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Doctor Who Series Four Is A Go

netglen writes to mention that the fourth series of Doctor Who is a go. The BBC confirms that another season of the popular sci-fi series will be made, although the article is sketchy about the current doctor and his attachment to the next season. The third series starts at the end of this month in Britain with new companion Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, replacing Billie Piper's Rose. "Tennant, who plays the time-travelling hero, would not talk to reporters about his role in future series. 'Do you know how many times I have been asked that question? Do you know how many times I have answered it?' said the actor. "

38 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. Woo Hoo. by eriks · · Score: 5, Funny

    The first episode airs on my birthday! Too bad I'll have to wait a year or more to see it, since I'm not in the UK... NOT! starts up torrent client and waits patiently...

  2. Who? by strredwolf · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The Doctor"

    "Doctor who?"

    "Precisely."

    Something tells me there's an Abbot and Costello joke there to be found....

    --

    --
    # Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
    $Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
  3. Billie Piper by MikeDataLink · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The most common rumor is that Billie Piper (--YUM See pic at link--) wants to play the doctor in the next season. The theory is that the doctor will regenerate as her because of his love for her and because he misses her. My opninion is that they could do this and make it an incredible season, or totally ruin it. we'll have to see.

    --
    Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
    1. Re:Billie Piper by Guntram+Shatterhand, · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't think she can really pull it off. Plus this whole 'Doctor as a woman' thing was played for laughs during Curse of Fatal Death and it just wouldn't work very well. Also, as a big Doctor Who fan, Rose has really annoyed the hell out of me. Total Mary Sue character, and that would take it way over the edge.

    2. Re:Billie Piper by bmsleight · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well - As a big Doctor Who fan myself - Billy Piper was one of the best assistants IMHO, but I think Catherine Tate was the best.

    3. Re:Billie Piper by Hennell · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yeah, its an odd feature of the Time Lord molecular structure that every couple of years they regenerate into someone cheaper...

    4. Re:Billie Piper by NexusTw1n · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Er, no. The reason regeneration exists is because William Hartnell became ill, forcing the BBC to recast the lead in one of the most imaginative bits of writing seen at the time.

      It has nothing to do with actor's demands, Who was created as a cheap, live, TV serial that was supposed to educate people about history.

      Back in the early 60's BBC actors were paid pretty workman like rates of pay, and certainly didn't command huge fees for being stars.

      --
      It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. --Albert Einstein
    5. Re:Billie Piper by ben0207 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Well - As a sensible human being who pays a TV license - Billie Piper was a pretty good assistant IMHO, but I think Catherine Tate should die in a fire.

      --
      cmd-q.co.uk - some sort of stupid fucking internet bullshit
    6. Re:Billie Piper by fermion · · Score: 2, Interesting
      This is not completely unheard of. Lalla ward originally played Princess Astra on the last segment of the Key To Time series. She then took over from Mary Tamm as the Time Lord named Romana. While Ms. Ward was not nearly as entertaining as MS. Tamm, it was a useful diversion.

      It certainly would be nice to see the Doctor become a female. Most science fiction has delved into the gender non specific domain, often with good results. I hate to say it, but Ms. Piper seemed to be cast mostly as a fluff character, a plot device that allowed the Doctor to explain pertinent points to the audience, as well as a genuine romantic interest to satisfy those that needs sexual tension. It is not clear how that personality would meld into the expected actions of the doctor. The Doctor is far from infallible, and in the current incarnation is rather moody, but no Doctor has worried about all the stuff that Rose does.

      All this is really irrelevent, as the BBC will do whatever will bring the rating and whaterver is cheap. Just look at the two part Dalek episode. Lets not create new materials, just rehash the old ideas.

