Doctor Who needs a hard and fresh return to the franchise that that we know and love, above and away from the mess of the Thirteenth Doctor era (which if we're going to be honest really can't be pinned on Jodie Whittaker, she was just working with some really bad material).
I don't know if that's what is coming in the next few months with the specials commemorating the show's sixtieth anniversary (seems like just yesterday we were celebrating its fiftieth) but the pics and the new trailer that dropped over the weekend have me warefully optimistic.
The last time we saw The Doctor, she (ugh!) had regenerated - clothes and all - into a perfect facscimile of the Tenth Doctor, once again played by David Tennant. However the showrunners seem to insist that Tennant is playing the Fourteenth Doctor. Which means this is really Tennant's fourth or fifth character with the Tenth Doctor's face he's portrayed since 2005 (just work with me 'mkay?).
So going into the sixtieth anniversary specials it will be David Tennant as... Doctor Who-ever... and joining him is none other than Donna Noble, again played by the delightful Catherine Tate! Although one seems to remember that last time we saw The Doctor and Donna together it was made clear that they couldn't see each other again.
Clearly, the BBC is throwing caution to the wind...
Here's the trailer for the specials, which materialized about 48 hours ago:
And at last, the BBC is confirming that Neil Patrick Harris, who had long already been announced as being in the specials, is going to be playing The Toymaker: a villain not seen since the William Hartnell era in 1966.
Is it just me, or does Harris as The Toymaker seem poised to chew up the scenery more than any Who bad guy since Davros?
The big celebration kicks off in November. And I'm very much hoping we get at least a fleeting cameo of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.
I think the Toymaker had something to do with the Doctor's de-generating back to Ten. And that explains why the Thirteenth Doctor's clothes changed back to Ten's too.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've thought too Stosh. Had a thought today: The Toymaker was a dangerous and memorable enough enemy that the Eleventh Doctor referenced him (as a "mad man") during his confrontation with the dark "god" in the episode "The Rings of Akhaten" ten years ago. One of the most epic speeches that The Doctor has ever delivered. That definitely gives Toymaker serious cred.
ReplyDeleteHold on a second, wait... why talk about it when we can watch it again? :-D
ReplyDeleteTenth Doctor's speech to Akhaten, from the Doctor Who episode "The Rings of Akhaten"
And here's the review of "The Rings of Akhaten" that I wrote in 2013.
I miss doing those episode reviews. Maybe the upcoming Gatwa era will see me posting them again :-)
Oh heck, why not? I've been watching Doctor Who videos all afternoon, gets my mind off of things otherwise driving me nuts!
ReplyDeleteTies with Eleventh's regeneration for my favorite ever: the Tenth Doctor's epic and TEAR-JERKING regeneration.
That absolutely had people crying.
Followed by Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) regenerating into Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor.
ReplyDeleteAnd then a few years later, also one of my favorites: the Twelfth Doctor's poignant regeneration into Thirteen.
HATED the Thirteenth Doctor period. Chris Chibnall's was worst ever time for Doctor Who. I wish Steven Moffat would come back if only for one episode.
ReplyDeleteBronsky you said:
ReplyDelete"Chris Chibnall's was worst ever time for Doctor Who."
You obviously never witnessed the John Nathan-Turner era!
So good, and yet so baaaad.
Some of us are still in therapy after watching "The Happiness Patrol".
To his credit though Nathan-Turner did give us "Earthshock" (as tragic a Doctor Who episode as there's ever been), and the twenty-fifth anniversary story "Remembrance of the Daleks".
Bernard Cribbins will be in the specials too! They shot footage of him before he died.
ReplyDelete