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Doctor Who [Spoilers]

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=29171
Doctor Who Heads To America
Series Six to kick off in Utah...
Source: BBC

If you needed any further sign as to the impact that Doctor Who has these days, look no further than the fact that the next series of the show (Matt Smith’s second as the Doctor and overlord Steven Moffat’s second in charge) is heading to the United States for a two-part episode to kick off the run next year.

Scenes will be shot in the Utah desert next month for an as-yet-untitled story set in the late 1960s that sees the Timelord and friends also summoned to the Oval Office.

Yes, we’re pretty certain there’s someone wrapping a 12-foot-long scarf back around their neck and getting ready to comment that they think we’ll find the Doctor has actually been to America before on more than one occasion (hack cough Dalek most recently hack cough), but as Moffat points out, “Not for real, not on location – and not with a story like this one. The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually.”

And to add to the fun, Alex Kingston will be reprising her role as River Song.

Of course, the next series does come with one giant catch: it’ll be split into two parts, with one chunk airing in the spring and the second following in the autumn with what Moffat promises is a tantalising cliff-hanger in the middle. Bet he plans to torture us all, the git.
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So, who's River Song going to kill then, JFK or MLK? Both good men and a hero to many, but are either of them the best man she's ever known? ;)
 
'And to add to the fun, Alex Kingston will be reprising her role as River Song'
- I actually don't enjoy the presence of River Song. She's like Captain jack - steals the Doc's thunder right away from him.
Hope Pond goes this season - can't stand her, either. :(
 
I could moan about the revelation that, apparently, the Doctor is now effectively immortal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/12/doctor-who-immortal-reveals-bbc

chiz, chiz, moan! :(

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However, this is just in the nature of a heads up that Michael Moorcock is doing some book signings, to coincide with the launch of his new Doctor Who novel, 'The Coming of the Terraphiles', next week. See the link to the Michael Moorcock Thread, for further details.

http://www.forteantimes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1032358#1032358
 
So, who's River Song going to kill then, JFK or MLK? Both good men and a hero to many, but are either of them the best man she's ever known? Wink
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I guess there's also John Lennon or Lincoln/Garfield if we're keeping it American and voyaging a little further into history.

Or the too obvious possibility.
 
tonylovell said:
This feels like a cheat. And it robs the show of any tension.
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Presumably you mean the immortal aspect? In cases like this I take it to mean barring accidents ie he can be killed by having his head cut off but he's not going to die of old age or of running out of regenerations. Like the elves in Lord of the Rings. They continue their life not getting involved they live forever, they get an Orc arrow in them and they're as dead as a Hobbit in a similar situation - no coming back from the dead.

Gordon
 
BlackRiverFalls said:
I guess there's also John Lennon or Lincoln/Garfield if we're keeping it American and voyaging a little further into history.

Or the too obvious possibility.
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It was the fact that it said River Song would be in this American one set in the sixties and that she'd told the Doctor the next time they meet is when everything changes. However, I've just noticed it says "late sixties" so that rules out JFK. MLK seems unlikely so I'm probably barking up the wrong tree here.
 
tonylovell said:
This feels like a cheat. And it robs the show of any tension.
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Exactly how much tension has been created by knowing there's only two Doctors left?
 
gordonrutter said:
... In cases like this I take it to mean barring accidents ie he can be killed by having his head cut off but he's not going to die of old age or of running out of regenerations. ...
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I seem to remember that The Master was reduced to something quite unpleasant in a box, as well as a very Dracula-like signet ring (at least one of the Hammer movies) and he managed to make a comeback, at least twice.

Unfortunately, an immortal Doctor comes up against what I call the Superman problem. Indestructible, able to move entire planets, or fly faster than time, virtually omnipotent, so where's the dramatic tension and what's the point?

Doc Manhattan handled the problem rather neatly, he wandered off to become the God of his own Universe. So, what's the Doctor doing, still tinkering around with ours?
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
I seem to remember that The Master was reduced to something quite unpleasant in a box
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Before the Time Lords burned. Apparently there's no-one to enfore the regeneration limit now. So it goes.

