RE: women are like buses
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Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on March 22, 2005 6:38 AM
In 1998 there were just a handful of sites of the type that are now identified as weblogs (so named by Jorn Barger in December 1997). Jesse James Garrett, editor of Infosift, began compiling a list of "other sites like his" as he found them in his travels around the web. In November of that year, he sent that list to Cameron Barrett. Cameron published the list on Camworld, and others maintaining similar sites began sending their URLs to him for inclusion on the list. Jesse's 'page of only weblogs' lists the 23 known to be in existence at the beginning of 1999.
Suddenly a community sprang up. It was easy to read all of the weblogs on Cameron's list, and most interested people did. Peter Merholz announced in early 1999 that he was going to pronounce it 'wee-blog' and inevitably this was shortened to 'blog' with the weblog editor referred to as a 'blogger.'
At this point, the bandwagon jumping began. More and more people began publishing their own weblogs. I began mine in April of 1999. Suddenly it became difficult to read every weblog every day, or even to keep track of all the new ones that were appearing. Cameron's list grew so large that he began including only weblogs he actually followed himself. Other webloggers did the same. In early 1999 Brigitte Eaton compiled a list of every weblog she knew about and created the Eatonweb Portal. Brig evaluated all submissions by a simple criterion: that the site consist of dated entries. Webloggers debated what was and what was not a weblog, but since the Eatonweb Portal was the most complete listing of weblogs available, Brig's inclusive definition prevailed.
This rapid growth continued steadily until July 1999 when Pitas, the first free build-your-own-weblog tool launched, and suddenly there were hundreds. In August, Pyra released Blogger, and Groksoup launched, and with the ease that these web-based tools provided, the bandwagon-jumping turned into an explosion. Late in 1999 software developer Dave Winer introduced Edit This Page, and Jeff A. Campbell launched Velocinews. All of these services are free, and all of them are designed to enable individuals to publish their own weblogs quickly and easily.
The original weblogs were link-driven sites. Each was a mixture in unique proportions of links, commentary, and personal thoughts and essays. Weblogs could only be created by people who already knew how to make a website. A weblog editor had either taught herself to code HTML for fun, or, after working all day creating commercial websites, spent several off-work hours every day surfing the web and posting to her site. These were web enthusiasts.
Many current weblogs follow this original style. Their editors present links both to little-known corners of the web and to current news articles they feel are worthy of note. Such links are nearly always accompanied by the editor's commentary. An editor with some expertise in a field might demonstrate the accuracy or inaccuracy of a highlighted article or certain facts therein; provide additional facts he feels are pertinent to the issue at hand; or simply add an opinion or differing viewpoint from the one in the piece he has linked. Typically this commentary is characterized by an irreverent, sometimes sarcastic tone. More skillful editors manage to convey all of these things in the sentence or two with which they introduce the link (making them, as Halcyon pointed out to me, pioneers in the art and craft of microcontent). Indeed, the format of the typical weblog, providing only a very short space in which to write an entry, encourages pithiness on the part of the writer; longer commentary is often given its own space as a separate essay.
These weblogs provide a valuable filtering function for their readers. The web has been, in effect, pre-surfed for them. Out of the myriad web pages slung through cyberspace, weblog editors pick out the most mind-boggling, the most stupid, the most compelling.
But this type of weblog is important for another reason, I think. In Douglas Rushkoff's Media Virus, Greg Ruggerio of the Immediast Underground is quoted as saying, "Media is a corporate possession...You cannot participate in the media. Bringing that into the foreground is the first step. The second step is to define the difference between public and audience. An audience is passive; a public is participatory. We need a definition of media that is public in its orientation."
By highlighting articles that may easily be passed over by the typical web user too busy to do more than scan corporate news sites, by searching out articles from lesser-known sources, and by providing additional facts, alternative views, and thoughtful commentary, weblog editors participate in the dissemination and interpretation of the news that is fed to us every day. Their sarcasm and fearless commentary reminds us to question the vested interests of our sources of information and the expertise of individual reporters as they file news stories about subjects they may not fully understand.
Weblog editors sometimes contextualize an article by juxtaposing it with an article on a related subject; each article, considered in the light of the other, may take on additional meaning, or even draw the reader to conclusions contrary to the implicit aim of each. It would be too much to call this type of weblog "independent media," but clearly their editors, engaged in seeking out and evaluating the "facts" that are presented to us each day, resemble the public that Ruggerio speaks of. By writing a few lines each day, weblog editors begin to redefine media as a public, participatory endeavor.
Now, during 1999 something else happened, and I believe it has to do with the introduction of Blogger itself.
While weblogs had always included a mix of links, commentary, and personal notes, in the post-Blogger explosion increasing numbers of weblogs eschewed this focus on the web-at-large in favor of a sort of short-form journal. These blogs, often updated several times a day, were instead a record of the blogger's thoughts: something noticed on the way to work, notes about the weekend, a quick reflection on some subject or another. Links took the reader to the site of another blogger with whom the first was having a public conversation or had met the previous evening, or to the site of a band he had seen the night before. Full-blown conversations were carried on between three or five blogs, each referencing the other in their agreement or rebuttal of the other's positions. Cults of personality sprung up as new blogs appeared, certain names appearing over and over in daily entries or listed in the obligatory sidebar of "other weblogs" (a holdover from Cam's original list). It was, and is, fascinating to see new bloggers position themselves in this community, referencing and reacting to those blogs they read most, their sidebar an affirmation of the tribe to which they wish to belong.
Why the change? Why so many? I have always suspected that some of the popularity of this form may be a simple desire to emulate the sites of head Pyra kids Ev and Meg. As the creators of Blogger, their charming, witty blogs are their company's foremost advertisement for its most popular product.
More than that, Blogger itself places no restrictions on the form of content being posted. Its web interface, accessible from any browser, consists of an empty form box into which the blogger can type...anything: a passing thought, an extended essay, or a childhood recollection. With a click, Blogger will post the...whatever...on the writer's website, archive it in the proper place, and present the writer with another empty box, just waiting to be filled.
Contrast this with the web interface of Metafilter, a popular community weblog. Here, the writer is presented with three form boxes: the first for the URL of the referenced site, the second for the title of the entry, and the third for whatever commentary the writer would like to add. The Metafilter interface instructs the writer to contribute a link and add commentary; Blogger makes no such demands. Blogger makes it so easy to type in a thought or reaction that many people are disinclined to hunt up a link and compose some text around it.
It is this free-form interface combined with absolute ease of use which has, in my opinion, done more to impel the shift from the filter-style weblog to journal-style blog than any other factor. And there has been a shift. Searching for a filter-style weblog by clicking through the thousands of weblogs listed at weblogs.com, the Eatonweb Portal, or Blogger Directory can be a Sisyphean task. Newcomers would appear to be most drawn to the blog rather than filter style of weblogging.
Certainly, both styles still exist; certainly the particular mixture of links, commentary, and personal observation unique to each individual site has always given each weblog its distinctive voice and personality; and certainly the weblog has always been an infinitely malleable format. But the influx of blogs has changed the definition of weblog from "a list of links with commentary and personal asides" to "a website that is updated frequently, with new material posted at the top of the page." I really wish there were another term to describe the filter-style weblog, one that would easily distinguish it from the blog. On the principle of truth in advertising, this would make it much easier for the adventuresome reader to find the type of weblog he most enjoys.
So, what of the weblog? Is it of interest or importance to anyone who does not produce one? Well, I think it should be.
A filter-style weblog provides many advantages to its readers. It reveals glimpses of an unimagined web to those who have no time to surf. An intelligent human being filters through the mass of information packaged daily for our consumption and picks out the interesting, the important, the overlooked, and the unexpected. This human being may provide additional information to that which corporate media provides, expose the fallacy of an argument, perhaps reveal an inaccurate detail. Because the weblog editor can comment freely on what she finds, one week of reading will reveal to you her personal biases, making her a predictable source. This further enables us to turn a critical eye to both the information and comments she provides. Her irreverent attitude challenges the veracity of the "facts" presented each day by authorities.
Shortly after I began producing Rebecca's Pocket I noticed two side effects I had not expected. First, I discovered my own interests. I thought I knew what I was interested in, but after linking stories for a few months I could see that I was much more interested in science, archaeology, and issues of injustice than I had realized. More importantly, I began to value more highly my own point of view. In composing my link text every day I carefully considered my own opinions and ideas, and I began to feel that my perspective was unique and important.
This profound experience may be most purely realized in the blog-style weblog. Lacking a focus on the outside world, the blogger is compelled to share his world with whomever is reading. He may engage other bloggers in conversation about the interests they share. He may reflect on a book he is reading, or the behavior of someone on the bus. He might describe a flower that he saw growing between the cracks of a sidewalk on his way to work. Or he may simply jot notes about his life: what work is like, what he had for dinner, what he thought of a recent movie. These fragments, pieced together over months, can provide an unexpectedly intimate view of what it is to be a particular individual in a particular place at a particular time.
The blogger, by virtue of simply writing down whatever is on his mind, will be confronted with his own thoughts and opinions. Blogging every day, he will become a more confident writer. A community of 100 or 20 or 3 people may spring up around the public record of his thoughts. Being met with friendly voices, he may gain more confidence in his view of the world; he may begin to experiment with longer forms of writing, to play with haiku, or to begin a creative project--one that he would have dismissed as being inconsequential or doubted he could complete only a few months before.
As he enunciates his opinions daily, this new awareness of his inner life may develop into a trust in his own perspective. His own reactions--to a poem, to other people, and, yes, to the media--will carry more weight with him. Accustomed to expressing his thoughts on his website, he will be able to more fully articulate his opinions to himself and others. He will become impatient with waiting to see what others think before he decides, and will begin to act in accordance with his inner voice instead. Ideally, he will become less reflexive and more reflective, and find his own opinions and ideas worthy of serious consideration.
His readers will remember an incident from their own childhood when the blogger relates a memory. They might look more closely at the other riders on the train after the blogger describes his impressions of a fellow commuter. They will click back and forth between blogs and analyze each blogger's point of view in a multi-blog conversation, and form their own conclusions on the matter at hand. Reading the views of other ordinary people, they will readily question and evaluate what is being said. Doing this, they may begin a similar journey of self-discovery and intellectual self-reliance.
The promise of the web was that everyone could publish, that a thousand voices could flourish, communicate, connect. The truth was that only those people who knew how to code a web page could make their voices heard. Blogger, Pitas, and all the rest have given people with little or no knowledge of HTML the ability to publish on the web: to pontificate, remember, dream, and argue in public, as easily as they send an instant message. We can't seriously compare the creation of the World Wide Web itself with the availability of free technology that allows anyone with a web browser to express their unique, irreproducible vision to the rest of the world...can we?
In September of 2000 there are thousands of weblogs: topic-oriented weblogs, alternative viewpoints, astute examinations of the human condition as reflected by mainstream media, short-form journals, links to the weird, and free-form notebooks of ideas. Traditional weblogs perform a valuable filtering service and provide tools for more critical evaluation of the information available on the web. Free-style blogs are nothing less than an outbreak of self-expression. Each is evidence of a staggering shift from an age of carefully controlled information provided by sanctioned authorities (and artists), to an unprecedented opportunity for individual expression on a worldwide scale. Each kind of weblog empowers individuals on many levels.
So why doesn't every bookmark list contain five weblogs? In the beginning of 1999 it really seemed that by now every bookmark list would. There was a bit of media attention and new weblogs were being created every day. It was a small, quick-growing community and it seemed to be on the edge of a wider awareness. Perhaps the tsunami of new weblogs created in the wake of Pitas and Blogger crushed the movement before it could reach critical mass; the sudden exponential growth of the community rendered it unnavigable. Weblogs, once filters of the web, suddenly became so numerous they were as confusing as the web itself. A few more articles appeared touting weblogs as the next big thing. But the average reader, hopefully clicking through to the Eatonweb portal, found herself faced with an alphabetical list of a thousand weblogs. Not knowing where to begin, she quickly retreated back to ABCnews.com.
I don't have an answer. In our age the single page website of an obscure Turk named Mahir can sweep the web in days. But the unassailable truth is that corporate media and commercial and governmental entities own most of the real estate. Dell manages more webpages than all of the weblogs put together. Sprite's PR machine can point more man-hours to the promotion of one message--"Obey Your Thirst"--than the combined man-hours of every weblogger alive. Our strength--that each of us speaks in an individual voice of an individual vision--is, in the high-stakes world of carefully orchestrated messages designed to distract and manipulate, a liability. We are, very simply, outnumbered.
And what, really, will change if we get weblogs into every bookmark list? As we are increasingly bombarded with information from our computers, handhelds, in-store kiosks, and now our clothes, the need for reliable filters will become more pressing. As corporate interests exert tighter and tighter control over information and even art, critical evaluation is more essential than ever. As advertisements creep onto banana peels, attach themselves to paper cup sleeves, and interrupt our ATM transactions, we urgently need to cultivate forms of self-expression in order to counteract our self-defensive numbness and remember what it is to be human.
We are being pummeled by a deluge of data and unless we create time and spaces in which to reflect, we will be left with only our reactions. I strongly believe in the power of weblogs to transform both writers and readers from "audience" to "public" and from "consumer" to "creator." Weblogs are no panacea for the crippling effects of a media-saturated culture, but I believe they are one antidote.
RE: xoxoxoxo
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Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on March 23, 2005 1:48 AM
This is a story I made up about Natalie Portman:
She was beautiful, just turned 18. No one could look upon this beauty without losing their hearts to her. The grace in which she strode through the streets was that of an ancient goddess's beauteous rival. The way her eyes seemed to devour and take in their own pride. Her smile, majestic and always full of the rays of the everlasting sun shine.
The greatness in which she carried her heart open to the world was alas over shadowed by the cruel game in which fate targeted her with.
18 years before...
"It's a boy." The new mother had heard from the doctor as she held her new pride in her hands just hours before. The tears streaming her eyes as she held close to the darling child. Know everything was right and all was ready to free into the world its new wings.
Only now, something was not right anymore.
The nurse had shown great interest in the child when cleaning him for the first time. Preparing the child for his mother, only when she looked, the question arose high. Was this child truly a boy or was this child a girl?
Nothing seemed to be right. The child had a penis as all boys should, but also had a vagina it seemed. What mistake was this? The nurse thought to herself.
"Dr." she called to him. "You best take a look."
The doctor concerned walked over to the baby while the parents inquired as to the problem in nature.
The look on their faces seemed to spell doom for the happy couple as the doctor carried the child away to another room amidst the mothers "Where are you taking him." "My baby, stop." And "What's happening." cries.
Hours passed until the doctor Rosenberg, Bill T. Had reentered the room where the worried parents sate. He tried to maintain a strong feeling of happiness within his concern when he spoke with the parents.
"What is it doctor?" the father asked.
"Well... first things first." He rubbed his grizzly chin. "You have a daughter. Not a son like we suspected."
"But how..." the mother began.
Cutting her off Rosenberg held up his palm. "Yes, what you saw was a penis." He looked sorrowfully at the wide eyed parents. "You daughter has all the traits a young female should possess. A womb capable of baring children in the future to come, and a very healthy supply of estrogen all women should possess."
The mother and father looked gravely at one another, fear creeping down their spines.
"You daughter was born with a penis." He was always one to let the words come out without daisies flowing around them. "You have a perfectly feminine daughter, but she also inherited a penis and testicals."
"But how is that possible." Said the father nearer and nearer enraged.
"Many possible theories have been made." He said. "Such as, possible it was that she was suppose to have a twin, which did not develop at all except for that small bit upon her. Or maybe just that the sperm had in itself been a misformation that attack the egg. Whatever the case, no one knows truly."
The mother and father broke down weeping in one anothers arms, a feeling a true morbid dread coursing through their bodies.
5 years later
A beautiful little girl came running out with mud all over her little body. Cloths soaked and caked in the dark brown residue.
The orphanages head mistress had come to collect her to bring her before the lovely couple that came to see her for the last time before they finally took her home to complete their life long dream of having their very own child.
His name was Eric Trimble. His wife was Betty Trimble. The Trimble's. All so much love to give, and no egg for a child to give it to. What better than to take an unfortunate child into their home.
They had watched the little girl for the last year every since they came to fill out the forms. They had fallen in love that moment in time when all stood and clouds seem to part only for the sunshine to mark their love forever on that one child.
They had been warned of her misfortune and yet their love seemed to grow more and more for her.
Today she would meet them for the first time...
"Gwen" Said the headmistress as she brought the dirty little child into the room where her future parents waited.
"Gwen..." she stood her before them "These are the Trimble's. They are taking you home with them."
Eric smiled down on the lovely young child, and she found her heart lifting ten feet in the air as she gave it back just to jump into his arms, falling in love with her father to be.
"She almost never warms up so quickly." The headmistress mused in slight surprise.
"You will be so happy with us dear." Said Betty Trimble.
She smiled at her mother to be with a very nervous mood, but looked again into Eric Trimble's eyes and smiled with pure warmth as if they had been together forever.
"Let's take you home." He said as he lifted her into his arms and hugged her mud caked body to his.
"Little Dru down the street will love having her to play with." Mused Betty Trimble. "I know they will be such friends."
2 years later.
A sad child of 7 years lay beside Betty Trimble's weakening form. Watching her mother fade away.
Eric had wept so long his eyes had tears no more to give, but only had the strength to kneel beside his dying wife and his sad daughter.
"You have to care for each other." She said weakly.
"Don't talk." Eric said in a breaking voice.
"Care for each other... " She said again. "Promise me."
"I promise mama." Gwen said with a shaken throat and tear stained eyes. "I promise."
Betty died later that day with her husband and daughter. Along with their hearts, she did.
For the years to come, they were alone.
11 years later,
Today.
"Papa!" She called from the door way as she entered the freshly cleaned house her father built years before. "Papa! I'm home!"
School had just begun again and she was looking forward to today. The day she finally turns 18, and was half legal to the world. Still couldn't drink or do something's, but she had extra freedom and it felt so damned good.
"Papa!" she called again, annoyed.
The scar under her eye was finally fading some to her happiness as she peered into the hallway mirror.
She had fallen in love time and time before and it always ended with a strange goodbye because of her appendage.
The last one however did not give her a soft goodbye, but rather a hard one. His words menacing as he called her dirty names like "faggot" and "freak" while his fists did the more intellectual talking for him.
When Eric found out about it, he found himself in jail for three nights after taking business onto himself for the deed done cheap.
No one hit his pride and joy and got away with it. Those few nights in jail were worth every moment of the beating he gave to his daughters assailant. He would have proudly done life if he could have just killed to stupid little fucker.
He was showering when Gwen got home and heard her calling him. He just savored hearing her exotic Latin flavored voice calling him "papa" like she always did. The word always seemed to drive his heart wild.
"Papa!" The door opened and there was Gwen at the entrance. "Can't you hear me."
He laughed and peered out from behind the curtain.
"Happy birthday sweetheart." He smiled.
His smile always seemed to lift her spirits when she was down, and while not. The love behind it was ultimately real and wonderful. It was the love she'd come to depend on as a child when those who knew about her "problem" decided to laugh.
"Can Dru come stay the night, papa?" She asked giving back a smile of her own.
"I guess." He said, not sure he wanted that.
" 'I guess' " she mocked his voice. "I swear, I don't know why you always get so quite when we talk about her."
"Neither do I." He said.
"I'm gonna go call her over. Thanks daddy." She lifted a little and left.
Daddy he thought. For word she used only when he did something really nice for her to appreciate.
He never had anything against Drusilla Moore. For she was a wonderful girl and always kind to her neighbors and friends. Only a little too kind to him on more than one occasion.
He would not have felt so guilty had he waited to bed her at a legal age, but she was so beautiful he could not resist when she came over and seduced him numerous times before. She was goddess in herself with blonde hair and blue eyes. The perfect 10 in his book.
