Christian Cawley's Blog, page 168

Karen Gillan’s Selfie Is Deleted

Drew Boynton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Oh, Selfie, we hardly knew yourself!

Karen Gillan’s chance at American TV stardom has clicked off faster than a camera with dying batteries.  The Amy Pond actress’s US sitcom, Selfie, has now been officially canceled by ABC.  The show’s plot was a 21st-century twist on the Pygmalion/My Fair Lady story, with Gillan’s self-absorbed “Eliza Dooley” character gradually growing into a more well-rounded person.  Star Trek‘s John Cho co-starred as her mentor and friend, Henry. Click play above to see a tour of the presumably-now-trashed set.

After a rocky start (the pilot is widely regarded as the worst episode), the show seemed to be gaining some slight momentum and more favorable reviews.  Selfie‘s lot in life was tough from the very beginning though, as it was teamed with Manhattan Love Story, the very first new show to be canceled this season.  Not only that, but Selfie‘s 8pm Tuesday-night time slot is possibly the most competitive on American television, with NCIS (the top drama on US TV), The Voice (which basically put American Idol out of business), and The Flash (one of the top new shows) all vying for viewers.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the ABC network “…kept Selfie around for a little while longer [than Manhattan Love Story] to see how it would perform on its own… Selfie averaged 4.7 million viewers and 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 (and that includes DVR playback).”  It is very possible that, given another timeslot on another night, Selfie might have flourished and found a bigger audience, especially with the growing praise for Gillan and Cho’s onscreen chemistry.  As it is, 13 episodes of Selfie have been produced.  ABC will be showing at least some of the remaining-to-be-aired episodes until special holiday programming begins as Christmas approaches.  There is no word on whether any other networks or steaming service have an interest in possibly picking up Selfie, but the odds are apparently not good.

In other Doctor Who-related US TV news, David Tennant’s Gracepoint, the American remake of Broadchurch, will almost certainly not be renewed for a second series.  It has become one of the lowest rated shows on Thursday night, sandwiched between ABC’s powerhouse drama line-up (Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder) and CBS’s still-powerful comedy block (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men).  It does not help that FOX seems to be referring to Gracepoint more and more as a “limited series.”

Kasterborites, have you seen Selfie?  Do you find it funny, or do you think Karen Gillan can do much better… like, say, big-budget movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy?

 

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Doctor Who Christmas Special Trailer Features Nick Frost

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Whatever you thought of Death in Heaven (our poll is still open for your votes and thoughts) Doctor Who continues on Christmas Day with a visit from Father Christmas.

Yes, we did just say that.

As the so-far brief synopsis reads: It’s the North Pole, at Christmas, and there’s trouble – who are you going to call?

We’ll let you get to grips with what sort of trouble it might be. In the meantime, be confident that we have Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Nick Frost as someone who appears to be Father Christmas/Santa Claus/St Nicholas. (Delete as applicable.)

The Doctor Who Christmas special traditionally airs on Christmas Day, but at this early stage no date has been confirmed. We’ll let you know!

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Death in Heaven: What Did You Think? [POLL]

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

So that is that: Doctor Who Series 8 has concluded with Death in Heaven, and we’ll certainly look at the adventures of our favourite Time Lord in a different way from now on.

While we get to grips with what just happened, you can use this poll and the comments section below as part of the cathartic process of understanding and appreciating. Or, if you prefer, rejecting.

It’s really up to you! As ever, the poll will close after 24 hours, so make sure you place your vote before 9pm on Sunday. Comments left on this post may find their way into our Death in Heaven appreciation post midweek.

Take Our Poll

We should add, keep your thoughts of the season as a whole in your head for now. We’ll be running a new vote for your favourite episode on Monday!

Commenters: please do not leave any spoilers in your remarks lest they upset readers from overseas who may not have seen the finale yet!

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Amusing Doctor Who Strips To Accompany Titan’s Comic Series

Jonathan Appleton is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Titan Comics continue to develop their Doctor Who line with the announcement that the creators of Dungeon Fun will be joining their line-up to produce comedy strips for inclusion in their regular issues.

