So who was the woman in white?

[Technobuilder]

It's been a while now since The End of Time finished up the 10th Doctor's run and I was wondering if any new information has come to light regarding this particular plot thread?

So who was she? (I've heard all the guesses, but I was hoping some solid info had come to light)

Also, I'm curious if Moffat or RTD has mentioned Harkness appearing on Doctor Who again Post Torchwood: Miracle Day

 

[Starkers]

My undestaning is that RTD has pretty much said she's the Doctor's mum, but that he's left it open enough that people can make their own determination if they want.

Hence I choose to believe she's Susan

 

[23skidoo]

Russell T Davies intentionally left it vague so as to leave the door open for future writers like Steven Moffat to pick up the ball, should they so choose. In his book The Writers Tale: The Final Chapter, he says his opinion is that it is the Doctor's mother, but going by what's on the screen, it could just as easily be Susan, Romana, Ace*, or someone else entirely.

As for the second question, if you check the DW-related news sites over the last few weeks, both RTD and Moffat have said a Harkness appearance in DW isn't out of the question, but odds are we won't see anything soon (or perhaps ever remembering that in the US Torchwood is now being co-produced by a competitor to BBC America so they might not go for a crossover).

Alex

* One of the convoluted possible futures for Ace in one of the novels or audios had her becoming a Time Lord.

 

[OmahaStar]

she's Susan

This.

 

[RoJoHen]

For those of us who are completely unfamiliar with old Doctor Who (and there have no idea who Susan, Romana, etc even are), it seemed pretty obvious that it was supposed to be his mother. Plus, there is that scene on Gallifrey where she and another person are standing there with there hands over their faces in shame. This person is a man, which leaves me to believe that he was the Doctor's father.

 

[captcalhoun]

author intent. it's his mum.

 

[marillion]

^^ This...

Personally, I'm holding out for Carole Ann Ford to reappear as Susan.. She's gone all this time and grown older, just like her grandfather did..

Would be cool if she regenerated and her second self became a reoccurring character.

 

[Worf2DS9]

^ Well, Carole Ann Ford has appeared as Susan in a few recent Big Finish audios, so presumably she could reprise the role herself if the need arose and she was willing.

 

[OmahaStar]

^ Well, Carole Ann Ford has appeared as Susan in a few recent Big Finish audios, so presumably she could reprise the role herself if the need arose and she was willing.

I think that's a problem with these characters we haven't seen in awhile. The Doctor is changed. Why haven't they?

I would love to see Kate O'Mara return as the Rani. But the last time we saw her was with Seven. With the Time War, combined with her dangerous lifestyle, it's unrealistic (at best) to think she hadn't regenerated in all that time.

Susan, we haven't seen (ok, not counting Five Doctors) since One. Again, it's not realistic to think she had gone without a regeneration and she's still in her first body. She went through the Dalek Invasion, and who knows what else on Earth, while the Doctor has gone through ten regenerations.

As for Romana, there's zero chance Lalla Ward (or the superior Mary Tamm) would still be Romana on screen. She's in E-Space. She's back on Gallifrey as the President. There's that pesky war, and the return of Rassilon. Most likely, she's returned to E-Space, after having regenerated at least once, if not several times.

Unless we have a story that's early in the guest's timeline, the original actor that we know and love would be playing them. And without that original person, what's the point?

Other than nostalgia, there's no reason to bring back Susan. And if it's not Carole Ann playing her, why bother?

 

[Admiral_Young]

I first thought that the Woman in White was a regenerated Susan in an older woman's body to kind of reflect the age of her grandfather in his first incarnation. I don't think it was obvious. There were a number of possibilities which is why we fans needed clarification as to who it actually was. The glance at Donna's wedding, I first took the Doctor's reaction to indicate he was implying the Woman in White was Susan because he looked at Wilf, but after viewing it more closely I guess you could argue he was glancing at both Wilf and Sylvia. It works anyway you want it to and that is something that RTD stated in the audio commentary...she's whoever you want her to be despite his intention.

 

[Sindatur]

^ Well, Carole Ann Ford has appeared as Susan in a few recent Big Finish audios, so presumably she could reprise the role herself if the need arose and she was willing.

I think that's a problem with these characters we haven't seen in awhile. The Doctor is changed. Why haven't they?

I would love to see Kate O'Mara return as the Rani. But the last time we saw her was with Seven. With the Time War, combined with her dangerous lifestyle, it's unrealistic (at best) to think she hadn't regenerated in all that time.

Susan, we haven't seen (ok, not counting Five Doctors) since One. Again, it's not realistic to think she had gone without a regeneration and she's still in her first body. She went through the Dalek Invasion, and who knows what else on Earth, while the Doctor has gone through ten regenerations.

As for Romana, there's zero chance Lalla Ward (or the superior Mary Tamm) would still be Romana on screen. She's in E-Space. She's back on Gallifrey as the President. There's that pesky war, and the return of Rassilon. Most likely, she's returned to E-Space, after having regenerated at least once, if not several times.

Unless we have a story that's early in the guest's timeline, the original actor that we know and love would be playing them. And without that original person, what's the point?

Other than nostalgia, there's no reason to bring back Susan. And if it's not Carole Ann playing her, why bother?

Ah, but, Romana in Lala Ward's body (Or Susan in Carole Anne Ford's), could've been Time travelling, and ended up in the current time. We've had Several instances of The Doctor meeting prior/future selves due to Time Travel. Why does a Carol Anne Ford Susan have to have lived so many years in the same regeneration, why can't she be from an earlier time and time travelled? Or for that matter, maybe her trail went cold when she regenerated from the Carol Anne Ford regeneration, and the Time Lords wanted her for whatever reason, and scooped her up in the Carol Anne Ford body, before she went off the radar?

 

[Photoman15]

RTD says it was his intention that she was his mother. That's what he told Tennant, the actress who played the woman and the director of the episode. Unless I see anything on broadcast Doctor Who, or even SJA or TW contradicting it, that's who I believe it is.

At the Wedding, he looked at Sylvia and then to Donna, Mother to child. That was a tell.

 

[Skywalker]

As far as I'm concerned, it's Susan until said otherwise on-screen.

 

[Admiral_Young]

RTD also said it was the Doctor's mom on the audio commentary to which David and Julie banter back and forth a bit about that then he says it's up to the viewer to make their own decision. It's amazing how often this keeps on coming up now.

 

[Starkers]

RTD says it was his intention that she was his mother. That's what he told Tennant, the actress who played the woman and the director of the episode. Unless I see anything on broadcast Doctor Who, or even SJA or TW contradicting it, that's who I believe it is.

At the Wedding, he looked at Sylvia and then to Donna, Mother to child. That was a tell.

Or you could say he was looking at Donna as Wilf's granddaughter, that scene works on potentially many levels

 

[Technobuilder]

So..... No. (Nothing new here)

Glad to hear Harkness might be back at some point.

 

[Australis]

Susan.

 

[DWF]

It's the Doctor's mother as far I'm concerned and we don't even know if Susan can regenerate.

 

[OmahaStar]

It's the Doctor's mother as far I'm concerned and we don't even know if Susan can regenerate.

She's a Time Lady, the Doctor's granddaughter. Why in the world wouldn't she be able to?

 

[ChristopherPike]

His human Mother. While the other guy on Rassilon's right, who never looked up, that's his Gallifreyan Father - Ulysses. It's a nod to the Eighth Doctor era and an unmade series Philip Segal intended to make with Amblin and Universal. Remnants of which survived and made it into the 1996 TVM.