Cool News
Learn Which Menace
Is Faced In This Year’s
DOCTOR WHO Christmas Show!!
It turns out The Doctor and his hot new companion must take on an army of “icy snowman.”
Such delightful British whimsy!
Press release:
BBC AMERICA’S DOCTOR WHO ANNOUNCES DETAILS FOR ALL-NEW CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Announced today, the title of this year’s Doctor Who Christmas special is The Snowmen. A new companion, a new look for the Doctor, plus a new monster will all be introduced in this movie-scale episode. Starring Matt Smith as the Doctor and introducing Jenna-Louise Coleman as new companion Clara, The Snowmen follows their adventures as they embark on a mission to save Christmas from the villainous Doctor Simeon (Richard E Grant, The Iron Lady, Dracula) and his army of icy snowmen. This year’s Doctor Who Christmas special premieres Tuesday, December 25, 9:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA.
A sneak peek was released earlier today, during the broadcast of the BBC Children in Need special, revealing a new costume for the Doctor. Additionally, a special prequel was released showing the impact of the loss of the Ponds, with old friends Vastra, Strax and Jenny trying to persuade the Doctor not to give up his adventures.
Steven Moffat, Lead Writer and Executive Producer, said: “The Doctor at Christmas is one of my favorite things - but this year it's different. He's lost Amy and Rory to the Weeping Angels, and he's not in a good place: in fact, he's Scrooge. He's withdrawn from the world and no longer cares what happens to it. So when all of humanity hangs in the balance, can anyone persuade a tired and heartbroken Doctor that it's time to return to the good fight. Enter Jenna-Louise Coleman...”
Matt Smith, who plays the Doctor, commented: “For this year’s Christmas special we have the wonderfully villainous Richard E Grant as Doctor Simeon. As well as lizards, Victorian assassins and deranged warriors from the future, who all return to convince the Doctor that he should board the TARDIS again and save the world. Add to that Jenna-Louise Coleman and so begins the Christmas Special 2012. I hope everyone enjoys it!”
The BBC Cymru Wales produced series will return to BBC AMERICA on December 25 and an additional eight epic episodes will premiere in the spring.
Readers Talkback
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Ther'll be a reference to the Great Intelligence.
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Those snowmen look like they came straight out of that Jack Frost horror movie from about 12-15 years ago.
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Does anyone realize what kind of WHOinverse coolness he could have achieved by giving the good doctor a companion we have never seen him EVER partner with? Does anyone remember the first DR. WHO episode Jenna-Louise Coleman appeared in, or more to the point, the character she played? Spoilers ahead for those who didn't see the episode... She played a Dalek with individual consciousness. How cool/interesting/wacked out would it have been if the Doctor partnered up with a "reformed" Dalek? But no, he's back with another young cute chick (who will never get naked) to stress to the viewing audience that he is not gay.
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Is anyone actually "happy" that Amy and Rory are finally gone?
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Nov. 16, 2012, 8:09 p.m. CST
I'm delighted Amy and Rory are gone ... The show had started to revolve around them and Smith was being wasted because of it ...
by GINGE_MUPPET
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Nov. 16, 2012, 8:12 p.m. CST
The show in general is in a rut ... Has lost its epic quality since Tennant left.
by GINGE_MUPPET
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Nov. 16, 2012, 8:49 p.m. CST
Is that why it is not as popular as it was during the Tennant years?
by rsswope
Oh wait. It actually is more popular now than ever.
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Smith is better than Tennant. New Who is currently the best it's ever been. Will miss Amy hugely. BTW, I don't see why the Christmas Specials actually have to be about Christmas? Why does Christmas have to be integral to the story? Can't Christmas just be an excuse to do an extra special episode? Robot santas, robot angels, killer Christmas trees and now killer snowmen. This has got to stop.
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RRSWOPE!
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We now judge a show's quality based on the number of people watching it? Is that actually what you're saying?
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Nov. 16, 2012, 9:15 p.m. CST
I wish it was the Wipe You From Existance and All Memories monster..
by Jaka
...and it won! Somehow I doubt that's the case, though.
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She already has, mate. http://tinyurl.com/9swkypz
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Don't worry. Us Tennant fans will never be able to convince the Smith fans that they are watching an inferior product. Just be happy you know the truth. How quickly people forget how great someone was just because he is replace by a quirky weird looking guy and the shows focus changes to a Redhead human.
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...it will know how to spell, though.
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Someone page Calvin and Hobbes!
