[ScaryB @replies]

@wolfweed – thnx for all the news.

The ebay auction for the chance to have a day at the DW studios while they’re filming is (almost embarrassingly) miles in front. The next nearest is a rugby weekend (£1200). Go Doctor Who 🙂

Love the Marshalls

They’re not seriously thinking of cancelling the Unearthly Child broadcasts are they? (I was just getting my excitement levels warmed up for them). Bandwagon jumping/cashing in certainly comes to mind.  It’s one thing when it’s the original creator/scriptwriter challenging cos they think they got a raw deal – I don’t have a lot of sympathy when it’s the family. And it’s 50 years later.

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip

YAY!!! Break out the SWD (I particularly loved that it was always a lot scruffier than all the other daleks)

Seconded!

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@Shazzbot – You haven’t seen them since they converted to nesting – 1m times worse

@craig – I completely agree with you re it being open to all (most of the time) but sometimes the preservation of peace and sanity for the existing members is more important! And 2 weeks before the 50th is one of the times we should batten down the hatches. We’re no use to anyone if we get over-run by daleks.

😉

[ScaryB @replies]

Thanks for Siouxsie and Shirley vids @phaseshift

This is for @wolfweed and any other Dundonians hanging around this site. And in tribute to the trailers which are also “phuhl o a number o things” I give you Saint Andrew (at his very best) – Crivvens, help maboab n jings 😉

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@juniperfish

::waves and bounces excitedly up and down on the sofa::

Late or early? I’d say you’re more timeywimey 🙂

Beautiful writeup for HTPBDET – you made me have to reach for the hankies again 😥

Hope you’ve managed to organise a bubble universe/timeloop for yourself for the next 2 weeks so we can get the benefit of your fishy musings 😉

Especially since the dopplegangers/dark Doctor plotlines are suddenly in the spotlight.  And I’m sure I spotted a watery portal halfway thro the second trailer (the long one) that Matt throws his fez into.

😀

[ScaryB @replies]

@craig @arkleseizure

I’m in complete agreement with the one formerly known as the Cute Little Green Cartoon Creature with a Straw Hat (what a difference an avatar makes LOL). Close to new members NOW!

(Any doubts, go and check out the fracas on the YouTube trailer sites which were hijacked by 1 Direction fans for a while (and most of the Who fans responses weren’t much better). That’s what happens when you convert to nesting, peeps! (YouTube proudly announced this just recently, along with several other compulsory “improvements”). (It’s also a late Fri and Sat night problem – the trolls must be at their grumpiest when they realise everyone else has a social life, and they don’t 😈 )

Life’s too short.

[ScaryB @replies]

@magnetite

Definitely see it in the cinema if you can, I’d say. Even hold off watching on TV first – go to the cinema with blinkers and headphones on just in case (take them off once you’re inside of course!)

😀

[ScaryB @replies]

@miapatrick – re missing the pub meetup  – no worries – I believe it’s become “the annual pub meet-up” (in best DW Xmas special tradition 😉 ) Btw email as big a file of your avatar as you can to Craig if you want to send it to the pub in your absence! (It will be transmuted in a wibbly wobbly timey wimey way to a physical presence in the pub; I don’t guarantee it will work quite as well as Amy’s ganger though 😉  )

[ScaryB @replies]

2 weeks to go 😀

And a great new site avatar to celebrate, and bring us in. Many thanks and kudos @jimthefish

[ScaryB @replies]

Hi Fives @bluesqueakpip 😉

[ScaryB @replies]

@timeloop

Why would you want to forget something you spend weeks pondering about?

Because when you’re wrong it tends to induce feelings of ARSE* that the actual show isn’t panning out the same as your treasured theory. And the joy of Doctor Who speculation for many is when Moffat comes up with something which makes perfect sense in retrospect, but that you never thought of and which totally trumps everything you did think of!

The joy of bonkers theorising (for me) is in following the trails of theories which can sometimes lead (through portals – watery and otherwise) into the most  delightful, esoteric alternative universes and encompass things like ancient Egyptian/Greek/Norse and other mythologies, philosphies and history. I remember a deep discussion about identity, “self” and ethics resulting from the Almost People story. And Freud (but I think the proponent of that one has thankfully dematerialised hehe).  And sometimes just silly bonkersness. it’s not always just about the show!

