Series 6 news & rumours & wild speculation thread

[brandynigma]

Doctor Who has become the new The Bill

Expect to see Barbara Windsor as the Rani and Ross Kemp as Rassilon in series 7.

You've got to consider that a lot of the people that transfer to 'serious' drama from soaps aren't always recognised as such, thus avoiding negative labelling.

For instance, I don't watch soaps. Eastenders stopped screening on terrestrial Aussie TV before 1990. As such, when Suranne Jones turned up as Mona Lisa, I didn't think, "Oh, it's her from Eastenders. This is going to suck."

Mind you, I thought Beryl Reid was marvellous.

[Si Hunt]

Decent actors will find good roles in a variety of places. Too many ex-soapies have to have special dramas created around them to justify their expensive contracts with TV companies. They're rarely any good.

But Doctor Who's not being created around any of its stars is it?

I agree with your point. No-one is interested in "THE HEART IN THE BLOOD", the GRITTY new ITV vehicle for Ross Kemp to justify paying him millions to get him away from BBC.

But surely on the other side of the coin there are a number of capable actors who have taken soap roles but, due to the blanket nature of our soap episodes, then find themselves unable to get further regular parts due to typecasting. A Doctor Who story, like a Bill, is a chance for them to showcase a different role but not be TOO remembered for it because a new story (with a new cast) will come along the next week.

Also there are a number of really interesting soap actors, mainly because they tend to run perky/humorous storylines and encourage quite vivid characterisations. So it's got to be to Doctor Who's gain to fill some of its guest roles with these type of actors. Doctor Who tends to mix quite intense drama with lighthearted comedy/whimsy. A bit like a soap.

Si.

[Jon Masters]

Fair enough - Tamsin Outhwaite also springs to mind as having done lots of drama since and been pretty forgettable in all of them.

I'm probably not much of a fan of star casting anyway for DW, in that I rarely get excited about who is going to be in it rather than what its going to be about. I can appreciate that guest roles help publicity, but I thought Ms Jones actually spoilt what could have been a good SJS story, rather than enhanced it. Similarly James Corden and Peter Kay, and going back to Michelle Collins, were excitedly announced and then produced pretty meh roles.

[Milky Tears]

First snatch of the Christmas Special in the BBC's Autumn/Winter Showreel:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pre...29/drama.shtml


Loads of Doctor Who actors in there!

[SiHart]

Three Doctor Whos in one trailer!

Si xx

[Darren]

#SPOILERS#


More teasing, from Neil Gaiman. Surrane Jones is in his episode, and according to Neil, she might be one of the Doctor's old friends with a new face.




http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s7/...o-details.html

[Larry]

well that dosen't leave many possibilities..

[shada pavlova]

Romana? Nah, save it for the finale.

Susan? Nah, see above.

Rodan? Possibly.

The Rani? Not really a "friend" per se, but could be, could be. Although recasting the Rani would be a cardinal sin unless Kate O'Mara gets to do a regeneration scene.

[SiHart]

Are they going to film an episode or two in the USA?

Doctor Who is going to America

First there was news that Torchwood was going stateside, but according to Line Producer, David Mason’s CV Doctor Who will be doing a location shoot in the USA.

The extent of this shooting is unknown. However the Producer listed on the credit is Marcus Wilson, who has joined the production team this series.

The CV states that they will be filming DOCTOR WHO X 1.2. The X 1.2 seems to be a confusion of XI.2 and 11.2 which is how the series is being referred to in an attempt to avoid calling it series six, or series 6A or series 32 or series 2.

Si xx

This news could tie in with the teaser from The Brilliant Book of Doctor Who that stated “They’ll have to get a new name for Thanksgiving.” Although this poster informs us that the episode is an adaptation of Terrence Dicks’ novel featuring the seventh doctor Blood Harvest which is set in 1929 Chicago and features a vampire-infested planet.

To paraphrase Barney Stinson, “That is going to be legendary… wait for it… dary.”

[SiHart]

Gasp! It's true!

BBC America has reported that Doctor Who is to film part of the 2011 series in the United States.

The company has tweeted that the first two episodes of the next series will be set in the US. The news confirms reports taken from the online CV of Producer David Mason posted earlier this week.

The series has filmed in the country before, with parts of Daleks in Manhattan being filmed in New York City. However no scenes involving the Doctor have been shot in the country before.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

If its true then opening the series with a two parter is something different.

