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10 years and 4 days ago…
Continuing to look back at 10 years of NuWho…
It’s amazing to think that Doctor Who has been back on our TV screens for a decade now. It has changed the television landscape. It has changed people. It’s done some incredible things. For many – this writer included – Doctor Who has been a part of our lives for 10 years now and has changed the way we think, our aspirations, our futures. Speaking personally here, it made me rethink what I wanted to do. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and I enjoyed writing scripts when I was too young to know that screenwriting was a proper career. Doctor Who came on TV, and I realised I didn’t just want to write books and comics: I wanted to tell stories through the likes of the BBC.
But 10 years ago, all that could’ve ended. The Doctor was regenerating, and the show may have irredeemably lost its way.
Of course, that didn’t happen. Doctor Who has gone from strength to strength, fortunately. It’s one of – if not the – biggest brands on the BBC. Christopher Eccleston played a huge part in this. He was the face of the show. And for a while, we knew he was going, to be replaced from a cheeky young upstart from that Other RTD Show, Casanova.
Trailers. Trailer whetted out appetites for full-on TARDIS-Dalek battle scenes. Released slowly across that week. Before, we got a tale about reality TV warping the minds of the human empire. But then that Dalek was reflected in the wall and things changed. That ferocity shown in Dalek would be back. The Time War was seemingly pointless. Bad Wolf is 10 year and 1 week old now, and back in 2005, editor Christian Cawley was full of hope and admiration for a wonderful series:
“Christopher Eccleston’s acting ability has never been in question. However, while some questioned his choice of roles in the past, many were baffled by his accepting the lead role in Doctor Who. He has been nothing short of brilliant as the series build momentum, and is the template for future Doctors. His impact on the role has been remarkable, and David Tennant truly has a job as large as Pat Troughton’s in 1966 in taking over the lead part. The Doctor’s reaction to the apparent death of Rose was the saddest moment on television this year…
“When next we meet the Ninth Doctor, it may be for the last time. I said some weeks ago how The Doctor Dances had to match The Empty Child and have a good resolution to the cliffhanger. The same goes here. I don’t think I’m going to be disappointed by The Parting of the Ways – just very sorry to see a wonderful series come to an end.”
And Christian pointed out a key component in Doctor Who‘s success: it’s continued relevance. Here, he notes, “Doctor Who embracing these reality formats is Doctor Who telling us that there are other things going on. Things that are hiding in shadows, always out of sight, pulling strings and shaping events. Reality television here is interpreted as a diversion, slight of hand, while the real power establishes itself.”
In other news, Rita Ora and Nick Grimshaw have joined The X Factor.
So a lot was riding on the Ninth Doctor’s last regular appearance – and in the following review, Christian seemed rather pleased with how Russell T Davies scripted The Parting of the Ways, and how he brought the series back as a whole:
“Russell T Davies -and this is by no means to ignore the talents of other contributors to the series – succeeds in writing on two key levels. One is aimed at the populist, soap opera watching viewer tuning in for a glimpse of Billie Piper. The other is one that pulls mirrors out, points them at real life and the world at large, and demands that we question our position both in this world and the Universe. Davies succeeds in the same way that the much missed Robert Holmes succeeds.”
But what of our TARDIS team? When one transforms into the Bad Wolf, the other has to sacrifice everything to save her – proving once and for all that this is the same man who fought the Master in California, gave his life up for Peri on Androzani, and stole a police box and ran away:
“Rose’s transformation into sexy vortex-goddess was outstanding, and touching. The Doctor’s departure (he was so good he got to say goodbye twice!) was breathtaking. I was convinced regeneration could not be achieved on a higher quality than the seventh one that gave us Paul McGann. I had myself believing we wouldn’t see a change, that Rose would leave in the TARDIS and come back to find a man claiming to be the Doctor. I was totally and utterly gobsmacked – having stayed away from the Internet since Wednesday – to see the stunning transformation.”
And we haven’t really seen the Ninth Doctor since. Oh sure, there were flashbacks, and that “for my next trick” moment in The Day of the Doctor (taken from Parting), but he’s sadly eluded our TV screens. Lots of dodgy rumours have circulated about him, but Eccleston is an amazing man. We owe him a lot. And he’s proud of being the Doctor.