(But yes, you are entirely entitled to shout “YESSSS!” if you actually do get something right. Warning – this may lead you to being ejected from the cinema and drowned in the hatred of neighbouring fans (of the ARSE type) who didn’t think of it. 😀 )

*ARSE – A Raging Sense of Entitlement (when you think you know better than the current showrunner/team)

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip @Shazzbot

Sorry – typo in my last post, and missed the edit window – compass should read compasses (as in set of; for drawing circles )

😳

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip @Shazzbot

I’ve met couples like Amy and Rory (kite and anchor – love it) – when it works, it works well. Bluesqueakpip explains it perfectly. Amy/Rory works for me, especially as they both grow a lot throughout their time with the Doctor – fulfilling a potential neither is likely to have achieved without the catalyst of the Dr –  couples like that often have a quiet chemistry. Lot of people mistake Rory’s quietness and apparent pliability for weakness. But he’s the kind of guy who will only let himself be pushed precisely as far as he wants. Then he’ll just dig his heels in and stop. Best male role model in DW 🙂

Btw kite and anchor reminded me of John Donne’s poem, comparing lovers with a compass –

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,
Like th’ other foot, obliquely run ;
Thy firmness makes my circle just,                                 
And makes me end where I begun

If you want to read the rest it’s here – A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

First time I’ve read it for a while – I love it, but I tear up every time I read it 🙂

 

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@craig Thanks. Yeah, I’d agree with you on Sherlock (agh! Is that heresy? Maybe depends how much you know and loved the books first). Just as well – I don’t need another series to obsess over, haha

The trailer – this one?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01l9ntt

(The Zygon looks amazing)

Now on official BBC site.  Also the 13 sec teaser with the painting.

So re the spoilers thread –  in the words of Marathon man – Is it safe? (will I come and join you all there? (No prob with the official trailer and the teasers))

[ScaryB @replies]

@wolfweed – ID parade – still laughing at that one ::scrambles back on to the sofa, wipes tears away::

(@Shazzbot ::sticks out tongue:: You want a thigh gap?? Check out that Yeti 😉  )

Not sure about the last one – Phaseshift..?

PS Your lawyers will also be hearing from mine about the state of my keyboard after the above, and the naked Capaldi comment on the other thread! You are priceless 😀

@blenkinsopthebrave

Indeed, I think there will probably be a few surprises when all of you meet each other in the pub, and discover the faces behind the avatars.

I have no idea what you mean!!

(Though I do have a mental picture of a load of crumblies on (tardis-coloured) zimmers trundling round and round the pub asking if anyone’s seen Ming the Merciless)

Speaking of the booze-up at the pub, perhaps small photos of the avatars of those of us unable to attend due to our locations in far-flung colonies could be printed out and propped up on the table so that we were there with you, in spirit (and spirits), as it were.

That’s a great idea. I’d be happy to take it on, but I’d need to get bigger versions or they’ll look a bit blurry or extremely tiny. If people want to preserve email privacy and if @craig‘s up for it – anyone that wants an avatar rep at the pub meet-up to send as large a file as they can muster of their avatar (I’m talking megabytes not gigabytes, mind) to Craig’s email, he can forward them on to me. I’ll find some suitable stands to present them in.

[ScaryB @replies]

@craig Maybe, but I think it’s just part of it.  As Moffat (grudgingly, haha) pointed out, the BBC do have a number of other programmes to promote(!) – there will be a LOT of piggy-backing in the next couple of weeks, with DW cast appearing on any programmes that have guests, Dr Who themed things etc.

I’ve started to notice a lot more visibility re DW in adverts and previews (on Watch Again for example) etc.

And we’ve got the teaser trailer (woohoo!!) ::attempts a cartwheel::

Errr… no-one’s discussing it!!! Is it all happening on spoilers thread? Loads of activity on there, but don’t want to look 🙁

 

 

[ScaryB @replies]

Been thinking a bit more about comments upstream about the psychic link between River/Clara…AND the Doctor (who says he can “always see” River.

