Who?

[Mumpo]

Who?

He's down as 'Executive Producer and lead writer', but how much of the writing tasks he'll delegate is anyone's guess.

Part of me thinks he'll write two or three meticulously honed stories for the next series and farm the rest out, but the another part thinks he'll write all 13 episodes himself.

I was trying to think of a footballing metaphor for Moffat taking over the reigns, but I couldn't come up with a manager in history that you would unreservedly want to take over at your club. I suppose Brian Clough leaving Forest in about 1980 would be close, which probably works for every club at the time with the exception of Ipswich Town.

[Purves Grundy]

Who?

In terms of who he gets in to write something I'd have said that Cornell and Gatiss are very likely (Cornell in particular - Moffatt was his Best Man). I would expect RTD to write something, too.

[Jon]

Who?

Cornell? No chance - he's too busy reinventing Captain Britain.

[ian.64]

Who?

Hope not. I remember reading that comic when it first came out. There seemed a desperation in it in its emulating (or hoping to emulate) it's American counterpart. After so many decades of the sheild-bearing icon, a wimpy Union-Jack version seemed inadequate.

[Jon]

Who?

Well, it's probable then that you read the Chris Claremont era - later on there was a classic Alan Moore/Alan Davis run.

But I was only joking about Paul Cornell. Although he's doing a lot of comics work at the moment, I'm sure he'd bite off your hand to script some more Dr Who.

[jason voorhees]

Who?

I've been reading this thread with one eye blurred and the other closed, but here's to Mr. Moffat.

The show will be just fine. It's like bookers in pro wrestling (the guys holding the book deciding the storylines, the angles, who wins, etc.) A bad booker can leave a stench that's tough to get off. However, get a new booker who elevates the right character, adds a new person, has an angle that's red hot, and the asses come right back into the seats.

[Purves Grundy]

Who?

What the fuck was that? I know that the Doctor-free episodes are always a little bit wacky, but that was just demented. And it was too long.

Worst episode ever.

[David Agnew]

Who?

Clearly, Moffat taking over from RTD is a good thing. I doubt if RTD will still write for Who, as he'll have other projects to move onto, and if Moffat's like any other exec producer, he'll want to make a clean break.

But, this isn't just writing, this is being in charge of the whole series, so I'll just be cautiously optimistic. As long as gets rid of Gareth Roberts, and gets Helen Raynor to stick to script editing (or at least try her with a one episode story), it'll be a good start.

And since Lawrence Miles made the comment that he could piss a better script thank Blink in his sleep, he set himself a test of writing a Who script. It's about a cosmic library - just like the Moffat two parter, and it's on his blog for one week only.

Talking of next week's Moffat, if the trail is anything to go by, it's giving a message to kids that are afraid of the dark, that they're right to be afraid. Can't wait.

[Eggchaser]

Who?

Well, it may not have been vintage Dr Who (I've just caught up on the old Sky plus) but even a poor episode of Dr Who pisses on most other shows on TV.

(I liked it, but I'm a sucker for old stuff)

[Wyatt Earp]

Who?

Purves Grundy wrote:

What the fuck was that? I know that the Doctor-free episodes are always a little bit wacky, but that was just demented. And it was too long.

Worst episode ever.

Ah come on, that's worth an .

[Mumpo]

Who?

I know that the Doctor-free episodes are always a little bit wacky, but that was just demented. And it was too long

Oh, I don't know, I thought it was quite pithy. The narrative was all over the place, though. It was almost as if there were five different plots going on at once.

[Guest]

Who?

Saw an extended trailer after The One show earlier for this coming saturdays episode. It looks great. Don't want to say too much in case of annoying people with spoilers, but HURRAH!

[Guest]

Who?

Indeed - and I thought "HE" was dead...

[Mumpo]

Who?

One of the BBCi channels has the extended trailer on continuous loop (or perhaps it's just a chronic hysteresis). A nice way to spend a couple of hours, if you get the chance.

[Houdi Elbow]

Who?

Indeed - and I thought "HE" was dead...

He must be alive somewhere in time though.

[Jimski]

Who?

Wow, that was awesome. Absolutely chock-full of ideas. Nice little Time Traveller's Wife-style touch going on there between the archaeologist and the doctor too.

