Ncuti Gatwa is the 15th Doctor

[Tomalak]

It’s interesting that the intent of the Timeless Child was to free future writers from the shackles of 60 years of continuity. Now literally anyone can be the Doctor - want to bring in Idris Elba or Daniel Radcliffe as the Doctor for an episode? Go ahead. Anything is possible. No need to invent ways to hide new Doctors, like John Hurt. Just go for it.

But fans hated it. They LOVE the continuity, even though they should know that after 60 years and literally thousands of episodes, books, comics and audios, it’s all a complete mess. Just take a look at the unusable Doctor Who wiki.

Will RTD return to the concept? Probably not, but a future writer probably will. Big Finish certainly will - all those Unbound Doctors are now canon! That fob watch is still sitting in the Tardis, waiting to be opened.

It’s a big old universe. We’ve got the main TV Doctors, from William Hartnell to Ncuti Gatwa and beyond, and an infinite number of others to meet. I think that’s pretty exciting.

 

[jaime]

You know what else was an assumption?

That The First Doctor was the first incarnation of The Doctor.

And it's not like what the Timeless Child presented was unprecedented: The Brain of Morbius hinted at this possibility decades ago.

To be clear, I railed against that notion for years. Just ask Allyn Gibson how much I pushed back against it every time he or others brought up that idea years before Chibnall took over.

But this is the history of The Doctor as it is now. Will that change? Maybe. Will it be ignored? We'll see.

And yet, for all of its possible faults, I still like it better than the Hybrid nonsense and I'm one of Moffat's biggest supporters outside of that, the whole picking up and dropping off companions willy-nilly, and Clara sticking around beyond "Last Christmas" (although that's partially Jenna Coleman's own fault).


Uh-huh. I've seen the type of posts you've made over the years about Chibnall and his writing. If that's not anger...well, it's still not a healthy reaction.

It’s not anger, it’s mostly humourous poking and occasional actual critique. I have yet to be truly angry at any Tv show I actually liked enough to watch. Possibly any at all. Annoyance? Yes. But never anger or hate. I’m just British — with inbuilt piss take and rage of my various forebears. Chibnall can’t write his way out of a paper bag, but he’s part of the set and generation that was always going to end up where he ended up.

Five Doctors at a minimum established the Hartnell Doctor as first, albeit with a Scot’s accent and Richard Hurndall.

I didn’t mind the hybrid… the whole thing was a piss-take of mystery box style writing at the end anyway. Arguably a little bit of art imitating life, because as you pointed out Clara kept coming back for encore after encore.

 

[Tomalak]

Richard Hurndall wasn’t Scottish!

 

[jaime]

Richard Hurndall wasn’t Scottish!

That’s what makes it even more amusing.

 

[Marc]

Time Lords could live indefinitely, barring accident. Until a limit was arbitrary set for a plot point

Trying to remember when the 12 regeneration/13 incaranations for a Timelord came. Was there somewhere else other twin dilemma?

 

[jaime]

Trying to remember when the 12 regeneration/13 incaranations for a Timelord came. Was there somewhere else other twin dilemma?

Deadly Assassin. And to an extent War Games and regeneration as punishment depends on an understanding that the process is limited and not something to be taken lightly. I don’t think Planet of the Spiders touched on it, but again it was one that expands on the process.

 

[The Wormhole]

Deadly Assassin was the first time the limit was explicitly mentioned.

 

[Starkers]

And yet, for all of its possible faults, I still like it better than the Hybrid nonsense and I'm one of Moffat's biggest supporters outside of that, the whole picking up and dropping off companions willy-nilly, and Clara sticking around beyond "Last Christmas" (although that's partially Jenna Coleman's own fault).

Of course what's interesting is how the Timless Child plays into the Hybrid, because if the Doctor's DNA was used to amend Timelord DNA to allow them to regenerate then it means the Doctor is the only Timelord who isn't a hybrid.

I do wish Clara had left after Last Christmas, they'd we'd have (presumably) got Faye Marsay's Shona as the new companion. I do wonder how far along Moffat was in writing series 9. The Magician's Apprentice as a title always sounds like it was supposed to introduce a new companion, with Shona becoming the Magician/Doctor's new apprentice.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, I've often thought about that, too. I would've loved to seen more of Shona.

I keep hoping for her to pull a Donna but I guess that boat has sailed, especially with Faye Marsay's star rising so quickly thanks to Black Mirror, Game of Thrones, and now Andor.

 

[DarthTimon]

I'm really intrigued to see what Gatwa brings to the role. I can imagine an intense Doctor, a driven and passionate Doctor.

 

[jaime]

I can imagine him being a little Pertwee, a little Capaldi. That would suit I think. Occasional musings a la Sylv.

 

[The Wormhole]

I do wish Clara had left after Last Christmas, they'd we'd have (presumably) got Faye Marsay's Shona as the new companion. I do wonder how far along Moffat was in writing series 9. The Magician's Apprentice as a title always sounds like it was supposed to introduce a new companion, with Shona becoming the Magician/Doctor's new apprentice.

Considering how often throughout Last Christmas Shona referred to the Doctor as a Magician, I doubt the title The Magician's Apprentice for what presumably would have been her first episode as an official companion was coincidental.

 

[Starkers]

I'm surprised Moffat didn't change it TBH

 

[publiusr]

I rather liked the Timeless Child concept…wondering where the Doctor came from…the billowing energy curtain we saw.

There may be a way to re-introduce the Child and keep continuity.

Who exactly did we see merge with the Fourth Doctor.

The dual being perhaps in harmony best in Seven, I think.

Instead of Gatwa doing the same old type regeneration, you see the Child leave the Doctor, perhaps leaving the Doctor in the oldest form we have seen?

Feeling used up…

 

[publiusr]

Looks like he will face new Daleks
https://screenrant.com/doctor-who-season-14-dalek-new-design-details/

He might make a point like Trek did with the servitors of the Son’a.
“Different faces…same old hate…”

Just replace the plunger with a jamming gripper:
https://www.creativemachineslab.com/jamming-gripper.html

 

[The Wormhole]

I'm sure these will probably refurbished Daleks with any changes just being minor cosmetic ones, probably involving surface detail and the like. The basic Dalek design has lasted close to sixty years, so it definitely does not need a drastic update. And considering the New Paradigm was not well received at all, I can't see anything even on that scale being attempted again.

 

[Tomalak]

I've heard they have to be 25% different.

 

[Rich Watson]

So assuming they're saving them for the 23rd ten days from now and we should see Ncuit in costume and hopefully get the companion reveal too.

 

[Tomalak]

I’m not sure if we’ll get the costume, but a companion is quite likely.

There’s a long year to go and they’re going to want to drip feed the information to keep us engaged.

 

[Rich Watson]

I’m not sure if we’ll get the costume, but a companion is quite likely.

He starts shooting at the beginning of December, so they won't want it come from a tabloid set photo.