Oh. Oh, just wait for the pure joy that is going to be tonight’s episode of Doctor Who. I CANNOT WAIT. Let us all celebrate the livebloggy goodness of this show together!
Like Fringe last night, a wedding is preventing me from actually watching this particular episode of Doctor Who live, but I’ll be there in spirit with y’all. Do this episode right, will you?
This liveblog starts relative to you. So if it is airing on your television, start liveblogging away in the comments. Same for if you happen to be watching it online by less-than-legal means. (Though I would just time it with another time zone so you can comment with other people!) We already do this with Fringe and it works rather nicely. To avoid seeing spoilery comments regarding the episode from past livebloggers, I merely stay on the first page of comments and comment away, only going back after it’s over in order to comment on what other people said.
Sound fine? Just make sure not to post spoilers before this episode airs.
oh god i cannot wait to watch this OH GOD OH GOD
Nuuuu only two episodes left (including this one), I'm not ready for it to go!
But we have the Christmas Special to look forward too. And I just loved A Christmas Carol last year.
They announced when S7 of Who is going to air the other day, August 2012. So after this Xmas special we'll have a whole 8 months to wait and that's going to be a split season as well with the 2012 Xmas special in the split. Pretty much confirms that all the behind the scenes budget drama was true since I doubt the BBC would voluntarily muck around their prime merchandising/popular show. Makes Moffat's justification for the split season suspect as well, "this way kids will only have to wait a few months for a chunk of Doctor Who".
Don't think its about BBC budgeting because Doctor Who is their international and merchandising cash cow. Maybe the time thing is because of demanding production values, Moffat's other commitments and the current upheaval with BBC Wales production relocation.
Umm, as far as I know there's NO confirmation yet that is going to be split although an August air date is almost certain considering they haven't started filming yet. Also, assuming for a moment that it IS a split season, why is everyone jumping to conclusions that this is some behind the scenes drama? Or has everyone forgotten that S8 will be the 50th anniversary year and this would actually be a pretty clever way of bumping the episode count for 2013?
Oh, plus as Meenakshi says, BBC Wales is currently relocating to a permanent home from Upper Boat Studios which probably isn't helping matters.
There was a Private Eye article a couple months ago about two new producers on this series of Dr Who, alleging that they screwed up with the budgeting of the current series in some capacity. and both left recently at around the same time. I doubt they'd muck around with scheduling for no reason, as you said it's their big cash cow and it's just gained a big foothold in America.
I hope I'm wrong and you're right to be honest but these days any amount of incompetence from any corporation doesn't seem ridiculous.
I was under the impression that the delay was because of the 2012 Olympics, though I don't have anything solid to back that up. Can't imagine why they would split the season up again though.
Private Eye, yes?
Autumn not August – it'll probably be at least September, more likely October.
And it doesn't confirm anything about the various rumours that are flying around. Both executives are moving on and, even without there being something that went wrong to cause that, the new people will have to settle in (the current Christmas special being a trial run, effectively). Also, the show is due to move into the new BBC drama studios in Roath Basin in March. There will be commercial considerations with that, since the lease on the current studios will expire and all the standing sets and other BBC equipment will have to be moved out before that happens. Normally, they'd still be filming in March – now they get to move everything once the Christmas special has wrapped and then start the next series in the new studio in March. Plus that takes a bit of pressure of Moffat for a while.
It seems likely that the split season thing was the first stage in moving to an autumn schedule. You have to have a production gap to do that and doing a split this year staggers the transmission gap that results from it.
The split season between 2012/2013 has not been announced or confirmed, although there have been suggestions that not all of the episodes will be in 2012. There's a possibility that because 2013 is the 50th Anniversary, they'll hold some over so that there will be up to six in the spring and then thirteen plus a Christmas special in the autumn. So a lean 2012 and a bumper 2013. To repeat, though: nothing has been announced or confirmed.
My guess is that the pattern from 2013 onwards will be 13 episodes starting in October leading up to a Christmas special (so effectively a 14 episode series). That may even be the pattern for 2012 – we'll see.
Anyway, I'm entirely relaxed about all of this and will just wait to see what is announced. This really isn't a show in any kind of crisis and nobody involved has to justify any of the decisions that are made. Honestly, who cares what Moffat said about the split season? He doesn't have to answer to fan entitlement.
My last comment about Moffats split season thing was just innocently pointing out the irony in saying when announcing the split season "With this, kids will NEVER have to wait more than a few months for Doctor Who" and then an 8 month break for the very next series. But thanks for calling me an entitled fan all the same, that's real classy.
