#and now the 60th specials are SO CLOSE

[expelliarmus]

[variousqueerthings]

TOP THINGS I'M EXCITED FOR IN THE NEW RTD RUN

getting the obvious out of the way, ncuti gatwa

but more specifically, ncuti gatwa is going in with such an exciting awareness of what he got out of doctor who and how that will inform his take

and both he and millie gibson are firmly taking doctor who into the next generation. I don't know a lot about her (and youknow, I'm getting older, so she seems awfully young, but that's really all I know and isn't enough to form an opinion on -- but susan vibes? hoping she won't be a rose!repeat, but I really really don't think that's the intention here), but gatwa is also next!gen whovian (like me), which is very fun. it's a nerdy show, I like it when nerds are involved

the wardrobe is looking so goooood. three also had quite an extensive repertoire especially, and this feels quite closely aligned with that campness (not specifically the exact style ofc, new doctor, but Vibes)

the other obvious out of the way, dtennant and catherine tate

specifically that there's a lot of potential in the 60th anniversary to properly wrap up ten's and donna's arcs in a way that organically interacts with the previous ending they had. some really fun potential to play with theme and genre in that, I'm a sucker for recontextualisation, and for dtennant having a bad time (but then maybe at the end... an okay time?)

I hope this will also more effectively merge the rtd run with moffat's and chibnall's. they did do a bit more of that as they went along, but I think they both went too hard on the reset button (especially moffat). we did then get some more... what I'll call continuity, but it took a bit (look, I know, the continuity is madness on this show, but I like to know it's the same story at least, and not totally excise what came before)

also donna has a kid now, played by yasmin finney. I'm excited for all of that, the fact that she's called rose, casting yasmin finney, another form of bringing it into the present, rather than it being all about the past, the fact that she's teased in the trailer, but there's so much more to see

speaking of casting -- camp and queerness! so many of the casting announcements have been queer actors, and you know rtd loves queering shit up, and he's got soooo much more freedom to do so now than he did in 2005. It won't just be in the casting, it'll be in the stories and the character-writing

references to classic!who and other dw!materials, as always, and of course rtd loves that. I just like how much of nu!who is having fun with classic!who. and updating it of course

I said it before but. I like watching dtennant be upset. he does it very well. perhaps even tears who knows...

EDIT: CONSIDERING THE NEW THEME SONG REVEAL ALSO FORGOT TO SAY MURRAY GOLD'S MUSIC!!!

some things I'm hoping for:

that the continuity of the last series won't be severed, especially in regards to the various regenerations that have been since ten

similarly that ten's arc interacts both with how they died/what happened with donna, and that they've been other bodies since then and so there has been growth and change, but what does that mean to a multi-lifed being?

that ruby and the doctor won't have a romantic will-they-won't-they and that generally the doctor continues to be a character through which those sorts of things can be interrogated (perhaps more deliberately now than in the past....)

that there will be some more ideas about gender, as has been increasingly played with over the last few years

that ncuti gatwa being black influences the kinds of stories being told in regards to what kind of history and future is important

that rose's part in the specials is important (I mean, even the fact that she's donna's kid is already important, but on her own as well -- that she gets something cool to do)!

that UNIT won't be toooo involved. I'm currently watching three from the start and I remember that UNIT does a lot in that one, and that's fine, I get that there's precedent. but also they're not my favourite part of DW, generally the doctor being associated with Institutions of a military nature. makes sense for three, who's relatively trapped on earth, and I like the way it's one of humanity's ways of reacting to alien life both in classic and nu!who, but never trust military. anyway, UNIT's fine for the specials, also ties in previous seasons with kate, but hoping won't be so much in ncuti gatwa's arcs. or that there's more conflict involved with them being involved

that new writers are brought onboard, especially women, black writers, and millennials

that it'll still be sincere. that it won't suffer from irony poisoning and over-reliance on references (don't think the latter is so much the issue), and that the bigger budget won't erode its ability to tell deeply personal intimate person stories, which has been an issue over the last few years and could be a problem in future. this isn't the show of massive explosions and michael by action, it's the show or a bunch of nerds who want to see practical effect aliens and cry about them

[a-random-whovian7]

*Doctor Who Spoilers*

So the 60th Anniversary specials have just finished and, for the most part, they were pretty good. David Tennant was as good as ever, the villains felt far more threatening than in recent years and Wild Blue Yonder was pretty close to perfect imo. But something has been lurking in the back of my mind since the final scene of The Giggle. Something that just hasn't let me enjoy the specials as much as I could

My problem is they fucked up 10's arc.

Now, as a person who absolutely loves the 10th Doctor’s era and story arc, 14 felt like a complete smack in the face. 10 was the most human Doctor, and his story is a brilliant deconstruction of who the Doctor is. Yes, he always tried to do good, but his hubris, vanity and selfishness led to his downfall, all of which was spearheaded by him losing Rose, driving Martha away, having to wipe Donna's memory and in the end having to sacrifice himself for Wilf. Was it tragic and sad? Yes. But not everything needs a happy ending. The fact that 10's mistakes came back to bite him was one of the many reasons why I loved that era so much, as whilst he was redeemed by sacrificing himself, his regeneration still held such an emotional impact due to the fact that he'd lost so much and had fallen from grace. It was sad, but it worked. It had weight because it was permanent. It was a unique arc in Doctor Who that should have been left alone.

But then 14 and the specials came along and kind of undid that. Turns out Donna was fine, she just needed to let the Metacrisis go. Turns out all 10 really needed was a holiday. Now he's had a happy ending, just relaxing whilst 15 goes and does all the hard work. Plus, it now means we have an excuse to call back David Tennant whenever we like (look, I love David Tennant and hold nothing against him, it's more the fact that Doctor Who has been blatantly using him as a crutch since 2019). The bi-regeneration also kind of robbed 14 of accepting death and allowing Ncuti to immediately take centre stage. 10's arc just feels cheapened in hindsight, as the weight of his actions isn't really reflected in him getting an "everything was right again" ending.

Of course, it's not all bad, and I'm probably just being incredibly picky. People seem to be really happy that 10 had a happy ending, and I wish I could fully enjoy that too. If we absolutely had to have this ending, then this is the best possible way to have it, it could have been done far more lazily. After all, not everything needs to be depressing and serious. Plus, I did like the specials overall and the fact that David Tennant managed to add more emotional weight to the Flux arc and play a far more experienced and mature Doctor. RTD screamed trans rights, mocked modern Internet culture and gave us the creepiest episode in years, all of which is absolutely fantastic. I just wish that RTD hadn't added more onto 10's arc and tied up the loose ends that didn't need tying up.

[akajustmerry]

idk man season 10 of doctor who is just so special to me, as someone who used to relate to the Doctor's self hatred so much. watching that season every week, I was so changed by the throughline narrative of the whole thing just being the Doctor finally accepting love in so many different ways. like he said goodbye to River and realised that, actually, he could love and be loved and not only that but it's literally the only thing that matters. and he realises how terrible it actually was before so he befriends bill and helps her even though he's not supposed to and accepts nardole's care. biggest of all, the Doctor is like "okay I will take all this love and acceptance of that love and the realisation it makes me better and I will pass that lesson on to my best friend and try to save them how I was saved." idk man, it makes me wanna cry when I think about 12 and Missy and how 12 insists on showing her that caring is the right thing even when it fucking hurts and he does it by caring FOR HER which he couldn't do before because he was so closed off and self-hating. seeing in the Master only the parts of himself he hated so much, but then he loves River and River loves him and it fundamentally changes him. (not that I would know) but I'm guessing knowing and loving someone fully like that and them doing the same for you makes it easier to see yourself and others as people to love. like when the tenth doctor meets river in the library... Oh, man. can you imagine hating yourself so much, literally believing you're a monster and fucking numb to letting yourself love anything and then here's this person who's whole existence is proof that actually you will love and be fucking loved and it's horrifying until it isn't. season 10 is literally the Doctor finally just so full of love so at peace with his self-hatred. It's really about him accepting that not everyone can be saved the same way he was. It's a perfect season, emotionally that's actually about how love strengthens love, how all the ways we love are connected. my deepest darkest truth is that no matter how much I hate his guts, fucking of all people Steven Moffat wrote the season of Doctor Who that impacted me the most and made me feel seen and gave me hope when I was in a fucked up place as corny as that is. Season 10 is so precious to me. I'm glad people who gave up on the show and are now catching up for the 60th will watch it for the first time cos that shit saved my life and that's not even an exaggeration.

