Doctor Who Series 11 Official Thread

This is a thread for Doctor Who news and general discussion, and Series 11 post-episode discussion. Please keep the spoilers and the leaks in the thread below, which someone already created. Note that casting announcements are generally not considered to be spoilers.

The Doctor Who Comic-Con panel takes place Thursday 19th July at 11.45 am local time. [bold]The first trailer will air during the World Cup final this Sunday.[/bold]

Jesus Christ, it's been ages and yet I didn't catch up with the series watching the last Christmas special. Has "Class" been officially canceled yet? The first season was great, but apparently not popular, or successful, enough which is a darn shame.

r3 I keep forgetting to check out Class, even though someone recommended it to me here on DL. But yes, it's been cancelled back in September.

Class was cancelled last year, unfortunately. I liked it and the prince guy was hot, hot hot. Also if you follow his Instagram he's been working out since then and has gotten buff.

r5 His body is hot but what a thirst trap that Insta is. The photos of him and his wife look like photos of a gay guy and his lesbian friend. And they're both [italic]really[/italic] into protein powder and working out. Very peculiar.

Here he is doing a series of yoga poses.

r7 For some reason, that annoys me almost as much as Hilaria Baldwin doing yoga on a plane. And I'm addicted to yoga myself, by the way.

He and his "wife" are on my irrational hate list now.

[bold]Time trials: How Jodie Whittaker became the new face of Doctor Who[/bold]

[quote]Whitaker auditioned for Chibnall and the show’s executive producer Matt Strevens, reading specially-written script pages designed to see if she could handle the many different emotional sides of the eccentric Time Lord. The pair then asked the Broadchurch star to self-tape herself spouting what Whittaker describes as “sci-fi gobbledygook,” something she found surprisingly enjoyable. “I had an iPhone, wires, in a box,” she says. “I pretended to defuse something, and I loved it.”

[quote]Strevens reveals that he and Chibnall “saw a few actresses for the part,” but couldn’t stop thinking about Whittaker. “She was just so compelling,” says the EP. “In a way, it was a no-brainer. The fact that we were casting a female Doctor disappeared really quickly from our minds. We were just casting the Doctor and she felt like our Doctor.” Chibnall says that casting Whittaker “was the easiest decision I made in my whole career.”

The new composer's kinda cute.

Teaser, mainly introducing her new companions.

It all depends on the writing. I'll give it a shot, but I'm don't know that I'm all that interested in a female doctor. We'll see.

Is there really something so inherently captivating about the male body that you would watch The Doctor sit at a table without saying anything for an hour every week? Of course not; it all depends on what comes out of his/her mouth and what he/she does. You know, just like in the real world.

Seems weird to me to be so stuck on the chromosomes of The Doctor's current suit.

Wait a minute!? Chibnall was in on the casting and didn't talk Dylan Moran into being the next Doctor? Lies and corruption!!!!! ;-(

The Muppets - and Special Guest - at O2. (There's also clips of the same skit featuring Peter Davison.)

[bold]Doctor Who: The Lost Episode (BBC America, July 19, 8 p.m.)[/bold]

[quote]In 1979, a BBC strike halted production of Doctor Who’s 17th series, leaving its final, Douglas Adams-penned story incomplete. Now, the original footage has been remastered and recut with hand-drawn animation to fill in the visual gaps of episodes where the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) and his companion Romana (Lalla Ward) visit the high-security prison planet of Shada. There they encounter a villainous alien trying to amass criminal knowledge and a retired Time Lord guarding a secret that, in the wrong hands, could mean the end of the universe as we know it. [AV Club]

Official trailer!

^^ Dat accent tho.

The poster's cool and I like the updated look of the screwdriver.

[bold]Doctor Who series 11 won't feature any two-part stories[/bold]

[quote]"It's 10 standalone episodes, there's no two-parters or anything like that," Chibnall told us during an interview at Comic-Con International in San Diego.

[quote]"What we want is for people to feel like we've got the range and variety of Doctor Who this year. So if you've never seen it before, you're gonna fall in love with it, and if you have seen it, you're gonna get those things that you love about the show across the 10 episodes."

I'm fully on board with that reasoning. Bring as many new viewers on board as possible.

[bold]Doctor Who Season 11 To Feature Show’s FIRST Writers Of Color[/bold]

[quote]The upcoming Doctor Who season 11 continues to break new ground for the series as the new season will feature the first writers of color to ever work for the show. The new season will see more diversity, both inside and outside of the TARDIS.

[quote]It's hard to believe that in the long history of Doctor Who, no writers of color have ever worked for the series. But in looking at its history, the writer's room has never been that diverse. In the 55 years that the show has existed, only nine women have served as writers. That's kind of strange considering the series would not exist without producer Verity Lambert, who helped bring the very first episodes of the series to television sets across Britain. But even odder is that no person of color has ever written for the show, although those early episodes were directed by a British man of Indian descent, Waris Hussein.

[quote]That all changes with season 11, though. For the first time, Doctor Who will have writers of color working on the show. In a press conference before the show's big panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, new showrunner Chris Chibnall spoke about the series' efforts in diversity.

[quote]“It should be the most inclusive show on television. The whole concept of Doctor Who is that anyone can go anywhere.”

I'm mostly glad Moffat is gone. Yes, the "Girl in the Fireplace" was one of the best episodes (as was "Blink") but he made a mess out of his run. The "Silence Will Fall" and all the crap he had drag on for 3 years was awful. There was no payoff in the end worth the 3 year wait he put viewers through. Many of his other plot lines were indecipherable and bizarre. I know people complained that Davies was too cartoonish and his characters were childish - but those seasons are what revived the series & it was always a campy show, historically.

"Is there really something so inherently captivating about the male body that you would watch The Doctor sit at a table without saying anything for an hour every week? "

YES, R13 .

You're at Datalounge, sugar. Gay men. Gay. Men. And the inherently captivating male body.

Porn is porn. Scripted television is something else entirely. Sugar.

Very much looking forward to this!

Um, no it's not, dipshit - I mean R13. It's visual, it's entertainment, it's pretty men who I want to look at onscreen. Take those lofty ideals about your favorite long running soap to some fanboy site, but don't pretend here that there's any difference between one sort of male eye candy and another.

It bothers me that this female doctor has perfectly coifed hair and makeup on.

The Doctor has spend how the hell many centuries presenting as male, how the hell would he know how to do makeup and the proper way to flat-iron hair into a perfectly immobile bob?

I just assume she has her hair done at the same place Matt Smith got his wig done for his final scene on the show.

A Sarah Jane Adventures re-boot!

(seriously...?)

"Is it still The Doctor or is it The Lady Doctor? The Doctress? My brain hurts!"

River Song or Missy should've been the female doctor. They are quirky, wise and interesting enough to pull it off. This new female doctor? - No Thanks, I will pass until they have a male doctor again.

r31 Your last sentence literally discredits the point you were making in the first two. Also, Missy or River becoming The Doctor makes zero sense if you're even passingly familiar with this show. They're already their own characters and it's not like "The Doctor" is just a moniker that passes from one person to another. Jesus.

Actually, R31, the existence of Missy and River Song proves the existence of actresses who are intelligent and charismatic enough to play the Doctor.

I just hope Whittaker is another one in that category, but I've never seen her work. I will tune in long enough to see if she's up to the mark, and for her entire run if she is.

The characters of Missy and River are intelligent because they're written to be intelligent. Look towards older Star Trek to see brilliant women being written as blubbering idiots. Most anyone who's gone through basic training in acting can pull off convincingly playing a dimwit or a genius. Jodie has graduated Guildhall with the highest degree, so she'll do more than fine in this. It's just a silly show at the end of the day.

As for charisma, we'll see. I have my doubts on that front as well.

r22 I don't like how BBC has this business of Doctor Who set up in the first place. Every showrunner should be contracted for three to five seasons at most and then they should be replaced with a new one. Because otherwise they become this superstar when things are going great, and a hated person when they're not. And the latter seeps into my enjoyment of the show because all I can see anymore is their tired-ass formula. Creative juices run out eventually, which is only natural. I just wish they'd plan for it beforehand.

Anyway, here's Jodie doing an epic catwalk at Comic-Con.

[bold]There's a very clever reason why Doctor Who series 11 will have three companions[/bold]

[quote]"I love Doctor Who as a big, popular, mainstream, accessible show," Chibnall said. "So I wanted to make sure that every member of the audience felt they had a relatable character, an access point. Hopefully it means that the show can resonate with the broadest possible audience. And of course, three companions with the Doctor... we're really going back to 1963 – that's the format of the show! You're not changing the format, that's how it started, really – which I only realised afterwards."

[quote]The Doctor's new friends – Chibnall says not calling them "companions" just feels "a bit more natural" but "is in no way a rule or edict from now on" – include Yaz (Mandip Gill), who is "in absolute awe of the Doctor" and Ryan (Tosin Cole), who "challenges the Doctor from time to time, gets it right sometimes, but wrong a lot of the time".

[quote]"People have an 'in', in three different ways," Gill added. "We all bring something different to the group, with gender, race, everything. And just the personalities of the three characters are very different.

Well, why not three companions, they've done it several times before.

r37 I've never seen the pre-reboot series but I'm glad they're opting for more than one companion again. I never much cared for "The Chosen One" trope with Rose, Amelia, and Clara. I want the companions to be enjoyable and well-written characters, but ultimately expendable and replaceable.

[bold]'Time Traveler's Wife' Drama From Steven Moffat Scores HBO Green Light[/bold]

[quote]HBO, under orders to do more from new corporate parent WarnerMedia, has handed out a straight-to-series order for a take on Audrey Niffenegger's novel The Time Traveler's Wife.

[quote]The drama, which landed at the premium cabler after a multiple-outlet bidding war, will be adapted by Steven Moffat (Sherlock, Doctor Who). An episode count and premiere date have yet to be determined. Casting has not yet begun. The drama is described as an intricate and magical love story that tells the story of Clare and Henry, and a marriage with a problem ... time travel.

