RTD back for Doctor Who

[BritishHobo]

All we've seen of her so far is a bit shot with Tennant's Doctor (14th? but will probably be given another name (like the War Doctor and Gatwa will be the proper 14th)) so her status is really up in the air. She was announced with some fanfair so she might be going on to be Gatwa's companion or maybe it just got thrown out there by RTD as her name is Rose.

We've never had two companions with the same name (unless you count the two K9s).

Indeed. The announcements came in such a mad rush that I lost track of things. I was certain the original announcement had referenced her being his companion - or at least a companion - but yeah, it does nothing of the sort.

[Mister Six]

All we've seen of her so far is a bit shot with Tennant's Doctor (14th? but will probably be given another name (like the War Doctor and Gatwa will be the proper 14th)) so her status is really up in the air. She was announced with some fanfair so she might be going on to be Gatwa's companion or maybe it just got thrown out there by RTD as her name is Rose.

We've never had two companions with the same name (unless you count the two K9s).

Might just have been promoted to pull in kids who don't remember/care about the Donna years. Finney's in a hugely popular young adult Netflix show, similar to Gatwa. Whether she's willing to ditch it to play a companion is a big question - makes sense for Gatwa since he gets to play The Doctor. But Finney? Well, I suppose Karen Gillan's done all right off the back of being a companion, but she didn't have a hugely watched day job at the time she signed up, did she?

[McDead]

I have a feeling that New Rose is

Spoiler alert

filling the Sharon role from the original Star Beast comic strip

[close]

but this is just supposition based on very little.

[purlieu]

I'm fully prepared for the fact that I might not like RTD's new version that much, but it's something I'm willing to accept for the show having some great ideas, not verging on the edge of cancellation, and the likely situation that other people will be given larger roles in the shape of the show.

[mjwilson]

So if you take the first letter of every sentence in RTD's article, you can then then take an anagram to find out the answer to how it is that Tennant & Tate are returning.

Spoiler alert

Not really! You get "hitatyibstaagmaaiyiihiwsbtaawttmbbmdipiaswwastaafmwwbbhyvaomtonobtstbbtanogi" (assuming I didn't make any typing errors), and there's not even any "e"s in that, so it's not going to anagram to anything good.

But he does seem to be hinting that he's hidden something in there, so come on, super-sleuths. I don't think it's going to be as complicated as that time JJ Abrams hid the answer to the identity of the Lost statue in Wired.)

[close]

[Alberon]

I'm fully prepared for the fact that I might not like RTD's new version that much, but it's something I'm willing to accept for the show having some great ideas, not verging on the edge of cancellation, and the likely situation that other people will be given larger roles in the shape of the show.

Been going through RTD's first series as part of the rewatch thread. The ideas and lines there even in misfires like the Slitheen two-parter really show up Chibnall's turgid dross for what it is.

[McDead]

So if you take the first letter of every sentence in RTD's article, you can then then take an anagram to find out the answer to how it is that Tennant & Tate are returning.

Spoiler alert

Not really! You get "hitatyibstaagmaaiyiihiwsbtaawttmbbmdipiaswwastaafmwwbbhyvaomtonobtstbbtanogi" (assuming I didn't make any typing errors), and there's not even any "e"s in that, so it's not going to anagram to anything good.

But he does seem to be hinting that he's hidden something in there, so come on, super-sleuths. I don't think it's going to be as complicated as that time JJ Abrams hid the answer to the identity of the Lost statue in Wired.)

[close]

I don't think it's terribly complicated. Based on that quote in DWM, my guess is

Spoiler alert

the celestial Toymaker has a "favourite" Doctor/companion pairing, and bends the laws of reality to give us that duo after Jodie's regeneration. Then the whole plot can be used as a sort of... Metaffer, if you will, for how we jaded old fanboys need to let go of the past and embrace the exciting new future. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Toymaker now looks like a classic Doctor.

[close]

[Deanjam]

I don't think it's terribly complicated. Based on that quote in DWM, my guess is

Spoiler alert

the celestial Toymaker has a "favourite" Doctor/companion pairing, and bends the laws of reality to give us that duo after Jodie's regeneration. Then the whole plot can be used as a sort of... Metaffer, if you will, for how we jaded old fanboys need to let go of the past and embrace the exciting new future. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Toymaker now looks like a classic Doctor.

[close]

Of all the suggested reasons for their return, this is the one I like best.

[Mister Six]

It would fit with the 60th anniversary year celebrations, too - the idea of looking back and focusing on what came before, when the new adventures that lie ahead should be the focus.

