Doctor Who / Torchwood Casting Developments
The final episode of Series Three may only have aired on Saturday, but already the BBC has clarified casting details about this years Christmas episode, "Voyage Of The Damned" (which will, presumably, follow on directly from this series' 'Titanic' cliffhanger - ho ho!), aswell as the forthcoming series of Who and it's racy, adult, rubbish spin-off Torchwood. If you wish to approach either entirely unspoiled, then don't read on.
Aswell as making me so excited that wee came out, the last few episodes of Doctor Who clarified that whoever was leaking plot details to the tabloids all last year wasn't making them up. Recently, they've been reporting the likely presence of Kylie Minogue in this years Christmas episode, something that was confirmed tonight by the short-arse warblers website, which also states that she will play a "major, leading role". Here's Russell, commenting on how brilliant it's all going to be...
"We are delighted and excited to announce that Kylie Minogue will be joining the Doctor. Doctor Who Xmas specials are always a joy and we feel very confident that this will be the most ambitious and best Christmas episode yet."
I find the idea of a festive edition of Who set aboard the Titanic interesting enough without another one-off celebrity companion, particularly given that the 9th Doctor claimed to have been on the ship too. Or his internet stalker said he was, or something, I forget. Could "I hate multiple Doctor stories" be another RTD-ruse? Would Eccleston consider returning, or could he be side stepped entirely for McGanns Doctor to be given a final hurrah?
Freema Agyeman will resurface in Torchwood for three episodes before eventually returning to Who mid-way through the next series. Casting is underway for a new companion who will appear in all 13 episodes, and hopefully won't spend them all falling in love with The Doctor. Rumours abound that Tom Ellis, who portrayed Thomas Milligan in "Last Of The Time Lords" is up for the part. Is this going to be the routine now? Road test new companions in the finale, kill them off in time for the next series? Hmph. More press release toss -
"Series three has gained outstanding reviews and Freema has been a huge part of that success, gaining rave notices for her portrayal of Martha. Now we are taking the character of Martha into brand new territory with a starring role in Torchwood".
"I can't wait to start filming on Torchwood and the new series of Doctor Who," said Freema. "It's a huge new challenge for me and I'm delighted Russell has decided to expand the character of Martha Jones.'"
Outstanding reviews? I suppose Russell hasn't read my opinions of Lazarus and 42, then.
It's a curious development - Russell has stated in the past that Capt. Jack would be the only character to cross over between the series, and while he has lied to us in the past, it's usually for the purposes of misdirection (his self congratulatory "I lied about not wanting to bring back The Master!" in Doctor Who Confidential seemed a bit ridiculous considering that practically everyone who watches the show knew what was coming). Perhaps he literally does just say the first few things that come into his head. This does seem like something of a demotion for Freema, who has failed to make quite the same impact as Billie. This hasn't really impacted on the quality of the series, and is nothing to do with the actress or her performance - she's simply been short changed in a number of the scripts, in my opinion - but this arrangement provides ample opportunity to develop and expand the character and hopefully Freema will survive into the next-next series.
About this entry
- By Michael Lacey
- Posted on Tuesday, July 03 2007 @ 3:52 am
- Categorised in TV
- 30 comments
> Russell has stated in the past that Capt. Jack would be the only character to cross over between the series
Which was pretty silly of him, considering Toshiko was in Aliens of London...
By Andrew
July 03, 2007 @ 7:34 pm
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Its gonna be Catherine FUCKING tate! Its Official!
By alexander
July 04, 2007 @ 1:43 am
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Wah!
By Seb
July 04, 2007 @ 2:32 am
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6267680.stm
I mean, for fuck's sake.
By Ian Symes
July 04, 2007 @ 2:36 am
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Well, at least this will ensure a different dynamic between the Doctor and his companion, to some extent. I'm not *totally* disgusted by this news, as long as the character develops beyond playing to Catherine Tate's "strengths" as a shouty harpy tart.
