Doctor Who: Fans around the world eagerly await start of new series later

[Blackleaf]

The new series of Doctor Who starts tonight, the first series of the world's longest-running and most successful sci-fi show since it celebrated its 50th birthday in November. It is the first series with the Twelfth Doctor, played by Peter Capaldi.

The new series's first episode, "Deep Breath", is on BBC One at 19:50 tonight. The episode, which is 1 hour and 16 minutes long, will also be shown tonight in cinemas across the country (the 50th anniversary episode in November was the third-highest grossing film at the UK box office that weekend).

EPISODE 1

DEEP BREATH (episode 801 in total)

Tonight - 19.50 - BBC1

When the Doctor and his sidekick Clara arrive in Victorian London they find a dinosaur rampant in the Thames and a spate of deadly spontaneous combustions!

Who is the new Doctor and will Clara's friendship with him survive as they embark on a terrifying mission into the heart of an alien conspiracy?

The Doctor has changed. It's time you knew him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkasqFoF308&feature=player_detailpage



Deep Breath episode photos

The new new series's two stars - Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who) and Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) - have been on a world tour, where they have been mobbed by thousands of Doctor Who fans (Whovians) in countries including South Korea, Brazil, USA and Australia.

DOCTOR WHO WORLD TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are mobbed by Whovians in South Korea - Doctor Who World Tour: Peter Capaldi & Jenna Coleman Love Their Korean Fans! - Doctor Who World Tour - #DWWorldTour - YouTube



Capaldi and Coleman rock New York City - Doctor Who World Tour: Peter Capaldi & Jenna Coleman ROCK New York City - Doctor Who World Tour - #DWWorldTour - YouTube



WOW! Drone Cam at Christ The Redeemer in Rio with Peter Capaldi & Jenna Coleman - Doctor Who World Tour: WOW! Drone Cam at Christ The Redeemer w/ Peter Capaldi & Jenna Coleman - Doctor Who World Tour - YouTube



Rio Q&A Highlights with Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & the show's writer Steven Moffat - Doctor Who World Tour Rio Q&A Highlights w/ Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & Steven Moffat - Doctor Who World Tour - YouTube



Mexico City Q&A Highlights w/ Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & Steven Moffat - Doctor Who World Tour

Mexico City Q&A Highlights w/ Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman & Steven Moffat - Doctor Who World Tour - YouTube

 

[spaminator]

doctor who remix - YouTube

 

[Blackleaf]

At its peak, 7.3 million people in the UK watched the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who last night, a large number in the multiple channel age, making it the most watched opening episode of a Doctor Who series since 2010.

Critics have hailed Peter Capaldi's feature-length debut as the 12th Doctor, as the eighth series of Doctor Who premiered on BBC One on Saturday.

The Telegraph's Michael Hogan said the Scots actor "crackled with fierce intelligence and nervous energy".

Richard Beech, in the Mirror, agreed Capaldi had "all the hallmarks of a great Doctor".

He called the 80-minute opening episode, entitled Deep Breath, "an impeccable debut".

"If you watched Deep Breath and you don't want to watch the rest of series 8, then there truly is something wrong with you," he wrote.

However fans of the series appeared less convinced.

The show received a mixed reception on Twitter, with some viewers deeming 56-year-old Capaldi "brilliant" and "amazing", while others describing the episode as "middle of the road" and "gimmicky".

"More depth and much better with an older actor. It's 1973 all over again and that's no bad thing," tweeted one fan.

"Overall I think Capaldi is going to be good, but the episode wasn't great. Pretty much what I have come to expect from Moffat," tweeted another, who landed the blame squarely with Doctor Who show-runner and Sherlock writer Steven Moffat, who penned the episode.

Scotsman Moffat does seem to have that peculiar, modern, PC obsession with homosexuality and seems to like to have homosexuality in the show, leading some to criticise him (the previous Doctor was always kissing men).

In fact, nothing is more bizarre than a Silurian, Madame Vastra, and a human, Jenny Flint, who have been in Doctor Who along with their Sontaran butler, Strax, since 2011 and were in last night's series opener, having an inter-species lesbian relationship! The weird time we live in.

There were, however, some great bits of humour in the episode, especially at the beginning, when the newly-regenerated Doctor is surprised to find he has a Scottish accent and there begins some playful Scottish/English teasing.




