The Doctors Talk 'Who'

Den Of Geek published an interview with David Tennant and Matt Smith. Am I the only one who'd like to get John Hurt's opinion too? But anyway.

The interview is about the usual things.

How their Doctors get along with each other in the script:

DT: I think the fun is in the gap between the two. We've been finding joy in recognising the same thing, or having the same thought...
MS: ... or having a completely opposite thought. You know, why are you reacting like that...?

And we get reassured that the anniversary special is quite story-driven. It's always a good thing when the story stays in the focus of an episode. And if Moffat hadn't been telling us zingillion times that his main aim was to write a great story for the special, then I would have been a lot more worried about 'The Day of the Doctor's plot. But it's good to get reassured.

[...] actually what Steven has come up with is a way of moving the story on, and changing, changing the Doctor's very journey. And that's in a way not quite what you might expect. It could just be a celebration, but it's a lot more than that.

And they also talk about the different things each companion (Rose and Clara) bring to the show, how it was for David Tennant to come back, if there is some sort of TARDIS etiquette (nice idea) and Matt Smith's plans for the future.

'The Star Is The Show.'

The Guardian is using an interview it made with Jenna Coleman as an introduction to Doctor Who. Or are they just trying to give a summary of the past events? 

Maybe the most humorous part  is them stating that the announcement of Peter Capaldi

"shared a hysteria in common with the announcement of a new pope, ended in August when Peter Capaldi was unveiled on primetime television as the new pontiff – sorry, 12th Doctor."

But the actual interview is rather lovely. The most quoted bit has to be 

"I just read the script the other night. I'd been putting it off for ages and ages, because once you read the last page, that's it, the story is over. So I read 10 pages on the tube and I stopped, and then I picked it up again the other day and finished it. I was an absolute mess, an absolute wreck. But it's good; it's sad, but it's what needs to happen. It's perfect."

 And Jenna Coleman also mentions a few things about her past, how she ended up acting and being cast for Who, her personal experiences Who's frantic fandom, and what other things she is involved with ATM. 

'The Day of the Doctor' Marketing Campaign Is On

Once a wise man said it never rains, but pours. So the official Doctor Who marketing campaign of the BBC has started yesterday evening and we still can't see the end of it. 

It all started when yesterday the guys responsible for the BBC Wales twitter account tweeted:

 I.e. we'll get  a 'The Day of the Doctor' trailer this weekend. After the Comic-Con trailer disappointment this summer (they got an exclusive trailer, in fact so exclusive that it didn't even made it to the internet) this is more than just.

Additionally, there are some rather interesting interviews with the Fab Four of Who and Joenna Page. And if you prefer watching rather than reading them (because it's worth it) you can do so, by clicking on the names.

We have Steven Moffat talking about writing 'The Day of the Doctor', the reason for bringing the Zygons back, John Hurt's Doctor, and how it was to have two, well, actually 3 Doctors on set at the same time. And last but not least, how and where he's planning to spend November 23rd.

Matt Smith, David Tennant and Jenna Coleman chat about  the great time they had filming the special, the chemistry on and off set,  and how it was like to film in 3D.

And then there is Joenna Page *mild spoiler alert, seriously* who is Queen Elizabeth I in this year's special, just in case you didn't know. Actually, the whole interview should come with a 'mild spoiler alert' sign. But once you know that Queen Elizabeth I is part of the story, it's not difficult to come  up with what some part of the special will have to be about. After all, Elizabeth I has some sort of a reputation in the Whoniverse. Her describing the actually freezing picnic scene made me giggle. Because that's yet another thing Who is quite famous for and they seem to have been eager to keep up the tradition.

And last but not least, this is a friendly reminder that the BBC is asking us with this video to get #SaveTheDay trending on twitter. I think a note on Who's official site would have done it all the same...

UPDATE: And yet another Strax's field report. This time about the Zygons. Is it just me or am I getting too old for this?

Tom Baker and Peter Davison on 'Who's Past

One of the most significant signs of Who's 5oth anniversary being not too far away anymore is that the papers have started conducting interviews with some of the actors who left their mark on this show.

This is The Guardian featuring Tom Baker commenting on his time on Who. Leaving those fan-ish debates on 'who is the best Doctor' aside, to many people Doctor Who would not be the same show if at one point in time Tom Baker didn't have played the mad man in the blue box. Just in case you don't believe me, take a look at the final of DoctorWhoTV's recent poll on the most popular Doctor and decide for yourself. A hint, it's not Matt Smith vs David Tennant.

