All New Who

{{ Only issue I have with BF is that their Who output is now immense. I simply have neither the time nor money for all the stories I want to hear still!

Incidently did anyone ever get round to listening to BF I, Davros? Would love to hear others thoughts on it as an origin story for Davros. }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{ Only issue I have with BF is that their Who output is now immense. I simply have neither the time nor money for all the stories I want to hear still!

I know the feeling...

...If only they had a streaming service...

I sometimes wonder if even the staff at BF get overwhelmed by their content.

Then again there are some dedicated fans out there who somehow find the time/money to buy and listen to all their stories...and probably even a few who know more about BF's stories than the writers themselves....


I think it would be a good idea for the BBC to do there own audio stories with the 13th Doctor whilst the series is off air (maybe even comission BF to do it for them) it's a easy and cheap way to keep the franchise fresh in the viewers minds, and having listened to many BF audios I honestly feel that in some ways Doctor Who works better on radio...

{{ The Long Song getting full vid treatment with violins, guitars and a choir! Brilliant stuff. }}

{{ So been listening to some fan covers of Who music while I work on something (headphones highly recommended) and heres some of my favourites.
Its hard to imagine the compositions of the current guy doing Who gettting same attention, or inspiring other musicians as Murray Golds work did and continues to do.
So in no particular order.


A suitably rocky, electric guitar start for the rockstar Doctor, 12. A Good Man.



An oldie but goodie, from the Fan Orchestra, This is Gallifrey and Doomsday.



There have been so many covers of I am the Doctor its hard to pick, but this straight forward but highly skilled guitar variant got my vote.



One of Gold's classic bits of score from Heaven Sent, The Shepherd's Boy.



The Majestic Tale (Of a Madman With A Box), on guitar.



All the Strange Creatures, one of my early favourite Gold's pieces from series 1 of NuWHo, on piano.



And of course the Who theme itself, also on piano. An amazingly talented pianist she is too.



I mentioned I am the Doctor has a ton of covers, here it is again, but a little different for fun, acapello!



Of course, original Gold stuff is well worth a lookout, fully orchesrated and mixed. Most of the official soundtracks are on youtube somewhere.

Heres a couple to get you started.

Vampires of Venice.



Even his short themes for one off creatures or monsters were memorable and added so much to the atmosphere and mood of an episode, this is a perfect example, Just Scarecrows To War, from the excellent Family of Blood two-parter. Only 1 and half minutes long but packs so much in. }}

{{ More Who Lockdown. Written by Moffat and featuring Nardole and Bill. }}

{{{ "You would make a good Dalek" - Dalek survivor of the Time War to the 9th Doctor

"The fury of the Time Lord... and then we discovered why. Why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he had run away from us and hidden. He was being kind."- Family of Blood on their encounter withthe 10th Doctor

"Oh look, I'm angry. That's new. I honestly don't know what will happen now......Good men don't need rules. Today is not the day to find out why I have so many."- 11th Doctor

And then there is 12.





Dunno about anyone else but of all the Doctors I wouldnt like to see go bad its 12 I mean the idea of the Doctor going like the Master is a scary enough one in general, but 12 especially. But then one of the reasons he is my favourite NuWho Doctor and one of my all time favourites, he is one of the kindest and most passionate, and at times silliest of the Doctors, yet never more than an inch away from his own darkness and pain. And its written all over his face in every scene and on every line. }}

{{ This is cool- its that fan choir vid for Rings of Akenaten, but with Jon Culshaw doing his 4th Doctor impersonation giving the 11th Doctors speech.
It highlighted for me how with the best writing for the Doctor, any Doctor who has played the part can speak those lines and it still fits, its still what the Doctor would say. Except 13. I just cant imagine 99% her dialogue in the mouths of the other Doctors working in the same way. }}

I miss Nardole.

{{ Here you go Amarie. }}

Awww, that weird little fellow.   Thank you!
Should probably rewatch that season at some point.

{{ Its a solid series 10, with an excellent finale. But for me its also the safest of Moffats series. He had done his stuff, wrapped up all his story ends and wasnt expecting to still be showrunner for it. So series 10 doesnt have the same ambition and risk-taking that the others in his run have, which for me makes it a bit duller and less interesting in comparison for the most part, its more straightforward Who. But a lot of fun.}}

{{ Watching an interview with Francis Barber, who played Madam Kovarian.
And something she said got me thinking of that old Moffat is sexist debate.