[quote]"I read Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife many years ago, and I fell in love with it," Moffat said. "In fact, I wrote a Doctor Who episode called 'The Girl in the Fireplace' as a direct response to it. When, in her next novel, Audrey had a character watching that very episode, I realized she was probably on to me. All these years later, the chance to adapt the novel itself, is a dream come true. The brave new world of long-form television is now ready for this kind of depth and complexity. It’s a story of happy ever after — but not necessarily in that order.”

So Chinballs buries The Doctor amongst three relatable companions not called companions?

Bollocks.

He should have let The Doctor be The Doctor.

[quote]He should have let The Doctor be The Doctor.

r40 You mean like in the 60s when the Doctor also had three companions? I actually think putting two or three people as companions makes the Doctor stand out more as we're not so invested with that Special One, who is so very precious that the existence of the whole universe depends on her. I'm tired of that trope now so this is refreshing.

I am speaking from a Nu-Who perspective.

It's like they hired a woman and had to slather on the icing.

Of course, in the annals of DW, he did have three companions. Ity is the reason Cinballs gave that is particularly disturbing.

Because it is not about better writing.

[quote]Ity is the reason Cinballs gave that is particularly disturbing.

You mean his reasoning that he wants to give more (new) viewers an "in" to this relatively hermetic show and so attract fresh viewership, which is crucial for show's long-term survival? I don't see anything disturbing about that; just your basic business sense, really.

The diminishing returns of Moffat's later seasons seem directly proportional to how insular the writing felt towards the end. I'm all for giving something new a whirl.

r44 Agreed. These ten episodes are said to be classic Doctor Who in its tone, but with all-new "villains", which is wonderful for those checking it out for the first time. You can always rope the newcomers into additional canon/lore in subsequent seasons.

I will also say that I've never seen Broadchurch, so I am completely unfamiliar with Jodie Whitaker as an actress. However: A) her smile is completely infectious, and B) I'm so glad they're letting her use her own accent.

She sounds like Bubble on AbFab. Waiting for her to say nooooooooo.

It's carpets! It's madness! Carpet Madness!

r48, sounds like the Carpeteria Genie.

[quote]Chloe Bennet (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Regina King (Watchmen), Camila Mendes (Riverdale), Amandla Stenberg (The Darkest Minds), and Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who) participate in Entertainment Weekly’s yearly panel Women Who Kick Ass.

She's just female and white? BBC not ticking enough boxes. Surely there was a bi-racial, non-binary refugee actor available.

r51 Your complaint is entirely nonsensical when you look at the larger context in which this show takes place, i.e. that there have been twelve straight white dudes who had played The Doctor in the TV series up until now. "Box-ticking" didn't come up much back then, did it? Even though a straight white male is just another segment of the population, not the sacred default handed down from the gods.

Well, that segment is now going to be represented by one of the companions. I'm sure you'll learn to live with it eventually, like the rest of us marginalized groups have been doing our entire lives.

r50 That accent is truly lethal when she first opens her mouth but I got used to it within minutes. Still, it really stands out in that setting.

r53, noooooooo

that was a Yorkie nooooo in r54.

r55 Anyone who didn't get that should be red-tagged immediately.

Are there any Whovians in the house? Because the Oncoming Storm is about to arrive in Chicago (No! It's not Florence!!!)! Our very own Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith, will join Karen Gillan (Amy Pond) at the ACE Comic Con in Chicago (10/12-13)! Geronimo!!!

I have very low expectations for the Doctress, but then I thought both Matt Smith and Capaldi were each lousy as well. When Tennent left the show I argued for Jane Horrocks as the first female Doctor. I think she would have been brilliant.

ps- red tagging the guy because he is a Dr Who fanatic? c'mon

r 56 was recently red agged as it was open posted 8/5. Once you are r tagged it goes across threads.

Could have been a bad boy elsewhere.

And r58, they got a different Jane Horrocks because both are from Yorkshire.

The Yorkshire accent is a bit annoying.

Anyone watch? Is this still the thread to discuss?

R60 - Jane Horrocks is very famously from Lancashire, not Yorkshire.

R61 - I enjoyed it and it's the top trending topic on Twitter so looks like it was well received. I've not seen anyone slate it, anyway.

It was a solid episode. Jodie is just delightful. I can already tell I’m going to enjoy this new show runner. Never cared for Moffet’s overly complex, convuluted stories.

Yea - a straightforward narrative and extremely likable first performance from Jodi!

The supporting cast - we’ll see. Didn’t fall immediately in love with them and sadly the character I liked the most meets an unfortunate end.

The tooth creature was visually underwhelming, however. I felt like we’ve seen this creature a million times before.

Two words about Thirteen: She's awesome.

I would have switched out either Yaz or Ryan for Grace in a heartbeat.

This episode also (briefly) featured the adorable Amit Shah from the UK series “Crashing”. He would have made an excellent companion to Jodi’s Doctor.

Poor writing for a meh opener. I hope it gets better.

Liked Jodie but that accent is cringy.

OP lost me when he dissed Matt Smith and then praised David Tennant, the hammiest ham who ever hammed.

I ADORE David Tennant's Doctor, R69, he knew that this who isn't strict realism and it's best to play things big some times, and play some things weird some times.

I liked Whittaker on the first go, but I can't say my feelings are stronger than that.

Jodie Whittaker did a fine job of being David Tennant. Hope she can be herself at some point.

Story was very average but the cast were great. I look forward to what comes next. And watching Doctor Who in the 1970s in Britain is my earliest memory of anything.

Joost sit bek and ave foon!

So when Whittaker leaves the role, if the BBC don’t hire another female actor, will the experiment be seen as a failure?

Give it time and a few series. So far most Doctors get three series. We will see after that.

I imagine Tom Hiddleston will be available.

I was let down by the plot for the season premiere. Star Trek Voyager did the whole "hunting" thing with the hirogen (and did it better) than this episode. Didn't they also keep their human trophies in the same way as tooth-faced man described.

Visually, it was pretty nice, though that squid monster / data collection device looked like it was straight out of The Matrix. I like that the Doctor made the sonic screwdriver from scratch and finally admitted it was a scanner / all-in-one kind of device. I agreed with all of the criticism that it went from opening doors to becoming a total magic wand in recent years.

One of the major pieces of criticism in the Moffat era was that the Doctor would fight enemies by telling them that he's the Doctor and they should just be scared and run away. In the Davies era, someone always sacrificed themselves and died (which happened here). It looks like we are going back to the sacrifice thing. The Moffat monologues of "I'm the doctor - fear me! Run!" were stupid ways to win. The fact that the Doctor grabbed the transport device was a good way out.

The one character who seemed like she'd be a fun companion was killed. The others will have to develop more to see what they can offer. Is he going to have 3? Or is one the Rory and the Wilf?

Jodie's answers during the commercials were soooo saccharine over the top. It's just a show, girl. A very famous show, but still.

Had good debut numbers but lets see how it pans out.

The three companions have potential, they're all played by likeable actors and have room for personal growth and for developing interesting relationships. In fact, the writers kind of hit us over the head with how much room for growth and potential for interesting relationships the three companions have. I'd bet quite a lot of real money that the kid with dyspraxia (?) does something that requires super physical coordination during the season finale.

Liked seeing the Doctor think on her feet and have nothing to work with, not even memories, that's a nice direction for the show to take.

Good camera work, good lighting, good sound design. Technically well made. However the characters felt a bit generic for me, hopefully they get a bit more fleshed out. Script was a bit meh, felt a little flat at times. Some good comedy bits but mostly dark stuff. Very obvious plot points and concequences.

Main question though, does it feel like doctor who? Honestly, not currently, but it is only the first episode.

How's Jodie? She's alright. The other characters didn't stand out for me. I would've preferred one companion.

Overall just ok. While technically well made, the story didnt really do much for me.

Yeah, couldn't disagree more. The premiere was excellent in every respect, and she's totally "The Doctor". It totally felt like Doctor Who. The other characters were great, and relatable. It'll probably stand as one of my favorite episodes ever (top ten).

So is it that somewhat incomprehensible/grim Lancashire accent? Or is it Yorkshire?

Anything Mancunian and up (direction wise) takes some ear adjustment, especially if rattled off quickly.

I have a feeling Jodie was selected in part precisely because of her accent.

If that is true, r83, then Chinball should have hired Horrocks.

r84 Jodie has other great qualities, like not being annoying.

Your irony is killing me, r85.

Noooo, roooon!

I don't know British accents. What accent does she have,? I also felt like she was just copying one of the other doctors. Hopefully she will put her own stamp on the character as things move along.

Her boob stamp!

Really liked everything. Jodie is promising...I liked the fact they didn't make a big deal out of the new gender. The companions have promise. I'm a bit annoyed they killed off the grandma; I liked her the most out of the 4 helpers in the first episode but it's DW so maybe she'll return in some form or the other.

And, it feels new and fresh. Love the new cinematography; dark and cinematic. The show looks very rich now...not as flat and cartoony.

Thrilled with the new production team. Moffat had talent but he overstayed his welcome. Chibnall is bringing a new eye to the material.

The writing still sucks.

How many episodes for this series?

#2 tomorrow.

The new title sequence is atrocious. Nothing distinctive, it could be used for just about any TV show.

The new tardis is way more atrocious than the titles.

I have a feeling Jodie was selected because she kinda looks like Tennant

How many seasons until we get a new Doctor?

three

Sexy is organic like 10 but she has a crystalline quality like the Fortress of Solitude.

Interesting.

The female competitor and Billie Piper have the same dentist.

I will say I absolutely hate the trope of "something is falling towards us, so we're going to run in the only directly that maximizes the chances of it hitting and killing us".

