The Eleven Doctors...

[Crazedwraith]

I've been thinking its only a couple of years until, Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary. (1963-2013) One hopes they've going to make a big deal out it. At the very least I'd like the see the new Doctors back; Eccleston and Tennant.

How many of the others do you think they could work in to a special? Obviously, the first three (at least) are no longer with us? Maybe Sean Pertwee could stand in as the Third Doctor?

Any one got any hopes, ideas, fanwank they'd like to see for the occasion?

[Thanas]

Tennant can go take a hike, but I would love to see Eccleston back. However, I believe he is done with Who.

[inviz345]

what about 4 doctors in the time war Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy, David tennant and Matt Smith.

[Broomstick]

One of the things I find remarkable is that the last three men to play The Doctor weren't even born yet when the show started. It's like a soap opera that way.

That, and I recently found out that the woman who played The Doctor's daughter actually was The Doctor's daughter - she's the daughter of Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor.

Anyhow - don't they usually have a multi-doctor show for the big anniversaries? (The Three Doctors, the Five Doctors, the Two Doctors....) And didn't they have another gentleman play the First Doctor for one of those after Hartnell had died?

If they want to do it, they'll figure something out. Just don't think too hard about the explanation they give you.

[mr friendly guy]

One of the things I find remarkable is that the last three men to play The Doctor weren't even born yet when the show started. It's like a soap opera that way.

That, and I recently found out that the woman who played The Doctor's daughter actually was The Doctor's daughter - she's the daughter of Peter Davison, the Fifth Doctor.

Anyhow - don't they usually have a multi-doctor show for the big anniversaries? (The Three Doctors, the Five Doctors, the Two Doctors....) And didn't they have another gentleman play the First Doctor for one of those after Hartnell had died?

If they want to do it, they'll figure something out. Just don't think too hard about the explanation they give you.

Personally I think the classic doctor arcs were nice, but I am not sure how well it will turn out if they do it with the modern series. Eleven doctors smacks of fan wank.

BTW - Richard Hurndell filled in for William Hartnell's role in the Five Doctors. Tom Baker was a no show, so they used (at that stage) unseen footage for the lost episode Shada showing Baker's doctor and saying he was caught in a time loop. Years later Baker would narrate Shada for a rare VHS video where they showed all footage and the narration filled in the gaps. Then years later BBC had Paul McGann narrate Shada for an audio.

Also there was no special occasion for the Two Doctors. So JNT wanted to make it 100 th Target novelisation of Doctor Who, because it didn't have any special occasion unlike the other two.

[Crazedwraith]

There's a ten doctors webcomic out there somewhere.

But yeah all Eleven Doctors in one story would get a bit crowded. I imagine most of them would be reduced to glorified Cameos. Might work best, with just Nine, Ten and Eleven. You could get a lot of mileage out of Nine being disgusted with the other two...

Still I'm hopeful, After all the last series did include a lot more references to older doctors than RTD's era did. Eleventh Hour had them all, Vampires had that library card on the First Doctor, there was another brief shot in the Van Gogh episode.

[Srelex]

I guess you could dress up actors and wave a ton of cash in Eccelston's face, but it would be a challenge to give them all equal focus--otherwise it's just Cameo-A-Rama.

[Broomstick]

Haven't seen all the Doctor reunions, but if I recall, for the Three Doctors while Hartnell was alive his role was minimal, just one step above cameo (if I recall it was due to physical limitations of the actor).

As noted, for the Five Doctors Baker was really a cameo role.

Plenty of precedent for cameos.

You couldn't fit all eleven Doctors into one episode, but you can have a few in major roles and cameo/images of the others, rather like in the "Eleventh Hour" where you see a visual sequence of the prior ten (yes, I know someone else in this thread referred to that, too). That wouldn't require Mr. Eccelston to be inconvenienced, for example.

And - pardon me for asking but as an American who doesn't have cable/satellite TV at the moment my information is uniformly late and piecemeal - what's this I hear about the next series being in the US?

[Crazedwraith]

The first episode of the new series features Nixon. That's all I know. I hope you don't mean the whole lot is going to be set in America.

[Broomstick]

I have no idea - that's why I'm asking if anyone here knows, preferably without giving me spoilers for the run. There have been bits and pieces in the US before, or supposedly in the US (rather like some of the "Americans" who have been characters on the show who, sorry guys, had shit ability to fake the accent. Not all of them, but a few were really bad, even Dick Van Dyke bad with accents.) I caught a glimpse of a "trailer", but I'm not at all clear if the US shots all came from one episode or bits and pieces of several. Hell, for all I know they're shooting in Canada and pretending it's the US, like Fringe has done.

