The Fancy Bastard Forum

Big fan here too, my friend. I only started watching the new series though (the opening music used to creep me out as a kid) so my favorite doctor selection is limited. I liked Chris Eccleston a lot (and he was great on Heroes, too) but David Tennant has really grown on me as the Doctor. John Simm as the Master was pretty brilliant too - I really enjoyed that whole arc.

But BBC America? Ouch. Get Sci-Fi - they're only a few weeks behind the BBC broadcasts these days. BBC America is around a year behind, I think. They do air Torchwood on BBCA, though, with which I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship.

If you're watching on BBCA though, I'd be prepared for some spoilers here - things that people might not even realize are spoilers at this point.

It's funny because for the longest time when I started watching the show, I didn't know there was more than one Doctor--PBS in Boston only showed the Tom Baker ones for years.

From the original series, I always liked Peter Davison best, but I really loved Eccleston. Tennant doesn't really work for me, and I don't watch it regularly now--which is a change. As I look back over Doctors, I think it's Davison's and Eccleston's more thoughtful characters that interest me. I also wish Colin Baker had had more of a chance to be the Doctor, and I want to see McCoy's episodes some more.

Favorite evils: I go with the obvious: daleks and cybermen are great techno-terrors (the daleks' very first appearance is great), and I really liked Anthony Ainley's master.

Lots of companions I like: Ian Chesterton, Lethbridge-Stewart, Liz Shaw was really good, Sarah Jane, K-9, first Romana, Nyssa & Tegan & Adric (hated when he died), Peri (bad American accent and all), and I grew to like Rose Tyler very much.

Some favorite stories: Mawdryn Undead (for the way it plays with time and bringing Lethbridge-Stewart back), and The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances was one of the most wonderfully eerie ones in a long time--great atmosphere and story.

i love love love the empty child/the doctor dances! the whole chris eccleston season blew me away. i had zero intentions of watching the new series until the middle of the second season. i guess i thought that the new writers couldn't do tom baker justice or something silly like that.
i like david tennant, don't get me wrong, but i feel like christopher eccleston really brought something astounding to the character; the way that he would shift his mood and change his face at the drop of a pin was really something.

any episode written by steven moffat is a winner in my book, i'm so excited that he'll be executive producing the fifth season.

I could never really watch Doctor Who for the longest time. Mostly because I found the plot lines to be too corny or cheesy. This past weeks (Sci-fi) though really dragged me in, and I can't wait to see what happens tonight.

any episode written by steven moffat is a winner in my book, i'm so excited that he'll be executive producing the fifth season.

I'll second that. "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink" are paragons, too. Moffat has a knack for creating loveable characters and putting them in very sweet and sad situations.

Posted By: Mike Brady

any episode written by steven moffat is a winner in my book, i'm so excited that he'll be executive producing the fifth season.

I'll second that. "The Girl in the Fireplace" and "Blink" are paragons, too. Moffat has a knack for creating loveable characters and putting them in very sweet and sad situations.

i love love love "the girl in the fireplace" and i hope that those wonderful clockwork robots will somehow make their way back into the show.

Moffat has a knack for creating loveable characters and putting them in very sweet and sad situations.

Moffat has almost outdone himself on this week's episode "Silence In The Library." Sadness with a very terrifying villain. It's not quite the level of "Blink," but it's pretty darn-freaking-tastic. I'm reserving final judgement until I see what next week holds, as it's a two-parter. I'm probably gonna have to sleep with the lights on until then.

While I'd be lying if I said I didn't love Ten with a passion that borders on indecent, I do have a fondness for Paul McGann, if only because it was a very lame attempt bringing Doctor Who to the US. Also: I'm knitting the season 16 scarf. It's approaching twelve feet, and I'm just over halfway done.

Favorite villain? The Master. Hands down.


And speaking of hands, I high five all of the time. I wouldn't say that's specifically Whoish. I'd say more people would know it from Scrubs, if indeed high-fiving was connected to a tv show. That, or like, the 80's.

