Rate 'The Next Doctor'

badwolf59 wrote:In the credits they also revealed the title for Planet of the Dead -classic fans will laugh/cry here: it's "La Planète Morte" which would translate literally as "The Dead Planet" I say, the swarm of deadly metallic mantas must be some sort of Dalek subspecies...

Admittedly, my French is a bit rusty, but wouldn't the correct translation be "La Planete des Morts"?

And the deadly metallic mantas are actually the Dalek's pets.

You're right Patrick, the litteral translation for "Planet of the Dead" is "La planète des morts", except...somehow it sounds a bit weird in French. they had to change it - indeed you'll find that most French episode titles are not litteral translations.

The Next Doctor is now "Cyber Noël" for instance^^

That's an improvement on the original title.

badwolf59 wrote:The Next Doctor is now "Cyber Noël" for instance^^

I kind of like that one.

Many French fans are not too enthusiastic about "Cyber Noël".

funny that you should like it.

IMO it's much better than The Next Doctor.

Because, y'know, he WASN'T the next Doctor, so the title was a lie.

Lucy McGough wrote:Because, y'know, he WASN'T the next Doctor, so the title was a lie.

True, but for the first half hour, even the Doctor thought he was the next Doctor.

It was still a cynical lie designed to make as many fans as possible tune in.

Lucy McGough wrote:It was still a cynical lie designed to make as many fans as possible tune in.

Joyeux Cyber Noel, Major-Minor.

And the same to you, Patrick

Lucy McGough wrote:It was still a cynical lie designed to make as many fans as possible tune in.

No it wasn't. Fans would be tuning in anyway. It's a bit of a marketing hook, but the title has relevance to the story. Marketing and promotion aren't always cynical lying, you know!

Joyeux Noël everyone

I agree about "The Next Doctor" title being a bit...deceiving, it's just that many French fans prefer litteral translations for the titles.

Still I've found this http://thierryattard.blogspot.com/2009/12/doctor-who-noel-sur-france-4.html
I like the pun

He basically says The Next Doctor was a "déception" which in French means "disappointment", but then added you could almost take it in its English meaning ^^

Rich Flair wrote:No it wasn't. Fans would be tuning in anyway. It's a bit of a marketing hook, but the title has relevance to the story. Marketing and promotion aren't always cynical lying, you know!

True that. It's the job of a storyteller to fib a bit now and then for dramatic purposes.

Zoltar wrote:True that. It's the job of a storyteller to fib a bit now and then for dramatic purposes.

I still think it was an unfair thing to do.

i've just rewatched it for the first time since last xmas-great stuff. david morrissey is brilliant

barnaby salton wrote:i've just rewatched it for the first time since last xmas-great stuff. david morrissey is brilliant

I agree it's a brilliantly constructed story, but I've seen a bit more frequently than you. Through the month of December, in the build up to End of Time, BBC-America showed it every single Saturday.

Patrick wrote:I agree it's a brilliantly constructed story, but I've seen a bit more frequently than you. Through the month of December, in the build up to End of Time, BBC-America showed it every single Saturday.

Every Saturday? I guess it repeats well.

I've seen it a few times, I enjoy it a lot...mad giant robot and all.

I quite like it . . . apart from the title, which I am STILL CROSS about.

I think it's a good title. The first (and better) half of the story hinges on the idea that David Morrissey could be The Next Doctor. So the title directly references the more orginal part of the story, unlike Cyber Noël. If the story had been called The Man Who Thinks He's The Next Doctor But Actually Isn't, that would have been rubbish.

The title works if you think about how every story since Midnight have had premonitions of the tenth Doctor's days drawing to a close. Probably the longest planned build up to a regeneration since season 18.

Sorry - I just get worked up about trivial things to do with words and their meanings, that's all.

stanmore wrote:I think it's a good title. The first (and better) half of the story hinges on the idea that David Morrissey could be The Next Doctor. So the title directly references the more orginal part of the story, unlike Cyber Noël. If the story had been called The Man Who Thinks He's The Next Doctor But Actually Isn't, that would have been rubbish.

Agreed.

Lucy McGough wrote:Sorry - I just get worked up about trivial things to do with words and their meanings, that's all.

Which is totally fine, you don't have to like the title.

Lee Carey wrote:The title works if you think about how every story since Midnight have had premonitions of the tenth Doctor's days drawing to a close. Probably the longest planned build up to a regeneration since season 18.

I agree with Lee. And besides the open question about Morrissey being the 11th Doctor, the title serves to underscore another point: although Tennant doesn't regenerate in this story, for the first time since the tale end of Parting of the Ways, the 10th Doctor has the question openly put to him "what will the circumstances of my regeneration be? What events lead to The Next Doctor coming into being?" And now that he doesn't have that handy spare hand as a bio-matching receptical, when it happens, it will be his end.

Remember my thesis about the five stages of grief? That's the linking theme of all the specials.

Patrick wrote:

Lee Carey wrote:The title works if you think about how every story since Midnight have had premonitions of the tenth Doctor's days drawing to a close. Probably the longest planned build up to a regeneration since season 18.

I agree with Lee. And besides the open question about Morrissey being the 11th Doctor, the title serves to underscore another point: although Tennant doesn't regenerate in this story, for the first time since the tale end of Parting of the Ways, the 10th Doctor has the question openly put to him "what will the circumstances of my regeneration be? What events lead to The Next Doctor coming into being?" And now that he doesn't have that handy spare hand as a bio-matching receptical, when it happens, it will be his end.

Remember my thesis about the five stages of grief? That's the linking theme of all the specials.

david morrissey would have been an excellent doctor though