All New Who

{{ Officially we don't even know it's true, the BBC are in a 'no comment' stage on it at the moment.
But the rumours seem pretty decent, yes it was a Uk tabloid that broke it, but since Variety has chipped in claiming their sources have confirmed it too.

If so then the actress replacing her is supposed to be Varada Sethu, born in India, raised in the NE of England from a young age. She is in Andor, which I haven't seen, but by all accounts she is good in it at least.
Whether or not this is a diversity tick is up for debate, it will be the first time the entire TARDIS team has been non-white however.
One of the markers of Who down the years has been how quintessentially British it is, is an all minority TARDIS still quintessentially British? Is it reflective of modern UK society or just modern London?
If the argument often made for more representation is that people need to see themselves reflected on screen to be able to connect fully with the drama (a view I strongly dispute anyway) then surely having no white characters in the main cast is not good for representation for all the little white kids watching, the vast majority of the audience in the UK, they get to see no one like them to relate to by their own arguments. }}

{{ rewatched Deep Breath, Capaldi's debut episode, I always forget till I watch it again how many cracking scenes there are in this, and brilliant lines, 12's "And don't look in that mirror. It's absolutely furious" cracks me up every time.

In chronological order I love the alley scene, I love the ambiguity it brings back to the Doctor where he switches from confused, to angry, to even threatening at moments, and that poor old tramp! Again though the wonderful lines, personal favourite in this one being "Look, it's covered in lines, but I didn't do the frowning. Who frowned me this face?" And of course, a Doctor of Crabbit is always welcome.  

(Scene starts at 0.41 seconds in)



The restaurant scene where Clara meets up with 12, I love the open question of just how did he get the tramps coat? Did he really give away his favourite watch for it? Or did he take it by more direct means? And it was this scene that I thought, "yup 12 and Clara are going to be good together."



I love everything from when the Doctor abandons Clara, seemingly to her fate, again that ambiguity over the Doctor's actions and his motivations-



and the follow up to it when Clara has to confront the Half-face man, this is where I realised Clara was going to be have more to her with 12 than she had with 11, and I was loving it. And Jenna Coleman is just superb in this scene. Also hats off to the effects and makeup department on this one, the Half-Face Man is one of the best creature effects in all of Who in my opinion. I still can't work out how they did some of it on a Who episode budget.



And I like it leaves the fate of the Half-face Man, and if he jumped or if he was pushed open, again leaving brining that ambiguity back to the Doctor's character. And just the whole scene, the not knowing where he got the face from, the duality of it all, the classic era style 4th wall break to the audience from the Doctor, it's just great stuff.




The more I see Capaldi era the better and better it gets, and it's been lovely to see the surge over time in appreciation for this era, no doubt in part down to how awful the show has been since he and Moffat left.


And as a bonus, from the next series, the reason why the Doctor choose this face-



One of the things I like about this scene is the Doctor shouting at seemingly the air that if anyone is watching they can go to hell. It reminds me of the opening of 4th Doctor story The Brain of Morbius when 4, much to Sarah Jane's confusion, rants at the air in similar fashion. And here as there he is shouting at the Time Lords. }}

Saw this linked online Petty...it seems Big Finish could be in serious finacial trouble:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5_sz3SSeQ



Unfortunately I think they are in the difficult posistion in that as the company is presumebly funded by the profts of their own productions they have to keep releasing stories regularly to bring the money in and sell products at a certain price to recoup costs. But the ever increasing number of releases and confusing chronology puts new listeners off and the prices limits who can afford to follow the audios, they are in a way a victim of their own success, and i.m.o the current pricing model is outdated and unrealistically expensive i.m.o, why would a more casual fan of Doctor Who pay £20 for a set of audios when you can get a whole series of the show on Blu-ray for that price? Maybe if they moved towards a streaming service model it would bring new listeners in?

I own maybe 2-300 stories by Big Finish but the vast majority of these were bought on sales/pre-order prices and I don't buy as many as I used to, partly due to finacial reasons and partly due to the changes in the way they structure stories (lots more 'boxset' releases and recasting too many characters i.m.o, and an overeliance on crossovers and returning characters i.m.o), I first got into the audios by listening to a few of them for free on BBC Radio I was impressed enough to start buying them but I don't think I would started otherwise.

{{ This is a shame but not entirely surprising. I agree with you on pricing Malick, they certainly fit into the 'luxury items' bit of life and that's a big category these days in the media-sphere, there are simply so many subscriptions, blu-rays, boxsets, Patreon channels and so on and so on and unless you are exceptionally rich you are going to have to just pick one or two (if you can afford any as our crushing economy has to be taken into account), and an audio only boxset might not seem the best choice on a limited budget.

My own experience with BF Who is very mixed, I've loved some and not engaged at all with others, but then I've only heard the I, Davros story (in the love it category), half a dozen 8th with Charley (mixed), and a random smattering of 4th Doctor (loved to meh), and I've either got them all through free promotions or on discount sales. I've never paid full price for one.

