Spoilers (3)

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@bluesqueakpip and @janetteb —

John Hurt’s War Doctor was possible because of the hiatus; any ‘future’ Doctor could equally be slotted in to the sequence the next time the BBC decides to rest Doctor Who for a few years

Yes, I suppose that’s possible. Though my feeling is that if SM has been about one thing during his tenure as showrunner, it’s been about tidying up continuity, with him even taking the time to sort out everything from the leaving of Gallifrey, to regeneration limits to UNIT dating. Given that, I just can’t see him leaving any kind of continuity bomb for future showrunners.

I did think what he might have tried would be some alternative regenerations. Round about the time of the Lie of the Land, I think it was posited that a return to the Monks’ simulations might happen and that a regeneration within it might have given the opportunity for some ‘could be’ Doctors (or maybe would throw up so many variables as to break the simulation). That, I think, would have been interesting and is somewhat of a wasted opportunity. SM could have used some of the endlessly cited ‘dream-casting clickbait Doctors’ we hear so much about it in a Curse of Fatal Death-like way.

@nick‘s idea of a Watcher-like figure is possible too and I think we may see something like that – and it would play into the hidden in plain sight aspect of this regeneration that we’ve been talking about. But in the end I suspect that SM, as always, will do something playful with regeneration that we haven’t thought of yet.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@jimthefish

But in the end I suspect that SM, as always, will do something playful with regeneration that we haven’t thought of yet.

Yes. Absolutely.

That is one of the many reasons why I will miss him.

[MissRori @missrori]

The Mary Sue website has this interesting theory as part of an article about the upcoming Thirteenth Doctor announcement (The Mary Sue article):

Perhaps Twelve has already regenerated but not realized it yet, due to having developed a perception filter like Bill did.  Just as she didn’t see herself as a Cyberman and had to see her reflection in a mirror to begin realizing it, he can’t see himself as Thirteen, but will be faced with the realization as part of the Christmas show.

This is a neat idea, but it doesn’t explain why he hasn’t already lost Twelve’s personality and fallen into regeneration sickness.  And given that previous Doctors, no matter how much they didn’t want to change (Two, Ten) weren’t able to keep their personalities even temporarily once they regenerated, why would Twelve be that much stronger?  (hmmm)

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

I've got #doctorwho related news to announce next week!

— Douglas Mackinnon (@drmuig) July 14, 2017

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@wolfweed–

That’s interesting. It could just be that he’s filming the first block of s11, but is that a reason for tweetable excitement? Maybe it is…

What else could it be though? Spin off? Movie?

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Just rewatched the announcement (of the announcement). The figure 13 appears all over the world. Remind you of anything? Say…the number 3 appearing all over the world? And who wrote “The Power of Three”? One Chris Chibnall. And in the trig is a key. The key to the Tardis? Well, yes, but perhaps also (and I am thinking of the comments made about a potential series-length story) a…Key to Time?

So, could the little announcement video be hinting at something more than simply the announcement of the 13th Doctor?

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Funny – I was just thinking this yesterday… (Because of Broadchurch of course)

Jodie Whittaker is in the running for 13

[Nick @nick]

@wolfweed

She had crossed my mind before, but that’s the first time I’ve read her name mentioned. The odds seem very low as well given that last time I checked (mid/late June) she wasn’t mentioned at all.

Interesting indeed.

@jimthefish

Could this be the reason for a quick announcement ?

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@nick and @wolfweed–

Hmm, not a terrible choice at all. And yes, interesting that she’s just shot really high into the running after being for the most part only mentioned idly in passing before. That would tally with what happened shortly before PC’s announcement too, with a last-minute flurry of betting on him as the news started to get out and people tried to make a few quid. That makes her a credible possibility I reckon. And the CC connection makes sense too.

@nick, in terms of a rush announcement, I think I was mostly thinking of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. That Newsnight piece seemed quite confident for something culled from an old-ish YouTube video and that made me think there might be something to it. And as it seemed to break just on the cusp of Wimbledon, this would be pretty much the first time they’d be able to get something into the schedules was my thinking. Of course this is more than likely me putting two and two together and making a gazillion.

