The Doctor Who Thread

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Doctor Who season 11, episode 3: Did we miss an adventure? And 6 more HUGE questions

Next week episode (.bottom of the page)


Here's the official synopsis for next week's episode, 'Arachnids In The UK' (for any young 'uns reading, the episode's title is a pun on the Sex Pistols' 'Anarchy In The UK'):

"Something's happening with the spiders in this city." The Doctor, Yaz, Graham and Ryan find their way back to Yorkshire – and Yaz's family – only to find something is stirring amidst the eight-legged arachnid population of Sheffield.

Yes, on her 20th attempt, the Doctor will finally back it back to Sheffield, 2018, where we'll be meeting Yaz's family – including, presumably, the father and sister she mentioned in 'The Ghost Monument': Hakim (played by Ravin J Ganatra) and Sonya (Bhavnisha Parmar), along with her mother Najia, who – it appears from the Next Time... trailer – is being played by Shobna Gulati.

The brief teaser for 'Arachnids' this week doesn't reveal much more about the plot, other than that Chris Noth's character Robertson lands himself in a sticky situation at one point...

The episode also has a big question of its own to answer: given that Yaz, Graham and Ryan were originally zapped away from Earth against their will, what will convince the trio (particularly Graham!) to continue travelling with the Doctor once they're safely back home?

[Susan Foreman]

October 22nd: Today in WHO-story

Births
1926 - Tim Condren (Guerilla in Day of the Daleks and an extra in The Time Meddler and The Web of Fear)

1927 - James Grout (Ian Chesterton in the BBC Radio 4 spoof documentary Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman?)
1936 - Peppi Borza (Vervoid in The Trial of a Time Lord)
1938 - Derek Jacobi (the Master [Utopia and Big Finish Productions' audio adventures]; Martin Bannister in the Big Finish audio Deadline and an android version of the Master in the webcast Scream of the Shalka)

1965 - A. L. Kennedy (writer of the ebook The Death Pit)

Deaths
1972 - Jack Melford (Menelaus in The Myth Makers) aged 73

2006 - Richard Mayes (Chief Baxter in Fury from the Deep) aged 83
2016 - Steve Dillon (comic strip artist for Doctor Who Magazine)

Episodes
1966 - The Tenth Planet, Episode Three: 7.6 million viewers
1977 - The Invisible Enemy, Part Four: 8.3 million viewers
2006 - Torchwood double-bill: 'Everything Changes' and 'Day One' (BBC Three): 2.52 million viewers, 2.5 million viewers
2007 - The Sarah Jane Adventures: Warriors of Kudlak, Part Two (CBBC): 1.60 million viewers
2009 - The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Mad Woman in the Attic, Part One (CBBC): 0.75 million viewers
2016 - Class double-bill: 'For Tonight We Might Die' and 'The Coach With the Dragon Tattoo' (BBC Three): 0.94 million viewers, 0.39 million viewers

Introductions
2006 - Launch of the first series of the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood

2016 - Launch of the first and, so far, only TV series of the Doctor Who spin-off Class

Releases
1992 - The Dæmons (Titan Books)

1998 - Issue 271 of Doctor Who Magazine (Marvel)

2009 - Issue 138 of Doctor Who Adventures (BBC Magazines)

2013 - Summer Falls and Other Stories (BBC Books); Toby Hadoke's Who's Round 36 (Big Finish)
2014 - Issue 357 of Doctor Who Adventures (Immediate Media Co.); The Doctor and the Dalek (online game - BBC)
2015 - The Way of the Empty Hand (Big Finish)

Behind-the-Scenes
2008 - Recording of The Cannibalists took place

2012 - Recording of the second series of Big Finish's Doctor Who spin-off Counter-Measures took place

[Rob4]

DW ratings dropping like a stone.

Doctor Who Series 11 (2018) UK Ratings Accumulator UPDATED – Doctor Who TV

i was just thinking in terms of modern TV drama DW is now a bit of an anomaly in terms of doing single 45-50 minute individual episodes (albeit with a season long arc). i think a better future would be to have a season long story where we can get to know the characters and give the writers a better chance to come up with a strong central premise that can be developed at a better pace. i think this would also be a better way of sustaining a loyal week to week audience.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rob4

DW ratings dropping like a stone.

Doctor Who Series 11 (2018) UK Ratings Accumulator UPDATED – Doctor Who TV

i was just thinking in terms of modern TV drama DW is now a bit of an anomaly in terms of doing single 45-50 minute individual episodes (albeit with a season long arc). i think a better future would be to have a season long story where we can get to know the characters and give the writers a better chance to come up with a strong central premise that can be developed at a better pace. i think this would also be a better way of sustaining a loyal week to week audience.

It looks that way doesn't it.

However what that news item doesn't say is that every other tv show on Sunday night also fell short of the previous weeks overnights.

The juggernaut that is Strictly had 8.65m. Down from 9.2m last week.

The X-Factor had 4.02m. Down from 5.1m.

The Chase had 3.27m viewers. Down from 4.8m last week.