Posted By: larnsturt

And speaking of hands, I high five all of the time. I wouldn't say that's specifically Whoish. I'd say more people would know it from Scrubs, if indeed high-fiving was connected to a tv show. That, or like, the 80's.

i think that high fiving just means that you're awesome.


i somehow put myself in the quote.

Posted By: larnsturt

Posted By: jacob666

i somehow put myself in the quote.

Wow. How did you do that?

songs to sleep to

Speaking of Moffat.

...I'll stop being an ass.

Posted By: larnsturt

Posted By: larnsturt

Posted By: jacob666

i somehow put myself in the quote.

Wow. Howdidyou do that?

songs to sleep to

i even gave you my tag!

So, any theories on who River Song is?

Will someone in America please watch episode eleven so I can have a meaningful conversation about it?

I'm freaking dying over here.

i don't have cable or satellite ever since i moved but as soon as i do and as soon as i catch up i would love to.

Posted By: larnsturtWill someone in America please watch episode eleven so I can have a meaningful conversation about it?

I'm freaking dying over here.

I'll consider it... stay tuned. The only thing that's holding me back is that DW is the only show I have to look forward to at the moment.

i've watched it, as i D'L all my Dr. Who. ... so wha'd you think about it? besides:

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Rose's weird speech pattern that i never noticed before.

did you notice that also or is it just me?

you mean her weird slurring? she's just a lush.

Well, someone's gonna eat it, and I have a few theories.

Yay, a giant black square!

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Jack--DTL:1 Can't die, plus Torchwood, plus he's the Face of Boe, so he's relatively safe. Gwen Cooper-- DTL:3 With the way they left things on Torchwood, she could feasibly die, though I don't think so. More likely she'd quit. Ianto Jones-- DTL:1 Is too cute to die. Also, Torchwood. Sarah Jane and Co.--DTL:1 ...are also safe for spin-off reasons. Plus, they're even more kidsey than Who, so I doubt they'll be drawn and quartered. The Doctor-- DTL:2 Tennant is booked for a few more specials after this, so most likey not. Harriet Jones-- DTL:9 She's likable, well-loved, and expendable. There are theories that she may be forced to join the Daleks. If this is true, I'm crying already. I love Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. Jackie Tyler-- DTL:4 While it would be sad, I did sorta always want to smack her. It might be the impetus for Rose picking up that great honking gun, though. Mickey Smith-- DTL:4 Substitute "him" for "her" in above. Martha Jones-- DTL:3 Rumors of her returning to Torchwood aside, I can't help thinking Martha's been through enough. Rose Tyler-- DTL:6 This Rose is much more mature than companion Rose, slurring aside. I still think she'd give her life for the Doctor. Likelihood, though? Not very. Also, there's a tentative spin off planned for her, but dear lord I hope not. Donna Noble-- DTL:8 I think her jumping in front of the truck is a ploy. I think River Song knew her because the Doctor talks about Donna like he talked about Rose. She works too well with the Doctor, she's committed to him, will-you nill-you. Even when her family was threatened, she still returned to the Doctor. I'm thinking she's prime for death. I think it'll be one hell of a going out. Donna deserves that much. *Death Threat Level

I'd like to point out that I love being completely wrong, though. I feel if I can guess the plot twists, then I ain't impressed.

I'd also like to point out that Who cast members are pretty much told to lie about anything related to the show. Davies himself lies point blank all of the time. So really, no one's safe.

Ok, I'm done for now.

i agree i just think that:

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Mickey, and Jackie's DTL should be higher...much higher. they're easy targets that can pull at the heartstrings.

also me and my gf totally agree about Ianto's hotness!!!!

the whole thing makes me want gobs and gobs of commentary.

@ Jonny

Mayhaps you're right. If they go, I hope J gives 'em hell on the way out. I kinda think she would.

And Ianto is very hot. They don't call him Eye Candy for nothing!

