Doctor Who

[AlphaRuby]

Father Ted would be amazing.

[Boomer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uWFeUF9Jew

I still get goosebumps every time I watch this, the last 15 minutes are probably my favourite part of all of New Who. Watching it at the Celebration was unreal.

It was honestly the highlight of the year for me.

[Patticus]

Rumors regarding the next season's content (each episode's plot) have surfaced, from the person whose first episode plot rumour turned out to be 100% correct. This is the first episode synopsis in question:
 

8.1 'The Twelfth Keeper'

The Doctor Battles the clockwork droids in Victorian England whilst also uncovering the truth behind 'Jack the Ripper'. Whilst Clara meets a very familiar face. The familiar face (voice) being the

11th Doctor.

 
The rest are below. A lot is still unknown here, so half of the episodes are still 'TBA' or 'Unknown', but what's known is all sounding very exciting.
 

8.2 'Across the Stars'

On a scientific way station in the year 3056 Clara and the Doctor uncover a DNA experiment that's about to go very wrong.

8.3 (Unknown)

8.4 'TBA'

Said to revolve around the assassination of JFK

8.5 'The Cult of Ra'

An Egyptian set episode

8.6 (Unknown)

8.7 (Unknown)

8.8 (Unknown)

8.9 'TBA'

Said to be set on a forest world. Maybe the River song episode

8.10 'The Ghosts of Pompeii'

The Doctor and Clara travel to Pompeii to try and solve the mystery of his latest incarnation. The episode sees the return of the Pyrovile and fan favourite who appears in a cameo.

8.11 'TBA'

The Doctors quest to find Gallifrey is over.
 
8.12 'Master and Commander (rumoured)'

The return of the Master and consequently the Time lords. Its believed the Master is now the president and will be played by esteemed british actor Charles Dance.

 
The series finale casting rumour, and indeed the episode 10 implications, if true...

[Biggs]

Rumors regarding the next season's content (each episode's plot) have surfaced, from the person whose first episode plot rumour turned out to be 100% correct. This is the first episode synopsis in question:

 

8.1 'The Twelfth Keeper'

The Doctor Battles the clockwork droids in Victorian England whilst also uncovering the truth behind 'Jack the Ripper'. Whilst Clara meets a very familiar face. The familiar face (voice) being the

11th Doctor.

 

The rest are below. A lot is still unknown here, so half of the episodes are still 'TBA' or 'Unknown', but what's known is all sounding very exciting.

 

8.2 'Across the Stars'

On a scientific way station in the year 3056 Clara and the Doctor uncover a DNA experiment that's about to go very wrong.

8.3 (Unknown)

8.4 'TBA'

Said to revolve around the assassination of JFK

8.5 'The Cult of Ra'

An Egyptian set episode

8.6 (Unknown)

8.7 (Unknown)

8.8 (Unknown)

8.9 'TBA'

Said to be set on a forest world. Maybe the River song episode

8.10 'The Ghosts of Pompeii'

The Doctor and Clara travel to Pompeii to try and solve the mystery of his latest incarnation. The episode sees the return of the Pyrovile and fan favourite who appears in a cameo.

8.11 'TBA'

The Doctors quest to find Gallifrey is over.

 

8.12 'Master and Commander (rumoured)'

The return of the Master and consequently the Time lords. Its believed the Master is now the president and will be played by esteemed british actor Charles Dance.

 

The series finale casting rumour, and indeed the episode 10 implications, if true...

 

...I just spazzed out in my chair out of excitement.

 

Well not really but that sounds AWESOME!

 

8.1: Sounds like a fantastic way to introduce the new Doctor. Love how this is going to intertwine with something as historical as Jack the Ripper as well.

 

8.2: Obviously a wild stab in the dark here but I feel this may be in the same vein of the Lazarus Experiment with a mutation of some sort and a sort of 'chase' story where they have to constantly get away from the monster.

 

8.4: JFK?!!! Wow. I really like how the two past stories so far are set around established events.

 

8.5: I don't think I've ever seen a DW episode revolved around Ancient Egypt so I'm happy with this.

 

8.9: Nothing surprising, nice to see River back I guess.

 

8.10: Now THAT is cool. Great to see they're going to do something like this. And 'fan favourite'?

 

...David Tennant?

 

Nice. Although... we did kinda see him in the 50th. Still, sweet.

 

8.11: So they're clearing the Gallifrey plot thread up in one series? Hmm. Interesting.