[denimbex1986]

'David Tennant bounds into the room, friendly, super articulate and energetic.

The actor and Doctor Who favourite, regularly voted the best Doctor by fans, is set to appear once again as the Time Lord in the forthcoming 60th anniversary specials.

The ongoing actors' strike prevents him from talking about those (Doctor Who is now a BBC/Disney co-production and US actors' union Sag-Aftra has been on strike since July).

But we're together, in a room full of books and leftover croissants - clearly actors need sustenance - to talk about Shakespeare, a playwright Tennant calls a "genius" who "had a particular sense of what it is to be a human" and expresses it "in a way no one else really does".

Tennant, who is an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, is steeped in the Bard. One critic described his Hamlet, which aired on the BBC in 2009, as "theatrical history in the making".

He excelled as Romeo and Richard II and, when we met, had just finished his first day of rehearsals for an already sold out run of Macbeth at London's Donmar Warehouse.

He's no-nonsense about the superstition of only referring to this most atmospheric work as the "Scottish play". Tennant freely uses the word "Macbeth".

But he admits to terrible nerves ahead of the show - however successful you are, it never gets any better, he says.

Renowned actors have been in his shoes; famously Lord Olivier was Macbeth to Vivien Leigh's Lady Macbeth in 1955, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame Judi Dench had their turn in 1976 and Sir Antony Sher and Dame Harriet Walter in 1999.

For Tennant, Shakespearean roles are like "Olympic events for an actor".

"The idea that you're being invited to stand next to these greats and sort of challenge yourself, test yourself against them and see if you've got something new to bring to that… that's part of what's exciting about it."

West Lothian-born Tennant "always wanted to be an actor" (his childhood obsession with Doctor Who had a big part to play in that) and from the way people talked about the plays, "I knew there was something magical about Shakespeare."

But that didn't mean he was immediately hooked when introduced to Macbeth at school - although he's at pains to praise his teacher.

He says the plays were written to be performed and it's "a shame that the first experience of Shakespeare is sitting in a classroom, trying to mouth these words that don't sit in your mouth and don't necessarily make a lot of sense to you at the age of 14".

"That's why a lot of people fall out of love with Shakespeare before they've really had a chance to fall in love."

Tennant fell in love when TAG, a Glasgow theatre company, brought As You Like It to his school's assembly hall. "I didn't necessarily understand every word and some of it felt perhaps a little unnatural and foreign to me". But the teenage Tennant was transported "because it was live and it was happening".

Now his head is brimful of a play that opens with three witches plotting and takes us on a journey of murder and guilt. Tennant says Shakespeare's take is "incredibly modern".

"The way he expresses Macbeth's fear of never sleeping, the torture of being in the restless ecstasy of never being able to close your eyes."

Even for Tennant, though, Shakespeare needs decoding. He tells me, when he opens one of the plays, he "100%" puts the modern translation next to the old. He deciphers the language so theatre audiences don't have to.

"If we're doing our job halfway properly, you shouldn't have to worry about understanding every syllable. You will be transported by it."

There can, though, be layers of meaning that still surprise you 10 weeks into a run, he says. "Usually on a wet Wednesday afternoon matinee, you'll suddenly go 'oh, that's what that line means.'"

Macbeth is one of 18 Shakespeare plays that would have disappeared if, seven years after his death, the actors John Heminges and Henry Condell hadn't published their friend's greatest plays in the First Folio.

That book was the first time the plays had been put together.

Before then, only 18 had been printed, in small paperback editions known as quartos.

The First Folio was registered for publication on 8 November 1623.

There were 750 copies made. Without it, we could have lost all the unprinted plays, around half of Shakespeare's works, including not just Macbeth but Julius Caesar, The Tempest, As You Like It and Twelfth Night.

Four hundred years on, 235 original First Folios are known to survive - 150 are in the US, and about 50 in the UK and Ireland.

The BBC is running a huge amount of content to mark the 400th anniversary. The celebratory season will include the 2018 adaptation of King Lear starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Shakespeare Live! from the RSC, and a semi-fictionalised comic drama on Radio 4 about the creation of the First Folio.

Tennant says: "The reason that those plays are still performed around the world and the reason that Shakespeare is the cultural colossus that he is, is because that book was published."...

For Tennant, Shakespeare is "weirdly modern" because he captures how complicated it is to be human.

"He writes about the moment he was in, which seems to, by dint of his genius, also be the moment we are in."

Tennant is one of the UK's most exciting actors, known to wider audiences not just for Doctor Who and Broadchurch, but his film role as Barty Crouch Junior in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

But you get the sense that there's even more magic, for Tennant, in performing Shakespeare.

It's why he is celebrating the anniversary of the First Folio, that book that was the first step in creating a legacy for the greatest playwright in the English speaking world.'

[basmathgirl]

You reblogged a Gif set of the first episode of the fourth season of DW „Partners in Crime“. One of your tags reads “filed under: things they often did to Donna” in regards to the unflattering lighting. And now I’m wondering what do you mean by that or what are other examples of “things” they did to Donna in your opinion?

Hello kind Anon

I started collecting examples to show you, but it qucikly became like a school homework project, so I won't write an essay about it.

Basically, Donna was not meant to be seen as glamorous, sexy, the love interest, or cool; just some middle-age woman close to the Doctor's visible age. And and we all know how the media has long dictated that only women under 25 (or under 30, at a push) can be seen as a romantic co-star. Good grief, CT was in the film "Starter For 10" in 2006, where she plays the mother to an 18 year-old lad, played by James McAvoy who is only 10 years younger than her, and she was paired with an actor almost 20 years older than her!

Anyway, I've picked three examples to get you thinking.

Watching S4 makes you realise that several bad lighting, unflattering costumes, and dodgy makeup decisions were made. I'm going to start with the way Donna was introduced to us in the trailer at the end of Doomsday as opposed to The Runaway Bride episode.

Trailer:

Episode:

Not exactly flattering in comparison - if you ignore being lit like a character from Wicked. You'e never think these were filmed only a couple of months apart. And there was the whole disappearing cleavage shenanigans to take into consideration:

One minute it's allowed to be there; the next it isn't. Why? It's as if busty women aren't allowed to exist. DT certainly enjoyed the view but that's a whole other post..

They often put Donna in clothing I'd bought for my mum. Take for instance the outfit she wears at the beginning of Fires of Pompeii.

Very middle age-to-early pensioner in design, you must admit. Yes, tunics were the fashion at the time the programme was made but this is at the opposite end of the spectrum to Rose's 'little girl' pinafore combo or Martha's leather jacket. It's practical clothing that's not meant to be attractive but comfortable. Except all that nylon would have had her sweating like a pig in the Italian heat. Oh well. It's not as though they intended for her to look pretty. The dress Evelina gives her is a definite step up, but it is still very 'mumsy'.

Our last view of Donna was originally her wedding to Shaun Temple.

