Doctor Who...... What the bloody hell?

[Enigma]

John Hurt, the real Ninth Doctor.

Come on, really?

Friday, 10 May 2013
John Hurt to play Ninth Doctor

John Hurt will play the Ninth Doctor in the 'Doctor Who' 50th anniversary episode.

The 73-year-old actor's alter-ego will be a regeneration of the Time Lord, which the character has forgotten about, in the special after Christopher Eccleston - who played the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in 2005 - refused to return for the episode after holding talks with showrunner Steven Moffat.

A source told The Sun newspaper: ''John will play the real Ninth Doctor. Christopher Eccleston has always been thought of as the Ninth Doctor but now that John has been revealed as the Ninth Doctor, it shuffles Eccleston's Doctor to be the 10th Time Lord, Tennant the 11th and Smith the 12th.

''It also means the Doctor's time is running out as he can only regenerate 12 times.''

John revealed earlier this week he will play ''part of the Doctor'' in a ''kind of trinity'' with Matt Smith and David Tennant, but the pair's Doctors will initially refuse to accept John's character is one of them until it becomes apparent thanks to their sonic screwdrivers.

The source explained: ''Steven loves a complex plot and there will be plenty of surprises along the way.

''The reason the Doctor has forgotten his ninth incarnation will become clear but it's to do with the Time War and his shame over his behaviour in it.

''Tennant and Smith's Doctors will at first refuse to accept Hurt is them -- until their sonic screwdrivers confirm it and announce, 'He's us. He's the ninth us'.''

John's Doctor has deliberately been given a style similar to both the Eighth Doctor - who was portrayed by Paul McGann - and Christopher's Time Lord.

A source said: ''John was given a very familiar look that goes half way between two regenerations.''

What's more, 'Doctor Who' will be celebrated at the Arqiva BAFTA TV awards on Sunday (12.05.13), in recognition of the programme's 50th anniversary.

Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman - who plays the current Time Lord's assistant Clara Oswald - have pre-recorded a sketch which will be screened at the ceremony to help introduce the brunette beauty on stage to present an award. Two Daleks will also be on the BAFTA red carpet.

Amanda Berry OBE, Chief Executive of BAFTA, said: ''There are only a handful of programmes that have the quality and longevity of 'Doctor Who' and the ability to put the nation on their sofas - or indeed behind them - year after year. BAFTA raises a toast to 'Doctor Who' on its 50th birthday this year.''

Steven added: ''I'm thrilled that BAFTA are including a special tribute to the show.''

Is this legit or some faux news?

[Stark]

Eccleston is pretty much my hero.

[Enigma]

They can't get Eccleston so they become creatively bankrupt and try to slip in a new Doctor that nobody knew about, not even the Doctor himself?

[Batman]

This had better be a hoax. Eccleston was brilliant as the 9th Doctor.

[Flagg]

Umm, they are not replacing him as the ninth doctor, they're just saying he's really the tenth. And I bet you anything it's just a plot twist and John Hurt is really a villain.

[Iroscato]

Umm, they are not replacing him as the ninth doctor, they're just saying he's really the tenth. And I bet you anything it's just a plot twist and John Hurt is really a villain.

I hadn't actually considered that he (Hurt's character) might be bullshitting. Must do better...

This does strike me as an interesting idea, although the on/off quality of the latest series makes me worry how well it will be pulled off. My theory is the Doctor mind-wiped himself as he was so ashamed of something he did as the true ninth incarnation. But whatever, we'll find out for sure in a few months.

Also, how about a nice little spoiler tag in the thread title?

[Batman]

Err,yes them telling he's actually the tenth IS rather them replacing him as the 9th Doctor?

[Flagg]

Err,yes them telling he's actually the tenth IS rather them replacing him as the 9th Doctor?

Yes, you pedantic dumbshit. My point was that Eccelson was still the Doctor.

[Batman]

Yeah. Me being a pedantic dumbshit. That totally never happened before.

[Scrib]

Eccleston is pretty much my hero.

Why? Because he quit DW? I do think he could have stayed on a bit longer. I don't recall any big reason that forced him to leave.

As for this...yeah, I don't even- I'll just assume that there's more to it and wait and see. Even if it is technically kinda cheat-y (as much as you can have such a thing on any show let alone DW) I'm going to hope that there's more to this or that they can pull it off.

[Hillary]

Eccleston is pretty much my hero.

Why? Because he quit DW?

Let me field this one. Because he was quite simply the best Doctor there has ever been. The man was absolutely awesome in the role and it coincided with some of the best writing the show ever had.