My preference would be for PW-B as she seems to have that edge of weirdness over JW, who seems a bit girl next door to me (although both Broadchurch and Black Mirror showed that she’s more than got the acting chops for it). I just hope they do show a bit of courage, that’s all and don’t settle for a Doctor Vanilla.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@jimthefish – Re a movie – Why was this posted yesterday?

How is a 4 year old box office recent?

doctor-who-how-its-recent-box-office-suggests-theres-a-market-for-a-movie

[Nick @nick]

@jimthefish @wolfweed

I havent seen Jodie outside Broadchurch (that I recall anyway). Based on that, I just cant see her as the Doctor. I have the same feeling with Kris Marshall as well. They both seem too conventional. It’s not about their acting ability at all – nothing I can really put my finger on. That’s not to say that either couldn’t do it successfully, but they would both need to do something quite different from their default style (Kris M especially) to be successful (IMO). I always felt that Peter Davison never quite worked for the same reason (he was great in a very peculiar practice if you ever caught that).

As you say, Phoebe Waller-Bridge seems to have a more unique vision, more unconventional which seems to fit best with playing the Doctor.

[Serahni @serahni]

13th Doctor Announced 16th July

Speculation is nearly over, folks!

[CountScarlioni @countscarlioni]

Many on the list have likely seen this, but at  http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/feature/g24518/everyone-rumoured-to-play-new-doctor-who/  you can view photos of all the 147 (!) people rumoured to be the next Doctor, together with odds. No idea why she’s quoted at odds of 18-1, but I’d be pleased to see Zawe Ashton in the role. Terrific interview in The Guardian  with her about 18 months or so ago about how she seems to end up playing extreme characters.    

 

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@nick–

I’d recommend checking out JW in the Black Mirror episode The Entire History of You. Hell, I’d recommend checking it out anyway as a piece of quite cool speculative SF. I think she still has enough edge that she could bring something really interesting to the character of the Doctor. The more I think of it, the more I think she’d be a good choice, with no real idea yet of what she might bring to the party.

With Marshall, on the other hand, that unless he pulls some 360 degree shift in his previous style, what you’re going to get is a feckless, bumbling amalgam of Smith, Tennant and Tom Baker, with perhaps a bit of Davison thrown in. And personally I think it’s the last thing I’m interested in seeing right now.

@wolfweed–

RE. film. Yes, that’s interesting. And it’s worth bearing in mind, unlike at other times when the idea of a film has been mooted, there seems to be a set of people with a strong production track record on Who suddenly available and also being very cagey about their immediate projects. (Worth bearing in mind that Brian Minchin has just moved permanently to Hartswood Films too.) All could be pie in the sky, of course, and I’m willing to bet that Mackinnon’s announcement next week will be filming the first block of s11 but it’s still nice to speculate.

So, maybe Christmas is not the end of Capaldi and we’re going to see him go off to play his part in the end of the Time War while we continue to follow the next Doctor on the small(er) screen. It struck me that there’s still an assumption that we have to have this chronological progression from one Doctor to the next via the regeneration sequence. But what if we meet 13 sometime during their established incarnation and then just stick with them at the end of the episode, leaving the ‘gap’ of 12’s end to be resolved later. (Yes, I realise I’m not being hopelessly fanciful here, but if you can’t do that here, where can you do it?)

[janetteB @janetteb]

I agree with @nick re Jodie Whittaker. I have seen her in numerous things and her acting ability is not in question but I don’t see her as the Doctor, not unusual enough, she is “too girl next door” as @jimthefish says. Well only a few hours to go..
Cheers
Janette

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

first look at christmas special

[misterhoo @misterhoo]

Jodie Whitaker and Kris Marshall are the favorites to be the next doctor.  There has been talk of bringing Susan back.  What if both Jodie and Kris are joining the show?  The question will be who will be the Doctor and who will be Susan.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Here we have a ‘story’ from ‘The Sun’, which basically says that Kris Marshall already leaked as 13 & people would rather denounce it as fake news rather than accept it (‘because he’s such an atrocious choice’)…

new doctor who identity leaked after fans become convinced kris marshall will be named as peter capaldis replacement

Perhaps tomorrow will see The Wimbledon Riots?!

Funny to follow the trajectory of the bookies’ odds today. Jodie remains strong so far…….