Actually a 9 if Gwen was put into that book. To him, his little Gwen was always the object of his affection. He knew thinking about her sexually was wrong in most respects, but her beauty and the closeness they shared was far to great to ignore.
The night would be long he thought to himself as he reached for his swelling member and began to stroke himself softly and sensuously, day dreaming of his adopted daughter. The word adopted only came to mind when he was dreaming this way. It was his way of justifying it.
He even found himself ashamed of having fantasies about her cock. The whole idea always struck him as arousing lately... my daughters cock he thought as the cum swelled up. I'd fuck my daughters pussy then suck her cock!
With a great release he left his stain on the wall, one to be cleaned of course.
LATER THAT EVENING
The party had been a hit for the girls. Eric had even allowed the two of them and their friends to drink beers tonight with the vow that no one find out. He understood being a teenager and would never condone alcoholic abuse, but he felt a pull of generosity for this night alone.
He never thought he'd be glad and grateful for a drunk daughter, because when she was almost dying to the world, Drusilla just had to mention his cock and fucking him to everyone.
Thank god everyone is drunk. He breathed relentlessly.
He even got a surprise from all the girls as some admitted that they found him to be cute and said that they would fuck him
What a surprise for him, only the one problem was that most were still 17 and too young. The ones that were old enough were not attractive enough to him.
Drusilla and Gwen had fallen asleep in the bathroom. He thought this was it because he saw them go in and didn't seem to be anywhere else.
To his own surprise, he had walked in slowly to find his daughters cock in her best friends mouth.
Drusilla was sucking off his own daughter. He was shocked, disgusted, turned on, and jealous.
Gwen had a rather small, but beautiful cock. He thought. I am not gay but that is a nice cock she has.
He watched as his baby girl, freshly 18 gyrated her hips into the face of the girl he had been fucking for a while.
"Ooooh Dru." She moaned. "God yes, I love how you suck my cock."
"mmmmm" was all Dru said as she let her hot breath swim over the now wet prick of her friend.
"Fuck!" Gwen said aloud.
Dru pulled off her friends cock and began stroking it. Taunting her friend as she licked the head and occasionally probed her darling friends pussy.
"You wish your daddy was doing this?" She breathed to Eric's surprise.
"Tell me." She coxed her friend.
"Tell me, Gwen. How you want your papa to fuck you, to suck you, to ride you, how you dream day and night of sucking his cock."
These words had a strong affect on Gwen, causing her to buck wildly at her friends hands.
Drusilla arose and bent over the bathroom sink, her ass pointed at the cock of my daughter.
"Fuck me you little slut." She moaned with venom dripping from her lips. "Fuck me like you wanna fuck your daddy."
Gwen needed no invitation from her friend. She quickly pushed her stiff prick into her best friends rear.
Eric knew that Dru had some strange fixation with oral sex and getting fucked in the ass. Lord knows how many times she had him do it. But to imagine his daughters cock invading the same territory his own did, caused him to stir.
"You wish I was him don't you!" She hissed.
"Ooooh god Dru!!!" My daughter panted as she lay on her lovers back, bucking her hips into the tight channel.
"Tell me, or you'll never fuck me again!" Dru cried out.
"No... please!" Gwen moaned.
Eric could not tare himself away from this scene, he wanted to know if his daughter had dreams of fucking him like that.
"TELL ME!"
He felt his own hand resting on his cock. Breathlessly waiting to hear the words he longed to hear.
"TELL ME!!"
Gwen was near, her orgasm tingling inside of her.
Eric knew what her orgasm were like from a pervious doctors appointment when she was questioned about her masturbation habits. She admitted that cumming from one appendage meant cumming from the other at the same time.
"TELL ME!!!"
"Please!" His daughter squealed, her balls tingling to let go inside her nasty friends asshole.
"TELL ME NOW!!!!!!"
"YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS" Gwen screamed. "I wanna fuck my daddy! I wanna fuck his ass. I wanna suck his cock!"
Drusilla lost in that familiar look of pure bliss as her body shoot in orgasm, her lover friends words melting her body.
"I want him to fuck my pussy!" Gwen kept going as her cock started to expand inside Dru's ass. "I want him to suck my cock. I want to have his baby! I wanna marry my father!!! I WANT TO FUCK MY PAPA!!!"
With that the girls screamed and let loose a great tidal wave of cum surging every which way in their bodies. His daughters cock pumping gallon after gallon in Dru's hole. Their laughter and moans echoing through the bathroom walls, causing Eric to cum himself inside his pants as his eyes stayed glued in total surprise.
Marry?
To be continued.
Last words from the other for this our story takes stop.
I do plan to finish writing the Amazon Journals, worry not. I've only just been greatly inspired, thus I shall have to write both stories.
This work of fiction is based of real words spoken. I do appreciate feedback, so please let me know what you think. Should you have ideas, share and I'll do my best to make them come alive. Thank you.
RE: REpart2: Making sweet love to Natalie Portman
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Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on March 31, 2005 9:33 AM
Dr. Who Cares?
by taterbait 2005-03-30 23:01:50
Not me Back
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FIRST
by EARTH 2005-03-30 23:02:14
FIRST Back
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Are we gonna get in on BBC America?
by Human Worm Baby 2005-03-30 23:03:07
I want to see the freaking Doctor. Back
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Running out of regenerations!
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-30 23:08:59
This actually sucks! I've seen the first episode and was surprised to say that I enjoyed it, and particularly the characterisation of The Doctor. I'm eager to see more of the series. For him to bow out saying he's afraid of being typecast, all I can say is "DUH"! EVERYONE who has ever played the part has been typecast. You'd have to be a frickin' idiot not to realise this after 40 years of the show being around. He's either a total moron, or he's holding out for more money. Either way, he's a jerk. I like his work, but for doing this - he's a total sod. Back
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What? OH MY GOD!?
by Krangelus 2005-03-30 23:14:24
i wonder why he wouldnt do the second season? does this make any sense to anyone because right now i am positively freaking out. Back
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The guy probably had a dream about...
by Stan the Bat 2005-03-30 23:19:44
...doing Old Navy commercials with William Shatner forty years from now, woke up in a cold sweat, and made the call. Back
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Yes, we will be getting Dr. Who in America. It will be called Dr. Whoop, There It Is! It will air on UPN.
by voicebox5 2005-03-30 23:26:10
Back
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Oh for pity sakes!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-30 23:39:12
I don't believe this happening! IS Eccelston some kind of idiot?!?!?!?! Back
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pretty quick Herc.
by proper 2005-03-30 23:49:06
The BBC are stupid,they should put anybody playing that role under a 3 year contact that can be exterminated at their discretion.It will be interesting to see who they pick next though.I reckon he quit because he is scared and freaked out over the reaction over the past couple of days,but seriously what did he expect,the selfish coward.Wow,what a way to ruin the party. Back
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He would forever be knowen...
by Drworm2002 2005-03-30 23:50:59
...as the Dr. I can understand why he feels this way...but if he is a good actor then he will get other roles even if he was the Dr. for 10 years. Shatner is funny, but he is Kirk...Hooker or a studpid funny version of himself... Eccelston is more then a Sod...he is a bloody sod (I am american in case you didn't notice. Did I use that right?) Back
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ok, but are they keeping the blonde?
by punto 2005-03-30 23:58:22
she's hot Back
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Not good for the story...
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 00:00:05
The Doctor is only supposed to have thirteen regenerations, and this was his ninth. The thirteenth is technically taken, too, as it is the Valeyard from the Trial of A Timelord series. So really, the Doctor has regenerations 10, 11, and 12 available to him. I'm sure they can script their way out of this corner, but it's a really shoddy thing for the actor to step aside knowing that the character has a limited number of easy excuses for new actors in the role. Back
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Replace him with no regeneration
by xeeds 2005-03-31 00:09:13
I don't know if they can find somebody whose appearance is close enough to Eccelston, but I say get somebody else to play the 9th Doctor. Keep the same clothes and mannerisms and just pretend its the same Doctor. Like getting a new Darrin on Bewitched. Back
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Might not happen
by Wyrdy the Gerbil 2005-03-31 00:31:35
Eccelston said a few weeks ago he was afraid of being typecast but that he really enjoyed doing Dr Who(must have as he picked up a new girlfriend on set) ive a feeling this is just someone rehashing old news stories ... Back
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Say, don't the Time Lords owe the Doc a regeneration?
by Eternal Watcher 2005-03-31 00:32:34
During the final episode of "The War Games", the Second Doctor was banished to Earth by the Time Lords (who didn't understand the need to interfere for the common good back then), and they forced him to take a new form (Jon Pertwee). That might guarantee a 14th Doctor if it comes to that, or they get another Time Lord to take over. Hopefully, it will never come to that, but at least we know having the Doctor on the BBC was a good idea. If only they could bring back MST 3000. Back
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Not A Surprise!
by Ken Luxury Yacht 2005-03-31 00:46:08
Not ever been a fan of Ecclestons (and have a friend who positively hates him in everything) but I'd have to say, this is the least surprising thing I've heard in a while. Having seen and heard him on several radio and TV shows in the last few weeks, he has come across as a joyless little fuckwit, who clearly sees the role beneath him. To announce this after just one episode has screened just proves his contempt for the role. I say Shirley Ghostman for the next Doctor! Back
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ive calmed down now
by Krangelus 2005-03-31 00:48:26
and i sort of understand why he would do this. When he signed up for it he probably thought he was getting into a hardcore sci fi cool show, instead of some family sci fi crap. (its not bad family sci fi crap, but still...) Back
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Not suprising, he is after all a real film actor, not some wannabe from 'Enders or some other crap.
by Grando 2005-03-31 01:18:01
Also, wouldn't it technically be a 28th season? Back
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bring back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:27:13
I've been thinking about this since this morning when I read the news on GallifreyOne(dotcom) that the Beeb had announced they'd renewed WHO after the strong showing of the first episode. Considering the Doctor's character only has 5 more regenerations, I'd say the Beeb should do the safe thing and invite McGann back. Although it has never been done before in WHO, there has to be some way to degenerate the Doctor from his 9th to 8th incarnations, whether it is through a genetically modified strain of spectrox toxemia, or some type of Time Lord ingenuity. They could also explain that the 9th Doctor is actually an "nth" Doctor, a personification of a future self manifest in the flesh, sorta like how the "Watcher" was or even the diabolical Valeyard. Somehow the Doctor's self became split right before the 9th Doc showed up and they have to be merged again...or the 9th Doctor becomes unstable, the TARDIS returns to Gallifrey and the Time Lord High Council uses some type of machine (connected to the Matrix) to bring the Doc back to his last stable self, being the 8th Doctor. That would be a good FX shot...the 9th laying on a table in a medical facility, regressing into his prior selves and then finally settle on McGann. Pretty much the entire fan community liked McGann whether they liked the 1996 TV Movie or not. Its time to give him another shot so he's not the George Lazenby of Doctor Who. Make it so, Russell T and the Beeb. Back
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Grando
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:30:22
Its like Volume 2: Season 2. Otherwise, yes, it would be Season 28. Or 29, if you count the fact that the original Season 27 had finished scripts but unfortunately for the staff, the BBC didn't renew the series in 1990. I h8 how the Brits refer to it as "Series 2" instead of referring to it as a "season," which makes more sense. A "Series 2" should in the grand scheme a new program(me), like the difference between the original Star Trek and TNG... Back
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David Tennant is in talks for the role.
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 01:47:51
David Tennant is the one the BBC is talking to, meaning this would definitely be the 10th Doctor. At this point, I'd almost accept the degeneration idea- Bring back McGann (or hell, any of the previous four Doctors) and have them resume the role. I know a lot of fans didn't like Sylvester McCoy, but I thought he was a good Doctor- Of course, I also liked the Colin Baker version of the mean, bitchy 6th Doctor, whom EVERYBODY hated. They could always pull a Star Wars trick- as with Ewan McGreggor playing the younger Obi Wan- and get an actor to play a younger version of the Pertwee Doctor (the one "owed" to him). I do wonder how they'll resolve the Valeyard situation, though, as he's due to become the Valeyard (or split off into the Valeyard, anyway) in just a few regenerations. It's something he's been fighting ever since the 6th, and there has been no change in the fact that the Valeyard WILL exist, to my knowledge. Back
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Because it's only uphill after a huge sci-fi role! Just ask Denise Crosby!
by Robert_G_Durant 2005-03-31 01:52:39
Who passes something like this up? He got a hit series! Absolutely ridiculous. I really enjoyed the first episode. It's fun, and just hokey enough to be worthy of the name of Doctor Who laughs, without being full-on embarassing. I'll second bringing back McGann. Back
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did the doctor go back in time to play an april fools joke?
by Fantomex 2005-03-31 01:54:55
hmm Back
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you mean he went forward in time for April Fool's
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:16:27
It ain't April 1st in the UK yet. Back
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BWA-HA-HA! Denise Crosby...
by Commando Cody 2005-03-31 02:19:44
Yeah, THERE was a brilliant career move. Hope she enjoyed hosting and interviewing assorted Trek cast members in TREKKIES 2 where you just know the invisible thought balloon over her head must've continually been "FUCK! 7 years guaranteed pay for simply showing up! Paid appearances for years to come! Royalty checks I could've wipe my butt with for a lifetime! Note to self: kick own ass, then fire your agent and manager AGAIN!" Back
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The_ZeroCorpse
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:20:52
A Young Pertwee? If the Beeb wanted to do that, they could just hire (the late) Jon Pertwee's son - Sean Pertwee. The guy looks like his father and sounds just like him too. He's going bald though...err, thinning. He played the pilot in "Event Horizon." That's probably the role he would be most familiar to American audiences...that or the film "Blue Juice," about British wanna be surfers with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ewan McGregor. Come to think of it, he was also "Father" in Equilibrium. Back
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Bring Back McGann, Bring Back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:22:33
Say with me, brethren...bring back McGann. And post it also on the BBC's own website....(www.bbc.co.uk and click the "talk" button at the top of the page...post in television). I'd recommend Outpost Gallifrey's forums, but they are being azzes and prohibit any accounts using web-based email. Back
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if there'd been a simple contract...
by Demosthenes2 2005-03-31 02:37:32
it could've saved us all this trouble and annoyance. God knows we probably wouldn't have had more than 12 episodes of Buffy if SMG didn't have a 7year contract. 13 episodes though is simply not enough time for a new regeneration, it's strange. Back
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Time Lords and the Valeyard
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:38:23
The Time Lords could always bestow the Doctor with more regenerations. They offered the same to the Master in "The Five Doctors" special...and I think they've dangled the offer to the Doctor before, or alluded to it. It would be a cop-out plot wise, and that's why I thought about the degeneration idea of mine. Plus, if McGann were to retake the role, it would be an easier sell to the SciFi Network, since they still have the repeat rights to the 1996 Film and they are supposed to be airing it again this month in the usual 3am timeslot. There's even a way to bring McGann's 8th Doctor back into the fold without degeneration...the 9th Doctor has become unstable, so the Time Lords pluck the 8th Doctor out of his own timeline (like they did with the elder Doctors in "The Three Doctors" and "The Five Doctors" to allow them to co-exist together) to fulfill whatever secret mission the 9th Doctor had assigned to him...with the 8th given the task of fixing his later version...some type of quest...give the series to McGann for three or four years, then ask Eccleston if he'd like it back again, and if not, have him film a regeneration scene to bring on the 10th Doctor at that point. As for the Valeyard, if memory serves me correctly, he was the personification of evil within the Doctor (that had been suppressed in his final life) and was battling to exist by stealing the rest of the remaining lives from the 6th Doctor. I believe the books tried to explain that the 6th Doctor was flawed due to the effects of the spectrox toxemia that killed the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) and the Doctor's internal self essentially offed himself to make way for a more stable 7th Doctor. The 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) became shadowy/mysterious/sinister in Season 26 and in the books became "Time's Champion"...However, after spending so many years fixing things, he became depressed, and accepted the assignment to cart the Master's remains back to Gallifrey (which began the events of the 1996 telefilm) knowing full well it would be his last adventure...although I doubt he knew he'd die at the hands of the American Medical Association. Feel free to correct me since I've only read a couple of the books since I feel the whole "expanded universe" is non-canon, although "The Eight Doctors" was a good read. I understand "Lungbarrow" was good too, although that shouldn't count as non-canon since it was at the base level an unproduced script for Season 27. I can't remember which script it was where the 7th Doctor was to use the Key to Time to reboot the entire universe and the series would end and instantly start over as the "new series" (or movie) that Amblin Entertainment was to co-produce with the BBC. Back
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too much work...sigh
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:42:56
I couldn't believe the excuse Eccleston used...that it was too grueling to work on Doctor Who. They're only doing 13 episodes a season....whereas most successful American shows involve 22-26 episodes a season. Fox/Universal/BBC signed McGann to a five year contract that was binding if Fox had picked up the series...and that would've been for 22 episodes per season. Hell, its one thing to complain about the duration of a series if the actor is David Duchovny who worked on The X-Files for a good 7 years at 22 episodes per season, and then "pulled a David Caruso" to get off the show, and its another thing to complain about doing 13 episodes for one season... And in other news, PopBitch is reporting that Ewan McGregor is dating Billie (Rose) Piper. Back
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Gruelling
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 03:09:42
I was initially surprised by this since Eccleston seemed to enjoy being the Doctor, but on second thoughts it is entirely consistent with Eccleston's character. He says that he enjoys doing the unexpected and took Doctor Who for the challenge of doing an extended shoot over a period of months for an episodic TV series - something he had never done before. Working with Davies again was the clincher. So now that he has succeeded at that challenge he feels no need to do it again and move on to something different. It may only have been 13 episodes but it was an eight month shoot - just as long as shooting a 22 episode season in America would take. Oh, and I seriously doubt if Ewan is dating Billie since he seems genuinely happily married and defends his family to the hilt. Back
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Hugh Grant or Paul McGann! All-star Doc!
by Barrymore 2005-03-31 03:13:55
Why not do a different super-star Doctor Who each year? Maybe Hugh Grant or Richard E. Grant or Paul McGann or Colin Firth or Colin Ferrell? Each season, reel in a big-time star to be the Doctor--surely these guys could each take a few months to film a season of the world's favorite time traveller! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:16:47
I don't think it's exhaustion that has driven him out of the role, it is the fear of being typecast. Doctor Who is huge in Britain, even after doing just one season, 'Doctor Who' will be on his tombstone. He took this job to change his image and work again with someone he admired (Russell T Davies). It doesn't seem to have been that great a shock to the production team. As to running out of regenerations, that isn't a problem. He's got four left and then he can easily be given a new regeneration cycle by some plot device. It's not a problem. Eccleston might be back for the Christmas special and then regenerate. Ah well, this David Tennant guy is apparently a fan and has been in quite a few Doctor Who audio plays. Back
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yes, we are surely entering a new golden age of British Sci-Fi
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 03:24:34
when the new Dr Who announces his intention to quit after 13 episodes... Back
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God I hate April first (and thereabouts) on the net...
by JackBurton 2005-03-31 03:25:30
Can't trust anything that gets posted anywhere a day either side of it. We'll see if this is still news in a couple of days or so, until then I choose not to believe anything without some hard core evidence. Back
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Also
by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:26:41
He also left Cracker early in the second series. He isn't an actor looking for a big defining role, he's just looking for interesting work before moving onto the next job. I don't think he was surprised by the tone of the series. It is exactly as Russell T Davies said it would be eighteen months ago. He also did quite a lot of interviews which apparently he refuses to do if he doesn't like something he was in. Though he was always clear in saying he hadn't decided whether to do a second series. Ironically, maybe the huge audience for the first show pursauded him to jump ship before he was stuck with the Doctor Who tag. Back
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Wolf at the door
by kwisatzhaderach 2005-03-31 03:36:56
Don't comment on things that you have absolutely no idea or information about. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 03:46:42
Hey, I stated that PopBitch was the one reporting of the McGregor/Piper connection...I wouldn't speculate as to how accurate they are, but it sure is entertaining reading the things the celebrities supposedly do that even the tabloids won't even write. Like all the stuff the Killers supposedly did in Japan just recently...I don't s'pose ex Sec. of State James Baker is a fan of them. Heh... Back
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That was predictable...