Starting with Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #2, Colin Bell and Neil Slorance are creating single page strips featuring their take on the Twelfth Doctor and Clara’s further adventures in space and time.

Acclaimed creators Bell and Torrance are looking forward to exploring what happens in those quieter moments when the universe doesn’t need saving:

“To be the men who put the words in the mouth of The Man Who Stops The Monsters is an incredible honour for us both!We’re concerned with what happens in the smaller moments between crises, when the galaxy’s not being saved. Who takes the bins out? Where do they go for lunch? Neil and I hope to answer these questions; and as always, the answers await us… in time!” says Bell.

Dungeon Fun was Bell and Torrance’s offbeat series which took on most of fantasy fiction’s most enduring clichés and won all four Scottish Independent Comic Book Awards in July 2014.

Other back-up strip creators on the Titan roster include Rachael Smith and Emma Price on Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor, and Marc Ellerby on Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor.

“As someone who loved Matt Smith’s time as the Doctor, I’m over the moon to be involved with the brand new comics,” says Marc Ellerby. “I’m donning my fez and raggedy blazer to help power through the drawings!”

“It’s a delight to showcase the work of some immensely talented indie creators through the Doctor Who comics,” says Titan’s Doctor Who editor Andrew James. “Hopefully we’re introducing our readers to a whole universe of new writers and artists, as well as offering some charming and hilarious shorts with these beloved characters.”

Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor #2 is on sale in comic stores globally and via comiXology from November 19. Find out more at titan-comics.com.

 

 

 

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Whovian Groom, Beauty Tips, Nominations & Delayed DVD Release

Andrew Reynolds is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

It’s time for Kasterborous’ patented News Blast which today includes a groom who puts us all to shame, Jenna Coleman’s beauty tips, delayed Blu-Rays, and potential awards!

Star-Studded Wedding Surprise!

Groom Jamie McKee went above and beyond the stars in his quest to give his bride to be Nicole Crees a star-studded wedding surprise.

The Doctor himself Peter Capaldi joined a host of other celebrities in wishing the couple the very best in a specially recorded wedding video.

In the message, which also includes their friends and loved ones, Doctor Who star Capaldi says: “Hi Nicole, many, many happy congratulations on your wedding to Jamie.

“I don’t know whether I am early, late or on time, I don’t know whether I am coming or going because I play a Time Lord as you know and all that really matters is that you two are going to have a wonderful time together and you’re going to spend the rest of your lives together.

“So, have a wonderful happy life, all the best from Doctor Who.”

Jamie said he took months to organise the video but was really pleased with the results, reports Wales Online.

Other participants included Alan Fletcher, otherwise known as Dr Karl Kennedy from Neighbours, Pat Sharp from the Funhouse, and Broadchurch star Joe Sims.

People’s Choice Nomination!

Doctor Who has been nominated in the People’s Choice Awards. After an initial round of online voting the show was nominated in the Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Show and now, fans are invited to cast votes for this and many other TV, film and Music categories in advance of the live ceremony broadcast on CBS on Jan.7, 2015.

Competition for Doctor Who in the category consists of American Horror Story, Game of Thrones, the Jamie McCrimmon-inspired Outlander and The Walking Dead.

Doctor Who was previously nominated in similar categories for the 2008 and 2013 editions, but was beaten by Stargate Atlantis in 2008 and Supernatural in 2013 respectively.

Get Stylish Like Jenna

On the eve of the Saturday’s finale Instyle have caught up with cherubic beauty Jenna Coleman to talk being the Doctor’s companion, beauty disasters and why she’ll never go blonde.

Speaking of the upcoming Christmas Special she commented: “”It’s written in sections and it’s about dreaming – what is real and what is not. Also Father Christmas is there – played by Nick Frost!”

Nick Frost as Santa! Sold! And, does this also mean that she could in fact depart in the Saturday’s finale?

Jenna also went on to talk about her plans after she departs from the TARDIS: ““There are no grand plans. I’d like to do some theatre, get back into the rehearsal room. I think it’s all about surrounding yourself with really clever, talented people so you can soak up some of their brilliance!”

Series 8 Blu-Ray Delayed

If you pre-ordered Doctor Who – The Complete Series 8 on DVD or Blu-Ray you may have received an email informing you that the UK release has been delayed by one week.

