Comments on: Video: The Night of the Doctor mini-episode online

By: Profzed

Profzed — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 18:24:16 +0000

While the 8th mentioning the names of the companions from the audio dramas DOES make it official that he did indeed travel with companions by those names, it DOES NOT actually make any of the audio dramas canon.

Anyone who wants to consider them canon, can go right ahead. Just as they can consider the novels canon.

Officially, nothing other than what is on screen is considered canon.

Saying that the 8th Doctor mentioning those names “is canon”, is the equivalent of saying that since all the other Doctors at one time or another spoke the names of their companions “on screen”, that then makes the novels/audios that THOSE companions were featured in, canon as well. But you see – it doesn’t.

Again, since the 8th has now spoken those names “on screen”, it does make those companions canon. Just not their novel/audio adventures.

- – - – -

If the novels/audios “are canon”, then why doesn’t the 9th Doctor recall in “Dalek” that he experienced similar events in “Jubilee”? Why doesn’t the 10th Doctor recall having lived through similar experiences in “Spare Parts”.

And especially this one: Why doesn’t the 10th Doctor recall that he lived pretty much THE EXACT SAME ADVENTURE of “Human Nature/Family of Blood” while in his 7th incarnation – in the novel, “Human Nature”?

By: JC

JC — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 09:47:25 +0000

Yeah, I thought he noted the Companion/s from the Audio adventures and I didn’t like that. Yes, it makes them canon, but that also means you have to listen to the Big Finish Adventures and a lot of people won’t be interested, as I’m not.

Still, it didn’t take away from how special it was to see the 8th Doctor on screen for the first time since 1996.

By: Clara Evans

Clara Evans — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 22:38:10 +0000

@Macy Yes, it is the first time companions from an audio drama have been acknowledged in an official episode. @Calli Arcale I watched some of the classics and I know how long they can be, but that's half the fun! :-) But will take your advice and spread it out a bit. Tried to watch all of the lord of the rings movies in a row in one day once, it was a MASSIVE OVERLOAD! I don't want the same thing to happen here :-P

By: Macy

Macy — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 21:08:44 +0000

Did anyone else notice that the 8th doctor mentioned Charley from the audio adventures, when he said goodbye to his companions.

By: Calli Arcale

Calli Arcale — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 16:37:28 +0000

@Clara Evans It's really good, but . . . long. It's not just one episode. It's an epic *ten-part* serial. So break it up and don't try and watch it all at once.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 11:25:27 +0000

I think quite possibly we may see Paul in the 50th perhaps in a flashback if not after Matt leaves at Christmas there is quite a break so maybe if we voice out loud we could see Paul as the Doctor again in a televised series and see his past adventures before last nights prequel.

By: JC

JC — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 07:56:35 +0000

I know I won’t be able to call John Hurt the 9th Doctor, as I know the established 9-11 line from Eccleston to Smith too well.

The 11th Doctor has said that what John Hurt did meant he didn’t consider that incarnation a Doctor, so I may just follow Moffat’s lead (for once) and call him The War Doctor.

In that case, there would have been 11 Doctor and 1 War Doctor.

By: Clara Evans

Clara Evans — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 06:38:02 +0000

@Calli Arcale
I never knew that :-)
I try to learn as much as I can about the classics, and have bough some of the older ones, starting from the beginging, to see the history of what I am watching :-)
I should check that episode out

By: Calli Arcale

Calli Arcale — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 22:28:52 +0000

@Clara Evans
“War Lord” is already taken, though. The War Lord was the chief antagonist in “The War Games”, a renegade Time Lord who had given Gallifreyan technology to a warrior race that was using it to abduct humans from various conflicts and pit them against each other to study tactics and try to create the ultimate warriors. In the end, the Second Doctor had to reluctantly contact the Time Lords to ask them to intervene and capture the War Lord to put an end to the abuse and put the humans back where they belonged. Which, of course, led to them also capturing the Doctor and putting *him* on trial as well.

The War Lord was executed for his crimes. The Doctor was sentenced to execution as well, but argued successfully to have his sentence commuted because of all the good he’d done when he’d intervened. So they sentenced him instead to forced regeneration and exile on Earth, which gave us the Third Doctor and UNIT. ;-)

So alas, they really can’t call Hurt the War Lord.

By: Clara Evans

Clara Evans — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 20:39:01 +0000

@Katie I completely agree. The War Doctor should be called the War Lord, but it kind of sounds like something you would get from Lord of the Rings. There goes my theory of Hurt being an older McGann, but that scene does explain why their clothes are similar, he just didn't change. I think MCGann did really well, and I approve more of his doctor through this than I did through the movie :-)