Following on from The Day of the Doctor, the Dr. Who 50th Anniversary special, which aired this weekend, comes Matt Smith’s swan-song in the Christmas Special, The Time of the Doctor.

@bbcdoctorwho announced the news and title over on Twitter, including poster art, showing Smith holding a severed head of a Cyberman, as Clara, played by Jenna Coleman, looks on. Meanwhile, in the background, we clearly see members of The Silence as the church clock tower shows midnight has struck. All very portentous!

The poster and title already have the internet abuzz with theory and gossip about what the up-coming special will feature; well, other than the demise of Matt Smith’s Doctor. Whether he regenerates as Peter Capaldi remains to be seen. Given, as I have already postulated, Smith might not regenerate into Capaldi.

‘Orbiting a quiet backwater planet, the massed forces of the universe’s deadliest species gather, drawn to a mysterious message that echoes out to the stars – and amongst them, the Doctor.

Rescuing Clara from a family Christmas dinner, the Time Lord and his best friend must learn what this enigmatic signal means for his own fate and that of the universe.’

The Time of the Doctor, is due to air in North America Dec. 25th.

Categories: What's On TV

Tagged: bbc, dr. who, jenna coleman, matt smith, time of the doctor, whovians

Rattus Rattus Invasion

Alexandra

Posted on November 26, 2013

THE BATTLE BEGINS!

The rat tango… fandango… whatever, continues unabated within our hallowed walls. It’s that time of year and, every November, it begins. The uninvited guests—Rattus Rattus and Rattus Norvegicus—move out of their summer residence {wherever that might be} and start moving into our walls. The scratching noises starts, accompanied by the occasional squeak, that can lead to loud raucous squeals when either fighting or mating ensues. We never know quite which is which, you understand, and only know several weeks later if we begin to hear those tiny almost imperceptible high-pitch squeaks that say: babies.

This year is slightly different in that, finally, our landlord tasked his youngest son with doing a ‘hunt’. Find the hole. Not quite like ‘Pin The Tail On The Donkey’ you understand, he wasn’t blindfolded but, given the results—scratching and squeaking within our walls, again— he might well have been. Said son did promise he had painstakingly gone around the outside of the building and, if we are to believe him, found no holes or rat-size entrances.

Sadly, the evidence proves otherwise. The rats are back or, at the very least, new ones given every year for the last, oh, say, fifteen years, we’ve been waging this battle against the Rat King and his horde… or, maybe, that’s Rat Queen and ‘her‘ horde? Whatever!

The battle is waged every year at this time, where upon we hear the noises and the Rat Lady is called. Yes, it’s a woman that comes to deal with the catching, not that there is any actual ‘catching’ involved, that would be too simple—but she does set out a rather delectable and tasty spread for our unwanted visitors. Leaving them peanut butter smeared morsels of poison briquette to nibble on as a before dinner snack; how civilized. Even the setting of many an infernal trap has failed to yield one lone rat in all these years. Yet, still she is called to do battle on our behalf.

If only it were as simple as tossing some enticing poison down to do the trick, and stop the problem. Sadly, it’s not. No amount of trying to convince the Landlord, his son, and the rat-catching lady, that the problem needs to be solved by other means and methods, seems to be getting through to any of them.

I’m sure the rat catching lady is happy to keep coming and leaving her tasty morsels out for the winter holiday makers, and their subsequent brood, as it’s keeping her quietly in business, and probably for a long time to come. But you would think that somewhere, in a dark, dim, hidden recess of either Landlord and or his son’s mind they would have a lightbulb moment and, actually do something novel, have an epiphany and think that maybe, just maybe, fifteen years of poison isn’t working and that they need a new strategy. One that involves finding out how and where the interlopers are getting in, and sealing those open-door accesses.

Or, at the very least, take down these damn glowing neon ‘Motel Open’ signs. It’s getting embarrassing!

Categories: Personal

Tagged: rat invasions

Dr. Who Christmas Special – The Theory

Alexandra

Posted on November 25, 2013

I have a theory—which has been percolating over the weekend after watching the 50th anniversary special of Dr. Who this Saturday—that John Hurt {last seen regenerating after he returned to his version of the Tardis near the end of the special} does not regenerate into the ninth Doctor, played by Christopher Eccleston in the series, as everyone seems to be postulating, but, will, in fact, turn out to have regenerated into Peter Capaldi—the next incantation of the Doctor—in a neat twist to the whole Dr. Who universe.

“The riddle of the regeneration problem, something fans have talked about for decades, will be faced head on at Christmas. There is going to be another huge cliffhanger and somehow Peter Capaldi has to join and the series has to continue.“

The above is a quote by the British newspaper, the Daily Mirror, on Capaldi’s appearance in the up coming Christmas Special. A statement that leads me to believe that my theory might have more than just passing merit. It might be the best way to explain Capaldi’s appearance. Especially as it has now been revealed the current 11th Doctor, played by Matt Smith, is the twelfth and therefore, according to Dr. Who folklore, the last regeneration possible—the last Doctor of his line.

But the last Doctor for us? No, why should he be. After introducing us to John Hurt’s War Doctor in The Day of the Doctor special, it goes without saying that I think show runner, Steven Moffat, has his perfect ‘out’ to allow for Capaldi to continue the Who series: he’s from a different line.

So, Who Universe, what do you think?

Categories: What's On TV

Tagged: bbc, dr. who, matt smith, science fiction, steven moffat, whovians

talking about books, language, science, space and science fiction

Dr. Who Christmas Special — The Time of the Doctor

Alexandra

Posted on November 27, 2013

Rattus Rattus Invasion

Alexandra

Posted on November 26, 2013

THE BATTLE BEGINS!

Dr. Who Christmas Special – The Theory

Alexandra

Posted on November 25, 2013