OK, OK, I finally got caught up through the most recent episode. I'll post more when it's not the middle of the night, but:

Spoilers for last Saturday's episode: The Stolen Earth

With everything that's going on, I'm afraid we're due for another Reset Button. I don't know how they're going to explain this regeneration away but they'd better have one hell of an ace up their sleeve.

EDIT: more specific about the spoiler

Yeah, I'm thinking you're right.

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I'm thinking that's what the Osterhagen Key is. Apparently "Osterhagen" an anagram for "Earth's Gone" so who the heck knows. And about the regeneration, I was thinking back on things they have mentioned several times: missing planets, the bees, Donna's back, etc. And if there's one thing that's been prominently displayed though the whole series that's had nothing to do with anything, it's the hand in the jar. Maybe the Tardis will do some sort of DNA lock regenerating thing that keeps him in the same body.

It's sad. I want to know what happens, but then it will be the end! Oh BBC, why can't you have a 24 episode run like in the states? Sigh.

Good points:

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The Osterhagen key is obviously pretty important to the plot. It's going to play a pivotal role, and coming from UNIT it could be just about anything. And you're absolutely right - they've shown that hand far more than they should have. Something is going on with that, but what?

Also, what I loved about the last episode was how it managed to be so hilarious and terrifying at the same time. There were a lot of really genuinely funny moments there, especially if you've followed Torchwood or Sarah Jane at all.

I haven't watched any of the Sarah Jane stuff, but I do like Torchwood quite a bit.

Poor Owen and Tosh! They bit the dust before they could be on Who. If I was them, I'd be way pissed. I bet the Doctor would have flipped over Owen's, erm, condition, especially if he feels Jack is so universally wrong.

random theory time:

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Donna still has the bug on her back, and all of this is just a dream.

i doubt this'll happen, as it's been done before on so many other shows, but hey ya never know

Ah good point - I had forgotten about that!

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Maybe the girl from the Library is actually real, but autistic, and she created the whole story to entertain herself because she's playing with earth in a snowglobe! (Not poking fun at your theory - I just despise that plot device) That would explain why Rose has shown up again, though.

Who am I kidding? Big black square again.

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The bug idea is interesting, but that freaky albino lady at the Shadow Proclamation said that Donna had something on her back("was something"), indicating that the beetle is gone. Not to mention the Doctor poking at it. And they've already done a reset with the Master, and sorta with Turn Left. I just can't see them doing another back-to-normal sort of thing. There's no paradox machine, no alternate universe. That's what I like about Who, shit happens and it affects the overall future of the human race. It's gonna come down to that nasty little key, methinks. I hope it's not some Titan A.E./Douglas Adams New Earth kind of shit. I'm just sayin'. It's also got something major to do with Donna. There was that odd bit of the heart beat and the "You are something new" line that makes me think Donna's gonna be brilliant. Not to mention that River Song knew who she was waaaay into the future. You have to do something pretty fucking great to get that kind of historical coverage. I'm wondering if when she meets Jack in person, if she does, he'll be just as amazed at her as Song. Then again, Song might of heard of her from the Doctor. Oh, this all gets very muddled, doesn't it? What I don't get is how stealing planets from this universe makes Rose's parallel universe accessible. You'd thing it'd just be another parallel universe created.

And has anyone else seen Secret Diary of a Call Girl? Ho-lee-shit. I may never be able to look at Rose the same way.

Hoh yes I've seen it. So yeah... wow. Maybe that's where she got her teeth knocked out, because it sure sounds like she's had some major dental work. SABLE QUADRILATERAL:

