2005 replies to this topic

[Mr. Blofeld]

Mr Blofeld, a lot more than Second did that. In fact just about every Doctor has done it at one point or another, except perhaps Six. Been a while since I've gone through the whole catalogue but don't remember Six ever playing dumb, as it were.

Well, Troughton was the first one to build his whole personality around it (and that's who Smith's favourite Doctor is upon watching the classic series), so that's who I cited.

[DamnCoffee]

Wow! It was great to see Hartnell there!

I come bearing gifts!

Here is the opening scene of The Eleventh Hour...


The CGI looks terrible.


Here's a longer trailer, with New Footage, Plus...

Spoiler

River Songs death?

[Tybre]

I come bearing TARDIS.

[danslittlefinger]

I come bearing TARDIS.

I miss the old ones with handmade polystyrene glue on things.

[Peaceful]

Another title has been revealed
Episode 7: AMY'S CHOICE
I'm pretty sure ep 7 was to be VAMPIRE'S IN VENICE, but it's been slotted into number 6
Six more to go ...

[sharpshooter]

I come bearing TARDIS.

Still getting used to it, but I like it. I'll wait and see it in an episode first before making a final call, though

[Tybre]

Clips: 1, 2. Also, an interview with Smith, and Den of Geek have some pics.

And I imagine there shan't really be much else, given that we're bearing in on Saturday.

[danslittlefinger]

Definite episode spoilers.

Spoiler

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2916266/The-Doctor-will-flee-you-now.html



IT'S the TV event we've all been waiting for.

The Doctor is back with a new face, a new Tardis - and new monsters to battle.

Doctor Who hits our screens on Saturday with Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor and Karen Gillan as his latest companion Amy Pond.

Matt Smith is immediately thrown into the action.

With the Tardis wrecked by his regeneration, he crash lands in a quiet English village where he finds himself in need of a new companion.

Perfectly placed for the job is Amy, who joins him to help fend off the Atraxi, thuggish galactic policemen who have appeared through a crack in her bedroom wall in pursuit of a mysterious criminal.

There are guest appearances by Nina Wadia (EastEnders' Zainab) and Annette Crosbie (of One Foot In The Grave fame) in the first episode under the control of new lead writer Steven Moffat.

We know you Who fans simply can't wait until Saturday for the time-travelling adventures to begin, so here we can reveal some of the terrifying monsters set to wreak havoc in the new series, as well as some tantalising trivia in our Sun guide to Doctor Who.

The Smiler


THE Doctor meets the Smilers in episode two.

But the sinister creatures with fierce, downturned grins and flaming red eyes look anything but happy.

Amy and the Doctor find Smilers far in the future, where Starship UK carries Brits searching for a new planet.

Amy learns a deadly truth inside a voting booth.


The Weeping Angel

THESE loom large in the episodes four and five two-parter.

The statue-like creatures, who first appeared in 2007, cover their faces, giving them a weeping appearance. If they are seen they turn to stone.

Writer Steven Moffat warns: "You are not safe just because you keep your eyes open."

One is hiding in the ruins of a temple - and it's the Doctor's duty to track it down.

World War II Dalek


THE old enemies pop up in the third episode, in London during the Second World War.

They have been drafted in by Winston Churchill to help Britain's war effort.

But, of course, they are up to something far more sinister, and are in league with the Nazis.

This episode, written by League Of Gentlemen star Mark Gatiss, features a spectacular fight between a Dalek flying saucer and a Spitfire.

The Calvierri Girls



THESE blood-sucking immortals lurk in Venice in the sixth episode, where corpses float in the famous canals.

They are the loveliest girls in town - until they look in the mirror.

The Doctor discovers five pale, fanged girls with an aversion to sunshine.

They warn him to leave and threaten to call "the Steward".

Fan whispers are that the Doctor may use a gondola in this episode.

[DamnCoffee]

THIS is interesting... a theory from someone after seeing THIS clip...

