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Doctor Who Series 10 |OT| He's Back, and It's About Time

tomtom94

Member
The "you have to use Daleks every year" thing was definitely a thing back in the RTD era stipulated by Nation's estate (never forget, the new series nearly never had Daleks at all as the Nation estate were enormously aggressive negotiating the rights) but we've never really heard from Moffat if it's still a thing. The series 6 cameo has always made me think that it's the case though.

Speaking of which, I've just found the article when negotiations broke down and it has possibly the best line I've ever read:

He said the BBC had tried to commission a cartoon series about gay Daleks for BBC Three.
 
Bill was pretty good, a nice start to her time as companion. Shame the episode was so bloody boring. Jesus...

This is final season with Capaldi right? Hopefully a new Doctor will shake things up next season. What I can't get over is how you waste someone like Capaldi, he always looks so bored.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
I already like Bill better than the last two, but the episode was mostly run of the mill plot. Not that I would have liked a convoluted way to make the new companion yet another vital piece of a cosmic puzzle or something, no more of that please.

I really liked the fact that the plot was kinda there, and it was character led. Bill already is Worlds ahead of Clara character wise.
 
After ever so slightly tearing up when Bill finds the photos of her mum it made me realise something.

a) Moffat clearly hates mother characters (which is ironic given RTD had three companions with basically the same bossy mum archetype)

and b) Clara was such an empty character in comparison. Don't get me wrong, I actually liked the character, and Jenna Coleman gave some killer performances, but she was only really existent alongside the Doctor. She never really stood on her own.

Bill, in comparison, feels so much like a person it slightly took me aback. I get Bill in a way I never really got Clara. And Mackie is just so effortlessly warm you have to love her. Also her theme is awesome.

Puddle monster was fine and Nardole weirdly makes sense but probably only for the 12th Doctor. And once again fuck the Sun for spoiling the John Simm reveal.

But it's so good to have 11 more weeks of Doctor Who to look forward to. And if the show wants to focus all in on Bill then bring it on.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
Yeah, I was happy watching the Bill show with caramels from The Doctor. First time since Rose they've really pulled that off.
 
After ever so slightly tearing up when Bill finds the photos of her mum it made me realise something.

a) Moffat clearly hates mother characters (which is ironic given RTD had three companions with basically the same bossy mum archetype)

RTD has written about this a fair bit - it's well worth reading, really interesting and funny. There's a few commentaries where he talks about it and in his memoirs from the time running Who he goes into a fair bit of detail on it. He says he's well aware of this and puts it down to growing up in a small town in Wales where all the men would go off and do manual labor jobs and the town was basically run by all the strong, no-nonsense, gossiping, loving, shouting archetypal mums. He basically said, y'know, his growing up was growing up in a town ran by variations of Jackie Tyler.

One of the things I've always found interesting about Moffat is the sort of - he has an archetype too, but it's with the dads. The dads are always the bumbling prats - thoughtful and loving but vaguely useless compared to the mums. Rory, Brian, the dad in the Library, etc. When he speaks about his own boys I get the impression those characters are written of a projection of how Moffat sees himself, haha.
 

tomtom94

Member
RTD has written about this a fair bit - it's well worth reading, really interesting and funny. He says he's well aware of this and puts it down to growing up in a small town in Wales where all the men would go off and do manual labor jobs and the town was basically run by all the strong, no-nonsense, gossiping, loving, shouting archetypal mums. He basically said, y'know, his growing up was growing up in a town ran by variations of Jackie Tyler.

One of the things I've always found interesting about Moffat is the sort of - he has an archetype too, but it's with the dads. The dads are always the bumbling prats - thoughtful and loving but vaguely useless compared to the mums. Rory, Brian, the dad in the Library, etc. When he speaks about his own boys I get the impression those characters are written of a projection of how Moffat sees himself, haha.

If we're looking to the future, Brian was written (if not necessarily created) entirely by Chibnall, remember.
 
If we're looking to the future, Brian was written (if not necessarily created) entirely by Chibnall, remember.

Not created, but the way that stuff has always been passed down is that 'major' guest characters especially where related to companions are handed down whole cloth. Same for how Jack was introduced by Moffat but really Moffat was just singing from RTD's hymn sheet. I mean, you're right, of course, but the thing I'd be keen to point out is that Brian & the other Who dads are 100% in line with every dad Moffat's written elsewhere. Chibnall actually has some really different types of parent characters under his belt compared to RTD and Moffat, so I hope we see some really new stuff from him in that regard.