I don't think that's exactly what he said, I'll see if I can find it.* "Makes Moffat's justification for the split season suspect as well" struck me as being pretty entitled but if it was meant as an observation rather than an accusation then I apologise unreservedly.
That could have been the plan and it may have changed – doesn't really matter. Does it?
*As I remember it the main reason given was to have two season finales and then, as an afterthought, he said he liked the idea of being no more than a few months away from new Doctor Who.
Edit: He did say "never" but it's pretty clear, in context, that he means "for the coming year". You can watch the video here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/aug/29/docto…
Now he may have been spinning. That could have been how it was going to work as far as he knew. If he wants to stick with the format the split will probably continue but with the first part in the autumn and the second part in the spring. Alternatively he could have just changed his mind.
But if they do stick with the split season then "never" should more accurately have meant "never except for if we take a production break".
I still think he doesn't have to justify anything or even explain it.
Sudden thought regarding those weird dolls – do they remind anyone else of Michael Gove?
Now you've said it…
Looking forward to this, The Lodger caught me by surprise last year as I'd assumed it'd be terrible thanks to the presence of Codren and he really did bring a nice mix of charm and humour to the show.
That said… I kinda want Craig to not make it this time. Partly that is my (probably unfair) dislike of James but it'd also be a nice way of illustrating what The Doctor said last week – that he's dangerous, that people around him tend to die in nasty, nasty ways. You can't really do that with a full-time companion but someone like Craig who we sorta know but isn't a regular could probably be used that way.
I see where you're coming from. (Although this is the only thing I've seen James Corden in, so I have no real opinion that way). At the same time, a part of me is hoping it'll go the other way. Moffat's spent this season (and a bit of the last) deconstructing the Doctor's memetic status as a force for good and something to respect. I'm hoping he may reconstruct it. Like; "yes, the Doctor is dangerous and he doesn't always help, but he always tries to and has done a lot of good."
Partly I'm a sucker for reconstructions, partly because I'm not sure how much more "I want to give the Doctor a hug!" my heart can take.
So, I was on Cracked, a comedy site that's usually incredibly pessimistic; so when the front page article was "How Doctor Who Became My Religion", praising what makes the Doctor such a moving concept by bringing us a caring, faliible and loving character of god-like proportions….well. I was surprised.
http://www.cracked.com/blog/how-dr.-who-became-my…
We like our meta here, so I thought I'd share.
Craaaaaaaacked <3
I cannot thank you enough for posting that because I now know of the existence of the best dance ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9P4SxtphJ4
45(ish) minutes! Rewatching The Lodger to pass the time.
10 minutes!
Five minutesss!
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/29dfqdh.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
My body is ready.
Ehhh Merlin trailer.
OMG DOCTOR WHO TIEM!
OH GOD THEY ARE SO CUTE
I am already irrationally scared of dressing rooms.
Yay Craig and Sophie!!!
Oooh mysterious changing room.
LOL of course that's when he knocks.
Is it a new coat?
oh god flickery lights that can't be good
lol GUESS WHO
AHAHAOMG.
also. I <3 the Doctor's skewed observational skills.
So he's just popped in to say hi. Missing Amy and Rory?
The Doctor missing it was a different house is like him missing Amy being pregnant in Amy's Choice
OMG BABEH
Awwww BABEH!!
AHHHHHHHHHHH CYBERMAN!
FUCK CYBERMAN!!!
Where did he get a baby?
Well, when two people love each other…
😛
I totally believe Amy and rory are gone for good after those credits.
I'm imagining the Cyberman trying on clothes. 'Nothing fits and nothing goes with silver!'
"I can't just LOSE TEN POUNDS, Carol! That is IMPORTANT HARDWARE."
Eleven the baby whisperer.
seriously. THIS.
Omg Eleventy and babies. My ovaries can't take this.
Y'know, the Minbari of Babylon 5 actually have an eleventy.
Oh Eleven, you giant child.
'Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All'
Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All. 😀
I can tell this is going to be another hilarious episode. XD XD XD
ALIENS IN HIS FRIDGE.
Farewell tour? Doctor you are doing a Ten.
Well who wouldn't want an awesome name like Stormageddon?
Heee "noticing face"
Awww the twin kisses for Stormageddon
Lol, don't even try Doctor. It's not in your nature.
