Spoilers Russell T. Davies Returns to Doctor Who as New Showrunner

[jaime]

Also the "maybe the new Doctor is a ploy by The Master, Toymaker, insert villain of the week here" schtick that rather sadly came into full force once the new Doctor stopped being 1) white or 2) female... I would love it if RTD chose to keep the "..as the Doctor" bit out of the credits just to fuel those sorts, especially in a story literally built on one man's delusions about reality and who "should" exist or be seen...

You mean the story where a gay black man and a south Asian woman who had expressed no romantic or sexual interest in him, who had expressed taking DNA as an affront to bodily autonomy, had a baby? Without their consent or even explicit knowledge? And then the entire universe was rewritten at the cost of said gay man’s life, in order to make it so that said woman was now a single parent — without her knowledge or consent — to what was then no longer actually the gay man’s baby?
On the say so of his old best friend, the blonde white woman?

That episode?

The one where they literally stick a woman and a girl child in what amounts to a magic fridge?

The reason ‘woke’ — as it might be called — needs to not be in the show under this team, is because they don’t actually know what any of it means, how any of works, or when to stop their crazy story before the break something. Like accidentally saying a character is trans because of space man magic. For another example.

 

[jaime]

My question is, didn't Ncuti sign on for 3 series'? Isn't that the standard deal these days?

Could Billie be the Doctor for the special(s) and then Ncuti comes back?

His neck and shoulders haven’t left yet. Maybe it’s just The Moment deciding to pause him and make him stay as Gatwa.
It won’t be.
But hey Ho. May as well say it might be.

 

[Jayson1]

Triggered by a comment I saw elsewhere, the only desperation in play in this situation is that of people who will seize on anything that they can (including an attempt by the people involved in the show to keep some secrets about the future narrative) to ignore the obvious, which is that, whatever opinions you might have about the decision notwithstanding, Billie Piper is the Sixteenth Doctor.

I think that is likely true though it is weird they didn't credit her as 'The Doctor" in the final credits. Not sure what that was about.

 

[DigificWriter]

Not sure what that was about.

An attempt to keep some secrecy about their future narrative plans (IMO).

 

[Jayson1]

An attempt to keep some secrecy about their future narrative plans (IMO).

Which would imply she might not be the Doctor but will be important to any possible ideas, should the show not get cancelled. All sorts of word possibilities I suppose. I know they also still have the Tennant Doctor out their as well. I got lots of possible theories but one of them is he has become Rose in the sense that he has both Rose's memories and the Doctors memories. They Tuvixed him.

 

[DigificWriter]

Which would imply she might not be the Doctor

Not necessarily.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

Speaking of which...

I know it's probably not ever going to happen, but I keep hoping we'll get a special or two with Richard E. Grant fully returning as The Shalka Doctor. Hopefully with Sophie Okonedo and Derek Jacobi. A guy can dream.

Again, either the Shalka Doctor (retroactively canonizing the animated flick) or Jo Martin as either a returned face or THE Fugitive Doctor. There were possibilities afloat, surely.

 

[The Wormhole]

An attempt to keep some secrecy about their future narrative plans (IMO).

You think putting a bolded IMO is going to save you from being called out if you get proven wrong? It won't. You don't want us calling you out whenever you're proven wrong? Dial back the obnoxious attitude and the getting blue in the face to tell people who don't agree with you that they're wrong. But then, this has been explained to you before and yet here we are. Again

The damnedest thing is, I actually agree with you, I believe Billie Piper is indeed the Sixteenth Doctor, despite the weirdness (I don't care if I'm using that word correctly according to you) of her not being credited as "The Doctor." But seeing the way you're making it your personal mission to squash any dissenting opinion on the matter and making sure everyone believes she is indeed the Sixteenth Doctor is actually making me hope she isn't, just so I can once again see you proven wrong. Because, let me tell you, seeing you get proven wrong never gets old.

Why do you always get so blue in the face and adamant about your beliefs anyway? It's like you can't stand the fact that someone out there thinks differently than you. It's okay to have disagreements, and it's also okay to discuss those disagreements. But getting so over the top on the matter and passionately and forcefully arguing with others who don't share your viewpoint is doing you no favors. Even if you did end up being right about something, no one's going to like you for it with the attitude you always enter these discussions with. Just chill and relax, state your opinion, maybe discuss the matter civilly with those who may have a dissenting view and then sit back and see how things play out. You may find everyone is friendlier with you if you're not jumping down their throats for thinking differently than you or following a different definition of a word that you subscribe to. And if you are proven wrong, people won't be so eager to point it out to you.

Of course, I should know better than to think you're going to pay attention to any of this and change your attitude.

