Series 9 - Coming September 19! (And a trailer!)

[kirk55555]

I think Jenna could do that. She's played three different Claras (and arguably four, since her season eight character was actually a character instead of a plot point as she was in 7b).

She always *was* actually a character and not *just* a plot point/plot device. The whole point to Rings of Akhaten's prologue and ending, and the telling exchange in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, the events of Nightmare in Silver, etc. was to make her a character. With a backstory and reasons why she traveled with the Doctor in the first place, her attitude towards children, her bossy nature...

It continues to mystify me how everyone ignores all that and says "Oh she was just a plot point." Yes, she was. But she was a fully-developed unique person, too.

Well, I never thought of her as just a plot device, but Series 7b could have fleshed her out a bit more (although Series 8 did flesh her out and it turns out she's a selfish moron, so ). I will say I don't recall two of those episodes really contributing to her character, mostly because Rings of Akhaten and Nightmare in Silver are two of the worse 11th Doctor episodes and I watched them once and never again (although journey to the Center of the TARDIS is pretty good, and I suppose she did get some character stuff in it, although most of that was reset away until Time of the Doctor).

 

[sttngfan1701d]

Honestly, thats similar to how I think they should've kept Jenna in the cast, but retired the original Clara off with her superb, original send-off in Last Christmas. A splinter of one of the Doctor's past that survived her encounter with one of them, which would interesting to explore in some regards - does he treat her the same way as Clara, or someone different? Is she Clara still, though different?

I just think it would be cool to have a splinter that was evil. That would be interesting but cliche

That would be really fun. Actually, while I enjoyed the Missy character, having "the woman in the shop" actually be a Splinter Clara would have made for a much more interesting twist.

Agreed. It would've been really cool. And exploring the splinters scattered throughout time would've been perfect if the ending of Last Christmas was kept as intended. Not to mention it would've been an even bigger bombshell than having Maisie Williams in Series 9. Everyone thinks Clara is gone in the Christmas Special...but wait....

 

[The Wormhole]

I think Jenna could do that. She's played three different Claras (and arguably four, since her season eight character was actually a character instead of a plot point as she was in 7b).

She always *was* actually a character and not *just* a plot point/plot device. The whole point to Rings of Akhaten's prologue and ending, and the telling exchange in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, the events of Nightmare in Silver, etc. was to make her a character. With a backstory and reasons why she traveled with the Doctor in the first place, her attitude towards children, her bossy nature...

It continues to mystify me how everyone ignores all that and says "Oh she was just a plot point." Yes, she was. But she was a fully-developed unique person, too.

Actually she really was just a plot point in season 7B since the entire arc for that half-season was devoted to the Doctor trying to figure out who or what she is and those scenes you mention were moving that story along.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

It's possible to be a plot point and a fully-realized character at the same time. They did it with Donna.

 

[Photoman15]

Maybe she's the Doctors daughter. No, not Jenny, Susan's mother. Or Susan's grandmother, the Doctors first wife.

 

[Starkers]

It's possible to be a plot point and a fully-realized character at the same time. They did it with Donna.

Nah that notions far too logical for the internet

My problem with Clara in 7B was that nobody seemed quite sure how to write her. I'd like her in one episode and be annoyed by her in the next.

 

[StCoop]

OK, so they've shot 11 which is the first half of the Series Finale but now they're going to back do 9 which they were originally going to finish with before going on to shoot 12. Is Moffat late with his scripts again?

Anyway, Gatiss script with Reece Shearsmith guest starring.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLpTLT0WgAArNnj.png

 

[Starkers]

OK, so they've shot 11 which is the first half of the Series Finale but now they're going to back do 9 which they were originally going to finish with before going on to shoot 12. Is Moffat late with his scripts again?

Anyway, Gatiss script with Reece Shearsmith guest starring.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLpTLT0WgAArNnj.png

They're going to Babylon 5???

Sod him acting in it, given how good Number 9 has been I'd quite like to see an episode written by Shearsmith and Pemberton!

 

[StCoop]

Crazy rumour of the day. Tennant and RTD were at the studio yesterday (that's not the rumour bit, they do definitely seem to have been there) and the suggestion is that Tennant and Capaldi are shooting a "flashback" to Fires Of Pompeii for the episode that deals with why he looks like he does.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Crazy rumour of the day. Tennant and RTD were at the studio yesterday (that's not the rumour bit, they do definitely seem to have been there) and the suggestion is that Tennant and Capaldi are shooting a "flashback" to Fires Of Pompeii for the episode that deals with why he looks like he does.

If true...

Just for him, alone.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Crazy rumour of the day. Tennant and RTD were at the studio yesterday (that's not the rumour bit, they do definitely seem to have been there) and the suggestion is that Tennant and Capaldi are shooting a "flashback" to Fires Of Pompeii for the episode that deals with why he looks like he does.

is there a source for this?