When they saw the crashing ship heading right towards them, they should have run 90 degrees away from it. How is this not obvious to everyone? So annoying.

r98, agreed. Chinball writes his characters stupid.

New Theme: Meh

New Title Sequence: Not a fan

New Tardis interior: Hate it

New Doctor: Love her

Why is the TARDIS so dark inside? And all those cutouts. What a pain to dust.

The new interior looks like the TARDIS crashed into Superman's Fortress of Solitude and some of the crystals got stuck.

that, or the police box is being attacked by a space crustacean.

Doctor Who praised by Dyspraxia Foundation for showing Ryan’s condition on primetime telly

I guess I'm the only one who liked the new TARDIS. The crystal thing looked kind of cool to me. It was too dark though. Maybe it wasn't fully powered up or something.

I thought one of the contestants was going to come back to get the group and then that person was going to win the race because (I thought?) the true prize was finding the TARDIS (the ghost monument)? Maybe I missed something. Anyway, I think that would've been a better ending than the tie.

r102, Me2.

.

r96

I like the theme. It sounds a lot more like the original incarnation than any of the themes the revived series has used. That said, my favorite is still the version they used in Donna's season, with the guitars.

The only thing I don't like about the trippy visuals is the lack of a TARDIS.

The then=me sounds like a version for an antacid tablet.

then=me = theme^^

All thooombs

I really like that Graham has taken to calling her "Doc." I can't think of another companion who's done that.

R109 Peri did - much to the annoyance of the sixth Doctor.

The second episode started off interesting but I was bored by the end.

They didn't have to make the villain so hot. (Was that the guy from Revenge?)

Anyway, I like these episodes with inspiring historical figures, even if the effort to tug on heartstrings is a bit too plain. Great use of the Andra Day song. This wasn't Vincent and the Doctor, but it was pretty damn good.

Yeah it was the guy from Revenge. I think he got a nose job cause it looked rather different.

Very good episode, Rosa is.

Nice tie in with Rose as a symbolic beginning.

A bit of an after school special exposition at the end but nice.

I guess one has to figure that part of the audience (possibly the most important part, as far as this episode goes) consists of British kids, who probably don't know much about Rosa Parks. Thus, the tone of the last few minutes is quite easy to forgive. I've seen it a second time. I think this will go down as one of the classics.

I thought it was really good. The best of the 3 so far. Of course, everyone on Reddit was bitching about it since they never took a history class, thought it was "too PC," contrived, and a bunch of other crap. I have to stop reading sites for shows I like. I stopped reading some of the threads on here where there are trolls who literally watch episodes just to come back to DL and bitch about how awful they were (see the AHS threads...or any Ryan Murphy show actually)

Whose suitcase was that with the initials GFB?

It belonged to the Time Bigot, but do you mean who was GFB?

I just assumed that it's either a setup for more Krasko later in the series or a shoutout to diehard fans. Or both: I'm hardly a diehard but I know Stormcage isn't a new thing. River Song was locked up there.

I for one would love to see River come back. It should be interesting what dynamic Chibnall would create for her and a female Doctor.

I wonder what the deal is with that racist guy. If he was from the era where they already had vortex manipulators, that's like thousands of years later. How could he still be racist in 5000 AD? Or was that the whole point.

I enjoyed the first two doctors in the current Doctor who run. Eccleston and Tennant are my guys. I enjoyed their story lines and adventures. But the show became so convoluted and ridiculous during the Smith and Capaldi years, I gave up. Read the link here about Stormcage - it's history and the centuries and River and Rory - oy vey it makes my head spin.

I like the new version, am enjoying the new doctor and the companions. The Rosa Parks was a good "old-fashioned" episode.

R121 here, fogot the link...

Withe the three companions, all a different PC flavor, the only thing missing is K9 and this is The Sarah Jane Adventures.

This Doctor needs a sidekick like Donna.

r121 I agree, even though Eleven is my favourite Doctor. Before Matt Smith, references to old episodes got as far as "Are you my mummy?"

At the every end of Rosa, in the preview of next week's episode, that was Mr. Big, right?

^At the very end

Chris Noth, yes.

Spiders, Arachnids, again?

So Sheffield has never seen the Empress of the Racnoss?

[quote] If he was from the era where they already had vortex manipulators, that's like thousands of years later. How could he still be racist in 5000 AD? Or was that the whole point.

That was, in fact, the whole point. That bigotry, racism, and more are something we have to constantly battle against. It's never just "fixed" and we move on. Things may get better, but we'll never get to perfection. It takes constant vigilance.

[quote]I enjoyed the first two doctors in the current Doctor who run. Eccleston and Tennant are my guys. I enjoyed their story lines and adventures. But the show became so convoluted and ridiculous during the Smith and Capaldi years, I gave up.

We're the exact opposite. I didn't care for the Eccleston and Tennant years (even though I love both actors). Matt Smith was by far my favorite, with Capaldi a close second (though I didn't much care for Clara).

I'm loving this new Doctor though.

[quote]But the show became so convoluted and ridiculous during the Smith and Capaldi years, I gave up.

Yeah, Moffat took the show off the deep end. Finally, he's gone. There might actually be coherent plot lines now.

I just found it odd that someone thought racism would persist in the era when humanity expanded throughout time and space and all of our current cultural baggage would have been forgotten, and we will have so many other species to despise.

Because yes, lots and lots of humans need a group of "others" to despise.

[quote] I just found it odd that someone thought racism would persist in the era when humanity expanded throughout time and space and all of our current cultural baggage would have been forgotten, and we will have so many other species to despise.

Yeah that's what I thought.

I thought maybe he had a more complicated history than we're seeing now & we might see him again. With the "everything started changing... with HER" - it's a bit Mary! honestly. But actually, if it is true - and people in the year 5000 are thinking this - that's a big fat WTF that would be kind of interesting to explore, though I don't know that Doctor Who would want to go there.

I think it's odd that we're apparently little better off NOW, racism-wise, than we were back in the 50s. Because holy shit, we have a straight white male supremacist in the White House, and all over the south, black and minority voters are being intimidated and suppressed... just like the bad old days. VERY LITTLE HAS EFFECTIVELY CHANGED it seems. The luchings continue, though instead of with a noose, they're with the bullets of KKK members with badges and guns, shooting innocent black people for no reason, just to kill black people. It's totally fucked up.

[quote]The luchings continue

Pics please.

What's a luching?

What I don't get is why Ryan sent him back to the past. Doesn't that mean Krasko gets to live as an entitled white man? I guess it depends on when and where.

[quote] I for one would love to see River come back. It should be interesting what dynamic Chibnall would create for her and a female Doctor.

But since River is going in the opposite direction, timewise, it would be a younger Alex Kingston before the character met Capaldi, Smith, and finally Tennant?

Good luck with that.

Hey Sherry, what is it you're doing these days? We should catch-up, but my schedule's been quite full since that hospital drama in the states came to an end.

...I cried.

r137, If 13 returned to the Library and removed River from the computer, River would move forward in time.

R133, when was the last time you were thrown in jail for using the white people's restroom, or when someone threatened to murder you because you touched a white woman? Seriously, get a grip, because while OF COURSE things are a hell of a long way from perfect today, you're part of the modern computer-owning classes but you're whining like you're a sharecropper in the Jim Crow South.

And R137, River and the Doctor don't always go opposite directions in time, in the middle of the Eleven years he met the young River just before she regenerated into her current form.

R141 apparently miss the black kid who got the cops called on him for touching a white woman accidentally in the store.

Or, you know. the cops being called on black people BBQing in a public park, or rummaging through their car's trunk, or while canvassing for an election, or cheering their kid on at soccer, or … any of the thousand other stories we've seen over the past couple of years.

And we have more spiders?

Nobody in Sheffield heard of the Empress of the Racknoss?

As an aside, I am LOVING Michelle Gomez in the new Sabrina.

The Afterschool Special Doctor.

I really want to like series 11 but it keeps stopping me by being so bloody awful!

Doctor Who's Gallifrey Would Be a Nightmarishly Awful Place to Live

Another badly written episode

First I'm thinking a gay man couldn't have designed the new TARDIS interior because it's so ugly. Then I see that thrusting phallus in the middle and I'm...I'm confused.

I like how the BBC thought that putting all the money into CGI would pay off with Chinball writing such mediocre crap.

Chinball is no RTD or Moff and we know this by this episode.

Mr. Big as Donald Trump stand-in. Sad!

Long time watcher, first time commenter....so if the Doctor is going to be a woman, and they made such a huge deal about it, wouldn't the doctors character have changed, as it does with the male doctors? Cause Jodie is just playing a 11/12 hybrid, nothing new, and nothing female, Why did they bother?

I don't get what you're saying R152 What specifically male traits did the previous doctors have? Other than being played by men. The big deal in this case is that the doctor is being played by a woman now, nothing else.

R153 Men and women are not the same, despite what they push, we aren't, I wish she was pro guns, for one thing

What's being pro guns got to do with being female?

r153 Matt Smith's trait is specifically male.

R155 Do you remember when Davros was shouting at 10 at the end of 'Journeys End' and truthfully states that the Doctor sets his companions up as weapons and gets them to do the killing for him? Remember? It is true and it would be cool if 14 had grown and was now, being a woman, capable of doing her own dirty work instead of making everyone else do it just so HE could say 'I don't use guns'.....cause he does by making others do the killing

R156 GO MATTHEW

It was the weakest of the three episodes, but it was a strong start with the first two imho. Hopefully now that they've got the companions committed, and they're heading off-Earth, we'll get some really good stories again.

R154, ugh, no. Of course The Doctor is not "pro-gun". No sane, evolved, advanced person is.

Only lizard brains are "pro-gun".

The Doctor is most definitely anti-killing, so why would she be pro-gun? Recreational hunting?

Haven't seen this week's yet, but I really enjoyed the Rosa Parks episode. It was refreshing to watch an episode that didn't consist of everyone either running from or chasing some alien down a corridor for 45 minutes.

