As I understand it, there's still some debate about whether it will all be broadcast in 2012, or split into 2013.

(From the Doctor Who Wiki). About the only solid thing we know about it is that the BBC is apparently incapable of organising a definitive statement.

 

I presume no one has any idea why this is so late?

 

Depends on who you ask. Stephen Moffat has said that it's partly because Doctor Who feels more natural in the autumn/winter, and that they're doing so much for the 50th anniversary that they want to keep it as close together as possible (I read this in a print interview; can't find an online source at the moment, but I'll keep trying).

Private Eye magazine have said that it's financial; according to them, one reason for the mid-season split was that they needed to spread resources a little more thinly - this has naturally also been mentioned as a possible reason for the delayed series 7. As far as I can see, Private Eye doesn't seem to keep its articles archived online for long (it's a fortnightly satirical/'exposing the truth' magazine), but again, I'll try and find an alternate source. Stephen Moffat denied this strongly, as you might expect.

Others have said that it's because Moffat is also working on Sherlock; this seems to just be mud slinging, largely because the current series of Sherlock is about to be broadcast and the two leads are both in The Hobbit, so not available for filming even if it was given priority over Doctor Who.

I think it's probably also to do at least somewhat with the Olympics, which would be causing havoc with ratings in at least the latter part of the series, plus, of course, keeping to normal broadcast times could have been problematic with the second half of series 6.

TL;DR

Stephen Moffat, back in June, helpful as ever.

 

Right, so I finally managed to catch this.

I found it to be on the good side of average. It was nothing groundbreaking or really amazing like some Doctor Who episodes, but it was definitely entertaining.

I gotta say, I definitely saw the end of Amy being a companion a lot more in this episode than the last. Feels like her time is coming, which is probably a good thing. I liked her a lot more at the start, than lately.

Also, I agree with Shiny on the very disappointing lack of a preview for next season. I actually almost looked forward to that more than I did the actual Christmas Special.

 

I dont think Amy and Rory will be gone forever. Amy is supposed to be the Doctor's best friend. I think they will decide to its time to move on with their lives but will always be there if he needs them. He has had alot of companions, but his wife, who also happens to be their daughter, has said that Amy and Rory, are his best friends.

I see them doing like Martha and Jack did for the 10th Doctor, showing up when needed.

Speaking of Jack I saw a rumor that said he may return at some point next season. Which is great because Ive always liked Jack.

 

He waited 2000.

 

"You're 1964 years too early to talk to me with that tone, bitch."

 

Okay, two quick things that have been niggling at me for a while now.

During the episode where the TARDIS is made human and House takes over the physical part of her, the TARDIS mentions that she has around 30 different control rooms available to use. Would this imply that the Doctor lives past his last regeneration cycle or could it mean he passes it on to someone when he dies?

Secondly, River used up all her remaining regenerations saving the Doctor during Let's Kill Hitler. Could this have the effect of giving him all those extra regenerations to use later?

 

What? As far as I know, the different control rooms are just designs for them. There's no significance to the design beyond aesthetic preference, so how many there are really doesn't matter. They're just there to choose from, like a catalogue.

Possibly, yes. It does have the advantage of being done on screen, although it does still limit the show to a certain number of regenerations. She'd had at least two regenerations, so it would give the Doctor at most another eleven. Still a hell of a run, but the BBC might prefer the option to keep it going as long as they possibly can.

 

No, the Doctor also says (in that same exchange) that he's only 'changed the desktop' a dozen times. The TARDIS responds that she archived the control consoles that haven't happened yet. Presumably being at every single point in her timeline simultaneously helps in that regard.

Could happen, and it's a fairly obvious way to give him more regenerations. Also, if my wikipedia browsing is correct, the Master received an extra 12 regenerations from the Time Lords some time during Classic Who.

 

True, but there's nothing to say that he's only allowed oner per regeneration. If the 'desktop' was related to a specific incarnation, surely there would have been a change over when Nine regenerated into Ten?

He did, yes, and this does seem the most likely way so far of achieving it without introducing something new or doing a hand wave that will irritate half the fanbase. Of course, if you believe the Doctor he can now regenerate 507 times (The Sarah Jane Adventures, Death of the Doctor part 2).

 

Sure, though it could also mean that some of those are from previous owners. The TARDIS wasn't exactly new when she stole the Doctor after all.

Like Shinysavage said, there's also nothing limiting each regeneration to one control room. Maybe #12 will turn out to be really fickle and decide to redesign the control room every week? Maybe River moves in and decides to redecorate a few times? When the TARDIS control room last changed it was after #10's regeneration destroyed it, so maybe she took a whole lot of damage during the Last Great Time War and all those control rooms belonged to #8 and #9?

 

Good points the both of you, I'm suitably convinced that the other control rooms are from previous owners now.

 

The next series is starting filming on the 20th of February, which means that we should see it in the early Autumn. Seems that Rory and Amy's adventure with the Doctor will end somewhere in a middle and then there will be a new companion.

I still think that the writers should leave Williams couple after the last season instead of giving us more dramatic ending for them. Or at least it seems that's what they're planning from what little Moffat said.

 

I still think they will become more part time companions like River. Not there most of the time but when needed or wanted they are there. Amy is his best friend, that's not something that has been said of many companions. Sure he is very good friends with just about all off them, but going back to the 9th doctor the only companion he is nearly as close with is Rose.

 

Yeah, I'll be sad to see these two companions go. They've been by far and away my favorite. They definitely had their upsides and their downsides however. With some of the episodes being more about the companions than The Doctor.

 

That's how I was seeing it after their departure in the last season and appearance in the Christmas Special, but right now rumors are pointing to the definitive ending for them in the new series. We already saw it can be done without outright killing the companion (Rose, Donna), but I have a feeling that they may actually kill Amy (and leave Rore alive, because he always dies and this one time when he probably would prefer it, he will not).

 

I highly doubt they will be killed. I also don't think they will go. The Rose or Donna route, simply because River is their daughter and the Doctor is their son in law. Rose and Donna were written off in a way that they could never come back, well I suppose Rose could if the universe was being destroyed again. I think they will end up like Martha, living a life away from the doctor, but always able to come back.

 

I seem to recall it being established at one point, though I can't think where, that The Doctor's best friend out of all the companions was Donna. Rose was a love interest, not a friend. Amy is somewhere between the two.

 

By the end there I figured that they saw each other as family.