Hope your nephew enjoyed ‘The Good Doctor’ and ‘Engines of War’. I enjoyed revisiting ‘The Good Doctor’ recently via the audiobook read by Clare Corbett on Audible.
I’m currently enjoying the audiobook of ‘Ruby Red’ read by Millie Gibson on audio CD.
Yes, it was interesting to see two Ranis appearing at the end of the episode. I didn’t expect Mrs. Flood to bi-generate in the episode. Archie Panjabi seems more vicious as the Rani compared to Mrs. Flood, matching to Kate O’Mara’s version of the character.
On the YouTube link for this Quick Reactions video, I’ve had answers to questions I’ve raised about Mrs. Flood as the Rani from Miranda-Zoya Jones and she makes some very good points. Here’s what she said:
Mrs. Flood/The Rani’s TARDIS could be her house/ apartment with the yard. Remember the only reason the Doctor’s TARDIS stays a blue police box is because it has a missing/unrepairable chameleon/camouflage circuit. Also it is not expected that The Doctor would recognize The Rani, 13 never recognized a time lord during SPY FALL.
I’m currently curious as to who the third member of the Unholy Trinity in the upcoming two-part finale is going to be. There’s Conrad, the Rani (Archie Panjabi and Anita Dobson/Mrs. Flood count as one apparently, according to RTD) and there’s a third member. I’m wondering if it’s the Daleks or Omega. It might be Omega. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long till Saturday to find out the answer.
Oh, that would’ve been marvellous. Sadly, I think the closest we’re going to get is Gillian Anderson’s turn as Bedelia in Hannibal. Otherwise, it feels as though that ship might have sailed by now. A shame. It’s an obvious choice, but the sheer range on offer from her as an actress would’ve left an indelible impression.
All that said, Archie Panjabi has the acidic glamour of Kate O’Mara’s interpretation down pat. Right down to the small touches of body language like the hand on the hip. It’ll be interesting to see how much of the pragmatist will be brought forward into her character. She wasn’t above killing others like some swat flies.
I can’t say I was enthralled by the journey to get here (i.e. the Mrs Flood mystery box), but the destination could prove something rather interesting. The Rani is a chemist with no real interest in domination, only experimentation.
Honestly, I didn’t pick up the rumours that Gillian Anderson was going to be the Rani at any point. Not that she wouldn’t be a good Rani. Quite frankly, I would welcome the casting idea. I’m quite often the last to know about these things and I wasn’t sure if the Rani was going to make an appearance in the series at all. I have revisited the ‘Behind the Sofas’ on ‘The Mark of the Rani’ and ‘Time and the Rani’ to refresh my memory of the character (especially since Bonnie Langford as Mel (who’s going to be in the two-part finale as well) has met the Rani herself), and it’ll be interesting to see how Archie Panjabi will play the Rani, as she’s clearly matching Kate O’Mara’s performance compared to Anita Dobson. I doubt the questions I’ve raised about Mrs. Flood in the video will all be answered, but I’m keen to check out the two-part finale regardless.
I have read about the shake-up in Gallifreyian lore, according to Russell T. Davies, as well as this Ruby/Rani theory that’s been addressed, especially with pictures of a baby held by the Rani, and Millie Gibson’s response to that. I can’t deny I’m a little anxious about this, as there are echoes of a retcon in the air, particularly with what’s been established with the Timeless Child in ‘The Timeless Children’ in Jodie Whittaker’s era, and how people have responded to it. Again, looking forward to checking out how it will play out in the two-part finale and I’m keen to see Millie Gibson as Ruby again. Fascinating preview about the Doctor and Belinda being married in ‘Wish World’. What’s that about? 😀
Eh… Rumour is essentially market speculation. I am long past the day of putting much stock in it (Rupert Grint as the Doctor? Huh?). There was giddy anticipation, I remember, for the return of Missy in the last season among some, which didn’t happen. The wish for Gillian Anderson in the role of the Rani has been a long one. I think it’s been been around for… Gosh, it has to be a decade now, at least, I think? Anderson for the Rani or Charles Dance for the Master. Either could have worked tremendously, but different paths were chosen to different effect.