The email from BBC Shop Customer Services informed buyers that the delay was due to a: “recent classification change for the series finale which necessitated a reprint of the DVD & Blu-Ray cover. The new release date for this title is 24th November 2014.”

The finale has already come under fire for its focus on death and the afterlife with the BBC receiving 124 direct complaints expressing concern over the content of the series two-part finale.

Mackinnon Helms Sherlock

Doctor Who director Douglas Mackinnon is set to direct an episode of another Steven Moffat megahit, Sherlock.

The director, whose work has been widely praised this season, took to Twitter to announce: “Next job, directing Sherlock.”

The next episode of Sherlock is set to begin filming in January and will be a one-off special, while a full fourth series will shoot later in 2015 to air the following year.

Watch Moffat’s MIPCOM Panel

You may remember back in ye olde October we reported on the MIPCOM 2014 panel: From Cult to Mainstream – looking at the increasing popularity of sci-fi programming across the world and how technology has enable storytellers and now, you can view the entire discussion on YouTube.

Notable guests on the panel Include Steven Moffat, Ben Donald, Executive Producer of The Refugees for BBC Worldwide, Glen Morgan, Showrunner/Writer of Intruders, and M. Night Shyamalan, Executive Producer/Director of Wayward Pines.

Tickets Still Available For Doctor Who: Anatomy of a Hit

And finally, The Royal Television Society in London, is holding an event exploring why Doctor Who has become such a global success.

Doctor Who: Anatomy of a Hit will see writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, producer Nikki Wilson and the BBC’s drama controller and commissioner Ben Stephenson discuss how the latest incarnation of Doctor Who went from script to screen, cementing its place as ‘must-see’ Saturday night family viewing.

Chaired by journalist, broadcaster and Doctor Who fan Boyd Hilton, this is a ‘must see’ event takes place on Tuesday 11 November.

Tickets are available from the RTS website.

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Top Doctor Who Moments on Blue Peter Celebrated

James Lomond is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

At 4:30 pm on Friday 7th November viewers might have caught a special edition of the world’s longest running children’s programme, Blue Peter, celebrating its special relationship with Doctor Who. (If not, hit that link to catch-up.)

For those privileged to live outside the UK (you’re probably warmer and drier), Blue Peter is something of a national institution. It started back in 1958 and airs every weekday in time for children to watch when they get home from school. There have been 37 presenters who are usually young, beautiful and the object of many a first-crush for teens across the UK and an object of humour for many an adults…

The show held countless competitions and fund-raising projects and regular make-one-yourself segments including how to bake a Dalek cake both in 1966 and 2007. It celebrated its 50th anniversary back in 2008 with a documentary narrated by none other than Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker. Today’s episode looks at the close relationship it has had with Doctor Who over the years including appearances by almost all the Doctors, various monsters and competitions where viewers’ designs have featured in the show…

One particular favourite of ours is this 1973 interview of Third Doctor Jon Pertwee with former companion to the First Doctor, Peter Purves, celebrating Doctor Who’s 10th anniversary. It features the Doctor’s flying car or “Whomobile” that Pertwee had made for his own use and sneaked into 1974′s Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Planet of the Spiders. It’s a sort of sci-fi Gentleman’s Top Gear – Pertwee is clearly in love with his car and when he says it’s top speed is “well over a hundred” you know he’s tried it out.

Several of the clips used in that segment are the only surviving footage from those episodes including the first regeneration which would have been lost if Blue Peter hadn’t included it for posterity.

Here’s a 1986 appearance from Stuart Evans who made official Dalek model kits. Back when phones were fixed to buildings and the internet didn’t exist, you could buy one of these no-longer available vacuum-formed plastic kits and BUILD YOUR OWN DALEK. I may in fact have done just that, (silver and blue from Evil of the Daleks, naturally [ahem]).

Among countless other connections with Doctor Who are the two Blue Peter badges worn by Sophie Aldred as Ace on her bomber jacket that the actress had won as a child viewer. These were official badges awarded to competition winners or guests on the show and are something of a big deal. There are various different types, the most coveted being the Gold badge awarded for courage or inspiring others – notable winners include the Queen, Madonna (!) and David Tennant for his work as the Tenth Doctor.