Jodie is not good at playing David Tennant

This one (spiders) was actually my favorite of the new season. I’m warming up to the companions, especially Yaz and Graham. Are the writers hinting that Yaz has romantic feelings for the Doctor?

Who wore it best?

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

R164, must be a standard alien outfit I guess.

And R165, only bigots are bothered.

[quote]only bigots are bothered.

So, about 99.99999% of their fan base.

The race episode was just dumb, beginning to end. We're supposed to believe those two losers were the most fierce competitors willing to fight to to the death? They wouldn't last 2 episodes of Survivor. This show so far is Sarah Jane Adventures without the cute kids.

[quote]This show so far is Sarah Jane Adventures without the cute kids.

or K9

I thought they changed the name to 'Nurse Who' when that chick took over.

I’m looking forward to the Transgender Daleks

I thought they were bringing back the Racknoss, especially when they showed that map of where the spiders were making webs... it reminded me of that season1 (reboot) episode of the racknoss ship. The way they did it, with the Mr. Big / Donald Trump character was a let down. Nothing really happened to him or his hotel empire building over waste dumps or empty mines...it was just kinda dumb. They led all the spiders in the panic room with rap music? Ok...

I guess nobody else found it to be rather coincidental they had the big argument over guns and shooting the dying spider right when the Pittsburgh shooting happened. The doctor always tries to resolve things without guns, but it came up numerous times in that particular episode, and Mr. Big shot the spider for no reason - simply because he's an ass hole and had a gun in his hand.

I really liked the Rosa Parks episode, though it got some bad reviews & the IMDB scores since Jodie took over are not good. I think she's doing fine though. The episodes haven't been that great or mysterious or whatever. The Rosa one was good though - with all the things they had to ensure to make her get on the bus...and that psycho guy trying to ruin it.

Omg, Punjabi DEMONS!!!

Doctor Who Christmas special 'not happening this year' — moved to New Years day

Episode 5 - The Tsuranga Conundrum Teaser Trailer

🐼🐼 #DoctorWho

'Doctor Who' Dropped Hints About a Yasmin-Doctor Relationship

Doctor Who Season 11 Is Rewriting The Doctor's Time Lord Backstory

Doctor Who season 11 is rewriting the history of the Doctor, revealing a secret side to the Time Lord's life that has never been shown before. New showrunner Chris Chibnall seems to be taking a bold new approach; not only is the Doctor finally a female, but this incarnation is opening up about a past that's only ever been hinted at.

That, though, is the magic of Doctor Who. This is a show that completely reinvents itself every few years; every time the Doctor regenerates, it's an opportunity to take the series in a whole new direction. When a regeneration comes at the same time as a new showrunner, the transformation is even more distinct. Jodie Whittaker herself stands as a symbol of that, the first female Doctor who's already proved herself in just a handful of episodes.

Related: Doctor Who Isn't Killing Its Villains - Is This The Secret Season 11 Arc?

But what new elements is the latest season adding to Doctor Who? How will they change the shape of the BBC's longest-running science-fiction TV series for years to come? Here, we're going to explore some of the key changes Chris Chibnall seems to be making to the Doctor's past.

Doctor Who season 11 episode 4 "Arachnids in the UK" saw the Doctor and her friends return to Earth, and gave the socially awkward Time Lord a chance to make small talk. Suffice to say, it didn't go well; her meandering comments included a reference to space assassins, leaving Yaz's family bewildered and confused. But one single line of dialogue stood out; the Doctor's aimless chatter drifted to reminiscing about a time when she was "a sister in an aqua hospital." A "sister," of course, is a female nurse; taken at face value, this seems to suggest that there have been previous female incarnations of the Doctor. It fits well with a single line of dialogue from season 10, when Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor recalled back to his Academy days. "I think [the Master] was a man back then," he said. "I'm fairly sure that I was, too. It was a long time ago, though."

Given the Doctor came to the end of his/her regeneration cycle in the Matt Smith era, needing a fresh injection of regeneration energy from the Time Lords, this seems to cause something of a problem to continuity. Either the Doctor was just rambling, talking utter nonsense, or else the Time Lords had given the Doctor a fresh regeneration cycle once before. If that's the case, there are 13 past Doctors who've never been seen on the TV, and who predate William Hartnell's classic incarnation. What's more, at least one of them was female.

There are a couple of subtle hints in the old series that support this idea. "The Brain of Morbius" included a scene in which the Doctor engaged another Time Lord in a psychic battle; faces of his previous incarnations flashed on the screen, running back through Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton, William Hartnell - and then on, to eight other faces. It clearly implied that Hartnell's wasn't the First Doctor, after all. Meanwhile, in the Sylvester McCoy era, the Time Lord reminisced about the ancient days of Gallifrey - times surely too far in his homeworld's past for even the Doctor to remember.

The same scene from "Arachnids in the UK" saw the Doctor drop another bombshell on viewers: "I used to have sisters," she rambled. There have been previous canon references to the Doctor's parents, children, and even grandchildren, but this is the first time there's ever been a reference to the idea the Doctor had sisters.

The BBC recently published a canon novel bearing the title "A Brief History of Time Lords." Written from the perspective of a disillusioned Time Lord, it revealed that the vast majority of Gallifrey's inhabitants live outside the famous bubbled cities, and explained just how a person becomes a Time Lord. It involves leaving your family behind.

"Almost the whole population lives outside the cities. Billions of native Gallifreyans in their farms and homesteads, working through the day to feed themselves - and us - until the night-time comes... The thing that every 7-year-old on Gallifrey truly dreads is turning 8. Being taken from their family and failing the selection. What will you fail to become, child? Soldier? Chancellery Guard? Time Lord?

"Or, worse, will you pass, and spend all your lifetimes inside one of those bubbles? Forget your past life, until it comes naturally for you to recoil from the outside, shut it out, forget it? Perhaps you'll only cope with your sterile existence by shutting out all that life. Or by shutting yourself in."

The Doctor, it seems, passed the selection process and became a Time Lord. Did her sisters? Or did this early incarnation of the Doctor abandon them, forget about them, focus on his or her new life at the Time Lord Academy?

At this stage, it's impossible to say for certain. All that can be confirmed is that the Doctor had sisters - and, significantly, she believes they're dead. "I used to have sisters," the Doctor observed, and it's unclear how far back she was remembering at that moment. It's believed that only Time Lords have the ability to regenerate, not all Gallifreyans. If the Doctor's sisters failed the selection process, then they may have died millennia ago - perhaps more, if the Doctor really has had multiple regeneration cycles in the past.

"Family" seems to be the central theme of Doctor Who season 11, so it's perhaps no surprise that Whittaker's 13th Doctor has spent more time reflecting on her family than any other incarnation to date. In the first episode, "The Woman Who Fell To Earth," the Doctor attempted to comfort her friends by talking about how her family are always with her. "They may be dead to the world, but they're not dead to me," she declared. It's a strange inversion of a speech given by Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor in "The Tomb of the Cybermen." There, he told a grieving companion that he had lost his family many years ago, that he could choose to remember them but that the passing of time had healed the wounds.

"I have to really want to, to bring them back in front of my eyes. The rest of the time they sleep in my mind, and I forget. And so will you. Oh yes, you will. You'll find there's so much else to think about."

Whittaker's Doctor is more empathetic and able to understand the feelings of others. As a result, she seems to recognize the value of family a lot more. She doesn't want to forget the people she's loved and lost, but rather she chooses every day to remember them and carry them in her heart. It marks her as a very different incarnation of the Doctor - but it also means viewers are getting new insight into the Time Lord's backstory.

-

While these themes and ideas are subtle, they've been carefully threaded through almost every episode so far. It looks as though they're building to a head, suggesting that perhaps the Doctor's family aren't quite as dead and buried as she believes. If that's the case, could one of the Doctor's siblings even be the "Timeless Child" alluded to in "The Ghost Monument?" Right now, only one thing is certain: this trend looks set to continue, meaning the Doctor's past - and even her family ties - are likely to be further fleshed out as Doctor Who season 11 continues.

screenrant

I liked episodes one and three, and found episodes two and four to be meh. I wonder if it's going to be an "every other episode is good" thing, kinda like the original star trek movies?

Is it just me or is the opening credit sequence now a flight through a woman's birth canal? And the Tardis looks like a womb. Just binge watched the last Christmas Special (Twice Upon A Time) and the new season so far. I like the new Doctor and the companions. Love how they deal with grief (Graham mourning Grace) and the production values are, like, through the roof (and they were top notch in the past). Love the guest appearance of Josh Bowman (Revenge) in "Rosa". I hope that is a twist with his character coming in later episodes.

r181, I believe that has always been the case. Individual fans like certain themes and when other themes are covered they kind of tune out and like those episodes less than the ones that deal with their favorite themes. Like someone only liking episodes that deal with Daleks, Cybermen, or supernatural phenomenons (wait, what's left then?).

I see potential in Jodie, but she really hasn't found her voice yet. The problem is - well, the writing is shit and the characters are way underdeveloped. She hasn't had that "Yeah, you are the Doctor" moment for me yet.

So I've not given up yet, but she's been mediocre at best.

The new Doctor always needs a couple of episodes to find his, or her, voice. An adjustment period, if you will.

R184, I had that "Yeah, you are the Doctor" moment in the premiere.

But the character has been explicitly stating that she's still finding herself after regeneration... in every single episode so far, in fact.

I know the black General on Gallifery regenerated in a flash.

Why is the Doctor having this long post regeneration complications.

She should know who she is and who she was by now.

Just saw episode 5 and I'm convinced three companions is too many. For the most part, the writers just end up farming out to three actors what could be spoken by one. They should kill off the girl, keep the guy, and leave Graham earthbound, sort of like Donna's dad. I love Graham, but he'll be more effective that way.

What the fuck was that?

The Hospital Ship of the Social Justice Warrior.