What could have been a pretty dress becomes a hideous outfit for Donna. They must have chosen the most unflattering hairstyle for her ever possible. But never mind, eh? She gets handed a winning lottery ticket so it doesn't matter if she doesn't look beautiful on her wedding day. At least she could look at the photos later and acknowledge Nerys managed to be pretty in a peach dress. The money should more than make up for it *chokes on my own spital*

Yes, I have many problems with the whole wedding scene in The End of Time where Donna gets her 'dream' of being married to a man who doesn't even stand next to her in most of the photos. Not that she seems to mind. We're supposed to believe she gets a huge pay cheque a happy ever after to fulfil the dream.

In case you were wondering, I'm much happier with the 60th anniversary specials.

[forever-food-and-fandoms]

How can there only be one more 60th Doctor Donna special? There’s so much there to unpack!Too much I need them. Don’t even get me started on the Tentoo Easter Eggs. I always knew we’d only have David Tennant back for a brief moment, Donna as well seemed to good to be true, then 3 specials back to back. But now that it’s only 1 hour left to introduce a new (to NuWho) villain, close up both 14’s story and the Doctor’s reunion with Donna. I can’t ok

[scribble-dee-doo]

HAHAAAAA LOOK WHAT I FINISHED FOR DOCTORDONNA WEEK. kind of. i had a whole idea and when i sat down to write it the words didn't want to word so instead there is a SCRIPT! Or a really advanced outline! I want to actually write the fic and fill in the gaps, lol, but until the week is over please accept this placeholder. For now, please enjoy:

DoctorDonna Week 2023, Day 1:

FIRE/GLOW

@doctordonnaweek

1,711 words, full of ALL CAPS as my heart led me and SPOILERS FOR THE DOCTOR WHO 60TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS STARTING IN THE FIRST SENTENCE

THE DOCTOR collapses after the events of The Giggle (bi-regeneration sickness, mumble mumble), people are very worried, Doctor-Donna snuggles and the beginning of discussing the rest of their lives together.

INT: WILF’S spare bedroom, night. THE DOCTOR is lying in the full-sized bed under a hideous quilt that may have come from the bottom of TARDIS storage or Sylvia’s linen closet. His SHOES – obviously borrowed from somebody – , COAT, and OTHER ASSORTED are draped over an armoir. He’s wearing his undershirt and is resting uneasily, sweating with a subtle golden sheen to his skin. DONNA enters, juggling a thermometer, cup of tea, and crazy space gadget.

DONNA, to a figure outside of the door

“No, I’ve got him. Really, go stay with Rose. Are you sure I shouldn’t -”

SHAUN, just a shadow in the hall behind the cracked door

“Absolutely. She’s putting on a brave face, but she’s tough. I’ll put on the telly and we can have a cuddle.”

DONNA smiles. She loves this man so.

“Yeah?”

SHAUN

“Yeah, you know she’s worried about him too.”

DONNA leans back out of the door and kisses SHAUN, slowly. It’s a moment of relief, savoring a return to normal with new appreciation for things she already loved more than she thought she could stand. They bump foreheads and smile, looking into each others’ eyes.

DONNA

“I love you.”

SHAUN

“I love you too. Now take care of your spaceman and give us a shout if you need anything.”

DONNA laughs and pecks him on the lips one more time before shutting the door.

~AUTH NOTE: DONNA GETTING SETTLED IN, SHOWING HOW BADLY OFF THE DOCTOR IS~

She runs her hand over the DOCTOR’S forehead the way she’s learned to do as a mother, but forgets about the psychic contact points. When her fingertips brush them, both she and the DOCTOR jolt. The DOCTOR resettles, facing DONNA. DONNA sits back with an expression of focus and then realization.

DONNA, as though recalling a long-buried memory

“Tannins.”

DONNA looks down at her cup of tea. She puts it on the bedside table and starts rearranging, finding another pillow or two and stacking them at the head of the bed before attempting to wrangle THE DOCTOR into sitting more upright. He’s floppy and uncooperative and she scolds him as she’s trying to get her arm behind his shoulders. She presses him forward and he falls so that he’s folded in half, nose on his knees. DONNA pauses in rearranging the pillows, looking at him.

DONNA

“How are you that bendy at your age?”

It occurs to her that, rather than folding comfortably, he may have torn something from being unable to support himself. She rushes to get the pillows in place and resettles him more gently. He exhales a little rush of gold but doesn’t otherwise react.

DONNA, while picking up the tea like a surgical instrument

“Okay, let’s give this a try.”

DONNA gingerly wafts the teacup under THE DOCTOR’S nose like smelling salts. When he doesn’t react, she wafts it more aggressively. She studies him closely after every pass. On the third pass, she accidentally bumps it against his chin and splashes a little.

DONNA

“Oh, shit! Sorry, sorry.”

She dabs the spill off his chin. THE DOCTOR gasps a big breath, opening his eyes wide, and DONNA startles badly.

DONNA

“SHIT!”

THE DOCTOR, bleary

“Issat tea?”

DONNA, looking down at the tea she forgot she was holding

“Yes! Yes it is, here, have a sip. Is it okay with milk?”

THE DOCTOR, being force-fed tea a little too quickly

*affirmative hum*

DONNA, pulling back

“Is that enough?”

THE DOCTOR is still swallowing his last sip, so he makes grabby hands for the mug. DONNA hands it over and sits back in her seat, wringing her hands.

THE DOCTOR, in between sips

“What, no honey?”

DONNA

“No, it’s late. Trying to calm down, aren’t we?”

THE DOCTOR finishes the mug in a long swallow and clumsily wipes his mouth with his shirtsleeve. DONNA looks disgusted but unsurprised.

THE DOCTOR

“So you made black tea?”

DONNA looks at him with her eyebrows raised, unimpressed.

DONNA

“It’s got you up, hasn’t it?”

THE DOCTOR

“Yeah, fair enough. Oooh –”

THE DOCTOR winces, falling back onto his pillows. DONNA sits forward in alarm and takes the teacup.

DONNA

“What? What is it?”

THE DOCTOR makes a face and then belches up a plume of regeneration energy. DONNA jerks backwards, trying to avoid it. It follows her, curling slowly like water but definitely in her direction. She swats at it like a fly and it clings to her fingertips.

AUTH NOTE: SOMEHOW THEY GET TO THE PART THAT I ACTUALLY WANTED TO WRITE

DONNA looks down, smiling tightly, reluctant or not ready to talk about the difficult subject of THE DOCTOR leaving her without her memories for fifteen years. He looks at her, endlessly old and endlessly regretful.

THE DOCTOR

“I’m sorry.”

DONNA, shaking her head as if to brush it off and still smiling

“No.”

THE DOCTOR

“No, really, I’m so -”

DONNA leans forward jerkily. She’s restraining huge, complicated emotions behind a smile that’s wavering a little bit. She raises her hands, controls them, and folds them firmly and decisively together on the bedspread. THE DOCTOR watches her. She takes a deep, shaky breath and sighs it out.

DONNA

“I keep thinking -”

She bites down on the rest of her sentence, looking away and sniffing. Her body language and expression are tight. She’s barely holding tears at bay. THE DOCTOR is also tearing up.

DONNA

“No.”

DONNA stands up and flips the covers off THE DOCTOR. He’s confused, but moves with her as she focuses hard on pushing him over on the bed, pulling up the covers, and pushing the pillows onto the floor. She toes off her shoes and climbs into the bed. She arranges them to her satisfaction, so that she has his head tucked under her chin and he can’t see her face. Under the thin blanket, they’re obviously tangled together like best friends at a sleepover. THE DOCTOR noses closer, hungry for contact.

DONNA, slowly

“I thought I was broken...for fifteen years.”

THE DOCTOR’s expression crumbles, pained. DONNA is staring at the SONIC SCREWDRIVER in the pile of stuff on the dresser, steadier now.