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for the hate on moff, smith or their run. it's better than ever. i feel that moff is without question a superior writer when compared to RTD. makes me wonder how much more tennant could have shined, had his tenure happened under moff's showrunning. but oh well, it was still wonderful. smith - like tennant - was born to play this role. i'd love to see both of their careers soar post who. and i hope we get smith for a few more years. i'd hate to lose him anytime soon. especially when i think about the potential chemistry between him and coleman. dammit it's gonna be good.
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tennant is my doctor. im one of those fans who was terrified that smith was going to ruin new-who 7 any chances of the show continuing its resurrection. but holy fuck are we lucky to have he & moff keeping it banging along, and getting better with each episode. i truly and honestly do not understand how people can look at the RTD eps & think they are anywhere near as talented or well thought out as moff's. again - i am a tennant fan! i just feel people aren't being objective because of their love for tennant. as much as i love tennant & RTD, there were heavy heavy elements of cheesy dialogue & plots that cannot be ignored if were being honest with ourselves. it never bothered me & it still doesn't. i just feel moff has brought an air of seriousness & danger to the show. i dunno, just my late night who rambles. not trying to rile anybody up, cheers.
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Uh… These last two years have be repetitive and with a few moments of brilliance, basically a snare. The frantic energy of Matt Smith has kept it going. But there hasn't been anything as cleverly written as the SHAKESPEARE CODE or BLINK in years. I still love WHO, but it's become last year's DEXTER. You watch because you are a fan. Maybe the second half will turn around BTW -- the Christmas Specials are about Christmas because they AIR at Christmas and SOME COUNTRIES still remember Christmas is a huge holiday. I was in Austria two years ago in the weeks before Christmas and in the streets loudspeakers were playing Christmas Caroles in English… like you used to hear walking around in America… The CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL was also about Christmas.
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Tom Baker is my Doctor, followed by Tenant, Eccelston and Matt Smith in order of greatness.
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Under The Moff, there have been some of the worst, stupid and unoriginal episodes of Who ever. I have frequently been forced to stop watching some episodes because they are so bad. Matt Smith is a great Doctor, but much of the writing and the story concepts are shockingly bad. I think there were only a couple of episodes of Russell Davies' tenure which I didn't enjoy. Overall, his run was great. The new companion looks as generic as usual, and yes, those snowmen do look quite horrendous. Another victorian set episode. How original.
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Personally, I don't watch the show - although i have seen enough segments to believe that -Smith is indeed 'weird' looking as you say, but there again Tennent looks like a Meerkat, with a permanently stupid grin etched on his face.....plus that ridiculous Mock-ney accent....
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Nov. 17, 2012, 2:13 a.m. CST
I don't think the problem with the show of late is the writing....I think it is the lack of Tennant
by wcolbert
He brought so much more life to the character...and frankly...Smith is all wrong for the part. Sure he's a nice guy and all and yeah, the Doctor has had many incarnations so they can't all look the same - but he just looks...I don't know...wrong for the part. Not a good looking guy at all, but that's not the problem - he just doesnt have that LOOK. He also lacks the charisma/presence Tennant brought to the role. He brought an electricity, a life to the character - made him lively, dangerous, and intriguing. I still enjoy the show - but for the entire first season Smith was on, he was just so strikingly fugly that it was actually distracting. Normally I couldn't care less about aesthetics, particularly for male actors - who cares, unleess it's a woman, is usually my view - but DAMN that was a jarring change in image from Tennant to Smith. The dude is just fuck-ugly. I dunno. Never pictured The Doctor as a hideous guy. More of an uber-geeky, alien, quirky ladie's man. He's always got women falling for him - I find it hard to believe these girls would fall for this guy - Tennant I could see. Now, to be fair, the writing DID take a dip in quality after Tennant left as well, I noticed. Even when they retraced old steps (the "dont blink" episode was, I think, one of the best episodes of the new show....it was rather cleverly written. The newer episode in season 5...not so much even though it involved the same angels. But I can't help but think that Tennant would've made even the iffy shows of late more watchable. Even Eccleston brought more of a unique life to the character. I dont know what it is...but Smith's performance just feels...flat. Lifeless. Drab. Maybe I'm the only one. Just how I see it.
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Sorry for bursting into your thread Whovians, but Fringe was AWESOME. Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble lowered the boom tonignt.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 3:09 a.m. CST
As someone said above ... Smith's energy is saving the show right now ... As for it being more popular than ever, whats that based on? Viewing figures?
by GINGE_MUPPET
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Nov. 17, 2012, 6:06 a.m. CST
Tennant is to the new Doctor Who as Tom Baker was to the original. Simply the best.
by Hando316
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Nov. 17, 2012, 6:14 a.m. CST
Or maybe bring the girl back who played his daughter in The Doctor's Daughter as another companion aswell. They created the character, but didn't do squat after.
by Hando316
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Nov. 17, 2012, 6:15 a.m. CST
Last thought. Don't believe that Coleman isn't a reformed Dalek
by Hando316
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Chimpan-A to Chimpan.. well you get the idea.
