Doctor Who

[SithLordWiccan]

There was nothing I saw about Donna in "The Runaway Bride" that couldn't be fixed.

OK, did you actually watch "The Runaway Bride", or were you taking it in through rose colored glasses?

Hell, I'm in the same boat as you. I was unaware of who Catherine Tate was before I watched "The Runaway Bride", and within thirty seconds of watching it for the first time when it was up on YouTube shortly after the first airing, I promply closed the window. Hell, when it was on last week or two weeks ago, I didn't even bother to stay awake and tape the damn thing. And the only reason I did at all is because I'm such a completist. (Which is why not getting "The Christmas Invasion" is gonna bug me till I can fork out the dough to get the Series 2 set.)

And as for how bad Catherine Tate is...well, I think a friend of mine put it much better than I ever could.

Much like Peter Kay in "Love and Monsters", Tate isn't in this to act, she's in it as Catherine Tate. Her performance is nothing short of diabolical, loudly lisping "Get me to the church!" and "We are going to sue the backside off you!", ensuring that within a minute of the titles no-one bar chavs enthralled with Tate's shouty comedienne schtick gives a toss what happens to Donna. Apologists for this piece of attention-seeking from the production team (JNT may have had a penchant for pointless celebrity cameos in Ken Dodd and Dolores Gray, but at least they were only cameos) have claimed she gets better as the episode trudges on - she doesn't, you just get used to her, like roadworks outside your house. You just kind of accept the noise and do what you can to deal with it. It might seem a bit mental to spend an entire paragraph lambasting a guest star, but sadly Tate's irritating shouting is basically the episode.

[BBOvenGuy]

did you actually watch "The Runaway Bride", or were you taking it in through rose colored glasses?

Okay, now you're sounding like the folks at Outpost Gallifrey.

I did watch it, and like I said, I didn't see anything that couldn't be fixed. That doesn't mean it will be fixed. It just gives me a reason to be open-minded.

Like I said, I've never seen Catherine Tate in anything else, so I don't know how much of Donna was Catherine Tate being Catherine Tate. But Russell T. Davies is no dummy. He knows there are things you can do in a Christmas special that you can't do over a 13-episode series. He's also able to re-watch "The Runaway Bride" and figure out what parts worked and what parts didn't. That doesn't mean he will, but it gives me a reason to be open-minded.

Hey, when I saw the announcement today, I had the same gut reaction that you did - but this isn't the time for gut reactions. We've got months before Season 4 hits the airwaves. Let's give the Doctor Who staff a chance to do their jobs. If I was running the show, I'd be able to fix it, and the people at Doctor Who are at least as smart as I am.

[SithLordWiccan]

Okay, now you're sounding like the folks at Outpost Gallifrey.

OK, I guess we see eye to eye, then.

He's also able to re-watch "The Runaway Bride" and figure out what parts worked and what parts didn't.

He obviously didn't, because he's bringing Catherine back as a regular. Catherine Tate was Problems 1 through infinity with "The Runaway Bride", and having her on as a regular only damages the show that, by all accounts, really ain't doing that great at present.

[BBOvenGuy]

her on as a regular only damages the show that, by all accounts, really ain't doing that great at present.

Ummm... define "by all accounts." The show's drawing eight million viewers in the UK, which makes it one of the highest rated shows on the air, and it's making buckets-full of money for the BBC. They've got to be doing something right. A minority of grumbling old-timers (and it is a minority - even on Outpost Gallifrey the majority of board members rated "Last of the Time Lords" a 4 or a 5 out of 5) doesn't add up to "by all accounts."

Experience has taught me not to judge a program before it's been made. Let's wait and see what it actually looks like before we flush it down the toilet.

And that's all I'm going to say on this subject...

[SithLordWiccan]

And that's all I'm going to say on this subject...

All right. I'll respect you for that. In many ways, I can see the logic of what you're saying. I mean, I know people who bashed the new Transformers movie for no good reason, and yet each and every single one of them is now eating their words.

I suppose I'll hold off judgement until I actually hear about the new series, while reserving the right to reinstate my earlier negative comments.

