Christian Cawley's Blog, page 200

Doctor Who Quizzes Take Over Facebook; Deep Breath Quiz!

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.

WHICH DOCTOR ARE YOU?? WHICH COMPANION ARE YOU?? TEST YOUR SERIES 123456 KNOWLEDGE!!!

Have you noticed the plethora of trivia and Who Are You? quiz results jamming up your Facebook timeline? (Along with the dozens of other quizzes, but I digress…) Ever wonder where they come from?

With this new series of Doctor Who upon us, a slew of new trivia quizzes and the ubiquitous “Which ______ are you?” tests have popped up.  Most of these new trivia games have focused on the new show, not including any references to the classic era, but there are a few that have thrown some old school factoids into the mix. There have been so many posted during the hiatus that I’m not sure we’d ever be able to cover them all in one post. What we have for you below is just a small sample. If you happen to know of any that we haven’t touched on, let us know in the comments! Have fun testing your knowledge with these Doctor Who quizzes!

Have you seen Deep Breath?

This just in! Mere hours after the first airing of Deep Breath, there has already been a quiz posted about it by the team at Radio Times! So how well were you paying attention? Have you watched it on repeat for the last 10 hours or did you only catch it once so far? See how much you can remember! (I was apparently watching well enough to get a 14/15 with only one and a half viewings!)

What kind of fan are you?

Do you wish the show was properly scary again, a real hide-behind-the-sofa terrifying tale that the companion or even the Doctor might not survive? Do you love the series long mystery arcs whose clues are hidden in plain sight and that you can’t believe you didn’t figure out before the last episode? Do you like that the show is always changing, one episode a mystery, one an action packed thriller, and the next a great story for the kids? Or do you wish there was more romance between the Doctor and his companion, that we’d all gotten to hear those words that the Tenth Doctor wanted to say to Rose Tyler?

Then take Bluffer’s “What Sort Of Doctor Who Fan Are You?” quiz! (I’m somewhere between loving the mystery and always embracing the changing nature of the show)

How well do you know your New Who?

The lovely folks over at Hypable have put together a grand collection of articles and  quizzes about the rebooted show including a quiz for each series and one for all of specials there have been. So how well do you know the details of each series? This writer just finished a rewatch of the whole New Who as a run up to the new series, so I’ve done fairly well on these since I’ve just had a refresher. But I’m thinking of bookmarking these for later just to test my knowledge.

How well do you remember the sixth series of New Who? Test your trivia skills with Hypable’s “Doctor Who Series 6″ quiz.

Are you the Tenth? The Fifth? The Third?

Do you use humor to hide your pain, like the fresh from the Time War Ninth Doctor? Are you wise old sage like the First Doctor? Or are you more like the Sixth Doctor, just barely keeping your rage in check? Find out with this “Which Doctor Who Are You?” quiz from Virgin Media.

Buzzfeed’s Mini Industry

The always engaging Buzzfeed crew have also got a collection of trivia and Who Are You? quizzes including ones to find out which Doctor you are and which companion you might be.

So what Doctor does Buzzfeed think you are? I got two very different results between this quiz and the one mentioned above, though interestingly both Doctors are from the New Who era.

“Which Doctor Who Companion Are You?” Think you know the answer already? You might want to think again. Buzzfeed had the opportunity to test Jenna Coleman on which companion she was according to their quiz and the results were quite unexpected. I was expecting someone like River Song as my answer but since I’m not overly fond of shooting things or blowing stuff up, it’s not surprising, I guess, that she wasn’t my result. But apparently I am feisty and and would be one of the Doctor’s most loyal companions like Amy…

Last But Not Least!

And as if all of the above weren’t enough, BBC America has gotten in on the quiz boom, but with a twist. Want something to do during the commercial breaks? If you head on over to  WhoKnowsWho.tv each week during the show, there will be a new quiz to occupy you while those pesky adverts play! The quizzes from past weeks will also be available for you to take as well.

The post Doctor Who Quizzes Take Over Facebook; Deep Breath Quiz! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Celebrate 12 With These Doctor Who T-Shirts!

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.

Impressed with Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor? Why not proudly display your love for the latest incarnation of the time travelling adventurer with a habit of saving worlds with one of these superb Doctor Who t-shirts from TeeFury today?

