Doctor Who

[Jeffhog]

Suddenly, this...

 

 

...makes a whole lot of freaking sense.

[SuperLink]

Suddenly, this...

 

 

...makes a whole lot of freaking sense.

..Oh shit.

 

I've been wondering about that for a long time. If that was what they intended to foreshadow, that's some absolutely amazing foreshadowing.

[PeanutButterDimond]

So my thoughts are basically like "Awesome episode, cool as hell reveal why must I have to wait."

Completely agree that 9 is the Time War Doctor. He probably is the one who killed the daleks and time lords which is whar "in the name of peace and sanity" and "but not in the name of the Doctor probably refer to. I wonder if 8 ever even got to the Time War.

Suddenly, this...

...makes a whole lot of freaking sense.

I completely forgot about that. "who else"... Steven Moffat you frraking genius.

Edited May 20, 2013 by PeanutButterDimond

[Celestia]

Not only that, but I believe the TARDIS' cloister bell was ringing when the Doctor was looking into that room. 

Chances are, whatever Ten, Eleven, and Hurt are teaming up for, it must be serious, and chances are we'll be hearing that bell ringing when shit gets real.

Edited May 20, 2013 by elementofchaos

[Salamander]

Some random thoughts on Hurt and the series;

 

I think Hurt being "The Doctor who ended the timewar" has some truth and good reason to it, and I'm very excited at the prospect of filling in that blank spot in series history.

 

Part of why I'm excited is because we still know so little about how 8 regenerated, or how 9 came into being. Until now.. most people probably assumed 8 simply became 9 after ending the time war, but now.. what if all this time, the main reason we never saw 8 regenerate into 9 or find out how it happened is because they were planning something like this all along? It's quite exciting to think about, and it seems to work so well with the mysteries surrounding 8 and 9.

 

One thing that makes me sad, is that due to Eccleston's dislike for the series we'll probably never get a scene in which the previous Doctor becomes Eccleston, and we'll probably never get an 8 regeneration scene either (regardless of who he turns into)

 

But still, hopefully the future of the series is still big. It'd be a real shame if they had to end it again, and I do worry sometimes considering we've gone from mainseries + confidential + sarah jane + torchwood all in the same year to just having half a series and nothing else per year.. it makes me worry that it's just not making much money :/ I do miss the spinoffs sometimes, but I'd rather the series continue at all.

 

To be fair on the subject of the spin-offs, their disappearance wasn't really caused by declining interest in the series.  Confidential was cancelled because of budget cuts.  SJA ended because Elisabeth Sladen died.  Torchwood ended (or rather, is indefinitely suspended) because RTD's mainly busy taking care of his ill partner and because Miracle Day wasn't very well-written (as opposed to people just not being very bothered by Torchwood any more).  Basically, the series had a run of bad luck, and the divided state of recent series is also to a certain extent luck-based - nobody knows for certain what's going on, but it seems the slower pace is down to Moffat being really busy and possibly budget overspend on S5 and S6, and anyone who's read RTD's The Writer's Tale knows that being the DW showrunner is a nightmare of overwork.  So I kind of don't think what's happening with DW at the moment is really the show's fault, there's just been this constellation of accident surrounding it in the past few years.  If the spin-offs had been able to continue as they were at their best, I'm sure they'd continue to get a high audience share and high interest - and DW itself still does continue to get high audience shares and high interest despite its scheduling weirdness.  Time and money, though, they're a problem... but by all accounts DW pulls in way more money than it costs to make, and nobody who knows what they're talking about seems to think it's going anywhere soon.  I'm personally quite hopeful that we'll get a full thirteen-episode run again in 2014, although probably not 'til later in the year.

 

Oh, but as far as the Eighth Doctor and his regeneration are concerned...

 

There are persistent rumours that McGann's secretly recorded one or more 50th anniversary minisodes/prequels covering his regeneration...

 

Take it with a pinch of salt, but now more than ever would be the time.

