On the Sofa (part 2)

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@whisht – <mops spluttered coffee off screen>

@boeselecta – welcome, look forward to reading your posts

@craig – it’s been an excitable sort of week, life as a mod ain’t easy, but you’re all hugely appreciated (@jimthefish @phaseshift too). Hope Shazz comes back when it’s cooled down a bit.

@brynwe – great idea

PS @function seems to be working fine for me

 

 

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@craig LOVE the Capaldi mock-up poster you posted (oops that sounds a bit odd)

And also @jimthefish‘s Daily Record link, nice one

[Miapatrick @miapatrick]

@drtennant– if you’re struggling to post coherently from those devices, could you try posting from a computer? Your posts are almost impossible to read. Perhaps experiment with forming sentences, with punctuation and stuff? I say this as a dyspraxic who sometimes struggles with such things. There is a time and place for stream of consciousness writing, but its not really a forum. (well maybe a James Joyce forum, but not this one.)

I have trouble posting from my iphone too, so I don’t 😉

[Anonymous @]

I too hope that shazzbot returns to the fold. (If you’re lurking, come back, Shazz. We miss you….)

[Anonymous @]

@drtennant — I’d go for Asylum, which is probably the best of those episodes and the first in order anyway…

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@craig – gah . Sorry to learn that. Hopefully things will blow over and Shazzer will soon be back like she knows she wants to, m’kay?

[HTPBDET @htpbdet]

@pedant – re Shazzbot  – I too hope she comes back soon. Lurking is not enough!

The Topic Dalek must revive not regenerate!

Perhaps I should offer to add an S (for Shazzbot)…but I quite see that might not be an inducement…

🙁

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@htpbdet

She

Knows

She

Wants

To.

[tinny64 @tinny64]

OK so this may be kind of a stupid question but i have to ask. Now i know i probably not the only one to have noticed this, but the Doctors suit, in the 10ths case, and his bow tie, in the case of the 11th, varies in colour of episodes. I read somewhere it depends on where in time he is. So if the suit is brown, the episode will be in the past/present if its blue it’ll be set in the future and , in the 11th doctors case, the bow tie will be red in the past/present and blue in the future. I kinda just wanted to know whether ive got the right idea here.

[Anonymous @]

Thanks everyone for there recommendation, I did get Asylum of the Daleks, and @boeselecta welcome.

[BoeSelecta @boeselecta]

Thanks for the welcomes guys

tinny64 that’s not something I’ve heard about, but you can guarantee I’m gonna be re watching at the weekend to see if the suit/tie theory is right.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Doctor Who Figurine Collection Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DD3YHQsv_I

A video about making a video for an advert for new figurine collection…

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/wheredoyouwanttogo

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Picture from a Dr Who Burlesque Show.

http://www.kasterborous.com/2013/08/a-strip-in-time/

 

[TardisBlue @tardisblue]

Dear Shazzbot, if you’re out there lurking, please come back. Pretty please with sugar on it?

TardisBlue

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Hello all. Back from travelling in time and space in the inverted Tardis (smaller on the inside) and (for the moment) out of the Club Lounge.

I thought it was important to say something about the curfuffle on the board a couple of days ago.

@craig said

 I guess you could say I’m the one to blame

In all the subsequent posts, no one said anything about that statement. I would like to say that none of us would ber here, indulging in a genuine love of Doctor Who, and, importantly, doing it in an environment that is warm, embracing, and gentle, if it wasn’t for @craig.

The new members of the site may not recall that this site was set up so that there was a place that avoided all the worst aspects of the Guardian Doctor Who blog. There was a core of participants on that site that wanted to share their love and enthusiasm for Doctor Who without the poisonous bile and horribly snarky “humour” of many particiapnts who frequented the Guardian blog. You know what I mean, humour which laughed at people.

