Doctor Who in the Media

[maraleia]

Keeley Hawes talks Doctor Who role for the next season

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-04-03/keeley-hawes-on-her-new-doctor-who-role-and-line-of-dutys-controversial-ending

[maraleia]

Check out this infographic...pretty sad statistics under Moffat

http://www.dailydot.com/geek/doctor-who-sexism-infographic/

[Meredith Quill]

For the sake of fairness, check out this article also, which demonstrates why SM is not a misogynist or homophobic for that matter.

 

FTR, I'm not a SM fan, I much prefer the RTD era as it happens. :)

[BizBuzz]

Thank you SS for posting that article (I wish I could see when it was written, I hate it when they don't show that!) - it was a great counter argument to the previous info-graphic.

[HauntedBathroom]

I'd say, judging by the examples quoted, the pro-Moffat piece was written before Let's Kill Hitler. And I agree with it, when people dis -like Moffat's work they tend to wrap themselves in the 'He's sexist and homophobic' flag, rather than just say what he writes isn't for them. I think his work is great, but if you don't like it, just wait for Chibnall or Gatiss or Cross or whoever is going to take over. The way the show changes from showrunner to showrunner is the reason it's survived so long.

[tarotx]

The criteria of the graphic aside, it's hard to judge based on Matt's Doctor and on the two story arcs of the female companions of Moffet's era. Amy was a little girl and The Doctor considered her a child even if an adult child. In a lot of ways Amy and the Doctor are each others child since he becomes her son in law. I think it was an interesting dynamic. Matt's Doctor looked young but had a personality that was sometimes young at heart but sometimes ancient. Add Rory and that is actually 4 main characters at times. All 4 are family. 

 

And Clara had little interaction outside of her travels with the Doctor so that often left her inside the episode story or inside the doctors journey. In a lot of ways she was there just to tell the doctors story but she's only been there half a season. If you want to base it off her (which they don't even mention) I think they did need to get The doctor to the places they needed and she was there to make it happen. 

 

I actually love the very early episodes of season 5, a lot of season 6 and the Pond years of season 7. So maybe I'm Biased. The Show kind of lost  a bit with Clara for me but I feel like the doctor lost family and never connected to Clara as family or friend. She was like a student or a colleague. The thing is that I felt that way with Martha too and she was after The Doctor lost Rose. Perhaps this less of a connection is all in my head? 

 

I do hope they get more female writers because female voices can add interesting different point of views. 

Edited June 2, 2014 by tarotx

[Narla]

I can't help but be wary of articles written about men, explaining to me why something I feel is sexist isn't sexist.

 

I have to admit, I was an ardent fan of the RTD years and have mostly sat the Moffat ones out, because while I think he's a great - and sometimes brilliant - writer, the wya he writes women just bums me out.  He has a real tendency towards, if not the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, the Girl Who Exists Only for Romance.  There are exceptions, absolutely, but I dont feel like his female characters are as well-developed and distinct as Rose, Martha and Donna are. 

 

That said, I love so much of his writing.  I think Blink is wonderful and -- great irony -- I tihnk he has a great touch with rom-com.  The scene between Sally Sparrow and the Detective Inspector is so charming that it really does create something great that gets lost in only a matter of minutes.

[April Bloodgate]

I do actually like a lot of Moffat's story lines, and yet I still think he's rather sexist. But it doesn't have that much to do with how he has written female characters, although there are some problematic aspects to that; rather, it's about the things he's said about women in real life. http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/steven-moffat-sexism-sherlock-doctor-who/

[tarotx]

And what some consider sexist, I consider a focus on someone else's story instead of the lone female companion. I just can't see how Amy Pond isn't as fully developed and distinct as Rose, Martha and Donna. The male Rory is more the one who exists for romance.

 

River is a bit female Jack Harkness but we get her story in pieces and she's very memorable imo. 

 

Clara isn't fully developed but we'll see what happens with the new Doctor. 

 

And while Madame Vastra and Jenny are romance, I think they are very sweet and fierce together. I love them both.

 

Matt's Doctor just had a bunch of characters around that were used as much as the recurring Characters of the RTD years. I get why people wouldn't enjoy this change as much but to call it sexist? That isn't something I agree with. At least not yet. I guess it depends on what happens with Clara and the coming companions. 