[SuperLink]

To be fair on the subject of the spin-offs, their disappearance wasn't really caused by declining interest in the series.  Confidential was cancelled because of budget cuts.  SJA ended because Elisabeth Sladen died.  Torchwood ended (or rather, is indefinitely suspended) because RTD's mainly busy taking care of his ill partner and because Miracle Day wasn't very well-written (as opposed to people just not being very bothered by Torchwood any more).  Basically, the series had a run of bad luck, and the divided state of recent series is also to a certain extent luck-based - nobody knows for certain what's going on, but it seems the slower pace is down to Moffat being really busy and possibly budget overspend on S5 and S6, and anyone who's read RTD's The Writer's Tale knows that being the DW showrunner is a nightmare of overwork.  So I kind of don't think what's happening with DW at the moment is really the show's fault, there's just been this constellation of accident surrounding it in the past few years.  If the spin-offs had been able to continue as they were at their best, I'm sure they'd continue to get a high audience share and high interest - and DW itself still does continue to get high audience shares and high interest despite its scheduling weirdness.  Time and money, though, they're a problem... but by all accounts DW pulls in way more money than it costs to make, and nobody who knows what they're talking about seems to think it's going anywhere soon.  I'm personally quite hopeful that we'll get a full thirteen-episode run again in 2014, although probably not 'til later in the year.

 

Oh, but as far as the Eighth Doctor and his regeneration are concerned...

 

There are persistent rumours that McGann's secretly recorded one or more 50th anniversary minisodes/prequels covering his regeneration...

 

Take it with a pinch of salt, but now more than ever would be the time.

Surely budget cuts would have a large part to do with it? And why would they get budget cuts in the first place if it was making enough money? I dunno, a lot of the special effects for the last 3 series' have been iffy, so part of me felt like they had a lot less money to work on it than they used to or than they should.

 

So long as the series survives though, I'll be ok.

 

On the subject of 8 (and series 8 too I guess)

That would be awesome! Considering what happened in The Name of The Doctor, I know that there are still plenty of surprises so I shouldn't assume anything, but I'm still not really expecting to see any new acting from Doctors besides 10 and 11 (and Hurt).

 

If they managed to slip in an 8 -> Hurt regeneration or a Hurt -> 9 regeneration though, that'd be fantastic (as 9 would say)

 

But speaking of which, the way they introduced Hurt, and his supposed importance to the series, leads me to believe he won't just be a one time appearance but instead a recurring character like River? Maybe we'll see him throughout Series 8 to some level. Seeing as Smith was confirmed for Series 8 we can be sure it's not a flashback series about the Time War or something, but seeing as Moffat said something like "it'd be a bit different" (iirc?) maybe it means we'll be seeing snippets of the Time War?

 

Pure speculation, mind, but I can't help but feel hyped.

[Celestia]

I think, or at least hope, that Hurt's incarnation is going to play a big role in Series 8, either through flashbacks or by showing up somehow to kick ass or something. That'd be awesome to see alongside not just Smith but

Tennant

and whoever else shows up. (Come on, it's the 50th, you can't tell me they don't have any other surprises in store!)

 

Plus, it could possibly lead to some development regarding the Doctor's guilt over the events of the Time War while also revealing more about ... well, the Time War. We have more information about it than we did back in Series 1, but it's still fairly vague.

 

Of course, we'll all just have to wait six months to find out for sure.

 

... :'(

[Doctor MK]

Den of Geek has been trying to unravel many of the mysteries from The Name of The Doctor

http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/25687/the-big-questions-from-doctor-who-the-name-of-the-doctor

 

There's some pretty amusing images in there, too:

 

 

 

 

[iDEATH]

I was looking up some of the old doctor who stuff on wikipedia and, wow..... I knew there were a lot of lost episodes but I never realised the extent of what was lost. Some whole series are reduced to little more than one or two episodes.

 

does anybody around here watch the old stuff or is it mainly the new stuff? If you do watch the old stuff, how do you deal with these massive gaps? It'd drive me mental.

[SuperLink]

I'm currently starting to watch the old stuff, I'm still on the First Doctor's stories so I haven't seen the extent of how many episodes are missing yet.