The very first accusation of it levelled against him was for his first episode in charge, where the tabloids had a day of it accusing him of 'sexing' up Doctor Who. And very shortly afterwards a certain section started saying it was Moffat sexism putting Amy in that short skirt.
Only it turned out that Moffat didnt write anything in the script about her clothing, and her costume was handled entirely by the costume designer and Karen herself. And as Karen pointed out herself, Amy has her body, is same age, and she likes to show her legs off, and Amy is also a kissogram and uses everything, including her good looks to coast along in life not making decsions waiting on her imaginary friend to return, so she'd wear them too.
And the actual shot, panning up those legs to reveal adult Amy for the first time was also not in the shootng script but improvised by the director on the day, parly becuase the narrownes sof the corridor prohibted much sideways movement. First Moffat would have seen of it would have been the rushes in the editing room, and even if he wanted rid of it it'd mean a costly and timely reshoot on a Who budget, and he couldnt cut it as its Amys establishing shot in the scene.

Another similar example is when the 11th Doctor, freed from the Crimson Horror by Jenny, who is lesbian and married, graps her and gives her a huge smacker on the lips, only for her to slap him.
Moffat was now not only sexist but writing sexual assualt!
Only it wasnt in the script either (which Mark Gatiss wrote anyway) and was imporvised on the day between the director, and the two actors, and it was in fact Matt Smith's idea to kiss Jenny, and hers to slap him in return for it.
Which brings me to this inverview with Francis Barber, who was talking about her costume, one which is quite, strict, and which I have seen used as yet another Moffat sexualising women thing, 'she looks like a Madame of a brothel, thats why she is called Madam Kovarian, she's a dominatrix, he did that to Irene Alder he's a sexist pervert!'
Only she also picked the costume and I'll let her own words, as I have them to hand, speak for themselves-

"But I was allowed to help with the costume, the idea that it was like a sort of military, but, you know, rather sort of, eh, frightening, alluring- in an older womans way, and they were my own shoes actually, my own high Alexander McQueen shoes."

As an aside she also adds about going to her first Who convention-

"I was overjoyed because there all these girls dressed as Madam Kovarian."

and her words on Moffat himself dont seem to hint at any isues either,

"I was allowed to develop whatever snarling characteristics I had, Steven Moffat was just fantastic and joyful to work for because he is open to all suggestions. He's just a wonderful, wonderful writer."

Oneof the other main accusations thrown at him was over using Amy's pregnancy as a plot point, then denying her her time with her child as the child grew up into adulthood.
But when River was created in the 10th Dotor era Moffat already had the idea that she was the daughter of future companions of the Doctor. So when he got the job to write the show and bring her character back, he followed through on that plot line while he had the chance. I see nothing sexist in that choice. If she is the daughter of futrue companions and he has the chance to bring her back, then to make her inovled in the story she has to be Amy and Rory's child, but the age thing is a problem obviously so she needs to disappear as a child and grew into River Song. Those are all just natural narrative progressions, with one event leading into the reason for the next. What it is not is sexist.

That Amy never got to raise her child and had it taken from her by force is very harsh indeed, no argument there, thats the point.
Its why I love the episode The Girl Who Waited, with the younger and older Amy and Rory's choice over who to let live and who to let die.
Its a beautiful illustration for us of the choice they face as parents. The Doctor forces Rory to make that decision, but Rory in the position they have placed him in, to retireive their babay but in doing so wiping out the River SOng they all know and he is married to. And Rory in his compassion of character cannot do it, he cannot choose to effectively kill older Amy and deny her existence and unlocks the door.
And when Amy awakes he is going to have to tell the other Amy what happened, how he could not make that choice to destroy her, and he also cannot kill the River they have known all this time so they can have their baby back.
If it wasnt unfair and hard their would be no drama and no dillemna, and no beauty or poetry in the sacrifice they make in themselves for the River they've come to think of as their daughter already.
Is it sexism? NO, obviously not. Where is the sexism here?

The next major one is River herself. There is too many individual examples to go into to, but Alex Kingston has never once struck me as a shrinking violet, or one not to speak her mind, or who is afraid to do so. And she has never had anything but praise for Steven Moffat, their working releationship and his writing. Do a google search, theres nothing to find. Ive tried.