As such, I’m going to leave you with this message he sent to the BFI in 2013, the 50th anniversary of our beloved show:
“I love the Doctor and hope you enjoy this presentation. Joe Ahearne directed five of the 13 episodes of the first series. He understood the tone the show needed completely – strong, bold, pacy visuals coupled with wit, warmth and a twinkle in the performances, missus.
“If Joe agrees to direct the 100th anniversary special, I will bring my sonic and a stair-lift and – providing the Daleks don’t bring theirs – I, the Ninth Doctor, vow to save the universe and all you apes in it.”
What memories do you have of watching Series 1 in 2005? What do you think of the Ninth Doctor in retrospect? And do you think he’ll ever return to the role, however briefly? Let us know below…! (kasterborous)
The Capaldi Mystery
Showrunner Steven Moffat says a scene is being shot “very soon” that will focus on how the Twelfth Doctor’s visage has appeared on other Who characters in the past.
My question is: Why does that matter? I really don’t care that the same actor who played the head of The Chancellory guard shot Peter Davison’s Doctor and then became The Doctor the next year.
Or the frequent re-occurrence of people like Philip Madoc.
I don’t care that Freema was in an episode the year before she became a companion.
That’s taking continuity and going right up your ass with it! It’s the sort of thing that John Nathan-Turner got in trouble for in the 1980’s, catering to fans and fannish obsessions.
In the Doctor Who series eight opener Deep Breath, Peter Capaldi’s Doctor looks in the mirror and asks himself, “Why this one? Why did I choose this face? It’s like I’m trying to tell myself something. Like I’m trying to make a point. But what is so important that I can’t just tell myself what I think?”
It’s the show’s only reference so far to the fact that we’ve seen the Twelfth Doctor’s face before – when Capaldi appeared as Roman merchant Lucius Caecilius Iucundus in series-four Tenth-Doctor episode The Fires of Pompeii and as Home Office permanent secretary John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth.
Yet it appears that Steven Moffat is not done with the mystery of where the Doctor’s faces pop up from, with the showrunner confirming in the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine that series nine will again address just, “who frowned me this face?”
Responding to a reader asking whether we’ll ever get a solid explanation for the similarities, Moffat says that, “yes, we’re coming back to that idea. In fact, we’ll be shooting the scene in question really quite shortly…”
Intriguing. So what could Moffat’s explanation be? Well, speaking last year, he did reveal that he might draw upon an idea from former showrunner Russell T Davies.
“We are aware that Peter Capaldi’s played a part in Doctor Who before and we’re not going to ignore the fact,” he told to Nerd3. “I’ll let you in on this. I remember Russell told me he had a big old plan as to why there were two Peter Capaldis in the Who universe, one in Pompeii and one in Torchwood. When I cast Peter, [Russell] got in touch to say how pleased he was, I said ‘Okay, what was your theory and does it still work?’ and he said ‘Yes it does, here it is’. So I don’t know if we’ll get to it… we’ll play that one out over time. It’s actually quite neat.
“The big fun question is, we know that the Doctor when he regenerates, the faces, it’s not set from birth, it’s not that he was always going to be one day Peter Capaldi. We know that’s the case because in [Second Doctor story] The War Games he has a choice of face and all that. We know it’s not set so where does he get those faces from? They can’t just be randomly generated because they’ve got lines and they’ve aged… so where did that face come from?”
Elsewhere in Doctor Who Magazine, Moffat addresses the possibility of there being a good Weeping Angel in the universe, and whether Michelle Gomez’s incarnation of the Master came after John Simm’s.
Anyone else think this getting just a bit of over-the-top fanboyish?
Anniversary Day: A Trip of a Life Time
Today is the 10th Anniversary of NuWho. (the first 10th Anniversary was in 1973 so how many shows do you know that get 2 10th Anniversaries!) Today, a TV legend was reborn. No one knew if it would work. Many thought it couldn’t work.
The old fans wouldn’t watch because they were over it, that was something they watched as a kid.
