personally, doesn’t want a female Doctor – he’s clearly demonstrated that (if he is personally uncomfortable) he knows this may be a prejudice rather than a genuine requirement of the Doctor’s character. And having acknowledged this, he’s gone and done something about it. It is now possible to make the experiment.

🙂

[winston @winston]

@mersey  @bluesqueakpip @missy   The door has been opened wide for the possibilty of a female Doctor.  When or if?   I have no idea but I am OK with the idea. Of course it would be a challenge for any women to portray the first female Doctor but I am betting on there being quite a few who would like to try. It might be time.

Female or male, old or young, crusty or silly ,it is still The Doctor.

[Missy @missy]

@mersey

Ah, but then the word”Guy” is sexist when it is used to include any women in the room – but it’s done just the same.

Ttfn

 

Missy

[Missy @missy]

@winston

Not in my book. I feel really strongly about this. The series simply wouldn’t be the same.

However, it isn’t going to be up to me, or any of us I suppose.

 

Missy

[Kharis @kharis]

The idea of a female Doctor doesn’t work for me because of my view on regeneration and intrinsic qualities that remain throughout each incarnations. The Master and the Doctor in my opinion are archetypes in the Whoniverse and feel that the Doctor throughout his regeneration has represented the traditional Yang Magician and the Master has personified the Yin High Priestess, and I would have said that about the Master before he ever became Missy. That’s why the regeneration of the Master into Missy was brilliant to me, and not at all gimmicky or pushing boundaries for the sake of pushing boundaries.   The Master/Missy is a creator archetype, be it for good or bad, the Doctor tends to mess things up in the role of creator.   The Doctor follows more the pattern of the trickster hero.  The archetype the two characters have represented are very Yin Yang and that contrast makes for excellent chemistry.  If I felt that the Doctor regenerating into a woman made sense for his character I would be all for it, but I don’t see that. Romana as Roman I can see, the Master as Missy, absolutely. I tend to like contrast, but also balance and chemistry.  I think at some point there will be a writer who runs out of ideas and has a block, and imagine an easy way to freshen things up and create a buzz would be changing the Doctor to a woman, so I except the inevitable, but I don’t think it’s a good choice for the character. It is my desire to see integrity in the writing and a clean continuation of the beautifully designed and complex relationships maintained without gimmicks.

[Kharis @kharis]

I really hope Natdole as a regular means more River episodes.  The chemistry and comedic timing between River and Capaldi’s Doctor was perfect.

[Missy @missy]

@kharis

I agree. Although I’d prefer Strax.

Ttfn

Missy

[janetteB @janetteb]

Pleased to hear that Natdole will return but I will be heartbroken if there is no return of the Paternoster Gang who really deserved a spin off series.

cheers

Janette

[TheDentistOfDavros @thedentistofdavros]

I’ve never really been a big fan of the Paternoster gang, Strax I find particularly irritating especially because he is a sonataren and Using a sonataren as light comic relief really annoys me! Honestly the sonatarens are meant to be a warrior race of clones but now children just think they’re comedy butlers with a liking for scissor grenades!

Matt Lucas returning should be interesting and I suspect that would mean a lighter tone for series ten which I wasn’t hoping for but I don’t mind!

I personally wouldn’t like a female doctor and I know for sure that sylvester McCoy and Peter Davison don’t want one either (I wander what the rest think?) I don’t have any solid reasons but I just know that I wouldn’t want one. Missy on the other hand is great but I just feel as though it would have been better if she had just been another evil timelord and not the master, but I don’t mind considering how good she is, maybe the same would happen if a female doctor was cast and was played brilliantly? I still wouldn’t like to take that chance though!

[Mersey @mersey]

@bluesqueakpip I guess you are completely right but as discussing Doctor Who is a pure pleasure for me you have to be prepared that I will challenge you for discussion’s sake 😉

@missy I’m afraid language is full of sexism, racism and other -isms but I was only mocking the idea of changing sex in DW.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@craig thanks for the interview with RTD and Maxine Peake. Hope the play makes it to DVD and across the pond to Canada (like @puroandson I am a box set type of person, rather than a Netflix type of person).

