Series 6 news & rumours & wild speculation thread

[SiHart]

Two more guest stars have been confirmed online for the Neil Gaiman-penned episode three of the next series, directed by Richard Clark.

Spotlight have listed Adrian Schiller as playing the character "Uncle" in the story. Schiller has recently played Noah Zeitler in BBC Series Silk, and has previously appeared in sci-fi/fantasy projects Being Human (Hennessey) and Going Postal (Mr Gryle).

As one might expect, an "Uncle" implies an "Auntie", and that role has been confirmed by United Agents as being played by Elizabeth Berrington. Berrington plays regular character Ruby in Waterloo Road, and sci-fi/fantasy-wise played nurse Nicola in Psychoville; she also appeared over the festive period as Terry in Jo Brand's Christmas Cracker.

The two join Suranne Jones, reported last year as playing the character Idris.

The Evening Times has revealed that Jimmy Vee will be rejoining Doctor Who for the forthcoming series, saying "details of who or what he’s playing are top secret". He is probably most notable for playing The Moxx of Balhoon in The End of the World and Bannakaffalatta in Voyage of the Damned, as well as playing various other characters in The Sarah Jane Adventures.

Si xx

[Darren]

The Daleks have given up universal domination this year.

[Si Hunt]

Why do you say that?

Si.

[Larry]

Why do you say that?

Si.

well if you believe any thing Mr Moffatt, says he has apparantly said there will be no Daleks or Cybermen, in series 6.

[Jonno]

I'd put money on either or both being in the second half of the series so he can claim they're in S7, not S6! Ergo either of them could appear in 2011!

[Darren]

I think the Cybermen are in it.

[Si Hunt]

I think so too. Times are hard, and we know the budget is stretched to the max. I find it difficult to believe they'd leave the Cybermen, let alone a whole load of new Daleks they've just spent a shedload of money on, in the cupboard unused.

Not using the Daleks would also not make any sense, since "Victory" seemed like one big introduction to the New Look Daleks, which would be pretty pointless if they then went away for two years (cameo in TPO aside).

Si.

[SiHart]

I think it'll be Zygons disguised as Daleks and Cybermen.

Si xx

[Larry]

I think so too. Times are hard, and we know the budget is stretched to the max. I find it difficult to believe they'd leave the Cybermen, let alone a whole load of new Daleks they've just spent a shedload of money on, in the cupboard unused.

Not using the Daleks would also not make any sense, since "Victory" seemed like one big introduction to the New Look Daleks, which would be pretty pointless if they then went away for two years (cameo in TPO aside).

Si.

rumours has it that if the Cybermen are used it will probably be the Mondasian, ones - moffatt, certainly wants to bring them back and was only prevented from doing so in series 5 due to cost. I certainly agree with you about the Daleks, and any way Isn't it part of the deal with the Terry Nation, estate that the Daleks, have to appear in every series.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

rumours has it that if the Cybermen are used it will probably be the Mondasian, ones - moffatt, certainly wants to bring them back and was only prevented from doing so in series 5 due to cost. I certainly agree with you about the Daleks, and any way Isn't it part of the deal with the Terry Nation, estate that the Daleks, have to appear in every series.

Ugh I hope not. If it is then they should never have signed it. The Daleks aren't THAT important.

And I got a bit excited there for a second when you said Mondasian Cybermen. I thought you meant the original sock-faced versions, that would have been quite interesting. Oh well.

[Si Hunt]

rumours has it that if the Cybermen are used it will probably be the Mondasian, ones - moffatt, certainly wants to bring them back and was only prevented from doing so in series 5 due to cost.

What does "Mondasian Cybermen" actually mean though? Surely Mondasian/Alternate Earth Cybermen is just a conceptual difference? i.e rectified by a line of dialogue? It has no bearing on the design. Unless you think the Earthshock boiler suits are getting dusted off. If he redesigns them, one line of dialogue could make them come from either. Arguably the Mondasian Cybermen have ALREADY come back, as you'll note the rogue Cyberman in "The Pandorica Opens" was missing it's "C" Cybus Industries badge. I think in our Universe the Mondasian Cybermen probably looked the same, except without the 'C' logo, perhaps.

And there's never been any evidence that they're contractually obliged to use the Daleks every year. They wern't used in any of the Specials, were they?

Si.