DONNA

“Mum was being nicer, and Grandad just – he looked at me in this way I didn’t understand. He’s always been so encouraging, we’ve always shared so much, and suddenly... I kept going. I met Shaun. There was,” she starts to tear up again, “so much good, he’s so good, and then we had Rose and we were so happy, I was so happy, but there was always this great...big...hole right through the middle of it. It felt...like I was missing someone so important, and I couldn’t tell if it was me or my best friend or – or both.”

She finally closes her eyes and lets the tears fall. Then her expression relaxes. There’s some relief in saying it. She squeezes THE DOCTOR closer and kisses him on the top of the head. He sniffles.

DONNA

“I’m not really angry about that yet, we’ve been so busy, but I will be. I’m gonna hold this over your head forever, I’m going to squeeze you for every-every drop of guilt shopping and chocolates I can get.”

They both chuckle wetly and sniffle. DONNA sobers.

DONNA

“I keep thinking, what if it was Rose or Shaun? What if I finally had someone I loved and...and I had to make that kind of choice? I don’t have all the memories but I can remember feeling how lonely you’ve been, how much you’ve been hurt. I don’t know what I would have done, if I was hurting that way.”

She pauses. Her expression firms.

DONNA

“But I would have come back. Even if I had to leave them, I would have come back. I would have kept trying to help.”

THE DOCTOR

“You’ve always been stronger than me.”

DONNA pulls back and they look at each other. THE DOCTOR’S expression is dull, defeated, DONNA’S angry. After a moment, DONNA sighs. Closing her eyes, she presses their foreheads together. THE DOCTOR softens, still all pain underneath, but DONNA is calmer.

DONNA

“No more excuses for you. I’m putting you in feelings boot camp. You’re gonna wake up and do two hundred happy push-ups tomorrow. It’s a big job, but I’m going to whip you into shape. You’re gonna be miserable. I’m going to make you the biggest emotional bodybuilder in this town.”

THE DOCTOR, smiling

“You promise?”

DONNA

“Yeah, I do. There’s no escape for you now.”

She tweaks his nose. He wrinkles it and grins his big old grin.

DONNA

“Glad we got that settled. Now! Sleep time.”

THE DOCTOR

“But-”

DONNA shushes him and budges them both down the bed so that they’re lying comfortably. THE DOCTOR protests, citing Time Lord sleeping habits that DONNA shoots down with a snort, but he lets her bully him around.

THE DOCTOR

“But Shaun -”

DONNA

“You wanna keep trying to tell me things about my own husband or do you wanna enjoy this while it lasts?”

THE DOCTOR settles in. They both relax, still tangled together but less likely to wake up with cricks in their necks and hands fallen asleep.

THE DOCTOR

“Alright, don’t blame me if you get weird in the morning.”

DONNA

“You have no idea how much weird I can handle. Normal life has weird you can’t even imagine.”

THE DOCTOR

“I look forward to learning about it.”

DONNA

“I know you don’t snore, but I remember that camping trip in the Diamond Mountains. No wiggling.”

THE DOCTOR

“And I remember the kicking.”

DONNA

“Shush. Sleep time.”

<THE END>

CODA: THE DOCTOR sits on WILF’S couch, sick with bi-regeneration/”my 11th-dimensional self got too close to the not-things from the end of the universe” flu, doped on Gallifreyan cold medication and an accidental ginger-ale someone who didn’t know about Gallifreyan biology gave them. They’re swaddled like a recalcitrant cat at the vet because they keep falling over when they try to get up. DONNA is filming them acting like they just got out of wisdom tooth surgery and choking on laughter.

[softboy-pillowman]

A couple of days ago, a beloved TV show had its special 60th anniversary. In fact, I spent a good part of this week celebrating this event with a very close friend of mine. Even though I'm only partway through the festivities right now, they've been amazing so far. Tonight, another installment will be released, ushering in a new phase of this ever-evolving fiction that may never die.

Thank you, Doctor Who, for all the inspiration and entertainment that you've given me. Without you, I wouldn't have made some of my favorite characters. I wouldn't have made such meaningful relationships. I wouldn't have had such a large amount of joy in my life.

Note: You may be wondering why I drew Softboy and Leo for this and not the member of Chrisville who is actually based on a Doctor Who character. That is because it didn't occur to me until I was mostly done with this drawing.

[orpheuslookingback]

(okay caveat here is idk if theres actually something planned for the christmas special that i dont know about that solves the problem im having with this but:)

aaaahhh okay i just finished the final doctor who 60th anniversary episode, and like I love the Tennant Doctor, I love Donna, and as much as part of me likes seeing them happy it just...it just did not work for me as a ending. Like it feels honestly like it's doing a huge disservice to the new Doctor? To be like "actually there's another one still around who is ostensibly still a full Time Lord, with a TARDIS and everything"? Like okay- I will buy the Toymaker and his weirdo reality warping abilities causing regeneration to act abnormally, fine. But what I honestly think would have been better and feel less like a convoluted mess and also be less of a disservice to the new version of the character would be if, after we get that moment of closure between 14 and 15 on top of the tower (which was very sweet and I did like), now that the Toymaker is gone his reality-altering powers also fade and the regeneration has to happen properly, and 14 fades away, having received some closure, to become part of 15 again.

But even if it had been more like the Metacrisis Doctor- 14 doesn't get to keep the TARDIS (the TARDIS duplication thing was probably my least favorite part of the whole sequence tbh), he definitively loses the ability to regenerate (idk if thats implied at all? but it definitely wasn't outright stated), something like that- he's still closer to being the proper "Doctor" than the Metacrisis one but it's still a more closed ending that wouldn't feel like it was somehow kind of undermining the idea that 15 is the new "real" Doctor.

I did still like the special on the whole and I do still look forward to the new episodes (and I thought Ncuti Gatwa left a really good first impression in terms of his performance and characterization! I really really look forward to seeing more of 15!!) but this one part just felt so off to me.

[sheepy765]

We're so close to the release of the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary specials and I'm so excited to see them when they release and even more excited to see fans both new and old become interested in the series again now that Russell T Davies and Murray Gold are returning.

If I didn't know better, I'd say this is a Doctor Who renaissance.

[youremyonlyhope]

The Giggle

Final Fourteen episode*. If I've added an asterisk it means that I correctly interpreted the vague spoiler I saw and am not happy. (Edit: Yep added the asterisk.)

Anyway. I'm just glad this means we'll finally get Gatwa!Doctor. We should have had him already.

Also forgot to put this in the last post. But. Pandemonium, the world ending, people going insane, and a Toymaker. My prediction for the plot of this episode: StarKid's Black Friday.

Sorry, all I can hear is Barney Stinson. I'm sure he did a bad German accent at some point in HIMYM. I like dolls but these puppets are creepy even to me. "Sunnier climes" OH, SO HE'S A RACIST. Hey dude. Tell Baird about the human hair before it blows up. "Imagine if it could talk." No no no. Be careful what you wish for.

Something I forgot to say much much earlier. I don't know how I feel about the intense zoom-in on the TARDIS in the opening sequence. It's almost a Torchwood level of dramatic zoom.

Very carefully not showing us Wilf's face. I wouldn't have wanted Bernard present for all this chaos either though. I'm sorry. UNIT has an Avenger's Tower now? I don't like that. I liked the Tower of London. But I guess Kate wanted to make sure they definitely didn't get shut down again. I was chanting "Slap him, slap him, slap him" as Kate walked up and when she hugged him I said "Aww" in disappointment. Oh Mel! I had been vaguely spoiled of her showing up too. RTD2, I would have preferred an Old Who companion showing up in the 60th special episode that was closest to the actual 60th, but oh well I guess I should be happy we got something Old Who at all since this really was getting close to being a purely RTD focused anniversary. "The pilot declared his right to land wherever he wanted." Greaaat. Sounds like an average day here in 'Murica honestly. "Why should I care about you?" I mean look everything I've ever seen of the Tories tells me that's just what they're like anyway. What is a Vlinx and why is it here and why do we trust it? I don't trust it. Ah. Bad idea to deactivate it for even more than a couple words honestly. So is everyone just prejudiced now? Like the racist toymaker?