 

I always figured I'd just cross that bridge when I got to it So far I've only had to skip one serial, Marco Polo, which didn't sounds that cool to me anyway.

[Debug Ring]

I watch the classic series as much as I do the modern, I watched the main order, and yes some of the big gaps did annoy me, I mean they're missing a lot of the First Doctor's regeneration story, that's not good. I think they're missing most of the actual regeneration episode, bar the regeneration itself. But they're reanimating it, so it can be viewed by fans today. Same with the 2nd Doctor story The Ice Warriors.

I did the only thing I could do really, and that was watch what I had in the intended order. But know I just watch random story arcs at anytime I feel. If you're planning on getting into the classic series, just watch what you can in the intended order, and maybe pick up the animated versions of a couple of the lost stories if they interest you. But the Classic series is an incredible watch and it's certainly worth it.

 

 

And if anyone cares, here's the accumulated ratings for all of series 7, bar The Name of The Doctor's final figure, which is yet to be calculated. I'll post it when it's released.

[Speederino]

I watch the classic series as much as I do the modern, I watched the main order, and yes some of the big gaps did annoy me, I mean they're missing a lot of the First Doctor's regeneration story, that's not good. I think they're missing most of the actual regeneration episode, bar the regeneration itself. But they're reanimating it, so it can be viewed by fans today. Same with the 2nd Doctor story The Ice Warriors.

 

Only the fourth and last episode of The Tenth Planet is missing, thankfully. Unfortunately though Hartnell doesn't actually show up in part 3 due to being ill or something, so the last surviving First Doctor story doesn't actually have the First Doctor in it

 

 

I'm currently starting to watch the old stuff, I'm still on the First Doctor's stories so I haven't seen the extent of how many episodes are missing yet.

 

I always figured I'd just cross that bridge when I got to it So far I've only had to skip one serial, Marco Polo, which didn't sounds that cool to me anyway.

 

I really don't recommend just outright skipping the missing episodes, especially once you hit Troughton's era as most of his serials have ceased to exist in regular form. However, I know full well how boring some of those reconstructions can get, so I present to you: TRANSCRIPTS!!! They take less time and come without long, boring pauses where nothing happens. I still tried to watch the reconstructions where I could, but when you have a completely missing 7-part serial and you're bored to death by the middle of the second episode, these things are a godsend.

 

Also, some reconstructions are better than others. If one has terrible sound quality and only switches between a scant few photos, a quick search on Dailymotion or sometimes Youtube will probably reveal another one that's actually watchable. Definitely take the newer fan-made ones over the the old BBC-endorsed ones made in the 80's or whenever.

[SuperLink]

Duly noted, I'll try to check out transcripts of at least the key serials.

 

And srsly, it can't just be me who's noticed that the special effects from the series have gotten notably worse since Series 4/Torchwood era :s nowadays rather than any CGI creatures we just get costumes and badly superimposed backgrounds. Is this because of the budget cuts too?

 

Cause I miss the cool monsters we got with CGI ): I just thought that, with time, it'd be cheaper to do more things with special effects rather than harder!

[PeanutButterDimond]

I need to get started on watching the classic series more. Most of what I know comes from the fountain of info that is TVTropes.

 

Speaking of Classic Who....

 

So I've been hearing and reading up on this whole Valeyard theory. So apparently he's the Doctor with all the dark side of him as his personality, based of his last few regenerations? This might explain why he looks like an amalgamation of many of the classic Doctors. But he looks a bit like nine too.  What do you guys(Especially the more Classic Who savvy of you) think?

 

He could just simply be the Doctor(Genocide is definitely a way to get the other doctors to dethrone you of your name) from the time war, the real number nine but that sounds relatively simple by Moffat's standards and if he was just a simple regeneration, would he really have committed genocide? This is the Doctor here, he couldn't bring himself to kill the Daleks or a space(Saying if he did he could call himself the Doctor). Every regeneration, though different personality wise, is still the same man with the same lessons and morals. Even if it was something that "had to be done". Or "without choice"

 

However seeing as it's been shown the Doctor hates himself(Saying "Only one person hates me as much as you do" in "Amy's Choice") and he feels guilt over it(apologizing in "The Doctor's Wife") which lends to the idea that he is indeed a simple regeneration. The real nine.  Of course, the Valeyard being a piece of the Doctor would still be cause for guilt and sorrow. 