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OK, first of all, I was throroughly disappointed by the Shadow Proclamation. Everybody cowers when the Doctor spouts some rule of the Shadow Proclamation, and what does it turn out to be? An albino waif and a few lousy Judoon. So, yeah FAIL. And she did say there "was" something on Donna's back, but there was definitely a beetle sound as well. Something's fishy there: you don't make a callback like that for no reason. I'm not putting it past them to put in another reset. That stunt they pulled with the Master was a HUGE one so I'm not putting anything past them. They've already made it clear that the beetle is an easy mechanism for it - we don't know that this isn't a parallel universe! And Rose's reappearance certainly fits the M.O.. I'm not ready to put money on it, but we all know Russell Davies is a fan of the Deus Ex Machina. (Quite literally in the Series 1 finale) That bit with Donna's heartbeat was a little strange yes. Were there two heartbeats? Could she be a Time Lord? She is a "temp". Temp Noble -> Time Lord? I heard someone suggest that she could be the Master, because she has a ring that we can never really see and Dalek Caan said something about the "Dark Lord is here" when the Doctor and Donna showed up. That would be an interesting twist, wouldn't it?

i guess we'll have to wait till sat., but there's lot of good theories goin on here.

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Well, I tried to be all clever and compare the rings, but I can't seem to find the shot of the woman's hand picking up the Master's ring. Donna's seems to be a giant bluish green stone, roughly rectangular. Can't remember what the other one looked like. Could this be a Rani thing? Perhaps, but I dunno if there's time left enough for that sort of story. The return of a female Time Lord would be hella awesome, but Davies did mention this was something he wanted left open for future seasons. Davies also lies out his clever ass. And I don't think we've seen the last of the Shadow Proclamation. I hope to hay fever they are more badass then they seem.

Agreed on that last point. And yes, Davies blatently lies all the time about everything, so who knows? We'll find out tomorrow!

the final episode was amazing!!!! i love the doctor so much! what a guy!
xxx

I liked the finale. I'm not sure that I'm ready to say that I love it yet. It was filled with moments of awesomeness which were often followed up by moments of disappointment. It wrapped up some storylines very nicely, so that was good. I guess I'm just disappointed in the ending:

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I really wanted to see Donna continue as a half-Time Lord. That would have been so fantastic! Part of me thought that she was going to regenerate into River Song. That would also have been great! But no, she just gets it all taken from her and gets put back in her old life as if nothing happened. It's maddening!

Other than that it was great! I think I just need to watch it again and get over myself. :)

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Oooh, I like the way you think. Donna into River. That would rock. I don't think we've seen the last of Miss Noble. Caan said one would die, and while you could make an argument that Donna "died" when she had her memory erased...eh. I still think there's too much going on in her life that she totally missed. Someone's gonna slip sometime. She almost got friggin married, people don't let you forget that. Plus, she was hands down my favorite Companion. I miss her already. At least her bitchy mom finally got a set down. There is talk of her giant ring being something like the Doctor's pocket watch, a stored Time Lord consciousness, though there was no Chameleon Arch thingy, just the Doctor wiping her mind. Still, her ring did sorta flash, but who knows? Still, being very important and not knowing it sorta worked out well for Harry Potter, perhaps she'll remember bit by bit enough for her brain to remember it all without freaking. (I also scared the shit out of my roommates screaming "I KNEW IT!" when he did the thing with the hand. But oh did I feel so very clever.)

Hahaha! Clever indeed! I thought it was pretty funny how nonchalantly they played that off though.

About being nonchalant...

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What was up with Second Doctor there at the end? He seemed almost creepy. Considering how badly he wanted to remain human when he was John Smith, you'd think he be able to get a small smile for it, even if the circumstances are crappy. As for real Doctor, it totally has to suck watching your woman kiss another man who is...you. And you know the Rose/Second Doctor relationship is gonna be odd, because Second Doctor will always be earthbound and therefore never able to be quite as awesome as he used to be. And Rose will always know that the real Doctor is somewhere else and all she got was a copy. But as my friend pointed out, this way they get to have sex. Which is what all the fangirls wanted, anyway.

