The All-New Spoiler Thread

[The Co=Ordinator]

As filming for Series 7 is about to get underway, here's our all-new spoiler thread. If you don't like spoilers then don't read this thread!

[The Co=Ordinator]

The return of the yeti has seemingly been fairly well accepted for a while. Now it appears that 2 weeks location filming in Spain is to take place. Whether the two things are related - well, who knows?

[Patrick]

Dang. I've always maintained a Yeti story in Colorado would be great fun.

[andrea]

I think I read a post (by Rich?) about a week ago that indicated that the next series will consist solely of single episodes with no two-parters. Is that right or have I got it all wrong? Or dreamt it! It seems a bit odd if it is the case.

I'd like to see the yeti again. I wonder what twentyfirst century yeti will look like (assuming they are coming back). I don't imagine they'll look quite like the 1960s' version but I hope they won't be too wildly different. I remember they were rather scary, despite their somewhat absurd appearance!

[Tessellated Facsimile]

wouldn't Spain be a little warm for the Yeti?

[Dave Webb]

wouldn't Spain be a little warm for the Yeti?

That all depends on what sort of yeti you're talking about. There are lots of Yetilikes that allegedly live in various climates around the world.

Alternatively, it could be a story set in the heyday of cheap holidays to the costa del sol and we might see Yetis in knotted hanky headgear, sporting union jack shorts and menacing the locals.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

That all depends on what sort of yeti you're talking about. There are lots of Yetilikes that allegedly live in various climates around the world.

ta for that. I'll google to find out more about the hot climate hairy fellas.

Alternatively, it could be a story set in the heyday of cheap holidays to the costa del sol and we might see Yetis in knotted hanky headgear, sporting union jack shorts and menacing the locals.

now that I would pay - someone elses - good money to see!

[The Co=Ordinator]

Carry on Yeti Abroad?

Andrea, I believe that Moffat has said all epsiodes will be stand alone. A terrible move IMO, if true.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

Andrea, I believe that Moffat has said all epsiodes will be stand alone. A terrible move IMO, if true.

Indubitably.

Some stories are too big or important to be told in just a single eppy. Plus, I'd have thought two part story's help ensure the peeps watching return the next week to find out what happens. Or have I missed something?

I'm beginning to think that mebbe I preferred the way the fella before Moffat did things.

[The Co=Ordinator]

On the whole I tend to agree.

[The Browncoat Cat]

Andrea, I believe that Moffat has said all epsiodes will be stand alone. A terrible move IMO, if true.

Didn't he say that all stories start off as single episode commissions, and only the stories with enough meet in them will then be extended to a two episode commissions.
The plus side to this is that there will be no more padded out stories that were commissioned as two parters, but simply don't have the legs to carry that much screen time, or stories that really needed to be two parters but were only commissioned as one shots. For example Victory of the Daleks would have been much better two parter, whilst Hungry Earth / Cold Blood would have worked better as a single episode.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

On the whole I tend to agree.

Yay! We are of a single mind.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

Didn't he say that all stories start off as single episode commissions, and only the stories with enough meet in them will then be extended to a two episode commissions.

Well if he did say that, and that is the system they used, then it was still flawed. Cos we still ended up with some two parters that didn't have the "meat" in them to carry the length.

The plus side to this is that there will be no more padded out stories that were commissioned as two parters, but simply don't have the legs to carry that much screen time, or stories that really needed to be two parters but were only commissioned as one shots. For example Victory of the Daleks would have been much better two parter, whilst Hungry Earth / Cold Blood would have worked better as a single episode.
[/justify]

See...flawed system. Meebe I'm looking at this wrong - but it seems to me that the best possible two part story would be a story that was designed and intended to be that way from the beginning.

I don't get how you can look at a bunch of proposals for single eppy stories and basically just jab a finger at some of them and say "yeah - those will work better as two parters".

-Don't know nearly enough about the technical side of things. If I'm being stupid, ignore me-

[The Co=Ordinator]

Yay! We are of a single mind.

As opposed to simple mind..........

[Patrick]

If memory serves, the Moff's comments on this issue of the two parters came down to money. There's apparently always been a belief that a couple of two part stories per season saved on the budget, due to the fact that fewer sets had to be constructed, and fewer location shoots had to be scheduled. However, when he took at a look at the actual production expenditures, he found that there was, in fact, no real savings being realized.

[The Browncoat Cat]

Didn't he say that all stories start off as single episode commissions, and only the stories with enough meet in them will then be extended to a two episode commissions.

Well if he did say that, and that is the system they used, then it was still flawed. Cos we still ended up with some two parters that didn't have the "meat" in them to carry the length.

