The Doctor Who thread

[Stavros]

The only problem I really have with a stateside Torchwood is if Captain Jack is the main character, the Fox executives are probably going to force them to give him a female love interest and never mention Ianto. I'll be pissed off at that personally. If they do keep Jack's omnisexuality, I'll be happy but I will not count on it.

Why not? Russell T Davies is helming it so he's not going to fully dump the omnisexual angle. I agree that there's probably going to be a push towards Jack going for a woman, but I doubt that his back history would be fully ignored. I would say that it won't be focal though, as no series is going to ask its audience to research a character by watching a previous series they were in.

If they do downplay it its going to create some problems though. Not that Fox is inherently anti-gay, historically they've put out significant gay relationships in their programming. The issue is whether the perception that a male gay character is having that aspect downplayed is offensive or not. If they don't downplay it will it be blamed for bad ratings? Could be a minefield.

[dc20willsave]

The only problem I really have with a stateside Torchwood is if Captain Jack is the main character, the Fox executives are probably going to force them to give him a female love interest and never mention Ianto. I'll be pissed off at that personally. If they do keep Jack's omnisexuality, I'll be happy but I will not count on it.

Why not? Russell T Davies is helming it so he's not going to fully dump the omnisexual angle. I agree that there's probably going to be a push towards Jack going for a woman, but I doubt that his back history would be fully ignored. I would say that it won't be focal though, as no series is going to ask its audience to research a character by watching a previous series they were in.

Actually, I was saying it's not likely because US TV executives tend to be puritanical. There are very few gay main characters on US network television, mostly being supporting characters. It's even less common is Sci-Fi unless it's exploitation. I doubt Fox would allow Davies to get away with it. They'd instead ask if the gay/bi character be in the background and if he/she could be more stereotypical.

[Koete]

NBC has delayed a verdict on Rex Is Not Your Lawyer, the much-buzzed-about drama pilot starring Doctor Who’s David Tennant. Peacock execs were eyeing Rex to possibly fill one of its post-Jay Leno Show holes at 10 pm this spring. But a source close to the show tells me, “The sets are coming down this week.”

An NBC rep declined to comment, but a Peacock source insists Rex remains under consideration for fall. “The sets are on fold-and-hold,” maintains the insider. “They will still be available if the show is picked up for the fall.”

The project, which co-stars Jerry O’Connell, Abigail Spencer, Jane Curtin, and Jeffrey Tambor, had been in development at NBC-Universal for nearly two years. A pilot was commissioned last October and completed in December.

Source

[dc20willsave]

Well, crud. Oh well, hoping it's picked up for the fall. Jane Curtain and Jeffrey Tambor with David Tennant is just too awesome not to happen.

[Stavros]

Well, crud. Oh well, hoping it's picked up for the fall. Jane Curtain and Jeffrey Tambor with David Tennant is just too awesome not to happen.

Don't forget Jerry O'Connell of Sliders fame. Interesting cast on that one, I'd like to see it.

[ShaunKL]

The Idiot's Lantern

This one has always kind of bored me, and it still does. It's not bad -- and I do like the Question-like effect on the people -- but the villain is nothing more than a mustache-twirler and the father is way over-the-top.

There is something that always make me sad a little inside. In the original script I believe, there was to be a moment between the Doctor and the young boy towards the end. The Doctor was to be skittish about climbing up the tower, mentioning a bad incident with a radio telescope.

[Missy]

So I got the DVD set for the specials yesterday, and was very disappointed to find that only "The End of Time" has a commentary track. The other three do not.

[Dan]

Seriously? That sucks. Are the other extra features any good?

[SuaveStar]

I thought, as single releases, they got commentaries?

That's shit.

[Missy]

I haven't investigated the other features all that much.

[dc20willsave]

So I got the DVD set for the specials yesterday, and was very disappointed to find that only "The End of Time" has a commentary track. The other three do not.

That blows. I still don't regret buying them but that still blows.

[Missy]

I thought, as single releases, they got commentaries?

According to Amazon, the individual releases didn't have them either.

[slothian]

I've got a combined Waters of Mars/End of Time DVD on my Amazon wishlist and, really, I don't buy DVDs for commentaries. If there are some, then great (especially as its for the two-part finale, which deserves commentary more than the set up story), but I'm not going to be heartbroken. I'm not getting the entire set because I hate The Planet of the Dead and can always pick up The Next Doctor in a few years when it becomes a lot cheaper.

[Missy]

By the way, part one of "The End of Time" has a commentary by David Tennant, Catherine Tate, and Euros Lyn. And the second part is with David Tennant, John Simm, and Euros Lyn.

[illogicology]

Yeah, the extra features on the specials haven't been that great. I've got the Planet of the Dead blu-ray and the only extra is that episode's Doctor Who Confidential... pretty sure it's the edited one too.

[Koete]

It was a story I ran quite a while ago. That Neil Gaiman was to write an upcoming episode of the decades-running British sci-fi TV Doctor Who.

And then when the list of 2010 writers was released with Neil Gaiman’s name absent I was called a proper charlie by all sorts of folks. Or words to that effect.

Well, Neil Gaiman has just won an award for his Batman comic at the SFX Awards 2010, presented at the SFX Weekender convention. And Neil just tweeted;

I tried videoing acceptance speeches yesterday but the sound was bad, so they read them out instead. Also I gave them a scoop

That scoop is that he has indeed written an upcoming episode of Doctor Who. It is it to air in 14 months, in 2011.

I understand that although Gaiman initially wrote the episode for the 2010 series, budgetary reasons saw it bumped to the following year. So we might also expect a bit of an effects extravaganza to boot…

Squee.

Bleeding Source

[Stavros]

That is cool. I shall look forward to seeing that one quite a bit.

[dc20willsave]

I... I think I need to change my pants that's so awesome. My favorite author is writing for my favorite show. Yeah, I need to change my pants.

[Missy]

[SuaveStar]

It's a step up from Ant & Dec

[Stavros]

It's a step up from Ant & Dec

So is syphilis.

[SuaveStar]

It's a step up from Ant & Dec

So is syphilis.

Touché

[damndirtyape]

The more I see the trailer for Mat Smiths season, the more I get the feeling that this may be the first time River song has met the Doctor.

How else are they going to get away with her telling Tennant I've never seen you look so young.

Would be really cool idea that we saw her at the end of her life and Tennant had no idea who she was but when Smith meets her he knows her but she doesn't know him.

[dc20willsave]

I was watching "The End Of Time Part 2" earlier and on second viewing, I realized they have a perfect way to bring back any of the Time Lords from the original series. Since I like her despite her episodes being ass, let's use The Rani for example. Since the other disenting vote looked male, she was on Gallifrey when it was phasing in. In that time, she jumps in her Tardis and rns. Doesn't matter where, just as long as she's gone when the planet goes back in the Time Lock. This can be repeated for Romana, The Monk, The War Chief, etc.

[Missy]

That's a good idea, Will.