Two are available: “The Mysterious Doctor” by Ian Leino (which is also available as a poster for $11 – no tee purchase necessary) and “Saint Who” by onebluebird. These tees are in competition with each other on the TeeFury website, and each can be bought for just $11 plus shipping.

These magical t-shirts are available in a trio of colours and a range of sizes for men, women and children. At the time of writing The Mysterious Doctor is outselling Saint Who by quite a margin!

This offer ends at midnight PST on Saturday, August 23rd 2014

 

The post Celebrate 12 With These Doctor Who T-Shirts! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

What Did You Think Of Deep Breath? [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.

He came, he slept, he got a new outfit and then he solved the problem. The Doctor is back, and he’s Peter Capaldi shaped! Deep Breath has just finished on BBC One, so what better time, near reader, to take part in our first poll for Series 8?

All you have to do is give us your feelings about Peter Capaldi’s full debut as the Twelfth Doctor and if you like leave a comment. The poll result will be shared with our readers on Monday when we compile reactions to the episode, which was a massive 75 minutes long.

Begin by making a selection below.

Take Our Poll

Thanks!

The post What Did You Think Of Deep Breath? [POLL] appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Capaldi: Doctor Who “is attractive”

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.

If you couldn’t love Peter Capaldi anymore; he just goes and says something magical about the lure of the Doctor.

In this charming interview from around the time of the Cardiff launch of the Doctor Who world tour, the Twelfth Doctor himself sought to downplay the significance of the actor inhabiting the TARDIS: “You can only try and give some of that back,” he said. “Ultimately, at the end of the day, I’m not Doctor Who, I’m just Peter, so there’s a limit to my magical qualities!”

How wonderful is that and is there no finer ambassador for the show than Capaldi – an acclaimed actor and a massive fan boy to boot: “Today as we are filming this, no episodes of mine have gone out,” he said. “I’ve only been on screen for five, ten seconds at the end of the Christmas special…It’s Doctor Who that is attractive,” he added. “It’s the character, and that’s a great privilege to carry that around with you, and to enjoy the kindness and the welcome that bestows on you.”

You only need to look on Tumblr to find fans who’ve posted their own personalised autographs from Capaldi to know how generous he is in his new role and it suits him; he’s nothing if not a charming, knowledgeable interviewee – even when dealing with countless questions about the potential liability of his age; which as we all know, is nothing if not ridiculous.

Capaldi’s debut as the Doctor Deep Breath will air tonight Saturday, August 23 at 7.50pm on BBC One. You should be in front of the TV already, frankly.

 

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The Ultimate ReKap: Prepare Yourself For The Twelfth Doctor

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.

Has the return of Doctor Who taken you by surprise? Are you a newcomer to the show, intrigued by casting of a new actor into the 50 year old TV show? If you’re the latter, you might want to check this superb compilation of clips from the series’ history (although be warned – it’s over an hour long!).

Whichever, we’ll assume you’re interested enough to want to catch up in time for tonight’s episode, the first in eight months.

You switch on the TV. It’s Friday night, and you see a quick trailer, that goes something like this:

Or worse:

Let’s face it, you might even be reading this on Sunday. But we’ll assume you’re not, that somehow you let everything since Christmas pass you by on the Doctor Who side, and you want to know what’s happening before you sit down to watch Peter Capaldi’s first appearance in Deep Breath.

Well first off, there’s the reKap (part one and part two, read them in order!), which should remind you of just how the Eleventh Doctor met his end in The Time of the Doctor.

At this point, you’re probably thinking: “Peter Capaldi? Isn’t he that foulmouthed chap from the political comedy about Alistair Campbell a generic spin doctor?” Of course, you’re be half right – the character Malcolm Tucker is foulmouthed, but Peter Capaldi (pronounced “cap-al-dee”, not “cap-all-dee”) is no more foulmouthed than he is a Time Lord.

So, with that in hand, let’s see what’s next: ah yes, Capaldi’s look. He’s mostly dressed in Series 8 in a black suit with a red lining in the jacket and a selection of shirts and jumpers underneath – generally, a variation on this Pertwee-esque number:

 

At the time this was revealed, tonight’s episode Deep Breath had already been in production. Fans caught sight of Capaldi on various location shoots in a string of outfits, including a nightshirt! Further announcements about Doctor Who Series 8 followed, with notable cast members including Keeley Hawes, Frank Skinner and Hermione Norris as the show returned to Lanzarote, location of 1984′s Planet of Fire. Full details about who is in, who wrote, who directed and what the episodes are called can be found in our Complete Series 8 Preview.