And if you've ever been interested into Peter Davison's take on the show, on its past and its future,  then make sure not to miss this interview by the Telegraph. Maybe the most interesting question he gets asked is his opinion on a female Doctor:

It’s not as if genders are interchangeable on Gallifrey [...] I don’t like the idea of the Doctor having a sex change - it’s not as if you would have a female James Bond.

And I know a rather big number of Whovians who'd wholeheartedly agree. 

The only thing about which I have to disagree with him is that I don't think Rose was the first companion which the writers got right. Sarah Jane Smith has always felt like a proper companion to me. In a way, she felt much rounder than Rose, because Rose hardly ever seemed to doubt the Doctor's decisions.

Moffat on Continuty Fixes, Scarfs and Shoelaces

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the Nerdcubed team interviewing the Mighty Moff.

And actually, as nerds go, the big, important questions which have been nagging Who's fanbase do not get asked, because it's a well known fact that Moffat would not answer them. So, why waste time and ask him in the first place.

But there is some new information we get. The Moff promies that the Peter-Capaldi-in-'The Fires of Pompeii'-thing will be addressed in the future...

He also says why the Doctor seems to have a certain fondness for humans and Earth: we look like his people and additionally, he points out that we do not see those stories in which he interacts with 'jellymonsters on jellyplanet' which are, 'frankly just too boring to watch'. And yes, those are actual quotes.

One of the most shocking things (as far as I'm concerned) is that Steven Moffat considers the TARDIS to be a machine which closely resembles a living creature, while the series actually makes us suggesting the opposite (a living thing which resembles a machine): after all, the Doctor states several times that the TARDIS cannot be built and that at least parts of it are grown, and  biologically, it's only living things which grow.  At the same time, Moffat says that he sees the TARDIS as a party animal who thinks about the Doctor as her pet.

The Moff does not approve of the popular regeneration theory, saying that the Doctor gets close to immune to whatever has induced the regeneration process. He mentions that in 'The End of Time' was not the first time the Doctor had to regenerate due to a radiation overdose.

Then we have some comments on the role of the Silence when it comes to Who's several continuity fixes, why Doctor Who and the show's ratings are not going down, and that Moffat is not planning to leave a mark on the UK's other cultural landmarks.

Moffat on the Past and the Future

With  'WorldScreen' getting the Mighty Moff to talk Who the interview-frenzy continues and they are contributing some rather interesting reading material.  Here are some snippets. 

On Moffat's first year as Who's headwriter:

I remember thinking, if these two things screw up, I’m finished! [...] This could be a really terrible year. I could crash Doctor Who and screw up Sherlock Holmes and if I’d just shot Daniel Craig in the face I’d have ended all of British culture. But it didn't work out that way.

On what Mattt Smith has brought to the role:

The last thing anybody thought when we cast the 26-year-old was that what we’d get is a return to the eccentric old boffin that he is at heart, the hipster boffin.

 On casting the new Doctor:

At the end of the day the objective is to convince the nation that somehow, despite the apocalyptic change, it really is the same person.

There are also some Sherlock bits, like  how he and Mark Gatiss came up with the idea and how updating it felt like a natural process.

Then we get a comment on the changing nature of watching TV schedule-free:

Your bookcase doesn't tell you when you can read. Why should your television tell you when you can watch? We’re heading towards the world of the download, and that’s a good thing. It will favor quality, I believe.

And, last but not least, why he thinks Who to be the most perfect  TV show ever envented:

It is the show you can’t kill. [...] It is dependent on no individual. You give it your all for the years that you do it and when you leave it won’t even notice [...] Not only can you recast the Doctor, you can create a Doctor who is appropriate for the times. He can always be modern. He can always be new. It’s an ancient tradition and yet it’s a brand-new iteration of that tradition. So it feels old and new at the same time.

But go on, and read the whole stuff, even though some of the statements may appear familiar to you, especially when you've been following Comic Con. However, some of the background-information has been utterly new to me, and there's a chance it will be new to you too. 

Moffat on His Choice

To many fans, especially those who weren't spoiled by the leaks, Moffat casting Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor came as a surprise. Well, I do not know about you and your friends but if someone would have made a poll among my circle of friends, their guess would have been a less experienced actor. 

However, it's certainly not only them, but all Whovians who are keen on the story behind Moffat's choice, and fortunately 'DigitalSpy' makes sure we get served. 

Maybe the most burning question coming to our mind is if Moffat's big plan was to go for an older actor as the Doctor all along. His answer:

I  think it's good that we've got a different age [...] after Matt showed us all how to be a 20s Doctor. I don't know what you would do after that, because he was so perfect. [...] So it makes life easier, I suppose, that Peter is different. But that wasn't the reason.