There is also the issue of the breadth of their output, I doubt it costs much different to make a Who audiodrama than say a Blake Seven or Sapphire and Steel, or even a subset of Who like Jago and Litefoot, but what's the audience for those? They might be shows or characters with a cult following, but cult following is another way of saying small, and it's a dwindling one with time and age, these are nostalgia sales and they have a short lifespan, and they seem to make up quite a bit of their output these days.
If they thought expanding out to cover other classic shows as they had with Who would help sales I don't see their strategy, the costs of production are surely greater than the potential audience for such material.
Their best bet might be to streamline right down to core products that are popular in their range and scrap the rest. And producing less would be a good idea anyway, as anyone looking at where to start in Who BF is in for a nightmare time. And if you wanted to follow all of it right through the cost would be astronomical, there is simply so much of it. }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:

My own experience with BF Who is very mixed, I've loved some and not engaged at all with others, but then I've only heard the I, Davros story (in the love it category), half a dozen 8th with Charley (mixed), and a random smattering of 4th Doctor (loved to meh), and I've either got them all through free promotions or on discount sales. I've never paid full price for one.

It looks like there's quite a few stories (mostly older ones) available for free streaming on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/user/xc0ffw9n43c23yficyajnpkhj

I own almost all of the 8th Doctor stories, the run with Charley was more mixed then his more recent releases  i.m.o though some of the older stories (The Chimes Of Midnight, Seasons Of Fear, Neverland, Scherzo and The Natural History of Fear spring to mind) still stand up as absolute classics (I believe Moffat ranks Chimes as his favourite Big Finish story), the 'Doom Coalition' boxsets releases a few years ago were absolutely brilliant if it were a televised season it would easily be one of my favourites. I've not heard so many stories with the other Doctors but Colin Baker and Peter Davison have some great ones as well (The Holy Terror, The Marian Conspiracy, The First Sontarans, Spare Parts, Circular Time, Fallen Angels etc), though the Tennant/Mocy stories I've listened to were mostly so-so. Heard good things about the 9th Doctor/War Master ranges as well but not listened to any.

I've listened to maybe 9 or 10 of the 4th Doctor stories and 'loved to meh' would be accurate for me as well, that range in particular seems more reliant on nostaglia and returning  aliens than others and rarely seems to give Baker anything too out there to work with, though that may be intentional I don't know (apparently Tom baker has already recorded dozens of unreleased audios banked for future release, Big Finish work something like 5-8 years ahead of release with him).

There is also the issue of the breadth of their output, I doubt it costs much different to make a Who audiodrama than say a Blake Seven or Sapphire and Steel, or even a subset of Who like Jago and Litefoot, but what's the audience for those? They might be shows or characters with a cult following, but cult following is another way of saying small, and it's a dwindling one with time and age, these are nostalgia sales and they have a short lifespan, and they seem to make up quite a bit of their output these days.
If they thought expanding out to cover other classic shows as they had with Who would help sales I don't see their strategy, the costs of production are surely greater than the potential audience for such material.

I remember reading somewhere that before BF got the license to 'New Who' most of their Doctor Who releases sold something like 5-15,000 copies per story (not sure if that's based on initial releases, subcribers or also taking into account sales from Amazon etc) certain Doctors/stories selling alot more, other ranges only selling a few thousand. Though I gather sales have taken off in recent years (particulary in the North American market) and BF promote themselves alot more on twitter, facebook etc.

As for other franchies, I suppose it all boils down to the cost of licensing the rigths to these, Who is much more high profile so more expensive, Blakes 7 fans might not be Who fans and vice versa but there may be an audience they haven't yet tapped. They did an adaptation of Treasure Island years ago with Tom Baker voicing Long John Silver and it was fantastic, perhaps adapting more classic novels would be a good move.

Big Finish employs alot of regular writers/directors etc but almost all of them are freelancers hired on a per-story basis so I wonder if the increase in spinoffs/other licenses is a way to keep friends of the company employed, I doubt any of the writers (or cast) is getting rich recording audioplays (probably why Matt Smith hasn't done any, I doubt they could afford him)

Their best bet might be to streamline right down to core products that are popular in their range and scrap the rest. And producing less would be a good idea anyway, as anyone looking at where to start in Who BF is in for a nightmare time. And if you wanted to follow all of it right through the cost would be astronomical, there is simply so much of it.

Agreed, I think less may be more...do we really need to hear new 1st Doctor audio dramas when all the characters have been recasted with new actors?

If Capaldi ever decided to do Big Finish I'd certainly buy them but I sometimes think he has the right idea with his reluctance to return, Doctor Who is a show about renewal rebirth and loss and loosing the old Doctors/moving onto new ones is a key part of that, having a seemingly endless number of audio stories arguably diminishes that (one of the reasons why Tennant's 14th Doctor felt so hollow to me, it was just a lazy retread that offered nothing new) especially when the story quality can vary so much.