Edited June 3, 2014 by tarotx

[Lisin]

I'd go on to say that Amy was often the one responsible for saving The Doctor, and so is Clara, sure they may not pass some (in my opinion arbitrary) test but they're often the true heroes of the story. Sure sometimes they are damsels in distress but they're more often than not strong women who are in charge of their decisions and are living their lives the way they want. I don't personally care that they don't appear in as many episodes that 1) have a second female with a name and dialogue 2) talk with that female 3) about something other than a man. I I feel that those criteria are somewhat arbitrary. I've always had a problem with the Bechdel Test for that reason, I mean Gravity doesn't pass it. Gravity. Run Lola Run fails... as does Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II. I think it's unreasonable to say that just because something fails the Bechdel Test means that it doesn't have strong female characters or is somehow misogynistic or anti-female etc. 

[Bondfool]

Rose and Martha's personalities were dominated by their fawning devotion to the Doctor, while Amy and Clara's weren't/aren't. Hell, Clara doesn't even seem to spend *that* much time with him.

[Actionmage]

Some sections of the findings that folks seem to be overlooking in their opinions of the research that was presented: (italics mine)
 
"Conversations were allowed to pass if they were not centered around a man but did briefly mention one. This was to allow for a companion to be able to mention the Doctor, for example if someone were asking where they were from they could say “Oh, I came here in a box with a man called the Doctor,” and then carried on. Or also perhaps two women discussing something where they may briefly mention their brother, employer, etc. If the mention of the man was removed from the conversation, the purpose of the conversation would still stand. ...  However, conversations where two women were addressing the Doctor (or another man), and not really talking to or acknowledging each other, were not included. This was to allow for three (or more) way conversations, since the test did not say that a man/men observing/participating in the conversation with two or more women disqualified it. A simple address was not considered as a conversation. The women had to have more than a two line exchange. (See end of post for a full list of failed episodes.)"

"Ironically, the woman who is often propped up as proof that Steven Moffat is, in fact, not a sexist[River Song] was one of the worst in terms of the Bechdel test and overall independence of thought and character. While maintaining an average speaking time, the episodes she is in only pass the Bechdel Test 57% of the time, and she herself only passes 42% of the time. She also never passes it on her own after Series 5. It is also important to note that River’s “passes” barely scraped by this test. Her passing conversations were always around three or four lines of exchange total, limited to one per episode, and were always in the presence of/with the Doctor."

"I suppose the most important thing would be to simply write people. I think Moffat struggles with this in general, but especially when writing any sort of romantic female character. (Fun fact, Rose’s Bechdel test score would have been in the 80′s were it not for the episodes Moffat wrote during her run.)"

"...However, the purpose of this was to study trends. Yes, there may be outlier episodes where it’s only the companion and The Doctor, and will there for not pass the Bechdel test, but this research allows us to see where the overall show is going. Writing a woman who doesn’t talk as much is fine, but when it becomes an overall trend to have all of the female characters failing the Bechdel Test and not speaking, that is when it becomes a problem. If you truly were writing a diverse group of women, those outliers wouldn’t matter."

 "I don’t think this will end the sexism debate. I realize I attempted to quantify something that is largely opinion based, and there will be some who will prefer Amy’s 2:35 to Donna’s 3:46, and say more isn’t better. Some will make excuses for episodes not passing the Bechdel Test, and all that’s fine. I acknowledge the limitations of this study. When it comes right down to it though, these are the numbers if you want them. But your thoughts are your own, so do with this as you will."

"Credit to other group members: Joseph Struhs..., Tyler Minetto, Joseph Meldrum, Zak Ison"

"To address a few issues though, I am aware the Bechdel test has flaws, as do our other methods. This was simply to study trends between authors. However, I don’t think the whole thing should be dismissed simply because of issues with one part. All of the information is statically significant and a good starting point."

" And, as a note to those who say I have too much time on my hands or some other such nonsense, I was in a Media Research Methods class. I had to choose media to research for my final to pass it. It wan’t just for fun. Analytics is an important skill for my industry. I saw an issue being brought up by others, and I attempted to quantify it."
 
