Doctor Who (1 Viewer)

[NeilO]

That was quite a wild 3rd special.
Here is the Behind the Scenes video, which I have not yet watched.

Spoiler: BTS video

I put it in spoilers as there is a casting surprise that is shown.
Folks who enjoy Big Finish will be happy that RTD appears to have left loads of space for future audio adventures.

 

[Garysb]

Don't watch until you have seen the 3rd special.

Spoiler: Spoiler Scene

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The title of that video is a pretty big spoiler for classic "Who" fans, especially circa the William Hartnell era.

But given that Disney+ put the character's name in the description of the special, unavoidable...

That was quite a wild 3rd special.

Indeed it was! And appropriately enough felt like the climax of the trilogy. It's a shame that Bernard Cribbins wasn't able to film his scenes for this special; but given how close to death he was when he filmed his scene for the second special, I'm grateful that we got what we got. You can see where they used a body double to write him out.

Neil Patrick Harris played the Emcee in the 2003 Broadway revival of Cabaret, and there was a lot of the Emcee in his iteration of the Toymaker. One thing I'm really enjoying about RTD being back is that despite all of the camp and flamboyance there's quite a bit of creepiness that was rarely present in the Chibnall era. That doll family was particularly creepy.

Folks who enjoy Big Finish will be happy that RTD appears to have left loads of space for future audio adventures.

Yes, but not just that:

Spoiler

The Fourteenth Doctor will be available to bring back for special multi-Doctor occasions. One of the conceits whenever they happened in the past was that the audience had to ignore the fact that the actor playing the prior iteration of the Doctor had aged since leaving the show. Now, whenever they bring David Tennant back, he doesn't have to pretend to be years or decades younger. He's just been off doing his own thing, on Big Finish or elsewhere.

I like the idea that he maybe regenerates into Tom Baker's Archivist from the 50th Anniversary Special someday...

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

BBC promo for the Christmas Special:

 

[Sidney Prescott]

I have SO many thoughts. Spoilers galore about certain developments in Wild Blue Yonder/The Giggle, as well as certain tidbits mentioned by the showrunner in interviews about the present and future of the show.

Spoiler

I've known about the bi-generation twist for a couple months now, which means I've been able to sit with it for that time, and I must say I'm very pleased with how it all worked out.

If I'm interpreting everything correctly...

Fourteen's worry that invoking a superstition at the end of Wild Blue Yonder was indeed valid, because by doing so, he accidentally made it so that myths of all types can become real. He essentially rewrote so many laws of the universe with that move. We can no longer say, "That's ridiculous and impossible when a bizarre plot development happens, because Fourteen accidentally made the ridiculous and the impossible the new status quo. For instance, at the end of the third special, Kate tells a UNIT employee to encase the Toymaker's box in salt. Also, Fifteen tells Shirley and Kate that bi-generation is a myth that shouldn't actually exist, yet "look at me!" What a massive, massive game changer, that will have countless rippling effects moving forward.

And while half the fandom seems to believe Fourteen will eventually regenerate into Fifteen proper, particularly due to Fifteen's line about rehabbing "out of order," I don't see it that way at all.

The way I see it, Fourteen will stay Fourteen. Fifteen's birth happened during the bi-generation and will not be repeated. He wasn't plucked from a future where Fourteen "dies" and fully regenerates, what we saw was his precise entrance into the world.

RTD has stated in an interview that when Fourteen and Fifteen bi-generated, it's possible that all previous Doctor's did the same. In that case, I take Fifteen's "out of order" comment to suggest that all previous Doctor's, including Fourteen, have had or will have the opportunity to work through their respective traumas, now that they all bi-regenerated and get to continue their respective lives, and Fifteen gets to experience the fruits of all that labor instantaneously when he entered the world because he was born from them and is still technically them. This is why he seems happy and sure of himself in a way no other Doctor has, because he's an incarnation no longer plagued by the pain and trauma. (That said, this will obviously change, when RTD throws new trauma at Fifteen's blank canvas.)

