Doctor Who leaked scripts thread (but still no spoilers)

[Rev]

I know some people are extremely sensitive about spoilers for THE SHOW, so per the request in the normal thread - here's a temporary space in which those of us who've read the things can give vague Spoiler-free reviews and impressions.

I've only read the first one so far - and to anticipate the obvious question of why I'd want to, reading a script before seeing a production has never diminished my enjoyment of the thing.  When I was younger I did this a lot - in the late 80s I had access to a bunch of Twilight Zone scripts without any hope of ever seeing the episodes, but when I eventually did I appreciated them all the more for the differences in how they were interpreted compared to how I'd imagined things playing out.  A bit later, when Clive Barker's wounded but soon-to-be-repaired Nightbreed was released, the script of the thing was released as a promotional book way ahead of its cinematic debut.  Not leaked:  released as a tie-in, long before anyone could see the film.  I thought the film was shit but it wasn't because of that.  Before even of those things, I sat in a dusty classroom reading a Shakespeare play I'd yet to see.  Didn't we all?

Alright, pointless justification done with - Spoiler FREE!!! thoughts on the first episode script.

It's incredibly dark, pretty much a flat-out horror story - this seems like Moffat trying to recapture that buzz before The Empty Child went out, when there were warnings to parents about it being a tad scarier than usual.  A lot of it reads like a script David Cronenberg would have been working off in his horror heyday, and kicking off a new run with something like this is incredibly bold.  A lot of the things detailed will end up being very discrete when it goes out, unless the edges of what's acceptable in the sort of timeslot THE SHOW gets are being tested.

We have the Scooby gang of course, which means frequent comic relief from Straxx, but also a gag rate that's seems a bit higher than usual, to compensate for the horrific shit going on.  The story itself is reasonably tidy and compelling up to a point - the need for tense set-pieces wounds it a little, as one major sequence is just bloody stupid in how it's set up and executed.  One the whole though, this is really strong stuff, possibly the best Moffat's written so far.  The new Doctor has his own voice, attitude and ambiguity by the time it's over - and even on the page it feels like it's Capaldi.  Happily, Clara is also more defined and stronger, feeling like an actual character for the first time.  In case you feel he can suddenly write for women or view them as anything other than mysterious objects, he's got a scene that'll get us back to normal, though.

1/10

[biggytitbo]

You give it 1/10, is it jemfred writing his review under your name?

[Uncle TechTip]

Why no spoilers? What goes in here that can't go elsewhere in the absence of actual information?

[olliebean]

So what you mean is, why this thread? Because given that it exists, the answer to "why no spoilers" is because it clearly states in the thread title, "no spoilers."

[madhair60]

I'd like spoilers, please.  Tell me what happens.

[olliebean]

There's a fellow called

Spoiler alert

The Doctor

[close]

, and he travels through

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time and space

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in a box called

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the TARDIS

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, which is

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bigger on the inside than the outside

[close]

.

Let me know if you want any more spoilers, I've got loads of them.

[The Roofdog]

^ could happen

[Uncle TechTip]

Yeah, why this thread, if there's no new information to be posted, why a new thread. Fucking Dr who fans.

[sillymisslily]

Does anyone have a link?

[Gurke and Hare]

Does anyone have a link?

No link, but there's an easy to find torrent.

[heretical error]

Are these scripts more transcripts of the finished product than a camera script? I am looking forward seeing how they visualise River Song's extermination scene.

[Queneau]

A lot of people thinking this is a press stunt. I've never seen Doctor Who but my impression of it is that it isn't exactly struggling for viewers. Are they way off production or not? Has it finished filming or what? If it was a stunt I'd just assume they'd be leaked closer to air date. However, you'd also assume a person that knows nothing about Doctor Who would keep their fat mouth shut.

[Alberon]

Leaking actual scripts would be a stupid PR stunt.