Even though there are differences of opinion on this thread, it is waaay more civil than the acid and dismissiveness that Ms. Moore had in her Comments section. I appreciate the discussion here.  I looked at her list of "failed" episodes and disagreed, but then, I'd have to watch them again to be certain. (Note to Biz Buzz: the link from SilverStormm had it's first reply dated September 18, 2012.) 
 
As to the Clara-shaped space:
"Have you considered doing a similar test on the new companion, Clara? There might not yet be enough episodes to determine it,..."

"beccaamoore May 29, 2014 at 3:43 pm
We did, but we thought it wouldn’t be fair, as she has yet to complete her tenure on the show. I acknowledge this isn’t a perfect study, but we did try our best to come at this from an imperial standpoint."

 

[BizBuzz]

Thank you Actionmage, didn't think to look at the date of the comments, duh. 

 

To address the arguments here, I don't consider myself eloquent enough to pose an argument or counter-argument to both cited articles (all of you have done great and I have enjoyed the civil debate), however, I come from a place where I know what I like and don't like.  So I guess I am what might be considered the average watcher.

 

I am not all that thrilled with SM's tenure as a whole, preferring RTD's writing style.  But that could be because I was introduced to the Doctor via RTD, so I am biased.  One of my favorite episodes of the entire series so far is Blink, written by SM ... so even my arguments are a little counter intuitive. 

 

In my life, I have finally come to realize that surveys and tests usually have an agenda (and I don't mean that with any negative energy) attached to it.  Their goal is to influence the public in one way or another (this point became very clear to me after I read a book called Influencer by a plethora of authors).

 

Both extremes cited here are doing exactly that, trying to influence the reader into a particular belief system.  And that is ok, as long as it doesn't lead to civil unrest.  ::giggle::

 

I am a female, and I consider myself fairly independent and strong willed (I am woman, hear me roar), however, sometimes I like to imagine there are men out there like the doctor that come in and save the day.  It makes dealing with this crazy world a little easier to take.  Does that make me weak?  Does that make me any less of a woman?  If so, so be it, it doesn't to me, I still can roar with the best of them.  HA!

 

Do I think SM is being sexist?  Hmmmm, my opinion is that I don't think so.  Do I think he is writing for the masses?  I have a teenage daughter and her two friends that I watch DW with and they seem very well entertained by the series, and they really don't care who wrote it or if it borderlines on sexist.  They are doing exactly what the writers and sponsors want, they watch and watch often, and talk about it to their friends. 

 

Anyway, just thought I would chime in.

[benteen]

Rose and Martha's personalities were dominated by their fawning devotion to the Doctor, while Amy and Clara's weren't/aren't. Hell, Clara doesn't even seem to spend *that* much time with him.

 

Amy was obsessed with The Doctor in Series 5, to the point it came across as self-absorbed.

[tarotx]

The Doctor was this striking figure in Amy's life because she knew he was real but everybody said he was fiction. He defined her Childhood. As he would have if Amy was male. Having him be proven real and ready to take her on adventures was a childhood dream come true. Amy is kind of like a modern take on one of the ladies Moffat wrote for an earlier episode, The lady in the fireplace.

[Meredith Quill]

@BizBuzz my thoughts/feeling pretty much echo yours here. Well said :)

 

I will add that my grown up daughter (who is extremely sensitive to sexism) enjoys Doctor Who also. I think sometimes it's worth remembering that you're never going to please all of the people all of the time, no matter who you are or what you do and that applies to everything and everyone.

[April Bloodgate]

Like others have said, thanks so much to everyone for keeping this civil, no matter where you fall on the issue. This might be the only comments section I've ever seen that has managed to do so with any topic that's even remotely controversial.

 

I am a female, and I consider myself fairly independent and strong willed (I am woman, hear me roar), however, sometimes I like to imagine there are men out there like the doctor that come in and save the day.  It makes dealing with this crazy world a little easier to take.  Does that make me weak?  Does that make me any less of a woman?  If so, so be it, it doesn't to me, I still can roar with the best of them.  HA!