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A previous xmas episode had killer christmas trees for fuck's sake
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Never complain about New Who being bad to someone who remembers the 1980s when Colin Baker started. Most of his episodes were AWFUL! He was followed by McCoy who again had mostly awful stories, until they got better but by that time ratings had nose dived and the show was cancelled.
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sounds ghastly. The Doctor a ladies' man? Er... no. This is Doctor Who we're discussing, not Magnum P.I.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 9:26 a.m. CST
anyone who thinks the Doctor should be a good looking Ladies Man...
by Greg
Hasn't seen much of the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Doctors.
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Yes, that's why the sales figures for both official DW magazines have **plummeted** during the Moffat/Smith era. DWM: From a 2010 high of 35,374 to a 2012 low of 27,089. DWA: From a 2010 high of 56,648 to a 2012 low of 31,903. http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2012/08/dwn170812195508-official-magazine.html It seems that both long-term fans and children are deserting DW mags, no matter what the official viewing figures and appreciation index say about the supposed popularity of the series. Personally, I think the way that the viewing figures are collected are dodgy at best. From just a few years ago, where everyone I knew talked and watched DW, I'm now the only person who watches it (and I no longer watch it because I enjoy it, I'm simply waiting for Moffat and Smith to leave). Friends and family have dumped the idea of watching the series on a regular or even semi-regular basis.
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Looks like fun. Think of the Christmas episodes as a kind of breed apart from the main series - there's a different vibe. The Doctor's new clothes look cool, JLC is a clear presence - lots of savvy and good humour just shines through. Clearly a bright girl. I'll be watching on Christmas day! As for the 50th anniversary of the show, I don't actually have sky-high expectations. The BBC is short of funds and in the middle of a management crisis - the Director General has just resigned. I'm sure you'll see something fitting in the late 2013 episodes which references the past as well as a couple of documentaries and the rumoured docudrama, but I wouldn't go expecting much more than than, like, extra episodes or anything. I suppose it's possible, but I would just temper your expectations to avoid disappointment. Even a small tribute is a good thing - marking the success of a show which has periodic reinvention at it's heart.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 9:37 a.m. CST
re: "Never pictured The Doctor as a hideous guy. More of an uber-geeky, alien, quirky ladie's man. He's always got women falling for him"
by buggerbugger
Uh... since when? McGann started that terrible shite off in '96, then we got it in spades with rat-faced Tennant. Apart from that, the Doctor's never been a ladies' man. It's the new series that's predominantly rewrote the character to be some irresistible sex god, replete with an army of fan girls squeeing all over the internet. Christ, they piss me off no end. I do, however, agree with what you say about Smith. He's just incredibly uneasy on the eyes. Repulses me, if I'm brutally honest. Kid's bloody ugly. What's wrong with having regular Doctor-looking guys in their forties or fifties?
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Yes, that's why the sales figures for both official DW magazines have **plummeted** during the Moffat/Smith era.
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There are many reasons why sales of DWM could decrease while the show is more popular than every before. Here's somethings to consider: First, popularity doesn't mean magazine sales. Second, there is, you know, a global recession going on. Not everyone buys magazines for tv shows in such times Third, the magazine itself isn't that good and the cost is high. Fourth, it is appearing at places like Barnes and Noble, so people can read it for free more often than in the past. So with 2 and 3, 4 is easy.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 11:03 a.m. CST
That black dude who got Captain Jack's blood in him... Is he craving the cock now?
by Fries Against
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For one thing, magazine sales in general are falling. Second, look at the numbers: 10's of thousands. Millions of people watch Doctor Who. Just like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, etc., the "hard-core" fans are tiny (and highly divided & divisive) groups that could all go away and not affect the reported popularity of the franchises in question. In short: no, they don't need us, whatever the hardcore "us" is. In a lot of ways, they might do even better if "we" went away: the hardcore fans always give franchises bad reputations. So, if you want an idea of the popularity, then look at the viewing numbers. And those have been pretty good.
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DWA is bloody awful and relies of naff free gifts. I sometimes buy DWM, I usually flick through it before I buy or not. The only time I miss Who is if I am out of the UK and then I catch up with repeats and DVDs.