 

8.12: I got hyped when I saw 'the Master' alone XD

 

Hmm... 12 episodes. I'm alright with that. Hopefully this means more effort, time and a tad more budget per episode.

Obviously not all of these are legit but this sounds exceptionally cool. I'm satisfied.

[Patticus]

8.2: Obviously a wild stab in the dark here but I feel this may be in the same vein of the Lazarus Experiment with a mutation of some sort and a sort of 'chase' story where they have to constantly get away from the monster.

 

The Lazarus Experiment was one of the worst New Who episodes by a considerable margin. If this is like that, I hope Moffat's golden touch can make it not shit.

[Gabz Girl]

OMG if that last rumour is true then I'm totally sold! Also loving the sound of

the first episode with Jack the Ripper and returning to Pompeii. Does this mean we'll see the character who Capaldi played in that episode too? The only thing that disappoints me a bit is the possible return of River. God I hate that smug bitch...*holds flame shield*

All in all I can already tell this series is going to be bloody brilliant! Hopefully it will also be aired fully with no random breaks like the previous series which really annoyed me. If a mediocre show like Atlantis can air complete why not the highly praised Doctor Who??

[Patticus]

[...] and returning to Pompeii. Does this mean we'll see the character who Capaldi played in that episode too? The only thing that disappoints me a bit is the possible return of River. God I hate that smug bitch...*holds flame shield*

 

If it's true, and since the first synopsis this guy rumoured has since turned out to be real, I'm inclined to err on the side of 'yes, it may be'... they appear to be cleaning up Capaldi's plot holey presence in Pompeii, just as Freema Agyeman's presence in a prior episode had to be explained away when she became one of Tennant's Doctor's companions. I don't think they'll bother with trying to clear up Capaldi's presence in Torchwood, however. The series of that which he played in was amazing, but trying to reconcile that would be a nightmare.

Also River is amazing. I hope we get to see her at least once each season for a few more years yet.

[Killtank]

Okay, I know that it may be a tad too early to say which one I prefer overall, but I prefer Steven Moffat over Davies as head writer and executive producer. That isn't to say that I don't like Russell T. Davies or his time as head writer, but I think I prefer Moffat even if I've just finished "Asylum of the Daleks". Truth be told, I like Moffat as a writer. Sure, he has his faults, but I like what he's done with series. I prefer the tone of Doctor Who from Series Five onward compared to the first three series. I don't include Series Four in that comparison because Series Four, in my mind, is more like the latter series regarding tone. I don't say any of this to simply be a contrarian, but I've seen plenty of disdain for Moffat within the fandom. I'm not saying that people who disagree with him are wrong, but I don't know why has gotten so much flak. Perhaps this will become more apparent to me once I finish Series Seven? I don't want anyone to spoil key plot points for me, but why exactly do a lot people dislike Steven Moffat? 

[Willsy]

OMG. The Master is coming back?

Oh fuckitty yes!

[Salamander]

I'd advise a word of caution regarding that spoiler list, and particularly the suggestion that its predictions for Episode 1 are already 100% confirmed.  I think there's some stuff they're almost certainly right about, but is it just coincidence?

 

While Episode 1 is confirmed to be historical, the presence of Jack the Ripper hasn't been confirmed by anything on-set.  A certain newspaper widely considered to get most of its stories off the Internet reported the Jack the Ripper angle, but I don't believe any of the set reporters picked that up.  The familiar "face" originally cited suddenly being reinvented as only a familiar "voice" is particularly fishy - sounds to me like the writer was originally trying to hint at an early Master cameo to fit in with their grand plan for the series.

 

In addition, there is a potential - though not irresolveable - problem with the use of Jack the Ripper, which is that Madame Vastra ate him prior to A Good Man Goes To War, but Episode 1 is set at least partly afterwards owing to the presence of Strax.  Not irresolveable, as I said - Vastra got the real Ripper, this is a mysterious alien with a similar modus operandi - but I'm a little suspicious.

 

I'm pretty sure it's been rumoured or speculated for quite some time before filming began that Vastra, Jenny and Strax would be back in Episode 1, so that's quite possibly just a lucky guess - and nothing else is confirmed yet.  Charles Dance as the Master likewise could be piggybacking on a previous rumour.  So while it's possible for this episode list to be accurate, it's equally possible for it to be a piece of mildly clever guesswork.  I'm reserving judgement until we get confirmation of some of its more foresighted ideas.  That cult of Ra or JFK business would be more solid.