You can get fully up to speed with what to expect with this full trailer:

If that didn’t get you excited, perhaps the realisation that Capaldi and his co-star Jenna Coleman have been touring the world during August, taking in Cardiff, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Mexico, and Rio de Janiero, and following TV appearances such as The One Show, the stars will be in London this evening to attend a Leicester Square premiere. We’ve followed the recent World Tour events for you here on Kasterborous since it commenced:

The Doctor Who World Tour Begins Today!
Fan Events From Doctor Who World Tour Streamed On YouTube!
The Doctor Who World Tour Hits South Korea! [CATCHUP]
Doctor Who World Tour Hits Seoul And Sydney!
Doctor Who World Tour News Blast: NYC, Mexico & Rio

The excitement has of course built to this point over the past few weeks with the World Tour and other events. It permeates fandom, and right now you can read just how much the Kasterborous team is anticipating Deep Breath. Even those unsure about Capaldi even as recently as a few days ago have been caught up in the swell of mania.

All of which brings us to tonight. Whether you’re watching as the 75 minute episode goes out on BBC One at home or at an event, or if you’re at the cinema, or even if you’re watching overseas tonight or Monday, this is where we’re now at: the dawning of a brand new era of Doctor Who. These don’t come along often, but we think this one is going to be memorable for all the right reasons.

The post The Ultimate ReKap: Prepare Yourself For The Twelfth Doctor appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Kasterborous Contibutors Look Forward To Peter Capaldi

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.

As you’ve probably noticed, today is a very big day, arguably as important to Doctor Who‘s success as The Day of the Doctor on November 23rd last year.

August 23rd 2014 marks the day in which Peter Capaldi takes the TARDIS controls. A diversion from the actors who have recently preceded him in the role, Capaldi was 55 when cast, not conventionally handsome and known as a reliable character actor before landing the role as the infamous Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It.

To younger fans who have grown up with David Tennant and Matt Smith, Capaldi is a risk; to older fans well versed in the eras of Doctor Who‘s long past, he’s a perfect choice. This is in sharp contrast with the mood four years ago when the ridiculously youthful Matt Smith was seen as a very surprising choice to older fans.

Today is the moment of truth. How long with Peter Capaldi take to convince us he is the Doctor? Ten minutes? Ten episodes? At this point, we just don’t know.

What we do know, however, is that we are excited. The following collection of thoughts come from some of Kasterborous’ most prolific contributors over the years. Even those that aren’t quite sure are excited, and you should be too. Because tonight, it begins. Again!

Alex Skerratt, News Team

I always thought Peter Capaldi would be a fantastic Doctor, and the more clips and interviews I see, the more convinced I am of his awesomeness. He has great presence on the TARDIS set, and has wonderfully fierce ‘hypnotic’ eyes… Can we have a scene where he’s pitted against Timothy Dalton’s Rassilon please, because I think my TV would explode, (as would my subwoofer!) It’s certainly going to be a rollercoaster run-up to Christmas, and I can’t wait to get started.

Mez Burdett, Audio Reviewer

I’ve been scaredexcited (It’s a new word I’ve invented) since August 2013. A new Doctor, a new era, and a new dynamic. Gone are the lighter fairytale days and in comes a darker, more detached Doctor with a far more orange TARDIS than ever before. The fierce eyes, the commanding voice and the sleek black clothes indicate tht this is a Doctor that cannot and will not be messed with.

The Eleventh Doctor is gone.

Long live the Twelfth!

Christine Grit, Magazine Contributor

The first thing I am hoping for is that Peter won’t appear to be someone’s boyfriend. The second thing is not so much that I wish for darker stories, but that there is less an atmosphere of a fantasy and more of a gritty feel to them. And please – the third- no more young children in the Tardis. So far it is looking good.

I think Peter is handling all the interviews and publicity very well. He likes his fans, he seems to have an endless well of energy and treats children very seriously and kindly. No talking down to them and that’s very positive.

He is the biggest fan of the show himself and knows all it’s history and that really feels good to this particular fan.

Scott Varnham, Reviewer

Capaldi has given me a lot of hope regarding his dedication to the role, but they’re really harping on about this ‘good man’ thing, aren’t they? I’m hoping that’s a marginal subplot at best, especially considering the first words of Day Of The Doctor were that quote from Marcus Aurelius. You know the one. ‘Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.’