Critics hail Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who debut

BBC News
24 August 2014
Comments (222)



(Spoiler alert: Key plot details revealed below)


Watch Episode 1: "Deep Breath" here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 1. Deep Breath

Capaldi, best known for his role in The Thick of It, is the 12th Time Lord

Critics have hailed Peter Capaldi's feature-length debut as the 12th Doctor, as the eighth series of Doctor Who premiered on BBC One on Saturday.


The Telegraph's Michael Hogan said the Scots actor "crackled with fierce intelligence and nervous energy".

Euan Ferguson, in the Guardian, called his performance "wise and thoughtful", though decried the plot as "demented".

At its peak the programme was watched by 7.3 million people, according to official viewing figures.

The BBC said it was the most watched opening episode of a Doctor Who series since 2010.

'Impeccable debut'

Richard Beech, in the Mirror, agreed Capaldi had "all the hallmarks of a great Doctor".

He called the 80-minute opening episode, entitled Deep Breath, "an impeccable debut".

"If you watched Deep Breath and you don't want to watch the rest of series 8, then there truly is something wrong with you," he wrote.

However fans of the series appeared less convinced.

Deep Breath stars Neve McIntosh as lizard detective Madame Vastra, who is having an interspecies lesbian relationship with the human Jenny Flint

The show received a mixed reception on Twitter, with some viewers deeming 56-year-old Capaldi "brilliant" and "amazing", while others describing the episode as "middle of the road" and "gimmicky".

"More depth and much better with an older actor. It's 1973 all over again and that's no bad thing," tweeted one fan.

"Overall I think Capaldi is going to be good, but the episode wasn't great. Pretty much what I have come to expect from Moffat,"
tweeted another, who landed the blame squarely with Doctor Who show-runner and Sherlock writer Steven Moffat, who penned the episode.

The reappearance of the hilarious Sontaran Strax, the butler to Madama Vastra and Jenny Flint, also delighted followers of the show


"You cannot tell me that this was badly written. This is the best episode that Moffat has ever made. I hope it stays this great," argued another.

"Seriously disappointed with Doctor Who. Bored, angry, frustrated, irritated, offended and let down. Wow."

The surprise reappearance of Capaldi's predecessor, Matt Smith - in the closing moments of the show - was greeted with joy by many fans, though the Mirror's critic called Smith's phone call from the future "divisive".

"For some, it will have been a genuine treat to see Matt Smith as the Doctor for one last time - but many didn't need the closure, and didn't need telling to get behind a man they already firmly believe in."

Moffat has described it as "the fastest return ever on Doctor Who!".

"It just felt utterly right for what we were planning for Peter's Doctor, and right for Matt's Doctor, that he would think of that as he was just about to go out the door." he told Digital Spy.

The critics were united in their praise for Jenna Coleman, returning as the Doctor's sidekick Clara Oswald.

Her character drove much of the action in what many saw as a "wayward" storyline, opening with a dinosaur stranded in Victorian London, and encompassing spontaneous combustion and robots harvesting human remains.

"The plot runs secondary to the emotional throughline here," wrote US critic Geoff Berkshire in Variety.

The eighth series will include guest appearances from Frank Skinner, Keeley Hawes and Sanjeev Bhaskar, among others

But he added: "What Capaldi lacks in youthful energy, he more than makes up for in gravitas and wry eccentricity, whether marvelling at his 'independently cross" eyebrows or gleefully embracing his Scottish accent as a license to complain."

"Behind his furrowed brow and tendency to complain, roil new and exciting storms, which may tilt the tale away from love and longing and back to adventure," echoed Los Angeles Times critic Mary McNamara.

"Either way, this Doctor is truly something else again."


DEEP BREATH: REVIEWS


The Mirror

With the scars of Trenzalore still fresh, Deep Breath keeps the pendulum swinging in the direction of darkness, complexity and insecurity. Capaldi is brooding, intense, slightly intimidating and at times, unnerving. That doesn't mean he's unlikeable, but he certainly has aspects of the anti-hero about him and that's absolutely fine by me.
​

WalesOnline

Moffat has delivered the perfect blend for Saturday night TV – bags of action, drama and humour. There are nods to previous episodes and cheeky acknowledgements of previous Doctors, but done in such a way as to delight the hard-core fans while not distracting the new.
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Herts Advertiser

Sumptuous period vistas, breathtaking monsters and heart-pumping action sequences are all there in good supply, but the 75 minute length also gives the story room to breathe, and the moments of quiet character reflection are some of the strongest we’ve seen in the revived show.
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Den of Geek