As I said, it is essentially to stop this sort of thing happening in the future. Although Patrick is of course correct, there is no practical saving between a single episode story and a double episode story. I have never understood the reasoning behind this myth. They might need to build less sets, but they still have to pay actors and crew the same amount of money per episode. I should imagine that the writer gets more for a two part script as well.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

Well everything everyone's said makes sense. I suppose we won't really know how wise going with single episode story's are until we get the chance to actually see them. But I still think it's an odd decision.

[andrea]

Andrea, I believe that Moffat has said all epsiodes will be stand alone. A terrible move IMO, if true.

Didn't he say that all stories start off as single episode commissions, and only the stories with enough meet in them will then be extended to a two episode commissions.
The plus side to this is that there will be no more padded out stories that were commissioned as two parters, but simply don't have the legs to carry that much screen time, or stories that really needed to be two parters but were only commissioned as one shots. For example Victory of the Daleks would have been much better two parter, whilst Hungry Earth / Cold Blood would have worked better as a single episode.

Well, if that is what he meant, it sounds like rather a good idea for the reasons you give. I would regret a deliberate loss of all two parters but if the idea is to have as many, or as few, two parters as seems appropriate once initial drafts of stories are submitted or, er, whatever (yes, I am getting more than a little vague on the technicalities here!) it could work really well.

[The Browncoat Cat]

Andrea, I believe that Moffat has said all epsiodes will be stand alone. A terrible move IMO, if true.

Didn't he say that all stories start off as single episode commissions, and only the stories with enough meet in them will then be extended to a two episode commissions.
The plus side to this is that there will be no more padded out stories that were commissioned as two parters, but simply don't have the legs to carry that much screen time, or stories that really needed to be two parters but were only commissioned as one shots. For example Victory of the Daleks would have been much better two parter, whilst Hungry Earth / Cold Blood would have worked better as a single episode.

Well, if that is what he meant, it sounds like rather a good idea for the reasons you give. I would regret a deliberate loss of all two parters but if the idea is to have as many, or as few, two parters as seems appropriate once initial drafts of stories are submitted or, er, whatever (yes, I am getting more than a little vague on the technicalities here!) it could work really well.

As I understand it, under RTD, and previously under Mr Moffatt as well, the writer is given the germ of the idea and how many episodes he or she had to expand it into.
Now, the way I would do it is only be given the germ of the idea and send the writers away to plot out their episode. Most writer might come back saying that their first draft runs for forty five minutes sweet as a nut. Maybe a writer will say their first draft is sixty-five minutes, but will play down to forty-five. Fine says I, go and finish your first draft. One writers will say their first draft is running at eighty minutes and maybe longer. Another might say they have got the perfect two parter, both episodes forty five minutes. They would also be told to go off and write their first draft. The final writer might say that they have written a five part mini-series with spin-off potential. He or she would be told to try and write a two episode first draft, and the script editor would be put on stand-by.
The fun really starts when the first draft comes in. If I am lucky, then I will have seven single episode stories and three two parters. I would probably end up with five filmable single episode stories, one story that needs bulking up, one heavily padded two episode story, one filmable two episode story and a bloated two episode that needs filleting.
So, by the time I had finished my two episode story, and all the arc stuff that needs to be finessed into the other stories, I would have the second drafts from my writers, that would consist of seven single episode stories and two double episode stories, in other words the usual make-up of a series of Doctor Who.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Nowadays they over-commission stories. Cornell for sure had a full script for (IIRC) Series 5.

[Tessellated Facsimile]

Nowadays they over-commission stories. Cornell for sure had a full script for (IIRC) Series 5.

They need more scripts from Cornell in the series. He's brilliant!

[barnaby morbius]

45 minutes of Victory of the Daleks was more than enough for me.

i have a really good "spoiler" but unfortunately i can't tell anyone!

[konstantin]

Any news if they are planing for cybermat babies in s7?





.

[The Co=Ordinator]

That is awesome konstantin.

i have a really good "spoiler" but unfortunately i can't tell anyone!

Aargh!

Well filming is underway and it looks like Mark Williams is on location.





I've been speculating that the Spanish filming could be in Almeria. Mini-Hollywood is based there (visited it and the Indiana Jones location some 20 years ago) and would make an ideal location if they were going to do a 'Western' episode. If BBC America are putting some money into the production budget, then that becomes more likely.

Rob Cavazos will be appearing in the Spanish shoot.

[The Co=Ordinator]

Mark Williams on location this morning.



Could he be playing Rory's father?

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