There’s a lot of material to browse at your leisure on YouTube – here’s a masterful piece of dead-pan delivery from Brett Domino marking the start of Series 8 in rap…

Any favourite recollections of Blue Peter and Doctor Who? Did you enter the 1967 design a monster competition? Have you been up to your elbows in Dalek cake-mix? Any Who-Peter related teen crushes? Tell us below…

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Get Ready For Death In Heaven!

Christian Cawley is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

The time, ladies and gentlemen, is nigh. In little over 24 hours from the time of writing, Doctor Who Series 8 will come to a conclusion with Death in Heaven. But will it be a happy ending, or a shock one?

To get in the mood for the twelfth and final episode of the run (there’s still a Christmas episode to look forward to) you should check our reKap of Dark Water before tantalising yourself with the official trailer for Death in Heaven and the clip released earlier today, which you can view above.

You might also get a deeper glimpse by analysing some of the photos from our Dark Water gallery and the subsequent collection of images from Death in Heaven (from what we can see, at least one tantalising image was released a week early).

Unless you’re one of those who have gone in search of spoilers this week, we think you’ll agree that the synopsis released by the BBC is particularly intriguing.

“With Cybermen on the streets of London, old friends unite against old enemies and the Doctor takes to the air in a startling new role.

“Can the mighty UNIT contain Missy? As the Doctor faces his greatest challenge, sacrifices must be made before the day is won.”

Will Danny survive Cybernisation? Is Missy being entirely honest with the Doctor, and where has the Master being that accusing the Doctor of abandonment makes sense? And just who is Seb?

The Cybermen invasion continues – can the Doctor, Clara and UNIT stop it? The questions genuinely go on and on, don’t they?

And there’s only one way to find out.

As per many previous seasons, Series 8 concludes with a 60 minute episode, so Death in Heaven will be available between 8 and 9pm on BBC One on Saturday, 8th November 2014. As far as we know it kicks off at the usual time of 9/8c on BBC America.

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Death in Heaven Director & Guest Star Speak!

Rebecca Crockett is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

With the second half of the series 8 finale less than 24 hours away now, both the director of the 2-part finale, Rachel Talalay, and one of the guest stars on the second episode Death in Heaven, Sanjeev Bhaskar, are both taking about their experiences on set filming and about the characters in the show.

For Bhaskar, his role as Colonel Ahmed was both amazing and a bit unnerving! Just about any actor would jump at the chance to be part of this storied television show, and Bhaskar was no different. In an interview with What’s On TV, the actor spoke of his time on set hanging out with Cybermen -

“The funny thing was seeing them wandering around when we were on lunch or something. It’s not a spoiler to say they are actors! They’re not real. There isn’t a RADA for Cybermen somewhere and they get drafted in! But seeing them wandering about the set is slightly unnerving.”

He also spoke about being able to be a part of the show that he’s been a fan of since he was a child.

“I was incredibly excited to be a part of the show! I didn’t know at that stage that I was in the last episode, but just to be involved was amazing. It’s still weird to me when it’s a show or people I’ve watched and admired, to then be invited into that world is all kind of a bit mad!”

But not even the Cybermen seemed to be a deterrent for his son’s begging to know what would happen in the episode -

“He immediately announced it to his school mates – and parents of school mates! They were all asking what would happen but I stayed strong and didn’t say anything! It’s great that it still crosses generations though.”

Rachel Talalay, in speaking with Entertainment Weekly, was, like Bhaskar, amazed at being a part of the show but also had a comment for those saying that Clara has gotten “too big” or “too important” and has overshadowed the Doctor.

“I had nine days between the first email I got saying, ‘Can you come over?’ and then leaving for Cardiff. The first day you’re like, I can’t believe I’m here. And the first thing they do is say, ‘Would you like to go on the TARDIS?’ And you’re like, Are you kidding me? Is that a rhetorical question or what? It’s that weird line between trying to pretend that you’re cool and together and absolutely wanting to shriek and immediately post selfies. And then I had my birthday on the TARDIS and they gave me a TARDIS cake and I’m like, This is not my life, this is so amazing.”