I also hope we finally learn who that bloody woman in the shop was.

“I will miss the Eleventh Doctor. However, I have faith in Peter Capaldi, and I certainly have faith in Steven Moffat. They’ll do us proud. Vworp! Vworp!”

James McLean, PodKaster

Doctor Who thrives on change and contrast – a Doctor Who doesn’t care what people think, as Capaldi has alluded himself, is exciting. Same time, harking back to the Colin Baker era, a good actor can be screwed if their version of the Doctor has an abrasive contrast to the previous that isn’t handled with careful consideration. I’m sure the show has learned from that mistake, and will give Capaldi what Colin failed to get – the support of a strong script and thought-out characterisation.

Being someone who is conscious of ageism in the industry, which can stem from the audiences lack of tolerance for older actors and actresses, I’m hoping Capaldi will lead the way to a greater acceptance for mature actor; that they can be fun and cool – like me, really. He’s Capaldi, not Capoldy. See what I did there, tabloids?

Simon Mills, Reviewer

I am relieved no end that we’re not getting any more flirting (for the time being anyway) and that we’re back to the mad uncle type figure us oldies grew up with (with the exception of “the vet” incarnation). There’s no doubting Capaldi’s acting chops and the gravitas he can bring along with some whimsy. I’m just hoping it gels with the uneducated masses who are used to swooning over the pretty boy.

I think he’ll be a big hit in the long run with a shaky start, but I am excited for the future. Still not entirely convinced by the costume though…

Jonathan Appleton, News Team

Given we’ve had hardly any (authorised) footage of the new Doctor in action, it’s been left to Capaldi to carry the load with most of the coverage in the build up by being himself, and he certainly hasn’t put a foot wrong. He’s graciously acknowledged his predecessors, and indeed everyone who ever worked on or ever enjoyed the show. He’s admitted to being understandably nervous about how he’ll be received, whilst accepting he can’t please everyone. He’s well aware of his responsibility to the viewers, particularly the young ones.

And I have to raise my hat to any man in his 50′s who sticks pictures of the Doctor on his ring-binder (check out the interview in the new DWM). Generous, humble, thoughtful – never mind Doctor Who, can we make him Prime Minister? But then, as we all know, that would be a comedown after this job…

Philip Bates, Assistant Editor

This has all come so quickly. A whole new regenerative cycle. I’ve been lucky enough to write our preview of Series 8 – and it’s looking fantastic. But if you’re familiar with me at all, you’ll know that Matt Smith is My Doctor. Going forward without him seems… odd. I can’t escape the feeling that Matt should still be there. This is new territory for me.

Y’know, Peter’s going to be brilliant though. Absolutely brilliant. He is the Doctor, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can give. He’s going to be funny and sometimes dark, clever and definitely a hero. That’s what the Doctor has always been. I love how unpredictable the future is, perhaps because of that constant: the blue box that tells me that everything will be okay.

I will miss the Eleventh Doctor. However, I have faith in Peter Capaldi, and I certainly have faith in Steven Moffat. They’ll do us proud. Vworp! Vworp!

Becky Crockett, News Team

When the casting decision was revealed, I was among those who were unsure of Capaldi, even with all of his, credentials, you could say, that so many people were able to take one look at and almost instantly agree that he was the only one that could possibly take this role. He hasn’t really even had screen time and yet I think he already feels like the Doctor. I don’t think there has been a single thing he’s done that has been out of character for the Doctor or the men that have played him. Moffat and others have said that it takes someone with certain qualities to be able to do the character justice.

Who they cast, no matter how long they stay in the role, has to know and understand that they are the one that will make or break the show. My hope is that he lives up to all of that and more.

Capaldi will give Tom Baker a run for his money as the greatest man to play the role and that’s something I didn’t EVER think I’d be saying.

Gareth Kavanagh, Feature Writer & Fanzine Godfather

Peter Capaldi cost me £500 last year as I bet the farm on Sam Troughton (moving the betting indexes heavily in the process). As he was revealed, I couldn’t help but be disappointed but this melancholy was fleeting. I’m massively excited by this casting. Once more, we have a real heavyweight in the role. Gravitas, peril, danger. That’s what he’ll bring. Not only will he be the smartest man in the room, but he’ll be the last candle in the dark. If I’m right about him, he’ll give Tom Baker a run for his money as the greatest man to play the role and that’s something I didn’t EVER think I’d be saying.