I was hoping the P'ting was going to put me out of my misery.

Chinball is an asshole.

The Doctor is fine. I like her. Love the look of the show and the acting. But the writing lacks excitement. Plots are too much by the book. Obviously Chibnal is not going for character driven scripts. But he doesn't seem to spend much energy on plots either. Oh well, it's not a total turn off so far, but it needs more than this to get me excited.

Question: Given the fact that time lords can be of either gender, how does having three sisters make sense?

r190, isn't it alluded to that the sisters were not chosen to be Time Lords?

Why couldn't they have used that set as the new TARDIS? It already had the central cockpit and everything.

The Doctor likes Hamilton. Ugh. I should have known. S/he's a fan of exposition.

Chinball is a fan of exposition. He is breathless with it.

Doctor Who series 11: where are the real villains?

Series 11 might be filled with monsters and mutant spiders, but where are the villains that show us who the Doctor really is?

Where is the Sci-FI?

R195, Doctor Who has never been "Sci-Fi". It's always been "Sci-Fantasy".

I loved this show and never missed an episode. Now I struggle to sit through this drivel. Where is the fun? Seriously, it feels like all the fun has been sucked out of this show - it's so bland and sterile. The writing has been awful - Chibnal clearly has no clue how to write engaging sci-fi stories. Also not a fan of Jodie as a Doctor - sure she doesn't have a lot to work with because of the woeful writing, but she looks completely lost and out of her depth most of the times. She just doesn't have natural charisma. It's not really her fault, but it's a reality. Charismatic actors capture audience's attention as soon as they are no the screen, they command attention. Unfortunately Jodie just doesn't have any charisma at all. She feels just as bland as the show and her interpretation of the character seems unoriginal and boring. Also I wish they didn't go the many companions route - it doesn't work. It takes screentime away from the Doctor and from the story. It works best with one companion, sometimes it works with 2 companions, but more than that and it's just a mess.

r197, but Original Whoists will scream that that is how the Doctor started.

The Original Doctor Who Field Trips.

last episode was pure trash 1/10

I thought this episode was the most entertaining one since the season premiere. I liked the P’ting creature anyway.

But Chibnall really needs to step up his game. This doesn’t completely surprise me as the Matt Smith episodes he penned from Season 7 were not very good (Dinosaurs On A Ship, The Power Of Three). I also thought Broadchurch was highly overrated.

I don’t mind multiple Companions - Amy/Rory are still my favorites- but the current ones are severely underwritten.

This is what many viewers feared, outside the gender change, that Chibnall simply was not going to step up like Moffatt or Davies as a writer/showrunner.

Season one of Broadchurh was great season two was awful and third was OK

r200 Rory didn't feel like a third wheel because he was given an incredible story as the man who waited. And Arthur Darvill was adorable.

I think Peter Harness or Toby Whithouse would have been great as showrunner definitely so much better than Chibnall!

Smith, Gillan and Darvill also had great chemistry. All three played off one another so well.

When the show started it wasn’t about The Doctor R197

It was Barbara and Ian’s story. The Doctor was mysterious and unknowable and could be a real jerk. They were seeing the incredible wonders and we saw it with and through them. We saw The Doctor mellow and move towards Becoming THE DOCTOR as we know him/her now.

I think the show is the best when it is the companions story. It worked in 1963 and it worked in 2005 when Series One was Rose’s story and The Doctor was again mysterious.

Later Doctors became THE focus and with focus pulling Doctors single companions work better. Tom Baker doesn’t need more than one companion.

I guess we’ll have to see if Whittaker becomes a Baker or a Davison.

Jodie has failed to convince so far - lacks gravitas and her performance basically comes across as an unconvincing David Tennant impression with a northern accent She has failed to make the part her own, but the lion’s share of the blame for that is with Chibnall and his awful scripts

Doctor Who: 9 Big Questions After Season 11 Episode 5

R201, do not mention RTD and Chinball in the same sentence.

It is all about the writing.

It is a Chinball weakness.

I wish Chris Clough has become the show runner.

He worked on classic Who and he has produced some excellent modern era TV series

So, what great watching do we have in store for tomorrow?

Omg, Punjabi DEMONS!!!

Tonight's episode is pretty good actually. And again, it seems to be echoing back to Doctor Who's origins as an educational program, teaching as well as entertaining. How many people watching (at least in the U.S.) have no clue about the India/Pakistan partition and its consequences? The echoes of that even still ripple through today.

Of course, I notice that Chinball didn't write this episode.

Chris Chibnall has BORING villains. First faces with lots of teeth, now faces with lots of eyes. Where are The Silence? The Weeping Angels? Heck, I'll take the Slitheens. Or just bring back the fucking Daleks.

The villain in the premiere with the teeth in his face was great.

And tonight's aliens (spoiler alert) weren't villains.

And Chibnall didn't write this episode.

[quote]And tonight's aliens (spoiler alert) weren't villains.

You're right. I spoke inaccurately.

[quote]And Chibnall didn't write this episode.

I was referring to Chibnall as showrunner.

One of my friends wrote this episode! I'm glad Chibbers is outsourcing because I've not enjoyed his episodes at all.

I find that one just has to suspend disbelief (more than usual) to enjoy these timeline-interference episodes, just like that one with Rose's dad. It seems almost unfair to call the better ones the better ones, since the others are so bad. But I guess this is one of the better ones.

So the next episode is Doctor Who's commentary on Amazon?

Tonights show was the best one since the premiere .I got a little misty eyed at the end.

Ditto, R219. So far, there have been three good episodes... The premiere, the Rosa Parks episode, and this one. The others were utterly forgettable.

r220, agreed.

I’ve seen Jodie Whitaker in other roles and she is a good actress. In Dr Who however she seems utterly adrift. She appears to be struggling badly with her take on the role. Sadly I’m beginning to see something which seemed relatively daring and interesting in choosing a female Doctor, simply becoming an example of BBC diversity because they felt they had to do so.

Crucially the viewing figures have dropped sharply since the opening episode which is bad news for Whitaker and Chibnall.

r222 The Black Mirror episode with Jodie and Toby Kebbell was intense, probably one of the best.

The Doctor Who role is quite a challenge in itself for male actors. Being the first woman to do it? A million times more pressure on you. I like her kind of frazzled and distracted rumblings. A doctor who knows what he's doing from the start and just stands back and observes with a kind of snotty, superior attitude is the ultimate boring Doctor. So far I am loving the new season. Probably the previous one (on that emergeny hospital spaceship) was my least favorite episode and even that gave us a guy being overly dramatic while giving birth to a baby.

We are now half way through the series. I hated Capaldi till Missy showed up.

That's a good point. I didn't like Capaldi at first. But by the end of his run, he was up there with Matt Smith for me. He was kicking ass. But it was a rough start.

What's fucked up is that the Aliens mourned a guy who got shot while his brother is around. His own brother didn't mourn him (or else the Aliens would not have shown up).

So, anyone excited about tonight's Cinball fest?

The guy who plays the maintance guy, Charlie, is cute.

Well, they made the fez tassel cannon for 13.

So it was Charlie in Maintenance who was the monster?

Fuck me , Mary...

Charlie reminds me of Tim O’Tay.

Spoiler Alert:

I thought it was kind of hilarious that Charlie turned out to be some crazy Millennial terrorist fighting for the 90% (bigger human employment rates). I mean he had a point, but went about it in a totally wrong way (killing all these nice employees to test his bombs and then intend to kill customers to destroy the general population's confidence and trust in AIs and robots as workforce?).

Did Chinball turn The Doctor into a simple Social Justice Warrior?

Besides, announcing that she knew Agatha Christie and then having the janitor do it, was silly.

It was boring.

Series is suffering under Chibnall?

Read he may ditch after one more (shortened) series. Despite improved ratings things are not going well.

[quote] The guy who plays the maintance guy, Charlie, is cute.

Yes, but he smells funny down there.

The colors on DW are so muted I did not even realize he was a redhead.

More about Chibnall potentially bailing, please! Come back, RTD!!!!

And the opening sequence sounds like a Pepto-Bismol commercial.

Yeah, the quality of writing is certainly a problem. And I agree that The Doctor and the companions are all under-written, maybe also under performing. Especially Yaz and Ryan seem to be sleep walking at times. I suppose direction restraints the acting for the human, so the Doctor can act more alien. But so far the writing and the acting has not figured out what makes these four special. Having more companions means you aren't focused on any. Graham seems to stand out a little bit which I attribute to the skills of a seasoned actor. He knows how to utilize his short screen time even if he doesn't get many words.

When I hear the new theme I ask myself "Is Dubstep still a thing?".

Doctor Who stories were always glorified After School Specials in Space. Either that or time travel fuck ups made right this time around.

I swear to god half the time I can't understand a word Ryan says... the actor's accent is not only thick, he MUMBLES.

I really want to like this new incarnation of DW, and I do like Jodie as the Doctor, I think she can potentially make it great. But I do agree that it's been a little underwhelming and dull this season. Most of the episodes I've barely been paying attention, and the new companions just aren't doing it for me at all. Also, Ive watched a lot of British TV in my day, but is it me or is everyone on this season speaking with such thick mumbly accents that it's almost impossible to understand what they're saying?

I got a couple news bits from my Google news feed today where lots of outlets muse about Chibnall and Whittaker leaving both after a shortened 2019 season. Chibnall is supposedly unhappy with the collaboration with the BBC. And that's pretty much all they have for a rumor. They only include Whittaker because apparently an actor cannot stay if a showrunner leaves. No other reason why she would leave.

She will get her three season/series.

It may take till Season 12 before she comes into her own.

But I do hope these stand alone episodes go away.

I agree. Both RTD and Moffitt had an overall story arc for each season, so there was suspense built up with each episode. Though in the case of Moffitt, it was often muddled and nonsensical.

[quote] I agree. Both RTD and Moffitt had an overall story arc for each season, so there was suspense built up with each episode.

