The Thirteenth Doctor

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:04 pm

Jodie Whittaker has been announced as Doctor Who's 13th Time Lord - the first woman to get the role.

She was revealed in a trailer that was broadcast on BBC One at the end of the Wimbledon men's singles final.

The Broadchurch star succeeds Peter Capaldi, who took the role in 2013 and leaves in this year's Christmas special.

Whittaker, 35, said it was "more than an honour" to become the Doctor.

She will make her debut on the sci-fi show when the Doctor regenerates in the Christmas Day show.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:32 pm

Very cool!

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:36 pm

This is the greatest thing to ever happen to the internet. I expect it to surpass even Donald Trump.

We haven't even finished the latest season but I am preordering as soon as it's available.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:38 pm

I haven't seen anything by her, but as long as she's a solid actress, can come up with a good interpretation of the Doctor's personality, and speaks with a thoroughly British accent, I'm fine with this.

That said, she's got a tough job. If her Doctor is unpopular, it could mean she'll be the last female Doctor.

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:46 pm

Seeing my 10 year old daughter jump for joy as the new Doctor was revealed almost brought a tear to my eye. I liked her acting on Broadchurch and look forward to seeing the new Doctor! Hopefully the writers will be up to the challenge.

Moliere · Post by **Moliere** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 12:50 pm

Idris Elba wasn't available?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:00 pm

I wonder if Bill will still be her companion. That could get...awkward. (I'm an episode or two behind so don't spoil it for me if Bill is already gone).

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:11 pm

I fell behind with the 12th. I need to catch up.

As an aside, a comic book news page I follow decided to rant about this today. It was kind of fun watching their number of followers drop. They lost 30 in the three minutes it took me to make tea.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 2:29 pm

Kraken wrote:I wonder if Bill will still be her companion. That could get...awkward. (I'm an episode or two behind so don't spoil it for me if Bill is already gone).

I'm about half a season behind, but I remember hearing (maybe it was a rumor?) that they said Bill wasn't going to be around next season, which is a shame, because she's been great.

And yeah, it could potentially be awkward (and annoying). So were the crushes Rose and Amy had on the Doctor, IMO.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 3:05 pm

While I like Bill's character, I can't understand half of her dialog. It's partly because her accent is really thick, partly because the actress tends to mumble, and partly because we only get BBC America in standard def. Dr Who is the only show I have to watch in low rez and the sound quality suffers along with the picture.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 3:20 pm

Defiant wrote:
Kraken wrote:And yeah, it could potentially be awkward (and annoying). So were the crushes Rose and Amy had on the Doctor, IMO.

Academy award caliber compared to the Martha Jones era.

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 4:42 pm

I suspect i will hate her, then grow to like her... The same way I felt every time they changed the doctor....They should hire a child with a 100 year contract next time.. I don't like change..

Stefan Stirzaker · Post by **Stefan Stirzaker** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 6:18 pm

Think it is great, they've laid the foundation with the Master being male and female previously, and I think previously implied said the Dr has been female earlier in his life?( recall might be faulty). My daughter was really happy to see a female dr.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 8:48 pm

I was hoping against hope Catherine Tate would suddenly show up as the new Doctor.

Hey, a man can dream, can't he?

Not familiar with this actress, but I think the real test will be how good the stories are next season. It's been quite a while since I last really enjoyed the writing on the show. I want Blink caliber stories, man.

Anonymous Bosch · Post by **Anonymous Bosch** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:24 pm

hepcat wrote:Not familiar with this actress, but I think the real test will be how good the stories are next season. It's been quite a while since I last really enjoyed the writing on the show. I want Blink caliber stories, man.

Yup, I agree.

From what I've seen of Jodie Whittaker -- mostly just in Broadchurch and Attack the Block -- I think she's certainly up to the task. I'm more concerned about the writing and new showrunner than whoever's playing the Doctor, because I've found the majority of episodes in the last few seasons to be largely forgettable for the most part.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 11:46 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:
Defiant wrote:
Kraken wrote:And yeah, it could potentially be awkward (and annoying). So were the crushes Rose and Amy had on the Doctor, IMO.
Academy award caliber compared to the Martha Jones era.