Indomitable.

James Lomond, News Team

I am SO excited about Capaldi’s portrayal of the Doctor. It’s clear from every interview he gives how much the part matters to him and how much he knows the Doctor matters to others. He knows what it’s like to be a fan and to get that twinge of cosmic AWESOME when you see a blue police box or see the silhouette of an unusual hair-do and cape/ brolly/ coat tails. I hope he’s going to truly bridge the gap between Classic and New Who and it’s going to feel like the same show – and that he’ll be a little bit scary. But scary in the way that Merlin or Gandalf can be scary.

I’m looking for the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up and my inner seven-year-old to punch the air. Or even my outer adult self…

Brian A. Terranova, PodKaster

The day Peter Capaldi was announced I was very excited, which I am sad to say was a feeling I had lost the last three series. I loved the direction with an older Doctor, it just felt right. I was interested again, renewed, almost like my excitement for the show itself had been regenerated as well.

My hopes for the Twelfth Doctor are simple, bring the show back to what it was, enjoyable, fun, dark at times, grand adventures and with much less focus on sexual themes and much more on the dangers they face and the friendships they make.

There have been many things leading up to his run that have inspired me but the thing that got me the most was his notebook. Filled with pictures of the show’s past, reminders of who the character was and what he loved about him, the show and his companions. Notes to himself to make this show the best it could be. This man cares about this show as much as we do.

Daniel Wealands, News Team

I was excited by Capaldi’s casting from the first lapel grabbing moment he walked through that smoke on the announcement show. It’s one of those things where you cant explain why, but it just feels right, it was the same thing with Tennant, though oddly, not with Matt Smith; I didn’t take to him as much until Series 7.

The trailers have just blown my expectations through the roof as far as his take on the Doctor goes. I love that he seems to have the wildness of Troughton, the smoothness of Pertwee and the unpredictability of Tom Baker, or at least thats what I think shines throuh from the snippets of on set footage and trailers.

My only worry is that there has been so much hype, so much fanfare, can he possibly live up to the expectation?

Then I remember The Day of the Doctor and think that it will be fine.

James Whittington, Reviewer

My hopes for the Capaldi era is that the series moves away from the “kitchen sink” family style drama that suffocated Matt Smith’s time on the show. A return to adventure and less convoluted and complicated story arcs would be most welcome. Maybe if his Doctor has the slightly agitated edge that Hartnell exuded and embraces his alien side (which by all reports seems to be the case) will freshen the format. He has already been vocal that there’ll be no hanky-panky which is a good thing, it should be more about his (and his companions or associates) relationships with others rather than with themselves. The time has come for a change and this might be the best one yet.

Christian Cawley, Editor

So, it’s my turn. On the whole, I echo the comments of my team. Peter Capaldi’s casting is incredibly exciting, and caught my imagination from the moment it was announced 12 months ago.

For me, Capaldi is as big a name with as big a reputation (if not bigger) than Christopher Eccleston when he was cast. Back in 2004, the news of the recently announced revival was met with derision in many quarters until Eccleston’s name was attached. All of a sudden, people knew the producers were serious, and I get a feeling of that here. Series 1 is also one of my favourite of the show’s 50 years, too, a run where it seems that got almost everything right.

Can that happen again in 2014? I don’t know, but I suspect not. Rather, I’m expecting a run of episodes that allow Peter Capaldi to embrace the Time Lord side of his nature that he has entertained since the 1960s. Remember, he’s one of us, more so than David Tennant.

Ultimately, this is an exciting, brave new era for Doctor Who. Capaldi will nail it.

 

That’s what we think – but what about you? How much are you looking forward to Doctor Who Series 8? What hopes do you have for Peter Capaldi’s interpretation of the Doctor? Let us know!

The post Kasterborous Contibutors Look Forward To Peter Capaldi appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Moffat Promises “Major Foe” In Doctor Who Series 8!

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.

In a new Doctor Who Series 8 interview released by the BBC, Steven Moffat has teased that a “major foe” is returning.

He isn’t speaking about the Daleks – could it be the Cybermen he refers to, or is it a hint of a masterly presence in Peter Capaldi’s first run?