One person came forward and offered to do it for us: @craig. And he did (and does) a fabulous job. I am sure he has, well, actual other real world things to do with his life, but there he is, day and night, ensuring that this is a place where there is a generosity of spirit for those people who want to share their ideas, theories, and knowledge of this wonderful show. And the depth of knowledge, the erudition, and the sheer unadulterated enthusiasm of the participants to this site is truly breathtaking. And there is one gatekeeper who ensures that generosity of spirit and gentleness of humour remains at the core of this site. And that person is @craig.

So, no, I do not believe that any blame for anything to do with this site attaches to @craig. I am so incredibly grateful for all he has done, and continues to do, to keep this site going and to provide for us a protected space where enthusiasm, rather than cynicism, and where the humour of gentility, rather than the humour of cruelty (which seems to infect so much of the rest of the web) is allowed to flourish.

So, many thanks, @craig.

And now…I have to go off and engage in more thought on whether Clara really could be the daughter of the Doctor and the mother of Susan (in a timey-wimey way, of course). I suspect that a bottle of Shiraz may be required for this task.

 

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

Neil Gaiman’s tale about a black actor already having been offered the role of the Doctor (but not for this regeneration) has started to do the media rounds.

I’m wondering if it was when they were setting up the reboot… ahead of Christopher Eccleston.

 

[HTPBDET @htpbdet]

@bluesqueakpip

It was an old rumour running around the BBC and theatre circles (particularly Donmar crowd) that Chiwitel Ejiofor was offered the part when Tennant left but turned it down. I have no idea if that is true.

As to rumours – I am told that the various secret lists of possible Doctors being circulated within the BBC in the last few weeks was an elaborate smokescreen to put people off the scent. So, the current story goes, moffat masterminded deliberate misinformation within various channels to see where the leaks turned up – I think, in particular, to see whether his suspicion about who leaked the regeneration to Ian Levine was true. Hence, two schools of thought within the BBC – Worldwide thinking young white male usual suspects and the BBC itself thinking “woman”. And, as sual, the two not talking or comparing notes…

All interesting stuff.

One thing is clear – Capaldi has been decided upon for quite some time. And I think there is still every chance that we will get an unexpected regeneration – or perhaps a reforging? (Hurt’s comments about a trinity – perhaps they all fuse together and morph into Capaldi?) – in the 50th.

 

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@blenkinsopthebrave

I would like to say that none of us would ber here, indulging in a genuine love of Doctor Who, and, importantly, doing it in an environment that is warm, embracing, and gentle, if it wasn’t for @craig.

The new members of the site may not recall that this site was set up so that there was a place that avoided all the worst aspects of the Guardian Doctor Who blog. There was a core of participants on that site that wanted to share their love and enthusiasm for Doctor Who without the poisonous bile and horribly snarky “humour” of many particiapnts who frequented the Guardian blog. You know what I mean, humour which laughed at people.

One person came forward and offered to do it for us: @craig. And he did (and does) a fabulous job.

Absolutely agree, and with all the rest of your post. Spot on and well said. (I  meant to respond publicly before this – my apologies @craig )

Shazz had a difficult time at the weekend with some very snarky posters, which is the main reason she’s away – it hurts having to deal with that stuff and you need a very thick skin. (If you’re lurking, Shazz, we miss you, come back soon). All credit to Keymaster @craig and fellow mods @jimthefish and @phaseshift who make sure most of the cr*p is hidden from the rest of us.

Thanks also to all the newer members who have fitted in seemlessly with the ethos of this little group, your different perspectives are an invaluable contribution and very welcome. To those few who caused one of our key members to delete herself (and you know who you are) – you should be ashamed and I can only hope you either f*ck off or lose the boring snarkiness and join us in bonkers theorising instead – it’s much more fun.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@htpbdet

It was an old rumour running around the BBC and theatre circles (particularly Donmar crowd) that Chiwitel Ejiofor was offered the part when Tennant left but turned it down. I have no idea if that is true.

That would make sense: it would certainly explain why they then had to go into full scale audition mode.

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@htpbdet Your insider info is fascinating as always.

Personally I think Moff’s misinfo campaigns are the only way forward for the show, when there are so many daleks prepared to spread the least little leaks.  I would be in total joy if he ever managed to trick Levine into tweeting false (planted) info.