 

And I definitely do not think John Hurt is a rapidly aged eight due to the effects of the Time War. Just doesn't feel right to me.

 

WHY NOVEMBER!? WHY NOT SOONER!? DAMN YOU MOFFAT! WHY!? 

Edited May 20, 2013 by PeanutButterDimond

[SuperLink]

I genuinely don't think Hurt is the Valeyard. From what I understand, the Valeyard is malicious, akin to the Dream Lord. Hurt didn't seem malicious at all. He seemed completely heartbroken and destroyed.

 

Those Classic fans pining for the Valeyard to return will surely get him back someday, The Great Intelligence mentioned him being part of the Doctor's future afterall, so maybe he'll return around the 12th or 13th Doctors, but I think pushing the Valeyard's identity on Hurt's Doctor is selling both the plot and those characters short.

Edited May 20, 2013 by SuperLink

[Celestia]

I thought the Valeyard was specifically from between the "12th and final" incarnations of the Doctor? Then again, I had thought they had abandoned the "time lords can only regenerate X number of times" thing, so maybe just 12 and 13. Which, if Hurt is counted, means he'll probably show up after Eleven regenerates. Or after the next guy.

 

This show is weird so it's hard to predict this stuff!!

Edited May 20, 2013 by elementofchaos

[PeanutButterDimond]

I genuinely don't think Hurt is the Valeyard. From what I understand, the Valeyard is malicious, akin to the Dream Lord. Hurt didn't seem malicious at all. He seemed completely heartbroken and destroyed.

 

Those Classic fans pining for the Valeyard to return will surely get him back someday, The Great Intelligence mentioned him being part of the Doctor's future afterall, so maybe he'll return around the 12th or 13th Doctors, but I think pushing the Valeyard's identity on Hurt's Doctor is selling both the plot and those characters short.

 

Yeah, definitely get you there and now I reject the theory as well. In fact I might now be more sold on "the real nine" theory. There was definately no malice. He seemed dark, sure but heartbroken and regretful, which someone like the Doctor would be if he had to do something like that. Eleven still hates himself for it and presumably same goes for Nine and Ten. So imagine how much more hate would go to the Doctor who actually committed the act.

 

When it was common thought that Eight fought in the Time War, I always thought the other Doctors would hate him for his action. Well same thing except it might not have been Eight.

 

That is, if they are talking about the Time War that is. If what John Hurt's Doctor did was so bad he's been erased as much as possible by the Doctor, then maybe he did something even worse than what was done in the Time War.

 

In response to Element, I heard that too, but that didn't stop him from meeting an even earlier Doctor so, who knows. But I'm not really believing it as much now.

 

On another note, according to Tv tropes, the seventh Doctor inexplicably hanging himself over a ledge is now due to the Great Intelligence but I never heard that mentioned in the episode so... confusing.

 

Speaking of which, I told about this whole plot twist to my non Whovian friends and they all basically said the same thing they say when I usually tell them something about Who. "This show sounds confusing".

 

They have no idea.

 

 

EDIT: OH MY GAWD!

 

A line in the last episode makes so much sense now!

 

"Who knows what we might get?"

 

Referring the horrible things done by John Hurt's Doctor and the Valeyard inbetween 12 and 13.

 

And another.

 

So with John Hurt, even though revoked of the name, if he really is a past unknown Doctor, this makes Eleven , Twelve, which means next comes the Valeyard....

 

Also in retrospect, this line is very punny.

 

The Great Intelligence: For me, peace at last. For you, a world of hurt.

Edited May 20, 2013 by PeanutButterDimond

[SuperLink]

I think I have a fondness for ridiculously overcomplicated plots (so long as I can make sense of them) because I enjoy talking about both Kingdom Hearts and Doctor Who. Huh.