Spoiler

Is it just me, or is Mr. Smith impersonating Tennant at the end of this? "This is too soon. I'm not ready. I'm not done yet." A complete change of tone, the classic Ten lower jaw thing, and reasonably convincing. Not the first time past personas have surfaced post-regeneration, but the words seem to suggest Ten is being a little more persistent in staying put than past incarnations.

What does everyone think?



Plus, apparently, I've heard that... DOUBLE SPOILER Mr Tennant has a 30second cameo.

[Zorin Industries]

The regeneration can take some time sometimes. Didn't Colin Baker's last a whole series (in terms of his not-quite-settled-in-yet factor).

That last bit of "plus apparently"...interesting..(?!)

[sharpshooter]

Spoiler

Is it just me, or is Mr. Smith impersonating Tennant at the end of this? "This is too soon. I'm not ready. I'm not done yet." A complete change of tone, the classic Ten lower jaw thing, and reasonably convincing. Not the first time past personas have surfaced post-regeneration, but the words seem to suggest Ten is being a little more persistent in staying put than past incarnations.

I agree. 10 is still there, bubbling under the surface. But by the end of the episode, I'd expect 11 to be in total control.

That last bit of "plus apparently"...interesting..(?!)

Spoiler

A montage of all the previous Doctors will apparently appear in the episode, ala "The Next Doctor" - which of course would include 10. No new footage.

[Tybre]

That last bit of "plus apparently"...interesting..(?!)

Spoiler

A montage of all the previous Doctors will apparently appear in the episode, ala "The Next Doctor" - which of course would include 10. No new footage.

Yeah, I remember reading about it in one of the reports after the press screening. Be interesting see how they work that one in.

[DamnCoffee]

Spoiler

Is it just me, or is Mr. Smith impersonating Tennant at the end of this? "This is too soon. I'm not ready. I'm not done yet." A complete change of tone, the classic Ten lower jaw thing, and reasonably convincing. Not the first time past personas have surfaced post-regeneration, but the words seem to suggest Ten is being a little more persistent in staying put than past incarnations.

I agree. 10 is still there, bubbling under the surface. But by the end of the episode, I'd expect 11 to be in total control.

That last bit of "plus apparently"...interesting..(?!)

Spoiler

A montage of all the previous Doctors will apparently appear in the episode, ala "The Next Doctor" - which of course would include 10. No new footage.

I remember reading somewhere that Tennant went in pretty late last year, to do 'pick up shots', this was in late November I think. I cannot help thinking that he might have filmed a special cameo for the Eleventh Hour, maybe as a hologran, or something. Maybe it was cut from the preview screening? I know that they cut Rose from 'Partners In Crime' and the TimeLords from 'The End of Time - Part One'

It would be brilliant if ELEVEN had to help TEN go, in a way and helped him pass on.

[danslittlefinger]

More episode pictures and poss spoilers.
http://www.dailymail...akes-debut.html

[Qboat]

OOOO one day to go

Miss you David. Love you Matt

[danslittlefinger]

http://www.thesun.co...for-a-chat.html



HE has taken on one of the biggest jobs on telly... and tomorrow the nation will find out if he's any good.

So you could forgive new Doctor Who Matt Smith for being a touch nervous.

But the 27-year-old has something far more troubling on his mind than his big debut on BBC1 at 6.20 tomorrow - Wayne Rooney's ankle.

Matt, on track to play professional football until injury put him out of the game, shakes his head mournfully as he contemplates an England team preparing for a World Cup without its best player.

He tells The Sun: "Oh my God, the Rooney situation is devastating. Two to four weeks out? That's really bad news, man.

"That's a proper worry. He's the man. I really feel for Fabio Capello. He has got to get him fit.

"I can't get worried about what people will think of me as the Doctor as there's not much I can do about it.

"They can watch the show and if they like me, great. If not, well, hey."

Kooky Matt, a relatively unknown actor until he was picked to replace David Tennant last year, knows what he's talking about when it comes to matters on the pitch.


