back to article BBC devs Doctor Who movie script

The BBC has said “a script is in development” for a possible Doctor Who movie spin-off - with David Tennant the favoured thesp to take the lead. The news came as the Beeb confirmed Tennant would appear as the Time Lord in the forthcoming third series of CBBC's The Sarah Jane Adventures, due to hit the small screen later this …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. John70

    Movie Budget

    Will there be enough money in the budget to actually base the story somewhere other than London/Cardiff ??

  2. David Willis
    Happy

    Sod Kathrine Zeta Jones,

    Lets have a plot based in Dublin with Emma Kiernan (Fine Gael) helping out the doctor.

  3. Ste Mansfield
    Alien

    new stuff

    I wouldn't care what it is as long as they came up with some new characters/bad guys/assistants. Russell T Davis really needs to get his hands of the show and let someone else write for a change. Plus "their worst threat ever?" - it's going to be the daleks again isn't it?

  4. Simon
    Stop

    But Dr Who has always been rubbish!

    I remember the old days of Doctor Who, with the low budgets and rubbish special effects. When the plot used to shudder and squeak along like an old heavy wheelbarrow in need of a good oiling.

    Then we had the new Doctor Who with Christopher Eccleston then David Tennant, it was fresh, quicker, simpler plots more action, less talk. Suitable maybe for a market who also tunes into Eastenders as well.

    Now the excitement has gone it now looks a little dumbed down and is getting tired again.

    An hour long program where the BBC gets to show us it's latest special effects tacked on to a simple script.

    El Reg, when you say a film do you mean one to be shown in the Cinemas?

    Please BBC don't turn it into a film, I don't think there are enough people interested, apart from the hard core fans.

    Anyone else here agree that Doctor Who has always been a bit rubbish?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Well just as long as...

    If they're making a Dr Who film, please let someone other than Davies take the pen so that we can actually have a story, rather than a man looking angsty and lonely and vulnerable and stuff. And a bit of a reason behind the solution rather than just "I'm the doctor so I twiddle the whotsit and suddenly everything's OK" would be nice.

  6. Andrew Garrard
    Alien

    Could be worse...

    It can't be any more of a bad idea than the Buffy remake (without Joss Whedon or any of the TV series cast, done by the people who screwed up the first film). I'd not mind so much if they wanted to film Fray and give Summer Glau a job for a bit...

  7. Ian Ferguson
    Unhappy

    Ugh

    Am I the only person who thinks the recent Dr Who series are kiddie programmes, and fairly dull at that? I'm sure the beeb are more than capable of doing proper grown-up sci-fi, but are too nervous to try it :(

  8. Bod
    Thumb Down

    Location Location

    Yeah right. It'll end up having to be funded by Hollywood if it wants to be anything more than a cheap TV movie, and that'll mean it's set in the "world outside our shores doesn't exist, la, la, la!" US.

    Tennant will get hacked off with the politics over it, it'll be in development hell for years and some Yank will be cast instead, with second rate budget, lots of pointless CGI, and it'll end up breaking continuity (though it's already going to do that if Tennant is in the role).

    It'll be the "TV Movie" all over again... but worse.

    The only guarantee it will be treated with respect is if the Beeb have total control, but their budget will mean it will be shit as a movie.

  9. guy eastwood

    I've with Dave

    Emma for the part!!! She can probably act (at all), too :oD

  10. Michael Habel
    Stop

    I couldn' think of a Title for this Comment...

    So how many ~specials~ were planed again for this Year?

    I was under some impression there were to be four.

    So the next epsode of Dr. Who isn't scheduled till November now?

    WTF?!

  11. darkmooink
    Stop

    the dr is who?

    wont Tennant be gone by the time the film comes out? ot even starts filming come to that?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bleat, bleat, bleat

    Moan, moan, moan...

    ...or does anyone have anything positive to say?

  13. Justabloke

    oh come on...

    how difficult is it to write a new style Dr Who Script??

    here's the recipe...

