Just saw the Sunday repeat. That was the best Dr Who story I've seen for awhile. Exciting, scary and very, very funny. Rose keeps getting better; her relationship with the Dr reminds me of the Dr and Ace (minus the suggestion of sexual attraction). There's a sense of genuine friendship. Mark Gattis can continue to write the lot as far as I'm concerned! 2 very enthusisatic thumbs up!

I never said he didn't regenerate.

I said he might not have regenerated from Paul McGann's Doctor.

Watch again - he feels her face, and find that it is cold - look at his eyes, and look at the dead eyes of Gwyneth just after.

Remember at the start of the story, when the bodies are possessed they still do the thing that they wanted to do - perhaps she wanted to strike the match ?

So far, so good for the new Doctor Who. The 3rd episode in the new series was not the best but it was watchable and the acting rates highly. For once the BBC hasn't wasted a pile of licence payers cash on a load of worthless crap.

Well your post certainly has some convincing points that its not as bigger risk as I thought ....... but my gut reaction is that although RTD has balls, he would not do something as radical as having THIS series be about someone who wasn't the doctor (although I would not want to place a bet over a quid that I am right)
(all I was commiting on is the "doctor isn't the doctor" specualtion).

I have to say I agree with the rest of your post, especially about "not playing it safe", let the writers write. So if RTD wants the "doctor isn't the doctor" (or any of the other speculation) let him do it.

Are the ratings in yet of ep 3?

As mentioned earlier in this very same thread 8.3m. And before you ask, Ant and Dec got 7.1m.

I have a theory on this. In the nursery rythme the Big Bad Wolf blew down the pigs houses. In Doctor Who terms could the Big Bad Wolf be the destroyer of Gallifrey? Could it have blown their house down?

There are other Bad Wolf references in fairy stories and nursery rythmes (Little Red Riding Hood, Wolf in sheeps clothing, Virginina and the Wolf) but only one Big Bad Wolf and he's not really associated with disguise (as previous posters have speculated).

As for who or what the Big Bad Wolf is and how it destroyed Gallifrey, well thats another matter entirely.

Oh and I really can't see the Doctor being the Master in disguise. That would be like waking up and finding Bobby Ewing in the shower It's cheating the audience, it won't happen

A couple of points:

1) This is Doctor Who for a new generation, a percentage of whom will not even know we've had eight previous incarnations, or indeed how that could even come about.
For a lot of new viewers, this will be their first Doctor - and regardless of how many people play the role subsequently, possibly even their favourite (the original, you might say).

2). 'Wasting' a regeneration by having CE replaced by someone else so soon after already regenerating is really a non-starter. The writers can always extend his regenerations by some means or other. (Maybe the Time Lords restart the clock for him as a reward after he saves Gallifrey at the end of the series - who knows?). And new viewers don't even know there's a limit to the number of times this can happen. At least, not yet. Will they ever?

For all we know, in this "reboot" of the original series, this Doctor could be number one, the first incarnation.

3). Both RTD and Mark Gatis have contributed to the 'continuing adventures' (i.e. novels etc) writing several books between them. They're great fans themselves. So of course they're going to use elements from the books, and not necessarily their own writings. I'd take that as a given.
Last edited by DenWatts : 10-04-2005 at 22:31

Absolutely!

The credits says he's the Doctor, so he's the Doctor.

Actually, the credits say he's "Doctor Who".

Yes, you got it in a nutshell!

I think people are being royally led up the garden path, "first on the left, second on the right, down past the bins" etc. etc. by this. A similar device was used in the continuing adventures to allude to the Doctor being an imposter, kept you guessing right until the end. It's been dropped in as a nod to the continuing adventures, but does not mean the Doctor is not the Doctor.

They always did, as far as I remember!

But I was illustrating a point, and didn't want to get into yet another "Who is Doctor Who" discussion, which is why I deliberately phrased it the way I did.

Only until JNT came along AFAIR.

But if so, how can Rose have seen the Big Bad Wolf as Gwyneth claimed when using her 'sight'?

Whatever 'it' is, it is something Gwyneth claims Rose has already encountered.

See my revised post as to why I phrased it the way I did - you get in there fast!

She's referring to life-changing tragedy that Rose has already experienced, i.e. the death of her father. Gwyn read that from Rose's mind. Rose commented on it immediately after.

There's a joke there somewhere but I wouldn't stoop so low!

Ooooh Matron!

Maybe the ‘bad wolf’ is a metaphor for death?

Rose has encountered death in her past and whilst she has been with the Doctor.

The doctor was referred to as meaning ‘death’ in episode 1.

If he is responsible for blowing up his planet then he truly is the ‘bringer of death’ on a cosmic scale.

Yes - and as someone has already commented, death follows this Doctor around.

Death is the Doctor's companion - it's down to Rose to set him free. Again, borrowing from the books.

In all this hoo har about the bad wolf, I think we've forgotten something far more worrying - Rose's idiot of a boyfriend is going to be in next weeks episode!

It's a pity that Clive from episode one got killed off, I'd have liked to have seen more of him, he could have been the Doctor Who equivalent of the three lone gunmen (i think) characters from the X Files. Could have made for some quite good comic relief throughouth the series, and could also have helped a bit with revealing bits of the story arc.

don't suppose the 'big bad wolf' could be that 'doctor who hunter chappie' from the first episode (sorry forgot his name) - after all the actor was used effectively as a baddie in a previous RTD production (the second coming?) and the reference to rose having seen the 'big bad wolf' must surely mean we witnessed it (albeit unknowingly at this point) - perhaps he wasnt shot after all?

He was much worse in the original 'promo' episode that got leaked. At least they gave him more scenes in the 'final' release of the premiere, which showed him in a bit more of a favourable light.