About the creepy one:

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Yes! There was a lot of fan service to be had all throughout the episode, but the take-home Doctor clearly took the cake. I wouldn't count on him being earthbound forever, though. The Third Doctor was exiled to Earth and ended up with UNIT. Granted, Ten-Two doesn't have a TARDIS to repair but UNIT's also come a long way. I think some sort of reunion is inevitable down the line. The whole interaction between the two Doctors at the parting was mind-blowingly bizarre, but I guess that's how it should be.

about donna:

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she did die, she died in the episode 'turn left' wasn't that what caan was referring to?

about the creepy one:

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that's so there can be a spin off series. they'll probably meet up with torchwood, who now include mickey and martha.

and why he was by himself:

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because russell t davies has left the show, so if it carries on he wants whoever starts writing it to have a completely clean slate. he spent that episode jus tying up loose ends so that the new writer could start from wherever they want to. all the real action was i the penultimate episode. the last one was jus full of morality issues and love, which actually made me want to vomit

xxx

About that last part:

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Yeah, I guess that's a good reason? I don't know though - when companions start feeling disposable then people will stop caring about them. It's hard to emotionally invest in someone that's just above "red shirt" on the food chain, and that seems to be where they're heading. I guess that's not Davies's problem though, even if he is doing the bank holiday specials for next year.

my 2 cents:

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i hated that they had the "human" Doctor be with Rose, the whole point with Rose, was that it could never be, and to me it just seemed like Davies pandering to the fans, instead of staying true to the characters. i really liked Donna, and i was really looking forward to seeing Time Lord Donna, but i saw the whole thing that happened to her from a mile away. i wonder what personality type they'll come up with for the next companion, as we've already seen the starry-eyed follower (Rose), The one who loved the Doctor, but was also her own person (Martha) and the one who loved the adventures, but had no interest in the Doctor whatsoever (Donna). i do agree that the companions are getting "red shirted" and i think it'll be hard to get emotionally attached to yet another one. i wonder how Doctor Who could get attached to another one again, but i guess he's used to it. What they really need to do is sign the next actress to a 3, or more year deal. if they don't like her they can fire her. i do think mickey, and martha will be good additions to Torchwood, if that's the case, but i liked that while Torchwood had a connection to Dr. Who it was it's own show. if 40% of the cast come sform Dr. Who it might lose some of it's appeal. Also i was really distracted with Billie Piper's drunken lispy thing. so who wants to take bets on how many episodes it takes for the Daleks to return?

Am I really gonna cite black boxes? Ayup!

Posted By: SuperKatieabout donna:

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she did die, she died in the episode 'turn left' wasn't that what caan was referring to?

I don't think that's what he's referring to, as it already "happened". That whole episode was one giant paradox, but so much fun, I'm totes willing to overlook all of the plot holes. I'm pretty sure he meant that the companion part of her would die, but I still say that's lame. Though I guess if he can look through the parallel universes....yeah, you could very well be right.

about the creepy one:

that's so there can be a spin off series. they'll probably meet up with torchwood, who now include mickey and martha.

Rocktastick as that would be, I think the book really is closed on them for a good long while. I think it more likely Donna's suppressed Time Lord consciousness will pop up before Rose and Second Doctor. The Doctor without his TARDIS? How sad...

Perhaps you were hearing about this?

and why he was by himself:

because russell t davies has left the show, so if it carries on he wants whoever starts writing it to have a completely clean slate. he spent that episode jus tying up loose ends so that the new writer could start from wherever they want to. all the real action was i the penultimate episode. the last one was jus full of morality issues and love, which actually made me want to vomit

Steven Moffat is taking over the job as head writer and executive producer, and excellent choice, I think, as he brings a very deep understanding of the frightening and the touching. He wrote Blink, Forest of the Dead/Silence in the Library, and Girl in the Fireplace, to name a few. And as for loose ends, I think there's plenty still waving in the wind. First to mind is Jenny, the Doctor's daughter, River Song and his meeting her, if and how Jack really does become the Face of Boe, the Master's ring picked up by a female hand...plus we still don't know what the Doctor did to piss off Queen Elizabeth. And we didn't actually SEE Davros die. He's been on an exploding ship before.