    30 mins - general gurning and "scene setting"

    10 mins - "How wacky am I ?!?!?!"

    2 mins - grimacing with sonic screwdriver

    4 mins - running around shouting (monsters optional)

    1 min - extra grimacing with sonic screwdriver (shouting optional)

    1 min - I've got it!

    2 mins - hugging kising ( same sex/different sex on alternate weeks)

    Adjust time to length of required show.

    Simples!

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I hate to say it, but I'm not sure you Brits are capable of writing a decent Dr. Who script anymore

    let alone turning it into a good tv episode or movie. All the things that made the original Dr. Who episodes great are gone. You blew up his home world before the first new episode so he can't visit with any other Time Lords. With all the police boxes gone in current England, what once needed no explanation is anachronistic. The sentiments expressed in places like this have gone from British-centric to Anti-American centric. And suggesting that you actually cast a Shakespearean actor in the roll of the Doctor is likely to cause a riot.

    What made Dr. Who great was that it was a fun show that wasn't overly concerned with being realistic in special effects. The plots, even when simple, were better developed. And the fun of such wonderful lines as "I've always wanted to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow," or "What's the point of being a grown-up if you can't be childish?" are completely lost. The Doctor is ALWAYS supposed to know more than anybody else in the show, even the other Time Lords (well, maybe excepting Ramana and The Master). Sure, another Time Lord will be more expert in some one area or another than the Doctor is, but the Doctor will know something far more important than what the expert knows. And for God's sake leave the GLADD, PFLAG, and all the rest of the victimology lobbies out of the script writing.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    @Ian, @Simon Agreed!

    Thank god someone else said what I was thinking. All my mates love Dr Who and look at me like I've just pissed on their kids when I tell them I've missed an episode. It seems that it is illegal to state that Dr Who is nothing more than a kids' TV programme with a few bells & whistles on it and, overall, is a bit pants. I liked the odd episode (Blink) but never obsessively watched it (I'm more of a Lost / Heroes / Fringe fan).

    And I hate those same people who tell me to watch Torchwood, because "it's more adult". Biggest pile of shite ever. Hey, we're the switched on, trendy BBC! Let's put a load of gayness and dogging in it! Yes, John Barryman, we get it: you're a gay man...

    As for a full lengfth movie: I couldn't be less bothered.

    Rant over.

  16. Melvin Meatballs
    Happy

    It may be low-rent stuff but it doesn't change anything

    OK som I've always been a Who fan.

    But to all those that deride the writing, effects and the pitching as a kids program... That's precisely what it's all about.

    For all of use who love it, we watched it when we were kids. Just because we wear long trousers now and have seen better stuff, doesn't mean that Auntie has done a bad job. Just that a lot of people are too old, cynical and nostalgic to see it through a child's uncomplicated eyes.

    It's simple, unadulterated childish pleasure. And I'm glad I can still enjoy it for what it is.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Tennant needs to bugger off now...

    He's quit the role if there's going to be a film it should be Matt Smith's part. I'm sure he's really happy Tennant and RTD still aren't ready to let go of the franchise.

  18. dracotrapnet
    Heart

    Yay

    Yay. Cant wait for more Dr Who to come to North America.

  19. Eponymous Howard
    Alien

    @Ste Mansfield

    You mean like when Stephen Moffatt takes over for the next full series as announced about a year ago?

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Jobs Horns

    Poor Matt Smith

    You have to feel sorry for the young lad. It's hard enough following Tennant, but to then live under his shadow due to a potential film version (which will probably come to nothing anyway) that will at best leave him being regarded as 'only' the TV Doctor much in the same way as the Stargate series felt cheaper without Kurt Russell.

    I think the boy could end up being the Timothy Dalon of Dr Who (i.e. Forever known as the shite one despite not being nearly as bad as people make out). We all know which one was the George Lazemby though. What a twatdangle.

  21. Anonymous John

    @ Tennant needs to bugger off now...

    If he wanted to go, he should have gone in time to allow a new Doctor to feature in a full series this year.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Kids show

    Of course it's aimed at kids - how old were most people when they first watched Dr Who??