If RTD carries on with this idea in the next season, or throughout Ncuti's entire arc as Fifteen, I won't be surprised if he makes it so that all bi-generated Doctors lose the ability to regenerate and can now grow old with their respective faces, just like a human would, essentially making them completely mortal. Only the latest incarnation of the Doctor will still have the ability to regenerate when they "die" (or bi-generate, if this is a development that sticks beyond Ncuti's tenure).

If the rumors are true that McGann will be getting his own spinoff, then I suspect it will be the Eighth Doctor after he's bi-generated.

I also suspect the reason "the Curator" from the 50th anniversary has the Fourth Doctor's face... is because he IS the Fourth Doctor, who bi-generated, grew old, and decided to go by another name.

RTD has spoken constantly about a "Whoniverse" coming our way, so I'm expecting spinoffs and returning characters galore within and outside the main show. He's already confirmed that we'll see Rose (not Tyler, but Temple-Noble) again.

I just... if I'm correctly interpreting the developments and RTD's words pertaining it, then there is just so much to take in, that it threatens to make my head spin a little. But I'm all for it. I love when my sci-fi pulls the rug out from under me like this. And if all previous Doctor's are indeed confirmed to have bi-generated within the canon and got/get to overcome their respective traumas and live out happy lives where they don't have to constantly run and fight, then I think that's a beautiful and kind tribute to both Classic and New Who.

At the end of the day, this is me connecting pieces that may or may not eventually fit together to form the picture I'm anticipating, so I hope people refrain from jumping on me. I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to pass everything I've just said as fact. It's just how I've interpreted what's been provided in and outside of the show, thus far.

I'm along for the ride, whatever it may be, and Ncuti was incredible. I think he's going to leave a very impressive mark, one that will be talked about for decades to come.

 

[Garysb]

Another teaser for the Christmas episode, The Church On Ruby Road

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Just watched all 3 last night. I got a huge laugh out of the Star Beast when it actually showed up, someone on the writing team is obviously a huge fan of the old Disney Animated kids show Phineas and Ferb.



There's even more striking similarities in how plot pans out in the episode beyond that clip.

 

[NeilO]

Just watched all 3 last night. I got a huge laugh out of the Star Beast when it actually showed up, someone on the writing team is obviously a huge fan of the old Disney Animated kids show Phineas and Ferb.



There's even more striking similarities in how plot pans out in the episode beyond that clip.

It is more likely that the writers of Phineas and Ferb were fans of the original 4th Doctor comic which introduced the plotline in 1980. https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Doctor_Who_and_the_Star_Beast_(comic_story)

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I don't think I realized how many Big Finish audio productions John Hurt recorded as the War Doctor before his passing; four multi-part serials.

 

[NeilO]

I don't think I realized how many Big Finish audio productions John Hurt recorded as the War Doctor before his passing; four multi-part serials.

And they are very good. He was recording practically right up until he passed away.

And they are on sale through 23:59 UK Time on Dec 17. [Both John Hurt's and the Jonathan Carley War Doctor Begins series]

Search Results - All Items - Big Finish

Award-winning, full-cast original audio dramas from the worlds of Doctor Who, Torchwood, Blake's 7, Class, Dark Shadows, The Avengers, Survivors, The Omega Factor, Star Cops, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray, Pathfinder Legends, The Prisoner, Adam Adamant Lives, Space 1999, Timeslip, Terrahawks...

www.bigfinish.com

 

[NeilO]

The Christmas special is definitely a nice starting point with only one small gag carried over from the "Wild Blue Yonder" special. I don't think any prior knowledge of Doctor Who is required for enjoying this special and possibly that is how they will treat most of the upcoming season. There is a reference to what is learned in "The Timeless Children" but that is really just an easter egg.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The Christmas special is definitely a nice starting point with only one small gag carried over from the "Wild Blue Yonder" special.

I'm already really enjoying this pairing. The Fifteenth Doctor already feels very much like the Doctor, but without the baggage of Fourteen and prior, he feels younger, more like the space tourist of the classic series. He's warm and admiring of humanity at its best, but sometimes his curiosity can distract him from the stakes.