The younger fans wouldn’t watch because it was something their parents’ liked when they were kids.
Then there’s US, the Americans. We were not considered too much back then. If you watched the first episode 10 years ago, you were downloading it or had access to Canadian TV. Wink Wink Nudge Nudge. That was it.
I didn’t have hi-speed internet back then, dial-up took 24 continuous hours to download “Rose”!!
BBC America wasn’t very “british” back then in my opinion and the Sci-Fi Channel was getting less Sci-Fi by the day.
Technically, Series 1 didn’t premiere on these shores until 2006 and on The Sci-Fi Channel no less!
Where it wasn’t shown much love.
“Initially, the Region 1 DVD release announced for 14 February 2006 was limited to Canada, with the US release delayed until a broadcaster could be found. When none seemed forthcoming, BBC Worldwide announced that the US DVD release would be available at the same time as the Canadian one. In the interim, however, Series 1 was picked up by Sci Fi, so while the Canadian DVD release went ahead as scheduled the US DVD release was pushed back to 4 July 2006. Series 1 began airing on Sci Fi on 17 March 2006.”
In December of the same year it was announced that US PBS station KTEH 54, which services San Jose, California, had acquired the rights to broadcast the 2005 episodes.
Doctor Who went back to it’s American Roots, PBS, while languishing on the Sci-Fi Channel.
BBC America began airing Doctor Who on 17 April 2010.
BBC America aired A Christmas Carol on Christmas Day, 2010, making this the first episode of the revived series to be aired in North America on the same day as in the UK.
The first part of the sixth series of Doctor Who was broadcast on BBC America in the U.S. and Space in Canada on the same day as it was in the UK – on Saturday, 23 April – making it the first series since the show’s revival in 2005 to be broadcast on the same days in America and Canada as the UK broadcast.
We now know that Doctor Who is the #1 show on BBC America and has been for several years now. They bank on it. But it took them 5 frickin’ years to get on board.
5 years!
No wonder I was dependent on “the internet fairies”. 🙂
That’s how my experience differs from the British experience on this anniversary.
But it’s still a happy day because we old fans never thought it would come and then it did, and boy did it ever. It wasn’t that easy on this side of the pond, but it was still joyful nonetheless.
And it remains the love of my life, and always will be. That’s why it’s my life and the journey through it. 🙂
Donna Noble, 2006 – 2010
And now the current man of the hour:
Change, my Dear
People can be very frightened of change.
I remember all of these whinings back in the day…A number of them were silly then and definitely silly now too.
Incredibly, when Doctor Who made its glorious return to television screens in 2005, there was a certain section of fandom who did not appreciate the new direction their beloved show had taken with Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper.
Here are just some of those complaints from the more old-skool viewers.
Billie Piper
‘She’s a pop singer! And a faded one at that!’ cried forums.
Granted, these points were true but Piper had trained at the prestigious Sylvia Young Theatre School, and starred in a few films and the BBC’s well-received ShakespeaRe-Told: Much Ado About Nothing.
Given some of the actresses who’d taken the role of companion in the past, her pedigree was better than many.
Give me some Spock, I didn’t know Billie Piper from a hole in the ground because I’m not British. Sure I heard all the whinging but I had none of the baggage. I didn’t know her anymore than I knew Chris Eccleston.
No ‘costume’
When you look at some of the more ridiculous excesses and incongruous choices of the eighties, cricket motifs, question mark pullovers and the Sixth Doctor, it was a relief that Russell T Davies and co. went with a more subdued, realistic and battered look for the 2005 incarnation.
Bizarrely, this ruffled the feathers of certain fans who wanted a wacky look for the Time Lord, presumably with a dozen zany accessories and a million different costumed colours.
I had no dog in this fight either.
Where are all the cliffhangers?
Classic Doctor Who was well-known for its weekly cliffhangers, playing just as a big a role as the TARDIS and the Doctor.
That’s what many loved and remembered about the show. 2005 pretty much ditched the suspenseful denouement, with only three in the series.
But what it did add, in this respect, was a pre-title sequence cliffhanger. Before we get to the meat of any episode, we’re given the treat and excitement of a brief taster and then the sting of the theme tune.
