General Spoilery Discussion (now S7 only)

[Peri-Peri]

Another 'script to screen' competition is being held for 2012, this time through Blue Peter.

[The Doc]

Caroline Skinner, the new producer on the show was interviewed today about whether or not series 7 would air entirely in 2012 or be split and then air in the spring of 2013 and she said...

"At the moment, we're just embarking on shooting more episodes than we have done before. But in terms of the schedule, it's just too early to confirm anything."

And of the anniversary she said...

"the plans for the anniversary are going to be absolutely huge. 2013 is going to be the biggest year in the history of Doctor Who so far."

[Tardis-Console]

Does that mean a longer season? Or are they filming two seasons together? Or will there be specials? Why do they have to say stuff like that and then not elaborate? As long as each season still has 14 or more episodes I am fine, but if they are putting two seasons together and giving us say, 18, and trying to pass it off as better for us I won't be impressed. Nothing seems straightforward with the show anymore and it keeps seeming as though they are trying to sugarcoat negatives and pass them off as positives, like the split season for example.

'Put simply, doing this means that you will never be more than a couple of months from new episodes of Doctor Who'

Erm, except for the fact that once we waited through the split, which ultimately ended up being pointless, we were then told it would be nearly a year before we got anything more. Then we were told it would be a shorter season. Then a split one. Then moved to the Autumn. Then it would air over 2012-13, then there would just be one season before the anniversary, then we are getting more episodes than ever before, etc etc. Why not just give us a series in 2012, a series in 2013, and something extra for the anniversary. Or better still, do what you want but just give us something concrete so we at least know either way. It seems like everyone at the BBC has a different opinion about whats happening and they all contradict each other, which just goes to make it all seem even more like nobody actually knows what is going on or has control of the situation, which makes it understandable that areas of fandom are worried about the future. I'm not saying we should be privvy to everything that's happening, but surely its better to say nothing, or to say something officially, than to release a load of inconsistent off the record comments that leave everything in the air. I think in these circumstances it would just make more sense to stay silent until it's concrete and in place.

Rant over

[Vampyros Adric]

I have a sneaky feeling they are going to limit the amount of Who we get in 2012. There is a lot going on in 2012 and they might be keeping the powder dry for a mega 50th anniversary. Euro 2012, the Olympics and the various other bits and bobs means that, from an impact point of view, spending shed loads on a series in 2012 won't make the impact that it will in 2013 (when the country will be bored and broke)

I don't like it - but I am sure there is something in this.

[TheDoctorDonna]

I do think there would probably be too much 'event' competition this year for it to run throughout the summer, but I also agree with TC that they should just give us something concrete or nothing at all.

[TheDoctorDonna]

Anyone heard the rumours/speculation about Sophia Myles/Reinette returning? I think its come from a conversation she had with Moff on Twitter or something. More HERE

Not sure how I would feel about it, but I do think she would work well with Matt. I'd be open to it I guess.

[Nyki]

I don't think either option (returning as Reinette or playing a new character) would be a good idea.  I love The Girl in the Fireplace, but I think Reinette's story is finished.  After all, if she did travel with the Doctor, it would have to be during that story, which would be one timey-wimey too far for me.  For playing a new character, the same problems apply as in the discussion about Florence Hoath - the character's far too iconic to have a lookalike.  That only works with a random typist or soothsayer.

[Peri-Peri]

I'm with Nyki. Great character but nothing really there left to explore and too well known and well recieved for her to play a difference character. She also mentioned something about a spinoff, but I doubt that would happen.

[Peri-Peri]

And in other spoilery news, which may annoy or please fans, Mark Gatiss has confirmed he will be writing for Series 7. He's given three clues about his script. “Meat”, “Klaxon” and “Vienna”.

John Fay, who wrote episodes 2 and 4 of Children of Earth and Episode 9 of Miracle Day, will also be writing an episode. That one should be interesting.

[Saber]

The John Fay story could be interesting. He's a great writer. As for Mark Gatiss I am just going to expect the very worst. That way I can't be dissapointed and can only really see the good. I have no faith in his writing at all anymore.

As for the Sophia Myles stuff, I think it is probably just Moff teasing.

