Yay! I’ve finally watched the original <i>The Daleks</i> story! Only 51 years late!

I can really see why it made an impact on beople back in 1963, and why Dalekmania became such a phenomenon – the design of the Daleks themselves, and the Dalek city, and really the rest of Skaro (particularly the petrified forest and the swamp) came together to…[Read more]

@PhileasF   Does Kate really need an explanation for how you could fit 91 Cybermen inside St Paul’s?   I think that the question was “How do you hide 91 Cybermen inside St. Paul’s?”   I noticed that too about the news report. But clearly, whatever has been rebooted, UNIT at least is still aware of the Cybermen. So maybe the media asked a UNIT…[Read more]

@PhileasF You made me laugh out loud with

It was almost but not quite entirely unlike my theories

Welcome to my world!! But it’s also the joy of bonkers theorising. we don’t actually want to be right! 😉

@Bluesqueakpip Absolutely no need to apologise! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed debating Danny’s character with you. And he’s not easy. I mentioned his…[Read more]

@Brewski – Sorry. I missed a piece of it: The history WE know is the one where the 12th Doctor has come back to ensure they get saved. The ORIGINAL history (that we didn’t know about) had him leave the family behind.

timey-wimey, indeed! are you saying that tennant doc originally left the family behind, and lots of things were different, but t…[Read more]

Mega thank yous to –

@PhileasF List of post-its is great

@Blenkinsopthebrave – Bless you for the foray into Clara’s kitchen, and confirmation of same. Seriously – the rest of us just aren’t worthy!!

You also say

You don’t think that she slipped away with Robin in Sherwood Forest when we weren’t looking, and…

Actually… we were looking! You m…[Read more]

@PhileasF

Loved your list of Clara’s post-it notes. I admire your dedication. In fact, I was inspired by your example to have a look myself, and discovered that, not only does she have two notes for Robin Hood, but also two notes for Three Months.

You don’t think that she slipped away with Robin in Sherwood Forest when we weren’t looking,…[Read more]

I’ve updated the spreadsheet with a few more categories. We can now see ratings for the following:

• Doctor (Pertwee and McGann are trending highest here – each on 4.17 out of 5)
• Series/Season (Forum Average: 3.72 out of 5)
• Christmas Specials (Forum Average: 3.74 out of 5)
• River Song (Forum Average: 4.49 out of 5)
• Paternoster Gang (Forum Ave…

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@PhileasF

Thanks for identifying the Welsh National War Memorial in Cathays Park. I was wondering what the monument was. And I agree that we were supposed to assume it was in London and not think too much about it. When I was watching, I was also struck by the fact that Danny is supposedly only a couple of minutes’ walk from Clara’s flat, and he…[Read more]

@PhileasF Thanks for the screengrabs. Very interesting!

@Margaret-Blaine Don’t let the odd post-scramble put you off posting. It happens occasionally, don’t know why. (Welcome to the dark (water) side 😉 )

@jack Re Dr Sarkosa – he would appear to be dead and cyberised – see the inscription on the skeleton-case in his office

@RobertDaller The…[Read more]

@PhileasF I’ve been looking at Clara’s bookcase. Saw something odd, a ‘Body Swap Ticket’ (the preceding word is illegible… MIxxxSCAPE?

Presumably this is a ticket for a recreational body swapping experience.

I believe it is for a “Hyperscape Body Swap Ticket”:

(From the 2013 Prom)

@Margaret-Blaine Nice to see a mention of @HTPBDET

I too think of him, and wonder what he would have made of the new series. He was a Clara fan but not a Smith fan. I think he’d have enjoyed Capaldi’s Doctor. I raise a glass to him – what a lovely man.

@PhileasF  It’s obviously worth re-watching that post-it note scene with the pause button for…[Read more]

@PhileasF and @mudlark

You two seem to be very knowledgeable about the whole of Doctor Who history.

Im re-watching The Mind Robber this evening and I thought I saw some parallels with this series, and its arc and details.  Obviously, that there is a (potential) dream world, and that people see what they want to see / what they expect to see.  O…[Read more]

@Whoville    You’d think that by now he’d be relieved it’s just the Master again       No kidding!

@TheKrynoidMan   To me it just doesn’t seem like something any of the other incarnations of The Master would ever do.   I disagree, I think the Simm Master would have done it. In fact, even as a man, I can imagine his Master having done it!  :-)…[Read more]

@Arbutus, @lisa

I’m not sure we will be told how the Master got away last time, or indeed, whether we need to be told.

As @PhileasF so wisely said:

Some are wondering how the Master got away from the time bubble in which Rassilon and co are imprisoned. But there’s a long tradition of the Master escaping from certain death with no explanation, a…

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@Apopheniac– yes, ‘twas me and thank you- after being so very wrong about Missy (although she could still, in theory, be the papal mainframe, I’m stepping back from that theory) I’d love it if this hunch was true. The post it notes, her attitude seemed so important, I just think it has to mean something more than ‘what she was doing when he died…[Read more]

Hello @PhileasF

I also suspect much of what Danny and, presumably, other dead people are being told is a lie, intended to persuade them to allow their personalities to be deleted.

Your post is one of the reasons why I think this site is so wonderful.  Deeply thoughtful, contextual (bringing in PK Dicks “Ubik” and also SMs “Coupling” is…[Read more]

No one’s mentioned (or have I missed it?) that these are different cybermen from previous ones. These are Missy’s “cybermen from cyberspace”. They appear to be the consciousness of the (recently?) deceased, without emotions (choices again – delete your own emotions (and become a cyberman)/live (your death) with the pain of…[Read more]

@Bluesqueakpip @PhileasF @BESD1 – This is not an unusual trope in fantasy.  Everyone assumes that the person who sees things/hears voices/acts weird is actually insane/ill/whatever, when in reality she (usually she) is just more sensitive/talking to ghosts/in touch with aliens/whatever.  It’s a version of the “You Have to Believe Me” trope.

The D…[Read more]