TV had changed and if they had tried to do the traditional 25 Minute 4-Parts in the Internet instant gratification I-want-it-now age it would have failed miserably.
Burping bins and farting aliens
Ok, we’ll give them that one.
AMEN! 🙂
No new planets
Series one introduced no new additions to Doctor Who’s planetary oeuvre (aside from the odd mention of some exotic new worlds) and this riled fans brought up on sci-fi quarries and beaches.
Much was made of the ‘council estate’-centric nature of New Who but it was that very Earthbound feature that seemed to galvanise the general audience so much.
For the majority, it didn’t matter that focus of the show had shifted from outer space to the inner city (and it should be noted that Jon Pertwee’s first two years in the TARDIS saw him exiled on Earth).
Season 7 & 8 The first Pertwee years were Earth bound with UNIT and I love those. True, to get to real SF you need new planets, but you need to ground the series first, then you go off and be wild & crazy.
I think RTD hit the domestic side pretty well. Come on, Camile Coduri as Jackie Tyler was hilarious!
What’s with all the feels?
This new version of Who was big on emotions.
Never had the show really explored the effects of a companion leaving home (and the aftermath behind) or losing a parent (as in the excellent Father’s Day).
The Doctor himself shed a tear – for the very first time, it should be noted – when we learned he was the last of his kind (in the second ep, The End of the World) and even the solitary Dalek he met wasn’t averse to having emotions (thanks to Rose’s DNA).
But it was the heartbreaking finale that saw the tears flow from everyone as Christopher Eccleston sent Billie home back in time, saving her from the aforementioned pepper pots.
And if that weren’t enough, he only went and sacrificed his own life to become David Tennant.
I have no real problem with this because it gave the show more depth of character than it had in “classic” Who. It’s one of the reasons why Sarah Jane and Ace stick out so much in “classic” who they because they go beyond it’s norms for the companion.
And that’s always the exciting bit, Change.
This show is all about Change.And 10 years ago (in 2 days) the program changed again when it came back to our screens.
Nothing wrong with a little change. 🙂
Flirting with Fandom
Today (actually yesterday) we have the pleasure of two Doctor Who related birthdays: The fabulous John Barrowman, and the wonderful Alex Kingston. Now, as it would be wrong to love two people at once (not that it’s stopped me in the past) we have decided to do this article as a co-write. So please join myself (Mark) and Ed Smith as we tell you why we love Jack and River.
And I most certainly do as well. 2 of the best characters to come out of NuWho in the last 10 years.
Captain Jack Harkness
The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances gave us many wonderful things, but perhaps its most lasting legacy on the Doctor Who Universe was the introduction of Captain Jack Harkness. An exciting Time Agent from the future who appeared as Rose’s knight in shining armour. It didn’t take long for the flirting to start, and it hasn’t stopped since, developing into a running joke within the show. Despite being somewhat of a jerk in his first appearance, Jack endears himself to the audience in the dénouement as he offers his own life to save the Doctor and Rose from a German Bomb. Or so he thought… as it transpired the Doctor was able to save him and invited him to join the TARDIS crew. His journey with the Doctor brought him to Cardiff for the first time before leading him to the Game Station and his ultimate demise at the hands of a Dalek. End of story. (How sad.)
Or not… Enter the most interesting and unique aspect of Jack’s character. Using the power of the Heart of the TARDIS, Rose was able to resurrect Jack, permanently. (God help us all, an eternity of flirting). This lead to Jack being heartlessly left behind by the Doctor, trapped in the future, alone and confused. Perhaps it was a surprise then that when the character reappeared in Utopia, that he wasn’t angry with the Doctor. Maybe that’s a testament to the type of man than he was, or more probably it was due to the fact that his anger is bound to have subsided over his century’s wait for the Doctor’s return. Jack’s actions showed remarkable determination, intellect and patience. Traits which would go on to define his character.