Si. :mobile

[SiHart]

BBC America have issued a statement about it:

The BBC announced today that season six of Doctor Who, which delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA earlier this year, will open with a spectacular two-parter set in the U.S. and penned by ‘Who supremo’ Steven Moffat.

Production on episodes one and two of the new season starts in Cardiff this month and Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will then travel to America in mid November to shoot pivotal scenes. They will also be joined by Alex Kingston who reprises her role as River Song.

Showrunner and lead writer, Steven Moffat, said: “The Doctor has visited every weird and wonderful planet you can imagine, so he was bound get round to America eventually! And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he’s been in America before. But not for real, not on location – and not with a story like this one! Oh, you wait!”

Piers Wenger, Head of Drama BBC Wales and Executive Producer, added: “Steven’s scripts generally inspire us to go that extra mile – this time we’re going that extra four thousand. Thanks to our friends at BBC America and to the continuing ambition of our lead writer and production team, the first two episodes of Matt Smith’s second season as the Doctor are going global and look set to become Doctor Who’s most action-packed and ambitious season opener yet.”

2010 has been a breakthrough year for the Doctor Who franchise across all platforms since BBC America became the official home of the series. The series reached the number one spot on the “Top TV Seasons” chart on iTunes and now Doctor Who: The Complete Fifth Season hits stores on Blu-ray and DVD on November 9.

Si xx

[brandynigma]

If its true then opening the series with a two parter is something different.

Si. :mobile

Moffat has long supported the two parters over single episodes, so it wouldn't surprise me if we see:

Eps 1 & 2
Ep 3
Ep 4
Eps 5 & 6
BREAK
Eps 7 & 8
Ep 9
Ep 10
Ep 11
Eps 12 £ 13

Doctor Who's probably got enough popularity to get away with it.

[Jonno]

Interesting to see that River Song is in it - I assumed she'd turn up mid-season in connection with the break.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I wonder why the sudden obsesion with doing so much in America - weren't the TV movie and Daleks in Manhattan bad enough?

Do you think this is about getting popular in America? Are we going to end up with Americanisation through the back door to make it more US-friendly?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Personally I feel they should come to Wellington to film, as there are large areas here they could use to double up for Cardiff!

[brandynigma]

I wonder why the sudden obsesion with doing so much in America - weren't the TV movie and Daleks in Manhattan bad enough?

Do you think this is about getting popular in America? Are we going to end up with Americanisation through the back door to make it more US-friendly?

Just so long as we don't get a situation like the New Avengers in France and... Canada!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

"And of course every Doctor Who fan will be jumping up and down and saying he's been in America before. But not for real, not on location - and not with a story like this one."

God he's an arrogant pratt at times. I thought RTD could be annoying.

[Larry]

what concerns me is that going to America, to film some episodes is going to take a big chunck out of the budget - much more than last years jaunt to croatia.

[Si Hunt]

Maybe these overseas trips are the real reason the rest of the last season looked cheap - is it the mid-eighties all over again?

Si.

[Andrew Curnow]

Maybe there are some 'big reveal' moments (either in action or dialogue) between River and the Doctor in this one - Cardiff may think they're more likely to get it filmed without it being spotted by fans if they film it in the middle of a desert in the US, rather than in the middle of Wales!!

Incidentally, did anybody else see this: the Doctor is immortal?

[Darren]

Unlimited regenerations is not the same as immortal. He can still be killed. For immortality, see Captain Jack.
As for slipping it quietly into the SJA's, that's probably for the best. They could make a dramatic hoo ha reveal in the christmas special, but 90% of the audience probably had/have no idea anyway and would wonder what the fuss was all about.

[SiHart]

Let's face it, Robert Homes only put it in for dramatic reasons so The Deadly Assassin Master would work, so taking it out in an equally spurios way is probably the way to go.

Si xx

[Captain Tancredi]

Perhaps when the Time Lords still existed, the number of regenerations was limited so as not to exhaust the supply of artron energy (or prevent another Rassilon or Borusa going on forever).

[Jeff]

Perhaps when the Time Lords still existed, the number of regenerations was limited so as not to exhaust the supply of artron energy (or prevent another Rassilon or Borusa going on forever).

Manually programmed into the matrix by the Timelords, I like to think. Though I wouldn't really want them to go fanwanky and explain that in an actual tv episode... I think they are handling it perfectly with an off the cuff remark, I for one would rather they did it in the regular series rather than SJA though.