Once Upon a Time Lord -- A 60th Anniversary / 14th Doctor thread

Cross-Media Discussions
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No, I think those are all fair points and I agree that there was next to no differentiation between 10 and 14 but then, was there ever going to be really?

I’m not totally adverse to bigeneration but like a lot of things RTD says at the moment, it’s an add-on which he doesn’t need to say, often off the cuff (this was in a commentary after all) but that fandom takes as holy writ because it’s him who has said it.

And yet, people wouldn’t accept the Morbius Doctors were the Doctor despite Holmes and Hinchcliffe clearly intending that. Fandom is a funny old world.

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I am not a big fan of the Fourteenth Doctor’s overall televised “era” if I am honest.

The Destination: Skaro short felt a bit weird to me as the first thing we experienced 14 in. I get that it is a comic relief skit and shouldn’t be taken too serious, but the Davros situation has just come to bug me so much. Put Davros back in his chair, it is an extremely significant part of his desire to create the Daleks, and in the end I do not buy into the argument that to show a wheelchair-user as evil is insensitive. Furthermore Davros just seemed like a buffoon in this short story, it removed a lot of his “sinister evil genius that will do absolutely anything to survive vibe” - it lessens him.

The Star Beast has a good story, which is probably why it was chosen to be adapted for TV. I love Shirley, but I would have loved it doubly so had Osgood come back.
But I think bringing back Donna was a fundamental mistake, I really feel like it ruined the emotional impact of Journey’s End. And if it was as easy as “letting it go” would the DoctorDonna have thought of it then? I rarely use the term but I think that is extremely lazy writing and incredibly fan-fic-y plus it just felt so hamfisted (and the non-binary line didn’t make sense)
Yasmin Finney is a good actor, but in the end she does not look 15.
Plus that intro “monologue” from 14 and Donna was just weird, and what does “Once Upon a Time Lord” actually mean?

Wild Blue Yonder is good, but I don’t think it is a Midnight-level story as I’ve seen it described as. Plus it gave us “mavity” which must subtract at least a whole :star: out of principle :wink:

The Giggle is mostly great. Mel! Neil Patrick Harris dance routine! Mel! Stooky Bill is creepy! Kate Stewart! The Vlinx? Mel!!!
The bi-generation is kind of cool, but in the end I think it is a big mistake storytelling wise to have 14 linger with a TARDIS of his own.

In the end I don’t feel like this season 13.5 has anything special in terms of an anniversary celebration

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Ultimately, you can complete and rate any story you like and no-one is going to check whether you actually did it.

Lost in Time - don’t play it! It’s bad. Yeah just watch it on YouTube then drop a half-star on it or something.

Into Control in comic format - is this missing from the site? Ideally I’ll add it and make it a “variation” then it does count.

And those three stories - I don’t really have a way of saying something is a collection of stories, bit of a rare thing, so sure just check it off :D

It’s completely up to you how you use the site!

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Well, yes, but isn’t that rather like… Cheating?

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Yes of course. But you’d only be cheating yourself from experiencing more Doctor Who!

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Who in their right mind would want to cheat themselves out of that?

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Does anyone know what chapter(s) of Lost in Time 14 appeared in?

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I’m not a Tenth Doctor fan at all, had issues with the first RTD era and so my heart sank when it was announced the first episodes in his new era were Tennant and Tate.

That said, I detect enough differences between the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctors that I really responded to Tennant’s performance in the specials. The returning face was interesting, especially on (what I felt) was a very different Doctor.

That said, it wasn’t explored in anywhere near enough of a way to ultimately justify it.

The Destination: Skaro minisode is what it is, a charity skit. I don’t think it’s a good one, mind, but it does the job I suppose.

The Star Beast very pleasantly surprised me. I was so trepidatious going in but it felt new when I was worried it wouldn’t and, yes, I’ve got caveats when it comes to certain elements but it was far better than I had feared.

Wild Blue Yonder carried this on and improved upon it and I felt buoyed up.