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Smith is good in his role but he can only work with what he is given. His first series was ok but from the 2nd onwards which is where the proverbial hit the fan. The problem if is the scripts. To be blunt they are not very good and I know its Moff's fault since the same problems occur in his other shows like Jeykell and Sherlock. High regard for his own cleverness with plot points that are raised then subsequently dropped or ended in the most stupid way imaginable. Also anyone familiar with those shows is he starting to rip off from his own stories. Its funny but if it was Rusty doing this he would get slaughtered for it but with Moff its oh he's such a genuis and you just dont get it. LOL Another gripe albiet minor was spreading the season out in too 2 parts like they have and setting them in the US just to try and get an American audience. Hardly seem to see much of the universe anymore.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 12:35 p.m. CST
Anyone who honestly believes Doctor Who is better than it's ever been is seriously smoking the crack
by gruntybear
Besides the "Rory & Amy-go-boom" episode, not a single installment of the new season was worth a damn. And even the exit of the Ponds was exceedingly "iffy," with way, way too many arbitrary rules thrown in to manufacture drama. Oh, we can't go near NYC with the tardis anymore? Why? Because it conveniently serves the plot. Ugh.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 12:41 p.m. CST
The writing is much better if you like character arcs rather than static icons....
by ProfWimsey
The old Doctor Who was, for the most part, much like J.R.R. Tolkien: Jungian archetypes who served plot-driven stories. The Davie/ Moffat era Who's have been completely different in that the stories focus on the characters, including dynamically developing the character of the Doctor. The point is not to watch the Doctor cleverly set up dominos and knock them over to make the Daleks go "boom" anymore! And I think that is why Doctor Who is popular with an audience (i.e., normal adults) that did not watch it 25 years ago.
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Granted, this might seem odd to say but as the new Whos go, the actors playing the Doctor are not like the early ones but given the pattern of the first 8, the actors are getting younger and look less like Old Dorky Dudes and yet and to me it seems like they nail this pretty well and yet the actors act older and dorkier. That's especially the case with Matt Smith. He's playing a really, really old guy who looks really young and hip and yet is nothing of the sort. Yeah, he's manic. As the Doctor tries to relate to humans now--and of course this is playing to the audience, too--he has to try harder. There's been times when he is really worn down and the Doctor's old age shows. Like, in "Let's Kill Hitler" when he is dying. When the TARDIS showed him the possible avatars to relate to and all of his recent companions popped up that was just one part of that episode when he let the guard down and you realize that not only has he put a lot of people through a lot of shit but that he was a part of that, too. Sure, Smith plays him as a goofball. Who among us haven't met an old dude who tries too hard to show he's still cool and can relate? The thing is Smith ironically looks the part of 'cooler' while still being an awkward dorky Doctor. If you get past that superficiality, keep in mind that it is just a regeneration--and yes, the audience is bigger than just you--then Smith's part is pretty damned good. He doesn't need to look or act like the aging audience, or be a bit older than it all the time, and that works for me. The paces they are putting him through are different than other Doctors, too. Though Leather Jacket and Tennant may have had moments of this, too. Smith's Doctor seems to know more about what is going on and just doesn't bother telling his companions and the audience what he knows. Surely, that is largely just the way Moffet and company are telling their stories. But, this part of the series has been so radically out of order, timewise, that we dont' really know which Doctor Smith is all of the time. I don't think the same could be said for the previous Doctors. We knew who they were and when they were, right? So, really old dealing with regressing and looking younger and being Out of Time in a very obvious way. That's part of how they are using this Doctor. It is obviously not to everyone's liking and that's too bad.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 4:18 p.m. CST
You know what else Moffat has been doing? He's totally gaying up the Doctor. But everybody wants to be politically correct so they're afraid to complain.
by Fries Against
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Nov. 17, 2012, 4:20 p.m. CST
Always looking for a chance to have Matt Smith kiss another dude.
by Fries Against
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I mean, what would it matter? Moreover, your definition of "gaying" up is, to be blunt, inane. And, I mean, c'mon: have you forgotten some of those outfits that Pertwee used to wear?
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Your homophobia is beyond pathetic.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 6:44 p.m. CST
Isn't there a better word than homophobia? I may not enjoy guy on guy blowjobs but that doesn't mean I fear the queer.
by Fries Against
And I have to admit, elwagnero has a point.
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More gayness that Russell "Queer As Folk" Davies?! The Doctor is married now, for cryin' out loud! Plus, he certainly didn't seem too disappointed when Mata Hari dropped her robe in front of him.