And, the most important question of all of them; how is the 12th Doctor going to be like? Moffat does not know yet. 

And what will he wear?

Clothes. Anything else would be just really shocking!

Tennant on Coming Back for the Aniversary

Naturally, with the anniversary special being a bit more than three months away, and the recent interview-frenzy being on the brim of developing a life of its own, it was only a question of time for the first David Tennant interview to show up. This time it's 'SFX' is giving us the honour. 

 

Admittedly, some of the questions are pretty predictable, and none of the answers will stir up the fanbase;  like was he surprised to be asked to come back (nope) and they chat about what it was like to share the role of the Doctor on screen.

Of course, also the 'what about a female Doctor'-question comes up and I love his answer:

You are not going to get a quote from me on that. It will come back and bite me on the arse whatever I say!

Refreshingly, that's the least diplomatic answer I've read the past months. 

Vulture's Matt Smith Interview

Is it already that time of the year when various magazines start to interview the who-is-who of 'Doctor Who'? It seems so, because 'Vutlure's featuring an interview with Matt Smith.

It starts out with him talking about his socks moves on commenting on why he's leaving and how him doing one more season after the Ponds stepped out of the TARDIS has been his plan for quite some time.

There is a sentence about Karen Gillan's new hair - or rather non-hair; Matt seems to have started a trend. There are also the obligatory questions regarding the anniversary and the possibility of Moffat casting an actress as the 12th Doctor. His diplomatic answer:

I don’t see why not. As long as it’s the best actor or actress or fish or otter, it doesn’t matter.

Am I the only one spotting a Benedict Cumberbatch reference in there?

One of the more innovative questions is if he'd been ever confused by Moffat's storylines. Unsurprisingly, his answer is no and he calls it's his 'job to make sense of it'. And even though there are people who may be complaining about Who's complicated storytelling, he asks fans to embrace all the various layers the Mighty Moff has plotted out far in advance as after all, that's  'what we fans of sci-fi want'. I'd have to lie if I said he's wrong.

Additionally, Matt reveals that he'd like to keep the sonic screwdriver and his jacket when leaving. And, among other stuff, he tells the story of how he got involved with 'Doctor Who' and 'How to Catch a Monster'. 

Entertainment Weekly's Moffat Interview

This is Entertainment Weekly's famous Steven Moffat interview in which he actually answers some really interesting questions. 

You don't believe me, right? After reading it my first though was who is that guy and what has he done with the Mighty Moff? Because some answers are so much not like him. Like, the first one: 

EW: When do you hope to announce the identity of the new Doctor? 

Moffat: Unless we have an insane plan, we’ll announce a new Doctor within days of finalizing the new Doctor. Because it’s very very hard to keep any kind of a secret. The last time, when we chose Matt, we had to hold over on that one, because there was a Christmas Doctor Who special called “The Next Doctor” for which Russell was playing the game of pretending it was going to be David Morrissey. So we couldn’t deflate that. [Laughs]. But I think we’ll go public pretty fast.

Moffat is usually the first to admit to have an insane plan. Actually, I would have bet  my 'Doctor Who' DVD box set collection on him trying to keep the name of the actor stepping into Matt Smith's shoes a secret as long as possible (i.e. till Christmas? August 2014?) Well, on a more realistic level, my guess was rather a few weeks after casting him (yes, I'm still ignoring other possibilities for the moment) but not days.

And on that issue, Moffat has officially not ruled out the possibility of having a female Doctor. He says: 

I’m not going to comment at all on the direction we’re going. Sorry!

 The other questions are less exciting, but nonetheless interesting (will Matt Smith have to wear a wig, when and how did Steven Moffat learn about his intentions of leaving, does Moffat have any plans of leaving 'Who', (not yet *whoo-hoo*), what was it like to have two Doctors on one set, just to name some of them). 

And even though I won't post the whole interview, it's worth reading. After all, it's one of those few official statements on all things 'Who' (and some 'Sherlock') we'll get this long summer.

On the Chances of Steven Moffat Casting a Female Doctor

Every time we are sort of in-between Doctors, there is one rumour which never fails to come up: could the next Doctor be female? While several sites are already speculating about this possibility, this time we are actually able to pinpoint things down a bit, after all, Steven Moffat seems to be the one who'll play a significant role in making that pretty important decision.