[Darren]

And there's never been any evidence that they're contractually obliged to use the Daleks every year. They wern't used in any of the Specials, were they?

Yes, in The Waters of Mars when whatshername was a little girl. That's why it didn't make sense. If the dalek let her live beacuse it knew she would die on Mars, it also must have known that the Dalek Masterplan was going to fail.

[Anthony Williams]

as you'll note the rogue Cyberman in "The Pandorica Opens" was missing it's "C" Cybus Industries badge.

Was it?



Ant x

[Si Hunt]

How strange, I thought it was.

Yes, in The Waters of Mars when whatshername was a little girl. That's why it didn't make sense. If the dalek let her live beacuse it knew she would die on Mars, it also must have known that the Dalek Masterplan was going to fail.

Hmmm. The contract is unlikely to be so flimsy that they can get round it by popping in a minute-long scene though. Either they demand a Dalek story every year or they don't.

Si.

[SiHart]

The Cybermen in that game thingy had the Cybus C removed. Maybe you're thinking of that Si?

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

I think I very probably am Si, yes.

Si.

[J.R. Southall]

I believe that if there is a contract with the Terry Nation Estate (and I don't doubt it for a minute; the Estate of Terry Nation have always been hot on maximising their return from Raymond Cusick's creation!), then it probably stipulates that the Daleks be used once every calender year ... not necessarily as the "Big Bad" in any given story (hence the single scene in The Waters of Mars - and remember, Russell T Davies was planning to use the Daleks in The End of Time until he discovered how early in Series Five their next appearance would be), but just once during the course of the twelve months.

I think it's been suggested elsewhere that the Daleks are having a rest this series (both halves of it!) ... because that will make it all the more special when they return at Christmas for their first festive outing since 1965! (Thus fulfilling the "once during the calender year" bit.)

[J.R. Southall]

Reading that back, it sounded like I knew they were in the Christmas Special this year. Of course I don't. But that's the possibility that the suggestion I heard was centred around.

[J.R. Southall]

Has anybody given any serious thought as to whether Suranne Jones is actually playing the new Master?

[SiHart]

It's a possibility I suppose. Would be a real surprise and shock if that did turn out to be true...

Si xx

[J.R. Southall]

I just posted this in a conversation with a couple of friends on Facebook, but I'll repeat it here:

It's Steven Moffat's modus operandi, isn't it? Take something that's been hinted at or joked about, and just do it. A sexual kiss between the Doctor and the companion? The Doctor's real name (although WE didn't become party to it!)? The Doctor coming back through time to save HIMSELF? The Doctor in love? The reason for the "wheezing, groaning sound"? All these things and many more, which have been unturned stones for decades, are now fallen dominoes at Steven Moffat's feet.

And where did it all start? With The Curse of Fatal Death, in which the Moff himself jokingly gave us a female thirteenth Doctor. What better way to test the water for a gender-reassigning regeneration, than by doing it with the OTHER most famous Time Lord, the Master?

It just all makes perfect sense in my head, now.

[Larry]

Has anybody given any serious thought as to whether Suranne Jones is actually playing the new Master?

I'm not sure even Mr Moffat, would be brave enouth to face the wrath of fandom if he did that - .

[duncan]

A Female Master? She doesn't know the reversing the polarity of the neutron flow rule does she?

Of course she doesn't.

(I'll get my coat)

[Darren]

Wouldn't she be The Mistress?

[J.R. Southall]

I'm not sure even Mr Moffat, would be brave enouth to face the wrath of fandom if he did that - .

Ah you see, that's the complete opposite of how I see it: I think Steven Moffat is begging to topple the show's sacred cows. And showing a cross-gender Time Lord regeneration would also bring the debate back around to whether the Doctor could be a woman ... a debate that raged almost constantly during the early 'eighties, Steven Moffat's confessed favourite period of Doctor Who.

Did you see his tweet the day after the NTAs, when fandom was losing its collective head over whether Moffat was destroying the show's reputation, and the forums were in meltdown: "Writing something right now that MAY NOT BE SHIT." This is a man who's quite happy to let fandom rail against him all they like, just as long as he's hitting the targets he wants to hit with the show.

Under Steven Moffat, the Doctor has had a girlfriend, a name and even maybe a "wife". A female arch-enemy must be the next thing on Steven Moffat's list!