      What would be god, given that Sarah Jane Smith, and her wonderful inquisitiveness, has been introduced to the new generation of Dr Who fans, is that Elisabeth Sladen be given the part of the Doctor. If the Doctor does love humans, she was his first, at least in the context of the show.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
  4. Fantastic! by RyanFenton · · Score: 4, Informative

    For those who haven't checked it out recently, the new Dr. Who has been a wonderfully creepy, charming and clever British fantasy/"sci-fi" show. It constantly transcends the borders between being powerfully authentic in a moment, breaking/mocking convention (many that it invented), and being surprisingly authentic in its morality and complications. Not complicated in the usual soap-opera way either - but in the real sense of exploring the unknown in wild new ways. Sure - it bullshits on its way to tell a story, but even its bullshit is more authentic than most "sci-fi".

    Check it out, if you have time for a new minor curiosity in your life.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:Fantastic! by pluther · · Score: 4, Informative

      Dr. Who switched to color before I did. It wasn't until I got to college that I found out that Tom Baker's episodes weren't black-and-white.

      Torchwood is *excellent*! Though, completely different from Dr. Who. It's set in the same world, and stars Captain Jack, but the only other crossover element is that the Tardis sound makes a couple of guest appearances in the last episode. If Sci-Fi has any plans on picking up Torchwood, they're being very quiet about it. Even if they did, they'd edit it quite a bit. (You can say/show things on British TV that Americans are too uptight for.)

      --
      If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
    2. Re:Fantastic! by itsdapead · · Score: 2, Insightful

      An adult show in Britain isn't so afraid of a little skin and naughty language as the US

      True, as long as they don't decide that, because its Fantasy it has to be for kids. The BBC cut "Buffy" so they could show it at 6pm, and what Channel 4 did to "Angel" can't be mentioned on a forum like Slashdot where Wheedon-loving nerds of a sensitive disposition may be reading. Then the BBC suddenly find the cojones to ignore the silly complaints about Doctor Who scaring kids* (could the good ratings have anything to do with it?). Basically, the British pointless, arbitrary censorship rules are just inconsistent with the US pointless and arbitrary censorship rules (you know the film censors cut that bit from the Abyss where they drown the rat...? WTF?)

      * Hah. Kids these days never watched Pertwee-era Doctor Who in black and white during the 70s miners strike, knowing that the daily power cut was due and at some point during the episode the lights would go out... Mummy!

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    3. Re:Fantastic! by Phoobarnvaz · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If Sci-Fi has any plans on picking up Torchwood, they're being very quiet about it. Even if they did, they'd edit it quite a bit. (You can say/show things on British TV that Americans are too uptight for.)

      If you haven't noticed...Battlestar Galactica has used the "F" word on several occasions this season on several episodes. This being the case...the language isn't going to be an issue...but the form of the naked persons is. With Sci-Fi not being on broadcast TV...the FCC has no control over anything they may do.

      --
      Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia. - Charles M. Schulz
    4. Re:Fantastic! by meringuoid · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Then the BBC suddenly find the cojones to ignore the silly complaints about Doctor Who scaring kids* (could the good ratings have anything to do with it?).

      Well, that and the fact that most of those kids' parents grew up being terrified by the show on a regular basis. Everyone had nightmares about one monster or another, everyone's hidden behind the sofa. I mean, if you don't want your kids to be scared by dreadful monsters, watching Doctor Who is a bit silly.

      * Hah. Kids these days never watched Pertwee-era Doctor Who in black and white during the 70s miners strike, knowing that the daily power cut was due and at some point during the episode the lights would go out... Mummy!

      Mu-mmy. Mummy. Please let me in Mummy, I'm scared of the bombs... (Just the voice still terrifies the hell out of my little sister two years later. Now that's proper Who!)

      --
      Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
    5. Re:Fantastic! by shewasmadeofchimps · · Score: 4, Insightful

      torchwood is awful. buffy the vampire-slayer wannabe that fails hopelessly. they have decided that the definition of a mature programme is just to add dollops of sex to the storylines.

    6. Re:Fantastic! by clickclickdrone · · Score: 2, Funny

      >And this is different from the "old" Dr. Who how exactly?
      The sets don't wobble.

