Doctor Who - Discussions on Season 5 onwards

It happened way back in 1965 - an episode featuring the Daleks and not the Doctor, which served as a prelude to the Dalek Masterplan story ( http://www.gallifreyone.com/episode.php?id=ta )

Thanks for that info Andrew. I have been checking other websites for news of the Christmas special. From what I have seen, it looks very exciting. Does anyone have any idea what the mysterious Episode 12 Title will be yet? I think it might be:

That's too revealing.

Boomtown wasn't the 'lite' episode for series 1 - as much as any was, it was The Long Game.

The Doctor-lite/Doctor-less episode was introduced when the filming commitment for each series went from 13 to 14 episodes (adding the Christmas special). Within the 8-9 month filming commitment for the principal actors it was deemed well-nigh impossible to fit the main actors into 14 episodes within the constraints of scheduling and risking over-working actors who already work long days.

This year's Doctor-less episode features two companions, one of whom will be seen very little in the previous episode due to the scheduling of filming these two episodes.

In the days when Who filmed for almost the whole year in the Hartnell years, there were a fair few weeks when one or more of the main actors would be missing from an episode (or replaced with a 'knocked out' double) while on holiday.

Plus, as has been noted, the one episode with none of the regular crew in.

I really don't see what your problem is. It strikes me that working within these scheduling constraints adds to the creative challenges which the team is generally successful in living up to and overcoming.

That's why the title is secret. RTD said the title reveals far too much about what happens in the episode. (Radio Times).

Neil, I don't have "a problem" just a viewpoint. The doctor-lite episodes don't spoil my enjoyment of the programme, Dr Who is my favourite show! However I am grateful to you for pointing out the reasoning behind them. All I am saying is I would prefer 12 episodes featuring all the regulars. That said, Love and Monsters was rubbish but Blink was superb. Turn Left will probably be very good but RTD,s imagination does occasionally get the better of him!

The title of the 12 episode will not contain any Ds, this was mentioned in Doctor Who Magazine. The two main titles being mentioned on the internet are;

and

The second is more likely.

If the two titles you suggest are the likely ones that the actual title will be, I can't see why they're so secret considering the trailer has gone out revealing daleks and davros. I think it will be more revealing. This is what it says in Radio Times:

"It's the big finale! And the title of Episode 12 is being kept secret as it gives away too much......."

Last Of The Timelords was quite a revealing title as it indicated that either the doctor or the master would die. the two titles in the spoilers in the previous post (especially the second) is not as revealing as suggested. That said, I am thouroughly enjoying this series. So far it has been, in my opinion the best yet. However, the season 2 finale was sheer brilliance in terms of suspense and the season 4 ending promises to be just as good.

Quickly going back to tonight's episode, anyone else seeing a link between the psychiatrist and River Song?

Professor Moon, River Song.... Moon River is a Song?

Or am I reading into something stupid there?

Not really - 'the last of' can also be used for a plural, as in, "The Doctor and the Master are the last of the Time Lords."

Also, I believe with all of the second-to-last episode titles so far, the title has been marked as "To Be Announced" until within 7 days of the broadcast - 1.12 was Bad Wolf , 2.12 was Army of Ghosts , 3.13 was Last of the Time Lords . All of these have revealed something important about the finale, so this is nothing new.

On the other hand, RTD may decide to have a little fun and be cryptic with the title.

If it was going to be genuinely surprising, and the title is three words long where no word begins with D, I want it to be

But you DO get 12 episodes with the regulars - plus one extra (thirteenth) episdode which allows us to enjoy something different with a bit of a twist but from the same 'stable' therefore in the same style.