What if there’s another reason for that, other than the proposed family connection?

What if our Doctor is already just a programme in a database somewhere – as River is? His challenge is to work out what and where he is, and escape?  (too Matrix?)

Oh, and I quite liked @dickiegarvey‘s suggestion that the Zygons will be seemingly dealt with early – but then come back much later, and with a vengeance? (I seem to remember from they did something similar in their first appearance. Not saying they’ll be the Big Bad (who might in fact be the Doctor himself (as Hurt) – they’ve been flagged up too much in advance for that (unless it’s a double bluff (LOL) ) but they could provide a crucial plot twist.

[ScaryB @replies]

@timeloop (thanks for long post) Re continuity porn (copyright @jimthefish)

My best guess right now would be that some fans would get off on continuity?

Haha – I’d say that’s a bang-on description 😉 (You have much to learn, little Timeloop, not all fans are as reasonable as we are in this forum. There are fans… and then there are Dr Who Fans 😈 )

The more ideas we have the more probable it is that we dig out SOMEthing.

You would think so, but you’d be surprised at how low our hit rate is, even with the mighty hive mind that is the DWF 🙂 (Which is great, and why bonkers theorising thrives. Just remember to forget them all when the actual episode starts!)

 

[ScaryB @replies]

The sonic cane is not without precedent, as recently as LKH in fact –

http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_cane

And was there not a sonic hatstand as well…?

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip @Shazzbot

BSP’s theory (and my 50/900) could also tie in with the title –

The Day of the Doctor ie his ONE day – he’s lived all his other lives (while this day is frozen, or he comes back to the same time he left), but he has to come back to this 1 day to sort out whatever it is that went wrong in this single day or there will be no more Doctors – which is why this Day has to be Saved. Or saved like a computer programme? Databases? Uploaded to the Matrix so he can be born again with new set of regenerations? (Don’t like that one 🙁 )

Day of the Doctor could also refer to the more traditional meaning of the day he comes through – TimeLord triumphant

@Shazzbot

And the Doctor would be left holding the baby …

Hence the cradle in the TARDIS 😉  Nice one.

 

PS Cesario/Viola = Carla (same letters tho) *dyslexics! 🙄 😉 *

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip – well think of all the doubles, dopplegangers, duplicates, mirrorings, echoes and whatnots we’ve had throughout Eleven’s run… not to mention Zygons about to be thrown in the mix (as @dickiegarvey just reminded us) –  I’m not knocking anything out at this stage, least of all twins!

Where did the Moffat quote come from – I missed that interview, I think.

(And keep theorising – you’re on fire this morning 😀 )

[ScaryB @replies]

On Clara (or someone else) as River’s daughter – my fave is that it’s Capaldi’s kid – who knows what she’s been up to with him while we have to wait patiently on the slow path!

@bluesqueakpip

starting to wonder whether the Smith Doctor’s final Christmas story is going to be a nativity play

which also ties in with your “Twelfth Night” scenario/possible title

I’ve been thinking on those lines myself (largely due to your 12th Night)… trinities, the birth theory etc to make parallels with… not to mention Angels for a twist/threat/joke 😯

 

[ScaryB @replies]

Any thoughts on  where/when the 50th will be set? (Probably easier than what/why/how)

I’m guessing

Where: Gallifrey, Earth, and a quick nip round the universe, just cause they can

When : past, present (2013 (4th wall potential?)*), 51st century

Plus a Day of the Daleks type time paradox which will either confirm or negate Blinovitch’s thing about crossing/changing your own timeline. Maybe HurtDr is the one who can do the changing of Matt’s timeline to avoid Matt’s death at Trenzalore, if he is not in direct line of succession so to speak – Matt saying that he isn’t identified as Doctor. And Hurt redeems himself in the process. (There has to be redemption for Hurt’s character – it’s about facing up to, and accepting/forgiving your own past failures and failings, so you can move on, renewed)

 

*4th wall potential – Anyone seen the animated film the Illusionist? (thinking of the scene where he walks into the cinema… brilliantly done)

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip

Sorry, I meant to be more effusive in my enthusiasm for your theory – it is truly brilliant! I did reference it (but much less clearly) in my earlier summary.  (And “Thank Moffat there’s a Nanny” made me fall off the sofa 😆 )

A little to add – if Prisoner Zero proves to be significant – I won’t be disappointed if we don’t go back there, but I’ll be delighted if we do – then he has to be HurtDr.  He’s the one that Eleven is psychologically “burying” and refusing to investigate further. He chases away the guards who are after Zero – without checking what Zero’s situation is.  OK, he’s in post regeneration fruitcake-mode, but it’s still very unDoctorish.