Daring duo ... Amy and Matt

He was a centre-back, and a damn good one at that.

He played for Nottingham Forest and Leicester City's youth teams - "when they were both in the Prem" - and dreamed of pulling on an England shirt one day.

But 11 years ago a nasty back injury cut his career short.

He says: "When I got injured it was a very tough time, not helped by the fact I had a history exam the next day.

"I spoke to my dad about it and he said it's not the disappointment, it's how you get over it. Acting was my way of getting over it.

"But now I get great pleasure from watching football. I can't wait for the World Cup."

He admits there is a part of him that wishes he could be running out in South Africa.

After all, had things turned out differently he could have been pulling on the No6 shirt instead of John Terry.

Matt, a Blackburn Rovers fan, says: "It would be wonderful to play for England and score a goal in the World Cup final.

"Would I have been good enough for England? Who knows? But I do know Capello made the right decision to keep John Terry in the team."

Yet as he sits there bursting with energy and twiddling his sonic screwdriver (he carries the prop everywhere and has already broken four), Matt is not hung up about it.

He says: "Of course it's every boy's dream to play for England. But I think it's also every boy's dream to be Doctor Who. Isn't it?"

Well, it certainly wasn't his.

Matt admits he wasn't exactly a fan of the show, largely due to the fact it wasn't on TV when he was growing up in Northampton.

He says: "I grew up in those barren years when Doctor Who wasn't on. I'm sure if it was I would have idolised him just like millions of kids do now. If you're eight, he's really cool."

Of course, he's up to speed now and lists the second Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, as his favourite Time Lord, adding quickly (and diplomatically): "David was great as well."

But his Doctor is very much Matt Smith's Doctor.

He hasn't gobbled up box-sets of old episodes to pinch a bit of Troughton, a smidgin of Davison and a dollop of Eccleston.

He's his own man. Having spent some time with him and having watched episode one twice, I can safely say the new Doctor has more than a trace of the actor.

Matt, a well-spoken bloke verging on posh, says: "I'm the Doctor. It used to sound odd saying that but I'm used to it now.

"I hope what I've done with the character is true to who he is and what he's been through."

He's conscious that many fans will wonder whether a 27-year old can have the same gravitas as his more mature predecessors.


Set to go ... show will be screened this weekend
BBC

I can't help but think that the decision to add a bow tie to his outfit was - at least subconsciously - an effort to give the impression of being older.

But, as Matt sees it, the age debate is a red herring: "The Doctor is 907. Who's old enough to play that? I understand why people will question me playing the Doctor, because I am the youngest - but only by two years.

"Peter Davison was 29 when he took over the role in 1981. People forget that."

Being so young and in such a high-profile position does have its advantages.

As the credits roll at the end of his first episode tomorrow, Matt Smith will be the most eligible bachelor in Britain.

He has been single for months since splitting from his Brazilian punk rocker girlfriend Mayana Moura (he won't comment on the split but her living in Brazil didn't help the relationship).

And after nine months holed up in a trailer in Cardiff filming the show, I can tell he's keen to see what his new-found fame will do for his love life. Though he claims not to fancy Karen Gillan, the gorgeous 22-year-old redhead who plays his companion Amy Pond.

Matt says proudly: "Yes, I'm free and single. You can write that down!

"To all the beautiful women out there, put your addresses on the back of a postcard and send it to Doctor Who Towers.

"Everyone deserves a loving companion in their life and I'm no different to any other man. You can't live with them and you can't live without them."

Yet it's hard to imagine him bedding everything that moves. He's far too well brought up.

Matt sees himself as the perfect gentleman.

And he jokes: "You won't see me falling out of nightclubs with pneumatic blondes.

"If something is going to happen then I will deal with it as I see fit - with grace and hospitality."

He won't deny he has been celibate for the entire Doctor Who shoot and his hectic workload has also seen him cut his booze intake.

And he does like a drink. Before he landed the role he was a regular at the Hawley Arms in north London, the favoured hang-out of notorious celebs such as Amy Winehouse.