 

Yeah, definitely get you there and now I reject the theory as well. In fact I might now be more sold on "the real nine" theory. There was definately no malice. He seemed dark, sure but heartbroken and regretful, which someone like the Doctor would be if he had to do something like that. Eleven still hates himself for it and presumably same goes for Nine and Ten. So imagine how much more hate would go to the Doctor who actually committed the act.

 

When it was common thought that Eight fought in the Time War, I always thought the other Doctors would hate him for his action. Well same thing except it might not have been Eight.

 

That is, if they are talking about the Time War that is. If what John Hurt's Doctor did was so bad he's been erased as much as possible by the Doctor, then maybe he did something even worse than what was done in the Time War.

 

In response to Element, I heard that too, but that didn't stop him from meeting an even earlier Doctor so, who knows. But I'm not really believing it as much now.

 

On another note, according to Tv tropes, the seventh Doctor inexplicably hanging himself over a ledge is now due to the Great Intelligence but I never heard that mentioned in the episode so... confusing.

 

Speaking of which, I told about this whole plot twist to my non Whovian friends and they all basically said the same thing they say when I usually tell them something about Who. "This show sounds confusing".

 

They have no idea.

We don't really know what happened in the Time War. Iirc, it was timeless, as in it took place across all of time and space, so it must have been "really long" as it were. In the Tennant episode where the Time Lords returned, they expanded a little on the Doctor ending it, and the Doctor didn't seem too happy to talk about it. There's probably still a lot more about the war we still don't know.. and some of the genocide the Doctor committed could have been really awful, or just something that hit him, who usually hates genocide, particularly hard.

 

Something that's a little sad is how it feels like this was almost done to take some blame off the Eighth Doctor and push it all onto one poor incarnation. Before now, a lot of fans of 8 were probably annoyed that 8 may have gotten a lot of hate from some fans or even in-universe characters for what he supposedly did despite all his good points, maybe the Doctor had to regenerate into someone who wasn't afraid to do "what had to be done".

 

As for the Great Intelligence, I don't know too much about the classic stories referenced in the finale, but the idea was that the Great Intelligence spread across time to cause trouble for the Doctor at different points without being seen, and then Clara went to the same points in time and helped to stop him, also usually without being seen.

[Celestia]

Yeah, that line got a lot more meaningful with the reveal. Foreshadowing is fun.

 

I wonder though if next season might just be Matt's last, it would be fitting for a villain like the Valeyard to be "born" during an anniversary celebration after all. Plus I 

think I remember hearing Matt was signed on until 2014, which'll probably be the later half of Series 8, so ... plausible, maybe? Hmm.

[SuperLink]

Matt is returning for Series 8, but both him and Moffat said recently that he's gonna be the Doctor "forever".

 

Personally, I'd like to see a Doctor who breaks the records of his predecessors in how long he stays in the role. Tennant only got his legendary ~5 year~ status because there were only like 3 episodes across 2009 and 2010! So seeing Matt star in 4 (relatively) consistent series' is pretty cool and it'd be nice if it lasted a bit longer. c:

 

As for foreshadowing;

Right now, I honestly couldn't say if I believe the Valeyard will return as an enemy or not in the 13th Doctor's lifetime. Some things in the continuity just seem.. forgotten, besides a few dialogue-references at most. Perhaps the "Valeyard" reference from the Great Intelligence is the most reference we'll get to the Valeyard for the foreseeable future.

Edited May 20, 2013 by SuperLink

[PeanutButterDimond]

I wonder if we will ever get a Doctor to get past the run of the Fourth Doctor.

 

I think I have a fondness for ridiculously overcomplicated plots (so long as I can make sense of them) because I enjoy talking about both Kingdom Hearts and Doctor Who. Huh.

 

We don't really know what happened in the Time War. Iirc, it was timeless, as in it took place across all of time and space, so it must have been "really long" as it were. In the Tennant episode where the Time Lords returned, they expanded a little on the Doctor ending it, and the Doctor didn't seem too happy to talk about it. There's probably still a lot more about the war we still don't know.. and some of the genocide the Doctor committed could have been really awful, or just something that hit him, who usually hates genocide, particularly hard.