What if the cracks in time were caused by Eleven’s mental block around Hurt breaking down… as a resut of jumping into his own timestream scar?  Which allowed him to get the brief glimpse of Prisoner Zero/Hurt in Eleventh Hour which reminded him of his dark secret, which caused the mental barriers to start breaking down and caused the cracks in time…?!

*Goes off to rummage in the discarded theories pile for the one about the Doctor really being on the psychiatrist’s sofa*

(and I blame @blenkinsopthebrave for this, for his “corner of your eye” comment)

[ScaryB @replies]

@arkleseizure That’s a lovely double tribute. And I’m right there with you on Massacre (tho Marco Polo gives it a v close run).  I’m keeping fingers and toes x’d that they didn’t check right to the back of those Nigerian shelves yet! (or they found a pile of as yet unID’d tapes which are still in a box to be gone through)

@phaseshift Re the trailer – actually I resisted NotD trailer till after the episode – I think I posted that on balance I was glad I had.  Not so much re spoilers, but it was nice to hit those opening scenes without a clue about what/where etc!  But I’ll probably watch this one, definitely will, if as has been hinted,  it’s been specially made by the production team rather than put together by trailer-makers.

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@craig You’re right about closing last time was because of the rogue DVDs. But it did make the site feel safer in the final week. I think the week before would be fine, but whatever everyone else thinks.

@arkleseizure – you’ve regenerated 🙂

 

[ScaryB @replies]

For @bluesqueakpip‘s theory:

 

Thinking back on our Moffat retrospective viewing –

Families have a key place in his world  – what an Xmas episode that could be – a new Doctor, and a new baby to travel with – or a whole school of kids on the TARDIS (teasing, honest!)

[ScaryB @replies]

I’m kinda in favour of a trailers thread if it’s not too much hassle to set up.  Or it could go on the 50th thread, it is for that episode after all (OMG! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NEARLY HERE!!! :SHOCK: ) What happened with the last trailer? Did we manage to keep to one thread or were we bouncing about all over the place?

Definitely agree with @pedant and @bluesqueakpip re closing the site to new members at some point soonish. We did it as a spoiler-troll precaution before NotD  I think (following a small infestation)

[ScaryB @replies]

@wolfweed

Well the apology was appreciated, but if you’d REALLY meant it you’d have used an expert!

😉

 

 

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip

😆

[ScaryB @replies]

On the subject of spoilers – BBC website announcements/articles are fine. (I ‘m not convinced that the Radio Times deserves that status any more, but if @bluesqueakpip approves, then fine by me)

I suggest that anyone who doesn’t want spoilered at all (inc BBC announcements) should really clear off the internet (inc this site) around about now. It’s all going to be bubbling like crazy very very soon.

But will really appreciate it  if the News thread posts are strictly BBC only (unless pre-vetted and approved by Wolfweed of course!)

Love the Strax field report: “We can learn much from Scotchland!” (Perfectly pitched to particularly irritate the natives north of the Border 🙂 )

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@timeloop Sorry if I was appearing to diss your theory – definitely no offence intended. (People do it to mine all the time). And we can all get a bit fanboy/girl at times (cos it’s fun) 😉  While my 50/900 years in a day incorporates a frozen moment, it’s not (necessarily) the Moment that you were talking about. And please note that most of my theories are usually wrong!

@phaseshift – I’d forgotten your hippocratic oath theory – good to dig it out again

I do think it looks like Matt is being set up as the last, who dies at Trenzalore. But also like  that HurtDr could be the last Dr, who is also Dr Zero in a circular/cyclical rebirth sort of thing. Haha re your resolution of the regeneration limit – he just regenerates – no explanation provided.