TRINITY WELLS!!!!! NO WAY. NO. WAY. THEY GOT MY GIRL TRINITY BACK ON MY TV!?!?!?! THAT'S MY GIRL RIGHT THERE. I LOVE HER. Ohhhh Trinity deserves the big font for that.

I've found the one bit of RTD era nostalgia that instantly gets to me. Have Trinity Wells show up. I guess this is how everyone else has felt the last few episodes. Not even Wilf got that reaction out of me. I literally just SCREAMED "Trinity Wells!" Out loud. I can't even be mad she's spewing stupidity and is "anti-Zeedex" I am just happy to see her. That's my girl.

If nothing else comes from this episode, if I don't care about anything else, I got to see Trinity Wells again. Ok that really made me so happy just now. The Trinity Wells Show. Really showing us it's her. Ahhh I love her. Seriously I'm reacting the way I probably would have reacted if they ever acknowledged Frobisher during Twelve's era. Only Martha showing up could get a bigger reaction out of me right now. Truly that was a cameo aimed at me and only me it feels like. So like the Master's network? "It's not like the old Archangel Network." Ok never mind. Oh so Rose only came out as trans 6 months ago. I WAS GONNA SAY THAT THE CHILDREN'S VOICES WE HEARD BEFORE THE TIME-SKIP WAS MY VOCAL WARMUPS. God I need to write things down when I think of them. NOOO. I THINK I KNEW ABOUT THE FIRST TV VIDEO BEING A PUPPET OR SOMETHING. THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR. I don't mean to be That Person but the whole human race isn't connected by Internet yet. We still got uncontacted/limited contact tribes and groups all over the place. Hundreds if not thousands of people who have never seen a screen. Oh yeah! They're President of the World!

(I took way too long searching to find that specific gif. But I love that gif so much.)

"120 plus five weeks holiday." "Done." YAS GET THAT MONEY DONNA. Also find Martha to see if she's still freelance or not. "So you talk about no one. Ever." I don't mean to quote Jack Harkness, but not if they're blonde... Doctor. You are. Avoiding. Still so much Thirteen in you. NOPE. LOL at them having to use basically refurbished still images from the lost episodes. BBC, this is only the fault of your own that they're missing. I hope you two have learned from last episode to STAY TOGETHER. Rules of play. Lawless. Hmm. So the Toymaker made everyone act like kids where the world revolves around them and only them? WHAT DID I SAY. STAY. TOGETHER. Oh no he's way too light. That was way too heavy for the Doctor to lift. Who's your mummy? Not an Empty Child reference just me being convinced his mummy is going to be someone. Oh nooooo not the "mama" and the teeth. OH RECAP TIME. Is this because they know a bunch of people skipped Twelve and Thirteen and even Eleven? Oh well. At least some acknowledgement. Still wish it was in the first of the specials but ok. "Oh, well, that's all right then." Ok look Toymaker has got a point for those three "surviving" but dying. Why only reference the Flux and nothing else Thirteen went through? Part of me is upset at no mention of the Fam and Dan, not even at least Yaz since Fourteen would have seen her only days earlier, but Thirteen had a clean track record of companions surviving so it's ok. Ok NPH's using his Barney magic trick skills ok. I see you. What do you mean a jigsaw of the Doctor's history? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT. PLEASE BE A REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL OLD WHO EPISODE. DON'T BE A HINT THAT RTD2 IS GOING TO TRY TO RETCON THE TIMELESS CHILD. JUST LET IT BE. I'm sorry the Master is in your WHAT. "The one who waits." Amy? Rory? They both waited. "That's someone else's game." huh. Sorry, all I see is Barney Stinson even in the mannerisms. I was wondering why if they went back in time that things would still be bad in the future. Since if they fixed it in 1925 it wouldn't happen. The Toymaker wouldn't be there. But no wibbly wobbly timey wimey just a different order. They should take the little toy box. Oh good took it. Don't you dare kill of Mel right here while she's watching the box. Don't you dare. I haven't even seen any of her episodes but I swear if you kill her.... WHAT. IS. THE. VLINX. THOUGH. Hey Doctor, at least tell Kate what you're up against. I was about to say that NPH was pretty perfect casting for a role like this, then the Toymaker threw Kate into a wall and too I'm mad now. DON'T HURT MEL TOO. Oh no. Kateeee I love you I do but listen to him ok? NOW you tell her about the Toymaker. Maybe some warning next time? Eh. He can shoot it. I didn't like this new UNIT building anyway. This is very Christmas Invasion. [thud] [glass shattering] OK that was dark. Wait celestials were a thing in Do You Hear Me? right? "And yet, I have fallen in love with humanity." Really hitting the nail on the "just like the Doctor" head here. OH. WOW. OOOOOOOOOOH. Next Doctor. Oooooooooooh. "It doesn't matter who. Because every single one of you is fantastic" RTD2 that better be a purposeful Nine reference though I know it's not. Don't you dare say "I don't want to go." for the third time. "Allons-y." Ok I'll accept that.

NO. NOT AGAIN. WE ARE NOT DOING ANOTHER TEN REGENERATION FAKE OUT. NO.

"What?" No. Nope. The spoiler came true and I am not happy about it. Time to add that asterisk. No. Is he not even wearing pants? Oh but I love Gatwa as the Doctor already so much. He's here. Oh Fifteen (fine I will say the number. I think this is the first time) gets to keep the tie. I meant to say I liked the grey knit tie earlier like 2 episodes ago. And the shoes. Oh and Ten's in an undershirt, I thought the shirt multiplied somehow just to not leave Fifteen totally naked. "Someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" I am so happy to see you. Why must your first scene involve you not wearing pants though? The disrespect. "I think you're beautiful." "Do you come in a range of colors?" "Yes." I... do not know how I feel about that line. I really don't like that Fifteen has to LITERALLY share his start with Fourteen. I was saying it when Gatwa was first announced as Fourteen and then not Fourteen because then Tennant got announced. And now it's literally happening. They're sharing the lines, the scene, 1 of 3 specials. Really more like half a special if we're being generous. I really wish we had just not done this Tenthree thing at all. See even Fourteen got to say "I'm the Doctor" first while Fifteen said "And I'm the Doctor." like. Come on. At least let Fifteen have that first line. HEY. THE CAPTIONS SAY [TENTH DOCTOR] NOT FOURTEENTH. SO WHICH IS IT. WHAT IS THE TRUTH. DOES THIS NOT COUNT?

Ok seriously. Give the man some pants. Like come on.

Eeek did he have too many teeth? He looked like he had too many teeth. Flat, 2D, like Flatline? "My legions are coming." Ok and that means... Oooh I did not like that the laugh's arpeggio didn't resolve. "And bind it in salt." SO. IS THIS SALT THING. REALLY A THING NOW? REALLY? Or is it just because the Doctor mentioned the whole salt thing being the leak that let the Toymaker in? And what about mavity? There's 15 minutes. The ball fell but did it hit the ground yet? Gravity? Maybe the game didn't end? The Doctor kissed themself. Not in the way the Master did but still.

Give him some pants please.