Unfortunately, an immortal Doctor comes up against what I call the Superman problem. Indestructible, able to move entire planets, or fly faster than time, virtually omnipotent, so where's the dramatic tension and what's the point?
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But, as Gordon pointed out, he's not indestructible. He died in Left Turn and could do so again at any moment.
 
Was the Master's ring thing a nod to Ming the Merciless demise in the 1980 Flash Gordon film?
 
It was the fact that it said River Song would be in this American one set in the sixties and that she'd told the Doctor the next time they meet is when everything changes
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But is that next time for her, next time for him or next time for us ;)
 
Dr_Baltar said:
But, as Gordon pointed out, he's not indestructible. He died in Left Turn and could do so again at any moment.
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That should, of course, read Turn Left. Now I look a fool in front of my fellow Doctor Who nerds. I feel suitably ashamed.
 
Who did once say that Time Lords could die.
Oh, hang on, that was Qui Gonn Jinn in Phantom Menace, talking about jedi. :oops:

It's never been fully discussed, has it? We've seen the Time Lords melted by Timothy Dalton and they didn't regenerate, did they? But can they do a Captain Jack and come back from little bits? Who was in awe of Jack, so maybe not.
 
Dr_Baltar said:
Dr_Baltar said:
But, as Gordon pointed out, he's not indestructible. He died in Left Turn and could do so again at any moment.
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That should, of course, read Turn Left. Now I look a fool in front of my fellow Doctor Who nerds. I feel suitably ashamed.
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It's still all very kryptonite-McGuffin, though isn't it? 'Turn Left', even reminded me of one of those, 'what if, Superman died?', comic episodes, where Lois would end up marrying Jimmy Olsen, or Bizarro. :lol:
 
tonylovell said:
Who did once say that Time Lords could die.
Oh, hang on, that was Qui Gonn Jinn in Phantom Menace, talking about jedi. :oops:

It's never been fully discussed, has it? We've seen the Time Lords melted by Timothy Dalton and they didn't regenerate, did they? But can they do a Captain Jack and come back from little bits? Who was in awe of Jack, so maybe not.
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The Deadly Assassin (there are other kinds of assassin?) showed several including the President of Gallifrey himself.

If Time Lords couldn't die it would have made for a useful army in the Time War!

Gordon
 
gordonrutter said:
If Time Lords couldn't die it would have made for a useful army in the Time War!

Gordon
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Hence a TIME war ? They can't die but they can be taken out of time (as the 11th Doctor was) and they'd have no Pond to "re-boot" them ?

If Amy did "re-boot" the Doctor would the Doctor's regenerations have been rebooted, so he's essentially back to his first incarnation ?

-------------------------------------
For a Christmas Special the Beeb should get McGann and Dalton together to make "The Time War" and sort this mess out.

...and creatively being the sole surviving Timelord the Doctor "absorbed" all the regenerational power that the Timelords had.

If only i could copyright that....

(edited due to stubby fingers)
 
Moooksta said:
gordonrutter said:
If Time Lords couldn't die it would have made for a useful army in the Time War!

Gordon
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Hence a TIME war ? They can't die but they can be taken out of time (as the 11th Doctor was) and they'd have no Pond to "re-boot" them ?
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Erm but they can die as previously stated.

Gordon
 
Besides we geeks debating the intricacies of Timelord mortality, there is the fact that this is a kids' show and the Doctor will never die. We all know the only dramatic tension that's ever existed (if you're more than 10 years old) is will it become unpopular enough to be cancelled again.
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Doc Manhattan handled the problem rather neatly, he wandered off to become the God of his own Universe. So, what's the Doctor doing, still tinkering around with ours?
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The difference is that the Doctor, for whatever reason, still cares about this universe. The whole point of Doctor Manhattan was that he couldn't care.