 

@BizBuzz, I just have a question regarding one of your statements. I understand the rationale that imagining a hero coming to save the day "makes dealing with this crazy world a little easier to take." I'm just curious why that hero specifically has to be a man. No judgement here--just curiosity. Is there a romantic aspect tied to it? Something else? 

Also, off topic, I thought if you put @ and then the user's name, it would turn bold and notify them. But that didn't happen with my last comment to BizBuzz...

[fantique]

Jumping on the sexism or not sexism discussion. BTW, apologise this is sooo long

I am a psych student who just spent an entire semester learning how the presentation of data and the manipulation of hypotheses can show results that are favourable or not. Statistics can be used at different degrees of rigour and unless you know those you can be mislead into believing the stats are sound and valid. First of all, this test is dated, the fact that 30 yrs later people use a 3 bullet point scale to determine the tone of a show is lazy. That means they found something clever and never expanded on it. Test making 101, fewer items to be rated on equals little chance of being accurate. And it was apparently developed for movies more than tv shows. Also, there needs to be adjustments. Doctor Who is not about writing a diverse group of women. It is not even an ensemble show. There is only one constant, the Doctor. Maybe it will always be a male actor, maybe that will change.

Of bloody course their stories will be intertwined with the Doctor's, that is literally why they are here. Who he has as a companion reflects on the Dr's state of mind. Without only looking at such an arbitrary scale, there are other factors when deciding if a character has agency and is strong. What are the relationships of Amy and River 11th? The first 2 are not just random girls he whisked away after saving them. 1) Amy was the first face he saw, they are family to each other. I saw the flirty (and cringe) moments as a fascination with this cool person you knew as a kid who made you feel special when other "grownups" didn't listen and they are back. But then after that she is pretty straightforward with the fact that the love of her life is Rory and she pretty much does what she wants and makes it clear to the Dr when her "real life" is a priority. He saw her as child first, he feels protective. To me that's more endearing than patronising. He still knows that he can't make her do anything. 2) River is the only other person in the universe who has a iota of understanding what his life is like. Their bond is strong and of course their stories go together. It doesn't erase the fact that she has her own schedule and interests when not on an adventure with the Dr. She has her own plans and the Dr is more dependent on her than she on him. When deciding if there is a genuine interest and respect awarded to the characters, you don't just think about screen-time. When most people think about Amy and River do we only care about happens to them with regards to the Dr? Or do we feel attached to them as separate entities? In the show or for the audience, are their actions in need of validation by the Dr or do their actions feel understandable and reasonable without the Dr's approval? I actually sometimes think the Dr is being unreasonable and should listen to them. There are actually a lot of those scenes with the 11th where they make fun of him rambling when he should be listening to them (and Clara). The show is about this one man, and how he lives his long life solitary life finding solace in taking some people along for the ride for a time. The people on that journey with him have to be special and strong or they wouldn't survive a day. It's quite difficult to have the main female characters talk to others than the Dr without talking about him or his actions. Everyone is talking to each other about the Dr, who is male.

 

I want to be clear: I am a girl raised in a family with strong matriarchal influences (the mothers and grandmothers have the most weight in family decisions). I was born a feminist. I rarely even take into account my sex (because I am talking about biology) when I do things because I believe that if I don't decide it defines me then most people will follow my lead. The few people who try to view me as a girl before anything else regret it pretty quickly. Maybe I have been lucky, I don't know.

What I do know is that most people I have heard complain about Moffat say he is sexist after they decided they don't like him. If they said 'I don't like him because he is sexist (has also been upgraded to add homophobic)', I would get it but it's rarely been the case. Like they are trying to convince others that their dislike is legitimate. The thing is, this is entertainment. If they have instant dislike of the writing style, they do. End of story. The female characters are not doing it for them, fine. For them, Moffat is not cutting it when writing those characters enticingly. That is as legit as someone who opposes that view. Extrapolating RL views is a bit much IMO. Accusing someone of sexism, homophobia, racism, etc in this day and age is a heavy sentence. One has to be sure they are not blinded by something else.

