All New Who

Aww, looks like she survived the Wile E. Coyote fall! ACME sonic pocket parachute perhaps?

Nice picture though, gives me an dreamy adventure computer game feeling. Are those good running shoes, I wonder?

They've redecorated...I don't like it Will reserve final judgement till we get a trailer or something, but not getting Who vibes from that logo seems a bit too young adulty or fantasy esque, that logo reminds me of The Hunger Games.

Another Who spoiler, Bradley Walsh and members of the crew have been spotted filming at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rowner

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokes_Bay

I live down the coast, relatively close by and know Stokes Bay quite well, I'm guessing it's being used for a historical episode...though anyone who has visited Gosport would probably agree it's full of odd people and often feels like stepping into an alien world

wonder if Chibnall will rope in the composer of Broadchurch instead?- Malick

{{He ruled himself out in a tweet yesterday. No word on who has got the gig though. But the music is usually one of the last things to be done anyway so the composer has an overview of character arcs ect - this is how Gold managed to put little musical cues and clues to later events into character themes}}

{{ So amidst all the rancour and debate over the new logo (apparently is pushing the feminist agenda down everyone's throat as if you turn it on its side the O of Who with the line through it made by the flying TARDIS is the symbol for female and so further proof of Chibnal and the BBC's SWJ imposition on the show!) here instead are a couple of classic trailers- first a trailer for one of my favourite Doctors, 2-



And a trailer for the fan favourite (I personally think the middle section lets it down a little with padding but still a fantastic origins story and arguably the first shot fired in the Time War) - Genesis of the Daleks

{{Congrats to Karen Gillian on her film directorial debut, she wrote in, stars in and directs The Party's Just Beginning, a dark comedy of sorts based around a suicide and set in her home town of Inverness.
NuWho's cast it has to be said have all done pretty well after Who- as well as directing Gillan was in Guardians of the Galaxy and the Jumanji film, Eccy is never out of work nor is Tennant, Billie Piper had her own acclaimed series Matt Smith is about to take on the role of Manson in a Hollywood biopic, Jenna went on to star in her own popular drama Victoria, Arthur Darvill went off into the Marvel tv universe among other things, Pearl Mackie is now a big stage star, Gomez is in America doing The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Capaldi is of course acting royalty and is never short of work and most likely can pick and choose his projects now. Not a bad track record really. }}}

{{ A very interesting debate unfolded at this years Gallifrey One conference in Los Angeles on the topic of women in the entertainment industry and the MeToo movement. This is from Rachel Talalay's blog and rather than me cherry picking quotes I think with this one its best just to give you the entire blog, it's not short but its worth a read}}

'On the final day of this year’s Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, fifteen women stepped on to the main stage for a monster of a panel titled “Gallifrey Waits No More.” Actors Sophie Aldred, Lisa Bowerman, Camille Coduri, Jessica Martin, Chase Masterson, Wendy Padbury, Jemma Redgrave, and Dee Sadler; writers Jenny Colgan, Sarah Dollard, and Rona Munro; script executive Lindsey Alford, costume designer Hayley Nebauer, and director Rachel Talalay joined writer and podcaster Deborah Stanish for a discussion about the changing landscape for women in the entertainment industry.

What occurred over the next hour was an experience that was simultaneously harrowing and cathartic as a #MeToo moment unfolded on stage. Nearly every panelist revealed a story of sexism, discrimination, harassment, or assault from their careers — some of which they were discussing for the very first time. Cast, crew, and fans were brought together in a shared moment of grief and solidarity. It was truly an exceptional moment that was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed at a convention before.

The panel began with a broad conversation about what more could be done to support the careers of women in entertainment. Lindsey Alford shared her story of working with the rest of Doctor Who’s production team to ensure that she could keep working on the show while she was pregnant and raising her young children. It was a wonderful illustration of how to support working mothers.

Hayley Neubauer has a young child as well — her husband could occasionally be seen at the back of her panels during Gally with their baby in tow. When Alford was done speaking, Neubauer revealed that last year, while she was looking for a new job after her time on Doctor Who, she had been denied a job because she was pregnant. The entire audience gasped in shock. Rachel Talalay jumped in to point out that that decision was patently illegal. Still, Neubauer was told by the person who denied her the job that she would be “grateful” not to be working once she had the baby. Neubauer wondered why that person felt they could presume to make that decision on her behalf.

