50th Anniversary Story Official Thread

[Allyn Gibson]

For anyone keeping score at home, filming wrapped yesterday.

Unless my math is off, that was a three week shoot, so the anniversary special will be closer to 60 minutes than 90.

Which means the Toy Fair poster looks increasingly accurate.

 

[StCoop]

Which means the Toy Fair poster looks increasingly accurate.

I never understood why people thought it wasn't, given that it was information supplied by BBC Worldwide, who in turn would have got it from the Production Office.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Which means the Toy Fair poster looks increasingly accurate.

I never understood why people thought it wasn't, given that it was information supplied by BBC Worldwide, who in turn would have got it from the Production Office.

I think they didn't want to believe it because it didn't square with what they hoped for or what Moffat had promised this year would be -- "the opposite in fact" of a reduced episode count.

The problem, of course, is that all the other details proved true. There's a spring season. There's the retrospective series on BBC America. There's an anniversary special and a Christmas special and, with Matt Smith's American commitments, no time to film anything else.

The 60-minute length was the last thing they could grasp onto that hadn't been proven true.

The three week shoot maybe doesn't prove it true, but it's suggestive that it's true.

I work in marketing, and when I saw that poster and knew who it was for (merchandise buyers), I had no reason to doubt it because I've been responsible for things exactly like that. Not everyone else has that experience, though, so it was easier to doubt.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Filming started April 2nd, the day after the read-through, so it's more like four weeks than three. But four weeks is the usual shooting time for a 60-minute special; if they'd been working from a 90-minute script it would have taken more like six weeks. So certainly closer to 60 than 90, as Allyn says.

 

[StCoop]

Filming started April 2nd, the day after the read-through, so it's more like four weeks than three. But four weeks is the usual shooting time for a 60-minute special; if they'd been working from a 90-minute script it would have taken more like six weeks. So certainly closer to 60 than 90, as Allyn says.

And shooting in 3D will have slowed things down a bit too.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Filming started April 2nd, the day after the read-through, so it's more like four weeks than three. But four weeks is the usual shooting time for a 60-minute special; if they'd been working from a 90-minute script it would have taken more like six weeks. So certainly closer to 60 than 90, as Allyn says.

And shooting in 3D will have slowed things down a bit too.

It's exhausting throwing stuff at the camera all day long.

 

[Samurai8472]

Reports around the net are

Spoiler: spoiler

Paul McGann filmed a minisode yesterday for the 50th where he regenerates. It will air in between the finale and the anniversary special

Multiple previous doctors will be appearing in Mini episodes in lead up to the 50th special episode.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

As for Matt Smith's regeneration, the way Eleven has been talking and acting since "The Snowmen" has me thinking that he will buy it at some point saving Clara's life. He already blames himself for her Victorian version's death and Oswin saved his life in "Asylum"....he'll give up his life before she dies again. I'm sure of it.

I have to admit it does kind of seem like it's heading in that direction, with this season being Eleven's swan song. Although I really hope it's not, because I'd still love to see a lot more with Smith and Coleman together.

Of course we know he's in the 50th special after the Trenzalore episode, so presumably he at least survives that event....

Oh so do I. They are good opposite one another. But I definitely think that's where the story is heading, even if it's in season 8. And I hope Clara sticks around for the 12th Doctor too.

Meh, I'll believe it when they actually announce an actor being cast as the 12th doctor.

 

[StCoop]

Reports around the net are

Spoiler: spoiler

Paul McGann filmed a minisode yesterday for the 50th where he regenerates. It will air in between the finale and the anniversary special

Multiple previous doctors will be appearing in Mini episodes in lead up to the 50th special episode.

So will McGann be regenerating into John Hurt then, 'cos he won't be regenerating into Eccleston, that's for sure!

There's also rumours of 'The Name Of The Doctor' opening with Clara being inserted into clips from Original Series episodes, which I find hard to believe since ancient 4:3 footage zoomed in to fill a 16:9 frame would look absolutely terrible.

 

[Samurai8472]

They can use the 1st doctor set from the "Docudrama" and just make everything black and white

 

[Green Lantern]

Reports around the net are

Spoiler: spoiler

Paul McGann filmed a minisode yesterday for the 50th where he regenerates. It will air in between the finale and the anniversary special

Multiple previous doctors will be appearing in Mini episodes in lead up to the 50th special episode.

