Series 7 confirmed by BBC

[Turbo]

bringing back the 91th/10th & 11th

bringing back the 91st Doctor from the future, i presume?

Ecclestone's rather unequivocally said he will NOT return to Who.

Ecclestone is a right spoil sport and one of the reasons I don't hold the 9th Doctor high up is he never really wanted the gig nor embraced it. A one off special to celebrate the 50th year with the Doctors from this Modern NuWho would be great.

Uh, wow. Have you ever listened to him talk about the show? I can't find the recent interview in question, but he was nothing but complimentary about his time with the show. He was quite excited about it, and happy to help restart Who, but he makes it clear that he always considered it a temporary gig. As for his refusal to return, I think he could be persuaded if the 50th anniversary reunion was a charity special (as "The Five Doctors" was) but other than that, it sounds as though he's closed the door on that chapter of his career.

 

[Candlelight]

Too bad that Karen and Arthur probably won't be returning. As excited as I am at the prospect of seeing the 11th Doctor paired up with some new companions, those three HAVE made an excellent team.

I disagree. The companions are supposed to be the windows for the audience as the Doctor goes on his adventures, but the way I've seen it, Amy's been a little weird, almost as eccentric as the Doctor, and Rory has just been a damp squib.

I think two years is enough for any companion under the new series.

 

[Samurai8472]

Eccleston will return so long as they keep RTD away and captain Jack..

And the nerds keep them away from him

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10312426.stm

He told the Radio Times he was proud of the show but "wasn't comfortable" working on it.

"I didn't enjoy the environment and the culture that we, the cast and crew, had to work in.
"I thought if I stay in this job, I'm going to have to blind myself to certain things that I thought were wrong."

 

[Anachronus]

I hope Moffat disappears soon. I really don't like his story telling style. Season's 5 and 6 haven't been the most enjoyable.

I don't like his series direction, but his individual episodes have been generally good.

 

[Saul]

No gap year!!!!!
When Matt leaves i'd like to see Benedict Cumberbatch continue with the Moff.

 

[PorthosShadow]

No gap year!!!!!
When Matt leaves i'd like to see Benedict Cumberbatch continue with the Moff.

I nominate David Morrissey and no I don't care that he's already been in the show

 

[RevdKathy]

Looks like all is not well in the TARDIS. The Sun have a pretty good record on this stuff. Maybe those 14 eps will show over the next 7 years.

 

[Starkers]

Well given how accurate that article is, what with apparently 2012 being the show's 50th anniversary and all, I think we can take it all with a pinch of salt...

Seems Private Eye started all this...

http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/06/08/doctor-who-series-seven-news/

For my mind Who doesn't need another Gap year at the moment, and I hope (if there's even a shread of truth in this) that it isn't a case of Moffat wanting to have his cake and eat it by having enough time to make Who and Sherlock...

As for Ecclston, it seems unlikely that he has a problem with homosexuality (which is clearly what some people have been suggesting for a while) given that he'd worked with Russell before so if he had issue with him you'd think that would have persuded him away from Who. And irrespective that he's an actor/professional yadda yadda yadda, I think if he'd had serious issue with kissing Barrowman he could have gotten out of doing it. The episode wouldn't have fallen apart if the Doctor had just shaken hands with Jack after all! The simplest explanation seems to be a combination of the following; one that he never wanted a long time gig, and secondly that he doesn't seem to like the attention that comes with a role like that, and thirdly that he had issues with one of the directors, and possibly Barrowman (Which I can see as he seems a very serious actor and lets face it Barrowman's an overly energetic loon, love him to bits but God I bet he gets wearing to be around, his partner/husband must have the patience of a saint!)

 

[Starkers]

Just to confuse matters further, Moffat comments on the rumours...

“Okay, here it is – the best answer you can have. I don’t know. If I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. When I DO know, what I know will change, so I won’t really know then either. And then it will change again, so I still won’t really know. And if, secretly, I’d really known all along, I’d still be telling you I don’t know, because everything I said I knew, could be wrong, so I’d never really have known in the first place.
“Quantum security – I don’t know AND it’s a secret.
“I’m glad I’ve been able to clarify this for you.”​

Well that helps...

Link
​

 

[Haggis and tatties]

^^^Got to love Moffats sense of humor.

