Tagged: Doctor Who

Retconing DOCTOR WHO

Former DOCTOR WHO showrunner Russell T. Davies may not be in charge of all things WHOvian these days, but his upcoming series of SARAH JANE ADVENTURES promises to retcon a key piece of Doctor Who continuity. In the forthcoming storyline, “Death of the Doctor,” Davies will welcome both current Doc Matt Smith, his predecessor David Tennant, and several others in an episode that will reveal that the Doctor can regenerate “far more than 12 times” and that he doesn’t have to remain either white, or male. (And doesn’t need a medical resume to be called The Doctor.)

This retconning of WHO mythology is especially important as current Doctor Who Matt Smith is indicating he doesn’t want his stint to necessarily last as long as Tennant’s. That means the role might have to be recast again in a couple years, triggering the Doctor’s critical twelfth regeneration. Early WHO writers through out the “twelve regenerations” plot device early on, having no idea the show would prove as durable as it has; it was used primarily to make The Master more villainous because he was attempting to live beyond his twelfth regeneration.

Now, apparently, all that continuity is out the window. While I’m sure no one wants whoever follows Smith to be the final incarnation of Doctor Who, nor would anyone want to see BBC toss all the continuity aside and reboot the Doctor from his first regeneration ever, retconning a show in this way is largely frowned upon by science fiction fans.

We’ll have to see how the storyline plays out to determine fan reaction in the coming years.

Doctor Who finale to be emotional?

Doctor Who has undergone an unexpected creative renaissance this season, despite the exit of show runner Russell T. Davies and longtime Doctor actor David Tennant. Under the direction of new showrunner Steven Moffat, new Doctor Matt Smith and new companion Karen Gillan, the show is feeling fresher than it has since perhaps David Tennant’s first season as Doctor.

Now comes word from Amy Pond actress Karen Gillan that the forthcoming two-part season finale will be “very emotional.” According to various Web reports, Gillan has said viewers will need “tissues” to endure the final scenes of her first season on the show.

“I’m going to say the word ‘horses’ and that’s it,” Gillan is quoted as saying. “The second part of the finale was the most difficult because it’s a big climax for Amy and her story that’s been building through the series. And it just required a lot of kind of concentration and emotion.”

No word on whether Gillan is on board for a second season, though hopes are high she will be. If not, the promise of an “emotional” finale is sure to bring to mind the final episode between David Tennant’s Doctor and Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, the most memorable episode ever for incurable Doctor Who romantics.

One thing’s sure about Moffat’s first season as showrunner is that absolutely no weight loss products have been needed; it’s tight, emotional storytelling at its best.

Next Doctor Who special is slated!

BBC One has announced that the second of four Doctor Who specials slated to air this year, featuring the swan song of series re-creator Russell T. Davies as well as David Tennant’s Doctor, will are on BBC One in under two weeks, on November 15. A subsequent airing on BBC America is sure to follow, though the air date in the US has yet to be announced.

Titles Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars, the episode will feature Lindsay Duncan as Adelaide, the Doctor’s companion for the episode. Two more specials remain featuring Davies and Tennant at the helm of the TARDIS; both are expected to air as part of BBC One’s tradition “Christmas special” of Doctor Who; at the end of the fourth special, Tennant’s Doctor is expected to regenerate and reveal Matt Smith’s Doctor for the first time on screen.

After Tennant and Davies depart, Smith’s Doctor will see his fate rest in the hands of Steven Moffatt, who has worked under Davies for several years. Smith’s Doctor is set to be the youngest yet cast in the role of the Doctor, as he is still in his 20s. While there has been much talk of bringing back Tennant-era companions like Freema Agyeman’s Martha Jones, Catherine’s Tate’s Donna Noble or even – however unlikely – Billie Piper’s Rose Tyler, instead, it has been announced that Moffatt and Smith will reset the table for the Doctor, granting him an all-new companion for the fifth series in the form of young Scottish actress Karen Gillan, who’s so young she may still require the best acne treatment, and will portray new companion Amy Pond.

Although Davies has made it clear he will make a clean break with Doctor Who after Moffatt takes control, what is less clear are the futures of the successful Doctor Who spin-offs, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Torchwood has survived largely without Davies’ input, but has credited him as creator and executive producer; The Sarah Jane Adventures has seen little direct involvement from Davies under similar circumstances. Time will tell.

New assistant unveiled for Doctor Who

Actress Karen Gillan is about to go from unknown to Who-fan object of obsession. It turns out none of the Doctors companions who’ve shared the TARDIS with David Tennant’s doctor will follow over to the new Doctor’s reign, Matt Smith. Instead, he’ll be accompanied by Gillan, who is 21 and unveiled by BBC as Smith’s new assistant over the weekend.

The boost in profile alone for the actress could help her afford some nice Wilmington NC real estate here stateside, where she might have a better chance to avoid all the geek attention sure to come her way when series five of the new Doctor Who debuts in 2010.

Matt Smith to replace David Tennant

Virtual unknown Matt Smith, who boasts a Doctor-like collection of Swiss Army watches, has been hand-selected by the BBC to replace David Tennant as the new Doctor Who. Tennant, who is exiting the popular British SF show after three series, announced his intent to step down at the same time as series reviver Russell T. Davies stepped down, following a handful of special episodes produced this year.

Smith’s debut, though, will have to wait until nearly 2010; his first appearance will be in the 2009 Christmas Special, scheduled to be Tennant’s final bow. Smith will immediately become the youngest man ever to take on the role of The Doctor in the long-running British show.

Smith’s debut will also be marked with changes to the creative team, as Davies steps aside in favor of Piers Wenger and Steven Moffatt. Smith is the eleventh actor to be cast as The Doctor, not counting Rowan Atkinson and a boatload of others during a BBC Christmas satire skit several years ago.

Personally, I was pulling for the new Doctor to be Dr. House – Hugh Laurie!