Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoilers]

[Messianni]

So we've all heard the confirmations from Doctor Who Magazine that David Tennant will be the only returning Doctor for the 50th Anniversary. We now also know that Doctors 4-8 will be brought together for the Big Finish special "The Light at the End". And the creation of the show will be honored by the docudrama "An Adventure in Space and Time".

Isn't that enough?

There seem to be a lot of hints that the BBC itself was not keen on bringing in the classic Doctors for the televised 50th special and Moffat, being the massive fan of Who that he is, would want to honor them in some way. We've been getting a lot of Classic Who references in this season, after all. But if the BBC says no, it means no. There's nothing he can do about it.

This makes even more sense when you take certain comments he's made in regards to "fan-ish" explanations and what you can do on BBC1. From this interview about "The Angels Take Manhattan":

“New York would still burn. The point being, he can’t interfere. Here’s the ‘fan answer’ – this is not what you’d ever put out on BBC1, because most people watch the show and just think, ‘well there’s a gravestone so obviously he can’t visit them again’. But the ‘fan answer’ is, in normal circumstances he might have gone back and said, ‘look we’ll just put a headstone up and we’ll just write the book’. But there is so much scar tissue, and the number of paradoxes that have already been inflicted on that nexus of timelines, that it will rip apart if you try to do one more thing. He has to leave it alone. Normally he could perform some surgery, this time too much surgery has already been performed. But imagine saying that on BBC1!”

So given the reality that all of the Classic Doctors appearing on the 50th special is a bridge too far for the BBC, we at least get a special from Big Finish. We know Big Finish can pull it off and will probably do a splendid job. They've made the Eight Doctor a right, proper Doctor and reformed the Sixth Doctor in many people's eyes. This gives big fans of the audios a way to celebrate the 50th as well.

I don't know about anyone else but two specials and a big audio event seems like a good amount of materials for a big anniversary. We have celebrations of the beginning, the old and the new. Star Trek's 50th anniversary is coming up in 2016 and there's barely been a peep about... anything. We don't even know if we can expect the next film by then thanks to JJ's new commitment to Star Wars. It seems to me to expect anything else, or anything more, is setting ourselves up for disappointment.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

This makes even more sense when you take certain comments he's made in regards to "fan-ish" explanations and what you can do on BBC1. From this interview about "The Angels Take Manhattan":

“New York would still burn. The point being, he can’t interfere. Here’s the ‘fan answer’ – this is not what you’d ever put out on BBC1, because most people watch the show and just think, ‘well there’s a gravestone so obviously he can’t visit them again’. But the ‘fan answer’ is, in normal circumstances he might have gone back and said, ‘look we’ll just put a headstone up and we’ll just write the book’. But there is so much scar tissue, and the number of paradoxes that have already been inflicted on that nexus of timelines, that it will rip apart if you try to do one more thing. He has to leave it alone. Normally he could perform some surgery, this time too much surgery has already been performed. But imagine saying that on BBC1!”

I'm trying to figure out what in that mass of technobabble couldn't be said on BBC1.

Yeah, I'm not coming up with anything. Nope, all of that would have flown. The non-sci-fi audience would have gone, "Oh, okay," even if they didn't understand it, because it would sound like the Doctor knew what he was talking about. The fan audience would have gone, "Yeah, that makes sense," for exactly the same reason.

What I love about that article, by the way, is the final paragraph: "If your head hurts now, wait until someone asks Moffat what happened to the whole 'an image of an Angel becoming an Angel' thing. That's a lot of dangerous New York postcards, right there..." Is it just me, or is Radio Times snarking at Moffat there?

 

[davejames]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

Seems like enough to me, but I can understand the frustration of those wanting to see the classic Doctors again.

And whether it's true or not, I have to admit the BBC putting the kibosh on the idea does make a lot more sense. Because regardless of what he's said in the past, I have to think Moffat would still want to make the fans happy and find a way to include the other Doctors anyway.

 

[Mr Awe]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

^^ Agree. I know Moffat's a huge fan. That's what puzzled me, but perhaps it was the BBC that forced the issue. Don't know.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

At the end of the day, it will be enough. However, like others, I would have liked more even if it means I'm a bit greedy. It would have been wonderful to classic Doctors on screen again (especially Paul McGann) as well as many of the companions, but I'm also very grateful for what Big Finish will be giving us.

With that in mind, below is the recently released cast list for The Light at the End per Doctor Who Magazine:

Spoiler: FULL Cast List

The Doctor - Tom Baker, Peter Davison,Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann
Leela - Louise Jameson
Nyssa - Sarah Sutton
Peri Brown - Nicola Bryant
Ace - Sophie Aldred
Charley Pollard - India Fisher
The Master - Geoffrey Beavers

Straxus (an earlier incarnation) - Oliver Hume
Bob Dovie - John Dorney
Vess - Nicholas Briggs

Small cameo appearances from:
Susan Foreman - Carole Ann Ford
Ian Chesterton - William Russell
Vicki Pallister - Maureen O'Brien
Steven Taylor - Peter Purves
Sara Kingdom - Jean Marsh
Polly Wright - Anneke Wills
Jamie McCrimmon - Frazer Hines
Zoe Heriot - Wendy Padbury
Jo Grant - Katy Manning
Tegan Jovanka - Janet Fielding
Vislor Turlough - Mark Strickson

Additionally, the trailer indicates the presence of the first three Doctors, but what form they take (old recordings, companion actors vocalizing them, new actors altogether) is unknown at this time.