 

[DigificWriter]

You think putting a bolded IMO is going to save you from being called out if you get proven wrong? It won't. You don't want us calling you out whenever you're proven wrong? Dial back the obnoxious attitude and the getting blue in the face to tell people who don't agree with you that they're wrong. But then, this has been explained to you before and yet here we are. Again

The damnedest thing is, I actually agree with you, I believe Billie Piper is indeed the Sixteenth Doctor, despite the weirdness (I don't care if I'm using that word correctly according to you) of her not being credited as "The Doctor." But seeing the way you're making it your personal mission to squash any dissenting opinion on the matter and making sure everyone believes she is indeed the Sixteenth Doctor is actually making me hope she isn't, just so I can once again see you proven wrong. Because, let me tell you, seeing you get proven wrong never gets old.

Why do you always get so blue in the face and adamant about your beliefs anyway? It's like you can't stand the fact that someone out there thinks differently than you. It's okay to have disagreements, and it's also okay to discuss those disagreements. But getting so over the top on the matter and passionately and forcefully arguing with others who don't share your viewpoint is doing you no favors. Even if you did end up being right about something, no one's going to like you for it with the attitude you always enter these discussions with. Just chill and relax, state your opinion, maybe discuss the matter civilly with those who may have a dissenting view and then sit back and see how things play out. You may find everyone is friendlier with you if you're not jumping down their throats for thinking differently than you or following a different definition of a word that you subscribe to. And if you are proven wrong, people won't be so eager to point it out to you.

Of course, I should know better than to think you're going to pay attention to any of this and change your attitude.

When you have the two dedicated Doctor Who Wikis and a number of varying news entities - up to and including one of the Hollywood Trades (Entertainment Weekly) - referring to Billie Piper as playing the Sixteenth Doctor, making a statement that it is pretty clearly obvious that she is playing The Doctor - credits and RTD and Billie's coy comments notwithstanding - goes beyond being a matter of opinion.

What is an opinion (and which i labeled as such in the post that you quoted) is that the lack of crediting Billie as The Doctor and the coy comments about the character she is playing constitute an attempt to keep narrative secrets secret, but that said attempt does not in fact have any bearing on what is being treated as obvious by many (including myself): Billie is the Sixteenth Doctor.

 

[The Wormhole]

Good god man. I try to illuminate the flaw in how you interact with everyone, and you go ahead and double down by acting in that exact same manner.

Whatever, keep fucking that chicken. It's what you're best at.

 

[BillJ]

Good god man. I try to illuminate the flaw in how you interact with everyone, and you go ahead and double down by acting in that exact same manner.

Whatever, keep fucking that chicken. It's what you're best at.

I don’t have a dog in the fight, but using Piper is about the most unimaginative thing they could possibly do. Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I don’t have a dog in the fight, but using Piper is about the most unimaginative thing they could possibly do. Nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia.

I’m a lifelong fan and I can’t recall a time I’ve felt less excited by what’s going to happen now.

I mean, they could have cast anyone and… well, it’s done now.

I’m sure Piper will be fine, but yeesh. Part of me feels it’s desperate, but the greater part just feels it’s very, very obvious and boring.

 

[Mr Awe]

I think what's going on is that given the hiatus that's coming up (which is guaranteed given Disney's late decision and Bad Wolf having to let people go), they're not going to cast the more permanent Doctor until later. But, RTD didn't want the hype/interest to fade in the meantime so he found a way to generate some hype without a permanent Doctor.

Yes, I believe Piper is playing some form of the Doctor but that she will be a planned one off of some sort.

Put me in the camp that this is least interesting route they could've gone though. It's a desperation move to retain interest in the show.

 

[Turtletrekker]

.

Whatever, keep fucking that chicken. It's what you're best at.

or in other words, "he chose a strange hill to die on but at least he's dead".

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I recall the casting of Gatwa (someone who'd just started to become a bit of a minor mover/shaker in Hollywood circles) and feeling that the show was really starting to aim more internationally.

The trouble with Piper's casting is it seems designed to excite fans/a BBC audience. A very insular, backwards looking choice.

 

[Mr Awe]

. or in other words, "he chose a strange hill to die on but at least he's dead".

Was it a strange hill or a "weird" hill?

I've got to know for sure which!

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Was it a strange hill or a "weird" hill?

I've got to know for sure which!

Not weird. New.

 

[Mr Awe]

Not weird. New.

Ah ok, that's better then.

 

[Photoman15]

Why are people suggesting she could be Rose and not considering that she could be The Moment?

She can't be either. I think a lot of people here are forgetting that Gnuti (The Doctor) regenerated into the next Doctor, who happens to look like Rose Tyler. It's not Rose, nor the moment, it's The Doctor.

I'm waiting for the episode when this Doctor runs into Jackie.

 

[DigificWriter]

She can't be either. I think a lot of people here are forgetting that Gnuti (The Doctor) regenerated into the next Doctor, who happens to look like Rose Tyler. It's not Rose, nor the moment, it's The Doctor.

Billie wasn't explicitly credited as The Doctor, and both RTD and Billie herself are playing coy and not giving anything specific away about her return, which has some people choosing to ignore the simplest and most obvious scenario, which is exactly what you stated: Ncuti's Fifteenth Doctor straightforwardly Regenerated - as we saw - into a new incarnation that has Rose Tyler's physical appearance.