Interestingly enough, back in 2010, after being almost halfway into season 5, 'Newsarama' asked the Mighty Moff about the possibilities of having a female Doctor flying the TARDIS. And this is what he said: 

Well, never say never.  I'd never rule anything out.  I didn't contemplate it this time.  I'd have my worries about it, only from the point of view that, would you still believe it was the same person?  Is that taking it that one step too far?  What is River Song (Alex Kingston) going to think?  [laughs]  I would worry, but maybe someone with a bigger imagination than me will prove me wrong on that score.  You can get carried away with the idea of the regenerating Doctor. 

What I mean by that is, there aren't eleven Doctors.  There is one Doctor with eleven faces.  The primary idea is that you have to show the audience that this is fundamentally the same person with a makeover.  I think I would worry that the makeover, turning him into a woman would just take that one step too far.  That's not me saying I don't think a woman is good enough to be the Doctor by the way.  [laughs]  At all.  It's just that I'd worry that you'd lose the sense.  You might just fragment the sense that it's still him.

I know, Moffat lies, people change and that's a 3 years old interview. However, somehow I think that was really his opinion back then, and he certainly had his reasons. And there is a good chance that he still has those reasons today. I, at least, hope so. Because only because it is possible to have a female Doctor, does not mean that you should actually have one. If there are the right motivations (e.g. it adds something important, and not only something new to a story), then go for it.. I'm not saying I'll be happy with it, but if there are the right arguments, then there is not much you can do. But doing it only because you can, is the wrong attitude, because then you're running into danger of screwing things up.

Then again, the Mighty Moff loves screwing and breaking rules and to be fair, that is the only rule he has not touched yet (or rather smashed to pieces, only to put them together again). I for my part hope that his love and respect for 'Doctor Who' will be stronger than his craving. Because IMHO I have to agree with what he says there: chances are high that it would take things one step too far.

The Mighty Moff on 'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock'

2 weeks ago Steven Moffat was made to answer a few questions. And he did not.  At least not the *really* important ones. However, those he did answer are also pretty interesting, like, the fact that he sees John and Sherlock as "blokes who get on, instantly"  and that even though he thinks it's good that fans have their own shipping-theories, he has no intentions of changing their relationship (whoo-hoo!).

As for 'Doctor Who' and the anniversary, there is not much RedCarpetTV could get out of him. The Moff explains why he thinks it's good to have it made in 3D, and he makes a comment on fan's utterly wrong theories.

Oh I love you all Doctor Who fans, but honestly, now and then don't believe everything you hear or don't hear.

We had worse.

Oh, and there is that part on how he won't kidnap Peter Jackson to direct 'Doctor Who'. Good to know. I just love his sense of humour.

Neil Gaiman Talks 'Who'

Maybe our expectations for Neil's "Nightmare in Silver" have become so high that it's physically not possible to live up to them any more. For one, it's not helping that last year's "The Doctor's Wife" originated from his mind, and this interview SFX did with him is not helping either. Because he really knows what freaks people out (Silent Cybermen? And it took almost 5o years to come up with that idea? Even though realising it seems to take even longer.) And I can't help but love his way of thinking and the explanation behind the 'new' Cybermen design.

The one bad thing about that interview is that Neil Gaiman seems to be pretty certain about not become the next showrunner of 'Who'.

Matt Smith's Guardian Interview

The dear 'Guardian' asked Matt Smith a few questions and here is the result for us to 'enjoy'. But do not get too excited about it, there aren't any 'game-changing' revelations or anything similar to it. Still, it wouldn't be a typical 'Guardian' interview, if they wouldn't ask him some unusual questions, like, what's his favourite word (snuggle), his most overused ones (classic, safe and sick) or whom he'd invite to a dinner party. And other trivial stuff.

Vulture's Moffat Interview

In a few days the incredibly long waiting for the next Doctor Who episode will be over. And, as every year, the happy occasion is preceded by interviews. The first (interesting) one is done by Vulture with the Big Moff, who talks about everything Who (what to expect form the next season's episode, the new companion, his opinion on a possible Who movie, and why he doesn't think that the show is too complex) as well as a bit about Sherlock.

But if you hope to read about real spoilers, than do not be disappointed, Moffat sticks to his old habit.

Moffat's AssignmentX Interview

This is a shortish AssignmentX interview with the Big Moff. Actually, there is not much we would not already know about, expect of two rather interesting statements, and here they are.

On the chances of producing more episodes in the USA:

"If we’ve got a story for it. I mean, that’s all it’s about. It is story-driven, so if we’ve got a really great idea set in America, we’ll do it."

On how much the Doctor changes after each regeneration:

"I think fundamentally it’s the same man. It’s the same man for a very long time, in very different ways."