by Charlie & Tex 2005-03-31 04:02:05
...get a hot, up-and-coming serious actor who had numerous offers set before him and then try and tie him down to what was almost-certainly going to be a long-running series that takes about 10 months to shoot each year. He probably thought that the new series would go down like a lead balloon and just spend 10 months building up his profile even further, before going off to get more "serious" work. Colin Baker is now no longer the "Timothy Dalton" of the Doctor Who world. It would be nice if they could persuade Paul McGann to return, but the Beeb will be so afraid to tamper with anything that made the first bloody episode of the new series so popular (the show could still bomb after the initial curiosity value has died down) that the replacement for the next series will be a carbon-copy of Eccleston, complete with northern accent & drab leather jacket. Oh well... Back
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So it's good news...bad news ?
by RobinP 2005-03-31 04:11:27
Great - a second season. Crap - no Eccleston. He brought something new to the character. I haven't seen the Casanova series that his rumored replacement stars in - not my bag, man. Back
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Regenerations
by Samson_K 2005-03-31 04:48:58
Can we just forget all about the regenerations of the Doctor??? Please! It will not be an issue because this new series, whilst, acknowledging that this is the Ninth Doctor - won't be too wrapped up in continuity so that they start worrying about what happens in four actors time!!! I believe that the phrase used has been 'mythology not continuity'. Let's face it didn't Brain of Morbius have sequences of supposed earleir Doctor regenerations in one scene? It doesn't matter. As for Ecclestons decisions - well, before this he was moaning about how no-one ever gives him the chance to do something funny or light and now he gets his chance - does a relatively good job of it and then leaves fearing he'll be typecast? He was typecast before! I think that this will damage potential ratings for the second series! Yes it is the second series not season! However, David Tennant would be a good enough choice I suppose! Back
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MARK GATISS
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 04:50:53
And bring back the eccentric wardrobe. Not to say that I don't like Eccleston's approach, I do. Back
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Chiwetel Ejiofor
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 04:53:58
Would be my preferred choice, but David Tennant would be great. He was superb in Blackpool. Unfortunately I don't have digital TV so if anyone has the chance please watch the live performance of Quatermass on BBC4 on Saturday and report back here. Tennant is in it as well as Mark Gatiss who would surely jump at the chance to play the Doctor. I'd love to know how well they both perform in a sci-fi piece (which could effectively be an audition for Doctor Who). And lynxpro, I know that it was popbitch making the reports about Ewan, but if you believe that it isn't true then why repeat it here? Back
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Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 05:07:45
Where is it determined in lore that the doctor can only have so many regenerations. Sorry, I'm not a big fan, but I love T Davies, and really enjoyed the first episode. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:25:10
You asked why I repeated something I read from PopBitch whether or not I believe it. Well, I don't believe the person who submitted a review of Star Wars Episode III actually saw the movie, but it didn't stop me from commenting on the speculation! Heh. Back
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"Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose"
by Grando 2005-03-31 05:26:20
Did I miss a porno cut of the first episode? ;) Back
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ChorleyFM
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:30:23
Its been established for some time in the series that a Time Lord only can regenerate 12 times, meaning they have a total of 13 lives. The concept has been expanded a bit that this process is done using nanotechnology and that the Time Lord must be in close proximity with their TARDIS to be able to accomplish this, or on Gallifrey. Its been alluded to in a couple of episodes that the Time Lord High Council has the authority and power to bestow extra regenerations upon certain Time Lords. As for Russell T. being selective with continuity, well, we'll see which has the true posterity. The original series ran 26 seasons. His current production has 13 episodes. And WHO doesn't end just because sometime down the road there's a disagreement and the BBC asks him to leave the production. Back
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@kwisatzhaderach
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 05:43:20
i merely noted that eccleston had announced his intention to quit after 13 episodes. it's all over the papers and the BBC this morning. so i'm curious: exactly which part of my post do you claim was inaccurate? hell, with a username like 'kwisatzhaderach' you should have seen this coming, right? hahaha, they've only screened one episode and already the new Dr Who is circling the drain... Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:03:14
The one thing the series is not doing is circling the drain. Yes, loosing the new Doctor after just one and a bit seasons is bad, but it is a knock the series can, and most likely will, survive. Everyone is familiar with the concept of The Doctor regenerating. It'll just have to happen earlier than expected. Back
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Drworm2002, you got it right
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 06:17:04
He IS a bloody sod. Why take on such an iconic role and then bleat about typecasting after one episode is shown? One of the strengths of the first four Doctors was how often we saw them during their tenures, consolidating viewer affection for them over a period of many years (although Hartnell and Troughton only did 3 years each, they were on on screens virtually all year round). Recent Doctors have barely had chance to say hello and then they're gone again. Personally though, I'm not surprised by Eccleston's decision and in fact, secretly pleased. His Doctor is too rooted in contemporary culture. He uses modern slang, looks like he's just walked in off the street and as for his northen accent! WTF? (I speak with a northern accent by the way, but as I come from the North of England, not Gallifrey, that's allowed). The Doctor really should speak with a "neutral" accent, dress like an eccentric, (not a shaven haired yob) and be played by someone willing to give it a good run. If only the 8th Doctor could wake up in a shower to find the "Rose" had all been a (bad) dream. Back
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Perhaps Eccleston realised watching it
by elab49 2005-03-31 06:24:39
That although he is IMO the best actor to play the role - he isn't the best actor for the role. And the awful mugging and general lack of comfort in the role - like an ACTOR's! idea of how to play quirky - was the weakest link in the pilot. Tennant would be fascinating - my favourite role of his was his, I think, TV debut as an inmate in a lunatic asylum (Takin over the Asylum - never repeated never released :( ). Spellbinding performance (along with Ken Stott). He can certainly do arrogant and quirky. Back
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I sent the story and link to Herc...
by Agent Alonzo 2005-03-31 06:33:38
Therefore my internet penis is bigger than all yours... Unless you sent in the story as well, then we must share the glory of the girth... *cough* Anyhoo, Eccleston is being a cock, no doubt. The BBC site has a page with the actors linked with the role http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4396295.stm hope that works within the talkback formatting. I hope they go with an older doctor, either Bill Nighy or Richard E Grant could do sometihng funny and interesting with the role... Back
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You're being spun
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 06:35:33
Eccleston was always going to leave after the first series. Planned by Russell T Davies, who wants to get a regenration in soon, to sell that concept to the new audience. The reason it's come out now is to spoil the announcement of Ant And Dec's spoiler that they'll be interviewing Tony Blair against the "Dalek" episode, and the mention of Tennant's name is to give added publicity to Russell T Davies' Casonova, starting its BBC1 run this week starring Tennant. Back
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Quatermass, Quatermass!!!! Just thought i'd get that in....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 06:58:33
I tend to agree with RichJohnstone though...sounds a plausable idea. Lame excuse about typecasting though! It's Dr Fricking Who for fucks sake!!!!!! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:59:16
There may be something in this being somewhat planned. The first season finale apparently ends on a cliffhanger with the Doctor seemingly dead. I don't think they wanted this announced on the same day the second series and Christmas Special was announced. They were forced into it by The Sun running it on the front cover of today's paper. It's still a mistake to cast a guy who was always wavering over a second season. Back
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Quatermass?
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 07:33:01
New revived version on Saturday, BBC4. BTW, this is Rich Johnston from Lying In The Gutters. This is not speculation. I know what I'm talking about here. The Sun played along with this. It's a spoiler for Ant And Dec's big announcement, and timed perfectly for Casanova. They didn't cast a guy who was wavering over a second series. This was the original plan. Tell you what, I'll blog it and send a link to Herc! Back
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"Lame excuse about typecasting though!"
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 07:49:22
uh, no. not really. it's not like anyone remembers Tom Baker for anything else, and Jon Pertwee's only other memorable role was Worzel fucking Gummmidge. the only one who managed to escape typecasting as Dr Who was Peter Davidson, and that's cause he already had a track record for playing similar characters in other BBC dreck. Back
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Quatermass not only revived - but doing it live as well!
by elab49 2005-03-31 08:08:36
And, oddly, starring David Tennant. Bit incestuous round here at the moment. Isn't part of the timing down to the announcement of the 2nd series? I mean - why on earth are the Beeb signing off after ratings for the comeback epi which were always going to be artificially high and possibly unsustainable? Back
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My only regret about this
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:21:16
Is that now we won't get a "3 Doctors" episode with McCoy, McGann and Eccleston. But maybe I can hope for a "4 Doctors" episode in the third series (in British terminology) of the new run, if there is one. The announcement itself may well be designed to overshadow the announcement of Tony Blair appearing on Ant & Dec but Ant & Dec won't be up against the Dalek episode. The Dalek episode is episode 6, I believe, and Ant & Dec only have 3 episodes left in their run. So unless they have Tony Blair on the show the Saturday before the election in a special edition I don't think the Blair interview will be up against the Dalek episode. If they did that I'm not sure if it would comply with the "balanced coverage" rules during an election campaign unless they also interview Howard and Kennedy. And lynxpro, I apologise for getting carried away earlier. I hope it did not seem as if I was criticising you personally. I just have a bugbear about unsubstantiated gossip about peoples private lives, celebrities or otherwise. Jamies School Dinners recently showed how harmful such gossip can be. I have no problem with people commenting on rumours about movies which may or may not be true, such as the "fake" Star Wars review. Of course you have every right to comment on that. But peoples private lives are a very different matter. We agree that popbitch reported a rumour about Ewan and Billie which may or may not be true (and, let's face it, that can be said about anything). Where we disagree is about the ethics of passing on these rumours and spreading gossip. I hope that we can agree to disagree about this and prove that minor disagreements in Talkbacks do not inevitably have to result in petty name-calling, because you certainly do make some good points about McGann. I had wanted McGann to continue as the Doctor but was pleased when Eccleston was announced as the Doctor because he's one of my favourite actors. But I can see why they would want a fresh start to distance the new series from the poorly-received TV movie. And creating some reason to go back a regeneration would seem unlikely since this new show wants to make sense to new viewers without getting bogged down in continuity. Going back a regeneration sounds too complicated for that. But so might my "3 Doctors" idea, so I may have to live with never getting to see that. The main reason I wanted that was to formalise McGann into the canon to end the tiresome debates over whether he was a "proper" incarnation or not. Back
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Pass this around...
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:26:48
Pass this around... http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/twistblog And Davies says McGann was a proper incarnation. Back
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Brain of Morbius regenrations
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:27:49
It was never clear if those shown were early Doctors or Morbiuss... Morbiuses?... Morbii? Back
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Good idea Chris!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:31:32
FAR better to be thought of as "That dick who only played DOCTOR WHO for a year" than "That actor who was in DOCTOR WHO for a couple of years..." Dick. Back
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Oh well....
by Kid Z 2005-03-31 08:38:33
... time for another Time Lord regeneration... Back
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RichJohnston
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:47:03
Is the twistblog fact or opinion? Because it all seems very plausible and if Ejiofor became the new Doctor then I would be very happy. But the moment I saw Tennant I thought "he'd make a great Doctor". Are you saying that he *definitely* won't be the next Doctor or is this purely your opinion? Back
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I don't think it's an "April Fool's" joke
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 08:53:19
That was the first thing that came to mind, but I forgot about 31 days in March. In the UK it's the 31st still (and was when the news hit). Well, at least Colin Baker won't be remembered as the Doctor with the shortest run in the role. I kind of like the idea of a "degeneration" back to McGann. He'd like it, as he might be able to keep his short hair. It'd be good for the franchise, as they could claim that although Eccleston was the 9th Doctor, but due to the degeneration, a different 9th Doctor could be regenerated due to the different nature of that particular regeneration. And (for the record) The Valeyard is NOT the 13th Doctor, but a manifestation of the darker side of the Doctor's persona - somewhere BETWEEN his 12th and 13th bodies (from Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe). So we can still have 13 actors in the role before figuring out what the heck to do. Back
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MARK HEAP
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 08:58:19
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It's not purely my opinion
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:59:15
It's fluid. But the Tennant thing as a red herring is slightly less fluid. David will probably be The Doctor. But maybe not quite yet. Back
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Come back, Paul! Come back!
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:00:52
I have to echo the sentiments expressed here about Christopher Eccleston's douchebagness (douchebagiosity?). To up and bail on such a legendary role (and after the airing of the first new episode in sixteen years no less) is the behavior of a total prat. Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy would have loved to do another season as the Doctor, and Paul McGann never received the chance to do an actual series, only "seasons" of Eighth Doctor audio adventures for Big Finish Productions. I don't know if McGann is willing to film new televised adventures of the Eighth Doctor, but I think there's an opportunity here to go back a regeneration and let McGann have his season. Instead of filming a regeneration sequence from Ninth to Tenth Doctors, the Christmas special could simply be an Eighth and Ninth Doctor team-up and Rose could end up leaving with the Eighth Doctor instead. Back
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Sigh
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 09:07:47
He has not "up and bailed" on anyone. Back
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Wow, Quatermass back!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHH!!! Canny wait!!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 09:19:35
Thank god i've got Freeview (and its not often you'll hear me say that). But why stick it on the artsy fartsy BBC4 channel. Actually, has anyone watched an entire prog on that channel?? Come on...be honest. Back
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Ejiofor won't be Doctor Who
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 09:36:20
Not because he is black, but because he has no need to. He is fast becomming one of the biggest young actors in Hollywood, why would he want to work on British TV (even with Davies at the helm). Unless he really loves Doctor Who he will not be going back to British TV, maybe a big US show sooner or later, but not a British show. That said he is a brilliant actor, and to follow Eccleston you need a brilliant actor. Thanks lynxpro. And I sent a link to Herc as well at 1.00am GMT. Back
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McGann was the 8th Doctor
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 09:44:20
After all, he did regenerate from the 7th Doctor ON-SCREEN. What proof do we have that Eccleston isn't an imposter? Maybe the Christmas special could feature McGann finally catching up with pseudo-Doc Eccleston, twatting him one and grabbing his TARDIS back. Back
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Drawing conclusions
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 09:47:39
I think that the only facts we know are those released by the BBC and everything else is supposition. Only a few people will know what agreements were in place before the first new series was filmed and Eccleston's true reasons for leaving. I am going to assume that Rich is drawing some very reasonable conclusions from the facts available but, unless he has insider knowledge, that he does not know for sure. Here are my own slightly differing conclusions drawn from the same facts (purely supposition): The BBC made a quick decision to renew the show after the huge ratings of the first episode and would like Eccleston to stay because he seems a popular choice. During the year or so of pre-production and production Davies and Eccleston *must* have talked about what Eccleston would do if it was successful and a second series was ordered. I imagine that Eccleston said that it was fun but would probably not continue. With this in mind maybe Davies wrote and shot alternative endings for the first series? Or possibly the plan was always for the regeneration to happen in a Christmas special or at the start of the second series? In either case, if the BBC had insisted on a multi-series contract to tie in Eccleston for a number of years there is no way he would have done it. Eccleston is such a prize catch that he is worth signing for one series to relaunch the show (which may have failed in any case). Eccleston is such a huge name that he generated masses of publicity. I cannot imagine which other choice could possibly have created such excitement in both the fan community and the media. The presence of Eccleston and the attendant publicity probably added a million viewers to the first episode. So not signing him up for years in order for him to do it once was definitely worth it. He did not bail. I should think that the BBC hoped that he would change his mind but when they announced a second series he was courteous enough to give a swift "no" that would not hold up production. Given that the BBC were already in talks with Tennant and Davies and team had already started working on the next scripts it seems that they knew that Eccleston had already decided not to continue. So it's not so dramatic as The Sun suggests - he didn't quit or resign, just confirmed his intention not to continue. I'm less sure about the "bait and switch" idea. It does sound like a plausible way to keep people guessing. And I'm sure that they could keep the identity of the next Doctor secret before a Christmas special is broadcast - after all, they kept Eccleston secret long after they had settled on him as the Doctor. Having Tennant in the cast of the special to make people think he will be the Doctor then having Ejiofor instead and Tennant as the villain would work. But only if the second series started filming after Christmas. They could keep the identity of the Doctor secret during filming a Christmas special, but not an entire series. And since scripts are already being written I think it would make most sense to start filming the special and the second series back-to-back beginning in the summer (or whenever Billie finishes filming her Shakespeare role in another BBC production). The identity of the Doctor would surely come out during filming before the special is aired, making the bait and switch redundant. My speculation, anyway. Back
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Leave Eccleston Alone
by ChicagoRonin 2005-03-31 09:48:33
Hey Guys, keep in mind, Ecclestone is first and foremost an actor and playing the Doctor is a JOB. Though we all love to think that the actors playing our favorite characters are as dedicated to their programs as we are as audience members, whether an actor stays in a role ultimately comes down to money, time, interest and professional satisfaction - all of which are subjective for each individual person. Saying Ecclestone is being a wimp or selfish because he finds the show's shooting "grueling" compared to David Duchovny's run on "X-Files," or, say, Tom Baker's 7 years on the original Doctor Who doesn't work. Just cause someone else can stick at one job, doesn't mean that you can too (or should). Type-casting is also a serious concern for an actor's career, assuming they want a continuing series of different and challenging projects. Connery left Bond because he felt the role was taking over his life, and he apparently he was quite deliberate in growing out his beard and taking extremely non-Bond-like roles. Patrick Stewart has said that had he known that "ST:TNG" was going to last seven years on the air, he never would have accepted it, and Ewan MacGregor's uncle Denis Lawson (a.k.a. Wedge Antilles) seriously warned him against taking the Obi-Wan role in the new Star Wars films. So, step out of your fanboy shells for a moment and try to imagine this: Take a task you do at your job, even one that you do well and might enjoy, and then imagine not being allowed to do anything else for the rest of your life. Try to imagine your own patience lasting. Back
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You're right, Rich -- Eccleston isn't bailing. It's all an incredibly conceived, masterful plan by Davies & Co.
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:59:51
And since Davies was so eager to (re)introduce the concept of regeneration to the new DOCTOR WHO series, it made perfect sense for him to not film an Eighth-to-Ninth regeneration sequence for "Rose" or even use the footage as a flashback sequence at some point during the season. And I suppose it doesn't matter than Paul McGann has publicly stated on several occasions that he is perfectly willing to at least film a regeneration sequence, even if he isn't interested in committing to a full series. No, all talk of Christopher Eccleston simply being afraid of being typecast and not wanting to do a second one is just utter nonsense, especially since doing so would give the general public the impression that Eccleston is a insecure flake. I'm sure that career-damaging stigma was all a deliberate orchestration... As you say, "Sigh..." Back
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Contracts
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:06:54
The BBC have Christopher and Billy signed up to multi-series contracts. Do the maths. Back
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Contracts?
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:21:10
I thought that Eccleston had an option to do further series rather than a contractual obligation. I know that Billie is continuing, but if Eccleston signed a contract with a multi-series obligation then that means he has quit and has bailed, rather than planning on not doing a second series all along. My maths isn't too good since I'm not sure what your point is. Back
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Eccleston WON'T be typcast as The Doctor...