 

I read that other article about the horrible things he says about women IRL. He is caustic, not used to the whole interaction with fans and a sarcastic man. People actually say he is a bad interviewee, which means he is not skilled in being affable and likeable. The thing is, that's not his job. The only reason why we even have the slightest idea as to what SM looks like is because there is this new aspect to shows and movies that is about looking behind the curtain. I would like all those quotes in context before I put any weight on them. I am sure that if someone compiled all the stupid shit that I've said that was insensitive, you'd have to conclude I am a snobbish bitch with a superiority complex, discriminatory tendencies and over-inflated ego. Certainly hope that is not the case. On top of that, to judge if Doctor Who is sexist is not to judge if SM is sexist. The 2 can be separate. The fact that people need to attack SM shows that they have to go far to prove that the show is sexist.

It seems people like to add a socio-political component to entertainment and that pisses me off. You know who taught me right from wrong? Who taught me that I have to respect myself and that I deserve to be respected? Who is my reference when weighing on making an important decision? Not River Song. My parents, more specifically my mother. It's not a TV show's job to educate people. If anything, art imitates life here and if they are seeing the bias on TV, well that's because there is freaking bias IRL. That is more important to fix and it's not done by harassing one man on twitter because they are not happy with the storyline.

[Meredith Quill]

the @ function is down atm, I'm using code to make it work.

[BizBuzz]

Denay, the forum is having some bug issues with the mentions right now.  We are continuing to add the @ to the name so that when the forum decides to behave, it will work.  ::giggle::

 

Good question ...

 

I'm just curious why that hero specifically has to be a man. No judgement here--just curiosity. Is there a romantic aspect tied to it? Something else?

 

No romanticism at all.  I have been married twice so I know romantic love doesn't last.  HA!  Maybe abandonment from those that were supposed to be there and dreaming that there were men out there that wouldn't do that? 

 

Why a man?  Well, despite my not being interested in ever being married again, I still like looking at men.  ::giggle::

 

I think that is why I am drawn so much to Nine - he was a MAN, ten was eye candy and eleven was a baby.  I am honestly looking forward a ton to Capaldi - maybe more daddy issues.  Romantic?  No.  Nice to look at, yes. 

 

Does that work?

[Meredith Quill]

@fantique As a fan of the show and more importantly, as a woman; Bravo, simply bravo. *Slow claps*

 

ETA re SM's sense of humour/sarcasm; he is British (like me) and I know that sometimes our soh and/or sarcasm can translate poorly in other cultures, perhaps this may go some way to explaining why he is considered a 'poor' interviewee?

Plus, like the Doctor, we all know SM lies ;)

I particularly liked the part where you said (paraphrasing here) you would hate it if any off the cuff, sarcastic, dismissive and fed up remarks you had ever made were recorded for posterity - I couldn't agree more.

[April Bloodgate]

That is a perfectly reasonable response, @BizBuzz. Ten is definitely eye candy for me too. haha

[BizBuzz]

I am a fan of @fantique - I hang on the coattails of @SilverStormm and say BRAVO. 

[Lisin]

I'm with @SilverStormm and @BizBuzz. That was perfectly said @fantique. 

[BizBuzz]

ETA re SM's sense of humour/sarcasm; he is British (like me) and I know that sometimes our soh and/or sarcasm can translate poorly in other cultures, perhaps this may go some way to explaining why he is considered a 'poor' interviewee?

 

I have been in love with UK humor for as long as I can remember.  My number one favorite movie of all time is Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  No one around me understands my love of all things UK humor (except my wonderful daughter) so I can definitely get what you are saying here.  Culture I think plays a huge role in this discussion.

[Meredith Quill]

I was going to respond re Monty Python but then I'd be going wildly off topic lol. So instead I'll point you in this direction @BizBuzz - enjoy!

[fantique]

 @SilverStormm, @Bizbuzz , and @Lisin thank you :D 
I was hoping to be honest without offending anyone. I am nearly incapable to not be sarcastic. I grew up in France and went to British schools from 15 years old. Culture differences + language barrier ==> My humor and remarks have shocked/upset people before... in different countries.
 

Edited June 3, 2014 by fantique

[Shanna Marie]

First of all, this test is dated, the fact that 30 yrs later people use a 3 bullet point scale to determine the tone of a show is lazy.

Thank you! I'm far more interested in what the female characters get to do than in what they talk about with each other, and it would be entirely possible to have a show/movie full of interesting female characters doing important things and utterly fail this test.