Yeah, I kind miss these mystery story arcs. I mean the only thing we get this season is the drama tension between Graham and Ryan and whether they will work it out between each other or not.

And does anyone really care if they do? I don't care about any of these companions the way I cared about Rose, Donna, Amy and even basic Clara won me over eventually

They need to start connecting this Doctor to canon. The TARDIS has been downgraded to a Galliferyan Uber. The Sonic is rubbish. She needs to change clothes. Not one of the companions can inspire a tear like Wilfred Mott. Crappy plots with shallow character development. They went all multicultural with black, white, south asisn. I could handle this in the Sara Jane Adventures a decade ago but now?

This Doctor needs to hook up with Luke Smith as a companion.

I don't mind the multicultural diversity at all. Demons of the Punjab was great because of the personal connection to the historic event thanks to Yasmin. That particular story would have fallen flat with an all-white leading cast (Doctor and companion, or companions).

I thought that the mystery story arcs in the RTD era worked very well. They usually came in very small doses (a Bad Wolfe notion here and there), just enough to make you wonder and hook you up. The Moffat story lines were usually so convoluted that I eventually lost interest to get them resolved. There were just so many loose ends that I couldn't possibly pick up anymore on my own. A mystery is working well if it is engaging. If it is overwhelming people check out. I still remember how shocked I was in the Donna Noble season opener, when Rose appeared in a cameo. That cameo was such an awesome WTF moment. These moments can be overdone easily. But that one I didn't see coming at all and it was so short, really just a split second. If there was rumors about her joining the show again, I didn't read it. So it was a big shock and enough to make me guessing all season.

About the lack of character depth: I wonder if that is a deliberate choice rather than ineptitude. The show really took a while to introduce the essentials. I mean, even introducing the new title sequence or the Tardis was delayed to later episodes. They stretched everything into length to keep people guessing. It was a little gratuitous really. But delaying character development and at the same time delivering less than engaging plots sounds dumb if it is deliberate.

I really really REALLY hate the new Tardis design.

Miss me, bitches?

Gomez is great on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. I doubt she would have been able to do both (CAoS and Doctor Who) at the same time.

Killer bubble wrap. That was brilliant.

KerBlam!

Not even Sylvester McCoy failed so badly as the Doctor. And he killed the franchise for a generation.

He did not.

Micheal Grade killed the franchise because he didn’t like it and admittedly didn’t “get it”.

The show was on an uptick with the last of Sylvester.

I'm not seeing "failing" right now. I am seeing opportunities but whatever isn't working right now is not bad enough that it couldn't be adjusted. It starts with the BBC though. They need to make a decision whether they want a children's program or also appeal to most adults.

Love the latest one, The Witchfinders, with guest stars Alan Cumming and Siobhan Finneran (O'Brien from Downton Abbey).

I have paused The Witchfinders three times already.

It is unwatchable.

R262, with a comment like this you just sound like a jackass. Care to elaborate your comment to something that has substance?

Dear r263, it is currently paused at 17:33. I started watching it and was intrigued by Siobhan Finneran. That is until she presented as a flat plot device. I thought the dunking stool was a bit severe for the Doctor to prove that interventions are doomed. And the only interesting thing about James I and VI was his homosexual undertones focusing on the the black man. Interesting that costuming chose a black death doctor's mask for his disguise.

I enjoyed the root tentacles beast but the whole episode seems flat and insipid.

I really want to like 13 but she lacks brilliance and charm. It is a direct result of the bad, very bad, writing.

Plus I hate that the TARDIS is not seen up front. The sound of the TARDIS announces that the Doctor has arrived.

Chinball has gone out of his way to make 13 as dull as dishwater.

I would have thought that Sexy would have replaced the ugly sonic by now.

This is the first episode in 11 seasons that I do not know if I will finish.

Should I care r263?

[quote] The sound of the TARDIS announces that the Doctor has arrived.

Only because he left the brakes on.

r265, we know that, and so does he after River told him, but it appears that he too likes the sound.

Wow, random alien interactions AGAIN!

The girl companion makeover is laughable.

I can't even be bothered to learn their names. This is not good.

The series is turfing out. It got a bump with the female Doctor curiosity factor but the mediocrity of the writing (esp in the first few episodes) has taken a toll.

I wouldn't be surprised if the rumors of behind-the-scenes tension between the BBC and Chibnall are true.

Regarding The Witchfinders. Did I miss a scene that explained why the Doctor and her companions were not in period appropriate clothing?

The TARDIS creates the illusion of location appropriate clothing for the indigenous people visited. No matter what the planet.

Same with the language translator.

R271. Wrong. Even James I commented on their strange outfits and asked if they were actors. It’s always basically ignored these days.

I was so looking forward to a female Dr. Who. She's actually pretty good. But this is the year of a new show runner, who stupidly decided to write the scripts as well. And they're terrible. Like after-school specials. Such a shame. But maybe the show had to end. It's been on as long as a Time Lord lives.

The Doctor and the companions didn't dress up in "Rosa" either. Bit of a pity imho.

r274 It now occurs to me why the hot villain in Rosa was dressed like the Fonz.

Oh, dear. Let me rephrase that. It now occurs to me: why was the hot villain in Rosa dressed like the Fonz?

Legends of Tomorrow > last 4 years of Who.

I was called out for putting this in the wrong thread, so.....

Right wing Doctor Who haters are lying - series is far from failing with Jodie Whittaker

It’s turned into a ratings disaster for the BBC, an absolute catastrophe.

This is the agenda being pushed and the lies being peddled by right-wing, pro-Brexit newspapers.

The Big Lie, invented by Hitler, perfected by Goebbels and practised with dismaying success by Trump on his obliging base, is an ingeniously simple concept. Tell an outrageous lie often enough and soon people will begin to accept it as fact.

Well, don’t accept it. Doctor Who is doing just fine without a penis.

And only a pro-brexit nazi would disagree.

r278, that was such a SJW reply that you aught to be a writer for this series.

* ought.

Thanks r280. I ought to have spelt it correctly.

[quote]We saw The Doctor mellow and move towards Becoming THE DOCTOR as we know him/her now.

I'd argue, although softly, that the Doctor is constantly becoming "The Doctor" every regeneration. It would be boring if he was this all knowing, all powerful, perfect being who always had the answers exactly when he needed to.

We moved from having a companion who learned from him and enriched her life in Rose to having companions who could stand on their own and contribute like Martha (a doctor in her own right) and even Donna (compassion). We lost that with Amy and Clara but with Bill they at least had someone who had a knack for pointing out basic things that the Doctor missed while also openly asking questions about the world around her.

[quote]I think the show is the best when it is the companions story. It worked in 1963 and it worked in 2005 when Series One was Rose’s story and The Doctor was again mysterious.

Completely agree.

[quote]Later Doctors became THE focus and with focus pulling Doctors single companions work better. Tom Baker doesn’t need more than one companion.

I like having multiple companions. I'm just not sure I like having [bold]these[/bold] multiple companions. I feel like they should each bring something different to the table and right now they all just sort of blend together. Even when Rose/Mickey were traveling together they were vastly different. You could have a Donna/Martha cross over and they were completely their own people. You could have an adventure where Jack tagged along and he would never blend into the background even if there were two other companions around, neither of whom, would be underutilized. That's something I loved about Moffat's companions.

I also loved the fact that he managed to build an entire world where you knew Donna was off somewhere going on about her life, Martha and Mickey were traveling around hunting aliens, Sarah Jane was writing and and Jack was dealing with Torchwood business. That's been gone for a long time.

It makes me sad we'll likely never have something like this group again.

R282 I think you mean RTD not Moffatt. All the companion you mentioned liking were RTD’s creation.

David Tennant, Catherine Tate and John Barrowman put the Russell Davies years in context. We shall not see their like again. Nobody will ever do this for Chris Chibnall

[quote] I think you mean RTD not Moffatt. All the companion you mentioned liking were RTD’s creation.

Sorry, RTD. I was juggling too many balls.

I was trying to focus on the changes from Davies' companions to Moffat's companions and now Chibnall's or rather their roles. I just got my names confused in one paragraph but I mentioned them all.

I loved the way Davies handled things. I think Moffat got a grip on it at the end. I think Chibnall is having some issues after dumping three on us at once. I think he would have been better off choosing someone like Yasmin, building her up for a few episodes and then bringing in Ryan and Graham because I don't think he's doing a good job handling the trio at the moment. As someone else mentioned, even just now, I had to look up their names.

R285 If after a handful of episodes you still don't know the names of three main characters then you either didn't watch them properly or you have a degenerative brain condition.

R286, I'm not the only person that has said that and my brain is doing just fine! Thank you for your concern, luv!

Ratings have declined. Apparently the objection is not directed at Whitaker, but at the preachy story lines.

I loved Doctor Who in the past but I too cannot remember the companions names and the story lines ARE incredibly preachy. I watch it for fun not to have holier than thou social commentary rammed down my throat. The writing is poor this season.

Ratings are actually higher than the last couple of years...so far all the episodes have been in the top 10 for the week, but I do agree the story lines have been weaker this season.. the lack of actual monsters/threats isn't helping.

I wish those bigots whining about "PC" and "SJW" preachy story lines would just fuck off and stop watching the show. The show (or any show for that matter) will not change their bigoted minds anyway.

I wish those intellectually challenged assholes like r219 would just fuck off and stop assuming others are bigots because they don’t like the preachy, boring as fuck poor writing on a TV show.

What did I do???

- r219

You had the misfortune of have all of 291s digits, just in the wrong order.

Dammit R219 be more careful with your digits in the future. =)

Yes, dammit r219. It’s ENTIRELY your fault I mistyped! Shape up or ship out!

I've been avoiding this thread until I got caught up on the episodes. Which I was not eager to do, because I had stopped watching Who during Capaldi's tenure because the show had crawled too far up its own ass. It was just all too pompous and precious for me.