[Johonebesus]

I think RTD was right about this one. It would almost be an insult to have other actors try to impersonate the first three. Maybe just a reunion with Tom Baker, since he was one of the most popular and sat out of the 20th anniversary special, or possibly McGann. Too many would just get crowded.

I think it would be better to reunite the doctor with Susan. As I said before, I'd like to explore the dynamic of having a kid that looks and acts older than the parent. The original actress isn't too ancient yet. Until then, I'll imagine that the mystery woman in End of Time was Susan.

[Themightytom]

Oh man I hope they do NOT try to include all 11 doctors, that's just too much. Honestly what can they even DO to Doctor Who that they haven't already done?? Alternate reality, surprise off spring, , long lost wife, have we done Evil twin?? Oh right, Master with a goatee. Meeting with past or future self, blowing up TARDIS blowing up universe, return of old foes, return of old friends, cameo with major historical figures, participation in major historical events, wedding episode, amnesia episode Christmas specials, The titanic, ghost stories halloween stories, Zombies...crossovers with other TV shows...

Oh My God.

There's still one thing left to do.

[Revy]

The first episode of the new series features Nixon. That's all I know. I hope you don't mean the whole lot is going to be set in America.

Spoiler

Not according to the episode spoilers I read. One of them will be on a pirate ship, another in WWII Germany, one in a haunted/nightmare house, one will follow up on the couple from the Lodger episode, and the Gaiman episode will take place on some kind of starship junkyard. There's probably a few others, but that's all I remember.

[CaptainChewbacca]

They filmed some bits in Monument Canyon in the US, so thats what I think they meant. Plus, the Doctor wears a stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

[Night_stalker]

Tennant can go take a hike, but I would love to see Eccleston back. However, I believe he is done with Who.

I agree, Eccleston delivered a darker tone to what was other a really, really bright show. He actaully was the first Doctor that I watched, and he did a good job of it.

I liked his tone, and his take on things, but Tennant just injected the role with so much enthusiasm it was hard to not like him.

[Broomstick]

They filmed some bits in Monument Canyon in the US, so thats what I think they meant. Plus, the Doctor wears a stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

How much you want to bet River Song shoots the Stetson at some point?

[Parallax]

Tennant can go take a hike, but I would love to see Eccleston back. However, I believe he is done with Who.

I agree, Eccleston delivered a darker tone to what was other a really, really bright show. He actaully was the first Doctor that I watched, and he did a good job of it.

I liked his tone, and his take on things, but Tennant just injected the role with so much enthusiasm it was hard to not like him.

If you want dark, then watch some of the 7th Doctor's (Sylvester McCoy) stuff. He was a cunning, manipulative bastard sometimes.

No way could you have all 11 Doctors, sadly. The first three are dead, Tom Baker is rather large and elderly these days. The rest, theoretically, could fill their respective roles (most are still very active in the Who scene) however.

I think a good 50th Anniversary story would be the Doctor simply dropping in on various former companions to see what they've accomplished. There could be some very moving tales there, from ones who have died to ones who managed to achieve great success.

[TimothyC]

How much you want to bet River Song shoots the Stetson at some point?

Uhm, That's in the trailers.

[Broomstick]

How much you want to bet River Song shoots the Stetson at some point?

Uhm, That's in the trailers.

Oh, is it? I only saw bits and pieces, guess none of them included that. Not that it was hard to guess, though - she seems rather hard on hats.

Kind of sad, really - these days I don't even get complete trailers.....

[avatarxprime]

I think an interesting way to get all the past Doctors present, or at least as many as you wanted too, would be to use the "Dream Lord," he is the Doctor's darkest parts of himself given form after all. He could create a scenario where he pits the 11th Doctor against his past selves, with all of them vying for dominance or something. The episode itself would serve as a way of looking back at the series and seeing how things have changed and remained the same. A shameless self-tribute episode, but it could work.

[Broomstick]

No - it would still be too many characters.

[Crazedwraith]

Yeah, a current Doctor Who, is 45 minutes. A special might be 60 minutes. At most you might get a two parter; 90 minutes.

So 10 previous doctors, that's 9 mins a doctor at most. It might work if you just did a series of 'Time Crash' like scenes but its not going to really work as a full episode.

[Broomstick]

Well, in addition to lacking the actors for the first three Doctors and the Brigadier, it looks like we just lost Sarah Jane Smith.

If they ARE going to have another reunion special they may not want to wait too long...

[The Yosemite Bear]

They filmed some bits in Monument Canyon in the US, so thats what I think they meant. Plus, the Doctor wears a stetson now. Stetsons are cool.

How much you want to bet River Song shoots the Stetson at some point?

nothing I've already seen it happen in a trailer.

[The Yosemite Bear]

oh and a year or two ago I saw an English horror movie featuring someone who would become a companion, and the grandson of a doctor as the leads....