@jimthefish

The Big Bad behind the Silence et al could be Omega in league with the Quarks and the Trods, using a super-weapon built from The Moment, The Hand of Omega and the Key to Time and it will only be by reviving past incarnations and housing them in the final incarnation of Susan that disaster can be averted.

That’s nearly as bonkers as @whohar‘s  Zygon assassin and is possibly equal with @wolfweed‘s “The hatstand dunnit” (nice hatstand btw)

@fatmaninabox @blenkinsopthebrave Re the communal wishing really really hard to bring back Canton – just tell me when you want to start!

Whadja mean tongue in cheek? Theories are serious matters!

[ScaryB @replies]

@thommck – HaHa (i’m sure there’s a flaw in the logic somewhere, but I’ll figure it out soon!!)

@Everyone, and @bluesqueakpip and @Shazzbot in particular – A short break from bonkers theories (thanks for the kickstart @blenkinsopthebrave – it’s all cooking on the 50th thread) –

Just come across this – it’s extracts from Michael Troughton’s biography of his dad, talking about his visits to Web of Fear set and memories of his dad worrying about preps for Enemy of the World being behind as well as insights into his thoughts about acting in general and celebrity. There’s also a lovely, generous interview with Colin Baker (yes, really!) remembering meeting PT for the first time as a young actor, and an intro by Frazer Hines that just made me go “aaaah”

http://www.troughtonmichael.com/joomla16/index.php/extracts

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@whohar Thanks

Ah, that Moment. I always thought that had been dealt with when the TimeLords reappeared ie they were caught in it and Tennant finally destroyed it. No, I don’t hink it’ll come back.

I agree with @jimthefish and those above who reckon most of the references will be from Moffat era, with loving refs to the history of the show (as inNotD).

And I think WhoHar is spot on with 7 (brilliant!), 8 AND, especially, 9

🙂

[ScaryB @replies]

@pedant

I was wondering about “the Moment” as well.  Have we missed something?

@janetteb

With you on Zygons, but they’re not going to be the Big Big Bad, just cos they’ve been trailed so much!

[ScaryB @replies]

Oh, and there will be a bigger Big Bad than we’ve been aware of, who’s been lurking in the background for quite a while…

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave – Well done on kickstarting the final lap of theorising.

• Time Lock – just to be controversial I think it will stay in place, but I think @bluesqueakpip might be on to something re rescuing Gallifrey’s children (who could have the potential to become a new (and different) set of TimeLords in years to come). Gallifrey and the Time War will feature, but as flashbacks

• HurtDr – sticking with him being Dr Zero, the one that kicked it all off – the Policeman (or The Judge?) – the reason Hartnell felt he had to leave. (HurtDr colluded with Rassilon in getting Omega stuck in the Black Hole, meaning the Time Lords’ power is built on a similar premise to the Beast Below.  Our Doctor has to resolve that, with the threat that he will no longer be able to timetravel

• Ha! I can’t even decide if Eleven and Clara will still be in the timestream – but I tend to think not. The 50th really has to be more or less stand alone. They’ve had over 6 months to get out of that bloody timestream (which I see as more of a dream state or an echo than a real place – and we’re told it’s disinegrating; the Doctors we see in it are mostly like ghosts; HurtDr is newly released from behind Eleven’s mental block so seems clearer. Is he talking to Matt though or just to himself?  I think they will have left Trenzalore (tho with its big ominous threat still hanging over them)).

• HurtDr – I hanker after the 3 into 1 solution (3 Doctors, seperate like the 3 parts of the programme itself (BG, AG and the bit we don’t talk about), brought together in a blast of energy which results in Capaldi striding forth with a new set of regenerations! The Power of 3!).  That may be too much haha but I do think part of the task facing the Doctor will be that he has to make peace with HurtDr, reincorporate him into the Doctor fold.

• Agree with those above who say that the Zygons probably aren’t the main foe, but will be part of the “background colour”.  I also think there will be more previous Doctors referenced than we’re led to believe, and lots of little refs to history, as in NotD. There’s a lot of previous Doctors “doing a Tennant” in their level of protest at apparently not having been asked. I don’t believe any of them.