The mood in the room had noticeably shifted. But Neubauer wasn’t done. She explained that because of the nature of their work, anyone who works in costuming is often with actors as they are putting on or taking off their costumes. Most of those actors are professional during these moments — but some are not. Neubauer said that many of the women she knows who work in costuming have #MeToo stories, and that they all are watching as each new revelation comes out, waiting to see if the predators that they know about will be exposed.

Jemma Redgrave and Camille Coduri expressed their shock and rage at what Neubauer had revealed. That was part of what made this panel so powerful. Cast and crew were brought together in a place where they could share and hear each other’s stories. Barriers that isolated them were broken down.

Redgrave had stories of her own to share. She told the audience that when she was cast in her first film, she was told to lose weight. And when she went out to dinner with the director, he actually took her menu away and ordered her a plate of crudités.

Sophie Aldred had a similar experience. She had struggled with eating disorders as a young woman. After “Dragonfire” aired, she was told to lose half a stone (approximately 7 pounds) before the next season of Doctor Who was to be filmed. She was so furious that in the intervening time, she actually gained weight to spite them.

That wasn’t Aldred’s only story. When she was rehearsing for a one-woman show, a director attempted to pull down her pants. Dee Sadler had a similar story. While filming a scene for a movie that required her to be in a shirt and underwear, the director called her over and pulled down her underwear so another man could take a photo of her bare bottom.

The room came to an absolute standstill when Wendy Padbury took the microphone. She had never told anyone this story before. When she was 16 or 17 years old, she was asked to sing for an American producer for an audition. She was taken to a soundproof performance room. The producer played the piano while she sang her prepared piece. When she was done, he asked her to come around to the other side of the piano. He was masturbating. She immediately turned to leave the room, but he had locked the door. Thankfully, he unlocked the door when she asked him to do so, and she fled.

This is both the power and devastation of the #MeToo movement. One person steps forward to tell their story and prompts another to share theirs. Sometimes, they just needed a boost of courage and a sense of solidarity to feel safe enough to share their story. Several of the women on the panel said they hadn’t thought about what had happened to them until they heard other women share their own stories. It is harrowing to share and hear these stories — but there’s something reassuring about realizing that we’re not alone.

You could see the shock, anger, and devastation on each of the panelists’ faces. Over 1,550 people were packed into the room at this point, and every single person was transfixed by what was unfolding on stage. The silence was only broken by the sound of a few quiet sobs as people in the audience wept.

On the stage, moderator Deborah Stanish noticed that the panelists seemed to forget the audience was there at times. Their panel discussion became a conversation among women — and they could have been ANY women — about their experiences.

There was grief and anger at this panel, but there was also a sense of hope and healing. The women talked about the relief they all felt at being able to talk about these issues together. And they advocated compassion for each other and for themselves.

And this brilliant panel was full of ideas about how to create change in the future. Sarah Dollard noted that programs designed specifically to promote the careers of women and POC writers and directors can help increase the diversity of the talent pool. Talalay added that those programs are only effective if participants are guaranteed jobs at the end. Otherwise, companies can take credit for “promoting diversity” without providing tangible results.

Chase Masterson noted as well that women often aren’t able to speak up because doing so could put their careers at risk. Studies have shown that women producers and directors hire more women crew members. And when more women are represented in all levels of a production, that can transform the culture and provide additional support for women to speak up about harassment.

Rona Munro said that we also need to think about the kinds of stories that movies and television are telling about women. She said that nine times out of ten, when someone writes a “strong female character,” that character is basically exactly the same as a male character. “Strong female characters” also rely extensively on violence and the use of weapons to establish their “strength.” She told the audience that “womens’ actual experiences are not seen as heroic. Womens’ actual lives are seen as sad and depressing. I want to start a campaign for telling womens’ actual stories and demonstrating how brilliant they are.”