And I agree with you re shock regen in 50th, that’d be my guess (I’ve been saying it for a while). Fits with Moffat’s stated plans that the 50th will have a look back but will be mainly about looking forward. What better time to debut a new Dr? Ha! they distract everyone with leaks about zygons, Tennant and a very visible TARDIS stunt in Trafalgar Sq. Meanwhile they could be doing whatever they wanted with Capaldi, as he wasn’t remotely on anyone’s radar back then.

Not to mention all the filming going on for Gatiss’s documentary, which could hide a lot of surreptitious filming of other scenes, I would have thought (and others, esp @bluesqueakpip have mentioned too).

And a holy trinity you think…? Fusing into 1? Very deus ex machina! I could like that, depending how they do it of course!

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

For Shazzbot…

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s7/doctor-who/news/a504747/doctor-who-fans-fooled-by-us-remake-spoof-story.html

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@wolfweed – I suspect the reason that so many fans were fooled was that – post The Movie That We Do Not Mention – a U.S. remake is now the subject of quite a lot of nightmares. 😈

 

[HTPBDET @htpbdet]

@scaryb

More “outsider insider” info I think ! 🙂

Hurt said he played part of a trinty or kind of trinity…and there have been a lot of religous images in the last few years…so seems a possibility…one which, I confess, I think might be okay. Certainly an exciting way to head into the future…

Lets face it – in Three Doctors, the first Anniversary programme, there was a trinity of Doctors defeating Omega. What a lovely touch to have another trinity – perhaps again defeating Omega – in this 50th Anniversary?

As to the missing or lurking Shazzbot, @blenkinsopthebrave, I seem to have missed the whole invasion of the angry trolls that appears to have precipiated her dematerialisation, which is probably good for me, but makes understanding what happened to her hard.

Suffice it to say that I agree with you entirely and without equivocation that @craig has been and continues to be an unrivalled marvel/genius/God given his creation and ongoing supervision and faciliation of this site – but I also think that he should have his statements about site issues respected (even if they might seem impossible to understand to those of us who are mere onlookers) precisely because they are his statements.

For my part, I assumed he said what he said to quell idle speculation and to encourage Shazzbot to return if and when she felt the troll damage had passed. I thought that was precisely what a good leader would do.

And like everyone else who has said so, and even those who have not but think it, I hope our Topic Dalek returns sooner rather than later.

Cheers to all.

[janetteB @janetteb]

I did get the tail end of that troll invasion Monday morning when I sat down with coffee, eager to read what everyone thought of the big announcement. Those who missed it are fortunate.

I just want to second, (third, fourth??) the fine words of both @blenkinsopthebrave and @htpbdet. @craig and the other mods are doing a wonderful job and it is not easy and nor is it always fun but it is very definitely appreciated.

Cheers

Janette

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@htpbdet

I seem to have missed the whole invasion of the angry trolls

That’s because Shazzbot, then Craig, was being ultra-vigilant in zapping and mopping up. I caught the very tail end of it and she PM’d me cos she was distressed about it. Don’t know the full details beyond that, but I know most of us don’t see the bits of splattered troll that (very) occasionally decorate these boards.

And I’ll let you off with the Hurt comment which I didn’t know about! <stamps foot and has little glare!> Hmm, yes, all the Christmas and Easter refs that we’ve been picking up since beginning of Series 5, that we put down to being teasers for Christmas and Easter specials/start of series. @bluesqueakpip – the ultimate meta-ref? re your theory about all the numbers, dates etc in 7.2 referring to actual dates, events, people in the programme in real life.  3 Doctors – 3 segments of the show – BG, The Movie (the one we don’t talk about), AG – fuse together to go forward as PC

[HTPBDET @htpbdet]

@scaryb

My sincerest humblest apologies.

I forgot that people may not have known that – sorry!