By Michael Lacey
July 04, 2007 @ 3:01 am
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Yes, a dynamic in which the companion is a fucking cunt.
By Ian Symes
July 04, 2007 @ 11:07 am
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Oh dear god. A gimmicky piece of casting in a Christmas episode stretched to an entire series. Just disgraceful.
By Rad
July 04, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
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This is just so bloody odd. Less than a year, lest we forget, after being told in the usual gushing RTD way how brilliant Freeman was and what a wonderful companion she was going to be for the Doctor she's whisked out of the TARDIS for whatever off-screen reasons (as is often pointed out, when someone leaves a TV show it's got little to do with the story and everything to do with what's going on in the real world) to be replaced by a character who was only ever intended to be a jokey companion in the defiantly panto-ish Christmas episode. It's not merely bad, it's incomprehensible and the only explanation I can think of is gimmicky "celebrity" stunt-casting but why do that when the viewing-figures are holding up nicely and there's no downturn in fortunes to reverse?
By Zagrebo
July 06, 2007 @ 3:39 pm
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Bear in mind that Freema is actually returning for the second half of the fourth series of Who - and also, three episodes of Torchwood.
I would argue that RTD really *does* love Freema - and he wants her both to boot Torchwood up the arse a bit, and be back for the most important half of the season. And it makes *perfect* sense from a character point of view as well - breaking the cycle of unrequited love that she just wasn't going to put up with any more. Everybody wins.
This doesn't mean I'm hugely happy with Tate being in all of the series - although I don't react nearly as strongly against it as a lot of people have.
By John Hoare
July 06, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
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Bring back Sally Sparrow!
By Rich Goodwin
July 06, 2007 @ 7:16 pm
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This doesn't mean I'm hugely happy with Tate being in all of the series - although I don't react nearly as strongly against it as a lot of people have.
It's not merely going to be Tate in it, though, it's going to be Donna and the whole joke with Donna was that she was a shouty pissed-off type whom the Doctor found himself lumbered with. I don't see how they can turn her into a permanent companion without messing around with the character in a way that's going to make the continuity feel a bit disjointed. Or I suppose they could have her play a sister/other relative of Donna but that'd be pushing it a bit considering that's what they had to do with Freema.
By Zagrebo
July 08, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
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Sorry, that first paragraph of my post above is a quote from John. It was meant to be in itallics but these don't seem to do HTML.
By Zagrebo
July 08, 2007 @ 2:26 pm
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In much, much better news, Clive Swift is going to be in Voyage of the Damned!
By Jonathan Capps
July 09, 2007 @ 3:27 am
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http://www.sfx.co.uk/page/sfx?entry=first_new_pic_of_tennant
I never *hated* the idea of Donna coming back like a lot of people, although I wasn't exactly convinced... but, you know, that picture looks fine to me. Not because they've made Tate look more attractive - but because, as SFX say, she looks a hell of a lot calmer, and frankly nicer.
You can't judge much from a picture, of course, but then you can't judge much from just the single announcement that Tate is coming back, either, especially when they were clearly going to have to change her character in order to make it work. I'm happy to wait and see what happens - and I've got a sneaking feeling they'll pull it off.
By John Hoare
August 13, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
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> You can't judge much from a picture, of course
The only thing you can take away from it is the impression they want to put out. The choice of first-release stills does tell you what they want us to think.
So you can either see that still as an attempt to calm a negative reaction in spite of what's being done with the character - something deliberately misrepresentative (which, let's face it, the production is hardly above) - or an image that genuinely represents the nature of the characters and the relationship, and also diffuses some early concerns as well.
I'm feeling the latter. Because 'Billie's not leaving' is a reasonable lie to tell, but suggesting Tate is toned-down without actually toning her down is too big a risk.
By Andrew
August 13, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
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I think you're right.
What I find interesting is that that photo screams "traditional companion" to me - ironically, far more than the Freema or Billie photoshoots did. It feels very old series...
By John Hoare
August 13, 2007 @ 11:19 pm
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I had exactly the same reaction.