 

Incidentally, as for why Doctor Who can't manage the same number of episodes per year as Atlantis - strictly speaking this series still will run to thirteen episodes, it's just that one of them will be a Christmas special.  Atlantis also has the advantage of filming in the same locations every week and using many of the same established recurring cast members, whereas Doctor Who has to restart nearly everything from scratch every week, so it's a lot more work.

 

Oh, and regarding Capaldi's previous appearances in the Whoniverse...

 

RTD's actually on record stating that John Frobisher in Torchwood is a descendant of and parallel to Caecilius in The Fires Of Pompeii, and that his murder of his family in Torchwood is a sort of universal rebalancing from his history-challenging saving of his family in Pompeii.  This idea also fits right into Capaldi being the Doctor now - he cheated fate and time to rescue Gallifrey, so in a sense he's subject to the same curse.

[Doctor MK]

I'm going to take those "leaked" synopses with a pinch of salt for the time being, but I really hope some of it is true.

 

A glorious comeback for The Master would be positively excellent (even if I was hoping the search for Gallifrey might take a bit longer than one series), and a return trip to Pompeii to tackle the Capaldi paradox would definitely be intriguing. My only worry with that one though is... aside from the whole Vesuvius disaster, what else is there The Doctor could really get up to in Pompeii? Especially if he's to interfere with the Pyroviles again... he either gets there before The Tenth Doctor, or he turns up post-eruption... in which case the entire place will be buried in lava and ash. Hmm. Still, consider me interested if true!

[Kevin]

All in all I can already tell this series is going to be bloody brilliant! Hopefully it will also be aired fully with no random breaks like the previous series which really annoyed me. If a mediocre show like Atlantis can air complete why not the highly praised Doctor Who??

Yes! The whole "stopping the middle for a break" really annoyed me! I'll be really happy if they air the next series in full this time.

[Doctor MK]

Ben Wheatley (director of Episodes 1 and 2) says Series 8 feels "more like Classic Who"

 

Ben Wheatley, who is directing the opening two episodes of Doctor Who's new series, has revealed that the show will be returning to the style of the "classic" era.

The Sightseers director told io9: "Oh yeah, Doctor Who is pretty dark, I think. Generally it's dark, it's always been dark. Even in the more modern ones. If you look at the Tom Baker stuff, it's especially dark. When he leaves Leela — who's a very beloved assistant — he just laughs after it. There's none of the [breaking down and crying]. He just laughs, and "on to the next one," you know. It's a bonkers show. It's a monster."

Hinting at the tone of Series 8, he teased: "To have a unity that runs eight years [of the new series]… it's pretty crazy. They've done everything, they've tried all sorts of stuff. It seems to me the episodes that we're doing now seem more like classic Who. We're going back to that style. But you'll have to wait and see."

 

Moffat: "Let's give Clara a situation she can't control"

 

Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat has discussed "the dangers we had with Clara" in Series 7 and what's coming up for her character with Peter Capaldi's Doctor.

Speaking to Doctor Who Magazine in an interview in the latest issue, Moffat commented: "When I looked back on her [in Series 7], I thought she was much more fun when she was the governess trying to be the barmaid [in 'The Snowmen'], because she was trying to cope with a situation that looks insane, and get away with it. But once she had the Doctor on a leash, as she did with the Matt Smith Doctor, she just seemed so totally in control and so sort of perfect and sweet that you really wanted to mess her around a bit and say, now let’s give her a situation that she can’t control."

He explained: "There’s a sort of control freak element to that character. She’s got a Doctor who’s got a not very well concealed crush on her, and she’s got it under control she’s got her little household under control, it’s all absolutely fine. So she’s quite sort of bright and shiny and lovely and it’s all going well for her."

 

Hinting at what fans should expect for Clara in Series 8, the writer teased: "Now we’re going to give her a Doctor who’s not like that at all, who’s a much older, fiercer, madder, less reliable Doctor, who leads her a merry dance. And she’s trying to keep him secret and she’s now working in a school…"

[Debug Ring]

So, replying to something related to 8:1 here

So, with the 'familiar voice' thing, with 11 ringing Clara on the phone. I watched The Time Of The Doctor last night, and if you remember, just after the tower scene where old 11 destroys the Dalek ship, Clara returns to the TARDIS and, here's the bit I like, she puts the phone back on the hook. Why would the phone be off the hook? Maybe it was just used a moment before. It's never talked about in the episode, but until the episode airs, or there is some de-confirmation, I'm going to say that's the reason why... If that isn't the case, I wonder who he WAS calling...