 

[JoeZhang]

Some interesting points in the Private Eye article, how true any of those are, people can work out for themselves

* 'There are fears that the second tranche of episodes may be even be completed in time for BBC Worldwide to release a DVD box set of the series in time for the christmas market.

* 'Show insiders blame much of the chaos on the decision taken by [executive producer] Wenger and his fellow executive producer Beth Willis last year to dispense with the services of producers Tracie Simpson and Peter Nennett, both of whom had worked on the programme since 2005.

* 'Showrunner and lead writer Steven Moffat has become expert at papering over the cracks, re-ordering episodes and finding creative reasons for spectacular monsters and CGI creations to be given as little screen time as possible'.

* 'There was general dismay when sci-fi legend Neil Gaiman - whose much anticipated episode had already had to be held over from the 2010 series due to a lack of funds - had to be informed that a further £200,000 shortfall in the budget meant he would have to rewrite it to include not the alien he had intended but instead an Ood which had been knocking around in the Props store since 2006'.

 

[Jax]

^ The BBC is facing a tad budget issue so Doctor Who being squeezed doesn't surprise me and makes me think eventually the show might be forced down to 10 episodes + Christmas Special. As for the 50th birthday I would be ok with specials but instead of the 4 we got (one being a 2 parter) I would like to see something like...

Easter Weekend + Following Weekend - 2 Parter to celebrate the 50th Birthday and try to get the 8th-11th Doctor together. Paul McGann back would be ace

Halloween Special - A really really horror themed episode from the Moff Man.

November Special - A final standard whimsical journey episode

and then if Smith or Moffat are planning to leave then have a 2 part Christmas/New Year special to end the era. It would be nice to see Smith/Moffat reign become full circle and end in the way it began over the course of a farewell 2 parter episode over the hoildays.

 

[Whofan]

Well, if we have another set of 'wilderness years', it'll be OK, since the Wilderness years weren't totally bad-there were the novels and audios, plus a few other projects.


Weird thing is, there's kind of a funny pattern with Star Trek and Who's popularity. Doctor Who was in decline when Star Trek came back on TV, Doctor Who came back when Star Trek was in decline on TV, and now Doctor Who is in decline again so maybe Trek will be back on TV

 

[Jax]

and now Doctor Who is in decline again so maybe Trek will be back on TV

Decline ? how so

 

[Starkers]

Well I thought they'd been fairly up front about the Ood in The Doctor's Wife, and frankly if the BBC are going to spend money on a new race I'd rather it was on something substantial like the Silents/Silence than on an alien who'd be a minor character in one episode. Nephew worked perfectly well as an Ood. I find the constant re use of the Silurians to be more annoying myself.

 

[Mr Awe]

Looks like all is not well in the TARDIS. The Sun have a pretty good record on this stuff. Maybe those 14 eps will show over the next 7 years.

No, not such a good track record. In this article they state that 2012 is the 50th anniversary! Bzzt! It's 2013.

There'll be 14 episodes for the 7th season. It's already been confirmed. It's logical based on how well the show is doing too!

Mr Awe

 

[Lonemagpie]

They've always been upfront about the budget squeeze.

If there was going to be a "specials" year, there wouldn't be 14 episodes commissioned - it'd be either 4, 5 or 17 (i.e. a set of specials only, or a set of specials plus a following season - not one Xmas special and a regular season of 13).

I think 1) the 2012 season sill have an autumn start, and I've thought that ever since the announcement of this year's split. That'd return the show to its traditional slot. 2) Moffat doesn't know what the transmission block will be because for one thing it won't be set until at least over winter, and also - I suspect - they'll be waiting to see what effect the midseason break and return this year has on ratings and appreciation, before deciding whether to do it again next year.

From the mention of "a good chunk of them in 2012" I'd suspect that Moffat is hoping for something like an October/November run, midseason cliffhanger split possibly with Xmas Special, then a March/April conclusion, but that nothing will be decided on this until they see the numbers in September.

 

[Starkers]

I really hope the mid season break doesn't return if I'm honest. I like the idea of them starting in October cos then we might get a Halloween episode!

 

[intrinsical]

Its great news, and it also practically confirmed the fulfillment of my personal fantasy having Matt Smith's Doctor making an appearance at the 2012 Olympics.

 

[Starkers]

Where hopefully he'll punch David Tennant and nick the torch...

(That might just be my fantasy!)