To pick up on the conversation about a female Doctor, I had earlier suggested @whisht‘s mention of Maxine Peake was rather inspired. I am assuming @whisht was perhaps being both serious and not serious, and I suppose I was too (drawing on my previous viewings of Maxine Peake).

But as I watched @craig‘s posted interview with her and RTD, I started to think…why not?

@bluesqueakpip has demonstrated with great clarity how Moffat has set up the possibility for future show runners, no matter what Moffat’s own inclinations might be, and, so…yes, why not?

If Norma Dumezweni can play Hermoine (and why not?) then why can we not have a female Doctor?

[Anonymous @]

@bluesqueakpip @blenkinsopthebrave @mersey @whisht

indeed Mr Blenkinsop (and how are you today, sir?) Miss blue did set up the probability or the plausibility correctly for a lady doctor.

See, that’s the thing. When Mum was younger (and even now) people say “oh I’m waiting to see the lady doctor” or “over there is the lady doctor”.

I was always amused by this. To me a Doctor is a doctor whether lady, gent or  a person from different culture. and I remember this from the 2 parter with Martha and Tennant in a village hiding from a family Of Blood that the nurse laughed at Martha being a Doctor not just because she was female but because of her ‘colour’.

I think times change and “the Doctor will see you now” is as much about us accepting them as female as them (the BBC in this case) us. If that makes sense. The audience and the producers have a right to be ready to change, I think @kharis I really liked your yin and yang discussion -I don’t really know anything about this, I’m afraid but Mum (coz she lectures me 50 times a day) does!!

I liked Maxine Peake in a show about solicitors two years ago but I’ve not seen here in anything else I’m afraid. Mum watched the interview with her and Russel Davis and said “Maxine talks faster than anyone else in the world” 🙂

Thankyou,

Puro’s Son (@JanetteB – I was also referring to your comment too as I liked the Paternoster Gang -though as @thedentistofdavros has said Strax is quite comedy now and that’s not how they were seen in the universe before. Unless he’s had a memory wipe or retconned in some way?)

[Anonymous @]

@mersey

I understood your point but I remember at school last week we had this very discussion -about people “mocking the idea of changing sex”. It’s that which gets people into trouble and others become very sad and confused. I think the horrible situation at the bar in America shows this: that acceptance of every type of person is necessary. Not that I’m lecturing but I do believe “people are people no matter their lifestyle or colour, sex or gender-type”

Oops -wrong thread here. I will scuttle with Mum away.

Puros Son

[Anonymous @]

I don’t want Doctor to be a woman and I think they went too far with this sex switching. You can’t have your cake and eat it.

Hi there @mersey

I’m not sure I know what you mean there, at all, I apologise. The Doctor has not yet been a woman and yet women/men combinations have existed in sci-f fiction for a number of years: look at The Left Hand of Darkness, as a good example I think.

You can be a Doctor (Who) and be a woman. So you can “have your cake and eat it.” Missy was a great character and I think she does count, Miss Mersey: independent, strong and brilliant might be the female master but can also be the female Doctor. It’s just gender, after all and I believe that if enough people in production are on board then it should change. I think the idea of a man rescuing a female in a dark alley was turned on its head due to Buffy in 1996! So, a woman doctor is really overdue, in my opinion. I think Chibnal will actually do this after our current Doctor expires.

I wonder how many young girls who like Who would applaud this decision? I reckon a lot would. Probably not on Reddit though or on the Youloopy comments off Youtube either 🙂

Maybe we need a thread for “Doctor: Woman or Man?” That could be a first @craig, sir.

Thankyou,

Puricle.