 

I actually cringe at the way the women are presented in the RTD era because those companions are generally presented as having no life apart from the Doctor and then at the end they're given a man as a kind of consolation prize, as though a woman's life can't be complete without a man in it. There was Rose, who wasn't really going anywhere or doing anything until the Doctor came along and couldn't live without him to the point that even though she was in a place with a restored family and an interesting career, she was still pining for him. But it's all okay because she got given her very own Doctor and didn't have to learn to live without him. Martha did have a career of her own, but she ditched it to run off with a man she fancied and chose to leave him when she realized he'd never love her. But it's okay, because she got granted a husband in her coda. And then Donna at least didn't fall in love with him, but she was kind of a nobody without him and had to have all the awesomeness she achieved with him erased from her brain. But it's okay, because she got given a husband.

 

Amy did have a husband, but that was a pre-existing relationship (well, after the childhood sequence) that we got to see develop, not part of the "and you get a husband, and you get a husband, everyone gets a husband!" afterthought. After a time traveling with the Doctor, she and her husband lived their own lives and had careers that they occasionally interrupted for an adventure, and then they ended up together, apparently having a happy life on their own. We've been shown that she had quite a successful career afterward that had nothing to do with the Doctor (and we didn't even get to find out what Rory ended up doing). River was obsessed with the Doctor, thanks to being brainwashed from birth, and was actually married to him (kind of -- we don't know how legal or binding that really was), and yet she lived what was apparently quite a full and rich life entirely apart from him, having her own adventures and only bumping into him from time to time (pun intended). Even Clara has been shown to have her own career, family and friends. All these women have their own lives that the Doctor's presence enriches, but they still maintained an identity apart from him. That, to me, is more empowering than pining over an unavailable spaceman and then being rewarded with a man as a consolation prize, regardless of who talks to whom about what.

[ABay]

My complaint with the study is that it has a flawed premise. SM hasn't written multiple female companions; he's written one and keeps changing her name.

[tarotx]

That's kind of true in concept but all these woman have their own personalities.

My complaint with the study is that it has a flawed premise. SM hasn't written multiple female companions; he's written one and keeps changing her name.

[ABay]

I vehemently disagree. River, Amy, Clara are interchangeable. I'd also appreciate it if Moffat could see beyond female biology but if he can't do it by now, it's not going to happen. I'll just hope the next showrunner comes along soon and has attitudes toward women that date from sometime after 1950.

 

I actually cringe at the way the women are presented in the RTD era because those companions are generally presented as having no life apart from the Doctor

? Clara literally exists solely to save the Doctor, River's whole reason for being is to kill the Doctor and then save him. They have no existence without the Doctor. Amy's entire life is about the Doctor. What I prefer about Rose (forgetting about the Twu Wuv crap), Martha, and Donna is that they did have lives apart from the Doctor but they came into their inner awesomeness because of him. They became better people because of their time with the Doctor. I think this is also true of Sarah Jane and Leela. Romana was born awesome but gained some compassion.

Edited June 4, 2014 by ABay

[BizBuzz]

Off the current topic, Foxes (best known for her vocals on Zedd's song Clarity) says the track she will perform on the new series of Doctor Who might get released as a single.  She is actually going to be part of the show, interesting.  Story here.

[tarotx]

River, Amy, Clara are not interchangeable. They don't have the same personality. They are individuals.

 

River is sassy, wild and full of life. She soaks up every experience. Clara is a bit studious and learns from everything. She goes at adventure knowing this might be all there is so she's soaks up the moment. We really don't know much about her yet though. I'm not sure if we will and I think it's ok. I know there has to be characters there to help move the main character to the place where the story narrative needs to take them. Even if that character is a male. 

 

But Amy was her own person who we got to really know. Sometimes she's annoying but she's been a blast to watch for me. She's lost so much and she keeps her head up. I love her relationship with the doctor. Like I said somewhere, she and the doctor are like family. The closest he has to family in all the New whos. 

 

I do think Matt's (and therefore Moffat's) Who episodes has been more about him as The Doctor than 9&10 but every Doctor has had their own journeys. We'll know a lot more about Moffat as we go into 12's era. 

