Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[The Wormhole]

When did RTD ever mention the Doctor being half-human in a vague sorta way?

The Runaway Bride. The Doctor asks Donna if she's human, she asks "is that optional?" He responds "it is for me."

There's also a scripted bit from TEOT which wasn't filmed, but is included in The Writer's Tale. Cactus Lady decides to review the facts with the Doctor. Exchange goes something like this:
Cactus Lady: So, let's see if I understand everything. Mr. Saxon isn't human?
Doctor: No.
Cactus Lady: Right. You aren't human either?
Doctor: No. Well, I was briefly. New Year's Eve, 1999. But I got over it, like the flu.
The reason RTD removed it is he felt it would confuse fans of the modern series who weren't familiar with the 96 movie and would be distracted thinking "but Human Nature didn't take place in 1999."

 

[Rich Watson]

Not in any way surprising but S14 officially confirmed for next spring.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article...-who-will-be-streaming-globally-from-november

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

The Runaway Bride. The Doctor asks Donna if she's human, she asks "is that optional?" He responds "it is for me."

Totally flew by me, that one.

 

[Elder Knight]

^Reminds me of back when the rumor every season was that the finale would have a total continuity reboot with the incumbent being the new "first" Doctor and none of their adventures having happened anymore. ...

Seems to me that -- up to a point -- the Ninth Doctor could have been considered a total reboot, with him as the only Doctor. It was only during the Tenth Doctor series that the history and the numbering were brought back into the narrative.

 

[David cgc]

Seems to me that -- up to a point -- the Ninth Doctor could have been considered a total reboot, with him as the only Doctor. It was only during the Tenth Doctor series that the history and the numbering were brought back into the narrative.

Oh, it kept going. Based on semi-accurate or half-known rumors. For instance, the Master's invasion of Earth is undone, parallel universes are bleeding into each other in the season 4 finale, and, probably, the time where it had the most chance of actually happening, the entire universe actually was destroyed and recreated without the Doctor at the end of season 5. All sort of plausible clues to a franchise-wide reset-button, if you were the kind of person to think that would be necessary or useful.

This board still has posts going back to 2008, I wonder if I could find some of the ones speculating or asserting that this was going to happen. I just can't remember the exact phrasing anyone would've used...

 

[The Wormhole]

Not in any way surprising but S14 officially confirmed for next spring.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article...-who-will-be-streaming-globally-from-november

I wonder if we'll get an Easter weekend premiere. That'd be nice.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Seems to me that -- up to a point -- the Ninth Doctor could have been considered a total reboot, with him as the only Doctor. It was only during the Tenth Doctor series that the history and the numbering were brought back into the narrative.

There were certainly fans who posted in this very forum about how convinced they were that the modern show was set in a new continuity. They were very stubborn on that point despite mounting evidence during Tennant's era to the contrary.

 

[Elder Knight]

There were certainly fans who posted in this very forum about how convinced they were that the modern show was set in a new continuity. They were very stubborn on that point despite mounting evidence during Tennant's era to the contrary.

I only got to see it in reruns (didn't start following until 2013) , but they did show the Doctor's history, with Ecclestone on the Titanic and so on, as he was always it.

Only when Sara Jane turned up with the Tenth Doctor (I think), was the backstory acknowledged.

 

[Rich Watson]

I wonder if we'll get an Easter weekend premiere. That'd be nice.

Just as long as Graham Norton isn't presenting something just before it starts.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I only got to see it in reruns (didn't start following until 2013) , but they did show the Doctor's history, with Ecclestone on the Titanic and so on, as he was always it.

Only when Sara Jane turned up with the Tenth Doctor (I think), was the backstory acknowledged.

Went on far longer after Sarah Jane's return and even after "Human Nature."

Like I said, stubborn.

 

[Rich Watson]

I'll update with a proper quote when available but word from the Edinburgh Television Festival is that the 60th Anniversary celebrations will span all of November and will include multiple as yet unannounced programmes.

I'd love it if one if them was a shot-in-secret 8th Doctor Special but it'll probably be closer to a Doctor Who Celebrity Pointless episode and the like.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I always want more Eighth Doctor specials and I'm still riding the joy and wonder of The Night of the Doctor, but I also hope for a surprise Fugitive Doctor episode.

 

[Rich Watson]

Also from the ETF, David Tennant's return wins TV Moment of the Year.*
https://twitter.com/EdinburghTVFest/status/1694767997250949233

*Of course, it's a public vote so there may be some shenanigans involved.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Also a LOT bias towards him in general thanks to not just Doctor Who.

Not saying that's a bad thing, just that there's a heavy bias in his favor.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

13 weeks to go until Who is back with RTD, hard to believe it's been 4 years since i last saw any new Who, where did the time go. lol

 

[The Wormhole]

13 weeks to go until Who is back with RTD,

Do we actually have a premiere date, or are you just extrapolating that November 23 is 13 weeks away?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

It's not official, no, because we all know the BBC is about premiere dates this far in advance.

But that said, I think we would all be surprised if none of the specials lands on that day.

 

[jaime]

You know, it’s intriguing that probably the single best anniversary, in terms of media profile, releases, treatment by those running things etc… was probably the 30th. To the point that I feel *this* anniversary is trying to recapture some of that with branding choices, as much as it tries also to evoke the tenth and twentieth.
The fiftieth, in retrospect, seems lesser.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

You know, it’s intriguing that probably the single best anniversary, in terms of media profile, releases, treatment by those running things etc… was probably the 30th. To the point that I feel *this* anniversary is trying to recapture some of that with branding choices, as much as it tries also to evoke the tenth and twentieth.
The fiftieth, in retrospect, seems lesser.

....?!?!?!

How do you see that?

The 50th had a lot of great releases. Not just the theatrical release of "The Day of the Doctor," but we also got the surprise release of "The Night of the Doctor" that nearly broke fandom with excitement.

We got the extraordinary production of An Adventure in Space and Time, which was both a thoughtful and touching revisiting of how it all started.

We got my personal favorite (right along with "The Night of the Doctor"), The Five Doctor(ish) Doctors Reboot, which is such a sweet and fun love letter to the fans, and fans have been clamoring and hoping for a sequel! Alas it doesn't seem likely it'll happen for the 60th but who knows what surprises are in store yet?

And that's before you even get to the countless novels, comics, and other tie-ins (like Destiny of the Doctors) PLUS everything Big Finish did (and not just The Light at the End which I loved but I know others didn't).

There were so many of them that I even ran a poll about them and I still managed to forget some things that happened.

So I don't see how you could possibly come away with that feeling.

 

[The Wormhole]

It's not official, no, because we all know the BBC is about premiere dates this far in advance.

But that said, I think we would all be surprised if none of the specials lands on that day.

Well, yes, one of the specials will almost certainly air on November 23. The point I was making is at this stage, making a comment like "13 weeks before Doctor Who returns" is premature as we don't know exactly how the three specials will be aligned.