And he counts party animal James Corden of Gavin & Stacey fame as a pal (James has even landed a role in Doctor Who).

"Those days are a thing of the past," Matt declares, aware that a BBC family drama star probably shouldn't be seen pouring pints of ale down their neck.

"London is a fantastic city and a really inspiring place. I love it there. But I work too hard to go out like I used to.

"Working 14-hour days on Doctor Who makes you astoundingly tired... and I'm in Cardiff.

"I do miss that sort of social life - I basically don't have one now - but by the same token this is what I want to do.

"It's like being a sportsman. There has to be a sense of sacrificing something.

"But I'm Doctor Who. Look at all the stuff I get to do. I wouldn't change it for the world."

[DamnCoffee]

Man: "Knock Knock"
The 10th Doctor: "Who's there"
Man: "Knock Knock"
The 10th Doctor: " Oh... "

[danslittlefinger]

I'm so excited, I can't contain myself.

[Peaceful]

Half an hour fellas ...........

[DamnCoffee]

8 minutes!

[Peaceful]

I want a full report on my desk in one hour!

[Peaceful]

actually would love a posting of the new opening titles and/or next weeks trailer clip :-)

[DamnCoffee]

...Wow!

[Royal Dalton]

Better. Actually, much better. The villain was rubbish and some of the dialogue was a bit overcooked. But, on the whole, it was definitely a step in the right direction.

[Tybre]

Better. Actually, much better. The villain was rubbish and some of the dialogue was a bit overcooked. But, on the whole, it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Have yet to see it (won't be able to for another hour at least), but I will say that a step in the right direction is definitely what I've been hoping for. Can't really expect radical change. People are too used to RTDWho and while even with radical change it could probably sustain significant viewership, I imagine numbers would drop enough by the end of the season to make the Beeb consider re-axing it or bringing someone else in to make it more in line with what was hauling the numbers.

Will return with my thoughts regarding the episode itself when I've seen it. Will say I do quite enjoy the new titles. Still not wild about Murray Gold, but the theme is better. Would love for it to go back to the classic Radiophonic Workship sounding style at some point, though.

[Lachesis]

Better. Actually, much better. The villain was rubbish and some of the dialogue was a bit overcooked. But, on the whole, it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Agree, its not an absolute pearl of an episode but there was a lot of good stuff and Matt Smith is a breath of fresh air. Not sure I like the remixed title music though....hey I wouldnt be British if I didn't find something to complain about ^^.

[JADSTERSDAD]

It was flat out great. End of story. Consider that it was the first episode introducing a new Doc, a new companion, many other tweaks, typically very dodgy ground. But Moffat and his director made a gripping, self-contained episode that introduced Matt Smith as an amazing Doctor and the best companion in many, many years. It was funny, scary, thought-provoking, nostalgic......everything classic Who should be.

[DamnCoffee]

I bloody adored this episode. There were times where I felt that it dragged on a bit, but overall it was fantastic.

I'm not too keen on the title sequence, but I'm sure it will grow on me. I just don't like the way we see the actual logo appear. The TARDIS is wayyy to flashy. The outside looks great, but the interior is rather ott.

Smith is on top form, a brilliant and condfident performance, and he had a lot of funny lines.

Spoiler

I love the scene where he catches a guy presumably on pørn.

"Laptop. Here. Now. ... Blimey. You need a girlfriend... delete your history."

Gillan is marvellous, probably the sexiest companion EVER. Great chemistry with Smith as well. The CGI, I wasn't too keen on, but overall, a fantastic episode.

The Eleventh Hour is a brilliant introduction for Smith. It's a pleasure to see him on screen. Such a talented and genuinely funny guy. Tennant is still my favorite Doctor though, but Smith is just brilliant.

[danslittlefinger]

Daily Mail review.