Millie Gibson was born six days before I graduated high school, which makes me feel very old, but she was a delight and her adoptive family was delightful. Lots of British soap talent: Gibson was on "Coronation Street", while Angela Wynter (Cherry Sunday) and Anita Dobson (her neighbor Mrs. Flood) are both "EastEnders" vets.

I don't think any prior knowledge of Doctor Who is required for enjoying this special and possibly that is how they will treat most of the upcoming season. There is a reference to what is learned in "The Timeless Children" but that is really just an easter egg.

I was actually surprised with how much RTD is using the Timeless Child revelations as a story engine in this episode, with the parallels between the Doctor and Ruby. And much like the Doctor's mysterious origins are much more than one might expect, I suspect the same is true of Ruby's.

My first knee-jerk theory:

Spoiler: Speculation

The woman under the hood is Jenny, the Doctor's cloned daughter, which would make Ruby his granddaughter. There would be a nice parallel to the First Doctor with that.

 

[jayembee]

I was ambivalent about this special. I like the cast/characters, but the story didn't do too much for me. The goblin sky ship bits reminded my wife and I of Stardust, and we were half expecting the Can-Can to come into play at some point.

My guess for the identity of Ruby's mother is

Spoiler

Mrs. Flood. And that was before the reveal at the end that tells us that she's familiar with the TARDIS and The Doctor.

I do like your guess, though, Adam.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The BBC's teaser trailer for the upcoming season:


Behind the scenes on the Christmas special:

 

[Lord Dalek]

Coming up next... Season 15/Tom Baker Season 4 (one of the lesser regarded years).

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Definitely the coolest trailer for a disc release I've seen in quite some time.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Coming up next... Season 15/Tom Baker Season 4 (one of the lesser regarded years).

Definitely the coolest trailer for a disc release I've seen in quite some time.

I've never (really) seen the series before/outside the current revival run (and hadn't really much desire to), but that trailer definitely does intrigue me even if it's a "lesser regarded year" for Tom Baker's run of the show...

Are any of his other seasons already on BD in (similarly?) good quality? Also, do they pack a good number of episodes into each disc (to minimize disc swapping when binging, etc)? I'm tempted to just defer to streaming instead (as I've ended up doing for the most part w/ the current revival run), but would consider BDs as well...

_Man_

 

[Lord Dalek]

As of right now, the only Tom seasons not on blu are seasons 13, 15 (which is reportedly dropping in the US in June), and 16. The quality is generally as good as can be expected for material that is upscaled from Standard Def PAL sources although some serials look notably worse than others (Talons of Weng-Chiang is as just a blurry smeary mess as it was on DVD).

As for swapping, its one serial per disc because of all the extras they've packed in.

FTR here's what is out so far (US titles in perentheses)...

Season 2 (William Hartnell Season 2)
Season 8 (Jon Pertwee Season 2)
Season 9 (Jon Pertwee Season 3)
Season 10 (Jon Pertwee Season 4)
Season 12 (Tom Baker Season 1)
Season 14 (Tom Baker Season 3)
Sesson 17 (Tom Baker Season 6)
Season 18 (Tom Baker Season 7)
Season 19 (Peter Davison Season 1)
Season 20 (Peter Davison Season 2, COMING IN MARCH)
Season 22 (Colin Baker Season 1)
Season 23 (Colin Baker Season 2)
Season 24 (Sylvester McCoy Season 1)
Season 26 (Sylvester McCoy Season 3)

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The Mirror is reporting that Millie Gibson is departing the show three episodes into the second season of the Fifteenth Doctor's run, with "Andor" actress Varada Seethu taking over as the new companion. It's a tabloid, so take it with a grain of salt.

Meanwhile, the Radio Times has a photoshoot with Tom Baker dressed up as the Fourth Doctor to celebrate his 90th birthday:

 

[NeilO]

The Mirror is reporting that Millie Gibson is departing the show three episodes into the second season of the Fifteenth Doctor's run, with "Andor" actress Varada Seethu taking over as the new companion. It's a tabloid, so take it with a grain of salt.

There was a subsequent Radio Times article which says that Millie Gibson will go from starring to recurring at that point in the second season. I presume that some second season filming with Varada Seethu was in public view.