• Day of the Doctor – The 50/900 years in a day theory – the Doctors have all been on a massive timeout (from Hartnell to Smith) till he returns to the time he left, to resolve the problem of HurtDr.

• And yes a big reboot, but not so as to negate the previous history – just to change the way we look at it (like turning the telescope the right way round)

• River will be back (but hopefully still with some mystery, so we can still see her with Capaldi);  She/Clara/Amy connected (not necessarily my preferred solution but there are too many “impossibles” about each of them to be ignored)

• The resolution is going to result in setting up the loss of/sacrifice by Matt (and yes, it might carry over to the Xmas one)

Finally, Mr B’s

It will be brilliant, and we will want more. Immediately.

Yes to that

 

 

[ScaryB @replies]

Great posts as ever @bluesqueakpip  I like your observation about the TARDIS now having circles rather than linear engines

@phaseshift – Celia Imrie may not have had much screen time but she really made it count.  The scene of her being left devastated when the GI left her could easily be cheesy, but she makes it a tragic moment.   There’s a kind of telescoping in your understanding of her, in realising that the GI has been manipulating her for most of her life, how unhappy she was when it first encountered her, and how much regret she’s going to have for a life missed.  40/50 years of her life devoted to one “employer” and then she’s chucked into the (metaphorical) street without a pension.  It’s one of the scenes that really stick in my mind about this episode.

@janetteb mentioned @htpbdet‘s post so I went to reread – interesting –

…Clara and her “run you clever boy and remember” motif – it occurs to me that prior to Asylum of the Daleks, the Doctor may have heard that phrase before.
When he stole the TARDIS and ran away from Gallifrey with Susan?

Perhaps his mother said it to him? Could Moffat be proposing a re-imagining of the start of the Dr’s travels? Some catastrophe that sees the Dr’s family destroyed and his mother getting him to run to safety ( in the TARDIS ) but to remember her and his family?

So is Clara the Doctor’s mother – somehow scattered through time and without her memory?  Would explain a lot…

There’s a little skip via the Dr’s mother and the reason for leaving (jury’s still out on that one) but it’s v close to what we saw in NotD

🙂

 

[ScaryB @replies]

@craig Woohoo!

Just to be nosy, where did it come from – BBC, Gaiman… ?

[ScaryB @replies]

@wolfweed @bluesqueakpip

That’s a really nice speech by Davison. Love the dig at Grade, and his description of AG – “the lunatics had not only taken over the asylum, they’d rebuilt it!”

@bluesqueakpip – I agree with @pedant, it’s a prime time slot.  Re Operation Yewtree – We’ve already had JNT 😮 (but hopefully the programme won’t go within years of him) and Katy Manning’s dalek photoshoot (didn’t see that at the time!! 😯 ). More likely “William Hartnell swears!!” LOL.   Tho you can bet your best sonic screwdriver that the DM and the rest of the sub-pond press will have digging for dirt on DW as a high priority this year.

Looking forward to it. And it’s nice that they considered us being at the pub on Fri when they scheduled it 😉

Newsy things coming thick and fast now 😀

[ScaryB @replies]

@phaseshift

You could always add “Special Weapons Time Lord” as your strapline…

[ScaryB @replies]

@Shazzbot

Thanks for posting the Graun T Baker article – it’s really lovely interview. And what a story at the end 🙂

Did you notice the link to “knit your own Doctor scarf” http://www.doctorwhoscarf.com/s12.html (in the comments)

The amount of detail in it is nothing short of awesome!

[ScaryB @replies]

@pufferfish – right, that’s it! No excuses – looking forward to seeing you in the pub on 22nd 🙂

re the retrospectives and communal viewing – I’ve really enjoyed both the BG and SM retros. My main reason for not commenting often has been extreme lack of RL time –  I’ve not always been able to watch quite in synch with everyone, had to time shift for some of them. But especially for the stories I hadn’t seen, I found it a really useful way in.  (This is where I’d argue that a “thumbs up” for comments (members only) is useful for those of us too time-poor to construct a full comment or feel that everyone else has said what needs to be said)

Re the BG ones – it’s great to hear reactions from people who didn’t see them the first time around.