Oh and his wife is nearly always his producer too, not just on Who, but Sherlock and Dracula, and he often collabrates with Mark Gattiss (who is gay, not thats relevant but just throwing that one in there in case in the offended by everything sort thinks 'well if hes not sexist he must be homphobic then!'), so sexist writer?
Not on your nelly, not a smidgeon of evidence in the narrative, characters, and as Ive illustrated in at least three examples above, often not a smidgeon of truth to the accusations either. And from the mouths of those who did make those choices. Hopefully some of the more ludicrous claims of sexism based against him therefore can be put in proper context as not in fact sexism at all. Unless someone has any contrary evidence I couldn't find (opinions lots of yes, but actual evidence, not a drop).}}

I don't even know how or where to begin, and I probably won't since I know where it will end.

But I will say that it is interesting to hear actors talk about their work. I can totally see Madam K being a favorite for cosplay. 

{{ If you can produce actual evidence of sexism then I'd be genuinely interested to see it Amaire, as Ive found nothing.
The real deciding person for me is director Rachel Talalay, she has a career long history of championing womens rights and pushing the cause of women working in the media field. She has and does speak out and give speeches often on the subject.
If she had felt the material Moffat asked her to work on, the characters, or that he himself acted in a sexist manner, we would certainly have heard about it by now.
Rather what we have heard from her since is nothing but joy and pride at her Who expierence and of how much she enjoyed working with Moffat and the quality of his writing.

I am more inclined to believe the slew of women who played his characters, worked alongside him, and collaborated on not just Who but his other shows too with him, over those who have for whatever reason an axe to grind against him, but can produce no evidence to support the accusation at all. }}

{{ Putting aside the sexism thing for moment, talking of Girl Who Waited got me thinking about that end scene, and how it may well be one of the most narratively layered scenes in Who. By which I mean there is the surface story that we are watching, that in which Amy got trapped in a faster time stream in the facility, and the attempt to rescue her therefore from her perspective didnt happen for 40 years, forty years in which she had to fight for survival every day, making her understandably peeved at the Doctor. Due to sheenagins the younger version of Amy from when she got trapped gets pulled to present time alongside older Amy, and the Doctor tells Rory that he can probably manange to handle the paradox of there being two Amy's. So all three make a dash for the safety of the TARDIS.
Which is where the scene in question begins.
Its in two parts as couldnt find the entire scene in one.




Its a lovely beautifully played little ending to the story, bittersweet.
But its also about something else entirely.
At this point in the narrative Amy and Rory have asked the Doctor to find their baby after it was kidnapped by Kovarian. They also have recently found out that River is their daughter grown up. And was also their best friend in childhood, Mels. Amy in particular even before she knew this showed a connection with River.
Now the Doctor has been put in an impossible dilemna, he has at this point at the least a fondness for River that is developing over time into more, and he does not want to see the Ponds suffering and in pain at the loss of their baby.
He also knows if he does get their baby back, which he could do, it would alter her entire past and the River they know now would cease to exist.
That is his choice, which River does he choose? Young or old River? Young or old Amy? There can only be one of either.
As Rory says when the Doctor puts the decision on him to make the same choice about his wife, "This isn't fair." It isn't. Nor was it fair for them to make the Doctor choose between River's.
Rory is right the Doctor is turning him into him, putting him exactly in his shoes on this same dilemna.
Rory cant do it. From now on he knows at an emotional and fundemental level of his nature, he cannot deny the River they know her right to exist by forcing the Doctor to save her as a baby. No more than he could deny older Amy her right.
When Amy awakes she asks the only, and pertinent question, "Where is she?" and the response we get is that look back from the Doctor. He knows where this conversation will inevitably lead, and that now they will have to choose, a hard choice involving either killing the River they know, or self sacrifice, but it can't be his choice. As her parents it must be theirs.
And we know this conversation did take place offscreen, as Amy when taking her revenge finally on Madam Kovarian says, "You took my baby from me and hurt her. And now she's all grown up and she's fine, but I'll never see my baby again."
She has moved at some point from wanting and expecting the Doctor to get her baby back, to accepting she never will and thats its ok, she can live with that, her daugher is fine now. But it still hurts. Its still raw, it still relatively recent for her.
And this episode is the one where that conversation is about to begin. All because the Doctor lied to old Amy so to force Rory to make that choice, and see if he could do it. I have no doubt had Rory gone the other way, locked the door turned away, the Doctor would have got their baby back.
But he trusted in Rory's humanity over his own lack of it in how to decide.
And all that is going on under the surface story, furthering the themes of the series. If it has one flaw its that for once it maybe too subtle, and would easily be missed by a section of the audience.
Which I know it was as there was a fair section complained at the time that this episodes ending Amy should have wanted to see her daughter, not earth. And that it was weird so soon after loosing and wanting her baby back there was an episode with no mention of it.
But sticking her holographic face at the end is going from too subtle to too on the nose I think. As the surface narrative is aout Amy and Rory's love for one another, not River. So I can see why they didnt do that.}}