“…the fandom is interesting because sometimes they say Clara is too big, and too important, [but] I think it balances beautifully in these episodes. It’s nice to have a companion who is strong, and flawed, and more rounded, because the Whovian feminists want a female Doctor and want the companion not to be seen as what you would expect from a companion in the 1960s. There is nothing about Jenna that is that companion.”

Talalay did have great praise though for working with the cast, especially the Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi, all of whom put a lot of work into doing what they so obviously love.

“One of the great things about working with Peter was that he was constantly as excited to be the Doctor as I was excited to be directing on Doctor Who. So there were these moments of magic. It was remarkable. It was also hot, and crowded, and friggin’ hard. Very limited time, space, very important scenes, and very hot. Massive crowds. They call it ‘work’ for a reason.”

I’m so excited! And terrified of what other revelations might happen. Steven Moffat and company have proved they don’t mind giving fans some real and true shocks so who knows just what they have in store for us with this finale. For sure we’ll all be talking about it from now until the beginning of the next series!

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Dark Water ReKapped!

Philip Bates is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

Danny walks through a park and receives a call from Clara – who quickly tells him to shut up. She has things to say: important things, not all of them good.

In her flat, she looks at post-it notes laid out in front of her, detailing her adventures with the Doctor. ‘IMPOSSIBLE GIRL’; ‘ORIENT EXPRESS’; ‘BLINOVITCH’; and ‘JUST SAY IT.’ So she does: “I love you… Not like it’s how you end the phone call, the sign off, the pat on the back. Danny, I’ll never say those words again. Not to anybody else ever. Those words, from me, are yours now.”

There’s a silence on the other end. A seemingly-never-ending silence. And then there’s a woman’s voice coming back to her – a woman who is so very sorry. She found the phone on the ground; it must’ve got thrown. There’s been an accident. He just crossed the road.

In Coal Hill School, the headmaster addresses the pupils at an assembly, announcing the death of Danny Pink.

Clara waits as the phone rings out. Her Gran is there to comfort her, but the young teacher is just so shocked that he died in such ordinary circumstances. No one, she says, deserves anything, but Clara is owed something. “Who owes you?” her Gran asks.

And the Doctor answers the phone.

***

There’s seemingly nothing wrong with Clara; she skips happily around the TARDIS. She’s never seen an active volcano. As she wanders, she collects keys, plus a sleep patch – which she sticks on the Doctor.

The Doctor wakes outside the TARDIS, lava flowing around him. Clara stands before him, and says that once, he explained what it takes to destroy a TARDIS key. She throws one into the lava and it melts.

She’s collected all his keys together and if he won’t help her, they’ll all go into the lava.

What does she want? She wants Danny Pink, alive. She wants the Doctor to go back and change time. But he can’t. She throws in another key. Saving Danny would create a paradox! Another key melts.

He regains control over the situation – he thinks. She throws in the other keys. That’s it: no other way back into the TARDIS. They’re trapped. Clara collapses to the ground, crying, realising the implications of what she’s done. She’d do it again regardless.

Thankfully, those patches don’t actually work on the Doctor, and they’re not really for sleeping: they simply induce a dream state. Reality ebbs back to Clara. They’re still in the Time-Space Ship, keys scattered around.

The Doctor’s upset. He’ll still help her though. “You betrayed me. Betrayed my trust; you betrayed our friendship; you betrayed everything that I’ve ever stood for. You let me down!” he shouts. “Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?”

Using the TARDIS’ telepathic circuits, Clara pilots the ship with one question in mind: where is Danny Pink now?

Vworp! Vworp!

The TARDIS arrives in a huge building, filled with tanks. No: water tombs. Inside each is a skeleton, sitting and staring out. A mausoleum – but who wants to watch their loved ones rot?

***

Danny wakes. The last thing he can remember –

“That did happen,” says Seb. “Welcome to the Underworld. Otherwise known as the Nethersphere, or the Promised Land. It’s where you go when you die.”

They’re in a plain, boring room, decorated only with a strange black circle on the wall. Outside though? That’s where things go mental. It’s like a city, black skyscrapers creeping up into the sky but the cityscape arches up too and there is no sky. It’s all a city, contained in a sort of orb. It’s everywhere. The Nethersphere is all.