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 10:24:06
He'll be typecast as the unreliable actor who shouldn't be hired by anyone because he can't be trusted to stay on with a series once he's brought in, since his track record shows he leaves them prematurely. This man has just shot his career in the foot. I know I'll never watch him in anything else he does from now on. Why should I watch and get to like the show, if I know that his character won't be around more than one series? Dumb-a$$ Back
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The next Doctor Who...
by deadend dropout 2005-03-31 10:30:41
...should be Anthony Stewart Head. That is all. Back
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Ah this is gettin confusing.....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:33:43
If Eccelstone signed a multi-series contract and has now bailed, surely the BBC would take him to the cleaners for breach of contract; unless he had it written into his contract that there is a getout clause which brings us back to the Davies masterplan. If not and he still had the getout clause, then the Beeb really dropped the ball!!!! Not for the first time I might add. Back
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I'm still waitin for Richard E Grant to take up the role.
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:36:28
He's got the looks, he's got the style, he's played the Doc before on a internet(s) production (btw, how does his incarnation fit into the whole regeneration thing?), and I think he'd be willing to do it. Come on Withnail....you know you want too. Back
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I agree...Bring back McGann!
by Doomfarer 2005-03-31 10:36:53
I agree with lynxpro...I thought Paul McGann did a great job with his performance as the Doctor. And for the record, the Fox movie representation of the TARDIS 'effing ROCKED! If we can't get McGann back, though, I'd like to see someone a bit older in the seat, maybe Bill Nighy or even Richard Grant (he was pretty good in the Doctor Who spoof 'Curse of the Fatal Death). I'm sorry to see Eccleston go after only one season, but then again, if he doesn't want to be there, let him go! Back
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I'm so lucky...
by Schnorbitz 2005-03-31 10:40:42
to have seen Chiwetel Ejiofor and Bill Nighy on stage together in Blue/Orange, and David Tennant in The Pillowman. I'd go for David Tennant. Although he's had a wide variety of superb roles onstage, on the screen, he has more of a mad look in his eyes. Back
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Sigh again
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:44:05
Contractual obligation. It means Christopher cannot legally quit and bail. It means the BBC have let him go. Meant they had the option to continue if Davies changed his mind. But no. Back
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Schnorbitz you are lucky
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:45:48
And I am jealous. Damn you. In a nice way. Back
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So, he asked to be let go and the BBC agreed to his terms!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:55:20
One word: SUCKERS!!!!! He must laughing the other side of his face. Lots of publicity for him, shows he's got strength of will and range as an actor, as well as getting payed a substantial amount for 1 series' work. And yet again the Beeb fuck it up!!! Back
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Timothy Spall
by Flipao 2005-03-31 11:08:42
I'd watch that
RE: a love song for Natalie
reply
Posted by i dont know (direoswald@hotmail.com) on March 31, 2005 8:09 PM
Dr. Who Cares?
by taterbait 2005-03-30 23:01:50
Not me Back
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FIRST
by EARTH 2005-03-30 23:02:14
FIRST Back
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Are we gonna get in on BBC America?
by Human Worm Baby 2005-03-30 23:03:07
I want to see the freaking Doctor. Back
Home
Running out of regenerations!
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-30 23:08:59
This actually sucks! I've seen the first episode and was surprised to say that I enjoyed it, and particularly the characterisation of The Doctor. I'm eager to see more of the series. For him to bow out saying he's afraid of being typecast, all I can say is "DUH"! EVERYONE who has ever played the part has been typecast. You'd have to be a frickin' idiot not to realise this after 40 years of the show being around. He's either a total moron, or he's holding out for more money. Either way, he's a jerk. I like his work, but for doing this - he's a total sod. Back
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What? OH MY GOD!?
by Krangelus 2005-03-30 23:14:24
i wonder why he wouldnt do the second season? does this make any sense to anyone because right now i am positively freaking out. Back
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The guy probably had a dream about...
by Stan the Bat 2005-03-30 23:19:44
...doing Old Navy commercials with William Shatner forty years from now, woke up in a cold sweat, and made the call. Back
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Yes, we will be getting Dr. Who in America. It will be called Dr. Whoop, There It Is! It will air on UPN.
by voicebox5 2005-03-30 23:26:10
Back
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Oh for pity sakes!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-30 23:39:12
I don't believe this happening! IS Eccelston some kind of idiot?!?!?!?! Back
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pretty quick Herc.
by proper 2005-03-30 23:49:06
The BBC are stupid,they should put anybody playing that role under a 3 year contact that can be exterminated at their discretion.It will be interesting to see who they pick next though.I reckon he quit because he is scared and freaked out over the reaction over the past couple of days,but seriously what did he expect,the selfish coward.Wow,what a way to ruin the party. Back
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He would forever be knowen...
by Drworm2002 2005-03-30 23:50:59
...as the Dr. I can understand why he feels this way...but if he is a good actor then he will get other roles even if he was the Dr. for 10 years. Shatner is funny, but he is Kirk...Hooker or a studpid funny version of himself... Eccelston is more then a Sod...he is a bloody sod (I am american in case you didn't notice. Did I use that right?) Back
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ok, but are they keeping the blonde?
by punto 2005-03-30 23:58:22
she's hot Back
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Not good for the story...
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 00:00:05
The Doctor is only supposed to have thirteen regenerations, and this was his ninth. The thirteenth is technically taken, too, as it is the Valeyard from the Trial of A Timelord series. So really, the Doctor has regenerations 10, 11, and 12 available to him. I'm sure they can script their way out of this corner, but it's a really shoddy thing for the actor to step aside knowing that the character has a limited number of easy excuses for new actors in the role. Back
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Replace him with no regeneration
by xeeds 2005-03-31 00:09:13
I don't know if they can find somebody whose appearance is close enough to Eccelston, but I say get somebody else to play the 9th Doctor. Keep the same clothes and mannerisms and just pretend its the same Doctor. Like getting a new Darrin on Bewitched. Back
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Might not happen
by Wyrdy the Gerbil 2005-03-31 00:31:35
Eccelston said a few weeks ago he was afraid of being typecast but that he really enjoyed doing Dr Who(must have as he picked up a new girlfriend on set) ive a feeling this is just someone rehashing old news stories ... Back
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Say, don't the Time Lords owe the Doc a regeneration?
by Eternal Watcher 2005-03-31 00:32:34
During the final episode of "The War Games", the Second Doctor was banished to Earth by the Time Lords (who didn't understand the need to interfere for the common good back then), and they forced him to take a new form (Jon Pertwee). That might guarantee a 14th Doctor if it comes to that, or they get another Time Lord to take over. Hopefully, it will never come to that, but at least we know having the Doctor on the BBC was a good idea. If only they could bring back MST 3000. Back
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Not A Surprise!
by Ken Luxury Yacht 2005-03-31 00:46:08
Not ever been a fan of Ecclestons (and have a friend who positively hates him in everything) but I'd have to say, this is the least surprising thing I've heard in a while. Having seen and heard him on several radio and TV shows in the last few weeks, he has come across as a joyless little fuckwit, who clearly sees the role beneath him. To announce this after just one episode has screened just proves his contempt for the role. I say Shirley Ghostman for the next Doctor! Back
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ive calmed down now
by Krangelus 2005-03-31 00:48:26
and i sort of understand why he would do this. When he signed up for it he probably thought he was getting into a hardcore sci fi cool show, instead of some family sci fi crap. (its not bad family sci fi crap, but still...) Back
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Not suprising, he is after all a real film actor, not some wannabe from 'Enders or some other crap.
by Grando 2005-03-31 01:18:01
Also, wouldn't it technically be a 28th season? Back
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bring back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:27:13
I've been thinking about this since this morning when I read the news on GallifreyOne(dotcom) that the Beeb had announced they'd renewed WHO after the strong showing of the first episode. Considering the Doctor's character only has 5 more regenerations, I'd say the Beeb should do the safe thing and invite McGann back. Although it has never been done before in WHO, there has to be some way to degenerate the Doctor from his 9th to 8th incarnations, whether it is through a genetically modified strain of spectrox toxemia, or some type of Time Lord ingenuity. They could also explain that the 9th Doctor is actually an "nth" Doctor, a personification of a future self manifest in the flesh, sorta like how the "Watcher" was or even the diabolical Valeyard. Somehow the Doctor's self became split right before the 9th Doc showed up and they have to be merged again...or the 9th Doctor becomes unstable, the TARDIS returns to Gallifrey and the Time Lord High Council uses some type of machine (connected to the Matrix) to bring the Doc back to his last stable self, being the 8th Doctor. That would be a good FX shot...the 9th laying on a table in a medical facility, regressing into his prior selves and then finally settle on McGann. Pretty much the entire fan community liked McGann whether they liked the 1996 TV Movie or not. Its time to give him another shot so he's not the George Lazenby of Doctor Who. Make it so, Russell T and the Beeb. Back
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Grando
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:30:22
Its like Volume 2: Season 2. Otherwise, yes, it would be Season 28. Or 29, if you count the fact that the original Season 27 had finished scripts but unfortunately for the staff, the BBC didn't renew the series in 1990. I h8 how the Brits refer to it as "Series 2" instead of referring to it as a "season," which makes more sense. A "Series 2" should in the grand scheme a new program(me), like the difference between the original Star Trek and TNG... Back
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David Tennant is in talks for the role.
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 01:47:51
David Tennant is the one the BBC is talking to, meaning this would definitely be the 10th Doctor. At this point, I'd almost accept the degeneration idea- Bring back McGann (or hell, any of the previous four Doctors) and have them resume the role. I know a lot of fans didn't like Sylvester McCoy, but I thought he was a good Doctor- Of course, I also liked the Colin Baker version of the mean, bitchy 6th Doctor, whom EVERYBODY hated.
RE: a love song for Natalie
reply
Posted by i dont know (direoswald@hotmail.com) on March 31, 2005 8:09 PM
Dr. Who Cares?
by taterbait 2005-03-30 23:01:50
Not me Back
Home
FIRST
by EARTH 2005-03-30 23:02:14
FIRST Back
Home
Are we gonna get in on BBC America?
by Human Worm Baby 2005-03-30 23:03:07
I want to see the freaking Doctor. Back
Home
Running out of regenerations!
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-30 23:08:59
This actually sucks! I've seen the first episode and was surprised to say that I enjoyed it, and particularly the characterisation of The Doctor. I'm eager to see more of the series. For him to bow out saying he's afraid of being typecast, all I can say is "DUH"! EVERYONE who has ever played the part has been typecast. You'd have to be a frickin' idiot not to realise this after 40 years of the show being around. He's either a total moron, or he's holding out for more money. Either way, he's a jerk. I like his work, but for doing this - he's a total sod. Back
Home
What? OH MY GOD!?
by Krangelus 2005-03-30 23:14:24
i wonder why he wouldnt do the second season? does this make any sense to anyone because right now i am positively freaking out. Back
Home
The guy probably had a dream about...
by Stan the Bat 2005-03-30 23:19:44
...doing Old Navy commercials with William Shatner forty years from now, woke up in a cold sweat, and made the call. Back
Home
Yes, we will be getting Dr. Who in America. It will be called Dr. Whoop, There It Is! It will air on UPN.
by voicebox5 2005-03-30 23:26:10
Back
Home
Oh for pity sakes!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-30 23:39:12
I don't believe this happening! IS Eccelston some kind of idiot?!?!?!?! Back
Home
pretty quick Herc.
by proper 2005-03-30 23:49:06
The BBC are stupid,they should put anybody playing that role under a 3 year contact that can be exterminated at their discretion.It will be interesting to see who they pick next though.I reckon he quit because he is scared and freaked out over the reaction over the past couple of days,but seriously what did he expect,the selfish coward.Wow,what a way to ruin the party. Back
Home
He would forever be knowen...
by Drworm2002 2005-03-30 23:50:59
...as the Dr. I can understand why he feels this way...but if he is a good actor then he will get other roles even if he was the Dr. for 10 years. Shatner is funny, but he is Kirk...Hooker or a studpid funny version of himself... Eccelston is more then a Sod...he is a bloody sod (I am american in case you didn't notice. Did I use that right?) Back
Home
ok, but are they keeping the blonde?
by punto 2005-03-30 23:58:22
she's hot Back
Home
Not good for the story...
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 00:00:05
The Doctor is only supposed to have thirteen regenerations, and this was his ninth. The thirteenth is technically taken, too, as it is the Valeyard from the Trial of A Timelord series. So really, the Doctor has regenerations 10, 11, and 12 available to him. I'm sure they can script their way out of this corner, but it's a really shoddy thing for the actor to step aside knowing that the character has a limited number of easy excuses for new actors in the role. Back
Home
Replace him with no regeneration
by xeeds 2005-03-31 00:09:13
I don't know if they can find somebody whose appearance is close enough to Eccelston, but I say get somebody else to play the 9th Doctor. Keep the same clothes and mannerisms and just pretend its the same Doctor. Like getting a new Darrin on Bewitched. Back
Home
Might not happen
by Wyrdy the Gerbil 2005-03-31 00:31:35
Eccelston said a few weeks ago he was afraid of being typecast but that he really enjoyed doing Dr Who(must have as he picked up a new girlfriend on set) ive a feeling this is just someone rehashing old news stories ... Back
Home
Say, don't the Time Lords owe the Doc a regeneration?
by Eternal Watcher 2005-03-31 00:32:34
During the final episode of "The War Games", the Second Doctor was banished to Earth by the Time Lords (who didn't understand the need to interfere for the common good back then), and they forced him to take a new form (Jon Pertwee). That might guarantee a 14th Doctor if it comes to that, or they get another Time Lord to take over. Hopefully, it will never come to that, but at least we know having the Doctor on the BBC was a good idea. If only they could bring back MST 3000. Back
Home
Not A Surprise!
by Ken Luxury Yacht 2005-03-31 00:46:08
Not ever been a fan of Ecclestons (and have a friend who positively hates him in everything) but I'd have to say, this is the least surprising thing I've heard in a while. Having seen and heard him on several radio and TV shows in the last few weeks, he has come across as a joyless little fuckwit, who clearly sees the role beneath him. To announce this after just one episode has screened just proves his contempt for the role. I say Shirley Ghostman for the next Doctor! Back
Home
ive calmed down now
by Krangelus 2005-03-31 00:48:26
and i sort of understand why he would do this. When he signed up for it he probably thought he was getting into a hardcore sci fi cool show, instead of some family sci fi crap. (its not bad family sci fi crap, but still...) Back
Home
Not suprising, he is after all a real film actor, not some wannabe from 'Enders or some other crap.
by Grando 2005-03-31 01:18:01
Also, wouldn't it technically be a 28th season? Back
Home
bring back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:27:13
I've been thinking about this since this morning when I read the news on GallifreyOne(dotcom) that the Beeb had announced they'd renewed WHO after the strong showing of the first episode. Considering the Doctor's character only has 5 more regenerations, I'd say the Beeb should do the safe thing and invite McGann back. Although it has never been done before in WHO, there has to be some way to degenerate the Doctor from his 9th to 8th incarnations, whether it is through a genetically modified strain of spectrox toxemia, or some type of Time Lord ingenuity. They could also explain that the 9th Doctor is actually an "nth" Doctor, a personification of a future self manifest in the flesh, sorta like how the "Watcher" was or even the diabolical Valeyard. Somehow the Doctor's self became split right before the 9th Doc showed up and they have to be merged again...or the 9th Doctor becomes unstable, the TARDIS returns to Gallifrey and the Time Lord High Council uses some type of machine (connected to the Matrix) to bring the Doc back to his last stable self, being the 8th Doctor. That would be a good FX shot...the 9th laying on a table in a medical facility, regressing into his prior selves and then finally settle on McGann. Pretty much the entire fan community liked McGann whether they liked the 1996 TV Movie or not. Its time to give him another shot so he's not the George Lazenby of Doctor Who. Make it so, Russell T and the Beeb. Back
Home
Grando
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:30:22
Its like Volume 2: Season 2. Otherwise, yes, it would be Season 28. Or 29, if you count the fact that the original Season 27 had finished scripts but unfortunately for the staff, the BBC didn't renew the series in 1990. I h8 how the Brits refer to it as "Series 2" instead of referring to it as a "season," which makes more sense. A "Series 2" should in the grand scheme a new program(me), like the difference between the original Star Trek and TNG... Back
Home
David Tennant is in talks for the role.
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 01:47:51
David Tennant is the one the BBC is talking to, meaning this would definitely be the 10th Doctor. At this point, I'd almost accept the degeneration idea- Bring back McGann (or hell, any of the previous four Doctors) and have them resume the role. I know a lot of fans didn't like Sylvester McCoy, but I thought he was a good Doctor- Of course, I also liked the Colin Baker version of the mean, bitchy 6th Doctor, whom EVERYBODY hated. They could always pull a Star Wars trick- as with Ewan McGreggor playing the younger Obi Wan- and get an actor to play a younger version of the Pertwee Doctor (the one "owed" to him). I do wonder how they'll resolve the Valeyard situation, though, as he's due to become the Valeyard (or split off into the Valeyard, anyway) in just a few regenerations. It's something he's been fighting ever since the 6th, and there has been no change in the fact that the Valeyard WILL exist, to my knowledge. Back
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Because it's only uphill after a huge sci-fi role! Just ask Denise Crosby!
by Robert_G_Durant 2005-03-31 01:52:39
Who passes something like this up? He got a hit series! Absolutely ridiculous. I really enjoyed the first episode. It's fun, and just hokey enough to be worthy of the name of Doctor Who laughs, without being full-on embarassing. I'll second bringing back McGann. Back
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did the doctor go back in time to play an april fools joke?
by Fantomex 2005-03-31 01:54:55
hmm Back
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you mean he went forward in time for April Fool's
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:16:27
It ain't April 1st in the UK yet. Back
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BWA-HA-HA! Denise Crosby...
by Commando Cody 2005-03-31 02:19:44
Yeah, THERE was a brilliant career move. Hope she enjoyed hosting and interviewing assorted Trek cast members in TREKKIES 2 where you just know the invisible thought balloon over her head must've continually been "FUCK! 7 years guaranteed pay for simply showing up! Paid appearances for years to come! Royalty checks I could've wipe my butt with for a lifetime! Note to self: kick own ass, then fire your agent and manager AGAIN!" Back
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The_ZeroCorpse
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:20:52
A Young Pertwee? If the Beeb wanted to do that, they could just hire (the late) Jon Pertwee's son - Sean Pertwee. The guy looks like his father and sounds just like him too. He's going bald though...err, thinning. He played the pilot in "Event Horizon." That's probably the role he would be most familiar to American audiences...that or the film "Blue Juice," about British wanna be surfers with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ewan McGregor. Come to think of it, he was also "Father" in Equilibrium. Back
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Bring Back McGann, Bring Back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:22:33
Say with me, brethren...bring back McGann. And post it also on the BBC's own website....(www.bbc.co.uk and click the "talk" button at the top of the page...post in television). I'd recommend Outpost Gallifrey's forums, but they are being azzes and prohibit any accounts using web-based email. Back
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if there'd been a simple contract...