I do think he could have stayed on a bit longer. I don't recall any big reason that forced him to leave.

He has publicly stated that he was incredibly unhappy with the way the show was being run and, in particular, the way that staff were treated by their superiors. This is why he decided not to stay on after the first series.

On topic, this is a Sun news report - it should be treated with the same caution as the National Enquirer.

[Sharp-kun]

So when someone says "the 10th doctor was my favourite" I'll need to ask them "pre or post Moffat?".

[Thanas]

There really is nothing that can be said other than "Oh Moffat, how stupid art thou?"

[Scrib]

Eccleston is pretty much my hero.

Why? Because he quit DW?

Let me field this one. Because he was quite simply the best Doctor there has ever been. The man was absolutely awesome in the role and it coincided with some of the best writing the show ever had.

Fair enough. Not sure why it's tied to this story though.

I do think he could have stayed on a bit longer. I don't recall any big reason that forced him to leave.

He has publicly stated that he was incredibly unhappy with the way the show was being run and, in particular, the way that staff were treated by their superiors. This is why he decided not to stay on after the first series.

On topic, this is a Sun news report - it should be treated with the same caution as the National Enquirer.

I've heard this before. Well, nice guy for leaving because of something like that I guess?

There really is nothing that can be said other than "Oh Moffat, how stupid art thou?"

You know, the marked shift in people's opinions (or maybe just mine?) wrt Moffat is amusing. How did this happen?Wasn't he supposed to save Who from RTD or something .

[PREDATOR490]

Am I surprised Doctor Who is going to pull more stupid shit - No
All this has really done is secure Eccleston as being an awesome Doctor and actor.

I really cannot understand how stupid someone has to be to figure this is a good idea since it does not solve the problem they want to fix.
One of the Doctors is missing - So your solution is to semi-replace that Doctor by screwing over your entire franchise.

Since this is meant to be a new 9th Doctor shoehorned between existing versions then having all the Doctors except the missing one STILL hasn't been solved.
However, it seems this is a product of them going back to the stupid Time War crap. As if the series didn't spend enough time with the Doctor brooding about it we get another 'episode'

[Hillary]

Scrib - here's the story http://badwilf.co.uk/?p=820

In an acting master class at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Christopher Eccleston was asked why he left a such a high paid job as Doctor Who. He responded:

“I left Doctor Who because I could not get along with the senior people. I left because of politics. I did not see eye-to-eye with them. I didn’t agree with the way things were being run. I didn’t like the culture that had grown up, around the series. So I left, I felt, over a principle.

“I thought to remain, which would have made me a lot of money and given me huge visibility, the price I would have had to pay was to eat a lot of shit. I’m not being funny about that. I didn’t want to do that and it comes to the art of it, in a way. I feel that if you run your career and– we are vulnerable as actors and we are constantly humiliating ourselves auditioning. But if you allow that to go on, on a grand scale you will lose whatever it is about you and it will be present in your work.

“If you allow your desire to be successful and visible and financially secure – if you allow that to make you throw shades on your parents, on your upbringing, then you’re knackered. You’ve got to keep something back, for yourself, because it’ll be present in your work. A purity or an idealism is essential or you’ll become– you’ve got to have standards, no matter how hard work that is. So it makes it a hard road, really.

“You know, it’s easy to find a job when you’ve got no morals, you’ve got nothing to be compromised, you can go, ‘Yeah, yeah. That doesn’t matter. That director can bully that prop man and I won’t say anything about it’. But then when that director comes to you and says ‘I think you should play it like this’ you’ve surely got to go ‘How can I respect you, when you behave like that?’

“So, that’s why I left. My face didn’t fit and I’m sure they were glad to see the back of me. The important thing is that I succeeded. It was a great part. I loved playing him. I loved connecting with that audience. Because I’ve always acted for adults and then suddenly you’re acting for children, who are far more tasteful; they will not be bullshitted. It’s either good, or it’s bad. They don’t schmooze at after-show parties, with cocktails.”

[Admiral Valdemar]

Again, love Destro Doctor the most. It helps that he's also from where I was brought up too. I'd love to have seen him more, but given the issues he raised and what was happening with Ten when he came in, I don't know if it'd be something I'd have really wanted.

[The Romulan Republic]

Am I surprised Doctor Who is going to pull more stupid shit - No
All this has really done is secure Eccleston as being an awesome Doctor and actor.