And for the record, I'm not exactly an "old-timer", but I can tell that, from a plot and story arc viewpoint, "Last of the Time Lords" really didn't deliver. It might have gotten good ratings and made lots of money, but that really doesn't matter in the end. After all, Most of Series 1 got good ratings too, and some of those aren't exactly great, either.

[erith]

So what is the big deal then?

What is everyone fighting about.

It's really just more of the same for OG. "I hate Martha/new Doctor Who is crap/new Doctor Who is unpopular/Russell T Davies is killing Doctor Who and anyone who doesn't agree with me is a fool so I'll keep saying it again and again until they get a clue" even though there isn't a shred of evidence to support their view.

I seem to be one of the few people who really liked The Runaway Bride and Donna, but I must admit that I was hoping for another John Barrowman or Freema. I'm very shallow.

As for Kylie I really hope she's going to just be Kylie rather than an actress playing one of the passengers on the Titanic. A sexy alien Kylie please.

[Feena]

Like I said, I've never seen Catherine Tate in anything else, so I don't know how much of Donna was Catherine Tate being Catherine Tate.

Catherine is best known for her TV sketch show rather than general acting roles (although she's done a lot, including the BBC's Bleak House) and her best known character is Lauren (Look at my face, am I bovvered?) Cooper. Lauren is a bit similar to Donna at the beginning (a stroppy mare) and I think that's what a lot of people saw in Donna, and couldn't see beyond it.

Not sure if you've seen this Bob, but this is Catherine and David Tennant in last year's Comic Relief.

I re-watched The Runaway Bride last night and actually I'm really looking forward to Donna coming back. She didn't shout all the way through the episode. Certainly she was very annoying (and loud!) at the beginning, but that was Donna's character, not Catherine's. She's very calm and resigned in the roof scene, once she's missed the wedding, but she still snarks a bit "Stop bleeping me!". I love the final scene outside the TARDIS.

She says she's not going back to her old life, she's going to travel, "walk in the dust", and I think she'll have changed because of it.

One thing that could actually be interesting is that she's older. Most Doctor Who companions are twentysomethings or even teenagers. Catherine Tate is older than David Tennant. It should bring a different dynamic to the show, one that we've rarely seen before.

I was thinking about this too. Liz Shaw and Sarah Jane were younger than their Doctors but they were established 'grown-up' woman. Martha was older than Rose but she was still only a medical student. I know Donna's not a scientist or a journalist but she's been out in the 'real world' unlike the last two companions.


edited to make her post even longer

The Finale got 8 million viewers which was 39% of the viewing population at the time.

Time …. BBC1 ...…...…ITV ……........... BBC2 …...........… CH4 …........… CH5
19:30 …. 8.1 (39.3%) …. 2.7 (13.2%) …. 1.2 ( 5.8%) …. 1.0 ( 5.0%) …. 2.1 (10.0%)

*gives up trying to get the columns right*

[BBOvenGuy]

this is Catherine and David Tennant in last year's Comic Relief.

No, I hadn't seen that before. It's funny!

But at the same time, obviously that kind of routine wouldn't work if anyone tried to stretch it out over a 13-episode dramatic series, so I can see why some people might be worried about Donna. But also at the same time, I wouldn't expect Catherine Tate to play Donna that way, just as I never worried that Billie Piper would have Rose suddenly break into a music video dance number, and I never worried that Sylvester McCoy would have the Seventh Doctor start stuffing ferrets down his pants.

Edited to add: Captain Jack's in the news! Click below for coverage of John Barrowman visiting the nuclear physics laboratory CERN.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bxl9pA3CudQ

[SithLordWiccan]

I wouldn't expect Catherine Tate to play Donna that way

But she played it that way in "The Runaway Bride."

[BBOvenGuy]

But she played it that way in "The Runaway Bride."

Nope. Sorry, didn't see it that way.

Maybe at the beginning, a bit, but the whole point of the story was that Donna's encounter with the Doctor makes her grow up, notice the world around her, get out of her preoccupation with herself, etc. - so if she comes back, I don't expect to see the same person as in the first third or so of "The Runaway Bride."

And at this point, this conversation could very easily degenerate into, "Yes, she will be that way!" "No she won't!" "Yes she will!" "No she won't!" "Yes she will!", so it's probably best to leave things there. We'll know for sure next year.