by Demosthenes2 2005-03-31 02:37:32
it could've saved us all this trouble and annoyance. God knows we probably wouldn't have had more than 12 episodes of Buffy if SMG didn't have a 7year contract. 13 episodes though is simply not enough time for a new regeneration, it's strange. Back
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Time Lords and the Valeyard
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:38:23
The Time Lords could always bestow the Doctor with more regenerations. They offered the same to the Master in "The Five Doctors" special...and I think they've dangled the offer to the Doctor before, or alluded to it. It would be a cop-out plot wise, and that's why I thought about the degeneration idea of mine. Plus, if McGann were to retake the role, it would be an easier sell to the SciFi Network, since they still have the repeat rights to the 1996 Film and they are supposed to be airing it again this month in the usual 3am timeslot. There's even a way to bring McGann's 8th Doctor back into the fold without degeneration...the 9th Doctor has become unstable, so the Time Lords pluck the 8th Doctor out of his own timeline (like they did with the elder Doctors in "The Three Doctors" and "The Five Doctors" to allow them to co-exist together) to fulfill whatever secret mission the 9th Doctor had assigned to him...with the 8th given the task of fixing his later version...some type of quest...give the series to McGann for three or four years, then ask Eccleston if he'd like it back again, and if not, have him film a regeneration scene to bring on the 10th Doctor at that point. As for the Valeyard, if memory serves me correctly, he was the personification of evil within the Doctor (that had been suppressed in his final life) and was battling to exist by stealing the rest of the remaining lives from the 6th Doctor. I believe the books tried to explain that the 6th Doctor was flawed due to the effects of the spectrox toxemia that killed the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) and the Doctor's internal self essentially offed himself to make way for a more stable 7th Doctor. The 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) became shadowy/mysterious/sinister in Season 26 and in the books became "Time's Champion"...However, after spending so many years fixing things, he became depressed, and accepted the assignment to cart the Master's remains back to Gallifrey (which began the events of the 1996 telefilm) knowing full well it would be his last adventure...although I doubt he knew he'd die at the hands of the American Medical Association. Feel free to correct me since I've only read a couple of the books since I feel the whole "expanded universe" is non-canon, although "The Eight Doctors" was a good read. I understand "Lungbarrow" was good too, although that shouldn't count as non-canon since it was at the base level an unproduced script for Season 27. I can't remember which script it was where the 7th Doctor was to use the Key to Time to reboot the entire universe and the series would end and instantly start over as the "new series" (or movie) that Amblin Entertainment was to co-produce with the BBC. Back
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too much work...sigh
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:42:56
I couldn't believe the excuse Eccleston used...that it was too grueling to work on Doctor Who. They're only doing 13 episodes a season....whereas most successful American shows involve 22-26 episodes a season. Fox/Universal/BBC signed McGann to a five year contract that was binding if Fox had picked up the series...and that would've been for 22 episodes per season. Hell, its one thing to complain about the duration of a series if the actor is David Duchovny who worked on The X-Files for a good 7 years at 22 episodes per season, and then "pulled a David Caruso" to get off the show, and its another thing to complain about doing 13 episodes for one season... And in other news, PopBitch is reporting that Ewan McGregor is dating Billie (Rose) Piper. Back
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Gruelling
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 03:09:42
I was initially surprised by this since Eccleston seemed to enjoy being the Doctor, but on second thoughts it is entirely consistent with Eccleston's character. He says that he enjoys doing the unexpected and took Doctor Who for the challenge of doing an extended shoot over a period of months for an episodic TV series - something he had never done before. Working with Davies again was the clincher. So now that he has succeeded at that challenge he feels no need to do it again and move on to something different. It may only have been 13 episodes but it was an eight month shoot - just as long as shooting a 22 episode season in America would take. Oh, and I seriously doubt if Ewan is dating Billie since he seems genuinely happily married and defends his family to the hilt. Back
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Hugh Grant or Paul McGann! All-star Doc!
by Barrymore 2005-03-31 03:13:55
Why not do a different super-star Doctor Who each year? Maybe Hugh Grant or Richard E. Grant or Paul McGann or Colin Firth or Colin Ferrell? Each season, reel in a big-time star to be the Doctor--surely these guys could each take a few months to film a season of the world's favorite time traveller! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:16:47
I don't think it's exhaustion that has driven him out of the role, it is the fear of being typecast. Doctor Who is huge in Britain, even after doing just one season, 'Doctor Who' will be on his tombstone. He took this job to change his image and work again with someone he admired (Russell T Davies). It doesn't seem to have been that great a shock to the production team. As to running out of regenerations, that isn't a problem. He's got four left and then he can easily be given a new regeneration cycle by some plot device. It's not a problem. Eccleston might be back for the Christmas special and then regenerate. Ah well, this David Tennant guy is apparently a fan and has been in quite a few Doctor Who audio plays. Back
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yes, we are surely entering a new golden age of British Sci-Fi
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 03:24:34
when the new Dr Who announces his intention to quit after 13 episodes... Back
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God I hate April first (and thereabouts) on the net...
by JackBurton 2005-03-31 03:25:30
Can't trust anything that gets posted anywhere a day either side of it. We'll see if this is still news in a couple of days or so, until then I choose not to believe anything without some hard core evidence. Back
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Also
by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:26:41
He also left Cracker early in the second series. He isn't an actor looking for a big defining role, he's just looking for interesting work before moving onto the next job. I don't think he was surprised by the tone of the series. It is exactly as Russell T Davies said it would be eighteen months ago. He also did quite a lot of interviews which apparently he refuses to do if he doesn't like something he was in. Though he was always clear in saying he hadn't decided whether to do a second series. Ironically, maybe the huge audience for the first show pursauded him to jump ship before he was stuck with the Doctor Who tag. Back
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Wolf at the door
by kwisatzhaderach 2005-03-31 03:36:56
Don't comment on things that you have absolutely no idea or information about. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 03:46:42
Hey, I stated that PopBitch was the one reporting of the McGregor/Piper connection...I wouldn't speculate as to how accurate they are, but it sure is entertaining reading the things the celebrities supposedly do that even the tabloids won't even write. Like all the stuff the Killers supposedly did in Japan just recently...I don't s'pose ex Sec. of State James Baker is a fan of them. Heh... Back
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That was predictable...
by Charlie & Tex 2005-03-31 04:02:05
...get a hot, up-and-coming serious actor who had numerous offers set before him and then try and tie him down to what was almost-certainly going to be a long-running series that takes about 10 months to shoot each year. He probably thought that the new series would go down like a lead balloon and just spend 10 months building up his profile even further, before going off to get more "serious" work. Colin Baker is now no longer the "Timothy Dalton" of the Doctor Who world. It would be nice if they could persuade Paul McGann to return, but the Beeb will be so afraid to tamper with anything that made the first bloody episode of the new series so popular (the show could still bomb after the initial curiosity value has died down) that the replacement for the next series will be a carbon-copy of Eccleston, complete with northern accent & drab leather jacket. Oh well... Back
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So it's good news...bad news ?
by RobinP 2005-03-31 04:11:27
Great - a second season. Crap - no Eccleston. He brought something new to the character. I haven't seen the Casanova series that his rumored replacement stars in - not my bag, man. Back
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Regenerations
by Samson_K 2005-03-31 04:48:58
Can we just forget all about the regenerations of the Doctor??? Please! It will not be an issue because this new series, whilst, acknowledging that this is the Ninth Doctor - won't be too wrapped up in continuity so that they start worrying about what happens in four actors time!!! I believe that the phrase used has been 'mythology not continuity'. Let's face it didn't Brain of Morbius have sequences of supposed earleir Doctor regenerations in one scene? It doesn't matter. As for Ecclestons decisions - well, before this he was moaning about how no-one ever gives him the chance to do something funny or light and now he gets his chance - does a relatively good job of it and then leaves fearing he'll be typecast? He was typecast before! I think that this will damage potential ratings for the second series! Yes it is the second series not season! However, David Tennant would be a good enough choice I suppose! Back
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MARK GATISS
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 04:50:53
And bring back the eccentric wardrobe. Not to say that I don't like Eccleston's approach, I do. Back
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Chiwetel Ejiofor
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 04:53:58
Would be my preferred choice, but David Tennant would be great. He was superb in Blackpool. Unfortunately I don't have digital TV so if anyone has the chance please watch the live performance of Quatermass on BBC4 on Saturday and report back here. Tennant is in it as well as Mark Gatiss who would surely jump at the chance to play the Doctor. I'd love to know how well they both perform in a sci-fi piece (which could effectively be an audition for Doctor Who). And lynxpro, I know that it was popbitch making the reports about Ewan, but if you believe that it isn't true then why repeat it here? Back
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Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 05:07:45
Where is it determined in lore that the doctor can only have so many regenerations. Sorry, I'm not a big fan, but I love T Davies, and really enjoyed the first episode. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:25:10
You asked why I repeated something I read from PopBitch whether or not I believe it. Well, I don't believe the person who submitted a review of Star Wars Episode III actually saw the movie, but it didn't stop me from commenting on the speculation! Heh. Back
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"Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose"
by Grando 2005-03-31 05:26:20
Did I miss a porno cut of the first episode? ;) Back
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ChorleyFM
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:30:23
Its been established for some time in the series that a Time Lord only can regenerate 12 times, meaning they have a total of 13 lives. The concept has been expanded a bit that this process is done using nanotechnology and that the Time Lord must be in close proximity with their TARDIS to be able to accomplish this, or on Gallifrey. Its been alluded to in a couple of episodes that the Time Lord High Council has the authority and power to bestow extra regenerations upon certain Time Lords. As for Russell T. being selective with continuity, well, we'll see which has the true posterity. The original series ran 26 seasons. His current production has 13 episodes. And WHO doesn't end just because sometime down the road there's a disagreement and the BBC asks him to leave the production. Back
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@kwisatzhaderach
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 05:43:20
i merely noted that eccleston had announced his intention to quit after 13 episodes. it's all over the papers and the BBC this morning. so i'm curious: exactly which part of my post do you claim was inaccurate? hell, with a username like 'kwisatzhaderach' you should have seen this coming, right? hahaha, they've only screened one episode and already the new Dr Who is circling the drain... Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:03:14
The one thing the series is not doing is circling the drain. Yes, loosing the new Doctor after just one and a bit seasons is bad, but it is a knock the series can, and most likely will, survive. Everyone is familiar with the concept of The Doctor regenerating. It'll just have to happen earlier than expected. Back
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Drworm2002, you got it right
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 06:17:04
He IS a bloody sod. Why take on such an iconic role and then bleat about typecasting after one episode is shown? One of the strengths of the first four Doctors was how often we saw them during their tenures, consolidating viewer affection for them over a period of many years (although Hartnell and Troughton only did 3 years each, they were on on screens virtually all year round). Recent Doctors have barely had chance to say hello and then they're gone again. Personally though, I'm not surprised by Eccleston's decision and in fact, secretly pleased. His Doctor is too rooted in contemporary culture. He uses modern slang, looks like he's just walked in off the street and as for his northen accent! WTF? (I speak with a northern accent by the way, but as I come from the North of England, not Gallifrey, that's allowed). The Doctor really should speak with a "neutral" accent, dress like an eccentric, (not a shaven haired yob) and be played by someone willing to give it a good run. If only the 8th Doctor could wake up in a shower to find the "Rose" had all been a (bad) dream. Back
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Perhaps Eccleston realised watching it
by elab49 2005-03-31 06:24:39
That although he is IMO the best actor to play the role - he isn't the best actor for the role. And the awful mugging and general lack of comfort in the role - like an ACTOR's! idea of how to play quirky - was the weakest link in the pilot. Tennant would be fascinating - my favourite role of his was his, I think, TV debut as an inmate in a lunatic asylum (Takin over the Asylum - never repeated never released :( ). Spellbinding performance (along with Ken Stott). He can certainly do arrogant and quirky. Back
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I sent the story and link to Herc...
by Agent Alonzo 2005-03-31 06:33:38
Therefore my internet penis is bigger than all yours... Unless you sent in the story as well, then we must share the glory of the girth... *cough* Anyhoo, Eccleston is being a cock, no doubt. The BBC site has a page with the actors linked with the role http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4396295.stm hope that works within the talkback formatting. I hope they go with an older doctor, either Bill Nighy or Richard E Grant could do sometihng funny and interesting with the role... Back
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You're being spun
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 06:35:33
Eccleston was always going to leave after the first series. Planned by Russell T Davies, who wants to get a regenration in soon, to sell that concept to the new audience. The reason it's come out now is to spoil the announcement of Ant And Dec's spoiler that they'll be interviewing Tony Blair against the "Dalek" episode, and the mention of Tennant's name is to give added publicity to Russell T Davies' Casonova, starting its BBC1 run this week starring Tennant. Back
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Quatermass, Quatermass!!!! Just thought i'd get that in....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 06:58:33
I tend to agree with RichJohnstone though...sounds a plausable idea. Lame excuse about typecasting though! It's Dr Fricking Who for fucks sake!!!!!! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:59:16
There may be something in this being somewhat planned. The first season finale apparently ends on a cliffhanger with the Doctor seemingly dead. I don't think they wanted this announced on the same day the second series and Christmas Special was announced. They were forced into it by The Sun running it on the front cover of today's paper. It's still a mistake to cast a guy who was always wavering over a second season. Back
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Quatermass?
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 07:33:01
New revived version on Saturday, BBC4. BTW, this is Rich Johnston from Lying In The Gutters. This is not speculation. I know what I'm talking about here. The Sun played along with this. It's a spoiler for Ant And Dec's big announcement, and timed perfectly for Casanova. They didn't cast a guy who was wavering over a second series. This was the original plan. Tell you what, I'll blog it and send a link to Herc! Back
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"Lame excuse about typecasting though!"
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 07:49:22
uh, no. not really. it's not like anyone remembers Tom Baker for anything else, and Jon Pertwee's only other memorable role was Worzel fucking Gummmidge. the only one who managed to escape typecasting as Dr Who was Peter Davidson, and that's cause he already had a track record for playing similar characters in other BBC dreck. Back
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Quatermass not only revived - but doing it live as well!
by elab49 2005-03-31 08:08:36
And, oddly, starring David Tennant. Bit incestuous round here at the moment. Isn't part of the timing down to the announcement of the 2nd series? I mean - why on earth are the Beeb signing off after ratings for the comeback epi which were always going to be artificially high and possibly unsustainable? Back
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My only regret about this
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:21:16
Is that now we won't get a "3 Doctors" episode with McCoy, McGann and Eccleston. But maybe I can hope for a "4 Doctors" episode in the third series (in British terminology) of the new run, if there is one. The announcement itself may well be designed to overshadow the announcement of Tony Blair appearing on Ant & Dec but Ant & Dec won't be up against the Dalek episode. The Dalek episode is episode 6, I believe, and Ant & Dec only have 3 episodes left in their run. So unless they have Tony Blair on the show the Saturday before the election in a special edition I don't think the Blair interview will be up against the Dalek episode. If they did that I'm not sure if it would comply with the "balanced coverage" rules during an election campaign unless they also interview Howard and Kennedy. And lynxpro, I apologise for getting carried away earlier. I hope it did not seem as if I was criticising you personally. I just have a bugbear about unsubstantiated gossip about peoples private lives, celebrities or otherwise. Jamies School Dinners recently showed how harmful such gossip can be. I have no problem with people commenting on rumours about movies which may or may not be true, such as the "fake" Star Wars review. Of course you have every right to comment on that. But peoples private lives are a very different matter. We agree that popbitch reported a rumour about Ewan and Billie which may or may not be true (and, let's face it, that can be said about anything). Where we disagree is about the ethics of passing on these rumours and spreading gossip. I hope that we can agree to disagree about this and prove that minor disagreements in Talkbacks do not inevitably have to result in petty name-calling, because you certainly do make some good points about McGann. I had wanted McGann to continue as the Doctor but was pleased when Eccleston was announced as the Doctor because he's one of my favourite actors. But I can see why they would want a fresh start to distance the new series from the poorly-received TV movie. And creating some reason to go back a regeneration would seem unlikely since this new show wants to make sense to new viewers without getting bogged down in continuity. Going back a regeneration sounds too complicated for that. But so might my "3 Doctors" idea, so I may have to live with never getting to see that. The main reason I wanted that was to formalise McGann into the canon to end the tiresome debates over whether he was a "proper" incarnation or not. Back
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Pass this around...
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:26:48
Pass this around... http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/twistblog And Davies says McGann was a proper incarnation. Back
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Brain of Morbius regenrations
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:27:49
It was never clear if those shown were early Doctors or Morbiuss... Morbiuses?... Morbii? Back
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Good idea Chris!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:31:32
FAR better to be thought of as "That dick who only played DOCTOR WHO for a year" than "That actor who was in DOCTOR WHO for a couple of years..." Dick. Back
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Oh well....
by Kid Z 2005-03-31 08:38:33
... time for another Time Lord regeneration... Back
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RichJohnston
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:47:03
Is the twistblog fact or opinion? Because it all seems very plausible and if Ejiofor became the new Doctor then I would be very happy. But the moment I saw Tennant I thought "he'd make a great Doctor". Are you saying that he *definitely* won't be the next Doctor or is this purely your opinion? Back
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I don't think it's an "April Fool's" joke
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 08:53:19
That was the first thing that came to mind, but I forgot about 31 days in March. In the UK it's the 31st still (and was when the news hit). Well, at least Colin Baker won't be remembered as the Doctor with the shortest run in the role. I kind of like the idea of a "degeneration" back to McGann. He'd like it, as he might be able to keep his short hair. It'd be good for the franchise, as they could claim that although Eccleston was the 9th Doctor, but due to the degeneration, a different 9th Doctor could be regenerated due to the different nature of that particular regeneration. And (for the record) The Valeyard is NOT the 13th Doctor, but a manifestation of the darker side of the Doctor's persona - somewhere BETWEEN his 12th and 13th bodies (from Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe). So we can still have 13 actors in the role before figuring out what the heck to do. Back
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MARK HEAP
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 08:58:19
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It's not purely my opinion
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:59:15
It's fluid. But the Tennant thing as a red herring is slightly less fluid. David will probably be The Doctor. But maybe not quite yet. Back
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Come back, Paul! Come back!
