I already said this in another thread, but I think "AoL"/"WW3" should've had human terrorists, not aliens, as the villians. They'd still be taking over 10 Downing Street to start a nuclear war for their own purposes. They'd still do it by faking a spaceship crash in central London. They'd still need to gather all the UNIT experts (including the Doctor) and kill them before the crash is exposed as a fake. The only real changes would be losing the fart jokes and the unconvincing monster suits.

There are a couple of big story-telling advantages to using human villains instead of aliens. For example, it would give the Doctor a satisfying response to Rose's mother demanding, "But can you keep her safe?" He could reply, "No, but could you keep her safe here on Earth? How can you be sure she won't be killed my more terrorists tomorrow?" That's better than the silly "only ten seconds" compromise we got.

It's just a shame that RTD seems so determined to pack aliens and monsters into stories which don't need them!

Except that this is "Doctor Who" not "Spooks" and as such benefits from being packed with aliens and monsters in my opinion

couldnt agree more- this is sci - fi, its meant to have aliens in it

I never clicked this, but is anyone else like me, not interested in spoilers for the story, just in other peoples theories to where everything is leading?

Obviouslyt no offence to JohnFlawbod though.

FANTASTIC

Poor old ITV... they just about get the hang of Light Entertainment again with Ant & Dec, then spoil it with wall-to-wall Celebrity Bumfluff.

And I'm not even all that keen on the Eurosong, but today's line-up does make me just a tad wistful

Gary
Jeez... 5 pages and it isn't even my lunchtime yet

Horses for course I guess - personally I don't find knowing the outcome spoils my enjoyment but then alot of the time I'm too technical in my approach to things rather than appreciating them for entertainment value alone - which is why the spoiler tag is an invaluable tool now Den has taught me how to use it...I'm challenged, what can I say? As for offence? The last time I took offence all the sheep escaped so these days I tend not to

In my defence, may I just point out this isn't a spoiler and isn't based on any specialist inside information. Plenty of Who fans have been suggesting this as a storyline on forum boards all over the web. We all saw The Master's fate in the 1996 film (sucked into the eye of harmony) and it’s a natural progression from that. So I think you need to differentiate between what is a spoiler based on inside info, and what is a rumour based on healthy conjecture. Otherwise, you'll end up with a forum where every single word of every post is concealed as a 'spoiler'.

Also, I stand by my earlier comments that, dramatically, the story wouldn’t work if Christopher E turned out to be an impostor. And yes, I am also speaking as a professional writer myself. A good writer ensures viewers engage and invest in a story. Why would we bother investing if it turned out we’d been watching a fraudster for 3 months?

Dramatically, it wouldn’t work because for every viewer who was shocked/excited by the twist, there would be millions more who would find it a massive turn-off. And that's the last thing Doctor Who needs after 16 years in the wilderness.

Think about Bobby Ewing coming back in the shower in Dallas. Did that work dramatically? I think not because it undermined the integrity of the entire show, leaving viewers thinking “God, how stupid”. They pulled in the viewers for his come-back episode, but it was down-hill all the way thereafter.

I’d hate to see something like that happen with Dr Who.

Quote by Mr Flawbod: (couldn't find the original post?)...

I think I may shut up for a while and ponder the FA Cup for a while...ah, FA Cup, scary Doctor Who episode, Eurovision...just like old times...

endQuote.


And Sunday Night:

DW repeat
short DWC
Top Gear
24

not bad either...

K

Following on in the links-you-really-don't-want-to-follow vein... I just came across this is the Doctor Who Reference Guide, about one of the Missing Adventures: http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_ma08.htm

And that is all I'm going to say on the matter! :sleep:

Gary

[quote=Mulett]


Because we didn't know we were until it was revealed - that's the drama...


You cannot write a show simply to please everyone...this is, after all, a reinvention...


Yes, it did. It was also the only way Leonard Katzman could change the direction of the show when he was reinstalled as Exec Producer - Dallas lasted on but was also in its final throes anyway having been on air for a decade...

Now I know I come across as superior in my posts, it's a character trait I kind of got used to, but in my humble old, whatever RTD chooses to do with "Doctor Who" is out of our hands but we can love, loathe and speculate about it, read in theories and find hidden meanings...how many shows on TV right now can that be said about?

While I would agree with that, I'd also like to point out that you also cannot write a show that would suddenly alienate millions of viewers.

And RTD seems to be doing alright writing a show that pleases most people.

[quote=JohnFlawbod]
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, John, but I still don't agree. A twist won’t necessarily work, dramatically, just because it’s unexpected.