[Nick @nick]

@wolfweed

The Mail on Sunday has Jodie W on the front page….

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@nick and @wolfweed– the late odds and the CC connection make me increasingly think it’s going to be JW, and it wouldn’t be a choice I’d be particularly unhappy with.

Though I must admit that while I don’t think he’s a particularly promising choice, I do feel somewhat sorry for Kris Marshall for being pilloried online as ‘the probably crap Doctor’ even before he’s taken the role (or not as the case may be).

And speaking as an occasional journalist, I’m finding this whole feeding frenzy increasingly unedifying. In future I think I’d like the Beeb to have a new Doctor sorted before the departure of the old one and make a low-key dual announcement out of it.

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@nick @misterhoo and @wolfweed I have to say, like @jimthefish I feel really sorry for Kris Marshall now, especially if he auditioned and it’s not him. He’ll be like “Not only didn’t the producers like me, the public don’t like me either!”

And if it is him, well, he knows he’s got a lot of work to do to convince people – but then, maybe that’s a good thing. Might make him up his game to show everyone wrong. Who nose!

Not long now.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@craig  @jimthefish @nick @misterhoo @everyone

There’s so much bile out there I think we all need a laugh…

This is the funniest tweet I’ve seen in a long time (posted earlier today[technically yesterday] by the casting director)

andy pryor tweet

[Nick @nick]

@jimthefish @craig @wolfweed @misterhoo

Yes it does seem very likely to be JW. I do feel very sorry for Kris M – he certainly doesnt deserve all this shit. It’s not even his fault. The newspapers (and bookies) made him favourite, nothing he has done. Since he knows either way, I hope he’s laughing his head off, although I suspect there will be a lot of hurt as well. I’m glad to say no one on this site (that I’ve seen) has disrespected his ability as an actor even if some of us haven’t thought he was the right person for the role. Whether its him, JW or someone else, I wish them all good luck and will look forward to seeing what they do with the role.

I have to say, I agree with @jimthefish, the BBC needs to change this process next time.

@wolfweed I love the video

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@jimthefish @nick @wolfweed @misterhoo This tweet also made me laugh earlier today.

I took Daily Mail comments from people angry about a possible Female Dr Who and turned them into episode titles for the new series pic.twitter.com/k586EeVpld

— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) July 15, 2017

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@craig  @jimthefish @nick @misterhoo @everyone

The amount of public intolerance (particularly towards a woman Doctor) online is staggering.

Some of it’s so bad it’s funny…

 

Meanwhile, Sophie Aldred will be on Radio 5 Live sometime in the next 4 hours…

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Sophie Aldred interview has finished.

Okay, so Dotun Adebayo just said female Doctor & then did a humongous load of backtracking!

[bendubz11 @bendubz11]

I was thinking last night, could it be Georgia Moffett? This is purely coming off of those that liked Tennant thinking that the 10 becoming a 13 meaning he’s returning, but whilst I don’t see him returning, his wife might. I mean, we know that body came from The Doctor’s DNA, so what’s to say CC doesn’t want to revisit that plot point?

[optimall @optimall]

I am not against a woman Doctor or a black doctor, but they need to remember things like racism and gender bias through the ages when they visit those time periods. A woman or a person of colour would have been flogged for speaking, let alone trying to tell white males what to do.

One thing Doctor who used to do was teach the kids a bit of history here and there, you cant turn your back on reality and pretend that these things never happened.

Have a Woman, a black man, or even a black woman, but don’t insult them by not acknowledging the persecutions and hardships that they have faced when in those times.

It doesn’t have to be the focus of the episode, far from it, but it can’t just be ignored as well.

[Serahni @serahni]

I’ve come to realise I don’t mind who they cast as long as they add something to the show.  I’m nervous about it but more because there’s an ugly side to the fandom that saddens me and it so often comes into play when it doesn’t get what it wants.  Hell, maybe it’s time for the Doctor to abandon looking human at all and go Silurian.  Then he can get himself a lizard companion and they can flit around time and space doing exactly what he’s always done, being exactly who he’s always been, and those who’ve completely missed the point can have something new to whinge about.  (I’m sure the makeup budget alone would make it impossible, but I’ve said for a while now I wish he’d get an alien companion at least.  We’re about due one.)