If Shazzbot were here, she would have swooped and moved my unthinking spoiler to Spoilers…

I will do penance by watching an episode of Twin Dilemma…

[ScaryB @scaryb]

@htpbdet

If Shazzbot were here, she would have swooped and moved my unthinking spoiler to Spoilers…

That was exactly what I thought too 🙂

but

I will do penance by watching an episode of Twin Dilemma…

Naah, not this time. But don’t do it again. Just watch out for Bluesqueakpip – if it’s been discussed on spoilers she may not know about it either.  Maybe one of the mods could be substitute Topic Dalek…? (@craig @jimthefish @phaseshift)

[OsakaHatter @osakahatter]

@htpbdet – I’m not convinced even the most ardent of spoiler adverse would regard a punishment quite that harsh as fitting for the crime.

@All but esp. @craig – just wizzed through the above posts and wanted to add my voice to those saying Thanks! for creating this little community and thanks to yourself, @jimthefish, @phaseshift and @Shazzbot for your constant hard work modding and troll proofing us.  Hope @Shazzbot finds her way back soon.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@htpbdet and @scaryb

No, I hadn’t read that particular quote. Please don’t watch the Twin Dilemma, though; since we knew that there are at least three Doctors in the fiftieth anniversary episode, a trinity or triumverate isn’t too big a guess.

And I missed the troll invasion; though that was on purpose. I kept spotting names I didn’t know in The Next Doctor thread all weekend, so stayed away from that thread as well as the Spoilers thread.

To @craig, @jimthefish, @phaseshift and @Shazzbot – sterling work, all. Sorry to hear it was all a bit fraught and rather bruising.

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@blenkinsopthebrave @scaryb @bluesqueakpip @htpbdet @janetteb

Thanks for all the thanks. It is very much appreciated. I do enjoy this forum, you all make it what it is.

I think I should clarify something though, it wasn’t dealing with the troll that made Shazzbot leave, as I said before I am to blame. Events may have been ignited by Shazzbot having to deal with the troll, but it was my getting annoyed with her after she bombarded me with emails the next day that made her decide to leave. I’d already been annoyed with her a few times before and one time even furious with her over something (I told you it was a bit fraught behind the scenes).

I’m still in touch with her and she is lurking and reading all your comments but is not coming back until I “get anger management”, which I think is ridiculous. I’m not an angry person although the odd person can flick my switch and for some reason she managed to wind me up more than once. So there you go – my fault, not some ridiculous troll’s.

[Anonymous @]

As well as being in ‘The Fires of Pompeii’ and ‘Torchwood: Children of Earth’, PC also appeared in ‘The Daleks Take Manhatten’ but his scene was cut as they thought his acting was too hammy 🙂

@craig – I’m still having probs so I’ll e-mail you shortly with full details.

[chickenelly @chickenelly]

I’m currently holidaying away from keyboard based computers (ie expect predictive text gibberish) but would like to add my support for the forum and for the lovely shazzbot to make a return.  She could come back as a mortal like me perhaps? I’m glad I don’t have the responsibility of modding or indeed running the site like the wonderful @craig.

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@craig and Shazzbot It’s very easy to have a furious row on-line; there’s no body language or tone of voice to warn people that it’s time to cool things down. Of course, speaking from experience, people usually find this out after the stressful situation has provoked the furious row.

😕

Cup of tea? Jammie dodger?

 

 

[Whisht @whisht]

@craig and @Shazzbot (I know that won’t link yet but I hope one day it will),

Let’s just say that we are massively grateful to Craig, thankful for the energy of Shazzbot and really sorry there’s been disagreement.

Happy (pm/ offline) to hear-both-sides and act as a bounce-wall (if that in any way helps), but equally happy to allow Time to do its thing and hopefully get a similar end result – an active forum for everyone who enjoys Who, good conversation and bonkers theories (including those from you Shazzbot).

Now, there seems to be a thread considering a bonkers theory concerning Clara…

[TardisBlue @tardisblue]

Deeply appreciative of all your work. And aware that email lacks the cues of voice, tone, body language, facial expression which inform us in daily life.

As I know from bruising personal experience, when you’ve never actually met the person you’re emailing, things can become fraught, because you don’t have the experience of face-to-face communication to guide your reactions to and inferences drawn from what you’re reading.

