Yeah, I figured and Ian has met other Doctors via Big Finish and I'm sure in the novels, too.
But I wanted old William Russell to meet the young Matt Smith. That opportunity will never be seen and I think that's a terrible shame.
William Russell has died
- Thread starter marillion
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But I wanted old William Russell to meet the young Matt Smith. That opportunity will never be seen and I think that's a terrible shame.
Some things I'll never forgive either RTD or Moffat for, especially RTD, and that includes Ten never meeting with the Brigadier in series 4 and Eleven never meeting with Ian.
Seriously, how hard would it have been to bring Ian in on The Day of the Doctor? Heck, maybe in the scene when the Doctor "changes his mind" about the outcome of the Time War, it could've been Ian who helped bring sense to him along with Clara. Old and new companions alike.
Seriously, how hard would it have been to bring Ian in on The Day of the Doctor? Heck, maybe in the scene when the Doctor "changes his mind" about the outcome of the Time War, it could've been Ian who helped bring sense to him along with Clara. Old and new companions alike.
I don't know how frail he'd got in later life. He didn't do much acting in the 21st century (audios aside). Obviously he could manage the small cameos he had in An Adventure in Space and Time and The Power of the Doctor.
I guess the problem is that you can throw a hundred tiny cameos in for the sake of it but ideally you want someone who can contribute to the story. Russell manifesting as The Moment could have been very interesting, except Billie was fab in that role and, frankly, Russell's appearance would have had to be explained to half the audience in a way that Billie's didn't need to be.
Ian could have met Eleven at the end, except then you lose Tom's appearance. Trying to insert him in any other way would have felt like shoehorning him in for the sake of it. (obviously YMMV when it comes to whether that would have been a good thing or not)
I guess the problem is that you can throw a hundred tiny cameos in for the sake of it but ideally you want someone who can contribute to the story. Russell manifesting as The Moment could have been very interesting, except Billie was fab in that role and, frankly, Russell's appearance would have had to be explained to half the audience in a way that Billie's didn't need to be.
Ian could have met Eleven at the end, except then you lose Tom's appearance. Trying to insert him in any other way would have felt like shoehorning him in for the sake of it. (obviously YMMV when it comes to whether that would have been a good thing or not)
Which is ultimately what it comes down to. I do understand and even agree with the reasons for why they chose Tom Baker for that scene, and I do like the Curator scene just fine as is. But that still doesn't stop me from imagining an alternate version with William Russell returning as Ian which could have worked just as well. In a perfect world we could have somehow gotten both, but in the real world where we could only have gotten one, I can't fault the decision to bring Baker back, even if I personally would have liked an Ian cameo instead.
See, I don't see it as an either or situation. Why couldn't Ian have appeared before "The Day of the Doctor"? Sarah Jane didn't return in an anniversary story so why must Ian?
Hines would be the most iconic one, IMO.
All true but Ian was one of the original companions and the most likely to return (since Susan undoubtedly has since regenerated...but that doesn't rule out a Ford appearance). The original meeting the newest has a very distinct feeling to it. That's part of what differs Ian from Steven, Jamie, Zoe, and the rest.
Agreed. It would've been lovely.
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