50th Anniversary Special - Eccleston Reconsidering?

[Konata Izumi]

I wonder if Aliens of London/World War Three was less dull if the script was realized in a more naturalistic manner. Every time I've tried watching it, it was a bit painful, even though it shouldn't be. Rose wasn't like that at all.

I don't think having moved on entirely, like he quickly was, prevents randomly coming back once when asked nicely, not thinking about it too much before or after.

[The Wormhole]

DalekJim wrote:

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Well, he left over behind the scenes politics and disliking RTD's cheesy OTT writing so it's possible he could be back now those elements have gone but... I can't see it. I think he's moved on entirely.

On the contrary, it was because of RTD's writing that Eccleston took the role to begin with. True, behind the scenes politics played a part in why Eccleston left, and it has been rumoured that Eccleston's opinion of RTD has changed since being on the show, never has Eccleston had a problem with the scripts. Indeed, he has singled out Moffat's two-parter as his favourite of the year, but I don't believe he has ever publically spoken negatively about any of the episodes in his run.

Still, I'll be very surprised if Eccleston does show up. I'm pretty sure the Ninth Doctor will be trapped in the vortex.

[diankra]

DalekJim wrote:

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He's on record as praising the Moffat 2-parter he did a bunch of times but uh... that's it as far as his episodes go.

There is also a reasonably well sourced story that at some point during shooting of the Dalek/Father's Day block he remarked to RTD: "Why aren't all the scripts as good as this?" Which was a bit tactless as RTD had written all but one of the scripts he'd done up till then, and didn't help the atmosphere between them.

[Samurai8472]

Nightowl1701 wrote:

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I'm starting to fear my fellow Whovians are getting their hopes up WAY too high, and whatever Moffat and the BBC come up with this fall isn't gonna clear the bar. Ironic as this may sound, throwing everything AND the kitchen sink at the screen was a lot easier in 1983 than it is now.

With just a 60 minute special planned for the entire 2013 year yeah i'd prepare to tell people to lower their expectations a little

[DalekJim]

diankra wrote:

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There is also a reasonably well sourced story that at some point during shooting of the Dalek/Father's Day block he remarked to RTD: "Why aren't all the scripts as good as this?" Which was a bit tactless as RTD had written all but one of the scripts he'd done up till then, and didn't help the atmosphere between them.

Harsh but very true. Wish Rob Shearman came back to write more episodes. I actually much prefer Jubilee to Dalek, great as Dalek is.

Konata Izumi wrote:

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I wonder if Aliens of London/World War Three was less dull if the script was realized in a more naturalistic manner.

I think Aliens of London isn't too bad, albeit showcasing RTD's soap opera fetish, media obsession and reset button laziness too much. I'd say it's the best first 2-parter of a series in his era. I'd definitely take it over the Cybermen, Dalek and Sontaran 2-parters.

[Photoman15]

DalekJim wrote:

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Still, I hope we at least get the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Doctors back for the 50th. Having McGann back in particular would be such vindication for those fans who kept the dream alive.

And please, no River Song or Rose.

Awww, come-on! You don't want to see the love triangle of 9-10-Rose? Or may quadrangle, 9-10-10b-Rose, of course there's always the 10-10b romance.

[tomalak301]

Samurai8472 wrote:

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With just a 60 minute special planned for the entire 2013 year yeah i'd prepare to tell people to lower their expectations a little

I'm not sure what to expect. For all I know the show has only been on 8 years, but I do know Dr. Who has a passionate fanbase. I could see a lot of people being disappointed, even though if I see this episode and like it, I could be in a minority of those who do like it.

[Konata Izumi]

DalekJim wrote:

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I think Aliens of London isn't too bad, albeit showcasing RTD's soap opera fetish, media obsession and reset button laziness too much. I'd say it's the best first 2-parter of a series in his era. I'd definitely take it over the Cybermen, Dalek and Sontaran 2-parters.

I don't know why I like the Cybermen 2-parter so much yet so many others with relatable tastes don't. The parallel universe stuff feels like a nice, great adventure, the Cybermen were quite shocking at the end of part one, and the rest is very exciting base infiltration stuff with very well done corridor sneaking, RIGHT PAST THE CYBERMEN, where the corridors are well-made to look kinda alien. And a sweet climax after the pro haxing, I wasn't expecting that RTD less great as usual black person whose name I can't remember staying there, I was very satisfied with that unexpected closure. Oh yeah Mickey. It did pass my mind but I dismissed it as too ridiculous.

diankra wrote:

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"Why aren't all the scripts as good as this?"

Yayy

[Allyn Gibson]

DalekJim wrote:

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Harsh but very true. Wish Rob Shearman came back to write more episodes. I actually much prefer Jubilee to Dalek, great as Dalek is.

I'm going to hazard a guess that "Dalek" went through too many drafts -- Shearman went through at least nine. (It wasn't until the seventh that they took the Daleks out and replaced them with the Toclafane because it looked like the Nation estate wasn't going to play ball.) Too many drafts can sap a work of its spontaneity and its life.

And then Shearman's draft was rewritten by RTD, because RTD rewrote every script except for Moffat's.

So I'm going to say that "Dalek," while good, isn't as strong as "Jubilee" because it went through too many drafts.

[Emh]

To each their own, I wasn't all that impressed with Jubilee and much prefer "Dalek."

[Sindatur]

Jubilee?

[diankra]

Sindatur wrote:

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Jubilee?

The Big Finish 6th Doctor CD written by Rob Shearman where the Earth government are holding a Dalek left over from a previous invasion prisoner and torturing it, which RTD likrd enough for him to ask Rob to write a Dalek-introducing episode based on the same ideas.

[Sindatur]

diankra wrote:

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The Big Finish 6th Doctor CD written by Rob Shearman where the Earth government are holding a Dalek left over from a previous invasion prisoner and torturing it, which RTD likrd enough for him to ask Rob to write a Dalek-introducing episode based on the same ideas.

Ah, gotcha, thanks

[Nightowl1701]

Emh wrote:

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What is just as interesting is the claim that the first three Doctors will be represented in the special through "studio trickery" and all of the remaining Classic Doctors are "keen" to return.

Assuming the idea is to get all eleven Doctors on-screen together for the episode's climax (and taking the explanation for Peter Davison's age in "Time Crash" into account), what I imagine we'll see is the faces of One, Two and Three grafted onto CGI body doubles, but the figures are ghostly and wavering - the vocal clips distant, echoing and garbled.

Eleven: I can't hear them - I can't understand what they're trying to say...
Four: I can - I'm the closest one chronologically to them. You see, the time differential between you and them has become too great for them to appear in any other way. (sad smile) I'm afraid I'm not too far from that point myself.

The three could put out some intelligble lines later in the scene, but only by putting forth a concentrated effort - otherwise Four would translate for them.

[Allyn Gibson]

Nightowl1701 wrote:

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Assuming the idea is to get all eleven Doctors on-screen together for the episode's climax (and taking the explanation for Peter Davison's age in "Time Crash" into account), what I imagine we'll see is the faces of One, Two and Three grafted onto CGI body doubles, but the figures are ghostly and wavering - the vocal clips distant, echoing and garbled.

While I find this concept intriguing (and it's basically the way Tony Lee's The Forgotten ends), I have a difficult time seeing it as viable from a production standpoint.

No, it's not the CGI.

It's that this gives a half-dozen actors incredible leverage over the production. If you want the fourth Doctor, you have to get Tom Baker, after all. "Two lines of dialogue? Essentially a cameo? Pass." The negotiations necessary to get all the actors onboard and satisfied with their roles would make Middle-East peace look achievable by comparison.