      --
      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
  5. Re:POLL by cybermage · · Score: 3, Funny

    What's better...

    Don't you mean "Who's better?"

    Although, I guess that's a bit of a presumptive question :)

  6. Sounds great... by supersocialist · · Score: 3, Funny

    I love David Tennant, but I'm hoping he gets encased in carbonite and Rose takes the Tardis back to grab Chris Eccleston.

    1. Re:Sounds great... by chromatic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wow, I'd like to see that!

  7. A fourth season by 91degrees · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, I expect to see William Hartnell will reprise his role for the first couple of stories, but I expect they'll recast. I'd say the actor Patrick Troughton, who played Phineas in the recent Jason and the Argonauts movie would be a good choice.

    Hold on. It is 1966 isn't it? My TARDIS often gets the date wrong.

    1. Re:A fourth season by Dogtanian · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, the show was always called "Doctor Who" from the very beginning (go to YouTube and search for "Doctor Who title sequence", it's interesting if nothing else). It'd be a pretty silly excuse anyway. Personally, I don't think it's that big a deal unless it's causing confusion.

      The biggest thing that grates for me about the new series is the self-conscious comic-bookishness feel of the whole thing at times; even worse (and something I loathe) is when it descends into outright comedy. Sure, Doctor Who was frequently witty, but there's a difference between funny and witty lines and comedy. Ditto the feeling that it's not taking itself seriously. For all that Dr.Who could be cheesy and camp at times, for all that there may have been some dodgy acting (probably down to time constraints) and the actors/producers/directors not taking it too seriously behind the scenes, you at least got the impression that they tried to play it straight. Well, until near the end of the original run, anyway.

      Jon Pertwee himself said that the original series suffered towards the end of its life (in the late 80s) when it seemed to stop taking itself seriously; some of the earlier Sylvester McCoy stuff was downright camp and stupid, and it annoyed me at the time (not that it was really McCoy's fault). Looking back now, it seems that they'd started pulling out of the kitsch morass by the final season, but then the bastards axed it. Ironic that I thought that Survival was the best Dr.Who story I'd seen for ages at the time, but didn't realise it would be the last one...

      Anyway, there are plenty of good aspects about the new series too. Apart from the obvious technical improvements, whether you like them or not, the new series has also managed to be emotionally affecting in ways that the old one never was (e.g. Rose's dad), and... sometimes it's gratingly awful, sometimes it's very good.

      --
      "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  8. Series 4 ? by rossdee · · Score: 4, Informative

    Surely seies 4 of Dr Who was around 40 years ago with Patrick Troughton.

    There have been quite a few different Doctors since then.

    1. Re:Series 4 ? by itsdapead · · Score: 2, Informative

      (Yawns and dons anorak) the revied series is made by a totally different production team in a different branch of the BBC (BBC Wales) so for administrative purposes they started from 1 again. Fortunately, I think the "classic" series still ran long enough to piss on Stargate SG1's "longest running sci-fi show" fireworks so its not a big deal.

      Anyway, the new version would count as a Galactica-style reboot if the original show hadn't rebooted more often than Windows ME anyway.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
  9. Re:POLL by Dogtanian · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'll probably download the series some time in the future (new and old) but House is still better. I still can't buy Hugh Laurie's American accent, but apparently all the real Americans thought it sounded convincing, so I guess it probably has more to do with his typecasting in my mind...
    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  10. Translations for U.S. Fans by bokmann · · Score: 3, Informative

    In the U.S., the new Dr. Who is on both SciFi and BBC America.

    In America, what the british call a 'series' we call a 'season'. So, to our ears, this is an announcement that yes, there will be a 4th season.

    The first season is curently being played on BBC America (last time I checked).
    The second season, with Tennant, is airing on the Sci Fi Channel.
    The third season should be airing in England - almost immediately, if it isn't already.

    1. Re:Translations for U.S. Fans by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sigh...

      OK, For the last time: "England" != "UK".