[Vampyros Adric]

I totally agree - I think John Fay is a good writer and should produce and interesting story. I am slightly ambivalent about Gatiss - I adored The Unquiet Dead, quite liked VOTD and The Idiots Lantern and was fairly 'meh' about Night Terrors. I know this is probably Who heresy but the writing and performances in Sherlock lead me to believe there is a genuine talent in there.

Sophie Myles is purely an attempt to boost her follower numbers because she asked him - I cannot see her coming back in any way.

[Saber]

I totally agree - I think John Fay is a good writer and should produce and interesting story. I am slightly ambivalent about Gatiss - I adored The Unquiet Dead, quite liked VOTD and The Idiots Lantern and was fairly 'meh' about Night Terrors. I know this is probably Who heresy but the writing and performances in Sherlock lead me to believe there is a genuine talent in there.

Sophie Myles is purely an attempt to boost her follower numbers because she asked him - I cannot see her coming back in any way.

That's absolutely shameful All that so people will follow and listen to her ramblings? EGO!

The thing with Gatiss is I honestly think he is being groomed to take over. The problem though is that as much as he loves the show, and I don't question that, he doesn't seem to be able to write for it. The Unqiet Dead is the exception (and that apparantly had extensive rewrites from RTD). The biggest problem though if he takes over is his smugness. If you watch him talking on the classic DVD extras, he is so passionate about it and really quite engaging and easy to watch. Planet Of The Spiders bonus features are a good example of that. But when it comes to his own work on Doctor Who he spends the whole time talking about how brilliant he is and comes off so smug and self congratulatory. I also think there is a hint of nepotism (If thats the right word) between him and Moff. I think their friendship gets him these writing slots rather than the quality of his work on the show and while I think he has good ideas, he just can't translate them to the screen and as a result we are left with very poor stories. Nobody can deny that the ideas behind Night Terrors or VOTD were excellent, but for them to be great TV they need to be more than good ideas, and he wasn't able to do that. Maybe he should submit a story idea to Moff and let someone else write it.

[Exterminate]

I don't want MDP back. Moff made the Doctor fall in love with her over the span of 40 minutes. It was annoying and really stood out in an otherwise good story. If he brought her back we would be back to the loved up companion format and I don't want that. And as others have said having Sophia Myles in another role would be too jarring.

As for Gatiss writing again. Grrr, grumble, groan etc.

[Aneurin]

As for Gatiss writing again. Grrr, grumble, groan etc.

I second that!

[Tardis-Console]

Bad idea. On both counts

[Saber]

I know Moff says that he doesn't really listen to the fans, but surely he is aware of how poorly Gatiss' stories have gone over. I've not heard or read a single positive comment about him coming back to write another story.

[Tardis-Console]

PRG, you are the spoiler boss. How are we doing it this year? Summaries in here for a quick glance and then new threads to expand upon the spoilers like last year, or is it just free-for-all in here? Personally I think it would be better if we didn't use this thread for discussion, but just for reference. So for example we could put 'X is returning' in here, but then also start a thread about it where it can be discussed in more detail so people can check here for updates without having to rifle through loads of posts to get to the latest info. That make sense? Up to you of course, but I was just wondering

[poprockgeek]

Thanks for that T-C. I actually hadn't really thought about it yet as the new series is so far off, but maybe I should!

I can make a locked 'read only' thread like we had before, then this one can be used for minor spoilers & big ones can have their own threads for discussion?

I can also separate Christmas out now it's done?

Thoughts? (That doesn't just apply to T-C, if anyone else has ideas feel free to share  )

[Tardis-Console]

Well the main reason I was asking was because at the height of filming last year we had that summary thread which was easier to read through. Sometimes when it's busy we get two or three updates a day and so if you haven't looked for a couple of days its easier to look at a thread and read A, B, C, especially if you just want the bare updates, instead of having to go through everyones posts about the updates as well. It can get time consuming, you know? Especially if filming stuff gets mixed in with spoiler stuff, which has been known to happen. The main reason I asked is because I posted some filming news today with dates and stuff and it suddenly dawned that even though the show is months off, news and updates are literally around the corner. Also, I'm more than a little excited about it so I'm forward thinking

[poprockgeek]

No worries. I'll have a dig through what we've got later & if I have time make a start on the summary thread. It is a good point that filming starts soon so it's better to be prepared