So I’m hoping that somewhere in a comfortable, Airdale-friendly pub a bunch of you do get together IRL. How does sometime around November 23 somewhere in London sound? I’ll be lifting a virtual pint when you do, saluting the forum, the Doctor, and all of you.

TardisBlue

[Anonymous @]

I would like to bring up a topic (which would be awesome if it became a forum topic @craig) hat a lot of people in the world :Doctor Who video games.

Doctor Who Return to Earth is currectly out for the Nintendo Wii and I have not found a good review on it (my favorite being this one http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=bXJ10MpzMTA)

Doctor Who the Eternity Clock is out for the Playstation 3 and is fairly boring you have to push blocks around and do puzzles with the Sonic Screwdriver

There’s an amazing series called Doctor Who Adventure Games that are very good but that’s it for Doctor Who video games for something that’s been around for 50 years. It started in the 60’s and went through the 70’s and ended at the end of the 80’s which yes is just when video games got started but the concept of a man and machine that could go anywhere in space and time would make an awesome video games(s)

[Anonymous @]

@drtennant — @phaseshift and I have been knocking some ideas on maybe a blog on the history of Who video games — of which there are actually quite a few prior to the current crop. We were also thinking of creating a non-Who general games chat area of the site too if people are interested…

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@bluesqueakpip

The probable source of the foolish rumour:   http://www.sharpenedsticks.com/

[Anonymous @]

@pedant @whisht @bluesqueakpip @janetteb @scaryb @jimthefish @htpbdet @tardisblue @wolfweed @osakahatter @chickenelly @craig

Thank you everyone for your support and good wishes.  I’m overwhelmed.  I can only hope my continued posting lives up to the high standards you seem to think I have!

Our KeyMaster is away at a festival – no Dad-dancing I hope! – so I am a Rani sans Mod powers until his return.  Which means no Topic Nazi post-moving over the weekend.  But I probably won’t be able to withhold the Grammar Nazi within, so beware … mwa-ha-ha-ha!

🙂

[Miapatrick @miapatrick]

@Shazzbot– glad you’re back 🙂

[Anonymous @]

Hi @miapatrick – thanks for that.  I’m glad too.  And I didn’t lurk that much, honest.  😉

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@Shazzbot – Hi! Welcome back. 🙂

[Anonymous @]

@bluesqueakpip – howdy-do, Ma’am.  🙂  I need to warm up my theorising muscles (which were flabby at best of times), though.

What were all the loose ends that need to be tied up?  I’m hitting a brick wall after duck pond/no ducks and exploding Tardis.  @craignixon brought up Madame Kovarian who was zapped only in the parallel universe/timeline Silence debacle.

[IAmNotAFishIAmAFreeMan @pedant]

@Shazzbot

Pah. Knew you’d come crawling back, begging forgiven-

 

Oh, fuck it I nearly kept a straight face.

 

Delighted to see that cool-headedness has asserted itself all round!

I missed an entire Monday morning of troll slaughter. *sobs*

[Anonymous @]

@pedant – who said I didn’t crawl?  I like being on my knees …. oh, I’m not going there.  😆

I did most of the slaughter but @craig provided the Men in Grey (Being Human ref) work in clearing up the spattered gore.  He might have saved some in his freezer, perhaps you could ask for a little bit as a souvenir?

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@Shazzbot – re loose ends – have replied to you in The Pandorica Opens. Don’t want to set our Topic Nazi off when she’s only just got back. 😉

 

[ardaraith @ardaraith]

@curvedspace :whimper:

i took a break from all things Who, as I have been in mourning. 🙁

[Anonymous @]

@ardaraith – *pats seat next to her*  This is a nice comfy sofa, perfect for sharing.  Have you had some bad news?  Was it Matt’s new hairstyle that did it for you?

[ardaraith @ardaraith]

Thank you, @shazzbot The hair is a shocker. When did he become a hooligan? :sniff: I guess the Doctor’s face really is changing.

:goes in search of an entire sleeve of Jammie Dodgers and sits down to catch up on these threads:

[Author]

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