The scripts themselves are marked as post-production scripts so I assume they're transcripts of the finished (or nearly finished) episodes and they were put on that server for subtitling or dubbing or something like that.

[Mister Six]

Took a peek at one this morning to see what the opening of the first episode is like and they read like proper shooting scripts, with directions, locations etc (possibly tweaked to fit exactly what was filmed).

[Ambient Sheep]

Said in the paper this morning that they'd been leaked by BBC Worldwide's office in Miami, to whom they'd been sent for translation purposes.


Meanwhile I shan't be reading them, I hate spoilers by and large, but it does seem odd to not allow at least spoilered discussion of them in a new thread that's been set up for the purpose!  I'm not following the current S8 thread yet (as I'm rather behind on my Who-watching still) but surely general discussion of the issue could have been put there, with spoilers about the scripts in here?

(I realise that's probably already been discussed to death over in the S8 thread; apologies.)

[Mister Six]

Yeah I don't see what the problem is in having a spoilered chat about the scripts in here so long as it doesn't bleed into the other thread, and I'm pretty hard line about spoilers.

[biggytitbo]

Said in the paper this morning that they'd been leaked by BBC Worldwide's office in Miami, to whom they'd been sent for translation purposes.

I don't think they were leaked. As far as I understand it someone had set the security settings on google docs wrong.

[olliebean]

Yeah I don't see what the problem is in having a spoilered chat about the scripts in here so long as it doesn't bleed into the other thread, and I'm pretty hard line about spoilers.

If spoiler tags are correctly used to hide them I'll overlook it but if I come across an unhidden spoiler in a thread the title of which explicitly states "no spoilers" I'm going to be really pissed off.

Actually even tagged they're dodgy because Tapatalk shows unhidden previews of them in the topic list.

[biggytitbo]

Whats the point of this thread then if theres no spoilers?

[olliebean]

Apparently, it's to discuss whether or not a "no spoilers" thread should contain spoilers regardless.

[The Roofdog]

This thread is now for pictures of pigs eating strawberries.

[gloria]

I read a little bit of the second episode and it looks great. There's lines in there that I can't wait to see Capaldi delivering.

[biggytitbo]

This thread is now for pictures of pigs eating strawberries.

I've solved a crime with him.

[Mister Six]

Right, I'll post up this little excerpt from the second episode (the one by Phil Ford), as it seems to give a bit of an indication as to the new Doctor's personality. Not really a spoiler - it happens within the first two minutes of the ep! - but I'll tag it anyway.

Spoiler alert

10:00:59 INT. THE TARDIS - NIGHT
JOURNEY's eyes open, focusing inside the TARDIS. She's on the floor, bewildered -
- but only for a second. She rolls, springs to her feet, levels her sidearm at -

THE DOCTOR
You'll probably feel a bit sick. Please don't be.

THE DOCTOR, standing at the controls, looking at her - one hand on the controls, the other holding a little cardboard tray with two cappuccinos.

JOURNEY
Where's my brother??

THE DOCTOR
Hello. I'm the Doctor.

JOURNEY
He was right beside me, where's Kai?? How did I get here?

THE DOCTOR
I materialised a time capsule exactly round you and saved your life one second before your ship exploded, but do please keep crying.

He places the cappuccinos on the console.

JOURNEY
My brother just died!!

THE DOCTOR
His sister didn't, you're very welcome. Put the gun down.

He has stepped towards her. She swings the gun, tracking him.

JOURNEY
Or what?

THE DOCTOR
Or you might shoot me and then where will you be?

JOURNEY
In charge of your vessel.

THE DOCTOR
You'd starve to death trying to find the light switch. Who are you?

He's stepped even closer - she tenses

JOURNEY
I'm Lieutenant Journey Blue of the Combined Galactic Resistance. I demand you take me back to my command ship, the Aristotle, which is currently located -

THE DOCTOR
No, hey. Not like that!