I do think Chibnall's era will return to the family focus RTD had though, if perhaps not quite as frequent/soap opera.
 
I watched Rose the day before The Pilot aired so it was hard to not compare them a little. There was one section that bugged me a bit. About five minutes in they're talking about Bill becoming a student.

BILL: I haven't even applied.
DOCTOR: We'll sort all that out later.
BILL: You kind of need to sort all that out earlier.
DOCTOR: Leave it with me. I'm assuming that that's a yes.
[Pause.]
BILL: Yes.
DOCTOR: I'll see you at 6pm every week day. I don't care who's dead, never ever be late. I'm very particular about time
[Bill turns away uncertainly then looks back.]
BILL: Oh, um.

At this point I'm thinking, right, she's going to ask about how this is going to work in terms of finances, particularly as she's supposed to be more of a working-class kind of character. But...

BILL: People just call you the Doctor. What do I call you?

I think it's a bit unrealistic in this era of £10k-a-year tuition fees that an actual person wouldn't address the issue of student financing, even in the context of a personal tutor arrangement. If they're talking about sorting things out with the uni then presumably she ends up on some actual course where she'll get an actual degree at the end. I feel like if RTD was still writing the show it's something he would have addressed rather than glossed over.
 
I watched Rose the day before The Pilot aired so it was hard to not compare them a little. There was one section that bugged me a bit. About five minutes in they're talking about Bill becoming a student.

BILL: I haven't even applied.
DOCTOR: We'll sort all that out later.
BILL: You kind of need to sort all that out earlier.
DOCTOR: Leave it with me. I'm assuming that that's a yes.
[Pause.]
BILL: Yes.
DOCTOR: I'll see you at 6pm every week day. I don't care who's dead, never ever be late. I'm very particular about time
[Bill turns away uncertainly then looks back.]
BILL: Oh, um.

At this point I'm thinking, right, she's going to ask about how this is going to work in terms of finances, particularly as she's supposed to be more of a working-class kind of character. But...

BILL: People just call you the Doctor. What do I call you?

I think it's a bit unrealistic in this era of £10k-a-year tuition fees that an actual person wouldn't address the issue of student financing, even in the context of a personal tutor arrangement. If they're talking about sorting things out with the uni then presumably she ends up on some actual course where she'll get an actual degree at the end. I feel like if RTD was still writing the show it's something he would have addressed rather than glossed over.
While watching it I got the distinct feeling the doctor would be paying for it
 

PaulloDEC

Member
So one of the panelists on Whovians (it's an Australian post-episode panel show that just weirdly came into existence this year) just pointed out that the photos of Bill's mum
were almost certainly planted, maybe even taken, by the Doctor.

Forgive me if this a thing that everybody but me instantly got. It fits kinda perfectly.
 

Lagamorph

Member
I'm not sure on Bill, but I'm not really hopeful either. I really dislike the
'is some kind of genius but also a complete fucking idiot'
thing she has going on.
 
So one of the panelists on Whovians (it's an Australian post-episode panel show that just weirdly came into existence this year) just pointed out that the photos of Bill's mum
were almost certainly planted, maybe even taken, by the Doctor.

Forgive me if this a thing that everybody but me instantly got. It fits kinda perfectly.
He was seen to be taking the photos via mirror reflection. It's not really a spoilerific thing at this stage.

Bill paid no fees because she wasn't at the university as a student. The doctor just took her on for free.
 

tomtom94

Member
So one of the panelists on Whovians (it's an Australian post-episode panel show that just weirdly came into existence this year) just pointed out that the photos of Bill's mum
were almost certainly planted, maybe even taken, by the Doctor.

Forgive me if this a thing that everybody but me instantly got. It fits kinda perfectly.
The Doctor is seen in a mirror with a camera in one of the photos. What I didn't get until a rewatch is that it's implied he planted them at Bill's flat as a Christmas present.
 

iMax

Member
I watched Rose the day before The Pilot aired so it was hard to not compare them a little. There was one section that bugged me a bit. About five minutes in they're talking about Bill becoming a student.

BILL: I haven't even applied.
DOCTOR: We'll sort all that out later.
BILL: You kind of need to sort all that out earlier.
DOCTOR: Leave it with me. I'm assuming that that's a yes.
[Pause.]
BILL: Yes.
DOCTOR: I'll see you at 6pm every week day. I don't care who's dead, never ever be late. I'm very particular about time
[Bill turns away uncertainly then looks back.]
BILL: Oh, um.