The Giggle is way too messy for me to think it was a success and it is easily my least favourite of the three specials but there’s still stuff to like. I’m fine with the bi-generation but it’s the Fourteenth Doctor hanging around I don’t like. I think you really need to lose the previous Doctor for a handover of the lead to work. If the Doctors had merged again afterwards, with some nominal drama that they wouldn’t know which would ultimately be the Doctor going forward (even if we would) then that would have worked for me.

So we got a full RTD season in miniature with a few more ups than I was expecting, or used to feeling from his first time round. Ultimately, I like the Fourteenth Doctor more than the Tenth and would rank them separately as I feel like they’re different enough. I know his run was only ever going to be limited but even then I feel like Russell focused on the wrong things and far more could have been explored with this idea than actually was.

The two comic strips were neither here nor there for me - I’m not a comics guy but have read some to know the medium can be used fantastically. Regrettably, I’ve never ever felt that about any of the Doctor Who comics I’ve read, these included. I’ve also never delved into Lost in Time so I guess I’ll never be a Fourteenth Doctor completist.

I would, however, be up for a novel. And, when BF can, I’m sure they’ll try to tap David up for some Fourteenth Doctor audios and, in all honesty, I’d be ok with that as well.

So, in short, a thumbs up from me for the Fourteenth Doctor but a side-thumb for his short era.

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I’m one of those newbies whose first finished era was Fourteen’s, so I’ve probably had a pretty different experience than most here.

Firstly, I am really thankful for it existing at all, because it felt like such an easy point to try it out and jump into the series (i had only seen roughly 2 Eccleston eps months before). I might’ve never even started Doctor Who if it wasn’t for Disney+ reminding me.

Though on the episodes themselves I’m in the middle camp. They were good enough fun, but The fact that i almost fell asleep during The Star Beast didn’t make it much motivating for me the watch the rest as well. Luckily i thought Wild Blue Yonder was incredible, and while i didn’t think The Giggle was good, and also found it to be kind of a mess, it was still a delicious mess you know. I’ve rewatched that Spice Girls scene an unhealthy amount of times.

For the expanded 14 experiences I’ve had; I think Destination Skaro is a lovely little skit, and Liberation of the Daleks i think is actually a really well paced adventure with a great celebratory feel without overdoing it. And I keep reading The Giggle novelization and then forgetting about if for months and then getting back to it, but it has been 10/10 material so far.

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I know that many are happy that her end has been rewritten, but I could not agree with you more - I wish they had left it well alone. Sometimes things that are tragedies don’t need to be fixed because that’s the whole point. Overall, you and @ChrisStokes have said everything I feel far more eloquently - I don’t feel there was much purpose to the 14th Doctor era and I certainly don’t think it was great as a celebration for the 60th, but I overall enjoyed the three episodes much more than I thought I would when I first heard the announcement

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So one thing I don’t think the 60th gets credit for is the fact that it takes some inspiration from Doctor Who’s EU mediums. Obviously, there is a tribute to the comics with The Star Beast, but Wild Blue Yonder very much has the same premise as Scherzo (Doctor and companion in a stark hallway encountering something they can’t quite comprehend while dealing with very recent trauma), and The Giggle is a lore-based battle against the Toymaker, as also seen in Divided Loyalties. It’s light but I like to think it’s intentional in a way to celebrate the ways the show continues whilst it’s off the air.

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A nice ‘fix’ for the opening of The Star Beast:

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Credit.

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The 60th Specials were easily my favourite stretch of episodes in a while! Each one’s a major comfort watch.