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:00:52
I have to echo the sentiments expressed here about Christopher Eccleston's douchebagness (douchebagiosity?). To up and bail on such a legendary role (and after the airing of the first new episode in sixteen years no less) is the behavior of a total prat. Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy would have loved to do another season as the Doctor, and Paul McGann never received the chance to do an actual series, only "seasons" of Eighth Doctor audio adventures for Big Finish Productions. I don't know if McGann is willing to film new televised adventures of the Eighth Doctor, but I think there's an opportunity here to go back a regeneration and let McGann have his season. Instead of filming a regeneration sequence from Ninth to Tenth Doctors, the Christmas special could simply be an Eighth and Ninth Doctor team-up and Rose could end up leaving with the Eighth Doctor instead. Back
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Sigh
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 09:07:47
He has not "up and bailed" on anyone. Back
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Wow, Quatermass back!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHH!!! Canny wait!!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 09:19:35
Thank god i've got Freeview (and its not often you'll hear me say that). But why stick it on the artsy fartsy BBC4 channel. Actually, has anyone watched an entire prog on that channel?? Come on...be honest. Back
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Ejiofor won't be Doctor Who
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 09:36:20
Not because he is black, but because he has no need to. He is fast becomming one of the biggest young actors in Hollywood, why would he want to work on British TV (even with Davies at the helm). Unless he really loves Doctor Who he will not be going back to British TV, maybe a big US show sooner or later, but not a British show. That said he is a brilliant actor, and to follow Eccleston you need a brilliant actor. Thanks lynxpro. And I sent a link to Herc as well at 1.00am GMT. Back
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McGann was the 8th Doctor
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 09:44:20
After all, he did regenerate from the 7th Doctor ON-SCREEN. What proof do we have that Eccleston isn't an imposter? Maybe the Christmas special could feature McGann finally catching up with pseudo-Doc Eccleston, twatting him one and grabbing his TARDIS back. Back
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Drawing conclusions
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 09:47:39
I think that the only facts we know are those released by the BBC and everything else is supposition. Only a few people will know what agreements were in place before the first new series was filmed and Eccleston's true reasons for leaving. I am going to assume that Rich is drawing some very reasonable conclusions from the facts available but, unless he has insider knowledge, that he does not know for sure. Here are my own slightly differing conclusions drawn from the same facts (purely supposition): The BBC made a quick decision to renew the show after the huge ratings of the first episode and would like Eccleston to stay because he seems a popular choice. During the year or so of pre-production and production Davies and Eccleston *must* have talked about what Eccleston would do if it was successful and a second series was ordered. I imagine that Eccleston said that it was fun but would probably not continue. With this in mind maybe Davies wrote and shot alternative endings for the first series? Or possibly the plan was always for the regeneration to happen in a Christmas special or at the start of the second series? In either case, if the BBC had insisted on a multi-series contract to tie in Eccleston for a number of years there is no way he would have done it. Eccleston is such a prize catch that he is worth signing for one series to relaunch the show (which may have failed in any case). Eccleston is such a huge name that he generated masses of publicity. I cannot imagine which other choice could possibly have created such excitement in both the fan community and the media. The presence of Eccleston and the attendant publicity probably added a million viewers to the first episode. So not signing him up for years in order for him to do it once was definitely worth it. He did not bail. I should think that the BBC hoped that he would change his mind but when they announced a second series he was courteous enough to give a swift "no" that would not hold up production. Given that the BBC were already in talks with Tennant and Davies and team had already started working on the next scripts it seems that they knew that Eccleston had already decided not to continue. So it's not so dramatic as The Sun suggests - he didn't quit or resign, just confirmed his intention not to continue. I'm less sure about the "bait and switch" idea. It does sound like a plausible way to keep people guessing. And I'm sure that they could keep the identity of the next Doctor secret before a Christmas special is broadcast - after all, they kept Eccleston secret long after they had settled on him as the Doctor. Having Tennant in the cast of the special to make people think he will be the Doctor then having Ejiofor instead and Tennant as the villain would work. But only if the second series started filming after Christmas. They could keep the identity of the Doctor secret during filming a Christmas special, but not an entire series. And since scripts are already being written I think it would make most sense to start filming the special and the second series back-to-back beginning in the summer (or whenever Billie finishes filming her Shakespeare role in another BBC production). The identity of the Doctor would surely come out during filming before the special is aired, making the bait and switch redundant. My speculation, anyway. Back
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Leave Eccleston Alone
by ChicagoRonin 2005-03-31 09:48:33
Hey Guys, keep in mind, Ecclestone is first and foremost an actor and playing the Doctor is a JOB. Though we all love to think that the actors playing our favorite characters are as dedicated to their programs as we are as audience members, whether an actor stays in a role ultimately comes down to money, time, interest and professional satisfaction - all of which are subjective for each individual person. Saying Ecclestone is being a wimp or selfish because he finds the show's shooting "grueling" compared to David Duchovny's run on "X-Files," or, say, Tom Baker's 7 years on the original Doctor Who doesn't work. Just cause someone else can stick at one job, doesn't mean that you can too (or should). Type-casting is also a serious concern for an actor's career, assuming they want a continuing series of different and challenging projects. Connery left Bond because he felt the role was taking over his life, and he apparently he was quite deliberate in growing out his beard and taking extremely non-Bond-like roles. Patrick Stewart has said that had he known that "ST:TNG" was going to last seven years on the air, he never would have accepted it, and Ewan MacGregor's uncle Denis Lawson (a.k.a. Wedge Antilles) seriously warned him against taking the Obi-Wan role in the new Star Wars films. So, step out of your fanboy shells for a moment and try to imagine this: Take a task you do at your job, even one that you do well and might enjoy, and then imagine not being allowed to do anything else for the rest of your life. Try to imagine your own patience lasting. Back
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You're right, Rich -- Eccleston isn't bailing. It's all an incredibly conceived, masterful plan by Davies & Co.
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:59:51
And since Davies was so eager to (re)introduce the concept of regeneration to the new DOCTOR WHO series, it made perfect sense for him to not film an Eighth-to-Ninth regeneration sequence for "Rose" or even use the footage as a flashback sequence at some point during the season. And I suppose it doesn't matter than Paul McGann has publicly stated on several occasions that he is perfectly willing to at least film a regeneration sequence, even if he isn't interested in committing to a full series. No, all talk of Christopher Eccleston simply being afraid of being typecast and not wanting to do a second one is just utter nonsense, especially since doing so would give the general public the impression that Eccleston is a insecure flake. I'm sure that career-damaging stigma was all a deliberate orchestration... As you say, "Sigh..." Back
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Contracts
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:06:54
The BBC have Christopher and Billy signed up to multi-series contracts. Do the maths. Back
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Contracts?
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:21:10
I thought that Eccleston had an option to do further series rather than a contractual obligation. I know that Billie is continuing, but if Eccleston signed a contract with a multi-series obligation then that means he has quit and has bailed, rather than planning on not doing a second series all along. My maths isn't too good since I'm not sure what your point is. Back
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Eccleston WON'T be typcast as The Doctor...
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 10:24:06
He'll be typecast as the unreliable actor who shouldn't be hired by anyone because he can't be trusted to stay on with a series once he's brought in, since his track record shows he leaves them prematurely. This man has just shot his career in the foot. I know I'll never watch him in anything else he does from now on. Why should I watch and get to like the show, if I know that his character won't be around more than one series? Dumb-a$$ Back
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The next Doctor Who...
by deadend dropout 2005-03-31 10:30:41
...should be Anthony Stewart Head. That is all. Back
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Ah this is gettin confusing.....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:33:43
If Eccelstone signed a multi-series contract and has now bailed, surely the BBC would take him to the cleaners for breach of contract; unless he had it written into his contract that there is a getout clause which brings us back to the Davies masterplan. If not and he still had the getout clause, then the Beeb really dropped the ball!!!! Not for the first time I might add. Back
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I'm still waitin for Richard E Grant to take up the role.
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:36:28
He's got the looks, he's got the style, he's played the Doc before on a internet(s) production (btw, how does his incarnation fit into the whole regeneration thing?), and I think he'd be willing to do it. Come on Withnail....you know you want too. Back
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I agree...Bring back McGann!
by Doomfarer 2005-03-31 10:36:53
I agree with lynxpro...I thought Paul McGann did a great job with his performance as the Doctor. And for the record, the Fox movie representation of the TARDIS 'effing ROCKED! If we can't get McGann back, though, I'd like to see someone a bit older in the seat, maybe Bill Nighy or even Richard Grant (he was pretty good in the Doctor Who spoof 'Curse of the Fatal Death). I'm sorry to see Eccleston go after only one season, but then again, if he doesn't want to be there, let him go! Back
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I'm so lucky...
by Schnorbitz 2005-03-31 10:40:42
to have seen Chiwetel Ejiofor and Bill Nighy on stage together in Blue/Orange, and David Tennant in The Pillowman. I'd go for David Tennant. Although he's had a wide variety of superb roles onstage, on the screen, he has more of a mad look in his eyes. Back
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Sigh again
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:44:05
Contractual obligation. It means Christopher cannot legally quit and bail. It means the BBC have let him go. Meant they had the option to continue if Davies changed his mind. But no. Back
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Schnorbitz you are lucky
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:45:48
And I am jealous. Damn you. In a nice way. Back
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So, he asked to be let go and the BBC agreed to his terms!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:55:20
One word: SUCKERS!!!!! He must laughing the other side of his face. Lots of publicity for him, shows he's got strength of will and range as an actor, as well as getting payed a substantial amount for 1 series' work. And yet again the Beeb fuck it up!!! Back
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Timothy Spall
by Flipao 2005-03-31 11:08:42
I'd watch that
RE: a love song for Natalie
reply
Posted by i dont know (direoswald@hotmail.com) on March 31, 2005 8:10 PM
Dr. Who Cares?
by taterbait 2005-03-30 23:01:50
Not me Back
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FIRST
by EARTH 2005-03-30 23:02:14
FIRST Back
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Are we gonna get in on BBC America?
by Human Worm Baby 2005-03-30 23:03:07
I want to see the freaking Doctor. Back
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Running out of regenerations!
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-30 23:08:59
This actually sucks! I've seen the first episode and was surprised to say that I enjoyed it, and particularly the characterisation of The Doctor. I'm eager to see more of the series. For him to bow out saying he's afraid of being typecast, all I can say is "DUH"! EVERYONE who has ever played the part has been typecast. You'd have to be a frickin' idiot not to realise this after 40 years of the show being around. He's either a total moron, or he's holding out for more money. Either way, he's a jerk. I like his work, but for doing this - he's a total sod. Back
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What? OH MY GOD!?
by Krangelus 2005-03-30 23:14:24
i wonder why he wouldnt do the second season? does this make any sense to anyone because right now i am positively freaking out. Back
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The guy probably had a dream about...
by Stan the Bat 2005-03-30 23:19:44
...doing Old Navy commercials with William Shatner forty years from now, woke up in a cold sweat, and made the call. Back
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Yes, we will be getting Dr. Who in America. It will be called Dr. Whoop, There It Is! It will air on UPN.
by voicebox5 2005-03-30 23:26:10
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Oh for pity sakes!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-30 23:39:12
I don't believe this happening! IS Eccelston some kind of idiot?!?!?!?! Back
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pretty quick Herc.
by proper 2005-03-30 23:49:06
The BBC are stupid,they should put anybody playing that role under a 3 year contact that can be exterminated at their discretion.It will be interesting to see who they pick next though.I reckon he quit because he is scared and freaked out over the reaction over the past couple of days,but seriously what did he expect,the selfish coward.Wow,what a way to ruin the party. Back
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He would forever be knowen...
by Drworm2002 2005-03-30 23:50:59
...as the Dr. I can understand why he feels this way...but if he is a good actor then he will get other roles even if he was the Dr. for 10 years. Shatner is funny, but he is Kirk...Hooker or a studpid funny version of himself... Eccelston is more then a Sod...he is a bloody sod (I am american in case you didn't notice. Did I use that right?) Back
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ok, but are they keeping the blonde?
by punto 2005-03-30 23:58:22
she's hot Back
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Not good for the story...
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 00:00:05
The Doctor is only supposed to have thirteen regenerations, and this was his ninth. The thirteenth is technically taken, too, as it is the Valeyard from the Trial of A Timelord series. So really, the Doctor has regenerations 10, 11, and 12 available to him. I'm sure they can script their way out of this corner, but it's a really shoddy thing for the actor to step aside knowing that the character has a limited number of easy excuses for new actors in the role. Back
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Replace him with no regeneration
by xeeds 2005-03-31 00:09:13
I don't know if they can find somebody whose appearance is close enough to Eccelston, but I say get somebody else to play the 9th Doctor. Keep the same clothes and mannerisms and just pretend its the same Doctor. Like getting a new Darrin on Bewitched. Back
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Might not happen
by Wyrdy the Gerbil 2005-03-31 00:31:35
Eccelston said a few weeks ago he was afraid of being typecast but that he really enjoyed doing Dr Who(must have as he picked up a new girlfriend on set) ive a feeling this is just someone rehashing old news stories ... Back
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Say, don't the Time Lords owe the Doc a regeneration?
by Eternal Watcher 2005-03-31 00:32:34
During the final episode of "The War Games", the Second Doctor was banished to Earth by the Time Lords (who didn't understand the need to interfere for the common good back then), and they forced him to take a new form (Jon Pertwee). That might guarantee a 14th Doctor if it comes to that, or they get another Time Lord to take over. Hopefully, it will never come to that, but at least we know having the Doctor on the BBC was a good idea. If only they could bring back MST 3000. Back
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Not A Surprise!
by Ken Luxury Yacht 2005-03-31 00:46:08
Not ever been a fan of Ecclestons (and have a friend who positively hates him in everything) but I'd have to say, this is the least surprising thing I've heard in a while. Having seen and heard him on several radio and TV shows in the last few weeks, he has come across as a joyless little fuckwit, who clearly sees the role beneath him. To announce this after just one episode has screened just proves his contempt for the role. I say Shirley Ghostman for the next Doctor! Back
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ive calmed down now
by Krangelus 2005-03-31 00:48:26
and i sort of understand why he would do this. When he signed up for it he probably thought he was getting into a hardcore sci fi cool show, instead of some family sci fi crap. (its not bad family sci fi crap, but still...) Back
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Not suprising, he is after all a real film actor, not some wannabe from 'Enders or some other crap.
by Grando 2005-03-31 01:18:01
Also, wouldn't it technically be a 28th season? Back
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bring back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:27:13
I've been thinking about this since this morning when I read the news on GallifreyOne(dotcom) that the Beeb had announced they'd renewed WHO after the strong showing of the first episode. Considering the Doctor's character only has 5 more regenerations, I'd say the Beeb should do the safe thing and invite McGann back. Although it has never been done before in WHO, there has to be some way to degenerate the Doctor from his 9th to 8th incarnations, whether it is through a genetically modified strain of spectrox toxemia, or some type of Time Lord ingenuity. They could also explain that the 9th Doctor is actually an "nth" Doctor, a personification of a future self manifest in the flesh, sorta like how the "Watcher" was or even the diabolical Valeyard. Somehow the Doctor's self became split right before the 9th Doc showed up and they have to be merged again...or the 9th Doctor becomes unstable, the TARDIS returns to Gallifrey and the Time Lord High Council uses some type of machine (connected to the Matrix) to bring the Doc back to his last stable self, being the 8th Doctor. That would be a good FX shot...the 9th laying on a table in a medical facility, regressing into his prior selves and then finally settle on McGann. Pretty much the entire fan community liked McGann whether they liked the 1996 TV Movie or not. Its time to give him another shot so he's not the George Lazenby of Doctor Who. Make it so, Russell T and the Beeb. Back
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Grando
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 01:30:22
Its like Volume 2: Season 2. Otherwise, yes, it would be Season 28. Or 29, if you count the fact that the original Season 27 had finished scripts but unfortunately for the staff, the BBC didn't renew the series in 1990. I h8 how the Brits refer to it as "Series 2" instead of referring to it as a "season," which makes more sense. A "Series 2" should in the grand scheme a new program(me), like the difference between the original Star Trek and TNG... Back
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David Tennant is in talks for the role.
by The_ZeroCorpse 2005-03-31 01:47:51
David Tennant is the one the BBC is talking to, meaning this would definitely be the 10th Doctor. At this point, I'd almost accept the degeneration idea- Bring back McGann (or hell, any of the previous four Doctors) and have them resume the role. I know a lot of fans didn't like Sylvester McCoy, but I thought he was a good Doctor- Of course, I also liked the Colin Baker version of the mean, bitchy 6th Doctor, whom EVERYBODY hated. They could always pull a Star Wars trick- as with Ewan McGreggor playing the younger Obi Wan- and get an actor to play a younger version of the Pertwee Doctor (the one "owed" to him). I do wonder how they'll resolve the Valeyard situation, though, as he's due to become the Valeyard (or split off into the Valeyard, anyway) in just a few regenerations. It's something he's been fighting ever since the 6th, and there has been no change in the fact that the Valeyard WILL exist, to my knowledge. Back
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Because it's only uphill after a huge sci-fi role! Just ask Denise Crosby!
by Robert_G_Durant 2005-03-31 01:52:39
Who passes something like this up? He got a hit series! Absolutely ridiculous. I really enjoyed the first episode. It's fun, and just hokey enough to be worthy of the name of Doctor Who laughs, without being full-on embarassing. I'll second bringing back McGann. Back
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did the doctor go back in time to play an april fools joke?
by Fantomex 2005-03-31 01:54:55
hmm Back
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you mean he went forward in time for April Fool's
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:16:27
It ain't April 1st in the UK yet. Back
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BWA-HA-HA! Denise Crosby...
by Commando Cody 2005-03-31 02:19:44
Yeah, THERE was a brilliant career move. Hope she enjoyed hosting and interviewing assorted Trek cast members in TREKKIES 2 where you just know the invisible thought balloon over her head must've continually been "FUCK! 7 years guaranteed pay for simply showing up! Paid appearances for years to come! Royalty checks I could've wipe my butt with for a lifetime! Note to self: kick own ass, then fire your agent and manager AGAIN!" Back
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The_ZeroCorpse
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:20:52
A Young Pertwee? If the Beeb wanted to do that, they could just hire (the late) Jon Pertwee's son - Sean Pertwee. The guy looks like his father and sounds just like him too. He's going bald though...err, thinning. He played the pilot in "Event Horizon." That's probably the role he would be most familiar to American audiences...that or the film "Blue Juice," about British wanna be surfers with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ewan McGregor. Come to think of it, he was also "Father" in Equilibrium. Back
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Bring Back McGann, Bring Back McGann
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:22:33
Say with me, brethren...bring back McGann. And post it also on the BBC's own website....(www.bbc.co.uk and click the "talk" button at the top of the page...post in television). I'd recommend Outpost Gallifrey's forums, but they are being azzes and prohibit any accounts using web-based email. Back
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if there'd been a simple contract...
by Demosthenes2 2005-03-31 02:37:32
it could've saved us all this trouble and annoyance. God knows we probably wouldn't have had more than 12 episodes of Buffy if SMG didn't have a 7year contract. 13 episodes though is simply not enough time for a new regeneration, it's strange. Back
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Time Lords and the Valeyard
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:38:23
The Time Lords could always bestow the Doctor with more regenerations. They offered the same to the Master in "The Five Doctors" special...and I think they've dangled the offer to the Doctor before, or alluded to it. It would be a cop-out plot wise, and that's why I thought about the degeneration idea of mine. Plus, if McGann were to retake the role, it would be an easier sell to the SciFi Network, since they still have the repeat rights to the 1996 Film and they are supposed to be airing it again this month in the usual 3am timeslot. There's even a way to bring McGann's 8th Doctor back into the fold without degeneration...the 9th Doctor has become unstable, so the Time Lords pluck the 8th Doctor out of his own timeline (like they did with the elder Doctors in "The Three Doctors" and "The Five Doctors" to allow them to co-exist together) to fulfill whatever secret mission the 9th Doctor had assigned to him...with the 8th given the task of fixing his later version...some type of quest...give the series to McGann for three or four years, then ask Eccleston if he'd like it back again, and if not, have him film a regeneration scene to bring on the 10th Doctor at that point. As for the Valeyard, if memory serves me correctly, he was the personification of evil within the Doctor (that had been suppressed in his final life) and was battling to exist by stealing the rest of the remaining lives from the 6th Doctor. I believe the books tried to explain that the 6th Doctor was flawed due to the effects of the spectrox toxemia that killed the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) and the Doctor's internal self essentially offed himself to make way for a more stable 7th Doctor. The 7th Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) became shadowy/mysterious/sinister in Season 26 and in the books became "Time's Champion"...However, after spending so many years fixing things, he became depressed, and accepted the assignment to cart the Master's remains back to Gallifrey (which began the events of the 1996 telefilm) knowing full well it would be his last adventure...although I doubt he knew he'd die at the hands of the American Medical Association. Feel free to correct me since I've only read a couple of the books since I feel the whole "expanded universe" is non-canon, although "The Eight Doctors" was a good read. I understand "Lungbarrow" was good too, although that shouldn't count as non-canon since it was at the base level an unproduced script for Season 27. I can't remember which script it was where the 7th Doctor was to use the Key to Time to reboot the entire universe and the series would end and instantly start over as the "new series" (or movie) that Amblin Entertainment was to co-produce with the BBC. Back
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too much work...sigh
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 02:42:56
I couldn't believe the excuse Eccleston used...that it was too grueling to work on Doctor Who. They're only doing 13 episodes a season....whereas most successful American shows involve 22-26 episodes a season. Fox/Universal/BBC signed McGann to a five year contract that was binding if Fox had picked up the series...and that would've been for 22 episodes per season. Hell, its one thing to complain about the duration of a series if the actor is David Duchovny who worked on The X-Files for a good 7 years at 22 episodes per season, and then "pulled a David Caruso" to get off the show, and its another thing to complain about doing 13 episodes for one season... And in other news, PopBitch is reporting that Ewan McGregor is dating Billie (Rose) Piper. Back
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Gruelling
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 03:09:42
I was initially surprised by this since Eccleston seemed to enjoy being the Doctor, but on second thoughts it is entirely consistent with Eccleston's character. He says that he enjoys doing the unexpected and took Doctor Who for the challenge of doing an extended shoot over a period of months for an episodic TV series - something he had never done before. Working with Davies again was the clincher. So now that he has succeeded at that challenge he feels no need to do it again and move on to something different. It may only have been 13 episodes but it was an eight month shoot - just as long as shooting a 22 episode season in America would take. Oh, and I seriously doubt if Ewan is dating Billie since he seems genuinely happily married and defends his family to the hilt. Back
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Hugh Grant or Paul McGann! All-star Doc!