Here’s how he put it:  “We’ve got some cracking new monsters – the Teller. And we’ve got some cracking old monsters – the Daleks will be back. Another major foe will be making a return, but more of that later.”

Depending on when the interview was recorded, Moffat could be referring to Cybermen prior to the various location shoots that took place in London last month. Alternatively, he could be referring to a return for the Master, heavily rumoured in the early days of Series 8′s production.

Watch the full interview below.

What do you think?

The post Moffat Promises “Major Foe” In Doctor Who Series 8! appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

The Time of the Doctor ReKapped! Part Two

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.

As the days passed, and the years, the Doctor stayed true to his word. On the fields of Trenzalore, he stood as protector both of his own people and his new home.

Sontarans attack, but the Doctor disrupts their invisibility cloak, leaving them susceptible to the Papal Mainframe’s weapons system. A Weeping Angel is stopped by itself – or at least, an image of itself in a mirror. A wooden Cyberman, low-tech so as not to alert Tasha’s army, is tricked into destroying itself. He fights Ice Warriors, Autons, Krynoids and the Mara. And the Doctor becomes a key part of Christmas, socialising and dancing, regaling tales of time and space and saving the town from the evils that try to destroy it.

Then the TARDIS materialises.

Clara clings on to the outside. The TARDIS has extended the air shelter (no wonder she’s late, dragging Clara around with her), and is back on Trenzalore just minutes after it left – and yet, decades later. The Doctor tricked her; only to save her. She’s furious. But they hug and laugh nonetheless, old friends reunited.

He shows her around the tower, his home for so long now, and go up to the roof to see daybreak. “The light here lasts only a few minutes,” he says. “You don’t want to miss it.” He carries Handles up as well, resting him on a pillow. “Comfy?” he asks.

“Comfort is irrelevant,” Handles replies. The Doctor readjusts him.

“Is that better?”

“Affirmative.”

Handles, however, has developed a fault. He’s lasted 300 years, but he has one final message for the Doctor: “Urgent action required. You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit.” And he powers down. Gone. Forever.

The sun comes up. It lights up that little town, halfway out of the dark, reminding the Doctor of what he’s protecting. Every single life saved is a victory.

The Doctor tells Clara that he sent her away because otherwise, he’d have had to bury her already. He saved her too – or thought he had. The Doctor can’t run away. He dies here. His regenerative cycle has come to an end. Both he and Clara saw his grave in the future; he dies among millions.

Tasha Lem requests parlay and the Doctor agrees to go up the Mainframe. The sun’s already gone down. Day only lasts a few minutes in Christmas. “Everything ends, Clara,” the Doctor says. “And sooner than you think.”

Before he goes, a small boy called Barnable asks him if he’ll come back. “I’ll wait,” Barnable says.

***

The Doctor and Clara meet with Tasha, passing by a line of confessional priests aka. Silence. “Genetically engineered so you forget everything you told them,” he says.

Tasha explains that “the Kovarian Chapter broke away. They travelled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you ever reaching Trenzalore.” By blowing up the TARDIS and creating the cracks through which the Time Lords are sending their message, they became part of the destiny trap. They even engineered a psychopath to kill him. “Totally married her,” the Doctor says.

But the siege on Trenzalore is getting worse. The Daleks, especially, are focusing their attack. Three days ago, they even attacked the Mainframe. There was slaughter, and Tasha died screaming for the Doctor. A Dalek eye-stalk bursts from her forehead and a Dalek enters.

“You shouldn’t even know who I am,” the Doctor says, remembering that Oswin deleted all information from the Pathweb about him in the Dalek Asylum.

“Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem.”

“But she never told you how to break through the Trenzalore forcefield, though. She’d have died first.”

“Several times.”

The Dalek threatens to exterminate Clara if he doesn’t die in silence. Fortunately, Tasha breaks her conditioning and destroys the Dalek. The Doctor plans to get back into his TARDIS, but Tasha tells him that “the forcefield will hold for a while, but it will decay, and there are breaches already.” She’ll fight the Daleks above the planet.

The Doctor and Clara run back to the TARDIS – and oh look, the turkey’s cooked! The ship lands outside Clara’s block of flats and the Doctor says he’ll join her for Christmas dinner. “One thing,” Clara says. “Give me those big sad eyes, look at me so I know you’re not lying, and tell me you will never send me away ever again.”

“Clara Oswald, I will never send you away again.”