***

A book waits on a plinth. The Doctor opens it and pulls a cube, almost a psychic container, out. It unfolds into: an introduction.

3W. Death is not an end. But we can we help with that. Ever since 3W encountered the truth about the death experience, we have been working hard to find a better life for the deceased.

At 3W, afterlife means aftercare.

But that intro isn’t just from the cube: Missy, a strict Mary Poppins-esque woman, lends a voiceover before stepping out from the shadows.

She provides the Doctor with the Official 3W Welcome Pack – flattening him against the glass of a tank and kissing him for a surprisingly long time – then introduces herself as “Missy. Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface. I am a multi-function, interactive Welcome Droid. Helping you, to help me, to help you.”

She’s very realistic. She even has a heart. Actually… two of them.

She then calls for Dr. Chang, a young scientist complete with Brainy Specs. He leads the Doctor and Clara away – and the skeletons turn their heads to watch them go.

***

On the balcony, looking out at the Nethersphere, Seb tries to comfort Danny (though he has unnerved him further by 1. Checking if he’s being cremated, and 2. Asking if he’s ever killed anyone).

“This isn’t really an afterlife,” he explains. “It’s just more life than you were expecting.”

Okay, so back to killing. Danny remembers being a soldier. There was one accident. He didn’t mean to murder – -

Seb’s organised a meeting. A child peeks his head out onto the balcony.

***

In Dr. Chang’s office, there’s another skeleton, that of a Dr. Skarosa. The Doctor asks how they keep their integrity, why they don’t just float about. Chang replies that each body is encased in a support exoskeleton – but not an invisible one. Well, not really.

“It’s only invisible in the water. There’s a specially engineered refraction index in the fluid so we can see the tank resident unimpeded by the support mechanisms,” Chang explains and shows them a smaller tank of the water. He puts his arm in, complete with suit, but the suit seems to vanish. “We call it Dark Water. Only organic matter can be seen through it.”

Next, they want to know why they’re called 3W. It’s a touchy subject. It’s named after Three Words: a sentence that will change Clara and the Doctor’s lives. It will be upsetting for anyone who has recently lost someone.

“White noise off the telly – we’ve all heard it,” Chang goes on. “A few years ago, Dr. Skarosa, our founder, did something unexpected. He played that noise through a translation matrix of his own devising. This is a recording of what he heard.”

Voices.

“Over time, Dr. Skarosa became convinced these were the voices of the recently departed. He believed it was a telepathic communication from the dead.” He isolates a voice. And three words chill Clara to the bone.

“Don’t cremate me!”

Chang concludes: “There is one simple, horrible possibility that has never occurred to anyone throughout human history. The dead remain conscious. The dead are fully aware of everything that is happening to them.”

***

Seb, too, is explaining the concept to Danny.

The ex-soldier tried to speak to the boy he killed, but the child ran away. So now, it’s onto the next bombshell.

“So your mind is here – your soul, whatever you want to call it,” Seb says. “And you’re in your new body in your new world, but you’re still connected to your old body in the old world. You’re still going to feel what it feels.”

Another bombshell! Danny has a call waiting. That hardly ever happens.

It’s Clara.

In Chang’s office, after the Doctor has warned that this is all a scam, it’s been revealed that 3W have been scanning Clara’s mind for a recently-deceased person. Through a screen, she talks to Danny. Danny replies via an iPad (in the Nethersphere, they’ve not only got wi-fi, but also Steve Jobs!).

“Question him. Ask him questions only he’d know the answer to. Be sure,” the Doctor instructs her. “I’ve got to check out those tanks. There’s something that I’m missing… Sceptical and critical, remember? Be strong. Even if it breaks your heart.”

***

The Doctor marches back to the tanks. Inside, the skeletons have all stood up, waiting.

What’s more, Chang is panicking: the water is being pumped out, the level in each tank slowly descending.

Missy is there, and she’s no Welcome Droid. She kills Dr. Chang – but only after he says something nice. She’s enjoyed working with him. Alas.