Eh, sorry. Not a Rose fan (although the actress did a great job in her role in the anniversary special), and I didn't like Amy/Doctor thing (especially since by that point we'd already seen the same thing before). I liked Martha, but that might have been more being glad that Rose was gone. But I prefer Donna, Clara and Bill to all three.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 11:49 pm

Stefan Stirzaker wrote:Think it is great, they've laid the foundation with the Master being male and female previously, and I think previously implied said the Dr has been female earlier in his life?( recall might be faulty).

Not to my knowledge. Though there have been other references (we saw a timelord regenerate into a timelady, and I think there was another mention or two somewhere - maybe in the night of the doctor short?)

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Sun Jul 16, 2017 11:51 pm

One idea I remember hearing someone suggest was what if the Doctor and the Master end up having to regenerate at the same time, only no one is in the room with them, so the companion(s) don't know which is which (and it might take some time for the two themselves to be sure, cause of post-regeneration instability)...

That would have been a cool idea.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 9:20 am

Kraken wrote:While I like Bill's character, I can't understand half of her dialog. It's partly because her accent is really thick, partly because the actress tends to mumble, and partly because we only get BBC America in standard def. Dr Who is the only show I have to watch in low rez and the sound quality suffers along with the picture.

That's funny... I had to turn on close captioning while watching the show to catch everything she said. It's not the sound quality although I image that doesn't help.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:31 am

Q: What sort of person’s going to take over from you? Can you reveal who it’s going to be and how you’re going to be written out?

A: No. The answer to that is No, but even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.

Q: What kind of person do you think it should be? A departure from yourself, a mad professor?

A: Well you’re making an assumption that it’s going to be a man.

BBC interview, Tom Baker, 1981

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:40 pm

Blackhawk wrote:
Q: What sort of person’s going to take over from you? Can you reveal who it’s going to be and how you’re going to be written out?

A: No. The answer to that is No, but even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.

Q: What kind of person do you think it should be? A departure from yourself, a mad professor?

A: Well you’re making an assumption that it’s going to be a man.
BBC interview, Tom Baker, 1981

Yeah, the idea has been around for a long time. But... There's actually nothing in those questions that actually makes that assumption.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:42 pm

For those having trouble coming to terms with this decision

(I am totally the guy one minute in)

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 12:45 pm

Change my dears and not a moment too soon - she IS the Doctor whether you like it or not!

— Colin Baker (@SawbonesHex) July 16, 2017

And to those making 'parking the Tardis' jokes - name me one make Doctor that was unfailingly good at that!

— Colin Baker (@SawbonesHex) July 16, 2017

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:08 pm

I am happy they cast a good actor. She is excellent on Broadchurch. All of the modern Doctors have been great and I see no reason to believe Jodie will be any different.

I am more worried about the writing. Chris Chibnall's Broadchurch is excellent (what I have seen of series 3 so far has been great). His Doctor Who episodes have been ok. I have read a quote from him saying he didn't think they would hire him because he didn't think they would let him do the changes he wants. I assume he was not just talking about a female Doctor.

I think the Moffat era is woefully under appreciated by fans, and years from now will be remembered much more fondly. The quality has been much better than the totality of the Davies era (though I think he did a great GREAT job of bringing the show back). I think the season 9 episode "Heaven Sent" may be the best hour of TV I have ever seen. (Even if the followup was a bit of a disappointment.) I really enjoyed the story arc heavy sixth season (although I didn't love the ending), but many didn't, so I feel Moffat pared down his ambitious ideas after that. So while Moffat didn't always END his story arcs in the best way (IMO) I think his seasons were by and large very entertaining. A bit of an exception was this last season. Bill was a fantastic companion, but I didn't really think it was a great season. On the other hand, the two part finale was just pure awesomeness. But I digress...

A new Doctor and new showrunner is an exciting time, and I look forward to seeing it play out next year. (And for a few minutes at the end of this year's Xmas special.)