Even then, the Doctor tried to abandon him again. But Jack’s determination saw him latch onto the side of the TARDIS and bring it to the end of the universe itself. One of my favourite Jack scenes followed shortly after when he learnt that Rose had not died in the events of the Series Two finale. Barrowman’s ability to convey the sheer ecstasy that his character would have felt was simply out of this world. The events of the story unfold and Jack finds himself abandoned by a Time Lord far in the future for the second time. This time however he has company and is able to use his vortex manipulator to save the TARDIS trio from the future kind. He is tortured throughout the year that never was, before eventually being the one to save the day by destroying the paradox machine.
The Doctor offers him an opportunity to re-join the TARDIS crew, however Jack declined citing he has other commitments. Thankfully this was not the last we see of Jack, he featured strongly in the Series Four finale where he became an illustration of Davros’ verdict on the Doctor. That however does not mean he was unable to excel as a character, he more than did. As he left the TARDIS with Martha and Mickey, we wondered if this was the last we would see of him. It wasn’t, he had one more short cameo where the Doctor paired him with Alonso.
Now then, you may have noticed a glaring omission in this article (I can confirm that I have not been living under a rock for the last few years, I do know what Torchwood is). That was intentional, because I think I would need a full article and more to describe just how good Jack is in it. That said his character development within Doctor Who is almost a snap shot of what is exploration in fantastic detail by the spin-off. When we first meet him, Jack appears as a typical Jock, charming but not the type of person you would consider a good man. It doesn’t take long for him to mellow and earn a place in your heart (He likes to think he’s good at that.). If we contrast the Jack we first met with the man that threatened the Daleks with a warp star we see how he has changed, and it’s not all good. Perhaps one of the most interesting things for me is how the Doctor is constantly telling him to stop flirting, but in Jack’s last scene it is the Doctor who is presenting someone to him. For me this is symbolic of the Doctor finally accepting Jack and showing his pride in the man he has become.
Someone else who should be proud is birthday boy, John Barrowman. It was through his skill that Jack was brought to life so well, and why to this very day fans are calling for more Jack Harkness. Barrowman was a strong co-star in Doctor Who, but he really excelled when he was elevated to lead role in Torchwood of which we have had four excellent series (Yes, even Miracle Day). So I like to take a moment to toast John and which him a very happy birthday, here’s to many more. And hopefully we’ll be seeing your grace our screens again at some point.
Professor River Song
Professor River Song. Archaeologist. Seven years ago, we first heard these words. And seven years ago, one of the most interesting, mysterious and flirtatious characters entered the Whoniverse. So began one of the most convoluted and intricate arcs in the show ever that spanned around two series and two Doctors, as we met one of the most important women in the Doctor’s life.
Back in 2008, River completely captured my imagination. This woman from the Doctor’s future, who knows him back to front and has his sonic screwdriver just seemed like such a mad idea! I was desperate to know more about this character and find out who she was because I adored the way her timeline travelled backwards to the Doctor. Not just that – her cheeky, feisty personality too, and the way it works so well with the Doctor. I loved Eleven and River’s relationship particularly for this reason. I love how she’s such a confident character, and not afraid to stand up for herself. It’s brilliant how she brings that air of naughtiness to the TARDIS, and the way she just casually decides to escape prison every so often. Controversial as it may be, I absolutely love it when she makes the Dalek beg for mercy and we get a sense of how truly powerful River is.
Of course, two years after her original appearance, she returned in Series 5. And didn’t we theorise! That River was the Doctor’s wife. That River was a Time Lord. That River was Amy’s daughter. All of which (sort of) turned out to be true! The mystery of River Song was an absolutely brilliant time for the show. I was engrossed, I couldn’t stop watching, and the story that unfolded episode by episode was one that I was desperate to know the answer to. I adore the way the arc was continued after her identity was revealed, and how she tied in to the ‘death’ of the Doctor storyline. The way the River arc and the Doctor’s death arc became entwined was an absolutely ingenious move, and the way both stories are resolved in Series 6 Part 2 is a great conclusion to what felt like River’s series. It’s one of my favourite arcs ever in the entirety of Doctor Who, and I was so pleased that River, one of my favourite characters, got such a huge arc to play with, and I know that this is one of the contributing factors to why I love her so much.