Basically, in spite of not being human, the Doctor has empathy, while Doctor Manhattan doesn't.

I do think it's a cop out. It has been argued that the reference in The Deadly Assassin is given too much weight, but there are also references to Time Lords having a finite life span in earlier stories. (War Games, I think, he makes reference to living to 2000 if he were willing to live a dull life in the library or some such.)
 
gordonrutter said:
...

If Time Lords couldn't die it would have made for a useful army in the Time War!

Gordon
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Actually, during the previous Doctor's climactic, saving of the Universe, I seem to remember the Timelord Council, on Gallifrey, moaning about how constant regenerations, caused by frequently dying during the Time War, was having some very bad effects on those regenerating.
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
Actually, during the previous Doctor's climactic, saving of the Universe, I seem to remember the Timelord Council, on Gallifrey, moaning about how constant regenerations, caused by frequently dying during the Time War, was having some very bad effects on those regenerating.
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Maybe it was caused by people saying "for gods sake get a life". :roll:
 
Murray Gold's rather good soundtrack for Series 5 is now available for pre-order on the ole iTunes and features the tracks that appeared in the BBC proms show including the fabulous "I Am The Doctor".

If you're a fan of the music for the show you'll know why I'm posting this, personally I think Gold's themes for the 11th Doctor are amongst the best "choons" written for the new reboot. Enjoy.
 
Moooksta said:
Murray Gold's rather good soundtrack for Series 5 is now available for pre-order on the ole iTunes and features the tracks that appeared in the BBC proms show including the fabulous "I Am The Doctor".

If you're a fan of the music for the show you'll know why I'm posting this, personally I think Gold's themes for the 11th Doctor are amongst the best "choons" written for the new reboot. Enjoy.
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Can't find it on the Australian iTunes store.
 
Pietro_Mercurios said:
I could moan about the revelation that, apparently, the Doctor is now effectively immortal.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2010/oct/12/doctor-who-immortal-reveals-bbc

chiz, chiz, moan! :(
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Having now watched the episode in question, it would appear that a newspaper has reported something non-factual (steady everyone, I know it must come as a shock).

The moment comes in the CBBC spin-off show, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which stars former companion Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Matt Smith, who plays the current Doctor Who, guest stars in a two-part episode called The Death of the Doctor, to be screened on October 25 and 26. While the Doctor and Clyde Langer, played by Daniel Anthony, are in the process of outwitting spooky vulture undertakers the Shansheeth, Clyde asks how many times he can regenerate. The Doctor indicates that there is no limit. The action continues.
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That should read, "Clyde asks how many times he can regenerate. The Doctor lightheartedly indicates 507 times, a figure he appears to have just plucked out of thin air. The action continues."

So, that clears that up then. ;)
 
I like the idea, that somebody in one of the reviews put forward, that in fact, since the Time War, the Doctor now has no real idea just how many regenerations he has left. The next one could be his last.

Did go a long way to making things a bit interesting, again. :)
 
I've been watching The Key to Time box set from all the way back in 1978, and really enjoyed it. My favourite story was either Douglas Adams' The Pirate Planet ("Mr Fibuli!") or The Stones of Blood, with the killer standing stones (except they trundle about), but I even liked the much-derided Power of Kroll and The Armageddon Factor, even if it was a bit of a half-arsed way to wrap things up.

I totally remembered the woman getting turned into a skeleton by one of the Stones, and Kroll rising from the sea (always thought it was brave of them to try giant monsters on DW), but all of it was fun. The Androids of Tara I thought first time round was a bit boring, but what did the younger me know? It was a good romp through a futuristic Zenda, and Peter Jeffrey was a fine baddie.

Another good thing about this set is the extras, especially the series of Tom Baker reading out spooky stories on late night TV. The opening animation is truly strange, but mostly it was enjoyable to hear those tales read out in Mr Baker's booming tones.

Anyway, not sure what the Key to Time consensus is here, but I'd recommend it and you can get it fairly cheap now too, for what's on offer.
 
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