Who Confidential - 2011

[Andrew Curnow]

I think we ought to have a thread for Doctor Who Confidential, don't you. I must say I enjoyed last night's a lot more than usual, despite them sticking with the rather excessive 50 minute format. 4.1 seemed more focussed than usual, in that it didn't go off onto lots of wild tangents as much as some have. It was nice to see so much of the readthrough, and I know he's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed RTD's bits, the little tease!!

[Captain Tancredi]

It was good that they took a few minutes to acknowledge that Howard Attfield began working on the series but was too ill to continue, rather than glossing over the fact that Donna's dad wasn't in the episode.

[Wayne]

I just say there thinking 'God, they must think everyone's as thick as pigshit if they think they need to explain a story like that to us'.

[Andrew Curnow]

I agree, Ian, it was nice they took the time to mention him, and even include him in the readthrough footage.

[Dirk Gently]

It took 16 minutes for Frankie Howard to get a mention.

[Captain Tancredi]

I've just had an "I knew it! I knew it!" moment- who'd have thought that my old school Latin textbooks would turn up on an episode of Confidential 25 years after the fact?

"Caecilius est pater" and "Metella est mater" were two of the first Latin sentences I ever read.

[Andrew Curnow]

I did get the feeling that this week's was a little light - hence the two huge montage of clips based on little more than passing comments about telepathy and the like. But that aside, I do seem to be enjoying Confidential more this year than last.

[Andrew Curnow]

I quite enjoyed tonight's but was just a little disappointed it wasn't a big Sontaran spectacular - although it looks like next week's will be. The sequences with the 'gloop bath' were quite interesting I thought, and I agree with RTD that the 'blank-faced' clone in there was simply but very effective. I also enjoyed the various shots of Freema in there...

Is there some kind of BBC mandate to remind viewers that the Sontarans last appeared in 1985? It's a fact that's plastered all over this week's Radio Times, and I noticed that RTD mentioned it again tonight. Is it to make sure that the casual viewer knows these Sontarans are genuine Classic Series villains, and not just some new invention?

[SiHart]

I've been enjoying them a lot more this year. I don't know why, but it seems to have settled into the 40 minute slot pretty well this time round, whereas last year it seemed to me that they were struggling to fill the running time each week.

last nigths surprised me too by not focussing on the Sontarans, but at least we get that next week.

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm enjoying this year a lot more than ever too, Si. The episodes seem that bit more focussed, I think.

[Simon R]

This is our first year with BBC Three access at home and so far we've seen precisely one episode of Confidential although we've recorded saturdays so it should be two soon.

[Wayne]

Just found out that the disc i recorded last week's Confidential on is a bad disc, & it didn't record it. I had them all up until now.

[Andrew Curnow]

If it's any consolation, Wayne, last weeks wasn't all that great - mainly a lot of talking heads about how good and scary Steven Moffat is. I don't record it to disc, so I'm afraid I can't do you a copy (unless there's a way to record onto DVD from a video)?

[Wayne]

(unless there's a way to record onto DVD from a video)?

Thanks Andrew! Yes i could do that, but Mr Hart has kindly made a previous offer.

On the Confidentials in general, i must admit that they're not life & death viewing for me. That's why it took me so long to get around to watching (or trying anyway) this one.
It's just that i have them all since day one, so it seems a shame to have a hole in them even though they're not integral viewing for me.
I suppose it's the completeist in me coming out.

[Dirk Gently]

I suppose it's the completeist in me coming out.

I shouldn't I know but...

[Simon R]

I think they're pretty boring overall. Way too long and the same clips appear throughout the episode. It was much better at 25 minutes or whatever the first series was.

[Wayne]

Way too long and the same clips appear throughout the episode. It was much better at 25 minutes or whatever the first series was.

Agreed. The half hour ones were fine. Dunno why they padded 'em out to 45mins!

[Dirk Gently]

Well a lot of them have a better storyline than Torchwood so...

[Rob McCow]

The links are terrible though! We just had 'Donna is having her own adventures in time and cyberspace'!!!

ARGH!!

[Andrew Curnow]

Tonight's seemed to be very clip heavy didn't it? I'm not complaining, but some of them were pretty spurious - and a lot of the show seemed to be a bit of a Moffat lovefest.

[SiHart]

That's just to set him up to take over Confidential soon! Got to emphasise he's the right man for the job.

I was pleased that I pre-empted RTD's Doctordvoratrelunder gag by minutes!

Si xx

[Captain Tancredi]

I'm curious as to how Moffat orders his books- looking behind him this evening, there seemed to be a Decalog and then 'Vampire Science' a bit further along.

[Andrew Curnow]

I'm glad it's not just me who spotted that Ian. I noticed last week, or maybe the week before, that he seemed to have no order to his shelves at all - there were definitely two NAs in the middle of a shelf, just randomly flung there it seems. How can we trust this man with the future of Doctor Who when he can't even organise his book collection. Lord knows how he stores his DVDs, I shudder even thinking about it...

[SiHart]

Some of them were UPSIDE DOWN!

Si xx

[Andrew Curnow]

We're Doomed!!