But on the TARDIS monitor, he watches an image of Barnable, waiting for him to save them all.

Clara grabs the turkey and heads out of the TARDIS. And then, it dematerialises.

Back on Trenzalore, Barnable asks why the Doctor, if he isn’t leaving them, brought the TARDIS back. “It’s a reminder,” he replies. “Besides, I might leave tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that.”

***

And so, to the fields of Trenzalore came all the Time Lord’s enemies. For this was the winter of the Doctor.

In time, when all other races had retreated or burned, only the Church of the Mainframe remained in the path of the Daleks. And so those ancient enemies, the Doctor and the Silence, stood back to back on the fields of Trenzalore.

***

Clara has rejoined her family. The Doctor has left her. Again.

Linda suggests further ‘boyfriends,’ while Gran moans about the crackers. They’re rubbish. They don’t have jokes in them – they have poems. Linda bought them.

Gran goes to tell a joke – but instead, reminisces about her husband. “I saw him on a pier on a rainy day,” she says. “I’d seen him before – lots of times – but he just looked so beautiful standing there… I wanted everything to stop. I wanted nothing to change ever again. If he could just keep standing there – so beautiful. A long time ago.”

A crying Clara hugs her… then hears the distant noise grinding noise of engines. The TARDIS. She grabs a cracker and runs out.

But the Doctor doesn’t wait for her in that blue box. It’s Tasha.

“What’s happened to him?”

***

Trenzalore is burning. The Daleks approach, getting closer to Christmas every second.

The TARDIS materialises in the midst of it all, and Clara and Tasha come out. “He shouldn’t die alone,” Tasha says, and Clara runs to the tower.

Inside, she finds an old, greying Doctor, his face etched with the years. He’s so happy but surprised to see Clara again – and look! She’s got a Christmas cracker!

He touches one end of the cracker, but he’s simply too weak to pull. She helps him. A poem falls out, and Clara reads it to the ancient Time Lord:

Extract from Thoughts on a Clock by Eric Ritchie Jr.

And now it’s time for one last bow; like all your other selves;

Eleven’s hour is over now; the clock is striking twelve’s.

“I don’t get it,” the Doctor says dismissively.

The people of Christmas can’t stand against the Daleks any longer: they’re too strong. And they demand to see the Doctor. This is it.

“Change the future!” Clara begs him.

“I could have once – when there were Time Lords,” he replies. “Not anymore.”

He says goodbye to her for the last time, and heads towards the tower’s top, ready to face the Daleks.

Clara, though, runs up to the crack in time, speaking directly to the Time Lords. “Listen to me, you lot. Listen! Help him. Help him change the future. Do it. Do something,” she says. “You’ve been asking a question, and it’s time someone told you you’ve been getting it wrong. His name – his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him. And if you love him, and you should, help him. Help him.”

She looks away… and the crack snaps shut.

She joins the villagers, watching as a huge Dalek ship hovers over the tower. “You still can’t work up the courage to shoot me, can you? You’re still worried I’ve got something up my sleeve!” the Doctor yells to them. “Well, you knock yourselves out, boys. I’ve got nothing this time.” But they’re too scared.

Then the crack appears in the sky. Shining energy billows out and heads towards the Doctor, and he swallows it up.

“The rules of regeneration are known. You have expended all your lives,” a Dalek boasts.

“Sorry, what did you say? Did you mention the rules? Now, listen – bit of advice,” the Doctor says, his hands glowing with power. “Tell me the truth if you think you know it. Lay down the law if you’re feeling brave. But – Daleks: never ever tell me the rules!”

“Emergency! Emergency! The Doctor is regenerating!”

Clara ushers the citizens of Christmas into the tower, away from harm, right as Daleks amass on the Doctor, trying to exterminate him before he regenerates.

“If you want my life,” the Doctor shouts, grinning wildly, “come – and – get – it!”

Regenerative energy bursts out of his hands, arching across the sky and crashing through the Dalek ship. It falters, falling, breaking off.

“Love from Gallifrey, boys!” the Doctor yells, and a final wave of energy ripples across Trenzalore, levelling it and destroying the Daleks.

And then. Silence.

***

Clara makes her way to the TARDIS. The phone hangs from the door and she puts it back on the hook. “Doctor?” she tests, entering.

His cold-weather gear lies on the floor. A bowl of fish fingers and custard waits on the central console. And the Doctor, renewed, makes his way up the stairs.