Deep Breath may be a slightly quieter introduction for Peter Capaldi in some senses than people are expecting. Yet it's hard to avoid an underlying confidence that all concerned know they're onto something here. And with some flat out brilliant moments in the last third, there's an old fashioned ethos of putting in the foundations, doing the ground work, and building on substance.
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Telegraph

This was a highly effective opener, showing that Doctor Who is still the most intelligent, ambitious and eccentric show on British television. In his unsettling, cerebral performance, Capaldi fits right in.
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Warped Factor

Bold, adventurous, assured, gritty, Sherlock-smart, personally vulnerable and something beyond mesmeric, Capaldi brings some of the best elements of the 70s Doctors, adds a pinch of McCoy’s manipulation, and sears his new interpretation onto 21st century Who.
​

Independent

It is a perfectly paced, hugely enjoyable 80 minutes of everything you want from Doctor Who – action, silly jokes and enthralling sci-fi.
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Hey U Guys

As the credits rolled the room erupted. It’s safe to say Deep Breath is what Whovians have been clamouring for, waiting so (in)patiently since Christmas Day for new Doctor Who and to have it return and deliver on such a monumental scale as it has done here, it’s hard to argue with that kind of reaction.
​

Doctor Who TV

The “blockbuster of the week” feel already seems to have gone. There is some excellent CGI and some great action sequences but overall the episode felt more like a character piece than an adrenaline-packed thrill ride.
​

Radio Times

Deep Breath is not the most riveting Doctor Who story ever told, but the 80 minutes fly by and it fulfils its mission to reboot. There’s a striking change in Steven Moffat’s style of storytelling. Who knows if this will pervade the entire season but Deep Breath, at least, bears a slow-down in pace (less wham-bam, more sit down and talk) and a marked change in tone (sombre, sepia, befitting its Victorian setting).
​

Total Film

But in truth, the measure of writer Steven Moffat and director Ben Wheatley’s smart, funny Capal-debut’s success is its assurance: it knows what it wants, knows what it doesn’t want and says “Shush” to anything in between.
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CNET

Deep Breath is vintage Moffat: packed full of clever, quotable dialogue delivered with relish, breathless action, and scenes that turn on a sixpence from intense character drama to sinister suspense.
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MSN

Unsettling and genuinely disquieting at times, this episode will have you practicing the length of time you can hold your breath – and watch out for a massive surprise. Despite its 80-minute running length, it’s well-paced, deftly moving from moments of light (there are some cracking one-liners and amusingly playful Scottish/English teasing) to moments of shade.
​

The Big Issue

Unlike The Eleventh Hour, then, it is very unlikely that Deep Breath will go down as one of the great episodes of the new Who. But the early signs are that in Peter Capaldi we might just have the modern era’s defining Doctor…
​

Empire

Capaldi, a lifelong fan living the dream, snaps straight into the role and you accept him instantly, despite his vast disparity with Matt Smith. He channels some of the charismatic fierceness of The Thick Of It's Malcolm Tucker. This is something Moffat embraces in his smart, zinging script, and it’s the foundation of a whole new relationship with companion Clara (Coleman) which really gives the episode its pulse.
​

South Wales Evening Post

With a few familiar faces – including some extra-terrestrial ones – welcomed back along the way, and an intriguing, far-reaching religious concept thrown in for good measure, there was plenty to savour in Deep Breath.
​

BBC News - Critics hail Peter Capaldi's Doctor Who debut

 

[GreenFish66]

The Regeneration process is often difficult...But Dr.Who has survived the test of time! - He is a Time Lord after all!

 

[Blackleaf]

In Britain, after each new episode of Doctor Who, there is a show called Doctor Who Extra which shows you behind the scenes of that episode. Here's the Doctor Who extra for last night's episode:

A new series, a new costume and a new Doctor! Take a Deep Breath and go behind the scenes on the first episode starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who Extra - Deep Breath

Click here for a Deep Breath factfile: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/article ... eep-breath

 

[damngrumpy]

what a bloody waste of time

 

[Blackleaf]

Remaining episodes of the series (warning: can be considered to be a slight spoiler)

2 - Into the Dalek

3 - Robot of Sherwood

4 - Listen

5 - Time Heist

6 - The Caretaker

7 - Kill the Moon

8 - Mummy on the Orient Express

9 - Flatline

10 - In the Forest of the Night

11 - Dark Water


12 - Death in Heaven

 

[spaminator]