So I'm very happy with the vision and tone of the new creative team. I like that the focus is on telling fun stories about interesting but imperfect and relatable characters, and not writers trying to show off how clever they are...or aren't. Featuring more historical stories and less space opera is a nice change of pace. The cinematography is great and adds to the (relative) realism. The TARDIS team are all appealing and, at a minimum, competent actors. There is lots to like.

However the scripts have been very hit or miss. Rosa was quite good. The Kerblam episode made no damn sense. They really need to tighten things up. Also there is an unfortunate tendency to go too far in the opposite direction from Lonely God/Timelord Victorious, and have The Doctor be almost ineffectual. Don't get me wrong, I like the Doctor not having all the answers, and actually being in peril. But in the Witchfinders ep for instance, it felt like she was wandering around with no plan or even theory, just nattering away and waiting for the next plot point to materialize.

I feel like the creative team has some nervousness about creating the first female Doctor that is coming through in the scripts and the direction. How many times have they made the Doctor deliver a variation on "Don't quite know who I am yet" or "Still getting used to flying the TARDIS?" Too many times, for my money. And as for the direction, I think shrewder directors would push Whittaker to really make the character her own instead of being so reminiscent of Tennant and Smith. I think she's a good actress but she doesn't have Tennant's charisma or Smith's slyness, nor their flair for unleashing manic energy, and she is going to look second rate if she doesn't play to her strengths. Of course this brings us back to the scripts.

I like the idea of three companions, but it is tough to make it work in a series of one hour stand-alones. It worked better on old Who because they had more time to fill.

Sorry for the long post. None of my friends watch Who so I have no one to discuss the show with.

r291, the problem with the show being preachy has nothing to do with being bigot or rejecting the stories' message, imo. When people say that the episodes are too preachy, it usually means that the message is too obvious and force fed down your throat. Nobody minds a good message from an episode. I'm pretty sure everybody wants to learn something, either about a character or about morals and ethics or history or whatever. But if it comes down on you with a sledge hammer, it is not challenging and rather boring. And worse, when you realize you are being educated and not just entertained, you get the feeling that the writers are looking down on you, that they are condescending. You may even feel manipulated. A piece of art should try to avoid that impression in my opinion.

[quote] it usually means that the message is too obvious and force fed down your throat.

I don't know any liberal minded person who would consider Doctor Who a show that pushes something down your throat. I have only come across bigots who use that phrase like in "gays pushing their depraved lifestyle down my throat".

[quote] A piece of art should try to avoid that impression in my opinion.

It's a bloody family entertainment program. Piece of art? To quote British People: (Piece of art?) Fuck off, you wanker!

Then you don’t know many liberal minded people r299. Nobody likes to be scolded and lectured no matter how worthy the message.

In theory I am not averse to having things shoved down my throat.

Sonic SCREWdriver at the ready!

R301, maybe you could try making some specific points instead of sweeping pronouncements.

Where are the instances where Liberals are being lectured in a dismissive manner? All I see is preaching to the choir kind of liberal messages.

I would think that liberal messages are directed at non-liberals.

And a piece of art does not require to be a high-value, or highly regarded in any way.

Cumming chewed scenery amusingly as King George.

Interesting aliens.

Jodi's so bouncy! There's a complete loss of ennui and sadness to The Doctor. Are they using her memory problems as an excuse?

Also, no season arc or running nemesis.

James ahem,,,

King James wanted Ryan’s big black cock!

I didn't think the Partition episode or the Rosa episode were preachy. Some people are so hypersensitive about anything "PC" that they'll scream the word at anything even remotely connected to ethics, social or moral issues.

Partition episode? What episode have I already forgotten about?

r310 The partition of India.

Ah, Gramma's watch episode.

It's simply a different universe--I loved David Tennant, Matt Smith, and even enjoyed Peter Capaldi, but at the moment I feel adrift, in that the writing/plot(s) are just not up to the previous standard, and along with others, I truly detest obvious "preaching". With the guys, it was always fun, sometimes convoluted, but usually there was some common thread in each episode, whether with the companions, who were adorable, or the monsters--where are the daleks, for instance? Then there were very thought-provoking monsters, such as the weeping angels, who made one shudder the first time they came on scene.

Even with excellent production values in season 11, there's no center, nothing to make one care, or wonder, etc. Jody is doing the best with what she has, but I think the whole thing should be completely re-booted, have one, or at the most two companions, and just perhaps (I can hear the gasps now) re-introduce one of the guys, and then GRADUALLY blend in Jody--could be any explanation, as there have been more off-the-wall things that happened previously. And please God, fire the current writer & attempt a rescue with some of the veterans that made the show a pleasure to experience!

When did preaching to the choir become condescending? When bigots came up with the PC insult? Are we supposed to feel shame about liberal message branding in the entertainment media now? Or are we supposed to only accept some sort of higher standard decided by who exactly, anonymous posters on message boards like Datalounge?

Whenever I watch shows like Doctor Who I say "Amen to that!" to these liberal preaches. I never feel talked down to by any of these things.

I thought that was answered upthread already. The message is not condescending; it's the way the message is delivered.

And that delivery is so offensive that, what, people become immediately Deplorables, is that it?

I thought that Peter's first series was weak until Missy showed up.

We only have two more episodes and then another year of waiting?

Peter's first season was about the Doctor being an angry old man shouting "stop being so age-o-phobic!" to the audience. In the second season he was introduced playing an electric guitar like a rock star. He was cool again.

r316, I'm losing you. What poster says people become deplorables again? Who are you trying to prove or reject? Right now I am getting the sense that you try to reject a claim that nobody makes.

What episode is today?

The one after the witches .

If it’s like Moffitt’s other shows, “Dracula” will be good in its first two seasons. By the third season the plots will have become overly complicated and nonsensical.

But it is not a Moffat or RTD show. It is a Chinball show now and it is not very entertaining.

Sorry, I was talking about Moffitt’s new Dracula show.

Don’t worry R323, R322 is just a dolt with poor literacy skills.

This season isn't doing it for me at all, and I think we've had enough time to realize it's not going to improve until they get rid of Chibnall. Maybe he'll quit.

Last night's episode wasn't written by Chibnall.

I liked the season premiere but absolutely hated episode two. I've since watched episode 4 and didn't find it that interesting so I've dropped the show. I'm obviously missing a lot about Jodie Whittaker's Doctor but based on what I've seen I'm not missing anything I really need in my entertainment. The show is like a violent kids' show.

A nice episode. Energy exiled so the universe could function.

[quote] [R316], I'm losing you.

And I hope you stay lost and ignorant since you are so good at it.

[quote] it's not going to improve until they get rid of Chibnall. Maybe he'll quit.

The word going around is he and Jodie will both exit after the end of the next season.

One can hope, R330.

I thought the latest episode was a mess and a chore to get through. More misses than hits this season for me, and they are still writing the Doctor as too diffident. Is it really so hard to write her as clearly smart but not overbearing?

I did like the idea of the solotract. (sp?) Like Solaris writ large...or the complete opposite of the sophons in Three Body Problem.

I wish the blind Norwegian girl had died. She was fucking annoying.

I liked the concept of this last episode more than the actual execution. It had the potential to be as good as “The Girl Who Waited” from season 6 which was one of the most moving episodes of DW ever; however this one left me cold. This was a great opportunity to showcase the character of Graham and the actor playing him...instead, his reunion with Grace (even though she turned out to be a fake) was curiously unmoving. I kind of wish he had stayed behind in the mirror universe so there would be one less character to feel indifferent about!

I just realized what I don't like about the new Doctor. She always sounds like she's lecturing people. She cranes her neck forward, bugs her eyes out, and over-enunciates. (And even then I can barely make out her accent.) Couple this with poorly fleshed out companions and this is what you get, a mostly boring and even mildly annoying series.

[quote] She always sounds like she's lecturing

And why not. She is the After-School Special Doctor.

The only thing I am missing is the season's overall plot that leads to a great season's finale. The rest is pretty great imho.

Gave up watching, she is like a 11 mixed with ten, zero identity of her own, polemic writing with zero sophistication, over stuffed tardis, with shit companions, just shiity crap

I am so disappointed in this show. I was really looking forward to a female Dr. Who -- and she's really good. But the scripts have been abysmal. They changed show runners and got all new writers, and they're just not as talented as the previous ones. Each show is slower, duller, and dumber than the last.

Even more unsettling, the companions have always been wonderful -- with their own story arcs and complete lives. These three hangers on are all just empty -- nothing against them, but we really know nothing about any of them outside of sketchy details, and worse, no one cares. They're really just three plot devices.

Maybe the show has gone on too long for anything original but still, something even mediocre would be good. These writers can't even manage that.

Keep Jodie and get RTD back.

Keep Jodie, get rid of Ryan/Graham and get RTD back.

Graham is being given much more difficult material than the actor can handle. The "I don't want to be a part of this" part of Rosa Parks made him sound like he just wanted to get off so he could have a sandwich, instead of agonizing over the choice between helping to oppress someone of the same colour as his wife and grandson and moving history forward. The Solitract episode (dumb name, sounds like a toothbrush) was worse. That was like if they had drama class for GED.

Bring back Romana

^^ I didn't say that right. It's by oppressing a black woman that he was moving history forward, so it wasn't a choice between those two things.

[quote] Bring back Romana

WHICH Romana ?

I certainly know which one I'd choose

Cheap-ass cave set so we can have an space between universes with an unexplained balloon lamp trader dude and flesh-eating moths and a frog universe. I really hate this show now.

And the jazz hands the alt-people made to throw real people back into the crawlspace, ha ha. And then they made the fucking frog do it, ha ha!

I hated Björk Lite. (Yes, I'm aware that Björk is not Norwegian.) Her cuntitude was inexplicable and unwarranted.