I really cannot understand how stupid someone has to be to figure this is a good idea since it does not solve the problem they want to fix.
One of the Doctors is missing - So your solution is to semi-replace that Doctor by screwing over your entire franchise.

Since this is meant to be a new 9th Doctor shoehorned between existing versions then having all the Doctors except the missing one STILL hasn't been solved.
However, it seems this is a product of them going back to the stupid Time War crap. As if the series didn't spend enough time with the Doctor brooding about it we get another 'episode'

I want more about the Time War. Its a fascinating part of Doctor Who, little is known about it, and the Time War parts were some of the best parts of The End of Time.

As for having another Doctor (if its true), I don't see how it harms the franchise, or at least I don't see how it ruins the story. It won't change much of what's already happened. All that will change is the title of the last three versions of the Doctor. It might harm the franchise by pissing off fans though. And since, as you said, Eccleston still won't be there, it is pointless as a way to replace Eccleston.

But I doubt this is true. This is out there even for Moffat.

[The Romulan Republic]

You know, the marked shift in people's opinions (or maybe just mine?) wrt Moffat is amusing. How did this happen?Wasn't he supposed to save Who from RTD or something .

Its not just you. I mostly liked Moffat's writing until season six. It seems to have gone downhill around when he wrote Day of the Moon, and from Let's Kill Hitler onwards I've mostly loathed his work.

[Hillary]

You know, the marked shift in people's opinions (or maybe just mine?) wrt Moffat is amusing. How did this happen?Wasn't he supposed to save Who from RTD or something .

Its not just you. I mostly liked Moffat's writing until season six. It seems to have gone downhill around when he wrote Day of the Moon, and from Let's Kill Hitler onwards I've mostly loathed his work.

I still like most of the episodes he writes, but he hasn't covered himself with glory to be sure. I would, in his defence, say that he has yet to plumb the depths of the Davros debacle - but this isn't really setting the bar higher than ankle level

[Stark]

I don't just love Eccleston's performance and think he singlehandedly make Doctor Who a legitimate brand again by absolutely selling a complex character in a modern, self-aware setting at a peak of quality I doubt the show will ever see again... I love him for trolling the shit out of the BBC.

[Scrib]

Scrib - here's the story http://badwilf.co.uk/?p=820

In an acting master class at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Christopher Eccleston was asked why he left a such a high paid job as Doctor Who. He responded:

Yeah, Eccleston sounds like an awesome person.

Its not just you. I mostly liked Moffat's writing until season six. It seems to have gone downhill around when he wrote Day of the Moon, and from Let's Kill Hitler onwards I've mostly loathed his work.

Yeah, Moffat had a pretty good start and then went crazy. The Eleventh Hour was a great first episode. Bombastic, fun, no magic wand, no Tardis and the Doctor is still enough of a bad-ass to pull through. None of this shit.It wasn't the best villain but it worked. The first season wasn't bad either. Then...yeah.

At this point he's throwing his own creations, perhaps the best "new" villain on the show, overboard for quick, meaningless shock value.

[Johonebesus]

Reading other places, it's amazing how many fans still have faith that Moffat's going to come through and pull everything together satisfactorily. They analyze every episode, and anything that seems odd or an inconsistent, like the legs under the Tardis in the scrap heap or his tie in the pocket dimension, becomes a deliberate clue like the apparent costume snafu in "Flesh and Stone."

I've been saying for a while that Moffat's probably taken a lesson from the producers of Lost and NBSG. With this news, my only hope is that he has indeed followed Abrams in flatly lying about the casting.

If they just absolutely had to have three Doctors and couldn't get Eccleston, why not use McGann? Some people have an irrational hatred of him, but others would like to see him get another chance in the role. I've seen some recent publicity shots and he doesn't look terribly aged. He's free, he does the audio stories, he's said he would love to do the 50th, so why bring in someone new in order to introduce another twist that will be damned hard to make work? Then again, that seems to be the point of recent T.V. Sci-Fi: throw as many "twists" and puzzles at the screen as possible just to see how much shit the audience will watch.

[Havok]

Eccleston is the shit and he was ]i]fantastic[/i] as the Doctor and is far and away my favorite. Every show is always followed in my mind with "I wonder how Eccleston would have played it?"

That said, I was hoping he would come back just for this, mostly because I wanted to see him put Tennant and Smith in their place. Plus, now after watching as much Who as I have, it was nice to have a Doctor that wasn't a fucking nerd.

[NecronLord]

I can't even begin to comprehend why they wouldn't use Paul McGann for that story.