@Shazzbot – think I’ve heard the T Baker scarf story before, but it’s worth repeating – the room was full of scarf 😆

[ScaryB @replies]

@janetteb

I second all of that.  There are many people who have joined over the last few months who have slid seemlessly into regular (or irregular) posting, including several for whom English isn’t a first language.  People watch first, get the tone then decide if it’s for them or not.  They then either join, leave or troll.

Just to repeat what I said earlier about whether we should be chasing for new members – we don’t need the numbers, we’re not a commercial site (all praise to @craig (and isn’t it great to be on a site where you don’t have to keep the virtual blinkers on?!)) – the people who need to find us will find us!

[ScaryB @replies]

Re religion in DW – there was a very pointed comment by the Doctor in Rings of Akhaten when Clara asked if it really was a god to the effect (sorry, not got the exact wording) that it was what the poeple chose to believe and it kept them happy.  Mostly gods (and devils) are portrayed as being that way because we don’t have the full information about their origins. Everything is ultimately fallible and mortal.

Without researching in detail, I reckon the show has tackled the major themes of most religions/belief systems over the years. Even the Time Lords themselves, while arguably having god-like powers, are shown not to be the oldest (or most powerful) species eg Fenric, the Shakri

I agree with @bluesqueakpip that it could be interesting to use DW as a jumping off point for discussion but the article above looks like more click-bait to me. Expect much more over the next few weeks.

[ScaryB @replies]

Greetings! Dammit – I seem to have missed all the fun. Again 😉 But it looks like mega-thanks due to @wolfweed, @Shazzbot, @craig for being vigilant in keeping the main threads clear of spoilers.  We spoilerphobes really appreciate it. (drinks of whatever’s your poison await you in the Rose & Crown)

Loved @craig‘s comment –

What I find sadly amusing is that someone who initially came on here to try and annoy and offend people can actually be offended themselves so quickly, and by not very much. Imagine if we’d really tried to troll him!

But, with just 20 days (Yay! for the countdown clock) to go till all (most? well some!) of our bonkers theories get knocked out the part (no doubt to be replaced by a whole new set) – there are more important things to do.

(@Phaseshift You’d fit the role of special weapons mod superbly. Glad you liked it)

[ScaryB @replies]

@pedant

haha, love it.

But my main point is that it’s no excuse for publishing shoddy articles with shaky reasoning

[ScaryB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip

Great summing up, thanks. I missed the word-play solution of DELSA (N-velope) being SLADEN (doh! slaps forehead). Hmm, so we have Clara (Lis’s middle name), this and the transition in the trailer of Sarah Jane into Clara (possibly via Susan)  (And I love your meta-textual Clara numerology – that was a work of genius to unravel 🙂 So… Clara will ultimately be revealed as a 40-something Scotsman…? 😈 )

And you said I’m –

responsible for a pun even worse than one of @wolfweed‘s

You have made my day <does Yeti bounce/twirl of happiness> Ohmygiddyaunt  😀

@janetteb

why did the childrens’ mother die the week that Clara came to stay? It is implied that her death was not connected to Clara’s visit but was unexpected.

Unfortunate things do seem to happen to kids’ mothers when Clara’s around don’t they?  It could just be to emphasise her Mary Poppins-like right place right time nanny skills.

[ScaryB @replies]

@Shazzbot – re Ads – I didn’t say it wasn’t annoying.  But if it didn’t work they (both sides) wouldn’t do it.  Works on same basis as big billboards – advertisers don’t expect potential cutomers to click on the billboards, but it increases widget awareness.  But they need to know that billboard’s on a busy corner, not stuck behind an old police box at the back of Totter’s lane, haha.

But it shouldn’t be an excuse for publishing crap writing.

[ScaryB @replies]

@Shazzbot

Re Advertisers on the Graun site (and others) – they are charged per page view and additional for clicks. G ad sales team will present stats to show no of page-views when chasing ad sales.

Thanks for posting the link – response has been remarkably pro-DW  on the whole (only 1 “it’s a kids show” so far 😉 (and great responses form @whohar, @janetteb and @pedant in full flow)

@steve-thorp The Terry Pratchet one is hugely better written for a start, and very poignant in its last sentence.

[Author]

Posts