The more I think about it, the more disappointed I am -- how could a show get so bad so fast. The relationship between the last Who and Clara was so lovely, and well-drawn -- Clara was as important a character as the Dr. These three tag-alongs are empty line-deliverers. That's all. And these plots are so vapid.

As someone might say, SAD!

Yeah the actor playing Graham brought zero nuance to this last episode, and his character was a huge part of the plot.

Oh, yeah, why was Grace Frog sitting in a chair?

And wasn't the Doctor dishonest on several occasions? Telling crawlspace reptile that she would give him the sonic if he led them to Erik (we know there's no way she would), telling Grace Frog she was the most beautiful thing ever (she knows that's not true, we know that's not true, we know she knows that's not true), and one more I can't remember.

I hate hating Doctor Who.

Put a fork in it

I hope Chinball learns from this series, moves on and they bring someone on who can actually use Jodie's talents.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

[quote]Chinball blinked.

Oh good. I hope the weeping angels get him.

WW for R354

BTW, what kind of fuckery that they broke the tradition of the Christmas special. New Years Special my ass.

Just watched the Norway Frog episode. A convoluted plot about people nobody cares about.

One more episode of this torture.

[quote] what kind of fuckery that they broke the tradition of the Christmas special

Christ-mass isn't woke.

Damn what a lacklustre season finale. This season has been one big fail.

She sucks, she has no character, she fucking sucks hard, like sucks so fucking endlessly badly sucks

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R361 hardly a vote of confidence from the BBC

r361 Ugh. If there is going to be any retooling, all options should be on the table: to keep or not to keep any of the current companions, Jodie, and Chibnall. Unfortunately, it looks like the BBC is keeping all of them. Ugh, even the three companions.

Three companions is too many. An hour a week is not enough to write in rich character differentiation for three companions. And without that, none of these companions will ever be as dearly remembered and loved as Rose, or even Donna.

Personally, I think Jodie should stay on, not because I think she's great (she IS adequate, which is about the same that I could say for Capaldi and I stuck with him) but because kicking her off now will crush nontraditional casting of the Doctor for a very long time.

Chibnall should go.

Maybe it's just time to let the doctor go for another generation.

They need the time to work with better writers to come up with better stories, and a season-long story arc (or maybe a couple), so that there feels like there's some momentum to the season.

They need an excuse to get rid of some of the companions. Either swap them all out for a new ONE (just one... preferably a gay man!), or peel two of them off and keep just one.... maybe go back and visit them from time to time, but concentrate on just ONE companion at a time.

We used to have someone from the Broadchurch film crew posting here. They might have something to say about Chibnall. Or not.

Something needs to to be shaken up. Might Chibnall use this gap to move on, and things get re-tooled?

As if the BBC would become less PC in the next two years. ESPECIALLY if Labour takes over the government.

How long before everyone on Downton Abbey gets a guest role?

I liked the finale. A few nice callbacks for a couple of episodes this season including the big bad.

Too bad about the two year break. Being a writer for the BBC / Doctor Who must be cool. Just keeping your time and still get paid.

It's not a 2 year break. It's a "bit over one year" break.

Are my eyes fooling me or does the Doctor wear different-coloured shirts? Or am I not paying enough attention? It's hard to, this series.

"Looks mineral."

Well done, Einstein. Sure doesn't look animal or vegetable.

If they don't change anything, I sure won't be watching after such a long break.

[quote] If they don't change anything, I sure won't be watching after such a long break.

Will you settle for diverse Daleks speaking in Jamaican accents ?

Davros as Jar Jar Binks?

I think the biggest problem of this season was that it was completely new. Everything was unfamiliar. Not a single creature, alien race, or character from past seasons. At times it did feel like a (bad) rip-off, because there was barely no trademark reference to the established Doctor Who universe (except for "I'm the Doctor", the phone booth exterior and the TARDIS sound effect).

I like the season on its own merit (say, Rosa and Demons of the Punjab), but I can see that some fans don't like too much new all at once.

New would be fine if it were well-written and directed. New schlock isn't an excuse.

The return of Tim Shaw was interesting. This episode seemed like a real Doctor Who episode. It was a connected episode. It should have been shown earlier in the run. I have no Idea what is going to happen with series 2.

The radical helplessness of the new Doctor Who

It had better be the fucking Daleks

DW needs to jettison a lot of the finger-wagging at humanity, bring back threats and raise the stakes, and bring back its audience. L

et her clash with foes, show some angry Gallifreyan nature, make choices were there are to win you have to lose and excite us!

I like Jodie as the Doctor. They absolutely need better writing though. They need to drop some companion. Ryan first, the actor is bad and I'm over hearing about his daddy issues and dyspraxia every time he makes two steps. It's an episode about Daleks, why are we spending all that time on Ryan and his dad? I felt like their scene would never end.

Yes, yes. One more year to go, and hopefully we can jettison all the posturing SJW crap. I'm reminded of the 1st season of ST:TNG, where they seemed to talk about how primitive and backwards humans of the 20th century were ever 10 minutes.

Cut out the sociopolitical crap, improve the writing.

I'm afraid I saw that ending (Ryan saving his dad) coming as soon as the dad showed up.

OMG I deeply apologize. I forgot to put a spoiler alert.

Meh.

I mean, probably one of the best episodes since the premiere, but sadly, that's not saying a lot.

I rewatched the Matt Smith years during the Doctor Who marathon leading up to the New Years special, and my god it was SO much better.

The writing is TERRIBLE! Too bad, because Whitaker isn't bad. But the other characters -- well, they're not characters, the writers haven't bothered to create them as anything other than plot devices. Just dreadful. I miss Clara.

The New Years Special was enjoyable enough. Very feel-good ending.

Except it was New Years and not Christmas. I hate that Chibnall decided to break tradition just to do so. Shows he's arrogant as well as a poor showrunner.

I doubt it was Chibnall's decision to move the special to New Years Day. Not to excuse the quality of the writing, but I think a lot of the blame must go to the BBC, either partially or fully for some of the choices. The decision to have the Doctor regenerate into a woman this time would not be Chibnall's. Making the current season educational, adding three companions, leaving the Doctor free of any personal conflict and basically making the show a children's programme is the BBC's decision. Based on these points of consideration, they looked for a showrunner who would/could execute this for them.

The decline of quality in the writing was startling in the special when you compare the story with 'Dalek' from 2005 when the Doctor re-discovered a Dalek there, too.

The writing was just boring this season, which is a shame because Whitaker could have been a great Doctor (although I would have preferred Olivia Colman in the role). Since Season 10's writing was just as bad as this season, this makes back to back seasons of schlock.

At the link is a great example of the disconnect between critics and the audience. With respect to Season 11, Rotten Tomatoes gives a 94% approval rating as measured by scores given by 37 professional critics. However, the Audience Score is 24% as measured by the ratings given by over 5000 home viewers. Ouch.

5.1million overnight uk viewers. The lowest ever for a festive special. I think they should have promoted the hell out of a Dalek being in this episode as the first returning monster for this series.

Wonder if there is any truth to the rumour that Jodie is pregnant and that’s why there is a gap year. Just seems like a stupid move other wise.

They aught to focus group every future script with actual fans.

This is what happens when your showrunner has some mixture of contempt for the audience and disinterest in the property. Even this special -- which could have been a partial return to form -- had to retcon Daleks, jettison UNIT unceremoniously, etc...

Chinball has no idea how to write a DW episode. Poor Jodie.

The thing with one gun on it that rotates very slowly and that could only fly recently, that takes over humans but can just easily be picked off of them... is the most dangerous thing in the galaxy.

Unless one character has a microwave oven/conventional oven they invented and are carrying around for some reason.

Daleks are boring and ridiculous.

[quote]The decision to have the Doctor regenerate into a woman this time would not be Chibnall's

Stephen Moffat has gone on record saying that if they hadn't gotten Peter Capaldi, 12 would have been a woman.

"Exterminated!"

Now, after once complete series of Jodie, I can definitely say that I LOVE the plummy London accent, the irritated Scot's accent and that I really, really hate the Yorkie accent. I also hate all the references to Sheffield. Why? If they were hellbent, Horrocks would have made a better Doctor.

[quote] Horrocks would have made a better Doctor.

I made that same argument when David Tennent was leaving. She would have been marvelous.

The only thing wrong is 1) the writing and 2) too many companions

Instead of having one elderly, one black, and one woman companion, all in the interest of inclusiveness, they could have just had one elderly black woman companion. They already had one great candidate. They killed her on the first episode.

Bring back Bill.

With her overbite, Jodie looks like a Matt Groening character.

How about she ditches these companions real soon, and picks up a gay guy companion. There's never been a gay male companion, has there? Nope. Lesbian? sure! Now let's get some equal time for gay men, okay?!?

[quote] There's never been a gay male companion, has there?

Don't be too sure.

Captain Jack filled the bill...

He was bisexual. Not the same.

I think the term 'omnisexual' is correct. RTD once said "if it has a phone number, Jack will go on a date".

But Jack's sexuality was only ever really explored on Torchwood, so it doesn't really count.

I just want a regular gay guy brit as a side-kick. Is that so wrong?

[quote]I just want a regular gay guy brit as a side-kick.

I respectfully submit Stephen Mangan.

[quote] I just want a regular gay guy brit as a side-kick.

WHO-MOPHOBIC Doctor Who branded ‘homophobic’ by outraged fans for giving gay character 30 seconds of screen time before killing him

R397, I completely agree about the Daleks. They are boring and ridiculous at the same time. They can't move any faster than a motorized wheelchair, they can be dispatched fairly easily and their voices sound like a laryngectomy patient using one of those wands.

Here's how to fix the show:

1) Dump Chibnall

2) Jodie needs to just stop with the northern accent...so grating. And, change her look. They have her dressed like she's a slow learner.

3) Dump the current companions...bring in one or two new ones

4) Bring back River for a story arc.

5) Bring back Donna for a story arc.

Good start r415.