NO. NO. NOT ANOTHER LADY WITH RED NAILS PICKING UP SOMETHING THAT HAS THE MASTER INSIDE IT. NO. SERIOUSLY RTD WHY ARE WE DOING THINGS OVER? Unless it's Dhawan!Master. Then I will accept that. I will gladly have Dhawan!Master back. BUT OTHERWISE NO. I REFUSE. Why is Fourteen explaining this to Fifteen, he should remember it since he's him. Like come on. "This is great. I think. Is it?" That was a Thirteenism right there. "One thing you need in this place is a chair." see that's the Doctor channeling Bill judging Twelve not having chairs close enough to the console. "Adric." "Adric." ADRICCCCCC. Seriously that hurts me and like I said I haven't even watched that part of Old Who. God. Stop bringing up Rose come on. OH WAIT. WAIT.

WAIT.

"I loved her. And Rose." OH MY GOD. I hate Tenrose but even I'M freaking out that the Doctor just admitted to loving Rose out loud. OH MY GOD. I mean still fanservice pandering. But FINE. Fine. Tenrose shippers take this one I'm giving it to you. I got so distracted by my annoyance at the still constant bringing up of Rose I almost missed the weight of what that meant. Still mad about the Rose-colored-glasses of the RTD era but good for you guys getting this.

Mavic Chen? Remind me to look that up it sounds really familiar. Ah, wish I didn't look it up, gotta love that 60s racism. Rehab in reverse. So you're saying we're gonna check back in on Fourteen in the future and he'll properly regenerate and/or kind of pop into existence in the moment that Fifteen bi-generated? Maybe? Hopefully? God if I had a nickel for every time RTD had a second Doctor separate from the main Doctor and had Tennant's face stay on Earth with a companion, I'd have two nickels. Don't you dare split the TARDIS too. That's too much. I assume this hammer is an Old Who reference. If so, very cute. They split the TARDIS. And Fifteen gets the second TARDIS. I can't really describe my mood besides -_- "I am so sorry." Yeah you better apologize to her. Ok that's cute the ramp. Why the jukebox though. Traditional Earth ballad? If Billie Piper shows up I'm literally stomping across the pond to RTD's house and killing him because that'll officially be Too Much. I can't even be completely happy at Gatwa's first proper TARDIS flight. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye were you?" Of course he was. Ask Sarah Jane. ASK SUSAN. "As if I would ever do that." At least you're self aware. Have these two been the first Doctors to hug? So Fifteen tells people he loves them. Willingly. Openly. Frequently. And a lot. I like that. (Yes Fourteen said he loved Wilf and River but shhh that was over the course of days. Fifteen has said I love you twice in like 3 minutes and was very affectionate to Mel)

Can we PLEASE put this man in some pants though!?

The little 2-finger salute from Fourteen is cute though. "The eyebrow story." TWELVE? Nope an alien species. "Oh, you're family, darling. Sit down." AWWWW. AWWWWWW MEL GETS A FAMILY. Ok. Ok that's really sweet. That's what I care about. Not even Tenthree/Fourteen getting a family. Mel gets one. Empty chair. It's for Wilf yes but let me pretend Martha's just running late to dinner ok? Ok. "I've never been so happy in my life." That's good. Fifteen really split off from Fourteen and was like "Ok you carry all the trauma and deal with it. I'm gonna keep running away."

I knew the Vlinx was voiced by Nicholas Briggs. What IS the Vlinx though? Because I really was waiting for it to be like a plant by the Toymaker.

God I can't believe we're really gonna do the same thing all over again with the Master. Like I said, if it's Dhawan!Master then I'm overjoyed. If it's another, I'm not as happy. I'm hoping that because it was the same way Simm!Master had came back as himself, it means Dhawan!Master will too. We'll see. And who grabbed the tooth this time? At least last time the ring was in a forest. I could believe someone was nearby to take it. But they're on a HELICOPTER LANDING PAD. In the secure UNIT building. Seriously who picked up the tooth?

GIVE. MY MAN. SOME PANTS. I feel so insulted that Gatwa spent all of his moments in his first episode IN HIS UNDERWEAR.

The absolute highlight of the episode was seeing Trinity Wells. Literally the most excited I've been about any of these fanservice moments. That feels like it was fanservice just aimed directly at me. As if RTD2 was like "Hope's not gonna enjoy this. What can we do? No no I'm not bringing back Martha. Oh! Trinity Wells!"

*Asterisk time! I can only hope that Fourteen is just another Tentoo and will live and die a normal human life but that's not what seems to be the case. I don't like that there's just another Doctor floating around. I had been spoiled for it. I hoped I had misunderstood the post since I hadn't properly finished reading it once I realized it was a spoiler. But I interpreted it correctly. If it ends up being that Fourteen does eventually regenerate and kind of hops back into the moment the body splits into Fourteen and Fifteen, then fine. But like. Otherwise, if there's now just a separate branch of Doctors and regenerations and then Fifteen technically has to share the title of Fifteen with whoever regenerates from this Fourteen then I will be so mad. Is this Fourteen really Fourteentoo? Or Tenfour. CAN WE JUST STOP REGENERATING INTO DAVID TENNANT AT THIS POINT. Just have him come back as Ten, he doesn't need to be three maybe FOUR different Doctors!

Oh my god. If RTD2 pulls a "Fugitive!Doctor is actually a Doctor AFTER Fourteen and regenerated and forgot everything and then met Thirteen" instead of being a pre-First Doctor then I'll actually riot. If that's the meaning of the jigsaw of their history, I'm really gonna actually riot.

Of the 3 specials. The Meep was eh. It was fine. Pure nostalgia and a nightmare fuel alien monster of the week. However, I REALLY enjoyed Wild Blue Yonder. That was right up my alley combining aspects of a lot of my favorite past episodes. And the Giggle was fine. Better than the Meep, definitely. I love Fifteen. I'm mad about the bi-generation thing. I would have preferred if after the Toymaster was gone for a bit that Fourteen got sucked back into Fifteen or something as a way of the Universe correcting itself. I'm mad that for most of Fifteen's scenes, it felt more like he was Fourteen's companion. Not the next Doctor. ALSO WHY COULDN'T WE GIVE FIFTEEN SOME PANTS PLEASE. AT LEAST IN THE LATER SCENES.

Also is it still mavity? Did Donna really just ruin all of human history with that one joke?

Oh I just started proofreading and I realize my prediction of Black Friday was wrong. I really thought the Toymaker was gonna make everyone go crazy over a puppet toy.

GIVE FIFTEEN SOME PANTS.

[musings-and-moans]

In Another Fantasy (A Fantasy AU Collab)

Close your eyes and imagine your favorite fantasy universe, TV show, movie, anime, or otherwise. Did you do that? Good, how did that make you feel? Special? I bet it did. Now, imagine that you're there with your favorite anime character, and you could do, just about anything, from making potions in Hogwarts to walking along the streets of the Upper East Side, to traveling in a time machine that camouflages as a police box, to kissing Zuko in the fire nation, having sex in that secret sex cave where Jon Snow lost his virginity to Ygritte. Well, this collab is especially for you. <33

To celebrate 100+ followers for my NSFW side blog (and 250+ on my main, thank you all so so so much btw), I thought of coming up with a collab that would enable us, writers and artists, to showcase our love for our anime characters but in different universes. It's an NSFW Multifandom Fantasy AU Collab, where the reader and/or the anime character(s) of your choosing must be in an alternate universe. (Eg: Time Lord!Tetsuro Kuroo, Wizard!Kento Nanami, Khaleesi!Mikasa Ackerman, Dr. Strange!Satoru Gojo, and so on)

Fandoms I accept for this collab: Haikyuu, Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, SPY x FAMILY, Hunter x Hunter, Kuroko No Basket, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Naruto, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Obey Me, Genshin Impact, Black Clover

Alternate Universes (for ideas): Any TV Shows (Gossip Girl, Bridgerton, Stranger Things), Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Avatar the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, The Hunger Games, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, any of the Studio Ghibli movies, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, AND one anime character in another anime (Gojo in HxH or Itadori in KNB, etc) or one game character in anime (Leviathan in Black Clover, for etc). Feel free to brainstorm with me <33

Due date: November 23, 2023 (Doctor Who's 60th anniversary <3) (in case you want to submit it later, I don't mind at all :D)

Rules (under the cut)

-> As it is a NSFW collab, all genres are allowed, INCLUDING dark content. That being said, minors, please please please DNI with this collab.