by Barrymore 2005-03-31 03:13:55
Why not do a different super-star Doctor Who each year? Maybe Hugh Grant or Richard E. Grant or Paul McGann or Colin Firth or Colin Ferrell? Each season, reel in a big-time star to be the Doctor--surely these guys could each take a few months to film a season of the world's favorite time traveller! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:16:47
I don't think it's exhaustion that has driven him out of the role, it is the fear of being typecast. Doctor Who is huge in Britain, even after doing just one season, 'Doctor Who' will be on his tombstone. He took this job to change his image and work again with someone he admired (Russell T Davies). It doesn't seem to have been that great a shock to the production team. As to running out of regenerations, that isn't a problem. He's got four left and then he can easily be given a new regeneration cycle by some plot device. It's not a problem. Eccleston might be back for the Christmas special and then regenerate. Ah well, this David Tennant guy is apparently a fan and has been in quite a few Doctor Who audio plays. Back
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yes, we are surely entering a new golden age of British Sci-Fi
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 03:24:34
when the new Dr Who announces his intention to quit after 13 episodes... Back
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God I hate April first (and thereabouts) on the net...
by JackBurton 2005-03-31 03:25:30
Can't trust anything that gets posted anywhere a day either side of it. We'll see if this is still news in a couple of days or so, until then I choose not to believe anything without some hard core evidence. Back
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Also
by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 03:26:41
He also left Cracker early in the second series. He isn't an actor looking for a big defining role, he's just looking for interesting work before moving onto the next job. I don't think he was surprised by the tone of the series. It is exactly as Russell T Davies said it would be eighteen months ago. He also did quite a lot of interviews which apparently he refuses to do if he doesn't like something he was in. Though he was always clear in saying he hadn't decided whether to do a second series. Ironically, maybe the huge audience for the first show pursauded him to jump ship before he was stuck with the Doctor Who tag. Back
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Wolf at the door
by kwisatzhaderach 2005-03-31 03:36:56
Don't comment on things that you have absolutely no idea or information about. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 03:46:42
Hey, I stated that PopBitch was the one reporting of the McGregor/Piper connection...I wouldn't speculate as to how accurate they are, but it sure is entertaining reading the things the celebrities supposedly do that even the tabloids won't even write. Like all the stuff the Killers supposedly did in Japan just recently...I don't s'pose ex Sec. of State James Baker is a fan of them. Heh... Back
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That was predictable...
by Charlie & Tex 2005-03-31 04:02:05
...get a hot, up-and-coming serious actor who had numerous offers set before him and then try and tie him down to what was almost-certainly going to be a long-running series that takes about 10 months to shoot each year. He probably thought that the new series would go down like a lead balloon and just spend 10 months building up his profile even further, before going off to get more "serious" work. Colin Baker is now no longer the "Timothy Dalton" of the Doctor Who world. It would be nice if they could persuade Paul McGann to return, but the Beeb will be so afraid to tamper with anything that made the first bloody episode of the new series so popular (the show could still bomb after the initial curiosity value has died down) that the replacement for the next series will be a carbon-copy of Eccleston, complete with northern accent & drab leather jacket. Oh well... Back
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So it's good news...bad news ?
by RobinP 2005-03-31 04:11:27
Great - a second season. Crap - no Eccleston. He brought something new to the character. I haven't seen the Casanova series that his rumored replacement stars in - not my bag, man. Back
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Regenerations
by Samson_K 2005-03-31 04:48:58
Can we just forget all about the regenerations of the Doctor??? Please! It will not be an issue because this new series, whilst, acknowledging that this is the Ninth Doctor - won't be too wrapped up in continuity so that they start worrying about what happens in four actors time!!! I believe that the phrase used has been 'mythology not continuity'. Let's face it didn't Brain of Morbius have sequences of supposed earleir Doctor regenerations in one scene? It doesn't matter. As for Ecclestons decisions - well, before this he was moaning about how no-one ever gives him the chance to do something funny or light and now he gets his chance - does a relatively good job of it and then leaves fearing he'll be typecast? He was typecast before! I think that this will damage potential ratings for the second series! Yes it is the second series not season! However, David Tennant would be a good enough choice I suppose! Back
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MARK GATISS
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 04:50:53
And bring back the eccentric wardrobe. Not to say that I don't like Eccleston's approach, I do. Back
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Chiwetel Ejiofor
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 04:53:58
Would be my preferred choice, but David Tennant would be great. He was superb in Blackpool. Unfortunately I don't have digital TV so if anyone has the chance please watch the live performance of Quatermass on BBC4 on Saturday and report back here. Tennant is in it as well as Mark Gatiss who would surely jump at the chance to play the Doctor. I'd love to know how well they both perform in a sci-fi piece (which could effectively be an audition for Doctor Who). And lynxpro, I know that it was popbitch making the reports about Ewan, but if you believe that it isn't true then why repeat it here? Back
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Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 05:07:45
Where is it determined in lore that the doctor can only have so many regenerations. Sorry, I'm not a big fan, but I love T Davies, and really enjoyed the first episode. Back
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supertoyslast
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:25:10
You asked why I repeated something I read from PopBitch whether or not I believe it. Well, I don't believe the person who submitted a review of Star Wars Episode III actually saw the movie, but it didn't stop me from commenting on the speculation! Heh. Back
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"Tennant is very good, but Eccleston was the best thing in Rose"
by Grando 2005-03-31 05:26:20
Did I miss a porno cut of the first episode? ;) Back
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ChorleyFM
by lynxpro 2005-03-31 05:30:23
Its been established for some time in the series that a Time Lord only can regenerate 12 times, meaning they have a total of 13 lives. The concept has been expanded a bit that this process is done using nanotechnology and that the Time Lord must be in close proximity with their TARDIS to be able to accomplish this, or on Gallifrey. Its been alluded to in a couple of episodes that the Time Lord High Council has the authority and power to bestow extra regenerations upon certain Time Lords. As for Russell T. being selective with continuity, well, we'll see which has the true posterity. The original series ran 26 seasons. His current production has 13 episodes. And WHO doesn't end just because sometime down the road there's a disagreement and the BBC asks him to leave the production. Back
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@kwisatzhaderach
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 05:43:20
i merely noted that eccleston had announced his intention to quit after 13 episodes. it's all over the papers and the BBC this morning. so i'm curious: exactly which part of my post do you claim was inaccurate? hell, with a username like 'kwisatzhaderach' you should have seen this coming, right? hahaha, they've only screened one episode and already the new Dr Who is circling the drain... Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:03:14
The one thing the series is not doing is circling the drain. Yes, loosing the new Doctor after just one and a bit seasons is bad, but it is a knock the series can, and most likely will, survive. Everyone is familiar with the concept of The Doctor regenerating. It'll just have to happen earlier than expected. Back
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Drworm2002, you got it right
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 06:17:04
He IS a bloody sod. Why take on such an iconic role and then bleat about typecasting after one episode is shown? One of the strengths of the first four Doctors was how often we saw them during their tenures, consolidating viewer affection for them over a period of many years (although Hartnell and Troughton only did 3 years each, they were on on screens virtually all year round). Recent Doctors have barely had chance to say hello and then they're gone again. Personally though, I'm not surprised by Eccleston's decision and in fact, secretly pleased. His Doctor is too rooted in contemporary culture. He uses modern slang, looks like he's just walked in off the street and as for his northen accent! WTF? (I speak with a northern accent by the way, but as I come from the North of England, not Gallifrey, that's allowed). The Doctor really should speak with a "neutral" accent, dress like an eccentric, (not a shaven haired yob) and be played by someone willing to give it a good run. If only the 8th Doctor could wake up in a shower to find the "Rose" had all been a (bad) dream. Back
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Perhaps Eccleston realised watching it
by elab49 2005-03-31 06:24:39
That although he is IMO the best actor to play the role - he isn't the best actor for the role. And the awful mugging and general lack of comfort in the role - like an ACTOR's! idea of how to play quirky - was the weakest link in the pilot. Tennant would be fascinating - my favourite role of his was his, I think, TV debut as an inmate in a lunatic asylum (Takin over the Asylum - never repeated never released :( ). Spellbinding performance (along with Ken Stott). He can certainly do arrogant and quirky. Back
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I sent the story and link to Herc...
by Agent Alonzo 2005-03-31 06:33:38
Therefore my internet penis is bigger than all yours... Unless you sent in the story as well, then we must share the glory of the girth... *cough* Anyhoo, Eccleston is being a cock, no doubt. The BBC site has a page with the actors linked with the role http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4396295.stm hope that works within the talkback formatting. I hope they go with an older doctor, either Bill Nighy or Richard E Grant could do sometihng funny and interesting with the role... Back
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You're being spun
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 06:35:33
Eccleston was always going to leave after the first series. Planned by Russell T Davies, who wants to get a regenration in soon, to sell that concept to the new audience. The reason it's come out now is to spoil the announcement of Ant And Dec's spoiler that they'll be interviewing Tony Blair against the "Dalek" episode, and the mention of Tennant's name is to give added publicity to Russell T Davies' Casonova, starting its BBC1 run this week starring Tennant. Back
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Quatermass, Quatermass!!!! Just thought i'd get that in....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 06:58:33
I tend to agree with RichJohnstone though...sounds a plausable idea. Lame excuse about typecasting though! It's Dr Fricking Who for fucks sake!!!!!! Back
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by Dave Patrick 2005-03-31 06:59:16
There may be something in this being somewhat planned. The first season finale apparently ends on a cliffhanger with the Doctor seemingly dead. I don't think they wanted this announced on the same day the second series and Christmas Special was announced. They were forced into it by The Sun running it on the front cover of today's paper. It's still a mistake to cast a guy who was always wavering over a second season. Back
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Quatermass?
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 07:33:01
New revived version on Saturday, BBC4. BTW, this is Rich Johnston from Lying In The Gutters. This is not speculation. I know what I'm talking about here. The Sun played along with this. It's a spoiler for Ant And Dec's big announcement, and timed perfectly for Casanova. They didn't cast a guy who was wavering over a second series. This was the original plan. Tell you what, I'll blog it and send a link to Herc! Back
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"Lame excuse about typecasting though!"
by wolf at the door 2005-03-31 07:49:22
uh, no. not really. it's not like anyone remembers Tom Baker for anything else, and Jon Pertwee's only other memorable role was Worzel fucking Gummmidge. the only one who managed to escape typecasting as Dr Who was Peter Davidson, and that's cause he already had a track record for playing similar characters in other BBC dreck. Back
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Quatermass not only revived - but doing it live as well!
by elab49 2005-03-31 08:08:36
And, oddly, starring David Tennant. Bit incestuous round here at the moment. Isn't part of the timing down to the announcement of the 2nd series? I mean - why on earth are the Beeb signing off after ratings for the comeback epi which were always going to be artificially high and possibly unsustainable? Back
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My only regret about this
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:21:16
Is that now we won't get a "3 Doctors" episode with McCoy, McGann and Eccleston. But maybe I can hope for a "4 Doctors" episode in the third series (in British terminology) of the new run, if there is one. The announcement itself may well be designed to overshadow the announcement of Tony Blair appearing on Ant & Dec but Ant & Dec won't be up against the Dalek episode. The Dalek episode is episode 6, I believe, and Ant & Dec only have 3 episodes left in their run. So unless they have Tony Blair on the show the Saturday before the election in a special edition I don't think the Blair interview will be up against the Dalek episode. If they did that I'm not sure if it would comply with the "balanced coverage" rules during an election campaign unless they also interview Howard and Kennedy. And lynxpro, I apologise for getting carried away earlier. I hope it did not seem as if I was criticising you personally. I just have a bugbear about unsubstantiated gossip about peoples private lives, celebrities or otherwise. Jamies School Dinners recently showed how harmful such gossip can be. I have no problem with people commenting on rumours about movies which may or may not be true, such as the "fake" Star Wars review. Of course you have every right to comment on that. But peoples private lives are a very different matter. We agree that popbitch reported a rumour about Ewan and Billie which may or may not be true (and, let's face it, that can be said about anything). Where we disagree is about the ethics of passing on these rumours and spreading gossip. I hope that we can agree to disagree about this and prove that minor disagreements in Talkbacks do not inevitably have to result in petty name-calling, because you certainly do make some good points about McGann. I had wanted McGann to continue as the Doctor but was pleased when Eccleston was announced as the Doctor because he's one of my favourite actors. But I can see why they would want a fresh start to distance the new series from the poorly-received TV movie. And creating some reason to go back a regeneration would seem unlikely since this new show wants to make sense to new viewers without getting bogged down in continuity. Going back a regeneration sounds too complicated for that. But so might my "3 Doctors" idea, so I may have to live with never getting to see that. The main reason I wanted that was to formalise McGann into the canon to end the tiresome debates over whether he was a "proper" incarnation or not. Back
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Pass this around...
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:26:48
Pass this around... http://www.twistandshoutcomics.com/twistblog And Davies says McGann was a proper incarnation. Back
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Brain of Morbius regenrations
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:27:49
It was never clear if those shown were early Doctors or Morbiuss... Morbiuses?... Morbii? Back
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Good idea Chris!
by RenoNevada2000 2005-03-31 08:31:32
FAR better to be thought of as "That dick who only played DOCTOR WHO for a year" than "That actor who was in DOCTOR WHO for a couple of years..." Dick. Back
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Oh well....
by Kid Z 2005-03-31 08:38:33
... time for another Time Lord regeneration... Back
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RichJohnston
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 08:47:03
Is the twistblog fact or opinion? Because it all seems very plausible and if Ejiofor became the new Doctor then I would be very happy. But the moment I saw Tennant I thought "he'd make a great Doctor". Are you saying that he *definitely* won't be the next Doctor or is this purely your opinion? Back
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I don't think it's an "April Fool's" joke
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 08:53:19
That was the first thing that came to mind, but I forgot about 31 days in March. In the UK it's the 31st still (and was when the news hit). Well, at least Colin Baker won't be remembered as the Doctor with the shortest run in the role. I kind of like the idea of a "degeneration" back to McGann. He'd like it, as he might be able to keep his short hair. It'd be good for the franchise, as they could claim that although Eccleston was the 9th Doctor, but due to the degeneration, a different 9th Doctor could be regenerated due to the different nature of that particular regeneration. And (for the record) The Valeyard is NOT the 13th Doctor, but a manifestation of the darker side of the Doctor's persona - somewhere BETWEEN his 12th and 13th bodies (from Trial of a Time Lord: The Ultimate Foe). So we can still have 13 actors in the role before figuring out what the heck to do. Back
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MARK HEAP
by Trevor Goodchild 2005-03-31 08:58:19
Back
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It's not purely my opinion
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 08:59:15
It's fluid. But the Tennant thing as a red herring is slightly less fluid. David will probably be The Doctor. But maybe not quite yet. Back
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Come back, Paul! Come back!
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:00:52
I have to echo the sentiments expressed here about Christopher Eccleston's douchebagness (douchebagiosity?). To up and bail on such a legendary role (and after the airing of the first new episode in sixteen years no less) is the behavior of a total prat. Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy would have loved to do another season as the Doctor, and Paul McGann never received the chance to do an actual series, only "seasons" of Eighth Doctor audio adventures for Big Finish Productions. I don't know if McGann is willing to film new televised adventures of the Eighth Doctor, but I think there's an opportunity here to go back a regeneration and let McGann have his season. Instead of filming a regeneration sequence from Ninth to Tenth Doctors, the Christmas special could simply be an Eighth and Ninth Doctor team-up and Rose could end up leaving with the Eighth Doctor instead. Back
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Sigh
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 09:07:47
He has not "up and bailed" on anyone. Back
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Wow, Quatermass back!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHH!!! Canny wait!!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 09:19:35
Thank god i've got Freeview (and its not often you'll hear me say that). But why stick it on the artsy fartsy BBC4 channel. Actually, has anyone watched an entire prog on that channel?? Come on...be honest. Back
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Ejiofor won't be Doctor Who
by ChorleyFM 2005-03-31 09:36:20
Not because he is black, but because he has no need to. He is fast becomming one of the biggest young actors in Hollywood, why would he want to work on British TV (even with Davies at the helm). Unless he really loves Doctor Who he will not be going back to British TV, maybe a big US show sooner or later, but not a British show. That said he is a brilliant actor, and to follow Eccleston you need a brilliant actor. Thanks lynxpro. And I sent a link to Herc as well at 1.00am GMT. Back
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McGann was the 8th Doctor
by Bart of Darkness 2005-03-31 09:44:20
After all, he did regenerate from the 7th Doctor ON-SCREEN. What proof do we have that Eccleston isn't an imposter? Maybe the Christmas special could feature McGann finally catching up with pseudo-Doc Eccleston, twatting him one and grabbing his TARDIS back. Back
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Drawing conclusions
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 09:47:39
I think that the only facts we know are those released by the BBC and everything else is supposition. Only a few people will know what agreements were in place before the first new series was filmed and Eccleston's true reasons for leaving. I am going to assume that Rich is drawing some very reasonable conclusions from the facts available but, unless he has insider knowledge, that he does not know for sure. Here are my own slightly differing conclusions drawn from the same facts (purely supposition): The BBC made a quick decision to renew the show after the huge ratings of the first episode and would like Eccleston to stay because he seems a popular choice. During the year or so of pre-production and production Davies and Eccleston *must* have talked about what Eccleston would do if it was successful and a second series was ordered. I imagine that Eccleston said that it was fun but would probably not continue. With this in mind maybe Davies wrote and shot alternative endings for the first series? Or possibly the plan was always for the regeneration to happen in a Christmas special or at the start of the second series? In either case, if the BBC had insisted on a multi-series contract to tie in Eccleston for a number of years there is no way he would have done it. Eccleston is such a prize catch that he is worth signing for one series to relaunch the show (which may have failed in any case). Eccleston is such a huge name that he generated masses of publicity. I cannot imagine which other choice could possibly have created such excitement in both the fan community and the media. The presence of Eccleston and the attendant publicity probably added a million viewers to the first episode. So not signing him up for years in order for him to do it once was definitely worth it. He did not bail. I should think that the BBC hoped that he would change his mind but when they announced a second series he was courteous enough to give a swift "no" that would not hold up production. Given that the BBC were already in talks with Tennant and Davies and team had already started working on the next scripts it seems that they knew that Eccleston had already decided not to continue. So it's not so dramatic as The Sun suggests - he didn't quit or resign, just confirmed his intention not to continue. I'm less sure about the "bait and switch" idea. It does sound like a plausible way to keep people guessing. And I'm sure that they could keep the identity of the next Doctor secret before a Christmas special is broadcast - after all, they kept Eccleston secret long after they had settled on him as the Doctor. Having Tennant in the cast of the special to make people think he will be the Doctor then having Ejiofor instead and Tennant as the villain would work. But only if the second series started filming after Christmas. They could keep the identity of the Doctor secret during filming a Christmas special, but not an entire series. And since scripts are already being written I think it would make most sense to start filming the special and the second series back-to-back beginning in the summer (or whenever Billie finishes filming her Shakespeare role in another BBC production). The identity of the Doctor would surely come out during filming before the special is aired, making the bait and switch redundant. My speculation, anyway. Back
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Leave Eccleston Alone
by ChicagoRonin 2005-03-31 09:48:33
Hey Guys, keep in mind, Ecclestone is first and foremost an actor and playing the Doctor is a JOB. Though we all love to think that the actors playing our favorite characters are as dedicated to their programs as we are as audience members, whether an actor stays in a role ultimately comes down to money, time, interest and professional satisfaction - all of which are subjective for each individual person. Saying Ecclestone is being a wimp or selfish because he finds the show's shooting "grueling" compared to David Duchovny's run on "X-Files," or, say, Tom Baker's 7 years on the original Doctor Who doesn't work. Just cause someone else can stick at one job, doesn't mean that you can too (or should). Type-casting is also a serious concern for an actor's career, assuming they want a continuing series of different and challenging projects. Connery left Bond because he felt the role was taking over his life, and he apparently he was quite deliberate in growing out his beard and taking extremely non-Bond-like roles. Patrick Stewart has said that had he known that "ST:TNG" was going to last seven years on the air, he never would have accepted it, and Ewan MacGregor's uncle Denis Lawson (a.k.a. Wedge Antilles) seriously warned him against taking the Obi-Wan role in the new Star Wars films. So, step out of your fanboy shells for a moment and try to imagine this: Take a task you do at your job, even one that you do well and might enjoy, and then imagine not being allowed to do anything else for the rest of your life. Try to imagine your own patience lasting. Back
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You're right, Rich -- Eccleston isn't bailing. It's all an incredibly conceived, masterful plan by Davies & Co.
by SpyGuy 2005-03-31 09:59:51
And since Davies was so eager to (re)introduce the concept of regeneration to the new DOCTOR WHO series, it made perfect sense for him to not film an Eighth-to-Ninth regeneration sequence for "Rose" or even use the footage as a flashback sequence at some point during the season. And I suppose it doesn't matter than Paul McGann has publicly stated on several occasions that he is perfectly willing to at least film a regeneration sequence, even if he isn't interested in committing to a full series. No, all talk of Christopher Eccleston simply being afraid of being typecast and not wanting to do a second one is just utter nonsense, especially since doing so would give the general public the impression that Eccleston is a insecure flake. I'm sure that career-damaging stigma was all a deliberate orchestration... As you say, "Sigh..." Back
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Contracts
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:06:54
The BBC have Christopher and Billy signed up to multi-series contracts. Do the maths. Back
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Contracts?