River’s character development is another reason I love her so much. When we first met her she was clever, yet had an edge of sassiness and responsibility. It seemed like we gradually went back through Series 5 and Series 6 and she got gradually more flirtatious and cheeky as the series went on. Then, as Mels, we saw her as reckless and immature. It was almost like we’d seen some kind of backwards character development which is one of the beauties of having a character whose timeline runs backwards. I love, love, LOVE the way that it is done. We can see them develop, but in a completely different way to most normal characters, and I feel that Moffat wrote this perfectly, and the wonderful Alex Kingston knew exactly what to do to make it seem realistic, which is a credit to her acting ability.
And of course, I think I might be one of the few who absolutely adores her relationship with the Doctor. Again, the backwards timeline aspect is always played out to its full potential, with some beautiful, touching, poignant moments. It’s a love story with a twist – where the girl meets boy before boy meets girl, then girl tries to kill boy, then boy doesn’t die and girl ends up in jail. Only in Doctor Who could you get something as out there as this, and the wonderful Alex Kingston and Matt Smith do the job perfectly. River and the Doctor bounce off each other, with more flirting than I have ever seen. Their chemistry is brilliant, and together make me chuckle. Their best scenes include fantastic sequences such as in Day of the Moon where they battle the Silence, and of course in Forest of the Dead where River sacrifices herself.
She had a backwards timeline, a crazy story arc and a hilarious personality. So, to one of the most important women in the Doctor’s life, and of course the absolutely marvellous actress who played her – thank you. River, you have entertained us in so many ways over the last few years, and Alex, you have been the mastermind who has got the character off to a tee. Well done. (Doctor Who TV)
Complaints Dept.
The spooky Doctor Who episode – Dark Water – which saw the death of Clara Oswald’s boyfriend Danny, was the subject of the most complaints to Ofcom since the show was revived in 2005.
The broadcast regulator received 19 complaints about Dark Water, the penultimate episode of Peter Capaldi’s first season as the Doctor.
Eighteen of them were categorised as falling under ‘generally accepted standards’, meaning these viewers likely found the content of the episode offensive.
In the episode, which was broadcast on BBC One on November 1 last year, Clara’s boyfriend Danny Pink is killed in a car accident. It then explores themes about the afterlife and whether the dead can feel their bodies being cremated.
The episode ends with the revelation that Missy is actually the Master, the Doctor’s nemesis.
It was the most complained-about episode to Ofcom since Christopher Eccleston became the Ninth Doctor in 2005.
The opening episode of Peter Capaldi’s first season, Deep Breath, received 14 complaints, making it the second most complained-about episode to the regulator.
Eleven of them referred to the scheduling of the show, which started at 7:50pm on BBC One on August 23 last year.
Part Two of The End of Time, which first broadcast on New Year’s Day 2010 and saw Matt Smith take over from David Tennant as the Doctor, received eight complaints.
In total there have been 150 complaints to Ofcom about the sci-fi show since it relaunched in 2005, according to figures from the regulator released under freedom of information laws.
Sixty of them related to ‘generally accepted standards’ about offensive material, the most common category.
There were 26 related to scheduling and 14 to offensive language.
Top 5 most complained about Doctor Who episodes
- Dark Water (November 1 2015) Peter Capaldi / 19 complaints
- Deep Breath (August 23 2014) Matt Smith/Peter Capaldi / 14 complaints
- The End of Time, Part Two (January 1 2010) David Tennant/Matt Smith / 8 complaints
- The Unquiet Dead (April 9 2005) Christopher Eccleston / 7 complaints
=5. The Caretaker (September 27 2014) Peter Capaldi / 6 complaints
=5. Flesh and Stone (May 1 2010) Matt Smith / 6 complaints
=5. The Unicorn and the Wasp (May 17 2008) David Tennant / 6 complaints
(Wales Online)
The 4th Doctor is nearly drowned by Chancellor Goth in “The Deadly Assassin”
Mary Whitehouse CBE (13 June 1910-23 November 2001) was a British campaigner for what she perceived to be values of morality and decency derived from her Christian beliefs. She began by focusing her efforts on the broadcast media, which she regarded as highly influential, and where she felt these values were particularly lacking. Later, she intervened in publications and theatrical productions of which she disapproved. She was involved in several cases of litigation. She was the founder and first president of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association, now known as mediawatch-uk.