...it did get a bit mushy there at the end, but I was ok with it.

and @ Mike:

I'd argue they aren't red shirts. Hell, look at Martha, she's still trucking on, and presumably back on Torchwood with Rickety Mickey. Rose came back for a bit. Jack CAN'T die, so he'll be back. Even Sarah Jane and that tin toaster K-9 keep popping up, annoying as they are. Yes, they only get one season as featured players, if that, but they never seem to fully disappear. I think that's one reason why I like this episode. Just look at the tremendous amount of backstory they can take for granted. What other show can pull from such a rich and complex cast of characters, then have a blue box tug earth around like a tether ball?

This spoilers shit is getting ridiculous. Or perhaps it's just me and my tendency to wax poetic about all things Who.

@ johnny ace

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I have a sneaking suspicion Ianto and Gwen are gonna be on the outside of a few in-jokes. But I did hear they were gonna go a bit more family friendly this next season, so importing more squeaky clean Companions would probably help. And as for Rose being with the Doctor, to me this seems worse, as all she gets is an earth-bound copy of the Doctor. Notice she wasn't all that thrilled to be dumped with Mr. Sullen McSkinnyMan.

A great take on What Might Happen.

So I'm fairly new to Doctor Who. I've seen a few episodes with (I think) the second doctor. I don't have the Sci-Fi network, so I've resorted to downloading episodes and audiobooks. Any recommended titles? Any favoured doctors and/or ones to skip out on?

You probably mean the Tenth Doctor, not the Second (unless you were watching some very old episodes). But maybe you were watching some oldies. For reference, here are the ten in order (courtesy of Wikipedia):



Everyone seems to have different preferences for their Doctor, but Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) stands out as a bit of an icon. Anything from the recent series is pretty good, I'd say. There are a few exceptional stand-alone episodes (such as "Blink" and "The Girl in the Fireplace") but generally the new series should be watched in order. There are subtle clues sprinkled in each episode that come to bear on the season finales, and I think it's kind of fun to go through the process of realizing what you missed.

Gotcha. The episodes I saw were with the third doctor (thanks for the pictoral reference). And now that I know that the one Doctor that's been connected to the franchise in 90% of the Doctor Who-related things I've seen in stores and all that is the Fourth, I know what to look for. Thanks x 10^n.

Yes, Tom Baker is fantastic.

I'd say avoid the 1996 movie like the plague. It was a desperate bid to bring Who to America that just resulted in silliness. (that would be the Eighth Doctor, who in the picture above looks like a Anne Rice reject.)

Much love for Peter Davidson, though.

Sights like Surfthechannel have most of the episodes in order, but don't forget to watch the Christmas Specials in between, they usually contain plot points that can affect the next seasons. I think STC has most of the DW Confidential, too, which are fun.

Oh, I envy you for being able to see them all for the first time. It's highly addictive.

Posted By: larnsturtOh, I envy you for being able to see them all for the first time. It's highly addictive.

That's what I gather. From the looks of it, there's everything I'd want out of science fiction. I'm surprised I never got into it before.

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i don't think this is a spoiler but the issue was blacked out already. ok so Torchwood is gonna be more family friendly next season? that sux! the reason why i like it is that it's more adult, then DW. and so i can have my Fam. friendly show with Who, and my adult show with Torchwood. ugh!!!!

@ Eddie

Be patient with the first few episodes. They definitely get better as they go along. It is possible to pick up with the 2005 season and go forward, though if you want, maybe check WikiTardis for back story. Tread carefully, spoilers abound.


@Jonny Ace

I don't think it's a secret. Torchwood got a lot of flack for its adult content. (People getting literally fucked to death? Holy shit!) I can't seem to track down the article, but I distinctly remember them deciding to tone it down a bit. They proved their point about not being Doctor Who, so they can step back a little. I think it had something to do with wanting a new time slot and having to trim a bit for it, but I could just be pulling that out of my ass.

Dunno if I want to see Martha or Mickey kill anyone, though.