OH GOD MATT AND KIDS *falls over*
eleventy and babies and toys?
this episode is made of ALL GOOD THINGS.
HAHAHAHA THEY GAVE HIM A BADGE.
I want a badge.
I love how he is with kids.
It's no K9.
Hahaha, I actually said that exact thing.
The Doctor's outfit is rather nice, the blue and red is nice.
Robot dog! Not as much fun as I remember. lol.
I suspect The Doctor occassionally runs a daycare centre. When he remembers.
Or he does that thing that my parents used to do with me, and pop in to Toys R Us to visit the toys.
Lift's aren't dangerous Doctor? Like that one that ate Amy and Rory?
Like the thing above your head?
Lol, called it.
hee Stormy
Ooooh the clip!
'Because I love you'
HAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAH HAHAHAHAHAH
AHAHA omg. A thousand Doctor/Craig shippers just punched the sky
I ship it.
Well that was totally weird
Aw restoring the Doctor's faith.
Ohhhhhh ;_; ;_;
Ohhhh dear Craig, that's not the best thing you could have said, bless you.
well if i didn't already think craig was gonna die
i do now 🙁
OH MY GOD AUNTIE MABLE! NOW I HAVE THAT THEME TUNE IN MY HEAD!
COME OUTSIIIIDEEE. Where is Pippin? (and wasn't she also in Open all Hours?)
She was!
Amazing! 😀
OMG I THOUGHT IT WAS HER!
Made slightly more creepy that they still show reruns of that on CBeebies. It's starting to look a bit quaint now. BUT IT'S STILL AWESOME.
Silver rat?
That makes me want to read stainless steel rat books.
Oh dear, this going to be terribly awkward.
Craig. You are fail at being Doctor
Looks more like a computer mouse to me.
hello doctor~ 😀
Making friends wherever he goes. 🙂
OMG PONDS
Just a domestic.
OH SHIT COINCIDENCES
AMY AND RORY OMG! HAI GUYS!
AMY AND RORY WHAT
Wait. Autograph? Not!Ponds?
OH MY GOD
PONDS
WHAT!??? I was not expecting that!
Also, was that kid getting their signatures?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Aawww Amy's a model, that tagline kind of hurts though
For the girl tired of waiting.
Amy's a model now? Why would the girl look for her autograph?
She's advertising perfume 😀
I don't why a little girl would look for to get autograph though. Maybe I was a strange child but knew not a single model until I was a teenager. Why would a model decide the tagline? Unless she's more than a model for the brand and has control over it?
Yes, I am pedantic and over-think tiny insignificant details but I can't help it.
I thought she's the one who created the line. The autograph things is still kind of weird, if that's the case, but then the name and tagline makes more sense.
Although I really didn't care at the time because MY HEART.
I dunno – I guess kids generally are more aware of celebrities now – like Kate Moss or Lily Cole or Naomi Campbell.
Plus, giant poster of her in the shop.
Well, that's substantially more closure than I was expecting.
Petrichor! It's that word from that episode! The one about the smell of rain!
YOU IN DANJA BOY.
TEEEEEETH
HOLY SHIT TEETH!
Ohno! George 🙁 I liked George
Craig's reaction to the teeth 😀
oh no not george
i like george D:
OHNOES DOCTOR
Clotheslined by a Cyberman…
lol the house is base.
Awwww Alfie has a star mobile too!
So adorable.
Oh god Doctor with a baby…THE CUTE, IT IS TOO MUCH!
;_; Eleventy need hugs.
OH GOD THE STARS, THIS IS TOO CUTE OMG
FFFFF THE RAT IS LOOSE!
This episode is fill of OH NO.
Shiiiiit, can't juggle babeh and sonic I take it
OH NO
Where did the Doctor get his own phone?
HOLY SHIT GOING FOR THE THROAT!!!
THIS IS NOT GOING TO END WELL
CHECK THE BABY BOYS!
Heh, he has an app for that 😀
Phew he's okay. I got scared when they didn't acknowledge him for a sec.
dskljfklds i was so sure alfie was gonna be gone the minute they turned their backs
So maudlin Doctor,
Are the Doctor's pockets bigger on the inside? Is this how he has things in them like a phone and the sonic and the eyethingy
Yes, confirmed officially in The Runaway Bride.
I bet there is a tailor somewhere that he drops in on and says "Yeah, those pockets? Can you make them bigger? No, like REALLY BIG. Incidentally, do you do hats?"
Awww Craig, good boy trying to cheer him up.