JOURNEY
You will return me to my command ship which is currently positioned -

THE DOCTOR
No, not, come, not like that, not like that, get it right!

His eyes blazing, his voice like a whiplash.
She hesitates. What's she doing wrong? Gets it. Holsters her weapon.

JOURNEY
Could you take me back to my ship. Please?

The Doctor: instantly breezy, striding back to his console.

THE DOCTOR
The Aristotle's the big fella parked in the asteroid belt, yeah?

Slams the controls.

JOURNEY
It's shielded.

THE DOCTOR
More or less.

[close]

Capaldi's going to be good, isn't he? He's going to be GREAT! Just a shame one of these scripts is written by

Spoiler alert

Steve Thompson

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and another's by

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Mark Gatiss

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. Oh well.

Spoiler alert

Gatiss's

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one is only a couple in, so maybe the novelty of the new Doc will get me through it. Here's the opening dialogue from his episode, to give you a flavour of the fucking astounding quality that lies ahead:

Spoiler alert

THE DOCTOR
Take a punt!

THE DOCTOR is in the upper gallery of the TARDIS, eating a yoghurt and scribbling impossible equations on his blackboards. CLARA is below, by the console.

CLARA (OS)
Right.

THE DOCTOR
Your choice. Wherever. Whenever. Anywhere in space and time.

CLARA
(shyly)
Well. There is something. Someone... I've always wanted to meet. But I know what you'll say.

THE DOCTOR stops writing, looks down.

THE DOCTOR
Try me.

CLARA
You'll say he's made up. That there's no such thing...it's...it's Robin Hood!

Beat.

THE DOCTOR
Robin Hood?

CLARA
Yeah!

CLARA (CONT'D)
I love that story. Always loved it. Ever since I was little.

THE DOCTOR
Robin Hood, the heroic outlaw who robbed from the rich to give to the poor?

CLARA
(giggles)
Yeah!

THE DOCTOR
He's made up. There's no such thing.

He scrapes out the last of the yoghurt, pockets the spoon and carries on scribbling.

CLARA
You see!

THE DOCTOR
Old fashioned heroes only exist in old fashioned story books, Clara.

CLARA
What about you?

THE DOCTOR
Me?

CLARA
Yeah, you. You stop bad things happening. Every minute of every day. That sounds pretty heroic to me.

THE DOCTOR
(shrugs)
I'm just passing the time.
Hey, what about Mars?

CLARA
What?

He flips the blackboard. There's a chalk drawing of a vast honeycombed structure.

THE DOCTOR
The Ice Warrior Hives!

THE DOCTOR
Or the Tumescent Arrows of the Half-Light! Those girls can hold their drink!

CLARA
Doctor -

THE DOCTOR
...and fracture fifteen different levels of reality simultaneously. I think I've got a Polaroid somewhere.

He rifles through his pockets.

CLARA
Doctor! My choice. Robin Hood.
Show me.

[close]

[gloria]

Yeah it was the

Spoiler alert

His eyes blazing, his voice like a whiplash.

[close]

bit that got me excited.

[olliebean]

Just read those excerpts, perhaps inadvisedly, and it's completely put me off reading any more - because I can't help hearing Matt Smith as the Doctor in my head, and having done so, the memory of that would be far too distracting when I eventually hear Peter Capaldi saying the same lines.

[Deanjam]

I'm the opposite. I read it immediately in Capaldi's voice.

I'm now giddy with excitement!

[Weeping Prophet]

Yup. This is a new Doctor, and he's quite harsh. Not tumblr-friendly at all.

[biggytitbo]

Yup. This is a new Doctor, and he's quite harsh. Not tumblr-friendly at all.

I thought for a minute you meant the pig on the strawberry.

[Alberon]

I really can't hear Matt Smith in those bits at all.

I do wonder if the Capaldi 'voice' the rest of us are reading those bits in is the one he's using. I suspect the Capaldi in my head is still far too much Malcolm Tucker rather than The Doctor.