At this point I'm thinking, right, she's going to ask about how this is going to work in terms of finances, particularly as she's supposed to be more of a working-class kind of character. But...

BILL: People just call you the Doctor. What do I call you?

I think it's a bit unrealistic in this era of £10k-a-year tuition fees that an actual person wouldn't address the issue of student financing, even in the context of a personal tutor arrangement. If they're talking about sorting things out with the uni then presumably she ends up on some actual course where she'll get an actual degree at the end. I feel like if RTD was still writing the show it's something he would have addressed rather than glossed over.

The next episode is actually set on Student Finance England's exoplanet home.
 
I watched Rose the day before The Pilot aired so it was hard to not compare them a little. There was one section that bugged me a bit. About five minutes in they're talking about Bill becoming a student.

BILL: I haven't even applied.
DOCTOR: We'll sort all that out later.
BILL: You kind of need to sort all that out earlier.
DOCTOR: Leave it with me. I'm assuming that that's a yes.
[Pause.]
BILL: Yes.
DOCTOR: I'll see you at 6pm every week day. I don't care who's dead, never ever be late. I'm very particular about time
[Bill turns away uncertainly then looks back.]
BILL: Oh, um.

At this point I'm thinking, right, she's going to ask about how this is going to work in terms of finances, particularly as she's supposed to be more of a working-class kind of character. But...

BILL: People just call you the Doctor. What do I call you?

I think it's a bit unrealistic in this era of £10k-a-year tuition fees that an actual person wouldn't address the issue of student financing, even in the context of a personal tutor arrangement. If they're talking about sorting things out with the uni then presumably she ends up on some actual course where she'll get an actual degree at the end. I feel like if RTD was still writing the show it's something he would have addressed rather than glossed over.

Time Lord. I don't need a scene sorting out finances. I don't think RTD would put us through that either.
 
The Doctor is seen in a mirror with a camera in one of the photos. What I didn't get until a rewatch is that it's implied he planted them at Bill's flat as a Christmas present.

Yeah that was pretty lovely and another way for him to get Bill to ask more questions like how did the rug end up under your box?
 

PaulloDEC

Member
He was seen to be taking the photos via mirror reflection. It's not really a spoilerific thing at this stage.

The Doctor is seen in a mirror with a camera in one of the photos. What I didn't get until a rewatch is that it's implied he planted them at Bill's flat as a Christmas present.

Ohh that makes sense. Our digital catch-up service in Australia provides their content in glorious 360p (I'm not exaggerating for effect, it's literally that) so I couldn't make out who or what that was.
 

DeathyBoy

Banned
Time Lord. I don't need a scene sorting out finances. I don't think RTD would put us through that either.

Yep. They went the subtle route here with it being a 'you can connect the dots anyway you like, but it boils down to The Doctor sorting it out.' Whether that means he teaches her in his free time, or he's pulled some strings, or he's paying for it, it's all irrelevant because it's just a way to bypass the b) in the following.

a) Be my student.
b) ?
c) You're my student now.
 

twobear

sputum-flecked apoplexy
Pretty sure the Doctor turning up outside was a "much later" version of him, akin to 11 travelling back through his own timestream in The Pandorica Opens.

The lights were still on in his office, and when asked what changed his mind he said "Time... and relative dimension in space" — but the Time hung there just long enough.

Oh, I thought it was because the TARDIS is making noises at him and he says 'oh not you too...' (or similar). So when he goes outside and she asks what made him change his mind, he told her (it was the TARDIS).
 

munchie64

Member
I really enjoyed that. Probably my favourite series starter since The Eleventh Hour. Bill's off to a really good start too.
 

tomtom94

Member
The (new Doctor possible leak)
Kris Marshall
speculation is picking up steam - just about every newspaper is running with it now.

The major problem I have with the speculation is
he must have made the decision to leave Death in Paradise in mid-2016 - the fact he left the show on screen at the same time Capaldi announced he was leaving Who is a massive coincidence. I've still not seen an article that actually addresses this.

That said, assuming it's true
he came in to Death in Paradise when everyone was expecting it to die without Ben Miller and if anything I've heard some people say it's better now. I can't see him blowing people away but he'd be a solid choice.

And then there's the alternative theory I've seen going around Twitter which is
he's the Valeyard.
 