To that point, Redgrave talked about how important her role as a lesbian woman is on the BBC show Holby City. From the fanmail she receives, she knows just how important it is for viewers to have that kind of visible representation — to have unique and interesting roles for women of a certain age, to show a lesbian woman on-screen, to show her in a relationship, and to show her interacting with other women in interesting ways that don’t revolve around men.

And as powerful as the panelists’ stories were, they admitted they were all limited in their perspectives. Nearly every single panelist was white (Jessica Martin revealed during the panel that she has Filipina and Burmese ancestry). Although Pearl Mackie was invited to Gallifrey One and would have been on that panel, she had to cancel her appearance after she was cast in a play in London.

Jenny Colgan and Masterson both highlighted the lack of women of color on the panel and made an explicit call for future conversations to include marginalized voices — including more WOC and LGBTQ voices — in order to represent a truly intersectional vision of the #MeToo movement. Dollard also noted that it was on all of us to demand that more women of color be hired to work on Doctor Who. In this show’s nearly 55 year history, not a single woman of color has ever been hired to write or direct a televised episode.

Dollard also pointed out that only the most splashy stories that feature the most high-profile abusers or victims get the most media attention. Even these panelists had a stage on which to share their stories. The vast majority of victims of sexual harassment or assault do not have that same platform.

Statistically speaking, there were likely many people in that audience who have experienced sexual harassment and assault. Had you asked every member of the audience who could also say #MeToo to stand, hundreds of us would’ve been on our feet. The #MeToo moment is happening all around us, from the top echelons of the entertainment industry to the hallways of your local convention. And even if we couldn’t all be on that stage, there was a sense of recognition and validation in that moment.

So, how do we move forward? Colgan told the audience to keep talking about #MeToo and the lack of representation for women. Padbury talked about how hard she worked throughout her life to foster her daughters’ and granddaughter’s ability to speak up and change the world around them — and how important it is to keep fostering those abilities in young women.

Aldred asked the audience to share their stories and to listen when others share their stories. Dollard reminded the audience to be allies for each other and to stand up in the moment when you see something awful happening, if it is safe for you to intervene. Coduri was personally in favor of giving harassers a good slap. And if you’re not comfortable doing that, well, Coduri seemed ready to take names and take justice into her own hands.

Talalay ended the panel by reminding us of the Twelfth Doctor’s final words: “Laugh hard. Run fast. Be kind.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be kind, particularly in the context of #MeToo. I don’t think it means that we just have to be nice. I don’t think it means that every interaction needs to be sweet and pleasant, or that we can never say a harsh word to one another. I don’t think it means that there can never be conflict.

I think that being kind means that we have to fight for justice. It means that we have to work to build a world in which we are all respected and valued. It means that we have to stand up for one another and fight to keep each other safe. And it means that we have to be willing to speak out and hold each other accountable when we witness discrimination, harassment, and abuse.

To me, being kind means that I am less interested in protecting people from hard, uncomfortable conversations than I am in protecting the women who are bravely telling their stories and fighting to hold their harassers accountable.

Stanish reflected on Twitter after the panel that as hard as it may have been to witness this conversation or read about it afterwards, it was even harder for those women to live it, saying: “These amazing women didn’t owe us their pain and anger but they shared it with us anyway. Let’s make it worth something.”

When that panel concluded, I felt a sense of solidarity and purpose akin to what I felt during the Women’s March. The audience gave the panelists a standing ovation, and people were openly weeping and hugging as the lights came up and the stage cleared. It sparked a conversation that continued into the hotel lobby and onto Twitter that evening — one that will hopefully continue in the weeks and months to come. And hopefully, when this topic is revisited during next year’s Gallifrey One convention, we’ll have some tangible results to show for it too.'

{{On a much lighter note, whilst trying to find a vid on youtube of the above event (I couldn't) I stumbled across a tradition at Gallifrey One of doing a show (about 1 1/2 hours long) of Who themed sketches. This one rather tickled me. And you know how crabbit that can make me }}

{{Finally some writers news- sort of- not actual names of any of the writers, just their gender!

According to BBC Drama boss Piers Wenger- ' “a number” of the scripts from Chibnall’s first Who series are written by female writers. And he added- “Having a diverse team on that show feels appropriate, important and essential,” he said.


