The Doctor's new companion is going to be:

mappster · Post by **mappster** » 2007-07-03 07:25pm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6267680.stm

Catherine Tate.

I quite liked her in The Runaway Bride, but I have a little feeling that a number of fans are going to be going up the wall with this development...

DocHorror · Post by **DocHorror** » 2007-07-03 07:39pm

As much as I dislike her comedy I liked her in the Xmas Invasion. It could be good. No worse, at least, than some of the other dross like Adric/Teagan/Mel.

Oddysseus · Post by **Oddysseus** » 2007-07-04 01:15am

Hmm. I really liked her in the Christmas Special. Her character was a bit shrill, but it worked. And I liked the dynamic. And I have been thinking for awhile how much I'd like to see the Doctor in a dynamic with someone "older". Jack is a kid at heart. And Martha and Rose are kids. It will be nice to see.

Still I am curious as to what Voyage of the Damned will be like. With the Titanic, it looks like it won't involve "the end of the world". But things do escalate in the Doctor's life.

I hope Miss Jones will be making a quick return.

Dahak · Post by **Dahak** » 2007-07-04 03:35am

Well, I never had a chance to get an opinion of one Catherine Tate before the Christmas Special, but I liked her in it. So I think she'll gonna work as companion...

Post by **weemadando** » 2007-07-04 03:50am

I fucking hate Catherine Tate. Guess I won't be watching that series.

Bounty · Post by **Bounty** » 2007-07-04 03:52am

Please tell me this is bad comedy. Please. For my sake and yours.

I mean, Tate? I can't stand her at the best of times. She did alright last Christmas, in a bit part, but as a regular?

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2007-07-04 04:11am

Her comedy show is awful, but she didn't do a bad job in The Runaway Bride, i thought. I'm cautiously okay with this. I think an older companion will be a good thing.

Lord Woodlouse · Post by **Lord Woodlouse** » 2007-07-04 05:47am

I strongly suspect she's going to be toned down a little. If she's as shrill as she was in Christmas special all the time she's going to piss everyone off. think she'll be more like the scene toward the end where she has that one-to-one with the Doctor.

I'm optimistic about her, and of course Martha is set to return too. Could be interesting.

Hillary · Post by **Hillary** » 2007-07-04 05:54am

I can think of far worse. Jesus, she can't be a worse actress than Billie Piper or Freema Aygeman.

She has done loads of stuff apart from the (admittedly poor) Catherine Tate Show - both comedy and drama acting. With that pedigree, she seems pretty appropriate for Doctor Who where both are required.

As said already, the fact she's a bit older will allow a slightly different dynamic between the Doctor and his assistant than was the case with Rose and Martha.

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2007-07-04 06:39am

She's probably going to be toned down as I'm guessing the new episodes wont be set on her wedding day which is going to hell because a bunch of aliens are fighting over her.

And hopefully there'll be an episode dealing with the ramifications of Adam's actions in The Long Game.

Post by **Vympel** » 2007-07-04 07:10am

As I said elsewhere, at least she won't have an insipid crush on the Doctor. She'll be slapping the shit out of him instead.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-07-04 07:43am

Vympel wrote:As I said elsewhere, at least she won't have an insipid crush on the Doctor. She'll be slapping the shit out of him instead.

Thank christ.

Manus Celer Dei · Post by **Manus Celer Dei** » 2007-07-04 08:50am

Oh fuck no.

The Guid · Post by **The Guid** » 2007-07-04 09:16am

My eyes! It burns!!!!!

There'd better be some damned cool stuff to make this work. Who thought this was a good idea?

Drooling Iguana · Post by **Drooling Iguana** » 2007-07-04 10:05am

Well, I've often said that the Doctor is at his best when he has a companion he can butt heads with from time to time, instead of being all lovey-dovey like he was with Rose. On the other hand, I could easily see this turning into Mel mk. II, and I don't think anyone wants that.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-07-04 10:32am

I can faintly hear the angry crowds banging against the gates of the BBC howling out for the head of RTD.

But then again I thought Catherine Tate was surprisingly watchable in "The Runaway Bride" and this could play out surprisingly well, with a older female companion who is not pining for the Doctor (Tate's comedy work is still boorish drivel though).

darth_timon · Post by **darth_timon** » 2007-07-05 02:02pm

I'm cautiously optimistic. I don't particularly like Catherine Tate's comedy, but she was ok in the Christmas special and it's best to reserve judgment until she's been in a few episodes.

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2007-07-05 02:54pm

The most annoying thing about her is the fucking horrible accent that she always uses. Her own, normal one is perfectly under-bloody-standable.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2007-07-09 06:56pm

damn with all of the 40k threads I was hopping he would pick up a sister of battle, or a space marine....

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2007-07-09 07:39pm

I just watched the Runaway Bride and I rather liked it. I have to say it'll be a nice change to have someone along who isn't going to spend half the time making mopey-eyes at the Doctor. Admittedly I still haven't seen any episodes with Martha Jones in them yet. . . .

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2007-07-09 09:32pm

General Zod wrote:I just watched the Runaway Bride and I rather liked it. I have to say it'll be a nice change to have someone along who isn't going to spend half the time making mopey-eyes at the Doctor. Admittedly I still haven't seen any episodes with Martha Jones in them yet. . . .

I mostly liked "The Runaway Bride" as well, but it was a tad style over substance and the Doctor was beginning to pine for Rose, a mild sub-plot irritant that ran for the rest of the third season. And you haven't got much ire for Catherine Tate since you've never seen her "comedy" work (although I don't allow that to sully Tate's character in Doctor Who, unlike the hordes of zombified, knee jerk anti-Donna guys out there).

Dartzap · Post by **Dartzap** » 2007-07-10 01:08pm

Having re watched TRAB last night, I do have to say that much of my memories of her being a screeching banshee appear to have been falsified, much to my surprise.

One can only hope the Martian joke won't be used, though

Macross · Post by **Macross** » 2007-07-11 12:05am

Here in the US, the "Runaway Bride" and "Smith and Jones" just aired for the first time this past Friday. Martha Jones did not really impress me all that much, she came across as being a carbon copy of Rose. The Doctor and Martha just didn't seem to click the same way that The Doctor and Donna clicked.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2007-07-11 12:33am

Macross wrote:Here in the US, the "Runaway Bride" and "Smith and Jones" just aired for the first time this past Friday. Martha Jones did not really impress me all that much, she came across as being a carbon copy of Rose. The Doctor and Martha just didn't seem to click the same way that The Doctor and Donna clicked.

I think the Doctor\Donna didn't work terribly well. She was so damn shrill and bossy and bitchy that she was rather hard to like. While she had a nice character moment at the end, I don't think she really clicked. Ironic considering that it was a retooled Rose/Doctor story!

I've only seen the first episode too but I think they're going in a different direction with Martha. She has some similarities to Rose, I think they played them up a bit deliberately, but there's also room for a world of difference. I for one look forward to seeing Martha in action as the character has potential; I'm just a bit disappointed that she'll be leaving.

Starglider · Post by **Starglider** » 2007-07-11 01:37am

Stormbringer wrote:I've only seen the first episode too but I think they're going in a different direction with Martha. She has some similarities to Rose, I think they played them up a bit deliberately, but there's also room for a world of difference.

Yeah, I was hoping that too when I first saw the character. Unfortunately I have to agree with Stark. She turned out to be Rose with extra angst and a light garnish of medical babble.