By Andrew
August 14, 2007 @ 1:45 am
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I still hope it means "traditional" in the Adric sense...
By Seb
August 14, 2007 @ 9:24 am
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Seb, do you remember that fella who was so good at being a companion they had to kill him?
By Jonathan Capps
August 14, 2007 @ 2:19 pm
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I think if we can't have Bill Nighy then Nicholas Lyndhurst should be the next Doctor Who. The way he did Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart was a spot-on Peter Davison, and this would follow on expertly from David Tennant's Tom Baker.
By Peter S
August 20, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
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Hmm. Nicholas Lyndhurst as Doctor Who. I think this would only work if the writers of Birds of a Feather were brought on board to script edit Who. And no I don't want this to happen.
Bill Nighy = yes, though. Was he ever genuinely considered by the Who team or was this just part of a list of favourites put forward by fans at the time? In any case, I'd like an older Doctor. I'm sick of the "hey wow!" gurning and hysterics element of new Who. I know the younger audience might be baffled by having a lead character they can't fancy anymore but the "sexiness" emphasis is an aspect of the series I've never liked. I'll take slow thoughtfulness and maturity over cocky confidence and SHOUTing any day.
By Gab
August 21, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
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Readers of the Daily Mail were greeted with the front page announcement that Nighy was the ninth Doctor on the same morning readers of every single other newspaper in the country were being greeted with the news that it was Ecclescakes.
By Seb
August 21, 2007 @ 5:59 pm
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> Bill Nighy = yes, though. Was he ever genuinely considered by the Who team or was this just part of a list of favourites put forward by fans at the time? In any case, I'd like an older Doctor. I'm sick of the "hey wow!" gurning and hysterics element of new Who. I know the younger audience might be baffled by having a lead character they can't fancy anymore but the "sexiness" emphasis is an aspect of the series I've never liked. I'll take slow thoughtfulness and maturity over cocky confidence and SHOUTing any day.
Watch Old Who, then.
By Jonathan Capps
August 22, 2007 @ 12:35 am
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>Watch Old Who, then.
It's Classic Who, dammit =P . And I never thought of Eccleston (or Tennant) as particularly fanciable, but this is probably down to personal taste more than anything else...
By Arlene Rimmer BSc, SSc
August 22, 2007 @ 4:46 am
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>>I'll take slow thoughtfulness and maturity over cocky confidence and SHOUTing any day.
> Watch Old Who, then.
Nothing wrong with wanting 'new' episodes of 'classic' Who. Which is what I'd argue the most atmospheric episodes of the latest series (eg Human Nature/The Family of Blood and Blink) have been.
By Gab
August 22, 2007 @ 1:36 pm
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Anyway I thought some of the comments levelled at the Utopia were that Derek Jacobi made a fantastic Master. Am I now alone in wanting a more mature Doctor? I'm not saying "get rid of Tennant NOW!" but when he has to go, I'd like the change.
By Gab
August 22, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
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>>>I'll take slow thoughtfulness and maturity over cocky confidence and SHOUTing any day.
>> Watch Old Who, then.
>Nothing wrong with wanting 'new' episodes of 'classic' Who
Ignore it. It's just Seb being Seb. The correct counter is that if he wants the Red Dwarf movie to be more like series V than series VIII he should just watch series V.
By Brian
August 23, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
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> Ignore it. It's just Seb being Seb.
Oh fuck. I mean Cappsy. Sigh. Was just trying to help etc.
By Brian
August 23, 2007 @ 6:24 pm
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I feel strangely affronted.
By Seb
August 23, 2007 @ 6:35 pm
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I am the deepestly sorry. Your voices merge into one on your Dwarfcasts though so that's why. And also with Ian Symes. Have you heard the Aardman commentaries with Nick Park and Steve Box? It's the same syndrome as that.
You're both nice chaps so I didn't want it taken the way it seems, but "Watch Old Who then" provoked the above reaction in me which I still agree with.
By Brian
August 23, 2007 @ 6:57 pm
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