    Jeez, it's like the same bleating when the new Star Wars films came out. If the programmes aged with the viewers, Doc Who would be Last Of The Summer Wine by now..

  23. Alastair

    @Anon

    "And suggesting that you actually cast a Shakespearean actor in the roll of the Doctor is likely to cause a riot."

    How many years in the past are you living? Tenant has been the Doctor for a little while now...

  24. Kenneth Chan
    Paris Hilton

    Bring back Billie Piper

    As the Doctor's compain, but this time she would play the "Belle de Jour"

    Yes, Boobies in the Doctor Who universe.

  25. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Number of specials + comment

    Specials this year? Yes - it's supposed to be 4... so I'm guessing the last 3 will be either a 2-part full length one... plus a Chrissy/Regeneration story ... or a 3 parter carry over

    As for the news? Well so long as it's either a timewar story with another Doctor - ideally 8 - or a full-length Master story... then I'm interested.

    So long as it's not the raxythingys from WW3 :)

  26. David Hewett
    Alert

    Dr Who

    BBC confirms 'Doctor Who' movie plans- Alternate universe will bring the Three Doctors and Captain Jack together with a vast cgi budget and IMAX 3D Cinema and and Blue Ray simultaneous release.

    A HD broadcast will be available on Freesat 3 months later

    The 9th Doctor http://is.gd/Iifs

    The appearance of the Ninth Doctor marked the regular return of the character to television screens after nearly sixteen years, and as a result for many young fans and new viewers he was the first Doctor they had ever seen.

    He was introduced without any information on his recent past; though it is implied in "Rose" that he may have recently regenerated, the exact circumstances of that change, or what caused it, are unknown and will be resolved in the Movie.

    I wish

  27. Gordon
    Alien

    The Time War

    well if tennant is or, has gone when the film is made it could be the time wars. That will allow him to come back as its set before the new series and, with some luck will show the regenerations of two doctors ie: 8th to 9th doctor and, the death of the time lords etc.

  28. Adrian Esdaile
    Happy

    Bring back Blake's 7

    Sorry, but quite frankly, bugger the Doctor.

    We want Avon! And ORAC, and Liberator & Zen if we can handle it. Liberator was DSV-2, DSV-1 was destroyed as well, but presumably The System built a DSV-3 so there's a another Liberator out there ready for re-use.

    You can tie it in to Dr.Who anyway, as if memory serves me correctly, there WAS a Dr.Who / B7 radio show - Kaldor City, which featured psychostrategist Carnell from B7 in an adventure with Dr.Who. I think it is considered 'canon' as the author also wrote B7 scripts.

    Zen, Standard by 12, and clear the neutron blasters for firing!

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Boffin

    This Tennant's lease has expired

    We need Tarantino writing and directing, with Willis as The Doctor (although he must be banned from deploying the trademark "wooooaarg" every time he has to dodge bullets in slow motion, leap from an exploding plane/train/automobile/etc.).

    Either that, or it's got to be the Coens with Jeff Bridges replacing Tennant, smoking a blunt. Sort of a post-modern Beeblebrox.

    I'm telling you, it'll work!

  30. Bod

    Re: Bring back Blake's 7

    Sky are supposed to be doing this, but it's gone quiet. Also it's produced with B7 Productions who aren't well regarded in some circles as far as the audio series they did.

    I think they want to make it a British Battlestar Galactica, reimagining thing, but I predict spectacular fail.

    But if they can pull it off, whilst we're at it, let's have Sapphire & Steel back. They're still stuck in that garage/cafe place after all! (and Lumley at least could still pull off the roll!).

  31. Gordon
    Alien

    sapphire and Steel

    Sapphire & Steel, i have them on video, they are still odd, but interesting, and odd one is scary!

    but lets have them back, lets get them to deal with the expence anomaly that threatens londons west minster, if they can get away from the cafe/garage!

    Joanna Lumley mmmm! she can deal with my anomaly anytime ;-)

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like