That said, assuming it's true
he came in to Death in Paradise when everyone was expecting it to die without Ben Miller and if anything I've heard some people say it's better now. I can't see him blowing people away but he'd be a solid choice.

Yep, a lot of people preferred it with him in fact. I liked both.
 

Bluth54

Member
The (new Doctor possible leak)
Kris Marshall
speculation is picking up steam - just about every newspaper is running with it now.

The major problem I have with the speculation is
he must have made the decision to leave Death in Paradise in mid-2016 - the fact he left the show on screen at the same time Capaldi announced he was leaving Who is a massive coincidence. I've still not seen an article that actually addresses this.

That said, assuming it's true
he came in to Death in Paradise when everyone was expecting it to die without Ben Miller and if anything I've heard some people say it's better now. I can't see him blowing people away but he'd be a solid choice.

And then there's the alternative theory I've seen going around Twitter which is
he's the Valeyard.

If the rumor is true I imagine we'll see a BBC announcement event soon.
 
I enjoyed the premier decent enough. Bill was OK but for some reason the way she dresses bugs me. Matt lucas reaction to the bigger on the inside line made me laugh

OT but Class wasn't as terrible as it looked. The only character I liked was the bitchy teacher/guardian but the show doesn't seem like it will be overall good
 

ag-my001

Member
Any speculation on the lingering shots of Susan's photo? I thought maybe the actress had passed away, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Moffat finally going back for something he passed over in the fiftieth anniversary?
 

hank_tree

Member
The "you have to use Daleks every year" thing was definitely a thing back in the RTD era stipulated by Nation's estate (never forget, the new series nearly never had Daleks at all as the Nation estate were enormously aggressive negotiating the rights) but we've never really heard from Moffat if it's still a thing. The series 6 cameo has always made me think that it's the case though.

Again,this is complete horseshit.

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-daleks-are-not-a-contractual-obligation-68881.htm
 

RTD talks about the 'every year' thing in The Writers Tale - specifically about feeling smug about finding a way to slot a Dalek into the Tennant specials year without actually having them appear in a traditional role (the one that appears very briefly in The Waters of Mars). He's also said on a few occasions things like that if it were entirely up to him/that simple he'd have skipped them in Series 3 to properly focus on the Master, etc.

So this might've changed. But it definitely existed, from the horses' mouth. I'm not sure why the Nation Estate's position would weaken when their property is now more popular than ever. The relationship definitely changed, though; in the early years of the reboot they demanded hands on scripts and all that for anything Dalek - it seems like they've cooled their jets on all that now.

Mind you, in that interview what I see is not Moffat definitively saying a contractual obligation doesn't exist; I see what could easily be construed either way and what might be a very cleverly phrased answer to obfuscate giving an answer that could aggravate the Nation estate. Specifically:

"You certainly don't wheel the Daleks out because you've got a contractual obligation to provide Dalek. I think Doctor Who is great when there are Daleks in it [and] I don't think you should go too long without Daleks."

He's not saying there is no contractual obligation (which as we definitively know there was under his predecessor), he's saying he'd put them in either way because what is Doctor Who without them? Which is fair enough.
 
The (new Doctor possible leak)
Kris Marshall
speculation is picking up steam - just about every newspaper is running with it now.

And then there's the alternative theory I've seen going around Twitter which is
he's the Valeyard.

I would hope the latter spoiler is true in that case.

Boring choice if true.
Not female. Not minority. Not even hot. Bland blandy mcblanderson.
 

Kinsei

Banned
That was a pretty good episode but I'm not sure how I feel about Bill yet. She's well versed in sci-fi stuff yet falls for some Ring shit? Yeah, that's totally believable.
 

Tizoc

Member
Ep. was OK, but why does the Doctor always assume the creatures want them dead? Come on bruh.

Looking forward to
OrIgInAl CYbeRmeN and Mr. Saxton
 

Shiggy

Member
When Bill gets all the photos, she sees the doctor taking the photo in a mirror or something. Why didn't she ask him about it?


I would hope the latter spoiler is true in that case.

Boring choice if true.
Not female. Not minority. Not even hot. Bland blandy mcblanderson.

I wouldn't dismiss an actor just because said actor is neither female nor a minority. You make it sound as if simply having a minority or female doctor would automatically make it a better choice.
 
I can see why the perception of him is a bit weak as
he played a bland everyman in the BT ads for years and it's probably the most ubiquitously consumed piece of work he's done, as well as being well remembered as it was repetitively broadcast to drum in the advertising message.
 
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