 

Something that's a little sad is how it feels like this was almost done to take some blame off the Eighth Doctor and push it all onto one poor incarnation. Before now, a lot of fans of 8 were probably annoyed that 8 may have gotten a lot of hate from some fans or even in-universe characters for what he supposedly did despite all his good points, maybe the Doctor had to regenerate into someone who wasn't afraid to do "what had to be done".

 

As for the Great Intelligence, I don't know too much about the classic stories referenced in the finale, but the idea was that the Great Intelligence spread across time to cause trouble for the Doctor at different points without being seen, and then Clara went to the same points in time and helped to stop him, also usually without being seen.

 

From what has been said especially in "Dalek" the genocide was a horror show. The whole army "falling from the sky". And it's basically implied that it wasn't like he pulled a switched and turned his back. He literally said he watched it happen. Hundreds or more lives all dying because of him right before his eyes. and that was just a fleet! One bit of this huge war. For someone who is a pacifist, that's got to kill them inside.

 

The thing is, it's hard to see the Eighth Doctor doing something so horrible. He was one of the most bubbly Doctors and I always liked the idea of him being broken down like in Big Finish Who, all leading up to the Time War. But it's hard to imagine so Hurt's Doctor will be interesting to see but I really hope we seem before the Time War if he was ever around before he had to partake in it, if he even did.

 

My only concern is that Hurt may be the only grandly disliked Doctor. This show has a streak of all incarnations being genuinely beloved by pretty much all the fanbase. There are favourites sure but none are the scrappy of the show. Introducing a Doctor after or before a run could be risky. Granted we might supposed to hate him considering whatever he did. Or feel bad for him for having to do it.

 

Even if it isn't said, I like the idea of a bit of bad writing being long long ago foreshadowing so it's my head canon now.

 

The thing is, the reason some continuity is forgotten is probably because it's genuinely forgotten. They really have no problems with referencing a hell of a lot of the classic show be it the anniversary or not. This show has so much history and episodes that there's no way they could remember it all and not go insane. The fact they remember and reference so much on a constant basis impresses me and gains them my respect.

 

But that's the thing. The Valeyard isn't forgotten and considering how long(And it's really freaking long) Moffat plans ahead, I really don't think it's a coincidence. I genuinely feel we will see the Valeyard return between Twelve and Thirteen.

[SuperLink]

I wonder if we will ever get a Doctor to get past the run of the Fourth Doctor.

 

From what has been said especially in "Dalek" the genocide was a horror show. The whole army "falling from the sky". And it's basically implied that it wasn't like he pulled a switched and turned his back. He literally said he watched it happen. Hundreds or more lives all dying because of him right before his eyes. and that was just a fleet! One bit of this huge war. For someone who is a pacifist, that's got to kill them inside.

 

The thing is, it's hard to see the Eighth Doctor doing something so horrible. He was one of the most bubbly Doctors and I always liked the idea of him being broken down like in Big Finish Who, all leading up to the Time War. But it's hard to imagine so Hurt's Doctor will be interesting to see but I really hope we seem before the Time War if he was ever around before he had to partake in it, if he even did.

 

My only concern is that Hurt may be the only grandly disliked Doctor. This show has a streak of all incarnations being genuinely beloved by pretty much all the fanbase. There are favourites sure but none are the scrappy of the show. Introducing a Doctor after or before a run could be risky. Granted we might supposed to hate him considering whatever he did. Or feel bad for him for having to do it.

 

Even if it isn't said, I like the idea of a bit of bad writing being long long ago foreshadowing so it's my head canon now.

 

The thing is, the reason some continuity is forgotten is probably because it's genuinely forgotten. They really have no problems with referencing a hell of a lot of the classic show be it the anniversary or not. This show has so much history and episodes that there's no way they could remember it all and not go insane. The fact they remember and reference so much on a constant basis impresses me and gains them my respect.

 

But that's the thing. The Valeyard isn't forgotten and considering how long(And it's really freaking long) Moffat plans ahead, I really don't think it's a coincidence. I genuinely feel we will see the Valeyard return between Twelve and Thirteen.