[Feena]

First pic of Kylie

KYLIE Minogue will frill Doctor Who fans by dressing as a sexy French maid in this year’s Christmas Special.

The petite pop princess wears knee-high boots, sexy stockings and a lacy black and white costume to play gorgeous Astrid.

Should be popular with the dads


eta

More cast info

The BBC have also confirmed that two of Britain’s best loved sitcom actors, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift will play lead roles in the Christmas episode.

Geoffrey Palmer, perhaps most famous for his role in the long running BBC drama ‘Butterflies’ will play the role of Captain of the Titanic.

‘Voyage of the Damned’ will also feature Gray O'Brien who recently appeared in the Oscar winning film ‘The Queen’, Debbie Chazen; star of the BBC comedy series ‘The Smoking Room, Olivier Award winner Clive Rowe, Russell Tovey from the smash hit film ‘The History Boys’, Jimmy Vee who has previously been in Doctor Who as the Moxx of Balhoon and George Costigan who starred in ‘The Long Firm’ and the acclaimed film ‘Rita Sue and Bob Too’.

[Gatito Grande]

OK, we interrupt you Brits (and otherwise plugged-in folk, *Bob*) for an angry question from American Basic Cable-land:

Since when has Sci Fi been showing new eps, and why the frelling frak didn't I hear about it, until *stumbling* upon the Doctor and the NEW (not Rose) companion tonight????

GG Way to go w/ the publicity, Sci Fi. Not. Out

It was "The Shakespeare Code" FWIW. OK, not great. I admit, it was hard to watch it AT ALL, through the haze of my outrage (not to mention confusion. I am unspoiled---i.e., I *don't* read this thread---ergo, while I knew that Billie Piper had left, Brit-side, I didn't know the HOW of Rose departing. Only that the Doctor seemed sad about it. And Martha seemed jealous. Say wha??? )

Did I mention---

I AM SO PISSED OFF!!!

[werewolf123]

Gatito Grande : There was a memo, i sure of it. Rose is at right angle to the doctor who universe. She went to square 1.

[Feena]

Sorry you've missed them GG.

They started last week with The Runaway Bride (2006 Christmas Special) and Smith and Jones (1st episode of S3).

Rose's last episode was Doomsday, but I don't know when that was last on.

[BBOvenGuy]

Rose's last episode was Doomsday, but I don't know when that was last on.

SciFi ran it the Friday before Christmas, which may explain why people missed it. They were busy.

[Feena]

Nearly a month and no posts!!

BBC site

Whodunnit?
The Doctor and Donna book a date with Agatha Christie.

Filming is underway for Series Four of Doctor Who, with Catherine Tate reprising her role as Donna, the runaway bride featured in last year's Christmas Special.

The start of the new series will see Donna tracking down the Time Lord during an alien emergency in modern-day London. The couple are destined to experience a series of wonderful adventures throughout the new series including meeting one of Doctor Who's most popular aliens, The Ood in a brand new episode, Planet of The Ood.

Catherine Tate said: "I am delighted to be returning to Doctor Who. I had a blast last Christmas and look forward to travelling again through time and space with that nice man from Gallifrey."

Donna and The Doctor will also be travelling through time for an encounter with the legendary murder mystery novelist, Agatha Christie, played by Jekyll star Fenella Woolgar. Fenella will be joined by The Good Life actress Felicity Kendal, who will star as Lady Clemency Eddison.

"What a brilliant idea that Agatha Christie and Doctor Who should meet!," noted Matthew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson. "Two characters whose contribution to British entertainment is absolutely unrivalled. As far as I know my grandmother, Agatha Christie, never saw Doctor Who, but I am sure she would have been intrigued, excited and above all flattered by all this attention in 2007."

Doctor Who's executive producer and head writer, Russell T Davies comments: "Visiting Agatha Christie has been on my wish-list for ages now, and for the Doctor, it's a real meeting of minds! Viewers can expect many more ambitious storylines and a whole host of guest stars in 2008."

Blackadder and Notting Hill Actor Tim McInnerny will also guest star later in the series.

Freema Agyeman who has played Martha Jones, The Doctor's companion throughout the critically acclaimed third series will return to the show to join The Doctor and Donna mid series.