Not sure about this- dont care if they are male or female just that they are good writers- not so happy if folk are just there because they have the right set of genitals or the right skin tone to tick a big box marked 'diverse' and just so they can say 'look more women'. And why wont the BBC tell us who these writers are? Why the secrecy?
This comes hot on the news that the official Doctor Who comic has gone entirely female with no males working on it at any level at all.

i dont think just because the Doctor is now played by a female you need women to write for the character, any more than you needed males to write when the actor was male- Sarah Dollard wrote 12 very well for example (and dont understand why a proven female Who writer like Dollard with a solid track record doesn't get asked back), the Doctor is an unknowable alien. The Doctor should still be an unknowable alien now too so it shouldn't make a difference what sex the writer is- they are not male or female by human definitions.
I am beginning to worry as more news come out however that we are going to be getting social opinions, gender issues and race prioritized above just good story telling. }}}

I want good story telling !! just that, a dam fun story. I don't want race, colour or politics brought into it. I want to have one fecking program on fecking TV that I can fecking lose myself in just as I did as a child ! And not just with TV but books as well. The books I read didn't dwell on the crap we get so fecking uptight about these days ! I had fun, I had enjoyment, I had something to look forward to. No fecking hang ups !!

{{Who has been political and social commentary on and off arguably since its creation. I dont mind that, its been a part of the show- but it has to be the the right way round. By that I mean it has to work first as a story, independently standing on its own plot and characters, with the commentary underpinning it without ever quite breaching the surface.

A good recent example of this was Empress of Mars, on the surface its a fantastical Verne like tale about a bunch of British Empire soldiers who find themselves on Mars with an Ice Warrior and how the apparent wealth in mining promised for the British Empire is really a ruse to uncover and awaken the Ice Warriors own Empress and so the rest of her sleeping colony. Shit hits the fan people die for stupid Empire causes and mind sets, and eventually the Ice Warriors choose to go off and join a larger cosmic union with other races. More or less.
Its only when you look closer you see its a commentary on Brexit. But it works fine as a story if you don't know that or notice it.

What I worry we may see is the reverse of that, where the social commentary is highlighted, pointed out and clarified in dialogue and generally shoved in your face at the expense of telling a good story that stands on its own merits without all that.

I do hope I'm wrong though, I want to really like our first female incarnation of the Doctor. I dont wan tit bgged down by having the fact she is pointed out all the time, or the ethnicity of the companions mattering a jot to the stories being told. This is why it concerns me they seem to be doing historical in racially sensitive periods ect- just go off to a space station, or a different planet in a different time where people are blue or stripey or made of licorice and dont give a hoot. }}}

{{Alan Cumming has announced he has been cast to play King James I in an upcoming episode. So presumably another historical to add to the growing list- very 1st Doctor vibes in that regard }}}

You mean James VI, do you not?

{{Should bloody well be yes! but technically no, as they have cast him as Ist so must be set after he became the first Stewart King in England. Though he never officially lost his VIth designation in Scotland. }}

{{Who speculation is rife- a connected speculation in fact- first that Who might move form its traditional Saturday night slot to a Sunday- two reasons for this, the first is that its due in October which is when Strictly is on, usually before Who, as Strictly's format means the lengths of the shows very that means Who tends to move about the schedules- something that hit series 8 particularly. So to avoid the whole thing speculation is it may move to Sunday instead. On top of this Whos viewing figures are right on a pivot point where more folk watch it online in some fashion than tend to watch it live- meaning its scheduled spot becomes less important to the BBC.
Connected to this is the second big speculation of the moment- that following the broadcast of episode 1 the BBC will drop the entire series as a box set in the iplayer. At the recent BBC even in Liverpool promoting their BBC shows for sale worldwide Chibnall apparently spoke “with iTunes and Amazon and Netflix” leading to further speculation (Netflix UK currently has Who up to series 9).
So the combination of lager online viewing, competing for time slot with Strictly and Chibnall talking to online content providers has led to this view that the show will move to a Sunday and that the whole series will drop at once somewhere online.
I am more inclined to think the move to a Sunday is more possible than the BBC dropping the whole series in one go- but anything is possible at this stage! }}

{{{Well its seems some fears are justified, sadly!!