 

[Photoman15]

Crazy rumour of the day. Tennant and RTD were at the studio yesterday (that's not the rumour bit, they do definitely seem to have been there) and the suggestion is that Tennant and Capaldi are shooting a "flashback" to Fires Of Pompeii for the episode that deals with why he looks like he does.

Where's Catherine?

 

[StCoop]

Photo of the pair in Cardiff yesterday but Tennant's beard puts an end the rumour part of the story.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLv3RsBWEAAfAOS.jpg

 

[Nightowl1701]

Aw, that's just a couple days stubble. Comes right off. But unless Hollywood's de-aging tech (TRON Legacy, Avengers AOU, Ant-Man) is now affordable on a BBC budget, you're gonna have a tough time turning back the clock on Capaldi. He's aged a lot in just six years.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Aw, that's just a couple days stubble. Comes right off. But unless Hollywood's de-aging tech (TRON Legacy, Avengers AOU, Ant-Man) is now affordable on a BBC budget, you're gonna have a tough time turning back the clock on Capaldi. He's aged a lot in just six years.

Maybe it's not a classic flashback but a BTTF 2 style scene, where you see Caecilius only from a distance?
Then they can get away with it. But I would love if he actually came face to face with Ten in a surprise cameo.

 

[Photoman15]

Photo of the pair in Cardiff yesterday but Tennant's beard puts an end the rumour part of the story.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CLv3RsBWEAAfAOS.jpg

Don't they have razors in Cardiff?

 

[RoJoHen]

"Beard?"

That's my face after one day.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

Yeah...they're not just popping by for a visit, and that "beard" can be taken care of in 5 minutes. Seems like they both have a reason to be there.

But on the other hand, wouldn't they keep something as big as a Tennant cameo under-wraps? Sure it may just be a short sequence, but any time Tennant returns is guaranteed to cause geekgasms for the fandom. If I was Moffat, I'd say "No random selfies to prove that you dropped by."

 

[Volpone]

In the '80s, I did a Dr. Who convention in Minneapolis with Patrick Troughton and Colin Baker. They screened "The Two Doctors" and did a Q&A. They had a wonderful chemistry. Troughton was wearing a "Moe" haircut, jacket, plaid trousers, and a bowtie. Baker had a sporty linen jacket and a majestic beard. They had a wonderful chemistry together.

Someone asked them why Troughton was in costume as The Doctor but Baker was in street clothes. He deftly sidestepped the "my costume is fucking horrible" response to say "Look at him! It's the only thing he owns!" Which sounds mean in print, but it was said humorously and got a big laugh.

Then someone asked him about the beard. He said that since the show was on hiatus, he'd grown out the beard, because if he auditioned for a gig that required him to be cleanshaven, that was easily accomplished. But if he was trying to get a role that required a beard...well, growing one on the spot is a bit trickier than shaving one off.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Honestly, thats similar to how I think they should've kept Jenna in the cast, but retired the original Clara off with her superb, original send-off in Last Christmas. A splinter of one of the Doctor's past that survived her encounter with one of them, which would interesting to explore in some regards - does he treat her the same way as Clara, or someone different? Is she Clara still, though different?

For an actress, that would be an interesting challenge (and pretty much the same one Tatyana Maslany faces in Orphan Black) -- how to make all of her different characters different, but also the same.

I think Jenna could do that. She's played three different Claras (and arguably four, since her season eight character was actually a character instead of a plot point as she was in 7b). I'm not sure I'd trust Moffat to write and develop the character differently, though.

Reminds me of how they brought back Rimmer in Red Dwarf VIII. He was basically a resurrected clone that didn't remember anything after the first episode of series I.

I think Jenna could do that. She's played three different Claras (and arguably four, since her season eight character was actually a character instead of a plot point as she was in 7b).

She always *was* actually a character and not *just* a plot point/plot device. The whole point to Rings of Akhaten's prologue and ending, and the telling exchange in Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, the events of Nightmare in Silver, etc. was to make her a character. With a backstory and reasons why she traveled with the Doctor in the first place, her attitude towards children, her bossy nature...

It continues to mystify me how everyone ignores all that and says "Oh she was just a plot point." Yes, she was. But she was a fully-developed unique person, too.

I had a hard time really getting into Clara's head in season 7. For a companion, they kinda kept her at arms length.

What's not to like about that picture. I love how Clara coordinated her dress with the environment and explosion in the background!

I've just had a crazy thought. Moffat mentioned last week that the subject of the other Claras would come up again this series, so what if that really is 1970's Clara...

I think that's unlikely, though it would be interesting.

If Moffat were interested in revisiting the Clara fragments, then I don't see why he'd have let DWM do a comic strip (that finished a month or two ago) with Clara and the twelfth Doctor meeting a Clara fragment. Big Finish has been told to stay away from things because of the television series. DWM would certainly be told to stay away from certain things, too.

Cool! I need to read that.