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:21:10
I thought that Eccleston had an option to do further series rather than a contractual obligation. I know that Billie is continuing, but if Eccleston signed a contract with a multi-series obligation then that means he has quit and has bailed, rather than planning on not doing a second series all along. My maths isn't too good since I'm not sure what your point is. Back
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Eccleston WON'T be typcast as The Doctor...
by Pi-Rate 2005-03-31 10:24:06
He'll be typecast as the unreliable actor who shouldn't be hired by anyone because he can't be trusted to stay on with a series once he's brought in, since his track record shows he leaves them prematurely. This man has just shot his career in the foot. I know I'll never watch him in anything else he does from now on. Why should I watch and get to like the show, if I know that his character won't be around more than one series? Dumb-a$$ Back
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The next Doctor Who...
by deadend dropout 2005-03-31 10:30:41
...should be Anthony Stewart Head. That is all. Back
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Ah this is gettin confusing.....
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:33:43
If Eccelstone signed a multi-series contract and has now bailed, surely the BBC would take him to the cleaners for breach of contract; unless he had it written into his contract that there is a getout clause which brings us back to the Davies masterplan. If not and he still had the getout clause, then the Beeb really dropped the ball!!!! Not for the first time I might add. Back
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I'm still waitin for Richard E Grant to take up the role.
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:36:28
He's got the looks, he's got the style, he's played the Doc before on a internet(s) production (btw, how does his incarnation fit into the whole regeneration thing?), and I think he'd be willing to do it. Come on Withnail....you know you want too. Back
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I agree...Bring back McGann!
by Doomfarer 2005-03-31 10:36:53
I agree with lynxpro...I thought Paul McGann did a great job with his performance as the Doctor. And for the record, the Fox movie representation of the TARDIS 'effing ROCKED! If we can't get McGann back, though, I'd like to see someone a bit older in the seat, maybe Bill Nighy or even Richard Grant (he was pretty good in the Doctor Who spoof 'Curse of the Fatal Death). I'm sorry to see Eccleston go after only one season, but then again, if he doesn't want to be there, let him go! Back
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I'm so lucky...
by Schnorbitz 2005-03-31 10:40:42
to have seen Chiwetel Ejiofor and Bill Nighy on stage together in Blue/Orange, and David Tennant in The Pillowman. I'd go for David Tennant. Although he's had a wide variety of superb roles onstage, on the screen, he has more of a mad look in his eyes. Back
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Sigh again
by RichJohnston 2005-03-31 10:44:05
Contractual obligation. It means Christopher cannot legally quit and bail. It means the BBC have let him go. Meant they had the option to continue if Davies changed his mind. But no. Back
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Schnorbitz you are lucky
by supertoyslast 2005-03-31 10:45:48
And I am jealous. Damn you. In a nice way. Back
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So, he asked to be let go and the BBC agreed to his terms!!!!
by Big_Bubbaloola 2005-03-31 10:55:20
One word: SUCKERS!!!!! He must laughing the other side of his face. Lots of publicity for him, shows he's got strength of will and range as an actor, as well as getting payed a substantial amount for 1 series' work. And yet again the Beeb fuck it up!!! Back
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Timothy Spall
by Flipao 2005-03-31 11:08:42
I'd watch that
RE: Dark side
reply
Posted by A random shemp (No Email) on April 5, 2005 4:54 AM
Right, I don't have a clue what that other fucked up story was meant to be about but I decided to write a Natalie Portman story of my own:
I had just completed a long day of class up at school and was greatly looking forward to the party tonight. It was going to be a massive rave, with some great DJ's including Moby & Fatboy Slim playing all night. My girlfriend dumped me less than a week ago and I was back on the prowl, looking for a new hottie to occupy my thoughts for a while (or a night at the least). Raves are a great place to meet women, not only because the music is incredible, but the babes on ectasy are even more incredible. I never touch the stuff, but I always carry some on me just in case a hot chick asks for some.
The cover charge to get in was a major bitch and the bouncers were assholes, but once I was inside, the party was incredible. I immediately went to the bar to get a drink, checking out on the way any girl-in-need I could find.
I must have gotten there too late or too early, because there were very few girls dancing by themselves. Sure, there was the usual lesbian chicks getting it on (as much as legally possible in a club anyways), and the drunk off their ass, past their prime late 20's girls, but there were very few girls around my age who were alone. Finding one who was attractive was even harder. I had just settled in to what I thought would be a good rave, music wise, but low on the chick factor when I noticed a brunette, petite little hottie dancing close to where Moby was blasting "Go".
As I got closer, I noticed just how stunning this girl was. She was wearing a white tank top, no bra and a pair of purple vinyl shorts. Big enough for a handful tits, just the way I like them, and one of the most tight asses I had ever seen. A hottie by anyone's standards. Her hair was drawn back in small ponytails to create a very sexy innocent look. Despite the flashing lights, I could tell her skin had a slight tint of middle eastern descent, something that turned me on even more. (I go for exotic, what can I say). She was dancing with her eyes closed so it was hard to make out her face fully, but something about her made her seem very familiar.
When I got about 20 feet from her or so, this huge blond jock guy, obviously drunk, came up to her and began trying to carry on a conversation and dance with her at the same time. I couldn't make out what either were saying, but she seemed to at least not be blowing him off.
Damn, I thought to myself, I guess she's taken too. I was about to turn around and head back to the bar to get another drink when I looked over my shoulder and saw that the hottie had stopped dancing and was getting quite angry with the jock. Being as she was very close to the speakers, it was damn near impossible to hear what she was saying to him, but I could tell from her expressions and body language it wasn't nice. The jock put his hands up in a defensive "hey, back off" stance, and slowly backed away from her. She watched him go then tried to get back into the groove of the music. I started to make my way back to her, but just as I was about to talk to her, Moby's session ended & Crystal Method came on. Moby walked off the platform where he was and came up to the girl, gave her a hug and then they started walking towards a back room area. Curious to see what they were up to, I casually made my way to the edge of the club, as close to the back hall where they stopped to talk as possible.
Moby talked to the girl for a few minutes, then from his body language I could tell things got real uncomfortable for him, and he gave her a hug and walked off towards the dressing room area. She stood there for a few minutes looking dejected, wiping a few tears from her eyes. She regained her composure and started walking back my way. I quickly leaned back from out of her site, and tried to act as cool as possible. When she finally walked past me, I spoke to her.
"Hey. You ok?"
I must have scared her half to death because she jumped about a foot in the air, pivoting to turn and face me. Her eyes were looking right at mine, a deep and enchanting brown. She had some of the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. I smiled at her when our eyes met.
"Yea, I'm ok I guess. Why do all of you men have to be such assholes?" she said very defensively, but in an almost rhetoric way.
"Hey, we aren't all that bad. I'd say 95 percent..no, 75...no, 30...ah hell maybe 2 percent of us aren't. If my last girlfriend is any authority, I probably make up 99% of the guys on a whole."
That made her smile a little. "So you're the king of assholes then?"
"Coming from my ex, I'm the King of Assholia."
She laughed a little, a very fluttery kind of laugh that seemed to help calm her down a little. I took this as my cue to move on to the next step.
"Listen, you still look a little down. Can I buy you a drink or..."
"Actually, do you have an X?" she said, cutting me off My heart kind of raced a little. Here was this beautiful girl, not only talking to me, but asking for the one drug that basically IMPLIES that sex will be happening that night.
I reached in my pocket, opened up an Altoids box (hey, they work as great cover) and pulled out a little white pill.
She opened her mouth receptively, and I placed the pill on her tongue. She closed her mouth and smiled a mischievous little smile.
"Thanks. Now, care to dance?"
"If it will cheer you up, I'd love to"
We went out on the dance floor and danced for 45 minutes or so, or basically until the drug went into effect. When I started noticing the effects of it, I leaned into her and said "Would you like to go somewhere a little more private?"
Her face flustered and a little red from the dancing as well as the effects of the ecstasy, she nodded and I took her by the hand and led her off the floor. We got into my car and started driving back to my place.
"I don't even know your name. My name is Dean. How about you?"
"Wait a minute, you mean you don't even recognize me? Wow...that is so incredible"
Feeling at a lose for words, I tried to recover. "Well, you look very familiar. But I'm no good with names and..."
She threw her head back and laughed.
"Ok, ok, I'll give you some hints. My name is Natalie...I've appeared in a few movies.. probably the most recent one you might have seen I played a queen..."
I slammed on the brakes of the car in the middle of traffic, causing the car behind me to swerve out of the way, it's horn blaring loudly.
"Natalie Portman! YOUR NATALIE PORTMAN!"
She kind of laughed sheepishly and said "Well, Portman's not my last name but yea, I guess I'm guilty as charged."
"Oh wow. I mean, I knew you looked familiar but I must be a total idiot for not realizing THAT was who you are. I mean, you were in one of the biggest..."
"Shhh," she said "I'm glad you didn't recognize me. It makes it even better for me."
With that, she reached over and rubbed her hand up my leg, resting it finally on my crotch. I got hard instantly.
I tried not to when she touched me, but just the combination of her hand and the realitization that I was about to bang one of the hottest stars in Hollywood caused me to literally jump out of the seat.
I gassed the car and raced for my apartment. We made small talk on the way, discussing how she had dated Moby when she was 15 until just a month ago. That, she said, was why she was so upset tonight. When she saw him she tried to reconcile things with him but he wasn't interested, which made her hurt even more. He had been her first and only lover since she was 16, but the relationship fell apart when his last album became so successful and he was on the road too much. I told her I was sorry and that I'd try to make her feel better once we got to my place.
I pulled into the parking garage and we walked hand in hand up to my apartment. Now, I don't live in a palace by any stretch, but I'd like to think that my apartment is at least a level or so better than most college kids dorms. I try to keep it clean, especially on nights like this when I hope to have a visitor (or two). I unlocked the door, being a gentleman and allowing her to walk in first. I turned on the lights and she quickly spun around and pulled me down to kiss me. She couldn't have been more than 5'4 but damn if she didn't pull me down to her height quick. Not wanting to hurt myself by bending down (I'm 6'1), I picked her up in my arms and brought her up to MY level. We embraced for what felt like hours, our tongues intertwining with each other, before she whispered into my ear "Take me. Now!"
Not wanting to disapoint the little lady, I set her down and led her to my bedroom. I lifted her up and laid her down gently onto the bed on her back. I quickly kicked off my shoes and took off my shirt and pants, standing there in only my boxer shorts. She kicked her legs high, one at a time, flinging her cute little converse tennis shoes across the room.
Scooting up to the edge of the bed, Natalie reached out her slender arms and took grasp of the elastic lining, pulling down slowly on it. She pulled the boxers down past my cock until it sprung free in all it's 8 inch glory, almost smacking her right in the face. Natalie took hold of it in her right hand, smiled up at me in that same mischievous smile, and slowly lowered her mouth onto the head.
I don't know if it was just natural ability, some lesson she picked up some where or just the Ecstasy taking effect, but it wasn't long before Natalie was sucking me off like a pro. She would slowly shove my dick as far back into her throat as possible, savoring the feeling of it in her hot little teenage mouth, and then quickly pull her mouth off. She would do this rapidly and in succession, creating an incredible feeling. After about 5 minutes of this, she sensed that I was close to cumming and slowed things down a little bit. She tickled the head a bit with her tongue, running it all over, then focusing her attention to the shaft. Just when I was on the hilt of orgasm, she would change course and go to work on my balls or something else. Time flew by while all this was happening, with her incredible technique making me last 5x longer than usual. Finally, she speeded things up by sucking long and hard on about half of me, trying to bring me to orgasm. I felt it building in my balls, and I grasped her by the hair and pulled her face forward into my stomach. "UGGGHH... Natalie, I'm cumming!" I cried out. She just grunted in approval as I shot what felt like a gallon of cum right down her throat. Like the blow job champ I'm now convinced she is, she was ready for me and swallowed almost all of it, although she didn't quite get it all down, allowing some to dribble out of the corner of her mouth and down onto her t-shirt very sexily. She wiped her mouth with her finger, tasting my cum again, smiled and said "Yummy. What's for desert?"
"Oh, you'll see. Something that I think might be quite tasty."
Without another word, I lifted her up on the bed and unzipped her cute little vinyl pants, sliding them down until she stepped out of them. Underneath, all she was wearing was a pair of lace red panties that barely covered her ass, let alone her snatch. I could make out a neatly trimmed bush underneath in the front, and her sweet little mound protruding a little bit, puffed up from all the action thus far.
She lifted her arms up over her head and pulled her tank top off, revealing some of the most perfect breasts I have ever seen. Sure, some guys prefer large breasts over small, and Natalie was certainly no Pamela Anderson, but her breasts were just large enough to go extremely well with her petite little figure. Her nipples and areola's were a dark brown, very hard and looked stunning on her somewhat darkened skin.
She stood there for a few moments and then decided to make a scene of her panty removal, something that made me grow hard again very quick. She slid her thumbs into the sides of them by her hips and gyrated her ass as she pulled her panties down to her knees. My suspicions had been correct, her bush WAS very neatly trimmed and her cunt WAS looking very aroused. I pulled her to her knees and embraced her. Our tongues danced with each other for a bit until I broke the kiss and laid her down gently onto the bed.
Slowly I began licking my way up her legs, spending a great deal of time on her inner thighs, until I reached her neatly trimmed and fully aroused pussy. Her cunt lips were puffed out and just begging to be licked. I spread her lips open and slowly extended my tongue inside of her, tasting the sweetness. She had a unique taste, sweet and potent at the same time. I don't give a lot of girls head, but after the blow job I had just received I felt that she deserved something in return. All the while when I was licking her, darting my tongue in and out, finally finding her clit and sucking on it very softly, all I could hear were moans of pleasure coming from her "AAAAAAHHHH. MORE!!! DONT STOP!!!" moaned Natalie, her voice deepening as she cried out.
I finally hit the right spot (I assume) when I took her clit in between my teeth and gently applied pressure. That did it for her, finally sending her over the edge and flooding my face with her lovely juices. She clamped her legs around my head and cried out in ecstasy as the orgasm shook her body. I strove to keep up by continuing to lick her and taste as much of her sweet honey as possible. She finally relaxed her legs from around my head, and panting and drenched with sweat, leaned down to kiss me and licked some of her own cum off that I had missed.
By this time my dick was very hard again and was extended to almost 8 and a half inches simply from the marvel that was Natalie Portman's nude & nubile little body. I laid her down again and positioned myself in front of her tight little opening. I was expecting her to request a condom, but she reassured me:
"I'm on the pill. My agent would KILL me if I wasn't."
With that matter out of the way, I placed the head of my shaft at her opening again and slowly slid in. God she was tight. She certainly wasn't a virgin as she said she was, but damn if she still wasn't one of the hottest and tightest fucks I've had. She sighed in pleasure as my dick finally hit her cervix, buried in her to the hilt. I slowly began withdrawing and reentering her at a very slow tempo, gradually increasing pace. Natalie was matching me, grinding her pussy and clit onto my dick as I drove in and out of her. After close to 10 minutes of this gradually faster pace, I was hitting near break-neck speed and the friction was driving Natalie crazy. OOHHHHHH!!!!!! GOOOODD!!!!!! IM CUMING!!!!" she screamed loudly, as her second orgasm of the evening hit her and flooded out onto my cock.
That was enough to send me over the edge, and I thrust in two more times before finally pulling Natalie close and erupting a geyser of cum inside her. I could feel it hit her pussy walls and some of it flood out of her hot cunt onto the sheets beneath us.
Having both been spent, we laid back on the bed and caught our breath for a few minutes. Later we talked about her film career, my family life, and we each discussed our ideas for the future. After talking for nearly two hours, I was getting sleepy (it was already 5:30 in the morning) but apparently Natalie was hardly tired. She pulled back the sheets some and laid her head on my stomach while she started playing with my dick with her small hand.
"You know...there was one sexual conquest Richard (Moby's real name) never did have, but only because he didn't want it," Natalie said softly.
"What was that?" I asked, as I played with her soft brown hair.
"Well, I always wanted to try it...you know...from behind..." she said, her face turning a deeply flushed red.
"Hey, I'm here to do whatever the little lady wants," I said, smiling at her.
"You mean it? Oooo...I'm getting hot just thinking about it!" she said excitedly.
"Just relax and let me take care of things," I said. "First, we need a little lubrication"
She quickly caught on, and went to work sucking and wetting down my dick with her hot starlet mouth. I was already hard from talking about her request, so it was very difficult for me not to pull her head down and turn the quick-lube into a blowjob. After my cock was nice and wet, I rolled her over and had her stick her ass in the air. I leaned down and licked around her anus, getting it nice and moist. Out of instinct her sphincter muscles contracted when my tongue touched her, but I told her that she had to relax them if she didn't want any pain. She obliged, and after getting her ass semi-lubricated, I placed the head of my dick at her virgin anus opening. Slowly, I pushed in. Her ass was the tightest thing I had ever felt and while it felt extremely good, it also made my dick turn almost blood red. Natalie leaned her head into the pillow, biting on it. Finally I got most of my shaft into her, and like when I was in her pussy, I kept the pace nice and slow, building up speed over time.
"Oh god! I feel so full!" said Natalie
It wasn't nearly as long this time though before I felt my load approaching. Natalie was close to coming too, as she had been playing with her clit while I slid in and out of her ass. Thrusting into her at a faster pace than before, I finally pushed in harder than I had before and shot wad after wad of cum deep into her ass. Natalie orgasmed a few seconds after I did, and groaned loudly as she came for the third time that night. I pulled out of her and we both laid back on the bed again.
"Was that what you were expecting?" I asked.
Still in a daze, Natalie said "It was so much better than I expected,"
Natalie left later that day after we both got 6 hours of well deserved sleep. She left her number and email address and told me to call her sometime. We still see each other every now and then, but with her busy off shooting movies and her school, and me with my school, we never get to relive the passion of that night. Hopefully someday, we will.