He’s young again, only a reset, and dressed in the clothes he wore when Clara met him in London. Since then, they’ve fought Ice Warriors, and Hiders, the Old God and the Great Intelligence – but now he’s here, at the fall of the Eleventh. He can’t stop it now.

He sets the TARDIS into flight.

“It all just disappears, doesn’t it?” he says. “Everything you are, gone in a moment, like breath on a mirror. Any moment now, he’s a-coming.”

“Who’s coming?”

“The Doctor.”

“But you – you are the Doctor.”

“Yep, and I always will be. But times change and so must I.”

His hands are shining, tears rubbing at the edges of his eyes. And around the TARDIS, he sees a strike of red hair. Amelia. Rushing around, past drawings of his life and times, pinned around the control room. The Weeping Angels, the Time War, the Gunslinger, Cybermen, the Silence, the Minotaur, Idris, the Pandorica, Vincent van Gogh, Prisoner Zero…

Amy Pond reaches him, touching his face. The first face his face saw. She wishes her Raggedy Man good night. Slowly, painfully, he takes off his bow tie – and watches as it falls to the floor.

“We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s okay – that’s good – you’ve got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me.”

Clara eyes fill with tears, as she reaches out to the Doctor. “Please don’t change.”

And then…

A new man appears, disoriented and concerned about the colour of his kidneys. Most importantly, he has just one thing to say.

“Do you happen to know how to fly this thing?”

The post The Time of the Doctor ReKapped! Part Two appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Middlesbrough’s Doctor Who Con The Shadow Proclamation Cancelled

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.

Doctor Who fans travelling to Middlesbrough on Friday and today were horrified to learn that The Shadow Proclamation convention has been cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Tickets for the event ranged from £50 to £200, but only 200 tickets had been sold out of a total 900. Add in reports of stars not being paid or their travel and accommodation not arranged and you can see why the organiser, Mr Graeme Parry, had to take the drastic step of cancelling.

Actors who have pulled out include Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Louise Jameson, while Parry has said “I am extremely sorry we have had to do this at the last minute. Regrettably I felt this was the best and fairest action to take for all concerned.

“I’ve been having some issues with getting payments to people. I’ve been sending it to them and for whatever reasons I’m still looking into, they were telling me they were not receiving it. I’m devastated, really. In a couple of weeks, I’ll sit down and review what happened and see what I could have done better.

“But for the moment, I’m more focused on getting everybody put right.”

The cancellation at such a late stage has resulted in Doctor Who fans from around the world being stranded in Middlesbrough with little to do save wait for 7.50pm and hope they can catch Deep Breath or move on to another part of the country for a different event. We hope those of you who have landed on Teesside for the convention can make new arrangements very soon, and that you stay safe.

Anyone seeking a refund should at the first instance call 01642 942000 or check www.theshadowproclamation.com. If you have purchased via PayPal we hear that refunds have started to make their way back into accounts.

On a personal note as someone born in Middlesbrough, this is particularly disappointing. Kasterborous was approached to help promote the convention earlier this year but the lack of answers to key questions left me with the opinion that a considerable effort was going to be needed by the organiser to make this happen. The truth can be cruel, but the fact is that organizing an event with just half a dozen guests can be utterly time consuming. The Shadow Proclamation boasted 35 guests, and without an experienced team of organizers such an event can never be expected to take place without serious problems.

The post Middlesbrough’s Doctor Who Con The Shadow Proclamation Cancelled appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.

Other Roles Played By Doctor Who’s 12 Stars

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 website for TIME magazine has released a video compiling all 12 Doctor Who stars and their notable other roles.

Naturally US-centric, the choice of clips is nevertheless a surprise, listing Tom Baker in the Dungeons and Dragons movie and Peter Davison in an episode of Magnum PI, for example, and Paul McGann in a period drama that is neither The Monocled Mutineer nor Withnail & I.

You can probably guess where the clip of Peter Capaldi comes from…

We’re certain you, dear reader, will spot the barminess of these selections (Patrick Troughton in an episode of The Famous Five rather than, say, The Omen), so why not share you preferred list of second-most-famous credits below?

If nothing else, it’ll pass the TIME until 7.50pm tonight…

The post Other Roles Played By Doctor Who’s 12 Stars appeared first on Kasterborous Doctor Who News and Reviews.