‘Doctor Who’ lesbian kiss scene sparks complaints in U.K.
WENN.com
First posted: Friday, August 29, 2014 11:31 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, August 30, 2014 12:00 AM EDT
British broadcasting standards officials have declined to launch a full investigation into complaints about a kiss between same-sex characters on the season premiere of cult sci-fi drama Doctor Who.
Actor Peter Capaldi made his debut as the Time Lord in Deep Breath, the first episode of series eight, which aired in the U.S. and U.K. last weekend, but some viewers took issue with a scene featuring a lingering kiss between lizard-woman Madame Vastra, played by Neve McIntosh, and her human wife Jenny Flint (Catrin Stewart).
Six fans officially lodged their dismay at the "gratuitous" and "unnecessary" footage with watchdogs.
However, Ofcom bosses have dismissed the case and a statement issued to Britain's The Independent newspaper reads: "Having assessed the complaints, we can confirm that they do not raise issues warranting further investigation.
"Our rules do not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same sex couples."
Madame Vastra and Jenny Flint kiss in Doctor Who episode "Deep Breath." (BBC)

Deep Breath Trailer - Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 1 - Doctor Who - BBC - YouTube
‘Doctor Who’ lesbian kiss scene sparks complaints in U.K. | TV | Entertainment |

so I guess no one has a problem with reptilian love.

 

[Blackleaf]

‘Doctor Who’ lesbian kiss scene sparks complaints in U.K.

The main writer of the show, a Scotsman by the name of Steven Moffat, is obsessed with homosexuality. It's quite disturbing. He tries to enthuse every single episode with gay references and gay kisses. The previous Doctor, Matt Smith, was always kissing other blokes. Now we even have a gay relationship between a human woman and a reptilian alien woman. Not only that, but many people have also complained about the violence in last week's episode, and were saying that all the gay references and violence should not be allowed to take place in a show that is supposed to be general family viewing, for children and parents. The TV writer in the Daily Mail was absolutely scathing of Moffat the other day, saying it's about time the Beeb got rid of him.

Despite all that, it still got the biggest audience for a series opener of Doctor Who since 2010 in the UK, and the biggest-ever audience for a series opener of Doctor Who in the US.

Thankfully, last night's episode wasn't wholly written by Moffat, so it was more of a traditional, family-oriented episode of Doctor Who that we all know and love.

And the episode saw the return of television's greatest baddies - the Daleks!

Episode 2

Into the Dalek

A Dalek fleet surrounds a lone rebel ship, and only the Doctor can help it now.

With the Doctor facing his greatest enemy, he needs Clara by his side. Confronted with a decision that could change the Daleks forever, he is forced to examine his conscience and ask himself whether he is truly a good man.

Watch it now here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04grqgx/doctor-who-series-8-2-into-the-dalek

 

[spaminator]

'Doctor Who' lesbian kiss scene cut for Asian broadcasts
WENN.com
First posted: Monday, September 01, 2014 04:13 PM EDT | Updated: Monday, September 01, 2014 04:16 PM EDT
A same-sex kiss between Doctor Who actresses Neve McIntosh and Catrin Stewart was edited out of the series eight premiere for broadcasts in conservative Asian countries.
The lingering lip-lock between McIntosh's lizard-woman Madam Vastra and her human wife Jenny Flint, played by Stewart, prompted a handful of complaints from U.K. viewers when the episode in question, titled Deep Breath, aired last month, but British TV watchdogs at Ofcom declined to launch an investigation into claims the footage was "gratuitous" and "unnecessary", insisting they "do not discriminate between scenes involving opposite sex and same sex couples".
However, the same scene had to be cut from Peter Capaldi's debut as the Time Lord for broadcast in countries like Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to ensure the cult sci-fi show did not fall foul of the region's strict decency standards.
A BBC spokesperson tells PinkNews.co.uk, "In order to comply with broadcast regulations in Asia where our BBC Entertainment channel airs, BBC Worldwide made a brief edit to the first episode of Doctor Who Series 8, but did so without detracting from the storyline."
'Doctor Who' lesbian kiss scene cut for Asian broadcasts | TV | Entertainment |

 

[Blackleaf]

This may well be the first time ever that two of Britain's greatest fictional characters (if, indeed, Robin Hood is merely fictional) have met each other...

Episode 3

Robot of Sherwood

When robots threaten Sherwood Forest, the Doctor must join forces with Robin Hood to stop the evil reign of the Sheriff of Nottingham.

With all of Nottingham at stake, the Doctor must decide who is real and who is fake. Can impossible heroes actually exist?