{{ I like your streaming idea, I think that's a good model for them. I'd consider paying 20 quid for a month if it meant I had access to their full catalogue to pick and choose from. }}

Pettytyrant101 wrote:{{ I like your streaming idea, I think that's a good model for them. I'd consider paying 20 quid for a month if it meant I had access to their full catalogue to pick and choose from. }}

You may be in luck (well kind of) they just announced an audio drama podcast broadcasting stories from their back catalogue

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/big-finish-launches-doctor-who-audio-drama-podcast

Yet another Dr Who film from 1966 is on tv. Sweet old Peter Cushing as the Dr. I know you must have covered this, your not stupid but, my gawd, did that Terry Nation do a hell of a lot of work. Amazing the amount of work he contributed to tv and not just with the tin cans, egg whisks and sink plunger brigade, ( daleks )

I saw that and brought it up some time ago. It's definitely not canonic.

{{ Another beautifully edited and in this case poignant video from the talented Margarita Life, she has dedicated this one to her country of Ukraine to mark two years since Russia invaded}}

{{ Who news- release dates for the new series- the 11th of May and its dropping two episodes on iplayer and disney+ at midnight UK time, then they will be broadcast at 7pm same day- which is, different.
I assume they will only do this for the first 2 episodes, given we are only getting 8 eps or something, going to be a short series if they dump them 2 at a time. }}

Kinda bored already.

{{ You got to bored in just 10 seconds of footage? That's bad sign. I only got to worrying fretfully}}

Probably less than 10 seconds, I got bored on the first frame of Ruby Twitface.

{{ I thought she'd be the one thing you would be happy with!- pretty, white, English blonde lass as companion-there's some think those are the very reasons they fired her and replaced her with a minority actor. }}

I think they replaced her because she is boring.

{{ Another cracking bit of editing from Margarita Life. It feels so long now since Who was this well written and performed.
There's a line from Ishildir that I think perfectly sums up the Doctor/Clara relationship - "It was sad, and it was beautiful."

{{ So RTD has got Moffat back on the writing credits, he has apparently written one of the episodes in the upcoming series for 15. Should be interesting. But there is a weird thing going on here with the BBC, on one hand determined to sell this is an all new era of Who looking ahead with a new audience, whilst at same time so far it's been very much looking backwards at its past in terms of showrunner, writing and score.

Add that to the release announcement - with the US getting the premiere at a very friendly 7pm and the country that makes the show getting it as the very unfriendly hour of midnight- and I wonder if the BBC even know what they are doing, they never have really with Who. Like all scifi on the BBC that's a success, they seem embarrassed scifi is one of their top shows.

edit add-

Speaking on his return to the Whoniverse, Steven Moffat says:

“Yes, okay, fair enough - apologies to everyone I’ve very slightly misled - I am in fact writing an episode of the series of Doctor Who. Exactly like I said I never would. What can I tell you? There was begging, there was pleading but finally Russell agreed to let me have another go - so long as I got out of his garden. Working with old friends and a brand new Doctor I couldn’t be happier. Sorry I was a bit reticent on the subject for so long. It was all part of an elaborate plan that would have delighted millions but at the last minute I forgot what it was.”

Speaking on directing episodes in the new season, Julie-Anne Robinson (BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for work on Bridgerton, Orange Is The New Black and Scandal) “It was a tremendous honour to direct episodes of Doctor Who for the BBC and Disney+. This beloved franchise is 60 years old and still going strong. It is part of our collective memory as Brits. I’ve always admired Russell T Davies and Ncuti Gatwa is an unbelievably talented actor who has stepped into the role of the Fifteenth Doctor effortlessly, alongside the equally talented Millie Gibson. Steven Moffat gave me an intense challenge as a director. I asked him for a keyword to describe the overall tone of the episode he said: ‘Hitchcock’. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks. I’m grateful to Bad Wolf, the BBC and Disney+. It was an incredible experience”.- BBC}}

{{ The full trailer for the new series-




rather a lot I don't like but one thing really um, bugged, me, was the stepping on a butterfly scene - what is this a children's sitcom now? That's not how Time functions in Who, the paradoxes mostly resolve themselves, the Web of Time was built that way by the Time Lords. RTD should know this stuff, he used to.
Worse because 12 took the piss out of Bill for making just that suggestion on her first trip into the past- }}

So Who will be on Disney+? I may have to watch an episode just to see if he feels like the Doctor to me. From what little I've seen so far he's not quite cutting it. I also want to find out why Figgs is so down on Blondie.

I am down on Blondie because she utterly lacks the fiery spark and spunky working-class character of Rose. Blondie is bland, Blondie is boring. Blondie shouldn't be in the Tardis.

{{ You Halfy will get to watch on Disney+ at the perfectly reasonable time of 7pm. We, the home audience however get it dumped at same time as US now, meaning it's 7pm there and midnight here Worse we pay for the show through the TV licence. But still get shafted on broadcast. I fear going to Disney is like selling your soul. }}