      I quite understand the mistake, but feel obliged to correct it.

      Mostly because this year is the 300th year of the Act of Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707.

      That's right - 300 years and people still get it wrong.

      Actually quite a big topic over here come May. Mainly because the way things are going with the UK government, during the upcoming elections of the Scottish Parliament the Nationalists might just get a foot in the door and move us towards a referendum for independence. Like most of UK politics we seem to just be sleepwalking into this one...

      The Union is one of the single biggest defining documents for the creation of the modern world. Without it: no industrial revolution, no enlightenment, no single navy, no outward exploration, no Empire, no World Wars (well, maybe).

      Anyway, I digress...

      So, check it out: UK means United Kingdom. BBC means British Broadcasting Corporation.

      Like: England is one Kingdom, Scotland one too, Wales another (well, principality), Northern Ireland as well (ok, province)...

      Fair enough, I can see this gets confusing... Anyway, I'm British and proud of it.

  11. Re:Brilliant! by illegalcortex · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Tenant has moments ("that's the sort of man I am" from 'The Christmas Invasion') but on the whole he just seems too goofy for a guy who's supposed to exploring the whole of time and space.
    Really?
  12. Turned Off by (the new) Season 1 by foo+fighter · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Season 1 of this new run really turned me off and I haven't come back.

    When I first saw the original series as reruns on over-the-air public television back in the late-80s to early-90s I thought the terrible special effects and camp were charming. The underlying plots were usually OK and kept me watching since they were so different from what Star Trek or Star Wars offered.

    But now that I'm older I find the new series dependance on terrible, cheap special effects, mediocre acting and dialog, and camp just offputting. Also I'm much more busy with a wife and kid and don't (won't) devote as much time to television as I used to. My sci-fi budget is filled with Battlestar Galactica.

    It's somewhat ironic that I prefer the new Galactica and old Who and very much dislike the original Galactica and new Who.

    Do I lose my geek card for posting this?

    --
    obviously no deficiencies vs. no obvious deficiencies
    1. Re:Turned Off by (the new) Season 1 by rucs_hack · · Score: 3, Insightful

      actually a lot of the early Doctor Who was written by some very talented people (eg Terry_Nation) who often worked to incredibly short deadlines, and had crap all in the way of money to back of the special effects they wanted in.

      Bizarrely that produced some wonderful SF and social commentary that is still of interest to SF buffs old and new.

      I don't like to say that I disapprove of special effects, I don't, and sometimes I even like the very latest thing. Let me say right off that my primary interest in SF is on the cheaper end of the scale. I'm a H2G2/pulp SF fan, I don't much go in for the extravagant approach currently being taken in SF drama (I don't want to talk about the H2G2 film, no really, I don't..).

      'Star wars that was' rocked, but the new stuff is crap I feel. Not because of the special effects, but because they weren't the kind of thing you'd stick on after a night out to watch for the n'th time and quote your way through, they had no depth, you couldn't relate to the characters. That was what Star wars was about to me, pure, unadulterated escapism, masterfully done, You wanted to *be* Han Solo or Obiwan (or Luke, if you're some kinda pooftaah :). The most I got out of Phantom Menace was an urge to make JarJar real so I could kill it oh so many times.

      Blade Runner was full of special effects, and that is an awesome film, so it can't be that all SFX are bad.

      I think the problem isn't something you can lay at the feet of Electric Light and Magic and their ilk. Nope, the problem is that Film and television SF makers seem to have forgotten that SF is as much about social commentary as it is about lasers. My problem with adaption of old Pulp SF stories to multi million doller SFX orgies is not that they've changed the story as a rule, that can't be helped. It's that they have often removed the entire point of the story and extracted just the SF bits.

      And yet I like Blade runner. Why is that? Because while they almost entirely changed the story, they left the underlying point, the way in which man might treat a self aware creation that does not do as it is told, intact, and expressed it using the same general idea but with some innovative alteration to the core story.