Tipper Gore anyone?
Mary Whitehouse frequently singled out Doctor Who for its violence and frightening scenes, most notably in Genesis of the Daleks where she complained about the Nazi-themed Kaleds and in The Deadly Assassin, where she took a dislike to the third cliffhanger, in which the Fourth Doctor was apparently drowned.
The fact that she died on the anniversary of Doctor Who I’ve always thought was a great irony.
Unlike today’s usually Politically Correct “offenses” she was genuinely a true believer busybody who caused a lot of heartburn for TV producers back in the day. Though, Doctor Who Producer John Nathan-Turner used to say she added viewers if she complained about one the episodes.
Just enjoy it.
It’s fun.
It’s entertaining.
And doesn’t have the brain rot that anything with “Housewives of…” has to offer. 🙂
Torchwood Connection
In honor of the fact that everyone except Gareth David-Lloyd from Torchwood is going to be at Gallifrey One This weekend..
From The Radio Times.
Before it became a show in its own right, before even Nu Who aired in 2005, Torchwood was a reference to Doctor Who; with the word being an anagram of its title, and a codename for the show used during Doctor Who’s production.
It’s hardly any surprise then that when Torchwood did actually become a fully-formed adult spin-off from Doctor Who in 2006, the show carried a fair fews references over from its source material. So, naturally, RadioTimes.com have collected together some of the best of these references – from the on-the-nose obvious to those buried in the background for only the most eagle-eyed to spot. References like…
“Vote Saxon” (Captain Jack Harkness)
Yep, while the Doctor and Martha Jones were off gallivanting around time and space in Doctor Who series three, Torchwood was stuck on Earth, unaware that they were living through the election campaign of the Master, AKA Harold Saxon.
“Bad Wolf” (Captain Jack Harkness)
And that’s not the only remnant of the Doctor Who universe hanging around the walls. It seems that Rose’s pesky Bad Wolf graffiti (just to the left of Jack) still hasn’t been cleaned up, which surely warrants a complaint to the local council.
Fitting into Doctor Who canon (Various episodes)
A lot of Torchwood actually pivots around Doctor Who series three’s last three episodes, Utopia, The Sound of Drums and The Last of the Time Lords – the events which bridge the gap between Torchwood series one and two.
For example, at the end of Torchwood series one, The End of Days, Jack hears the sound of the Tardis and runs off, finishing the series. That joins into Utopia, which begins with Jack running to the Tardis and clinging on through the time vortex.
This then kicks off the events that would see the Master take control of Earth, and hold Jack prisoner for a year. Seeing as that year is eventually reset, it’s unclear how long Jack is away from the Torchwood team, but his return at the beginning of series two does come as a shock, leading to him explaining that he found the Doctor.
A few episodes later this leads to one of the biggest crossovers between Torchwood and Doctor Who: the Doctor’s series three companion, Martha Jones, who joins the Torchwood team as an advisor from UNIT.
When Martha joins the show, she and Jack refer to themselves as being in the “end of the world survivors club” – a reference to The Sound of Drums / The Last of the Time Lords – and Martha says that she was recommended to UNIT by none other than the Doctor himself.
The Doctor’s hand (various episodes)
Again, this fits into Doctor Who canon pretty well, with Jack having retrieved the Doctor’s hand – as you do – after the fight with the Sycorax in The Christmas Invasion, and eventually giving it to the Doctor himself in Utopia. In the meantime, it’s seen in the background several times throughout the show.
Naoko Mori (Exit Wounds)
Just like Eve Myles, Naoko Mori has also appeared in Doctor Who and Torchwood; respectively as Doctor Sato in Aliens of London, and then later as Toshiko Sato – the same character – in series one of Torchwood. This was finally referenced in Exit Wounds, in which Tosh, dying, reminisces with Owen about their early days. She describes pretending to be a medic in Owen’s second week, to cover for him having a hangover, to which Owen asks if this was “the space pig” incident.