I hope the other writers on this series have been taking copious notes on how to do it right.

[Guest]

Who?

Great first part - even managed to avoid the spoiler for next week!

[VTTBoscombe]

Who?

That was a Moffet one wasn't it?

The guy must hate parents - first kids get scared of statues, now they have another reason to hate the dark.

Still very good though; but I will now have a week of "who turned out the lights" being said through the house.

[David Agnew]

Who?

Woah. That was stunning. I could even just about forgive how shouty Donna was.

The swarm in the suit was very reminiscent of The Android Invasion.

[Mumpo]

Who?

Clearly a fair degree of riffing by mister Moffat on themes from his previous stories, but as long as he continues to get mileage out of them and the end result remains as polished and engrossing as this, I've no objection.

[Wyatt Earp]

Who?

Scariest yet. Profoundly shocking in places: the "ghosting" phenomenon will stay with me for a long time.

[Purves Grundy]

Who?

Wow, that was just so great. I can't even try to be coherent about it. It was just so full of brilliant things.

[Crusoe]

Who?

That was really good. Just-right use of special effects (not too gimmicky), and a real lesson to previous writers on how to keep multiple strands of plot all going without skimping on detail, getting confusing or losing pace (albeit a bit easier to do that in a two-parter). Proper sense of menace, both from the shadows/darkness and the Poltergeist-style small-child-at-the-centre-of-events.

(spoilers)

The only - only - minor gripes were killing off the poor lass (who seemed a more interesting character than half of the party, but I guess that just added to the impact) and Dave's last line being very reminiscent of "Are you my mummy?"

Can't wait for the next episode. And I already have my theory on who the archeologist really is and why she knows the Doctor.

[Mumpo]

Who?

Good as it might have been, this was also, sadly, the first episode of Doctor Who since the relaunch to lose out in the ratings to ITV, who were showing something with the ironic title 'Britain's Got Talent'.

I wonder, if it had been one of the lesser episodes of the season that had been trounced in this manner, whether knives would start to emerge?

Anyway, on the old board I wrote, of 'Rose':

it was more than pleasing, it was a metaphorical kick in the teeth for the kind of imbecilic Saturday night moron fodder that's been foisted ceaselessly on viewers for the last twenty years. in this respect it was a triumph for Russell T Davies, the cast, the entire production team and not least the scheduling department of the BBC, who had the conviction to stick it in the flagship slot it deserves. finally the public have been treated to an intelligent, thought-provoking drama series shown at a time when they've traditionally been expected to enjoy some of the most nauseatingly vacuous programmes ever made - and to the surprise of no-one who understands this is precisely what the public have been craving, they love it.

neither is this a highbrow versus lowbrow issue, because there is absolutely nothing 'highbrow' about the way the show has been re-fashioned; it simply refused to patronise its audience, whilst still communicating with them on a level with which they felt comfortable. in a very real sense the screening of 'Rose' was just as revolutionary as the screening of the very first episode of Doctor Who back in 1963, challenging its audience, as it did, by redefining what they had come to expect from drama.

it's optimistic and unrealistic to suggest that shows like 'Ant and Dec' and their innumerable brethren will disappear in the light of Doctor Who's success. hopefully, however, at least a feeling has been engendered among those in control of our terrestrial stations that they represent a type of entertainment which is no longer a reliable guarantee of audience satisfaction. what's satisfying for now is that a fallacious myth has been exploded and a very welcome precedent established

Hearty congratulations to ITV (sorry, ITV1), then, on finally concocting a formula for a reliable guarantee of audience satisfaction.

[Lucy Waterman]

Who?

A very tiny bit disappointed, in so far as all of Moffat's previous episodes have radically extended the breadth and potential of the series, whereas this one seemed to be harking back to previous ideas (the repeated incongruous phrases from Empty Child, the spaceship-linked-to-a -different-timezone from Girl In The Fireplace, the monster-lurking-in-ultrabasic-everyday-phenomena from Blink). Some nice details, but I wasn't blown away like I was hoping to be. Still, we're only half way.

In keeping with my "rehash" thoughts, I bet 10p River Song is the little girl.