[Mersey @mersey]

@puroandson

Hello Son of Puro, I’m reall glad that you have such conversations at school. My country was taken last year by the politicians who believe that if you are not a white, heterosexual catholic (and a man) you deserve to be punished so I don’t think teachers in my country want to have such conversations with their students. I’m afraid it’s a growing trend in Europe these days.

But I’m sure you didn’t discuss mocking the idea of changing sex IN DOCTOR WHO. I also believe that „people are people no matter their lifestyle or colour, sex or gender-type”. I assume that by introducing the sex changing Moffat and his writers wanted to do something really good for LGBTQ people ans women in general. But they intruduced something that hadn’t been there for 50 years. They told us that Time Lords can regenerate into man or a woman but the main hero lived his tvelve lives and was never a woman. So it raises the questions. Why not? Is he too good to be a woman or maybe he’s too masculine? The answer is obvious. He was’t a woman because no one changed his/her sex is the last 50 years. But we are to believe that they did. And another thing, people don’t change their sex because they have a whim. They do that because they suffer and feel very, very uncomfortable with their sex which is completely incompatibile with their notion of themselves. And we have the General who was ten times a woman and one time a man. But as @bluesqueakpip pointed out she didn’t enjoy the experience.

Puro, I meant that they can’t be really honest with the idea as long as they don’t change the sex of the Doctor. In other words no real equality (eating a cake) with male Doctor (having a cake).

Missy doesn’t count because she isn’t a protagonist. And I don’t want Doctor to be a woaman as I don’t want Xena the Warrior Princess to be Xenus the Warrior Prince 🙂 . Xena was such a strong, female character. It wouldn’t work if she was a man. But her sex was really important for the character. I don’t think it’s so important for the Doctor.

[Missy @missy]

@mersey

Fear not, I guessed your intention. *winks*

I simpy wanted to make a point about the inconsistences of the current *so called* English language.

Ttfn

Missy

[Missy @missy]

Maxine Peake was in *Silk* and very good the series was too.

Everyone has a different slant on whether the Doctor should become a female, and it is said that nothing lasts forever.Thing is, why not?

To me, a female Doctor, would be as much fun as a female Robin Hood. One wonders how that would go down.

Ttfn

Missy

[Mersey @mersey]

@puroandson @missy

Maybe I shouldn’t said that I’m mocking the idea of changing sex in DW but instead that the idea that they can do that just like that, smoothly, without any further questions.

[DoctorDani @doctordani]

@kharis Seen as Twelve has basically stolen one of River’s companions, you’d hope that’d be the case, right? Nardole returning has left me wondering if Season 1o is going to take place mostly while they’re still spending their night on Darillium, or if he got custody of him after River went to the Library. Strangely though, it’s making me think that Peter will leave after this Series and that there’ll either be a Library Fix-It, or Twelve is going to be uploaded there during regeneration. I don’t know how I feel about it. I love the idea either way, but I really started adoring Peter’s Doctor in Series 9.

[Anonymous @]

@mersey

Mostly, I understood what you were writing there. Thank you for replying in such a heartfelt way.

I agree on many points. Firstly, the LGBTI community needs to be respected -absolutely I would be on board with that and respect it. For sure.

Secondly if the General was a woman or a man, then the Doctor -to me an equally important character – can also change. The character’s doctorness, if you like, has no connection with the character’s gender. The Doctor IS doctor whether man, woman or some other dual gender which occurs in the process of his transmutation or regeneration.

On another point, we did discuss changing the sex of the Doctor and whether it was a mockery -gotta blame the English teacher there 🙂 But, you know, props to him.

I hope you understand al that. I’m trying to keep it brief: lots to do!

Thanks for reading Miss Mersey @bluesqueakpip

Thankyou,

Puricle

[Anonymous @]

@missy

A “female Robin Hood”    ?

It would go down just fine. Really. We did a play about, oh, 4 years ago, and the only person capable was a young girl from India. It was wonderful. She wasn’t Robin but Robina which as a name was pretty crap but the play? Terrific!!