Moffat on HitFix

Here is another Steven Moffat interview done in August (I know, I am lagging behind a bit), and this time it's HitFix who is doing the enquiry. Here are a few interesting bits, but it's not a mistake to read the whole thing.

On what did Matt Smith do so that Moffat cast him as the Doctor:

"The same performance you see on the show now. I still have it on my laptop. It's the same performance he gives now. He was just brilliant. He was by far the best."

On why the Doctor is able to cross his own timeline and doing other wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey stuff, he, according to canon, should not be able to do:

"The fact that he says it's a rule doesn't mean he's going to stick to it. "

On writing challengingly complex story archs for a series which is meant for children:

"And if there's something that maybe makes them say, "I didn't quite understand that, Dad, what happened?" and they have a conversation about it, can someone tell me what's wrong with that? "

On his busy schedule for doing Sherlock and Doctor Who at the same time:

""Manageable" is the wrong word. It's "survivable.""

The Big Moff's Sexy Beast Interview

This is a 3-pages long interview Sexy Beast did with The Big Moff in August. And although it is not brand new anymore, there are some interesting topics which are covered. And BTW, you can take the answer to the third question, which is about Doctor Who's budget, as the reason of why the Doctor won't die at lake Silencio.

But there are also a number of other things they talk about. To give you a short overview, her are a few Moffat quotes which should tease you into reading all of it. It's worth it.


On River's story arch:

"The great thing about the River Song conundrum is that every time you get an answer, it makes you ask another question."

On leaving Doctor Who:

"It would be really hard to feel that the Doctor isn’t mine anymore…"

On why the Doctor is always leaving his companions (inclusive Rose) behind:

"In one of the upcoming episodes, he sits in this room and says, “I can’t keep doing this to them.”"

On the art of writing (for) Doctor Who:

"It’s an exercise…in clever exploitation of limitations."

Interview Round-Up

Somehow I forgot to include this into my previous post, so here is a Matt Smith interview by Digital Journal, for the US, and he is talking about season 6 and he also mentions the upcoming episode, 'Let's Kill Hitler', shortly.

Then the 21st century remake of Fright Night had it's premier and this is a short interview with David Tennant on the whatever-coloured carpet.

Alex Kingston and Moffat's Anti-Teaser Policy...

... may or may not be in conflict. Just make up your own mind.

Today this blog has a premier, for as far as I know I've never posted an interview with Alex Kingston before. So this is an 'London Evening Standard' interview with the woman playing the Doctor's love-interest.

Somehow, she manages to drag that wild sweetness she seems to occupy on screen to that questioning, when talking about her family situation, her age 'troubles' and her wish of playing Shakespeare's Cleopatra. Although, strictly speaking she already did that, well it was not exactly Shakespeare's, rather Moffat's, but after all, the name was identical.

Of course she also mentions a few things Doctor Who, and mostly nice ones... Then again, most of us may not care too much about it being "the closest thing to theatre" on television. However, something we do care about is her way of 'explaining' the obvious age difference between her and Matt Smith, and the fact that they are still playing some sort of a ... couple, which is not the precise word, I know. She says, and this is a (longish) quote

'It plays with the notion of an older woman being in love with a younger man, who in his own funny, confused way loves her but doesn't quite know why, because it's a love in his future, in a different body. I'm not sure you'd get that kind of dynamic in America. At first I thought, my goodness, children aren't really going to understand or respond to River Song because of the age difference. But it seems they don't notice that.'

And in fact, they are not noticing it, because while Matt Smith may be younger than Mrs. Kingston, the character he is playing is not. And this is all the explanation fans and children need to cope with it. Sometimes I think it's remarkable how much adults forget what kind of explanations they were willing to believe when they were kids. As I already mentioned in an older post, Doctor Who makes much more sense when you forget about having grown up and try to watch it with the eyes of the child you are somewhere deep inside. Anyway, this is not what I planned to write about...

So, back to the quote. There is also something else pretty remarkable about it. Namely, I'm not sure whether she was supposed to give us a teaser regarding something we've been wondering about since the very first time she appeared on our screens, or not, even though latter one is much more likely; thus, the question of 'just who is her Doctor?' And when saying that 'it's a love in his [the Doctor's] future, in a different body' we kind of get the answer... Season 6 and 7 are according to this not the last ones she seems to be in. At least if looking at the canonical side of it. Knowing Moffat's love-hate relationship he has with spoilers, our Big Moff is maybe not amused by her spilling the beans, or should I say jelly-babies...