      I'm not against all new SF. I liked Stargate, and I do enjoy a bit of star trek on the side from time to time. That said, my favorite Stargate Episode is 'Window of Opportunity', not some of the later SFX crazy episodes.

      I wait hopefully for a new SF film that can be truly considered a classic, and has all the very latest SFX bells and whistles. I'm sure it will happen eventually.

  13. Re:POLL by Simon+Andrew · · Score: 2, Funny

    Have to agree on Hugh Laurie's accent. I can't watch House without expecting him to slip back into Prince George from Blackadder at any moment. They really have to try and sneak a 'Huzzah!' into an episode somewhere...

  14. Re:POLL by nomadic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I still can't buy Hugh Laurie's American accent, but apparently all the real Americans thought it sounded convincing, so I guess it probably has more to do with his typecasting in my mind...

    The accent is a surprisingly good one, but the cadence is off a little bit.

    It's a refreshing change, most Brit actors have horrible American accents, but none of them (or the people casting movies) seem to realize this.

  15. Re:Regenerations by Cheerio+Boy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Has it occurred to you that this is Regeneration number 10 for the doctor if you count Paul McGann? He has two more, then what will they do?

    I'm going to post a crazy idea that I'd love to see - The Doctor regenerates into The Master and we run the series from the other direction so to speak.

    Yes, I already know it'll never happen but it's a neat idea...

    --

    "Bah!" - Dogbert
  16. Re:Gun carrying Doctor by payndz · · Score: 2, Funny

    K9, who the Doctor equipped with a laser pistol

    Well, technically it was a blaster, not a laser, and it was Professor Marius who equipped...

    Oh god, I'm never going to get a girlfriend, am I?

    --
    You must think in Russian.
  17. Re:POLL by N7DR · · Score: 2, Funny
    I also have a very hard time with his accent, it sounds really forced.

    Well, the people who run the show would not agree with you. They didn't realise he wasn't American when he auditioned. (Wikipedia: "Laurie's American accent was reportedly so flawless that [director] Bryan Singer singled him out as an example of a real American actor, being unaware of Laurie's background". They don't have a citation, though.)

    Personally, the first time I saw the show, it kept bothering me they'd cast someone who looked so much like Hugh Laurie, but who couldn't possibly be him.

  18. Re:Gun carrying Doctor by pluther · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When did the new Doctor use a gun?

    I do remember Tom Baker using a gun at one point. Well, sort of. (The episode involved a carnivorous alien plant, on earth, and a bunch of mind-controlled humans. Does that narrow it down much?)

    "Doctor! You can't take them all on yourself!"
    "Of course I can! I have a pistol!"

    I don't think he actually *fired* it at any point, though...

    --
    If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.
  19. Female Doctor also done as fan-produced episodes by LionMage · · Score: 2, Informative

    Actually, I had a different experience of the whole "Doctor as a woman" thing. I'd never heard of Curse of Fatal Death before (sorry, not a die-hard Dr. Who fan), but when I was an undergrad, MITSFS ran a marathon for incoming freshmen which included some amusing fan-produced "episodes" of various shows. There was an entire tape full of episodes featuring a female Doctor, though I don't remember who played the role. It was fun, though, with production values that approached those of the real show. I guess this is something that gets passed around at science fiction conventions. I know, hardly canon, but then CoFD doesn't sound like it's considered canon either.

    According to this article, it looks as though Russell T. Davies is considering Sigourney Weaver for such a role, though I can't imagine having a Yank on the show would go over well with UK audiences.

  20. Re:Regenerations by Fractal+Dice · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In "The Five Doctors", the High Council offered the Master a full cycle of new regenerations in return for his help. Thus the canon has established the technology exists in the Whoverse to continue on beyond twelve regenerations (not that the Master was having that much trouble stretching out his regenerations anyway).

    Can I get my geek card stamped please?

  21. Re:Regenerations by Legion303 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Can I get my geek card stamped please?"

    Sure thing...hey, that's 10! Here's your free Davros keychain.