Amph Doctor Who Discussion (Russell T. Davies returns)

It's the best show ever. If you don't watch it you're missing out*.

*The author is exempt from hyperbole in all forms.

 

I would go for Firefly as it's shorter and more consistent.

 

And then watch Doctor Who.

 

^Yeah, exactly. I mean watching Firefly isn't going to take long... other way round though, he'd be struggling through some of the weaker episodes wondering if he had made the right choice. I don't love Firefly as much as some, but it doesn't have any really weak episodes, while I think RTD's Who has great peaks and troughs.

 

It's really good. The writing for the most part is fantastic and you just can't help but fall in love with the characters.

This does a better job explaining things:

 

The best thing about Who is the fans. Yes, the stories are awesome, but its a very unique fandom full of mutual respect. It's far more than the show. It's a culture.

 

I can tell you about The Doctor. He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and the storm and the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the Universe. And... he's wonderful.

As is his show.

 

Sci-fi does seem to have that effect on people

 

Jenna's appearance from yesterday's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson:

 

Peter Jackson wants to direct an episode of Doctor Who

He should totally direct the 50th Anniversary.

 

Then it won't be 60 minutes. It'll be 300.

 

My reason exactly.

 

Caught up on Walking Dead yesterday and Who today. Woo!

 

and that would be a bad thing for the 50th... how?

 

I will allow him to direct provided he isn't allowed in the writers room and is banned from helicopter fly by shots.

 

Oh come on, at least ONE helicopter shot would be awesome.

 

The Sun newspaper is reporting that Matt Smith is leaving Doctor Who at the Christmas special. If true, I wonder who will be Twelve?

Edit - language note for comments. I don't know how well they are moderated there.

 

It's The Sun, I wouldn't take it seriously. Didn't Matt already confirm he's in for Series 8?

 

Yeah, it's a tabloid, and I think either that one or the Daily Mirror had a bogus story back in September that he walked off the set of Who. (Set photos in December? What Set photos?)

Besides, Matt's contract runs through I believe 2014/2015. I would imagine BBC will want a S8 from him during that time frame before he's allowed to regenerate.

 

Never believe anything in The Sun, The Mirror, The Daily Mail or The Daily Express.

 

The Scum newspaper lies, and should never be referenced.

Daily Mail:


Express


I got nothing for the mirror off hand.

 

Also the Times, as bad as the rest of the Murdoch-owned tripe.

 

I could see Mat bowing out around next Christmas... he's often spoken of how tiring and all-consuming the work on Who is, and Troughton advised Davison not to do more than three years if he didn't want to be type-cast. You just know the Beeb are paying Smith a fraction of what an American show would.

As for who might replace him...

Damien Molony? He played one of the leads in the last two series of the BBC's Being Human. He's young, he's at least moderately good-looking judging from the female response on the IMDb board, and he doesn't appear to have anything coming up in the near future in his IMDb filmography. Basically he's able, he's heartthrob material, and he's presumably pretty cheap at the moment. As Being Human was created by regular Who writer Toby Whithouse I would think it likely he'd at least on the short-list. I consider him a strong possibility, and one that I could see working.

Sticking with Being Human, Aidan Turner is someone else I could see the BBC considering on fan-girl appeal alone, though he wouldn't be my choice.

I'd love Damian Lewis to take the role, but while he's making U.S. dollars I think he'd be crazy to come back here for a BBC paycheck.

Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond from Lost) I think could be pretty good in the role. He's got a bit of an edge to him, and we've not seen that in a Doctor since Eccleston. Plus he's not tied to any tv show and has yet to hit it big.

 

Molony and Turner are the sorts I'd expect to turn up in the role if Moffat is forced to stick with young 'sexy' types. When Smith was announced, for all the determined crowing about his youth, for all the talk of the role embracing change and trying new things (from within the BBC), I did wonder if it might signal (coming, as it did, at the time the show became really popular in the USA) an end to variety in the role. It's easy to go on about good change when you're sliding down the years, but not so likely when sliding up. Young, hip and trendy men sell the show to... a particular audience... so those in charge of the purse strings might want to stick with the type for as long as they can. I wouldn't like that. The Doctor does change, and that needs to continue. For me, Twelve should be yet another sea change. An older man ideally. Not ancient... but certainly mature.