[Debug Ring]

Spoiler warnings: Returning monster and character:

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/series-8-a-returning-character-monster-60815.htm

It's basically saying, someone's been listed as 'Restaurant Droid', on their website, which is likely meaning 'Clockwork Droid' from The Girl in the Fireplace. And also, a character from The Snowmen prequel, Vastra Investigates, has been spotted on set. Check the link for more details on both.

So clockwork droids are back? Interesting choice. Not sure if I wanted them back, as while they were good, they were especially good for that story, which I think was a very good one. What will they be looking for now? More parts? Or are they up to something else?

[Salamander]

The rumour I heard suggests that they're back by the following means:

 

They crew a sister ship to the original Madame De Pompadour, possibly one which crashes in the Thames.

 

My thoughts:

 

Using the Weeping Angels again, fair enough, but I don't know why Moffat feels the need to bring back this particular one of his creations.  They were just fancy robots.  Maybe they still had the props lying around and thought they might as well make use of them.

[Badnik Mechanic]

So remember that Star Trek Doctor Who Crossover comic? 

 

Well they're releasing a limited edition of it and the artist has done a bunch of one off cross over images, no stories to go with them, just for added extra in the new book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a Jelly Baby.

 

More here.

 

http://www.thetrekcollective.com/2013/06/universes-collide-in-so-many-trek.html

 

and here...

 

http://www.thetrekcollective.com/2013/06/more-jk-woodward-star-trekdoctor-who.html

[Debug Ring]

So remember that Star Trek Doctor Who Crossover comic? 

 

Well they're releasing a limited edition of it and the artist has done a bunch of one off cross over images, no stories to go with them, just for added extra in the new book.

 

Ooh, definitely have to try and pick this up, love that comic and the art too. Going to have to look out for it.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Oh wow, just found this one.

 

 

Theres two hardbacks, the one which is out already only includes one crossover image... but it's a good one it's of a Klingon and Straxx the Sontaran.

 

However it's cover artwork is bad ass.

[Brad]

Looks like we've got a new recurring character for Season 8 - Danny Pink, played by Samuel Anderson. He works alongside Clara at Coal Hill School.

 

 

More here.

[Doctor MK]

Ah, so Jenna is to be reunited with one of her former Emmerdale co-stars! That's a neat little touch. I really really hope this doesn't turn into another Doctor/Amy/Rory trio though. I'm happy for Danny Pink to travel on board the TARDIS to spice things up (please let Capaldi make some "Mr Pink" jokes) but I don't want another long drawn out romance. We've already had that thanks, Moffat. Let's just keep it as a colleague or a friend, someone who accidentally stumbles upon the world Clara visits and gets sucked along for the ride. Don't get me wrong, Clara's a lovely character and it'd be nice to see her hook up with someone eventually, but we need to see her character flesh out a bit more on her own before she gets stuck in a relationship and all her development revolves around that instead.

 

Some people have observed how this could be very much a throwback to the classic series though - an older Doctor travelling around with two teachers from Coal Hill School? Sounds very Ian and Barbara with The First Doctor to me...!

[Debug Ring]

I'm rather glad we're getting another character, it may give Clara some much needed development, having another person around. Though yeah, hoping it's nothing romantic. Don't really need to go down that route again, do we? Looking forward to seeing what the character is like, though. Looking forward to seeing if Clara is getting some development too, because, while she is a lovely character, she hasn't got a lot to her name now that the Impossible Girl story is done.

[Salamander]

While it's unlikely, I actually hope he never sets foot in the TARDIS.  He's just a character at Clara's school who gets increasingly suspicious by all her sudden disappearances, some of the weirdos who come enquiring for her, and starts to wonder if she's mixed up in something shady.  So there'd be more of a "sticking his nose in too far" sort of thread to his storyline; he doesn't get invited into the TARDIS or anything, he maybe just sneaks in while following Clara or the Doctor.  Something like that.  A new take on Adam from the 2005 series, perhaps.

[Brad]

I think he'll almost certainly get one go in the TARDIS. I'm guessing Moffat will wait for the character's reception before deciding to make him more permanent or not, but I have a feeling he's going to be Capaldi's Rory.

[Doctor MK]

Peter Capaldi surprises guests at BBC Worldwide Showcase Event

 

Includes a couple of new pics of Capaldi in costume.