[mjwilson]

I don't think it's terribly complicated. Based on that quote in DWM, my guess is

Spoiler alert

the celestial Toymaker has a "favourite" Doctor/companion pairing, and bends the laws of reality to give us that duo after Jodie's regeneration. Then the whole plot can be used as a sort of... Metaffer, if you will, for how we jaded old fanboys need to let go of the past and embrace the exciting new future. I don't think it's a coincidence that the Toymaker now looks like a classic Doctor.

[close]

Can't a guy have a foolish conspiracy theory without people dropping logic and reason all over it?

I like this idea quite a bit.

[Replies From View]

Celestial Toymaker spun the Timeless Child yarns

[McDead]

Peace and love, Replies, but I wish you would sustain some mild amnesia so you could forget this Timeless Child shit ever happened.

[mjwilson]

Tennant's first line is going to be his "What? What? What?" again isn't it?

RTD says in DWM that the idea goes back to December 2020 so this has been planned for quite a while.

[JamesTC]

Tennant's first line is going to be his "What? What? What?" again isn't it?

I'm hoping for something like "these teeth feel familiar". But yes, that is a tantalising cliffhanger.

Speaking of cliffhangers, it has been so long since I saw Journey's End and The Next Doctor that I had thought the deleted cliffhanger of the Cyberman appearing in the TARDIS was used in the final episode. The memory cheats.

[Replies From View]

Yes, it's quite clever how Nicola Bryant used that JNT phrase against him.

[Ambient Sheep]

RTD says in DWM that the idea goes back to December 2020 so this has been planned for quite a while.

So a few months after Chibnall wrecked everything with The Timeless Children, then.

[Replies From View]

Honestly, I have in my mind that without drawing direct attention to The Timeless Children, RTD's episode(s) with Tennant and Tate will involve muddying Chibnall's waters in some way.

"an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor's"

That's my favourite thing RTD said in that article.  It might be bollocks but it would give viewers the perfect opportunity to say the last two and a half series took place in some kind of unreality bubble.

[McDead]

It would be funny - though of course, massively disrespectful to a peer and colleague - if RTD made the entire last five years an intricate illusion

[Replies From View]

It would be funny - though of course, massively disrespectful to a peer and colleague - if RTD made the entire last five years an intricate illusion

Just needs to offer the possibility that it could be read that way, and leave the rest to head-canon.

[Kelvin]

It would be funny - though of course, massively disrespectful to a peer and colleague - if RTD made the entire last five years an intricate illusion

Nah, fuck that. The Doctor should explicitly tell his companion, "The last few years of my life were an illusion created by a boring, incompetent piece of shit. And if you liked it you are a clueless idiot."

[McDead]

Nah, fuck that. The Doctor should explicitly tell his companion, "The last few years of my life were an illusion created by a boring, incompetent piece of shit. And if you liked it you are a clueless idiot."

Doctor Who - the character - should say that directly to camera.

[JamesTC]

Doctor Who - the character - should say that directly to camera.

While holding a glass of champagne and then wishing the viewers a merry Christmas.

[Mister Six]

Honestly, I have in my mind that without drawing direct attention to The Timeless Children, RTD's episode(s) with Tennant and Tate will involve muddying Chibnall's waters in some way.

"an intricate illusion created by an old enemy of the Doctor's"

That's my favourite thing RTD said in that article.  It might be bollocks but it would give viewers the perfect opportunity to say the last two and a half series took place in some kind of unreality bubble.

I'm going to try not to get too fixated on this in case it doesn't happen and I end up having the whole thing spoilt for myself.

[McDead]

"A fairly intricate illusion. Well, contrived is more the word, if I'm honest."

[Midas]

There's something suspect about RTD bringing back The Toymaker - a mysterious immortal being from another universe - in the wake of Chibnall's "story" "arc" about the Timeless Child, a mysterious immortal being from another universe...

There may be no connection but I feel instinctively like there will be some meddling on the horizon.

[Replies From View]

"A fairly intricate illusion. Well, contrived is more the word, if I'm honest."

"But necessary in the circumstances."

[Deanjam]

Ryan Gosling wearing a Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who shirt, and a lovely bit of snark from RTD. You just know Russell will try and get him on the show now.

[Mister Six]

Oh god, that would be great. Gosling is such an underutilised comic actor, I'd love to see him in RTD Who in some capacity.

[Deanjam]

Oh god, that would be great. Gosling is such an underutilised comic actor, I'd love to see him in RTD Who in some capacity.

Gosling cast Matt Smith in his first directed film, didn't he? Was the reason why he was bald in his last episode. Time to repay the favour Ryan!

[Mister Six]

Yeah, I believe the first Who thing he saw was Smith's speech atop the Pandorica. I didn't realise he'd actually kept watching the show, much less kept abreast of casting updates.