"It was the most eagerly awaited television event of the year – the new Doctor Who, with unknown Matt Smith, 27, making his debut as the youngest Time Lord in the show’s 47-year history. Fans had been warned to expect a modern twist to the series – and so it proved, with the Doctor’s glamorous new assistant cast as a kissagram with a variety of skimpy outfits. So how did the new show fare? SINCLAIR McKAY gives his verdict..."

Spoiler

http://www.dailymail...r-Who-ever.html
The new Doctor Who (Matt Smith) with his glamorous assistant Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) in the first episode of the new series which screened last night

‘I’m saving the world. I need a decent shirt,’ exclaimed an angular-faced, floppy-haired young chap last night, before unselfconsciously changing his clothes in front of a very attractive redhead dressed as a policewoman in a tiny skirt.

You would not have caught William Hartnell, the first Doctor Who in 1963, in such a scenario.

Last night millions tuned in for Matt Smith’s much anticipated debut as the new Doctor and there was only really one question: could the relatively unknown 27-year-old fill the considerable shoes of his madly popular predecessor, David Tennant?

Or even the scuffed brogues of Tom Baker’s goggle-eyed lunatic, or the patent-leather ankle boots of suave Jon Pertwee? More than that, given his age, wasn’t there the chance this lad was a shade too young and callow to play a 907-year-old Time Lord?

Well, the moment the Tardis crash-lands in an English country garden – and the still-regenerating Doctor clambers out into a beguilingly mad scenario involving sinister cracks in walls, a flying giant eyeball and the proposed incineration of Earth – Smith faces down any doubters with aplomb.

It’s always initially odd adjusting to a new Doctor. But Smith’s first performance was inventively physical and immediately charming; his newborn Doctor spent the first 20 minutes going through weird food cravings and seeing the world through new eyes.

This is the first time the series has really gone into the business of what it must be like to inhabit an entirely new body. Previous Doctors simply lay around in comas for their first episodes.

Viewers are always right to be anxious about change, though. The series is now so vast, so central a part of British life that any transformation of the Doctor is akin to anointing a new Archbishop of Canterbury.

There’s a new production team too – replacing the clever Russell T. Davies as head writer is the equally clever Steven Moffat, who has previously created some of the scariest monsters ever seen in Doctor Who.

This deft first episode, called The Eleventh Hour, was packed with one-liners and an even more fantastical feel than of late. But it had that old reassuring combination of intense Britishness, quirkiness and a sense of the macabre.

The new Doctor was hurled straight into the complex, time-hopping business of meeting his new companion, Amy – first as a young girl a few years back, then, in the winning form of Karen Gillan, a thoroughly grown-up Amy.

It was a clever and occasionally rather moving way of getting into the age-old set-up, that of the Doctor and his glamorous Dr Watson. Unlike previous Doctor Who companions, Amy is a kissagram.

To the Doctor’s amusing bewilderment, it transpires that Amy also has a French maid, a nurse, and a nun outfit in her repertoire.

But when the Doctor spirits her away to the stars at the end, he is not aware that she is to be married the next day. There is a spark between the two of them – but of what? It all bodes intriguingly well for the next 12 weeks.

And Smith seems to have caught it all effortlessly – the sudden leaps of inspiration, the mobile face, the geeky yet implacable squaring up to terrible monsters.

By the end of the episode, in his tweed jacket and bow tie, like an Indie-band Professor Quatermass, you have forgotten all about his illustrious predecessor.

I left his last line out of the spoiler...
"Indeed, Smith might turn out to be one of the best Time Lords of the lot."

[sharpshooter]

Solid start. Nice fast pace and never a dull moment. Yes, a bit of the CGI was iffy, but honestly, for me, it did not detract from the episode.

New titles and theme? Will take a little getting used to, but I like both. They do suit the new tone. And the new TARDIS is beautiful.

I am not solely a Tennant fan, I am a Doctor Who fan, and Smith nailed the part from the get go. Quirky and strange in a low key way. Seriously, he’s brilliant, and I can’t wait to see more from him. And Gillan? Wow.

This is a step in the right direction. Folks, we’re on a winner. I cannot stress that enough.