That's a huge fan service and I, for one, am looking forward to it even more than the TV special.

That all being said, I'll still be very disappointed if William Russell doesn't make a cameo appearance on the show (yes, I know he has one for An Adventure in Space and Time).

 

[Iamnotspock]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

What I love about that article, by the way, is the final paragraph: "If your head hurts now, wait until someone asks Moffat what happened to the whole 'an image of an Angel becoming an Angel' thing. That's a lot of dangerous New York postcards, right there..." Is it just me, or is Radio Times snarking at Moffat there?

Not only that, but Sally Sparrow was a photographer who took numerous pictures of them. With that in mind, the whole 'an image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel' thing felt bizarrely inconsistent when it was introduced.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

It's still disappointing. I don't see anyone going too overboard about childhoods being violated or anything but it's bound to come up when discussing the anniversary show.

 

[Nightowl1701]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

So we've all heard the confirmations from Doctor Who Magazine that David Tennant will be the only returning Doctor for the 50th Anniversary. We now also know that Doctors 4-8 will be brought together for the Big Finish special "The Light at the End". And the creation of the show will be honored by the docudrama "An Adventure in Space and Time".

Isn't that enough?

Not to mention the ongoing Prisoners of Time comic book from IDW (which features all eleven Doctors and will likely unite them in the final issue), The Destiny of the Doctor series of Companion Chronicles from Big Finish, the set of mini e-books coming out from various writers (A Big Hand For The Doctor, The Nameless City, The Spear of Destiny, etc.) AND (again from Big Finish) Doctor Who: The Beginning.

And if all that still ain't enough, Rich Morris - the guy who did The Ten Doctors fan comic a few years back - is planning a followup: The 23 Doctors.

Looks to me like the 50'th is gonna be celebrated plenty, with or without the Classic Doctors on the screen. (Apologies for my earlier words, Allyn.)

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

Looks to me like the 50'th is gonna be celebrated plenty, in spite of Auntie Beeb.

"In spite of" is the wrong phrase; everything that you've mentioned, save for "The 23 Doctors," carries the BBC's approval. They're licensed products, there's someone at the BBC signing off on them every step of the way. The Light at the End isn't happening in spite of the BBC; if the BBC didn't want it to happen, it wouldn't.

 

[The Wormhole]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

Star Trek's 50th anniversary is coming up in 2016 and there's barely been a peep about... anything. We don't even know if we can expect the next film by then thanks to JJ's new commitment to Star Wars. It seems to me to expect anything else, or anything more, is setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Actually, even if Abrams isn't involved with Star Wars, I wouldn't hold my breath about him delivering a Trek movie by 2016 simply because the man (and his minions) can not meet a deadline. STID was delayed a whole year because they hadn't got around to writing a script, and it's rumoured he's already thinking of postponing the highly publicized 2015 release date for Star Wars.

Getting back on topic, the whole situation with Doctor Who's 50th anniversary kind of reminds me of the controversy of when Enterprise ended. We had some people saying to think of the Demons/Terra Prime story as Enterprise's proper finale while TATV was the finale to the Star Trek franchise. It would seem here that the Anniversary special itself will celebrate the nu series, while An Adventure in Time and Space will be the celebration of the classic era.

 

[DalekJim]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

It's mainly annoying because we only had half a series this year and there won't be a Series 8 next year.

 

[Starkers]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

Has it been confirmed there won't be a series 8 next year?

 

[Mr Awe]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

AFAIK, it hasn't been confirmed either way. Not officially.

 

[The Wormhole]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

No, nothing official has been announced about season 8. At all.

 

[Captain_Amasov]

Re: Isn't The Special, The Docudrama and Big Finish Enough [50th Spoil

What I love about that article, by the way, is the final paragraph: "If your head hurts now, wait until someone asks Moffat what happened to the whole 'an image of an Angel becoming an Angel' thing. That's a lot of dangerous New York postcards, right there..." Is it just me, or is Radio Times snarking at Moffat there?

Not only that, but Sally Sparrow was a photographer who took numerous pictures of them. With that in mind, the whole 'an image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel' thing felt bizarrely inconsistent when it was introduced.

Sally, at least, should be safe for now. The Doctor said that those Angels he encountered on Earth were scavengers and barely surviving. The Angel that attempted to reach Amy via the video screen, was said to be reaching out with its new found power, having feasted on the energy from the Byzantium's engines.

It would appear that any photo, or video, taken of an Angel is still connected, or is another aspect of the original Angel. New York's fucked though.