I'm also concerned that Hurt will be hated too.. but also for different reasons.

 

A lot of "whovians" love Tennant and Matt because they're young and attractive, and automatically hate Hurt for being old. I think a lot of viewers will be looking for excuses to hate him, and even if the Doctor hates him I certainly don't want to.

 

I sincerely hope the 50th is as well written as it needs to be, because their goal, in my eyes, is to make what Hurt's Doctor did seem truly awful, but also get the audience to empathise with him and feel heartbroken by him as a character. Feeling sorry for a character who did something horrible is one of the oldest most overdone tropes in the book, so it's important that they pull it off well.

 

And.. good point, when you put it like that, I can see the Valeyard returning in some fashion. However, I like to think that Moffat won't be around until 13.. I'd really like to see Smith's Doctor with direction from a different head writer, but I suppose at this point it's not that likely ;-;

[PeanutButterDimond]

I'm also concerned that Hurt will be hated too.. but also for different reasons.

 

A lot of "whovians" love Tennant and Matt because they're young and attractive, and automatically hate Hurt for being old. I think a lot of viewers will be looking for excuses to hate him, and even if the Doctor hates him I certainly don't want to.

 

I sincerely hope the 50th is as well written as it needs to be, because their goal, in my eyes, is to make what Hurt's Doctor did seem truly awful, but also get the audience to empathise with him and feel heartbroken by him as a character. Feeling sorry for a character who did something horrible is one of the oldest most overdone tropes in the book, so it's important that they pull it off well.

 

And.. good point, when you put it like that, I can see the Valeyard returning in some fashion. However, I like to think that Moffat won't be around until 13.. I'd really like to see Smith's Doctor with direction from a different head writer, but I suppose at this point it's not that likely ;-;

 

I love that Hurt was old. I'm glad they're not just trying to be young and hip. The Doctor always could be old and I love that they can still embrace that somewhat.

As for liking Hurt's Doctor. Well, he already as an advantage considering he's The Doctor. A character we all long known and love and I feel confident that this will be treated with respect and care.

 

I really love Moffat's run to be honest so I don't mind how long he stays as long as he keeps writing as good as he has been. But I do agree that it will be nice to see another new head writer take on the challenge just as long as Moffat finishes his arc first.

Edited May 20, 2013 by PeanutButterDimond

[Salamander]

Personally, I'd like to see a Doctor who breaks the records of his predecessors in how long he stays in the role. Tennant only got his legendary ~5 year~ status because there were only like 3 episodes across 2009 and 2010! So seeing Matt star in 4 (relatively) consistent series' is pretty cool and it'd be nice if it lasted a bit longer. c:

 

I worked it out a little while back, and as I calculate it, to match Tennant's record in terms of on-screen time in the role Matt only has to do about half of series 8, and since he's confirmed now for series 8, Matt will certainly exceed Tennant.  They've both done three full series each, Matt just has to make time on the specials.  In terms of actual duration of time in real life rather than time in the episodes, Tennant was basically the Doctor for four and a half years: The last episode of the 2005 series in June of that year to New Year's Day 2010.  Matt's first episode was also New Year's Day 2010, meaning that he only has to last until mid-2014 to exceed Tennant's record, and it seems unlikely that series 8 will air in the first half of the year.  Basically, Matt's pretty much guaranteed to exceed Tennant's record unless he gets hit by a bus.

 

One thing I would really like to see in the future, though, is for the next incarnation of the Doctor to cross over into the show before his predecessor's regeneration.  Think Rose's appearance in Partners In Crime.  I think they could cover that up long enough for it to be a surprise.

[The Conductor]

About the classic series: Pretty much all the missing episodes have been adapted into novels. They're not very long and their decent enough ways to experience those stories.

 

About the Valeyard: He is all the Doctor's evil split off and given a solid form and was created sometime after the Doctor's 12 incarnation. Given the rumours about Hurt, that would mean he'll come into existence at some point after the current Doctor seeing as the Doctor is now on his final life.