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Jul 19, 2017 11:36 pm

The Second Doctor:

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Thu Jul 20, 2017 3:48 am

Isgrimnur wrote:The Second Doctor:

See? She hates change too..

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Thu Jul 20, 2017 4:16 pm

Isgrimnur wrote:The Second Doctor:

You called?

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:28 pm

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Fri Jul 21, 2017 6:39 pm

Kraken wrote:

Yep.. That's me... Although David Tennant is still my favorite..

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 6:18 pm

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:26 am

I caught the first episode of the season today, and I think they're off to a good start. My impression is that series 11 will be something of a throwback to the Classic Who era, with smaller stories about travelling and meeting/saving people instead of season-spanning mega-arcs about literally saving the universe. The opener even ends with a classic cliffhanger.

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:28 am

Well, I enjoyed the first episode, and while it's too early to really know the new Doctor (since they're usually more erratic during the first story), Jodie Whittaker did a great job, IMO.

That said:

Spoiler:

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:18 am

Defiant wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 8:28 am
Spoiler:
I was at least amused that they didn't even bother to offer a reason as to how she survived falling through the atmosphere, though. If you hadn't watched the last episode, or read the name of the episode, you wouldn't even have known that she had.

Spoiler:

Defiant · Post by **Defiant** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:02 pm

Spoiler:

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 1:36 pm

Defiant wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:02 pm
Spoiler:
Also, that guy said that he didn't believe in aliens - weren't aliens made public like a decade ago?

Spoiler:

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:45 pm

In the first regeneration of "new Who" they estabished the Doctor could regrow a hand within so many hours of his regeneration. Seems like surviving a fall would be even easier.

(I'm not putting up spoilers since everyone knew she was falling from last year's Xmas special.)

I liked the episode. A B- story - which sadly is par for the course for new showrunner Chris Chibnall. I hope he will exceed his usual merely good stories with at least one great one this year.

As for Jodie I give her an A+. She was fantastic.

I give BBC America an F-. First off the show is no longer shot in 16:9 (it's a very similar 2:1 aspect ratio) but BBCA didn't air it in the native aspect ratio it was shot in. But more egregious was them calling this a "simulcast" but then dumping ads on it. It's not a simulcast if 15 minutes in we get ads. When they "simulcast" Day of the Doctor we had no ads, so it was reasonable to expect the same here.

I could have lived with the ads, but the sheer ENORMITY of them was ridiculous. Normal BBCA broadcasts of Doctor Who place a 45 minute episode into a 60 minute slot. (ie. 15 minutes of ads) This was a 60-62 minute episode that took more than an hour and a half to air. That is RIDICULOUS and made the whole thing torturously long. I just went ahead and bought the season pass. I'll never watch watch my favorite show on their shitty network again.

Daveman · Post by **Daveman** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 7:56 pm

I like what I see of the new Doctor, and the episode wasn't terrible. Not a bad start I suppose.

The one thing the BBCA does now that I can't stand (think I noticed it first during Dirk Gently and last seasons Doctor Who) is to put a brief "coming up!" teaser of the episode you're watching halfway or two-thirds through the episode. I'll be fastforwarding through commercials, stop when I see characters appear on screen and hit play thinking the show's back on but nope, just a stupid pointless, sometimes mildly spoiling glimpse ahead and then some more commercials. Why? I'm already watching the show, I'm not changing channels.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:11 pm

I guess I need to adjust to the new doctor as I wasn’t as wowed as I was when the other doctors took the reins. Big changes can sometimes take some getting used to, I guess.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 9:18 pm

That annoys me, too; I presume it's specifically to make us drop out of warp and watch ads. Also, my cable company only has BBCA in standard def...it's the only blurry channel that I ever watch.

Gripes aside, I instantly liked the new Doctor. She has the mannerisms down already, so the gender change really isn't jarring at all.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Mon Oct 08, 2018 10:39 pm

Yes, another annoyance with BBCA is the stupid clips of the episode embedded in ads. They do that bullshit for most/all their new shows. They did this for series 10 of Doctor Who too. Another reason I am just going to watch it on Amazon a day later, free of ads.