-> You don't have to be following me for this collab, but it's preferable (since it's a follower celebration collab), and I'd appreciate it if you don't unfollow me after everyone's posted <3

-> You can club your entry for this collab with other collabs as well <3

-> I accept character x reader, character x character, poly ships, love triangles, crossover ships (anime crossovers) , heck even selfships :D

-> All forms of writing are allowed (drabbles, fics, oneshots, headcanons, moodboards, etc)

-> No limit to word count, however, please do include a read more if your fic is 500+ words to avoid clogging the dashboard.

-> Multiple repeats of characters are possible, however, if they're repeated 4 times, then I'm locking them.

-> Exceptions: Tetsuro Kuroo (4 more slots open for him, but not Doctor Who!Kuroo), Ken Ryuguji ‘Draken’ (3 more slots open for Draken but not Divergent AU Draken or Hunger Games Draken) and Mitsuya (4 more slots open for him but not Hunger Games Mitsuya)

-> While the repetition of a character is allowed, it MUST be with a different au/role (Eg, once Doctor Strange!Satoru Gojo is locked, another entry on Doctor Strange!Satoru Gojo would not be accepted). Variety matters!

-> If you're including multiple characters in one story, the characters' entries are counted (love triangles especially)

-> When your entry is accepted, please reblog this post as much as you can. When you’re done, please tag me at @/musings-and-moans and use the following hashtag: #🧙‍♀️.inanotherfantasycollab for a guaranteed reblog :D and please don’t forget to attach a link to the master list. If you’re the first to write for any fandom that’s not listed, I’ll add that accordingly.

How to join:

-> Please send me your application requests for the collab through asks and not private DMs, and do specify if it’s a write-up or artwork, and please be respectful in your asks.

-> I will also allow changes if necessary (change of character/sport, dropping from the collab). So, you can send me an ask or DM me (only if we're server moots) if you want to drop out or change anything in your collab entry.

-> Do specify if it will be a writeup or an artwork, sfw, nsfw, angst or dc. (it can be nsfw and dc or sfw and angst, etc)

Format: [Role] Character x [Role] Reader by @[url] (SFW/NSFW/DC/Angst)

Eg: [Fire Lord Zuko] Shoto Todoroki x [Fire Nation Soldier] Reader by @[url] (NSFW)

Members' List: Here!!

tagging moots & networks (@tokyometronetwork @hanayanetwork )<33

@mrskenmakozume @blueparadis (thank you so much you two for brainstorming with me ily) @beware-of-the-rogue @scandescent @decayish @mxonigirimiya @ry0m3n @arcanestage @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @wakasa-wifey @wakatshi @haikyutiehoe @oikawas-milk-bread @aizumie @mekiza @hyeque @bxnten @xshinigamikittenx @portfolio-of-dreams @jordyn-degas @simpingforthisonedeer @festive @ceo-of-daichi @p-antomime @lunarmins @maitaro @sweetsbysatori @sweetforlevi @atsumeii @izu-fi @chronic-claire-universe @megumischubbycheeks @arlertslove @sennsational @asmos-pet @kagejima @winxcunt @milkyybuns @nanam-woah

[articles-de-papeterie]

I don’t want to be overly negative about Tennant’s return or anything but I do have some thoughts.

Firstly I want to mention how I don’t like how the anniversary specials are becoming synonymous with “the popular doctor”. Obviously it made sense during the 50th anniversary special, as it was very much meant to be about all of the modern Who doctors so far, but in this case I seem to have more of an issue with it and I’ll go into that now.

The show, to me, doesn’t feel like it’s being written as a story for good storytelling’s sake but more as though it’s following the meta-narrative of viewership and writers in charge. Bringing Tennant back as a whole regeneration is very much a way of using nostalgia to bring back the declines in viewership through Jodie’s era and hoping they stick when Ncuti comes around. You can see just how hard they’re pushing nostalgia, going so far as regenerating 13’s clothes away to 10’s usual outfit since of course his reveal wouldn’t have been as impactful otherwise. Not even a remnant of her incarnation, like we’re used to seeing with the previous regenerations. We already know who it is, so we can skip all of that.

I worry that his character will revert back to exactly how it was, undoing the development of the last three regenerations. I worry that bringing old characters back could potentially harm their stories which came to a close with so much care. Everything 10 went through during that last season leading up to his death, with the master, with Wilf, it feels less important. You could say that it’s a cameo for the 60th and that doesn’t undo his story, or that it worked during the 50th, but it wasn’t a complete regeneration back then.

I don’t think nostalgia is inherently a bad thing and I’m excited to see Tennant take up his role again, but I’m not a fan of the No Way Home-ification of it all. All that being said, I hope it works out well and revives some of what was lost. I’m looking forward to it!

[denimbex1986]

'To celebrate David Tennant’s triumphant return to Doctor Who for the 60th anniversary, we’ve scoured the Radio Times Archive to present some fabulous images from the numerous RT photoshoots Tennant took part in between 2005 and 2009, when he first played the Time Lord.

Many have never been published before, and some were never shown in this form with plain studio backdrops that were digitally changed for RT covers and features across those years.

Christmas 2005

By Christmas 2005, showrunner Russell T Davies was flush with success after his storming first season starring Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. But now he was introducing David Tennant as the 10th incarnation of the Time Lord.

Writing in the Christmas double issue of Radio Times, Davies explained, "This is the advent of a brand new Doctor. With David Tennant now at the helm of the Tardis, bringing a wholly different dynamic to the show, we decided to make the story even more epic."

For much of the storyline of The Christmas Invasion, the new Doctor was running around in pyjamas – as reflected in his first Radio Times photoshoot. But Tennant was already looking ahead, as he told RT: "Filming [for the new season] lasts 38 weeks. It’s relentless, certainly, but it’s not like a real job. Daily, it’s incredibly exciting because it’s so mind-expanding and bonkers!"

The Radio Times Covers Party

In February 2006, Russell T Davies, David Tennant and Billie Piper were honoured guests at the Radio Times Covers Party, celebrating the magazine’s cover stars of the previous year. Acting giant Helen Mirren, who has never appeared in Doctor Who, joined in the fun on the night.

Piper said of co-star Tennant, "He is just the most straight-down-the-line bloke you could wish to meet. He’s your best friend, your brother and your boyfriend kind of rolled into one."

Season 2 - 2006

For the launch of season two, David Tennant’s first full run, Radio Times set up a special photoshoot that would form a gatefold cover of friends and foes.

The photographer, Matt Holyoak, appears himself in several of these rare behind-the-scenes images taken by Ben Gold.

Asked how long he thought he might play the Doctor, Tennant told RT, "I just don’t know and, of course, it’s all anybody ever asks me.

"We’ve just about finished this series and I’m fairly certain I’ll do the next one. Although I’ve yet to record the closing seconds of episode 13 – literally anything could happen. Who knows who’s coming back?!"

Christmas 2006

Come Christmas 2006, the Tenth Doctor found himself embroiled with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) in The Runaway Bride. "There’s no let-up for him," Tennant told RT. "He’s suddenly flung into a new, bizarre set of circumstances with this woman who’s appeared in his front room, as it were. Then he’s off on this madcap romp with Donna."