The water drops to reveal the heads of the ‘exoskeletons’ and the Doctor realises what awful creatures they really are: Cybermen!

***

The skeleton is slowly being revealed in Chang’s office too; not that Clara’s noticed. She’s too busy interrogating Danny.

“Say something only Danny could say,” she instructs. “Danny, if that is you, wherever you are, whatever it takes, I will be with you again, I swear.”

“No, you won’t. You are not coming here,” he replies, and refuses to confirm it’s really him. Clara shuts off the link, and she and Danny are left with only a skeleton and Seb respectively for company.

Clara turns around – and realises there’s a Cyberman waiting for her!

***

Back in the gallery, with Cybermen staring at them from the tanks, the Doctor notices a sphere floating above him and Missy. “That’s a matrix data-slice,” he says. “A Gallifreyan hard drive. Time Lord technology.”

“Imagine you could upload dying minds to that,” Missy explains. “Edit them. Rearrange them. Get rid of all those boring emotions. Ready to be re-downloaded. Meanwhile, you upgrade the bodies.

Upload the mind, upgrade the body. Cybermen from cyberspace. Now, why has no-one ever thought of that before?”

She relents and tells him that, yes, she’s a Time Lord – well, a Time Lady anyway.

He runs out, trying to find his way back to Clara. But that ship has sailed. He didn’t realise where he was.

Earth. London. St. Paul’s Cathedral.

And the tanks open. Cybermen pour out, and storm out of the Cathedral.

The Doctor yells for everyone to run, but the general public don’t listen: they merely stare as a wave of silver flows out, into London.

“Stop making a fuss,” Missy tells him. “It’s too late. All the graves of planet Earth are about to give birth. You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living.”

The Doctor asks who she really is. She’s Missy, of course – “Short for Mistress. Well, I couldn’t very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?”

***

Back in the Nethersphere, Danny cries to himself. He thinks this is it. He will never see Clara again.

Pesky emotions. Seb hands him the iPad. He can help with those emotions. Just press the button: DELETE.

Seb leaves him to make his choice.

And then Danny becomes aware of the boy he killed, standing behind him.

NEXT: DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!

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Why I Nominate Being Human’s Toby Whithouse For Doctor Who Showrunner

Simon Mills is a writer at Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews - All the latest Doctor Who news and reviews with our weekly podKast, features and interviews, and a long-running forum.

First off, I’m a big, big fan of Being Human – Mr Whithouse’s cult hit featuring a ghost, a vampire and a werewolf co-habiting and just trying to survive in this crazy world of ours. He did a splendid job turning this schlocky premise into an emotional roller coaster with added blood, guts and a little bit of nudity. This was a hit right from the start taking the one-off drama to a full series after hugely positive feedback and an online petition, such was its appeal.

Of course, Mr Whithouse isn’t just known for his creation of Being Human (which spawned a US remake that ran for 4 years, by the way) – he also created a show for Channel 4 called No Angels, a comedy-drama centred on four nurses in Leeds which ran for 3 years.

There is also now The Game – a spy drama set in the 70s due to begin airing on BBC America on November 5th. Whithouse was approached by Danny Cohen and Ben Stephenson (controllers of BBC One and BBC Drama Commissioning respectively) to create and write this spy drama back in 2012 and we’re about to see the fruits of that labour. I can’t wait – the trailer’s well worth checking out.

So, not only has he created several popular TV shows, but he has also written for Doctor Who, dontchaknow? Starting with the Series 2 story School Reunion which saw the return of one of Doctor Who‘s best loved companions – Sarah Jane Smith. Oh, and the “tin dog”, K9! His other writing credits include The Vampires of Venice, The God Complex and A Town Called Mercy – more on those later.

Now, on to the matter at hand. Why would he make a good show runner for Doctor Who? Well, he already has the fantasy genre experience with Being Human and has proven that he can run a show as well as write for it and has a great talent for comedy and darkness in equal measure. Who would have thought that a grown man, such as I, would be brought to tears by the self sacrifice of a vampire responsible for such mass slaughter as that perpetrated by Mitchell?

