Whovians! The Doctor and his team have burst onto the scene at San Diego Comic-Con. Today, BBC America presents the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary panel featuring Doctor Who stars Matt Smith and Jenna Coleman, award-winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, An Adventure in Space and Time star David Bradley, and award-winning writer/executive producer Mark Gatiss.
Starting us off, the crowd demonstrated their enthusiasm for the series by holding up their sonic screwdrivers in a show of Who solidarity. We were then treated to a montage of the series traveling through and celebrating fifty years of the Doctor, at the conclusion of which the hall erupted into near hysterics.
Host Craig Ferguson then jumped off with a fitting, “Hello, Sweeties,” letting us know he’d been a lifelong fan. And…here comes the panel! Producer Marcus Wilson, writer/producer Mark Gatiss, star of an Adventure in Space and Time David Bradley, Doctor Who EP Steven Moffat, new companion Jenna Coleman and The Doctor himself, Matt Smith.
Before the chat began a teaser recap of the series was screened concluding with the 11th Doctor’s run, which inspired many tears in the crowd, particularly during the recap of the bittersweet good-bye between the Girl Who Waited and her Raggedy man. The footage concluded with mystery Doctor John Hurt’s chill inspiring, “What I did I did without choice, and in the name of peace and sanity,” followed by Smith’s rejoinder, “But not in the name of the Doctor.”
Moffat then addressed the grief many felt over the loss of Amy and Rory, to which he rejoined, “They died in their 80’s! How much more merciful could I be?!” He went on to confess that he still feels thrilled to be a part of the show, and remains, always, a fan.
Bradley addressed the fact that he has become hated by the Game of Thrones fans quipping, “The wedding invitations have seemed to dry up.” (He plays the villainous Walder Frey on the HBO show.) After a brief chat on the project An Adventure in Space and Time, in which Bradley plays the first Doctor, William Hartnell, we saw a trailer for movie.
The film looks to be a jaunt back into the heyday of 60’s BBC television. What we glimpsed of the tale of the advent of this now globally beloved British science-fiction series had a familiar bittersweet tone. There is magic in there, passion and coincidence, but also loss, as the actor playing The Doctor comes to realize that he too is replaceable, even when he feels he needs, “just a bit more time”…
The panel then moved on to a discussion of the 50th Anniversary Special and upcoming Christmas Special which will mark Smith’s exit, and the regeneration/introduction of the new Doctor. “It’s been a fabulous journey and I take with me best friends,” Smith said. “I think we’ll make the Christmas special one of the most moving. I’m determined to make it a real belter.”
“No pressure,” joked Moffat, “I’m on page 20.”
Ferguson then talked about chemistry between the various Doctors and their companions, noting the intensity of the connection between David Tennant’s Doctor and companion Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). “Dave’s Doctor is more swashbuckling with the ladies,” Smith noted. “Mine is a little more flummoxed. River is the ultimate alien. Then Clara comes along and she brings a different thing. I think he’d have more chance of snogging Clara.”
“He’s a bit asexual, your Doctor,” Coleman said, to which Ferguson rejoined, “I think there are a lot of young ladies in here who would disagree with that.”
And then, the big 50th Anniversary, exclusive to Comic-Con trailer reveal!
It opens on Smith saying, (and I'm approximating here, so forgive me) "I’ve had many faces, many lives, not all of which I admit to. There’s one I try to forget." We then go through a 3-minute overview of an adventure that looks to primarily focus on a team-up between Smith and Tennant's Doctor's, the return of Rose, and a journey through the "Dark Doctor's" (John Hurt) past during the Time War. The chemistry between Smith and Tennant is palpable, and the special looks to be everything we could want and more as fans if that trailer is anything to go by (though, it's impossible to please every fan of this series.)
At the close of the trailer we hear a voice say, “I'm looking for the doctor,” to which Tennant replies, “Well you've certainly come to the right place."
Ferguson then moved on to audience questions. Some highlights included:
- Smith noting that his favorite moment from Series 7 was when Clara is visiting all 11 Doctors in "The Name of the Doctor." Whereas Coleman loves the Tadis on a cloud and the spiral stair case which lead to it. “There's something so fairy-tale about it," the actress said.
- When asked if they'd ever return to shoot in America Smith "went on record" saying that he wants to shoot the Christmas special in America. Moffat said they may return, if there is a strong enough reason. Wilson noted how unprepared the American crew was for the massive popularity of the show when they were on location. Gatiss said there should be story where there is an alien invasion at Comic-Con “Who would know, they could just walk about,” he joked. Moffat noted that the Doctor Who experience would likely come to the U.S. when there are more viewers here. Smith noted that American Who fans are "louder," which he loved.
- When asked, Moffat said he usually gets other writers to write the more historical episodes “because it involves research.”
- On the differences between the Doctors, Moffat said, "There is only one Doctor. He has lots of different faces, but there is only one. He lives in the moment all the time. He’s a creature of the moment, he never looks back or he’d be staring all day. He’s every age at once as well, a child, a teenager, a middle aged bore all at once. Matt has done the best job of combining the old man and the child in every moment. Also, he doesn't know he’s the hero – he’d be really surprised that there was a show about him – he’s a big kid and an old man at the same time. He later added, "The Doctor should be mysterious, he doesn't tell you everything, in fact he’s barely told you anything. It's been fifty years and he hasn't properly introduced himself."
- When asked why Captain Jack wouldn't make a special guest appearance in the 50th Moffat said, "We can’t put everybody in the fiftieth." Adding, "You don't know what's in it, anyway. I have lied my ass off for months. You know nothing – don’t make presumptions. Anyway, it's always story driven. If we have a great idea for Jack he’ll come back, if not he wont."
- When asked which role they'd like to play on the show (aside from their own) Smith said The Master, Jenna would play Straxx and Moffat would want to be the Doctor, always the Doctor. Bradely mentioned he had a great time working on "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" and that seeing the Tardis gave him a shiver. "I’d play the Doctor," he said. "All I wanted was that one day I'd be able to tell grandkids that I was the Doctor," he concluded.
- Moffat noted that he loved the farewell to River Song, and then was surprised that people hadn't noted that this was the first time we see the Doctor kiss anyone else – not get kissed. "He does it clearly with lustful intent."
- When asked if there is every a moment where he felt he'd gone too far, Moffat replied, “Yes and then we put it on television.” Adding, "Who is supposed to be scary, healthily scary, but kids rate it by how scary it is." Though he did note that there would be no gore, "It wouldn't feel like Doctor Who," he said, "We kill people discretely and nicely."
- Smith concluded by saying, "This has changed my whole life, I've made some of my best friends, and since I’m on my way out, I just want to say thank you.”
The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special will premiere November 23, on BBC America. As part of the celebrations in November, An Adventure in Space and Time will tell the story of the genesis of Doctor Who, with David Bradley starring as the first ever Doctor, William Hartnell.
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