The Sheriff of Nottingham is played by the brainy Ben Miller, the comedy partner of Pointless host Alexander Armstrong. At Cambridge he studied for a PhD in solid state physics, with his thesis titled "Novel quantum effects in low-temperature quasi-zero-dimensional mesoscopic electron systems".

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 3. Robot of Sherwood

 

[Blackleaf]

It was a spinetingling episode of Doctor Who last night:




Episode 4

Listen

What will the Doctor find at the end of the universe? Listen!

What scares the Doctor? Ghosts of the past and future crowd into the lives of the Doctor and Clara: a terrified caretaker in a children's home, the last man standing in the universe and a little boy who doesn't want to join the army. Listen!

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 4. Listen

 

[Blackleaf]

Episode 5

Time Heist

The Doctor turns bank robber when he is given a task he cannot refuse - steal from the Bank of Karabraxos, the most dangerous bank in the cosmos. With the help of a beautiful shape-shifter and a cyber-augmented gamer, the Doctor and Clara must fight their way past deadly security and come face-to-face with the fearsome Teller - a creature of terrifying power that can detect guilt.

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 5. Time Heist

 

[Blackleaf]

Episode 6

The Caretaker

When terrifying events threaten Coal Hill School (as any proper Doctor Who fan will tell you, the school has been in the show since the very first episode in 1963), the Doctor decides to go undercover as its new caretaker.

The Skovox Blitzer is ready to destroy all humanity - and worse, any second now, Danny Pink and the Doctor are going to meet.


Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 6. The Caretaker

 

[Blackleaf]

Episode 7

Kill The Moon

In 2049, the Doctor and Clara find themselves on a space shuttle making a suicide mission to the Moon. Crash-landing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of corpses, vicious spider-like creatures poised to attack and a terrible dilemma. When Clara turns to the Doctor for help, she gets the shock of her life. Just whose side is he really on?

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 7. Kill the Moon


And then watch this episode's Doctor Who Extra:

Doctor Who lands on the moon... Well, nearly! This week's Doctor Who Extra follows the cast and crew - and some scary 'spiders' - to Lanzarote, finding out what it took to create this stunning adventure!

BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who Extra - Series 1: 7. Kill the Moon

 

[Blackleaf]

Episode 8

Mummy on the Orient Express

The Doctor and Clara are on the most beautiful train in history - the Orient Express - only now it is speeding among the stars of the future! But a deadly creature is stalking the passengers. Once you see the horrifying mummy, you only have 66 seconds to live. No exceptions, no reprieve. As the Doctor races against the clock, he is seen at his deadliest and most ruthless.

Will he work out how to defeat the mummy? Start the clock!

Featuring comedian and TV presenter Frank Skinner as the train's chief engineer Perkins and Foxes as the singer.

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 8. Mummy on the Orient Express


And then watch the Doctor Who Extra show to see behind the scenes. Peter Capaldi, Frank Skinner and Foxes share the secrets of their trip of a lifetime!

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who Extra - Series 1: 8. Mummy on the Orient Express

 

[Blackleaf]

This is the type of case that Mulder and Scully investigate...

Episode 9

Flatline

Separated from the Doctor, Clara discovers a new menace from another dimension. But how do you hide when even the walls are no protection? With people to save and the Doctor trapped, Clara goes against an enemy that exists beyond human perception.

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 9. Flatline

 

[GreenFish66]

Is an Excellent series...Great season...All Time Favorite show!

 

[Blackleaf]

Episode 10

In The Forest of the Night

One morning in every city and town in the world, the human race wakes up to face the most surprising invasion yet. Everywhere, in every land, a forest has grown overnight and taken back the Earth. It doesn't take the Doctor - in a forested central London - long to discover that the final days of humanity have arrived.

Watch it here: BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 10. In the Forest of the Night

 

[Blackleaf]

Those who have been watching this series will know that, occasionally, a character has died and then found themselves in some sort of afterlife, where they have each been greeted by a mysterious woman named Missy.

What all this was about left fans wondering and speculating, but Saturday night's creepy episode, the first part of a two-episode series finale which may make you fear death, explained all...

Episode 11

Dark Water

In the mysterious world of the Nethersphere, plans have been drawn. Missy is about to come face to face with the Doctor, and an impossible choice is looming... 'Death is not an end', promises the sinister organisation known only as 3W - but, as the Doctor and Clara discover, you might wish it was.

BBC iPlayer - Doctor Who - Series 8: 11. Dark Water