'New Doctor Who boss Chris Chibnall is keen to make the show as educational as it is entertaining – just as it set out to be in the 1960s.'

(Worth noting Who's 'education' period did not in fact last very long due to viewers much preferring their history mixed with some aliens and adventure)

'With that in mind he has embarked on a mission for the Doctor’s new friends Ryan and Yasmin to be transported back in time to witness historical events that are particularly relevant to their own ethnic backgrounds.'

(   )

'The production is now heading off to India, where the gang will find out more about Yasmin’s own family heritage.'

(       )

And if that wasn't horrific sounding enough rumours persist that Rose will make a return in some fashion.               }}}

{{lets rinse the bad taste of Who news away with a beautifully done vid to the Doctor and Missy - enjoy- spoilery to the end of series 10}}

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/lady-christina-returns



Likeable enough character, but does she really deserve a spinoff? Are Big Finish making the most of their license, or are they beginning to scrape the bottom of the barrel?

Still holding out for a Boxset about Nardole and his invisible friends myself...

{{I get the impression they are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks Malick.
Which I suppose has some sense to it as it must be pretty hard to predict which characters people will react well to in a spin off. I mean on the surface Jago and Litefoot were not the most obvious spin offs yet they proved highly popular for BF. Cant say Im personally thrilled at the thought of a snooty cheap Lara Croft knock off getting her own stories- she is just a rich girl who steals things, no alien connections, no special abilities and very little in the way of personality. Not sure what they will do with such a character- she served a perfunctory role in a single episode thats generally considered to be  not very good and the weakest of the three Tennant specials, so it does in that regard seem an odd choice.
I'd much rather have the Nardole and his invisible friends one too!}}}

I have been trying to play it cool about the new Who, been doing ok by preparing for something of the same quality as Flash or Legends of tomorrow. This though...? Now what kind of level am I supposed to prepare for? History channel-Did aliens build the Alps? Peabody and Sherman?

{{ I have mentioned this as a comparison before, but I feel its worth repeating because it highlights how ludicrous and in my view, racist, the whole idea is.
Imagine 11 had taken Amy Pond (who we presume from the accent like Karen herself is from Inverness) back to Pictish Scotland for a moral historical tale about how the picts were lost to history to the encroaching Dalreida powers, as a means of exploring the ethnic history of Amy Pond. What would it tell us or inform us about her? Nothing of course. Amy Pond is not a product of Pictish Scotland in terms of her character and personality only her genetics and location. There is nothing about Pictish times, society and culture which has any bearing on modern British culture and society.

The two new companions are products of the society they live in- Britain: its culture, society, where they fit in the class divisions, what school they went too, what jobs they do, who their friends are, who they like on the Voice that week these are what make them who they are, not what their ancestors were up to.

Hell if you plonked me in Iron Age Scotland I couldn't speak a word of the language, read or write it, the culture would be totally alien to me all the places names- those that existed, probably none- would have different names, the practices unknown, the norms of everyday society a mystery- observing it would tell you nothing about who I am as a person. Its stupid to think it would.

Not only that in all the years when Who has had largely white companions in it not once did they ever feel the need to explain them by exploring their ethnic background. So how come just because we have one black guy and an Indian girl we suddenly have to explore their ethnic history? Is that not racists in itself?- ooh there non-white we better explain them! Its a horrific idea!

Best hope I have now is that somehow the writing and characters and stories can raise it above the apparent concept- which is abysmal. }}}

{{Well taken a few years! But we have finally found out why Eccelston left the show in his own words}}

“My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered.....They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them...“Some of my anger about the situation came from my own insecurity,” he says. “They employed somebody [as the Doctor] who was not a natural light comedian.”
He adds, “Billie [Piper], who we know was and is brilliant, was very, very nervous and very, very inexperienced. So, you had that, and then you had me. Very, very experienced, possibly the most experienced on it, but out of my comfort zone.”
“When I left, I gave my word to [then-showrunner] Russell T Davies that I wouldn’t do anything to damage the show,” he says. “But they did things to damage me. I didn’t criticise anybody.”
Asked if Davies was aware of the issues, Eccleston says, “If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job,” adding that he “never will have” a working relationship with the screenwriter again.- Radio Times