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... Know nothing. Tennant was too good looking and fell in love with his companion. Not what Who is about AT ALL. He was a great Doctor let down by some shocking writing. Smith is the best Doctor since Tom Baker, because he's an odd-looking ball of nerd energy. Exactly as he should be. He's not supposed to be a handsome leading-man type of character. That's why we had companions like Ian, Steven and Jamie. RTD may have rescued the show, but his episodes were largely appalling. Imagine the uproar if "Fear Her" was shown now. But for some reason back then during the Tennant era, it was totally acceptable. The nauseating level of cheese / campness that permeated EVERY episode RTD was involved in has now, thankfully disappeared. And hando316 is either a complete imbecile or using sarcasm which, as he should know by now, does not translate into text form. If the Doctor goes black, female or non-English the show will plummet. I am a die-hard fanatic, and even I would find it hard to carry on watching. I grew up during the Davison era, but I would say that Smith is MY Doctor. The guy's a legend. Sorry if you don't find him attractive. And please, for the love of god, don't EVER let Barrowman back on Doctor Who. Captain Jack should have always been a one-off character.
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Nov. 17, 2012, 10:42 p.m. CST
Should have had the mother from "The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe'
by FeralAngel
...as the Doc's new companion. She was ACE. Better even than Amy. This new brunette chick is just a placeholder IMO.
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Hope to God or Goddess the Doc remains a straight-up kinda guy. Gay stuff makes me wanna barf. Call me a homophobe, don't give a shit. That label's got a blunt edge now via overuse and abuse. Doesn't mean a damn thing. Heteros rock this world, yo. Replenish the gene pool, check it. Understand the allure of The Other, gimme some. Sperm, meet egg, swag!
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are you fucking kidding me? who is next? The Terminator?
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Nov. 18, 2012, 5:22 a.m. CST
cavejohnson... of course the Terminator was gay. Naked men raining down from the sky, what do you think?
by Bradly Durant
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Nov. 18, 2012, 5:36 a.m. CST
Joking aside there are so many fictional heroes that can be read as either gay or straight, Sherlock Holmes, Frodo and Sam, Luke Skywalker...
by Bradly Durant
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Nov. 18, 2012, 10:58 a.m. CST
And more inanimate objects come to life in Doctor Who... Next time it'll be poo that come to life.
by Gary Makin
Giant killer poos!
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Nov. 18, 2012, 1:32 p.m. CST
All screwdrivers come to life. And the the Doctor's sonic screwdriver joins them. And the screwdriver will be voiced by Patrick Stewart.
by Fries Against
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The name of the character she played in the first episode was "Oswin Oswald". Is that just IMDB being IMDB?
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Punto, It's not just IMDB being IMDB. Jenna's companion character has been announced as Clara Oswin ever since she was cast. Hence all the speculation as to the precise nature of her relationship to Oswin Oswald. I guess it'll involve some timey with a bit of wimey, a dash of wibbly and a smidgen of wobbly.
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Nov. 19, 2012, 10:59 a.m. CST
It could also be that Daleks use pre-compiled persona based on real people to jump-start their brains.
by Royston Lodge
Regardless, I have faith Grand Moffat will either have a passably decent explanation, or he's just ignore the issue altogether to keep fan speculation going. Either way, I do not fear a midichlorian incident.
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1.) No 2.) No 3.) Perhaps
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Nov. 19, 2012, 7:44 p.m. CST
What if the new companion... (and this thought woke me right out of sleep) *SPOILERS?* (p.s. @punto too!)
by tangcameo
What if there's more than one Oswin! And I don't mean two, I mean what if The Doctor, as he travels post-AmyRory, keeps running into the same woman in different places and times. She's Oswin Oswald on the Dalek asylum planet. And she's Clara Oswin in Victorian England. What if, during the Christmas special, he doesn't bring her along in the Tardis. What if, at the end, he steps out of the Tardis on a completely different planet at a completely different time, and there he spots Oswin Whatever or Whatever Oswin. What if this companion keeps popping up as different people, all somehow named Oswin? What if that's so special about the new companion?
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Nov. 20, 2012, 1:56 a.m. CST
Well, true, the past doctors weren't exactly lookers either, by today's standards
by wcolbert
but then, I'd wager not a one of them had lack of access to regular vag in their day, either, and standards have changed. Then again what do I know. I'm a guy, and I wasn't alive for the first two decades or so of Dr. who.
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Nearly all of my exes thought that Davison was hot, and Tom Baker definitely worked for several of them. (We have the same hair, so that probably shouldn't be surprising.) I've known some women for whom Pertwee worked in that "old guy fantasy" thing usually reserved for Sean Connery. Of course, I'm getting to the age where my contemporaries will start giving Hartnell an appraising second look!
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