He also has history as an actor, putting in the hours and hard graft, appearing in episodes of the TV shows House of Eliott and Holby City, as well as several other roles on the big screen, such as Alistair in Bridget Jones’ Diary – I won’t list them all here, you can look them up if you want a filmography. Not only has he experience of acting in film and TV, but he has also trod the boards in the West End until he became frustrated at the lack of quality in the scripts he was being shown and decided he could do better himself. So he did. Writing in his spare time between acting gigs he wrote an award winning play, Jump Mr. Malinoff, Jump which lead to his first TV writing credit on Where The Heart Is.

Whithouse is also a stand up comic, so is perfectly capable of throwing out the witty one-liners and crushing put-downs that comics use on hecklers. A useful skill for someone who would be in charge of the Doctor Who Juggernaut!

Let’s take a closer look at Whithouse’s first script for Doctor Who, School Reunion – when RTD decided that he wanted to bring Sarah Jane Smith into the show for a guest appearance there was much debate over whether or not this would be tacky and be viewed as just an attempt to please fanboys. However, with RTD’s guidance and Toby’s skill we ended up with a great story that expanded on what we knew about Sarah Jane and gave her a whole new heart-felt depth. An unrequited love that stayed with her for all those years and those scenes with David Tennant’s 10th Doctor… Pure magic! Especially, the final farewell.

Like most other writers on nuWho, Whithouse’s scripts do tend to split opinion at times. I am not a particular fan of either Vampires of Venice or The God Complex, but Vampires was written very early on in the Eleventh Doctor’s run and does have some very funny scenes. We should also note that this was a replacement story for The God Complex which got bumped to the next series for being similar in tone to other stories in series 5. Speaking of God, this story explored the Doctor’s personality to an extent, questioning his habit of making people believe in him more than themselves. This story also piqued our curiosity; just WHAT did the Doctor see in that room that represented his greatest fear??? My theory is that he saw himself – all alone.

What about A Town Called Mercy? This is a great tale exploring morality and vengeance in a western setting via the device of a cyborg gunslinger and a morally dubious alien Doctor – not OUR alien Doctor but another alien Doctor. The western setting is one not attempted since… ahem… The Gunfighters in 1966 – widely regarded as one of Doctor Who’s lowest points. However, sparkling dialogue, great performances and fantastic scenery elevate this story many orders of magnitude over and above The Gunfighters. We also see the Doctor seeming to act out of character by wielding a gun and appearing to condemn someone to certain death. Whithouse certainly seems to enjoy exploring the outer limits of the Doctor’s personality. Surely, a good thing for the future showrunner to do?

Shall we talk about his Torchwood episode? It would be remiss of me not to include it here, so “Greeks Bearing Gifts” was the 7th episode of the first season and featured a member of an alien species that communicates by telepathy through the use of pendants. Tosh is given one of these pendants and what follows is a slick tale about the consequences of being able to read people’s minds and how overwhelming that can be, not to mention all the stuff you DON’T want to know about the people you care for. This again touches on what it means to have power and what you would do with it. Tosh wisely decides in the end to destroy the artefact.

So, we can see that Whithouse clearly has the right pedigree of running a successful genre show, Being Human with the experience as an actor so he knows what it’s like on both sides of the camera. He has the consummate skill of being able to write comedy, horror and drama and the ability to blend them to great effect. He’s an award winner. He loves Doctor Who, but isn’t a fanboy like Davies and Moffat – which I see as “a good thing”

One final little nugget of goodness I’ll leave you with. When asked in March 2013 (about taking over from Moffatt, he noted that he’s currently busy now and for the foreseeable future with his new drama, The Game, but… ‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by the idea, but also it would be terrifying.‘It’s definitely something I’d be really tempted by but I’m genuinely not in any hurry to do it.’

So, maybe in a year or two when The Game is established and is up and running, he could take a back seat on that and take a lead on running Doctor Who? Or maybe we could see him as a creative consultant – a sort of voice of reason with some great ideas who could turn around to whoever runs the the show and tells them not to be so stupid when they come up with laughable notions such as “paving slab sexual innuendo” or “wasps in human form that actually say ‘buzz’”. You get the idea.

So, let’s hear it for the multi-talented comic-playwright-actor-showrunner and future Doctor Who supremo, King Toby the First!

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