Doctor Who Series 12B: The Timeless Chibnall (Xmas special & pre-Series 13 chat)

[Replies From View]

Hasn't he basically burned his bridges with the BBC now, did some foot-stamping article where he claimed woke lefties have stopped him getting any TV work?

https://unherd.com/2019/12/how-i-was-cancelled-by-dr-who/

lol stupid of him

[Mister Six]

This cropped up on a Doctor Who Facebook group - it's just some screengrabs from the first Cybercunt episode, but I thought it worked as a handy metaphor for this season as a whole.

[The Roofdog]

The Timeless Children aired a year ago yesterday. Share your favourite memories of the -1,673rd Doctor here.

[Norton Canes]

This cropped up on a Doctor Who Facebook group - it's just some screengrabs from the first Cybercunt episode, but I thought it worked as a handy metaphor for this season as a whole.

Or perhaps the actually pretty good 'Diodati' telling the rest of the season to shape up

[Blofelds Cat]

https://twitter.com/LordPauldemort/status/1374107082962706442

Dr Who/Inbetweeners crossover next season?

[The Roofdog]

https://twitter.com/BBCWilliamWho/status/1386683493053259782?s=20

Harsh but fair

[Deanjam]

Ok, I read the replies. What's a NMD?

[JamesTC]

NotMyDoctor

[Deanjam]

Thanks. A reference to Jodie haters I suppose.

[Alberon]

Yeah, the current Doctor always gets disproportionate flack when the show is shit (cf Colin Baker).

Not My Producer, perhaps.

[Small Man Big Horse]

When I saw it was a twitter link I presumed it would be to this horrifying image: https://twitter.com/davemacladd/status/1387106112965644291

[Kelvin]

Thanks. A reference to Jodie haters I suppose.

Well, she is the shittest Doctor we've ever had. Whatcha gunna do?

[Deanjam]

Well, she is the shittest Doctor we've ever had. Whatcha gunna do?

I find her difficult to judge as the writing is so shit. I always disliked Colin Baker, but I'm told his Big Finish stories are really good. Either way I wouldn't go online and cry 'not my Doctor' like a baby.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Well, she is the shittest Doctor we've ever had.

Not while Tennant's about.

[mothman]

She'd better watch out...

Tennant's about.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Well, she is the shittest Doctor we've ever had. Whatcha gunna do?

Nonsense. JNT once cast a man, Sylvester McCoy, who seemed utterly bemused by the very concept of acting. Whittaker is a decent actor who's been lumbered with an utterly incompetent showrunner.

[Replies From View]

McCoy had great chemistry with Ace.  He couldn't do any of the fierce, angry stuff, but everything else he did was brilliant.

[olliebean]

Nonsense. JNT once cast a man, Sylvester McCoy, who seemed utterly bemused by the very concept of acting. Whittaker is a decent actor who's been lumbered with an utterly incompetent showrunner.

It's hard to know how much of the way she plays the character is down to her own acting choices and how much to being steered wrong by Chibnall, but quite a lot of the choices she's made/been given are not good. She's been fine in other things - although I wouldn't say she's ever particularly stood out - but I feel she's miscast as the Doctor. (And for the avoidance of doubt, not because she's a woman.)

[pigamus]

Jodie just doesn't have that X-factor you need to be the Doctor. I don't want that to be true though because it seems to prove the sexists right, which, fuck off.

[Kelvin]

Nonsense. JNT once cast a man, Sylvester McCoy, who seemed utterly bemused by the very concept of acting. Whittaker is a decent actor who's been lumbered with an utterly incompetent showrunner.

McCoy would have been my pick for worst prior to Whittaker. But it's not just about dramatic acting. Whittaker is probably a better dramatic actor than a large chunk of the classic Doctors, but she is a terrible Doctor. Just no presence*, plays it like a depressed nursury school teacher, and completely unremarkable in every regard. McCoy might be pretty panto at times, but at least he feels eccentric, alien, multi-faceted, and has a bit of gravitas. Whittaker brings nothing to an already thinly written role.

*Pigamus nails it with "X-factor" 

[pigamus]

I find it hard to understand when people think that Sylv was worse than Colin. I think it's just that Sylv sticks in the mind more than Colin did.

[Blinder Data]

What's disappointing about Whittaker is that there are loads of British female actors who would've done a better job (albeit hampered by crap writing).

Anna Maxwell Martin would've been an amazing female Doctor. Here's hoping someone of her ilk is picked next, though I bet they'll go for a YouTuber or sutin.

[olliebean]

Michaela Coel. Job done.

[lipsink]

Michaela Coel would never go for Who while Chibbers is in charge. Imagine what a huge step down that would be after 'I May Destroy You'. I'd imagine she's getting offers in the US by now.

[daf]

I find it hard to understand when people think that Sylv was worse than Colin. I think it's just that Sylv sticks in the mind more than Colin did.

Based on both's Big Finish work, Sylv has pretty much stayed consistent (for better or worse) with his TV portrayal, whereas Colin has transformed his take on the Doctor to such an extent that they were able write a story 'The Wrong Doctors' which highlights both contrasting versions.

[pigamus]

Fair enough, but when people are comparing them they're comparing them on telly usually - only the biggest fans will have heard Big Finish.

[Norton Canes]

Showcasing his full range of expressions there

[Norton Canes]

Michaela Coel. Job done

Look for the clue

[pigamus]

You've got the problem now of, if the next Doctor is a man - "Oh, so the the Doctor can only be woman once, can she? Throw us a bone, did you, the patriarchy? But that's your lot?" That'll be fun.

[Kelvin]

I find it hard to understand when people think that Sylv was worse than Colin. I think it's just that Sylv sticks in the mind more than Colin did.

I genuinely like Colin's TV interpretation, especially now we've got so much time between it and the current show. He's not a likeable character, but he does give a fairly electric performance in every scene, and I think it's interesting to see a version of The Doctor that's a principled asshole. I liked Capaldi's version in his first year, for a similar reason. The Doctor doesn't always have to be especially likeable, just engaging. 

In any case, I personally prefer Colin's Doctor to Davidson, Whittaker, and McCoy, maybe even a couple of others.

I stand with Colin.