Edited June 9, 2014 by tarotx

[Bill C.]

Retro TV (your "Who?" here) will begin running classic Who sometime this summer, from An Unearthly Child onward.  Since I'm in one of the states where this is a thing, this rates a "hell yes!"

[MarquisDeCarabas]

We have a release date.

 

Funnily enough it premieres the day I come back from a holiday in England.

 

Also I can't understand the first line in the teaser "Clara be my power?"

 

Also wonder what they consider feature length.  Feature length meaning 90 minutes with commercials?  90 minutes plus commercials?

[Trisan]

But Amy was her own person who we got to really know. Sometimes she's annoying but she's been a blast to watch for me. She's lost so much and she keeps her head up. I love her relationship with the doctor. Like I said somewhere, she and the doctor are like family. The closest he has to family in all the New whos.

 

 

Kuddos to that ! The 11 / Amy / Rory trio has, for me, the best alchemy ! It helped to spend two seasons and a half with them ! They really were increidlble characters ! 

 

Also I can't understand the first line in the teaser "Clara be my power?"

 

 

"Clara, be my pal, tell me : am I a good man ?"

 

Interesting that the Doctor asks this question ! Will 12 be full of doubts ? It could be a nice start for his incarnation to evolve from.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Arkash

[mledawn]

But will he ask if he's ginger?

[Meredith Quill]

We have a release date.

 

Funnily enough it premieres the day I come back from a holiday in England.

 

Also I can't understand the first line in the teaser "Clara be my power?"

 

Also wonder what they consider feature lengtrh.  Feature length meaning 90 minutes with commercials?  90 minutes plus commercials?

 

As mentioned above, he says, "Clara, be my pal, tell me; am I a good man?"

 

It hasn't been advertised here in the UK as feature length - unfortunately - so until we're told otherwise, I'd say that must include commercials but as to the actual running time; no clue as yet.

 

Which part of England are you going to be visiting?

[tarotx]

Well the doctor was 11 for a very very very long time and is working with what seems like a whole new set of regenerations. He might feel like a new man. Unsure of his moral compass perhaps. And not only is he a new regeneration but I think it's really been eons since he's been off that planet so everything's going to be brand new almost. And Clara herself might be hardly more than a memory for him. 

[HauntedBathroom]

This episode might be a similar length to The Eleventh Hour, which would make it feature length. When it airs on commercial channels, adverts can pad it to 75 or 90 minutes.

[Meredith Quill]

As mentioned above, he says, "Clara, be my pal, tell me; am I a good man?"

 

It hasn't been advertised here in the UK as feature length - unfortunately - so until we're told otherwise, I'd say that must include commercials but as to the actual running time; no clue as yet.

 

Which part of England are you going to be visiting?

 

Update: DigitalSpy.co.uk are reporting that the episode will be feature length in an article published today (30th June). Which, as it airs on the BBC, means a proper feature length as there are no commercials on the BBC. I'd guestimate anywhere from 75 - 90 mins of creamy Doctor Who goodness. Good Times! :)

[MarquisDeCarabas]

Michelle Gomez to appear the Season premiere

 

The link has the name of the character she'll be playing.  The tumblr page where this was also mentioned has a pic of her with Capaldi and I'm guessing the villains for the episode.

 

That's here

[tarotx]

She looks like an evil Mary Poppins :p

[ABay]

in my opinion, "evil Mary Poppins" is redundant.

[MarquisDeCarabas]

EW just posted the image i linked to above and said that's for the season finale. so michelle Gomes may not be in the premiere.  The BBC link is a little vague

[BetterButter]

How to turn Barbies into Doctor Who Weeping Angels

[BizBuzz]

How to turn Barbies into Doctor Who Weeping Angels

That was amazing! My daughter wants to do this!

[tarotx]

Looks like soooo much work but cool :)

 

How to turn Barbies into Doctor Who Weeping Angels

[Kalliste]

Wow those are pretty amazing, especially the cutting of and gluing the arms.. a lot of effort there!

[MarquisDeCarabas]

Silverstormm mostly gonna be in the London area, but a good chance we'll go elsewhere as well.

 

New Teaser