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Not a fan of those three honestly. Because for me they didn’t feel like anniversary specials of the entire show - more like the Tennant/Tate anniversary specials. And, since after that RTD2 really went into self-repeats, I can’t unsee it sadly T_T

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Also, if anybody is interested, I wrote sort of a 60th anniversary tie-in short story, where 14 meets Ian Chesterton

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I probably try and keep it short (look me say that and end up in a ramble), but to me 14’s Era isn’t much to write home about, granted I still have 5 Stories left, but i’ll probably get around to it at a later point. I do like the Idea of bringing back a past face on principal, but don’t think it’s too justified overall. Yes, there are some differences between 14 and 10, but it’s not necessarily enough for me to treat those two very differently, but that’s a personal Thing.

I do think Wild Blue Yonder is a Highlight of this run, the Rest leaves me cold to some extent or another. The Star Beast has a lot for it going, it’s adapting a DWM Comic is a lovely touch for an Anniversary, and I am glad we get some great scenes here, but do think it was a bit all over the place in terms of pacing. It’s nothing new to the 60th, but I felt it was quite noticeable here.

The Giggle, I actually enjoy for the first half, but really doesn’t at its second half, but I already laid my ground on that one a lot.

And Destination Skaro? Well it’s a comedic skit that just doesn’t appeal to me, humor is the most subjective thing, and I am sure some found this one just a nice little treat. It’s a charity special so ultimately if it motivated people to donate for charity, then it’s job is done in my books. That said as a Story, it’s humor just really didn’t work for me.

The two DWM Comics are fine in my eyes, one has fun aspects to it, but at times felt directionless. Quite liked the Star Beast Novel, some nice bits added here!

Oh, and the Bedtime Story is amazing, I really liked that one, up there as my favorite piece with 14 in the centre (maybe behind Wild blue yonder)!

There are other bits and pieces that didn’t quite work for me, but I leave at it that. That said, VERY excited to get around the Giggle Novel, even through I didn’t quite liked the Episode from what I’ve heard it’s a very good one, so I am looking forward to reading it!

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Just over 4 years ago:

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Even better:

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I like 14, I do think they should have done more than three episodes for an entire incarnation of The Doctor. It felt like he came and went far too quickly. I don’t think his ending works, I feel like I’m always expecting him to turn back up because he is just chilling on contemporary earth.

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David Tennant is one of a number of former Doctor stars who have returned for more Big Finish audio adventures, and he is about to be heard playing the Tenth Doctor as he teams up with Sarah Jane Adventures fan favourite character Rani, as played by Anjli Mohindra.

However, one of the Doctors who hasn’t returned in audio form yet is the 14th Doctor, another incarnation of the character played by Tennant, who starred in three special episodes to mark the show’s 60th anniversary in 2023.

Now, in a conversation with Doctor Who Magazine, Tennant has spoken about the chances of him returning as that version of the character in any form – and it sounds like hopeful news.

“I’m open to anything that’s suggested, to be honest,” Tennant said, adding that “it’s fun to dip a toe back in these worlds.”

The publication noted that, at the time of the 60th anniversary, it was decided that the 14th Doctor’s adventures should stand alone and not be explored in other spin-off media, barring a Doctor Who Magazine comic strip and a Children in Need short special clip.

This is something Tennant was unaware of, with the actor saying: “It’s interesting, I didn’t know that there was a sort of embargo on any other worlds for that particular strain of the character.”

However, as to where the 14th Doctor ended up, essentially retiring to live a quiet life with Catherine Tate’s Donna, her family and other friends such as Bonnie Langford’s Mel, he said: “It’s hard to imagine that’s where it would end, isn’t it?”

The publication noted that he gave a “broad grin” upon saying this, before adding: “And yet that does seem to be where it’s ended. So, I guess he’s just enjoying Bonnie Langford’s tray bakes. Who wouldn’t?”

During this conversation, Tennant also expanded upon how his return came about, revealing that it was originally planned as one story outside of continuity, one which he, Tate and former showrunner Russell T Davies could go back to.

“That was briefly talked about,” he explained. “Then it all went really quiet, and I just thought about other things and imagined it had gone away. Then, six months later, Russell said, ‘Okay, so I’m taking the reins of Doctor Who, and will you come back and be part of the ongoing story?’”

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