Interestingly Channel 4 had live F1 which peaked at 5.5m so it's suspected a lot of viewers went there.

Although the ratings are down on the previous two weeks, they still make Doctor Who the fifth most-watched programme of the week, behind two episodes of Strictly Come Dancing, Monday's episode of Coronation Street and the Channel 4 show The Great British Bake Off, which had 6.42 million watching.

When the final figures are announced next Monday it will end up second for the week no doubt.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Hop Pyleen, an alien ambassador from The End of the World (2005)

[Susan Foreman]

It's still safe in the knowledge that this year, it's above 'EastEnders', 'Coronation Street', 'Emmerdale', 'Bake Off', 'Mrs. Brown', 'Dancing On Ice' etc

[Susan Foreman]

October 23rd: Today in WHO-story

Births
1926 - Glyn Houston (Professor Watson in The Hand of Fear and Ben Wolsey in The Awakening)

1938 - Jerome Willis (Stevens in The Green Death and the spoof documentary Global Conspiracy)

1945 - Hugh Fraser (extra in The Smugglers; Big Finish Productions actor - Zero in Circular Time, Doctor Hanri Kerrem in The Cradle of the Snake, Edwin Tremayne in Moonflesh, Doctor Schwartzmann & Rider in Criss-Cross, Tallister in War Against the Laan, Drax & Shopkeeper in The Trouble with Drax and Sherrington Holmes in All-Consuming Fire)

1955 - Annie Hulley (Newsreader in The Happiness Patrol)
1969 - Trudi Canavan (writer of the ebook Salt of the Earth)

Deaths
1998 - Christopher Gable (Sharaz Jek in The Caves of Androzani) aged 58

Episodes
1965 - The Myth Makers, Episode Two ('Small Prophet, Quick Return'): 8.1 million viewers
1976 - The Hand of Fear, Part Four: 12.0 million viewers
2009 - The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Mad Woman in the Attic, Part Two (CBBC): 0.84 million viewers

Documentaries
2006 - Torchwood Declassified double-bill: 'Jack's Back' and 'Bad Day at the Office'

Departures
1976 - Elisabeth Sladen's final regular appearance as Sarah Jane Smith (for Doctor Who at least, though would make guest appearances in further episodes and regular appearances in spin-off productions)

Releases
1997 - Issue 258 of Doctor Who Magazine (Marvel)

2008 - Issue 87 of Doctor Who Adventures (BBC Magazines)

2012 - UNIT Dominion (Big Finish)
2013 - The Light at the End (Big Finish); The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage (Puffin Books); issue 332 of Doctor Who Adventures (Immediate Media Co.)
2014 - Lights Out (Puffin Books)
2015 - 12 Doctors, 12 Stories (Penguin); Toby Hadoke's Who's Round 143 (Big Finish)

Behind-the-Scenes
1964 - Carole Ann Ford recorded her final regular appearance as Susan Foreman (The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Episode Six)
1999 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Marian Conspiracy took place. This introduced Maggie Stables as the Sixth Doctor's companion Evelyn Smythe

2008 - Recording of the Big Finish audio The Eight Truths/Worldwide Web took place
2009 - Recording of the Big Finish audio Echoes of Grey took place

2012 - Recording of the second series of Big Finish's Doctor Who spin-off Counter-Measures took place

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

Titles and synopses for episodes 5 and 6

Episode 5: The Tsuranga Conundrum - Guest starring Suzanne Packer, Ben Bailey Smith, Brett Goldstein and Lois Chimimba. Written by Chris Chibnall. Directed by Jennifer Perrott.

"“Risk to life: absolute.” Injured and stranded in the wilds of a far-flung galaxy, The Doctor, Yaz, Graham and Ryan must band together with a group of strangers to survive against one of the universe’s most deadly -- and unusual -- creatures."

Episode 6: Demons Of The Punjab - Guest starring Shane Zaza, Amita Suman and Hamza Jeetooa. Written by Vinay Patel. Directed by Jamie Childs.

"“What’s the point of having a mate with a time machine, if you can’t nip back and see your gran when she was younger?” India, 1947. The Doctor and her friends arrive in the Punjab, as the country is being torn apart. While Yaz attempts to discover her grandmother’s hidden history, the Doctor discovers demons haunting the land. Who are they and what do they want?"

No information as yet for episodes 7 and 8, but it appears that episode 9, due for transmission on December 2nd, carries the title 'The Witch Finders'

Presumably this is the episode that was filmed at Little Woodham, the 16th Century Living Museum in the old hometown of Gosport

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Susan Foreman

No information as yet for episodes 7 and 8, but it appears that episode 9, due for transmission on December 2nd, carries the title 'The Witch Finders'

Presumably this is the episode that was filmed at Little Woodham, the 16th Century Living Museum in the old hometown of Gosport

A couple of weeks ago people thought The Witch Finders would air this weekend being Halloween and all. I feel they missed a trick there.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Doctor (Paul McGann) and the Sisterhood of Karn in the 2013 tale The Night of the Doctor.