Excuse me, I was just overwhelmed with joy!

And there I go again!

This has got to be the best news of all time! I think I actually thought why don't they do a regeneration minisode. So happy about this!

Whoops, and again.

Am so glad they're doing this! I wonder if Eccleston will be a good sport and do a few seconds. I do hope so. Otherwise looks like they'll recast him most likely. Man, think of all the fan fic this will lead to!!!!!!

I hope you're not just playing with us to get my hopes up. If I find this is not happening, I will most likely die a little inside. :P

Is there a link to where it's been announced? Where did you get this data from?

 

[StCoop]

They can use the 1st doctor set from the "Docudrama" and just make everything black and white

That's another part of that rumor I don't believe as it says

Spoiler: Dubiousness

that there's both new footage of David Bradley and Claudia Grant as the 1st Doctor & Susan but also footage from 'An Unearthly Child'. It also says that the 7th Doctor clip is the infamous cliffhanging cliffhanger from 'Dragonfire' that I can't imagine Moffat wishing to inflict on an unsuspecting world.

IT all sounds like Whistleblower Mk II to me.

 

[StCoop]

I hope you're not just playing with us to get my hopes up. If I find this is not happening, I will most likely die a little inside.

Given all the false rumours that have been flying around recently probably best not to get too excited yet.

 

[Green Lantern]

I still hope it's true.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

So will McGann be regenerating into John Hurt then, 'cos he won't be regenerating into Eccleston, that's for sure!

I'm puzzled why, at this late date, depicting McGann's regeneration into anyone (Atkinson, Grant, Eccleston, Hurt, whomever) matters.

What the guys at DWM said years ago when they declined to do the regeneration at the end of "The Flood" is still valid -- a regeneration is a story of two halves, the build-up to the regeneration, and the aftermath of that regeneration. A minisode scene gives us the flashy effects, but it doesn't give us the story. The only people with an emotional connection to Paul McGann's version of the Doctor to give the regeneration any meaning are the fans. And the minisode isn't going to give us a full "Castrovalva" or "The Christmas Invasion."

I'm not saying Moffat can't do this if he wishes. But I don't see the point in doing it as a minisode. If it's just to check the box, it's pointless.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Agreed. If the Eighth Doctor was doing something that thematically or directly ties into the Anniversary story, then fine. If it's just to do it for the sake of doing it, I'd be more let down than a pointless cameo in said story.

But IMO, most of the Doctor's regenerations are incidental to the story at hand - most of them could easily have been standard tales with the regeneration a slightly different ending to the usual result of the climactic peril he was in at the time (i.e. he dies instead of miraculously escaping). Doctors 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9 go out under circumstances that don't really affect the story at all, where 1 and 5 have minor effect on the plot IMO, especially compared to the drama-fest that was 10 going out. We *like* seeing a build-up to a regeneration, but rarely get it. However, we *love* seeing the aftermath of a new Doctor arriving, though plot-wise it NEVER has anything to do with how he got there in the first place.

Mark

 

[StCoop]

Oops, John Hurt has just confirmed that he is indeed playing The Doctor.

Time to get out your Tippex and start replacing all those references to the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors you might have in books or on toys.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/john_hurt_launches_sheringham_little_theatre_cinema_campaign_1_2184494

 

[Mr Awe]

There's also rumours of 'The Name Of The Doctor' opening with Clara being inserted into clips from Original Series episodes, which I find hard to believe since ancient 4:3 footage zoomed in to fill a 16:9 frame would look absolutely terrible.

Spearhead from Space

Mr Awe

 

[The Wormhole]

There's also rumours of 'The Name Of The Doctor' opening with Clara being inserted into clips from Original Series episodes, which I find hard to believe since ancient 4:3 footage zoomed in to fill a 16:9 frame would look absolutely terrible.

Spearhead from Space

Granted, they don't need to worry about the high-def/standard def problem there, but it's still 4:3, although I suppose Star Trek TOS did get converted to 16:9 with its remastered episodes.

 

[Konata Izumi]

Oops, John Hurt has just confirmed that he is indeed playing The Doctor.

Time to get out your Tippex and start replacing all those references to the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors you might have in books or on toys.

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/john_hurt_launches_sheringham_little_theatre_cinema_campaign_1_2184494

Know next to nothing about him but maybe he's that Other guy.