So, it can be done. Life moves at a terrific pace now, which is great, except for our population which isn’t great. But another discussion for somewhere else.

Puricle

[Anonymous @]

@mersey

sorry about this -as in being repetitive and all over the boards: the other Forum I’m on doesn’t allow repeat posts! But your last sentence was the thing:

You wrote:  “But her sex was really important for the character. I don’t think it’s so important for the Doctor.”

I think you answered your own question. Xena is a warrior princess. The name is the title is the gender kind of thing. Doctor Who is still very much an ‘up in the air’ character: nowhere in the title does it suggest the gender and in your last sentence (above) you said it yourself, with respect.

I think other conversations about gender might need to go in the pub?

Thanks,

The Puricle.

[ichabod @ichabod]

@mersey  Moffat said categorical no to female Doctor 

My understanding is that he’s been *told*, No Female Doctor, by BBC higher ups, and that having us see the General regenerate as a woman was his way of surrendering on that score, but at the same time making a firm visual statement that TLs can in fact switch genders upon regeneration; so, if at some later date another show runner working for a more flexible BBC admin wants to give it a try, the groundwork has been laid for such a change, in no uncertain terms (to NEVER try it, now post-General, really *would* be a sexist statement).  Pretty shrewd of him, if so.

Oops.  Bluesqueakpip makes the same point.  I saw it laid out first in a context of Moffat, denied the gender switch himself, was already safely signed on for S10, and was cocking a snook at BBC fuddy-duddies (and masculinist fans who made such a raging fuss when the issue was originally raised), so there!

Bringing up Xena is interesting; Xena was such a strong, female character. It wouldn’t work if she was a man.

I’m not so sure of that . . . A series called “Hercules, the Legendary Journeys” or something like that was on when Xena was, I think, with Hercules played by Kevin Sorbo.  Of course, there was no hint of a sexual relationship between Hercules and his (completely unmemorable, now that I think of it) male sidekick; so that *did* make a big difference in the popularity of Xena — that bold (for the time) assertion of sexuality between two women in a mythic adventure show!

@kharis  the Doctor throughout his regeneration has represented the traditional Yang Magician and the Master has personified the Yin High Priestess, and I would have said that about the Master before he ever became Missy.

Interesting; thank you.  I’m trying to figure out why my immediate reaction to the female Doctor idea is so contradictory: politically, YES, why the hell not?!  Of course!  But viscerally, I am apparently hooked on the traditional pairing of the older, quirkier, adult male alien and the (usually) more practical, more or less brash and challenging earth woman who gets swept into his adventures and emerges not unscathed, but certainly wiser and stronger and more knowledgable about herself.

I’m a feminist: this favoritism toward the traditional character constellation is embarrassing, to say the least.  So I wish they’d *do* the gender switch at some point so I can be convinced on both levels, which I think I would be, if they did it really well.  Easier said than done, though — so many heavily emotional stereotypes to contend with, of the damned if you do, damned if you don’t, variety.

I’ll check the pub for further posts on the issue.

[Mersey @mersey]

@puroandson

I think you answered your own question.

I wrote that because I want to be objective. But as I fancy Doctor I’ve never fancied Xena. I like her because of her woman’ s power.

@ichabod

Hercules was never such a success as Xena. I read somewhere that Sorbo was envious of Xena’s success and accused the script witers that they made his charachter so flawless that he wasn’t as intereasting as Xena. And Xena is the Lesbian icon and has rather big fanbase. There are plans to reboot the series but without Lucy Lawless which is really outrageous. She looks really great but it seems that for the producers she’s too old.

[Missy @missy]

Intredting posts, thank you ichabod and mersey.

I am NOT a feminist, but that isn’t why I would detest the Doctor becoming a woman. It’s simply because I prefer it that way. It works and if it isn’t broken why fix it.

 

Ttfn

Missy

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