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{Well taken a few years! But we have finally found out why Eccelston left the show in his own words}}

“My relationship with my three immediate superiors – the showrunner, the producer and co-producer – broke down irreparably during the first block of filming and it never recovered.....They lost trust in me, and I lost faith and trust and belief in them...“Some of my anger about the situation came from my own insecurity,” he says. “They employed somebody [as the Doctor] who was not a natural light comedian.”
He adds, “Billie [Piper], who we know was and is brilliant, was very, very nervous and very, very inexperienced. So, you had that, and then you had me. Very, very experienced, possibly the most experienced on it, but out of my comfort zone.”
“When I left, I gave my word to [then-showrunner] Russell T Davies that I wouldn’t do anything to damage the show,” he says. “But they did things to damage me. I didn’t criticise anybody.”
Asked if Davies was aware of the issues, Eccleston says, “If you’re the showrunner, you know everything. That’s your job,” adding that he “never will have” a working relationship with the screenwriter again.- Radio Times

Eccleston seems to be opening up more and more about Who in interviews, evidently the passage of time has softened his reluctance to talk about the show, if perhaps not healed the wounds from a troubled production, there's nothing that he says there that couldn't have already been guessed, as he himself said a few years ago the reasons why he left are not important, the fact that he did the job in the first place and was so fantastic as the 9th Doctor and helped break new ground for the character is the main thing to remember.

It's a shame he continues to distance himself from the fans and franchise (I will never entirely give up hope he might be persuaded back by Big Finish one day, perhaps with the promise of more serious scripts or new plot arcs/companions) but understandable, even if he does come across as a bit...intense in interviews sometimes, always find it a bit weird how serious some actors can be about the job...

sounds like he accepted the role without realizing he would be working with a girl who was new to acting, and he wasn't keen on the joking and larking about aspect. If he wanted to be seen as a 'serious' actor it probably rankled that he had to grin and say 'fantastic!' a lot. But giving them both credit, you would never know Billie had not acted in a big role before and that Eccleston was a thespian in the grip of an identity crisis.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{ I have mentioned this as a comparison before, but I feel its worth repeating because it highlights how ludicrous and in my view, racist, the whole idea is.
Imagine 11 had taken Amy Pond (who we presume from the accent like Karen herself is from Inverness) back to Pictish Scotland for a moral historical tale about how the picts were lost to history to the encroaching Dalreida powers, as a means of exploring the ethnic history of Amy Pond. What would it tell us or inform us about her? Nothing of course. Amy Pond is not a product of Pictish Scotland in terms of her character and personality only her genetics and location. There is nothing about Pictish times, society and culture which has any bearing on modern British culture and society.

The two new companions are products of the society they live in- Britain: its culture, society, where they fit in the class divisions, what school they went too, what jobs they do, who their friends are, who they like on the Voice that week these are what make them who they are, not what their ancestors were up to.

Hell if you plonked me in Iron Age Scotland I couldn't speak a word of the language, read or write it, the culture would be totally alien to me all the places names- those that existed, probably none- would have different names, the practices unknown, the norms of everyday society a mystery- observing it would tell you nothing about who I am as a person. Its stupid to think it would.

Not only that in all the years when Who has had largely white companions in it not once did they ever feel the need to explain them by exploring their ethnic background. So how come just because we have one black guy and an Indian girl we suddenly have to explore their ethnic history? Is that not racists in itself?- ooh there non-white we better explain them! Its a horrific idea!

Best hope I have now is that somehow the writing and characters and stories can raise it above the apparent concept- which is abysmal. }}}

I agree with all of your points Petty. it does sound like horrendous PC bullshit of the worst pandering kind. it shouldn't be focusing on ethnic minorities but aliens (farting or otherwise)

{{I really want to like this version of Who- I want the first female Doctor to be a success- but I am worrying that however good she is the whole thing is going to be bogged down in this preachy pandering manner that the indicators seem to be hinting the show is going in. Just hoping its all wrong and misinformation at this point and it wont turn out like it sounds it will. }}