Amarië wrote:I don't even know how or where to begin, and I probably won't since I know where it will end.

  I am saying nowt

{{ But we havent had a good fight in ages! }}

It does feel very, very, very odd. Like... There's an eerie silence.

{{ Just watched Council of Geeks reveiwing the Who short Night of the Doctor (good channel)-



Anyhow she is right. Its a masterclass in writing and performance.
Minus credits is just over 6 minutes long.
6 minutes to reintroduce the 8th Doctor to old fans and as someone Big Finish fans already know very well from ongoing productions, and to introduce him for the first time to a whole new audience who have only ever seen NuWho on tv.
Thats three completely different audiences that have to be addressed simultaenously without annoying any of them, or alienating any or leaving anyone out.
Next it has to cover a whole lot of major plot points, establish that the Time War is ongoing, that the Doctor has refused to fight in it and why, and why he has to now.
It bridges a gap in Who histroy as we never saw 8 regen and leads us into the 50th Anniversary story, it resolves not one but two major plot points- where the Hurt Doctor comes into it, and why he was the one who broke the promise of what it means to be the Doctor.
And on top of that it reintroduces all the way from the 4th Doctor era the Sisterhood of Karn who Moffat (unknown to us at the time) had future plans for in future stories.
And it does it all with Moffats trademark sharp witted dialogue, pathos and, just to remind you, does it all in 6 minutes. 6 minutes.
Most writers cant write an episodes opening in 15 minutes this well getting so much in coherently and engagingly. Nevermind an enitre complete narrative, with beginning, middle and end.
Moffat nails 8 as a character in the first half dozen lines of dialogue, nails exactly what this short has to do, and McCann knows his character so well after years of BF he makes performing it look effortless.
Just brillaint really.
Enjoy, its only 6 minutes of your time.}}

{{ leaked pic of the new Dalek design from Chibnal xmas/new year whatever he can be arsed doing this time special. And yeah, its fucking awful of course.

Spoiler:

Looks weak, like you could just punch its head off. Lacks the comanding presence of a Dalek and doesnt exactly provide a ton of room for its Dalek occupant. }}

So it's not been cancelled yet, huh?

I honestly don't see much difference from previous models. Slightly more anthropomorphic is all. Still got no wheel clearance: you could stop any Dalek in their tracks just by strolling out on the grass or throwing a few pebbles in front of them. The local croquet club would make mincemeat of any version of them.

{{Despite BBC budget making them look like they trundle along, Daleks actually float an inch or so above the ground and can fly for short periods of time under their own power. No wheel clearence needed. Im afraid your tactic would get you almost instantly exterminated Halfy!  
New design is too skinny, jointed, instead of beng one complete tank like shell its made of bits, which makes it look weaker and easier to either dismantle or get to the Dalek inside.
This a good pic as has variety of previous daleks in one shot- the red one is a Dalek Supreme, the ones with the blue 'bumps' are classic 1st and 2nd Doctor era Daleks, the one with its back to camera is a Special Weapons Dalek (the heavy artillery if you like) and the bronze ones are Time War era Daleks.



There is just something more solid and tank like to them, especially Time War era bronze daleks. }}

{{ Should mention as well as flying they also have these mad little flying battle platforms that several Daleks can ocupy at a time- youll see some of them here fighting in the Time War. These are all therefore Time War period Daleks. As a general rule, if the Daleks have made it to the surface of your planet to trundle about, youre already fucked!  




I think if you were to redo this scene with the new design theyd not command the same onscreen presence, seem weaker. }}