Sadly, we have no RT pictures of Donna from that year, but Tate told us in 2006, "We were just delighted that no one was expecting me to turn up in the TARDIS. They said it’s the first time a secret hasn’t leaked out on Doctor Who." Of her character, she revealed, "She’s absolutely furious! She has no time for this madman. And she’s quite feisty, is Donna. That’s her keyword: feisty."

Season 3 - 2007

For his second season, David Tennant teamed up with Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones. He told RT, "It’s one of the things that’s given this show the longevity it has; that it’s essentially the same format, but putting a new relationship at the heart of it spices things up a little bit. Also, obviously, Freema’s a very different actress, so that gives it a different vibe, too."

By the end of the season, the duo would become a trio with the return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness for the final three episodes, Utopia, The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords.

These two sets of RT pictures were all taken on the same day in February 2007, allowing for a change of clothing for Tennant and Agyeman.

Children in Need - 2007

For the BBC’s fundraiser Children in Need in 2007, David Tennant was unexpectedly united with Fifth Doctor Peter Davison.

This short interlude set inside the TARDIS was written by Steven Moffat, who told RT: "I bumped into David at a concert and we talked about a way of getting Peter Davison back, because we’re both big fans of Peter’s Doctor. They hadn’t had different Doctors meeting up on the new show. So if we could justify him being a bit older and pop him back in, that would be a laugh."

Moffat continued, "They loved each other! And they worked really well together because they’ve both got a lot of pace and energy as actors. There's a tremendous charm to these two men: both Doctors and both Doctor Who fans."

Tennant would later marry Davison’s daughter Georgia Moffett, bringing them even closer together.

Christmas 2007

For the 2007 Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, David Tennant joined forces with pop icon Kylie Minogue, who was persuaded to return to acting to play Astrid Peth, a doomed waitress aboard a space liner called Titanic.

Tennant told RT, "The Doctor and Astrid very quickly become inseparable." He described co-starring with Minogue as "a very nice meeting of the planets". But would the Time Lord and Astrid kiss? "Well, if you had Kylie in the Christmas special, would you have her kiss the Doctor?"

As the special was set on space version of Titanic, the creative forces of Radio Times and Doctor Who built a set-up in homage to the James Cameron cinema blockbuster with Tennant and Minogue on the prow of the ship. For the RT cover and features, a starry background was added. These are the raw shots.

Season 4 - 2008

For David Tennant’s final season, Catherine Tate was back full-time as Donna Noble.

"Everyone assumed Donna was a one-off – myself included," she told RT. "But now she has a whole season to have a story arc. So none of the feistiness has been lost, but you also get to tap into a different side of her – a much more vulnerable side. They’ve really rounded Donna out from being a shouting fish wife to someone who’s quite vulnerable and emotional."

Tennant added, "They’re good at limiting each other’s less appealing excesses. There’s an equality. It’s not quite teacher and pupil, which in a sense the Doctor and Martha and the Doctor and Rose were."

Speaking of whom… Freema Agyeman and Billie Piper were returning as Martha and Rose later in this season – and attending the same Radio Times photoshoot.

Christmas 2008

David Tennant had recently announced his departure from Doctor Who, and this festive special was teasingly entitled The Next Doctor.

Russell T Davies told RT, "Hopefully, that creates a bit more intrigue and hints at interesting developments in the show’s future. Let’s just say that regeneration is a complicated process and never as simple as it seems."

Although the Doctor’s identity and future were in question, Tennant posed for a definitive set of photographs in a Radio Times shoot.

Planet of the Dead - 2009

David Tennant’s initial run in Doctor Who ended with a series of specials. In Planet of the Dead, for Easter 2009, he was teamed with former EastEnders and Bionic Woman star Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina.

"She’s very easy-going," Tennant told RT. "Considering she’s been to Hollywood and back, she’s untouched by pretension or actors' lunacy, which others in her position might be. She’s a delight to have around and seems to be having fun."

Tennant continued, "This Easter episode is, I suppose, the last hurrah for my Doctor. The end is nigh. You can sense the Grim Reaper knocking on the door. But how many times?"

The Sarah Jane Adventures - 2009

By May 2009, David Tennant had filmed The End of Time, his last two episodes of Doctor Who as the incumbent Doctor. But there was one further assignment. A guest appearance in The Sarah Jane Adventures for The Wedding of Sarah Jane. Which makes this his final photoshoot for Radio Times during his four-year tenure, alongside his childhood heroine Elisabeth Sladen.

Tennant told RT in 2009, "If The Sarah Jane Adventures had existed when I was eight, and [Fourth Doctor] Tom Baker had come in for an episode, I would have thought that was the coolest thing on Earth! It’s the sort of proper, sophisticated, exciting drama with which we should be inspiring young minds."'

[foreverlogical]

“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever,” was Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s (D) pledge in 1963. It would be great if attitudes like that were buried long ago in the landfill of racist history. But looking at Alabama today, it can feel like not much has changed. 

Taking a page right out of Wallace’s 60-year-old playbook, Republican state legislators are fighting back against a direct order from the Supreme Court to redraw racially gerrymandered electoral maps that disadvantage Black voters.  

The legislature dragged its feet and finally responded to the court’s June ruling in Allen v. Milligan by submitting a new map with one hitch — legislators freely admit that it doesn’t meet the requirements for an additional majority-Black district. Earlier this month, judges on a federal district court panel threw out the new map and made a point of writing that they were “deeply troubled” by the legislators’ deliberate nose-thumbing.  

That was good news. But these Alabama lawmakers clearly think they can win by losing, because now they can appeal to the Supreme Court again. The Alabama House Speaker, unafraid to say the quiet part out loud, declared that since the court’s ruling against them last time was 5-4, “there’s just one judge” that needs to “see something different” for them to win this time around. 

Meanwhile, a federal court is ordering that yet another district map be drawn up by a special master and a cartographer. (When was the last time you heard of a cartographer?) The dispute sends the state's redistricting process back almost to square one. And if it isn’t resolved in time, elections could eventually go forward under the old, discriminatory map.  

And if anybody thought Alabama was alone in trying to turn back the clock, Florida has jumped into the fray. Just days before the federal court in Alabama rejected the legislature’s new map, a state judge in Florida nixed a redistricting plan there. That plan also would disenfranchise Black voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is its biggest fan.   

Other states, including Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, are embroiled in court cases over their maps, too.   

There are probably plenty of people who will brush this off as “just politics.” But for millions of 

Americans, this is personal. And painful. 

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor to speak at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. I’m a millennial, and in my speech, I told the crowd what I know in my heart: that my entire life was made possible by the people who fought 60 years ago for me. To see voting rights under attack again all these years later is a gut punch. 

So we do what civil rights advocates did decades ago, and we fight. Back in the 1960s, the remedy was federal legislation. It can be again; there have been two bills in Congress recently that are designed to protect voting rights against attacks, including redistricting abuses like the ones we’re seeing in places like Alabama and Florida. These bills, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, came really close to passing as a package before GOP opposition and failure to reform the filibuster killed them in the Senate last year.   

But that doesn’t mean giving up; the Freedom to Vote Act was reintroduced by Democrats in July. The John Lewis Act will be, too, as its sponsor Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) says she plans a reintroduction. Sewell, of course, is from Alabama — the eye of the storm.  

And while there might not be much chance that the current GOP-controlled House will do the right thing on voting rights — not when Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) falsely compares the latest Alabama map scheme to redistricting in New York —  we keep fighting.   

We can thank the courts for handing voters a partial victory with rulings against racist maps. But the real victory needs to come next November when we go to the polls with a clear focus: Only vote for those who will protect our voting rights. 

 Svante Myrick is president of People for the American Way.