[optimall @optimall]

God I would love an alien Doctor, or companion, but so many episodes are set on earth, you would again spent 10 mins in every episode explaining that your not a threat to everyone, at least being human you can blend strait in.

Maybe its time to go to space for a couple seasons with Doctor who, at least then whatever doctor is picked, space seems more tolerant then earth.

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@craig and @wolfweed–

Yeah, saw those alternate titles yesterday and they made me chuckle (in a depressed kind of way).

But all this gnashing of intolerant teeth just makes me think that it really is time for this nettle to be seized, if only for the issue to be settled and that it will just cease to be a big deal in the future.

I think my problem with Marshall is not that he’d be a necessarily bad Doctor (he’d probably be very good) just that he’s not the right one for this moment in time.

@optimall — you make a good point about tolerance, race and persecution and the show will definitely need to continue addressing those issue if there’s a PoC as the Doctor or the companion. And to be honest, I think the last series judged it pretty well with Bill.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Dotun’s gaffe is @ 52:30

up all night

 

@serahni – Liking your idea of a Silurian Doctor…

[janetteB @janetteb]

I think it is a great pity that there are so many fans of the show who clearly don’t actually watch the show. I think some of them need to be strapped into chairs and forced to watch CapDoc’s great speeches on loop until the message finally sinks in.

I also love the idea of an alien doctor, at least for an episode and Doctor nine before his regeneration hinted that it might be possible. “Anything is possible. I might have two heads.”

cheers
Janette

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

I hope the 13th Doctor is a woman & an entire episode is dedicated to bras. I hope they open the TARDIS door & there's an avalanche of bras.

— Aleen Simms 🚀 (@Aleen) July 16, 2017

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

[bendubz11 @bendubz11]

Just confirmed as Jodie Whittaker

[lisa @lisa]

Well I didn’t get a woman as President but I’m getting a woman as Doctor !

They’ve been subtly telegraphing it all last season !

 

I’m a girl !!!    Oh!  You’ve changed the  decorating

Lets see if I like it ?     I’ll give her a fair shot !

[JimTheFish @jimthefish Time Lord]

@wolfweed–

In light of today, Douglas Mackinnon’s Who-related announcement had better be good or Twitter is going to go something like…

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Thrilled that I will be directing the amazing #DoctorWho13 Jodie Whittaker in Xmas episode. Plenty of time before Xmas to get that done.

— Rachel Talalay (@rtalalay) July 17, 2017

[Craig @craig Emperor]

@wolfweed I think you could put that on the Jodie thread, or the news thread. I know you worry but I don’t think it’s a spoiler.

[RorySmith @rorysmith]

Possible John Barrowman return. I’ll keep digging. That would be hilarious and awesome.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

Last video I posted on the news thread had a tiny spoiler about the Xmas Episode (because it was live). Mark Gatiss will appear in it. But as who or what? Could he be reprising the Third Doctor?

[geoffers @geoffers]

@wolfweed

interesting! has gatiss been the third doctor before? i’m assuming yes, from the gif, but i’ve not seen whatever that was.

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@geoffers

Gatiss played number 3 in the ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’ extras…

[MissRori @missrori]

According to Capaldi, the Gatiss character is “a resonant echo in the whole Doctor Who story.”

It could be the Valeyard, but that doesn’t really dovetail with this episode being promised as a hopeful, funny heartwarmer.  I doubt it’s another incarnation of Rassilon or the Master either…any other guesses?

[Bluesqueakpip @bluesqueakpip]

@missrori

Maybe he’s playing Susan. 😀

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@bluesqueakpip, @missrori

Or they could go all 4th wall, and he could play every small child hiding behind the sofa…

[MissRori @missrori]

@bluesqueakpip  Or a Clara splinter?  😉 This sounds like a stuffed show in any case!

@blenkinsopthebrave Actually a meta conceit wouldn’t be out of the question either.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

Or Moffat could have one last opportunity to change canon, and Gatiss could play the Peter Cushing Doctor…

[wolfweed @wolfweed]

@geoffers  @MissRori  @BlueSqueakpip  @BlenkinsopTheBrave

Web of Caves Doctor?

 

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