The, er, Cyberwoman (Cyberwoman)
Again, this is a big one, but it’s well worth a mention, as Cyberwoman carries on the story from series two finale Army of Ghosts / Doomsday. In the episode, it’s revealed that Lanto has been secretly housing his girlfriend Lisa, a half-converted Cyberman who conventionally happens to be revealing as much flesh as possible, in the basement of the Torchwood Hub. It is, as you can see, utterly naff.
Hoix (Exit Wounds)
Remember this guy from Doctor Who episode Love and Monsters? Well, he shows up again in Torchwood episode Exit Wounds, with him terrorising a hospital.
The Impossible Reference (End of Days)
Another nifty reference to a Doctor Who monster occurs in End of Days, where the Torchwood team must fight the son of “the Great Beast” Abaddon: an apparent relation to the Devil last seen in series two two-parter The Impossible Planet / The Beast Below.
Another Quiz Day
Because I’m getting over a cold…
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-01-29/doctor-who-the-big-fat-10th-anniversary-quiz
Nerd Fight
IO9:
Everyone gets into arguments about their nerdy passions. This even includes former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies and current showrunner Steven Moffat, who just brought one of their super-important canon arguments to light: Namely, did the Doctor have sex with Queen Elizabeth I?
As you may recall, the Doctor has been married to River Song, Queen Elizabeth I, and Marilyn Monroe… that we know of. This delightful nonsense began when someone wrote into the official Doctor Who magazine and asked Moffat if that meant the Doctor was a bigamist. Moffat replied that at least the Doctor’s marriage to Elizabeth could have been annulled, since it was never consummated.
And thus the trouble began. Seeing as the Tenth Doctor married Queen Elizabeth I during Davies’ time as showrunner, when he ostensibly knew exactly how far the Time-Lord and the Monarch went on their wedding night, he immediately wrote in to the magazine, taking grave umbrage at the idea that the Doctor wouldn’t have had sexual relations with his new bride:
I love your list in DWM 482 of the Doctor’s many wives. Did you ever think we’d be having that conversation, 10 years ago? But… what’s this? His marriage to Queen Elizabeth the First was unconsummated? But, but, but… in The End of Time Part One, the Tenth Doctor arrives on the Ood-Sphere to greet his old friend Ood Sigma with the words, “Got married. That was a mistake. Good Queen Bess. And let me tell you, her nickname is no longer… ahem.” So, what does that mean, boss? What can it possibly mean?? Steve, what does it MEAN??? Thank you.
Moffat’s indignant response was as follows:
Oh for God’s sake, PAY ATTENTION. You’ve gone soft up there in Manchester. Practically tofu, I’d say. Probably all that lazing about, never writing any episodes for me, even though I wrote six for you. Yes, SIX. Actually, no, SEVEN. Time Crash counts too – and it was for charity. But never mind, oh no, I’ll just type on and on and neglect my children, that’s fine! Okay, the facts. I said the marriage was unconsummated – and so it was. You saw for yourself in The Day of the Doctor – he ran straight off after the ceremony. Would we have put that on television if it wasn’t true? But I never said – not once, not ever – that the relationship was unconsummated!
Yes, Russell! I went there. Even as you gasp and clutch the furniture for support, I am writing in the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, about pre-marital shenanigans! I realise you’ve probably never heard of such unsanctified naughtiness – glancing at your resume, I see you write mainly about fruit and veg for Channel 4 – but it does go on, you know. Well, outside of Manchester. So there you are. You may sleep again. The Doctor’s boast in The End of Time (oh, and thanks for that title, just before I took over) and my statement that his marriage to Elizabeth was unconsummated are in no way contradictory. True fact! Accept my True Fact. Back away in shame at your wrongness. Actually, write me a story, and we’ll say no more about it.
I pray this is not the end of the discussion. I love that Davies calls Moffat out with proof from his own episodes. I love that Moffat’s reply is that the Doctor and Liz did have sex, it was just pre-marital sex. I want Alex Kingston to weigh in on this, with a tearful letter blasting her husband’s infidelity. And then I want John Barrowman to tell every they need to calm down, perhaps with an omnisexual orgy at his place.
Oh, Alonso…. 🙂
MY Doctor Who 