Doctor Who Megathread

[Torrain]

The final part was good, but not great. But then again, endings are rarely great. I think the only exception to that was the Heaven Sent/Hell Bent two-parter at the end of Series 9. I thought Hell Bent was better than its first part. I wasn't disappointed though.

I do hope we can keep at least one companion between this Doctor and the next. That's probably one of the biggest reasons I found it so jarring going from Series 4 to Series 5. It was too much change all in one go. While I do think Matt Smith was a really good Doctor, I felt so many of the stories were rather underwhelming. As soon as Moffat was at his best (imo, 12th Doctor and Bill), he left. I would've loved another season with those two. It reminded me of the 10th Doctor and Donna.

We’ve already got confirmation that Mandip Gil (Yaz) is leaving, and John Bishop (Dan) is starting a new evening standup show, as well as continuing to tour, so I doubt it will happen this time.

The jarring change is just one of the unfortunate side effects of changing showrunners I think.

Every time the showrunner has shifted, they’ve thrown out the old Doctor, companion(s), and Tardis for a fresh start.

I do agree though - inter-Doctor companions make for some good drama. I was lukewarm on Series 8 at first, but Clara adjusting to a radically different Doctor was one of the things that pulled me back into the show.

[Torrain]

The final part was good, but not great. But then again, endings are rarely great. I think the only exception to that was the Heaven Sent/Hell Bent two-parter at the end of Series 9. I thought Hell Bent was better than its first part. I wasn't disappointed though.

I do hope we can keep at least one companion between this Doctor and the next. That's probably one of the biggest reasons I found it so jarring going from Series 4 to Series 5. It was too much change all in one go. While I do think Matt Smith was a really good Doctor, I felt so many of the stories were rather underwhelming. As soon as Moffat was at his best (imo, 12th Doctor and Bill), he left. I would've loved another season with those two. It reminded me of the 10th Doctor and Donna.

We’ve already got confirmation that Mandip Gil (Yaz) is leaving, and John Bishop (Dan) is starting a new evening standup show, as well as continuing to tour, so I doubt it will happen this time.

The jarring change is just one of the unfortunate side effects of changing showrunners I think.

Every time the showrunner has shifted, they’ve thrown out the old Doctor, companion(s), and Tardis for a fresh start.

I do agree though - inter-Doctor companions make for some good drama. I was lukewarm on Series 8 at first, but Clara adjusting to a radically different Doctor was one of the things that pulled me back into the show.

Tom Baker went through many showrunners before landing on the infamous one.

Ah, I was talking post-revival Who, which seems like the best context to work in.

The BBC, and TV at large was wildly different in the 70s/80s, and run in quite different circumstances. The official showrunner/head-writer position itself is a post-2005 innovation, replacing the more general producer credit held by everyone from the OG, Verity Lambert, all the way through to the ever-controversial JNT.

[Torrain]

Not the strongest finale, but pretty decent by Chibnall standards - and very intrigued to see where we're going next...

[Torrain]

So the new logo is a retread of the Tom Baker Era.

I guess that's one bright spot after the big insult.

I assume we're building up to a rather overt "stop looking backwards, time for something new" message. Old logo, old Doctor, old companions back for the 60th specials  - with everything burnt down at the end. RTD has never exactly been one for subtly, so that may happen literally.

Presumably ending with Ncuti at the wheel, a new Tardis interior, new logo, new music etc.
Soft reboot territory.

[Torrain]

After the set design of the past five years, that's more like it!
https://twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1728500067609305474

[Torrain]

It’s also been confirmed that the Moff is writing this year’s Christmas episode.

In true Moffat fashion, he had snuck the titles of both his episodes (Boom, Joy to the World) into interview answers during a marathon chat with Radio Times a few months back, when he explicitly ruled out returning to the show.

He’s such a magnificent b****rd, genuinely love how committed to the bit he always is.

He’s talking about this being his last Who episode again, but he does that every couple of years, and he’s such a prolific liar at this stage, that I would be entirely unsurprised if he’s already contracted to write another 12.

[Torrain]

Okay, was very impressed by that. Genuine bit of tension.

Thought a lot of the early scenes felt like they were written in such a way that you could practically see Capaldi and Coleman reading the script, it all felt very 12/Clara. But I genuinely love that era of the show, so I have no complaints about that.

Spoiler alert: Rampant speculation about the series arc

Show

The Doctor bragging about how you 'don't let your kids down', and continuing to reference his own fatherhood does play into my sense that we're building towards something Susan related, given he basically abandoned her, and hasn't gone back for her in over sixty years of screentime (The Five Doctors doesn't really count).

The fact the recurring actress this series is literally named Susan Twist is really messing with my head.

[Torrain]

That was weird but good. RTD's approach to politics remains clunky as ever, but it made emotional sense. I don't ever want answers on this episode, I want it to remain gloriously ambiguous.

[Torrain]

Also, did they just make Richard Grant (Scream of the Shalka) a doctor now? Or is that a hint for the future?

RTD's line is that including Grant, and Jo Martin, are a nod to the conflicting canon - and an endorsement of the "everything and nothing is canon" argument that's been around since the 90s.

Builds on the "I made a jigsaw of your past" stuff from The Giggle, that was in service to the same aim. Essentially, seems to be him saying "you don't have to accept the Timeless Child stuff, stop being so serious about canon".

As fun as the Shalka Doctor pitching up with the cyborg Master in tow would be, I'm not betting on it at this stage. Letting Grant come back to chew the scenery would be excellent though.

[Torrain]

https://twitter.com/biiilyedwards/status/1799540144627691634

[Torrain]

?!?