A good twist will work because it keeps the viewer invested and - of course - watching. I think it right to say, therefore, that a twist that had viewers disengaging from the show (and then turning off) would be considered a failure. And I do fear that would happen if Christopher E turned out not to be the Doctor after all, but an impostor.

I suppose the argument is really whether or not you think a twist of this sort would keep viewers hooked, or – as I fear – would push them away.

And the unfortunate thing about Doctor Who at the moment is that I’m distracted far more by what other people think of the show, and how many are watching, then whether it’s appealing to old Who fans like us lot.

[quote=Mulett]
Don't get distracted - just enjoy it (and the threads!).

IMO, a good twist is like the punchline to a good joke, a surprise but entirely consistent with what has led up to it.

K

[quote=KennyT]
Indeed, I'm afraid that I'm selfish in these matters and so long as I enjoy it, I couldn't really care what others do or don't think although it's always heartening to know your favourite show is a hit generally...on the practical side once again, what we do know is that DW has been commissioned for a second series so there will be another 13 episodes to continue and/or learn from the first which let's face it, was uncharted territory for all concerned...in a world where the attention span of viewers is averaged at around 10 minutes maximum, I'd say RTD has pitched DW about right so far and that whatever risks he does or doesn't take, he's built a fan base for this series (called Series One) that will follow to see where they are being taken...GO ON THE GUNNERS!!! Ahem, sorry...back later...

Actually, this is a very interesting article and doesn't give away important plot detail. In that sense, it's a proper review.

I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the current doctor, and found it far more grounded than the flights of fancy (Dr is the Master, Rose turns out to be the Dr, etc) typically found around these here parts.

Of course, if the Dr does turn out to be the Master, I'll be happy to eat humble pie with a side dish of crow et mon hat

I think the big 'twist' at the end of this series should be that something happens to the Doctor and he's laying there dying in Rose's arms and he starts to regenerate and slowly you realize he's regenerating into ...................

CHRISTOPHR ECCLESTON!!!!

And he's not really leaving at all and it was all just a big publicity stunt and David Tenant (the ****) wont be in it and everything's ok again and I'm just gonna go and shoot myself in the face! Thank you and good night!!

[quote=Mulett]
I am not suggesting that The Doctor (CE) is an impostor but I don't think RTD is scared to take risks as he has done with this series so I am unexpecting the unexpected, no matter how improbable it may appear on screen. I bet on second viewing all the clues that lead us to the climax of ep 13 will be there. RTD has stated many times that he hasn't made Who to appeal to the die hard fans...if they came onboard, watched and enjoyed it, then that was all to the good but he wanted to aim it more for a new generation. That is why there are nods to the shows history without it being bogged down with too much detail/lore which would leave the new viewers rather baffled. He has also gone on record as saying that he is wary of people who lavish too much praise on the show as they are unreliable critics and prefers hearing a more balanced view. This series has had it's strengths but also shown some weakness in parts so hopefully the production team will learn from that and make it even a stronger force when it retuns for series two.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion..I find myself enjoying these forums on the basis of that and taking part in discussions (even though heated at times) all adds to an excellent mix and can perhaps make you look at things in a way that you may have not thought of before.

We know the series ends on a cliffhanger and John Barrowman has stated their is a twist to the tale...whether that means the Doctor is an impostor or someone else is not quite what they seem or it is something completely different, I am sure we will be tuning in when it returns for the Christmas special and series two.

I'm sure David Tennant speaks highly of you too..I don't think there was any need for that. I am all of criticism being part of the debate but you don't need to call him that as it is a bit personal.

And David Tennant speaks so warmly of you Fluffy...with less than three hours to go, I'm still fixating on the capsule in the time vortex shown on the "Next Week" trailer for "The Empty Child"...it looked like it was being chased by the Tardis from the shot...

It certainly does look like that. Perhaps CJ has deliberately engineered this situation.

Deliberately drawing the Tardis after him...hmmm, like that as it's another different reason for the setting rather than just the mistakes/broken Tardis reasons we were flooded with in the old series...btw, what is the plural of series...is it series' or seres? Just curious...

I don't think it is any coincidence that Harkness sounds like Darkness which ties in with what JB said on BBC Breakfast News yesterday.

I think it is series'...though I could be wrong!

AAARGH!! Just how much have i missed by not being online (again!) for a week? 5 pages on this thread already seems a bit of overkill surely?

I take it all that's really happened is more speculation on Bad Wolf / the Master / Black Guardian / Rose as lynchpin for the entire Gallifreyan race?

Any new nuggets?

So the rumour mill is in overdrive at the momemt

looks as though its a good one. although in my oppinion they all are.