First pic

[BBOvenGuy]

Ha! You beat me again.

Well, so far the new season is sounding pretty good. And having Donna track down the Doctor is a very Donna-like thing to do. I'm still not concerned about having her back.

And I think the photo shows what I was talking about earlier - Donna is not your typical Doctor Who companion, i.e. she's not one of those tiny little twentysomethings who seem to drop by the TARDIS all the time. The different dynamic should be interesting.

[Feena]

I knew there was a midnight release due so I was waiting for it. And I managed to post the pic on OG at 11.59 pm because the BBC were early putting it up

I think Donna looks great and I'm really looking forward to a companion who's more in my age bracket!!

BIG NEWS!!!

First spoiled by Sylvester McCoy at an appearance in New Zealand, and subsequently picked by by The Sun. Okay, The Sun, not such a great source, and there have been all sorts of wacky rumors flying around (Ben Kingsley as Davros? Joan Collins as the Rani?), but having the Seventh Doctor say something at the same time gives it some credibility:

Spoiler:

Doctor Who legend Peter Davison is to step back into the Tardis – and come face to face with the current Doctor.

Peter, 56, who played the Timelord in the 1980s, will pull on his famous trenchcoat once again for a Children In Need special.

Bosses are tight-lipped about the storyline, written by Who scribe Stephen Moffat.

But an insider revealed: “The Doctor is forever travelling though time so there’s no reason why he couldn't catch up with a former incarnation.

“Peter was top of the writer’s list to make a comeback."

This year’s Children In Need charity telethon takes place on BBC1 on Friday, November 16.

[SithLordWiccan]

Could be interesting...

Or, more likely, not. And to think I thought Catherine Tate joining the TARDIS full time was a bad idea...

And I think the photo shows what I was talking about earlier - Donna is not your typical Doctor Who companion, i.e. she's not one of those tiny little twentysomethings who seem to drop by the TARDIS all the time.

But we already had one of those types of people. Her name was Evelyn Smythe, and I wager that she's a bunch more popular than Donna ever will be.

Spoiler:

Doctor Who legend Peter Davison is to step back into the Tardis – and come face to face with the current Doctor.

[BBOvenGuy]

I must admit that I'd like to see Paul McGann doing it. I know I know another Doctor Who fan wanting the return of McGann

I'd like to see him come back, too. He's done a good job on audio, despite not always being given the best material to work with.

I read this week that there have been rumors about Paul McGann doing a series of movies, intended to provide a link between the classic series and the new one. But then they interviewed McGann about it, and it was apparently news to him. He did say he'd be interested, though, as long as he didn't have to wear the wig again.

Actually wasn't Davros just a head by the end of the classic series?

Nope, that was the decoy Davros in "Revelation of the Daleks." He still had his entire body when we saw him as the Emperor Dalek in "Remembrance of the Daleks."

[erith]

Nope, that was the decoy Davros in "Revelation of the Daleks." He still had his entire body when we saw him as the Emperor Dalek in "Remembrance of the Daleks."

Remembrance is one of my favourite stories. How could I forget that?

[BBOvenGuy]

Doctor Who and Steven Moffat win again!

"The Girl in the Fireplace" won this year's Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, at the World Science Fiction Convention in Yokohama Japan. You can find the complete list of winners here:

http://www.thehugoawards.org/?p=134

[erith]

Doctor Who Series 5 has been confirmed (for 2010 not 2009) with three specials in 2009.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/09/03/48471.shtml

Series Five

Doctor Who to return for fifth series in 2010.

After months of media speculation, the BBC can confirm that the BAFTA award-winning Doctor Who will return for a fifth series in Spring 2010.

Viewers are in for a treat this Christmas, as a special episode starring David Tennant and Kylie Minogue will be broadcast on BBC One in December 2007.

Series Four, which went into production in July 2007, will hit UK screens in Spring 2008, followed by a special episode for Christmas 2008.

In 2009 Doctor Who will return with three specials starring David Tennant, with Head Writer, Russell T Davies.

The full-length fifth series will transmit in 2010.

Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction, says: "Doctor Who is one of the BBC's best loved and most successful dramas. Its journey over the past three series has been one of the most ambitious and exciting that we have had, and I'm delighted to be able to confirm not only three exciting specials for 2009, but a fifth series in 2010. "

Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, says: "The success of Doctor Who is a fantastic tribute to the dedication and expertise of the production team at BBC Wales who have worked on the project from the outset. This announcement is marvellous news for all involved, and more importantly for the programme's amazing fan base and audience. BBC Wales is looking forward to producing the fifth series."

Following the critically acclaimed season three finale, the BBC has announced that Catherine Tate is set to return to the TARDIS for the complete 13-week run of series four, reprising her role as Donna from the 2006 Christmas special.

Freema Agyeman, who won praise for her portrayal of Martha Jones in series three, is also set to return mid series four.

[BBOvenGuy]

Doctor Who Series 5 has been confirmed (for 2010 not 2009) with three specials in 2009.

Let the "regeneration in 2009" talk begin.

I always have to remember that the US broadcast TV schedule system is different from everyone else's, and that it's not unusual for a full year to go by between seasons in other parts of the world. It's great to see that David Tennant will go on playing the Doctor at least through 2009, but I can already hear the speculation that the 2010 season will feature a new Doctor.

Time will tell.

[Feena]

DT is going to be playing Hamlet at the RSC next year so it's possible this will allow him to do both, without the need for a Regeneration...maybe.

Apparently there's going to be another Midnight Press Release tonight (30 mins) with more information.


eta

Nothing so far so maybe not today at all :(

[BBOvenGuy]

DT is going to be playing Hamlet at the RSC next year so it's possible this will allow him to do both, without the need for a Regeneration...maybe.

Yeah, if they were just going to regenerate him, then why bother with putting off the entire series for a year? Hmmm...

Well, let's hope that they at least get another series of Torchwood and even The Sarah Jane Adventures lined up for 2009, so we won't be totally deprived.

[BBOvenGuy]

Bumping the topic to say that The Sarah Jane Adventures starts this Monday, 9/24!

Here's a rundown of the five two-part stories in this season, with comments from Elisabeth Sladen:

Spoiler:

1: Revenge of the Slitheen

The new school year begins for Sarah's 'son' Luke, and the teachers are suspiciously chubby...

2: Eye of the Gorgon

Set in an old people's home, the second story involves sinister nuns and has a ghost story feel... "Yeah, and dungeons," says Elisabeth Sladen. "It's cool, that one - it's nice working with cold slimy brick. And cob-webs." A full-on creepy ghost story feel then? "Yes, I think it really is."

3: Warriors of the Kudlax

Next up is that old Doctor Who favourite - stomping militaristic monsters. "Yeah, you've got it," Sladen confirms. "And they weren't green screen. It's a new monster, and we're off into space in that one. The boys loved that one, they really did."

4: Whatever Happened to Sarah-Jane?

We learn the secrets of Sarah's pre-Doctor past, discovering what made her into a journalist, and one with an interest in the bizarre. There is however one significant omission - Sarah Jane's aunt and guardian Lavinia, played by the late Mary Wimbush in k9 and Company. "No, she's not mentioned. I suppose it's irrelevant. There's only so much you can do."

5: The Lost Boy

And the season finale takes us back to Luke's origins as an artificial creation, and you shouldn't think we learnt all about it in Invasion of the Bane. "Yes, there's a lot more," Sladen reveals, "a lot more than that. It's quite mulit-dimensional that one. You've got a lot to think of, his past life, this life, things like that."

Looks like fun...

[erith]

Who Needs Another Doctor?

The Tenth Doctor meets the Fifth Doctor.

David Tennant's Tenth Doctor is set to meet Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor in a special scene commissioned for BBC One's Children in Need.

The scene, entitled Time Crash, was written by award winning Doctor Who writer Steven Moffatt, and will transmit as part of the Children in Need fundraising evening on Friday 16 November 2007.

"It is an honour for me to be able to make the connection between the Fifth Doctor and the Tenth Doctor," noted Peter Davison. "However, now is not the time for sound-bites. I can feel the hand of history on my shoulder, even if I can't do the buttons up!"

Look out for more coverage on the site nearer the time - and don't forget to support Children In Need and donate on the night!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/news/drwho/2007/10/21/50016.shtml