The Rani is one of those characters that — much like the Toymaker — has tended to be the right idea in the wrong place. In her case, a character that is much better suited to being a free agent acting with or against the Doctor depending on her own motivations, rather than the arch-villain leading the ultimate scheme in the story. Someone entirely self-motivated, who we genuinely can’t predict the allegiances of, until we put her in the room and see what happens.
As to lore… No clue. I do know one thing. We are unfortunately now in the era of the retcon. There’s no getting around it. Immediately, Ruby’s story keeps changing to fit the writers’ needs and, more broadly, Gallifrey has been destroyed/saved at least a half-dozen times now. Day of the Doctor (or, arguably, The Big Bang) was, unfortunately, the nail in the coffin for anything permanent. A great deal of present-day lore has been rewritten down to its toenails since then. Developing something that will stick, and will last, is modern Doctor Who‘s weakness at the moment. For the constructive efforts behind a new UNIT era, there’s the revisionism of Sutekh. It could go either way, but this Disney tenure has been playing it very safe with intergalactic stakes. The big red reboot button is right there.
Apologies in the delay in replying to your recent comments. Greatly appreciate them.
I would welcome Charles Dance as the Master and Gillian Anderson as the Rani, as they’d be ideal in terms of casting. I’d like to think Big Finish can provide them as alternatives in ‘Doctor Who’ audio stories, but I fear it’s a vain hope.
It’s a shame that the writing in ‘Doctor Who’ doesn’t seem consistent anymore, especially when we’ve had character motivations constantly changing like Clara’s as well as the destruction of Gallifrey countless times. As much as I like Ruby, there’s a sense of her ‘happy ending’ being turned upside down. Granted. it was Mrs. Flood who said about Ruby having her ‘happy ending’ at the end of ‘Empire of Death’, but we didn’t know who she was then. I’m looking forward to how Ruby’s story turns out in ‘The Reality War’ and hope it’ll be very good.
There’s a sense of repetition in terms of the structure of the two season we’ve had lately in Ncuti Gatwa’s era, particularly with U.N.I.T. and Mel making appearances in the two-part season finales. I’m holding back on what I think will happen in ‘The Reality War’, but I’m hoping it won’t be disappointing like ‘Empire of Death’ sadly turned out to be.
I feel a lot of missed opportunities have been made in the BBC/Disney partnership, especially when you consider Disney owns ‘Star Wars’ and the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. You’d think Russell T. Davies would take advantage on making the TV show more epic and build up on what he’d set up already in his original era. Not go back to basics or play it safe. It doesn’t seem to be the case which is a real shame, as the positive aspirations I had for RTD as a writer/showrunner have ebbed away over the years. I’d like to think he can prove me wrong in the final episode of Series 15, but I have my doubts. 😦
I do think there are a few layers to this, so let me chip down through them. Come with me:
Ah, but Doctor Who was never really about scale. That’s the thing. If we think back to some of the most effective and enduring storytelling of yesteryear from the series… It’s vignettes, montages, moments of something big, but the things that truly gripped us were in small laboratories, caves, lighthouses, casinos, and elsewhere.
That’s the classic trap of any big-budget project. “It’s bigger than Ben Hur.” But do you remember what Ben Hur was about?
With this new partnership, there’s also… ta-da! The Disney brand. The company has a ruthless reputation in how it treats its animators. Especially those of a diverse background.
I was… unsurprised to see how carefully-manicured the episodes ended up being. The shorter episodic run, too, isn’t a shock. I’m also considering that these two seasons are intended as one full story arc on their own. Not the traditional “one and done” format started by RTD back in the 2000s.
Despite the gloss, despite the budget… I do think the Fifteenth Doctor got off to a rough start. Bi-regeneration trampled what should’ve been a proud solo debut. The actor was forcibly absent during his first season. And the whole ethos of Disney, the idea of seeing the Doctor advertised on animated billboards like a corporate bauble, really sits at odds with what the programme did best. Criticise greed and those in power.
It’s also now being made in the era of “key jangling”. Writers are forced to iterate and reiterate what they’ve said to keep the attention of audience members who aren’t actually watching the series. On their phone, going out the door, whatever. Stories like Andor have thumbed their nose at the idea (to considerable acclaim).
But… On the whole… You have to remember most of all… Doctor Who is being made in conjunction with a currently fascist country that is disappearing people with secret police, lying to its media, and systematically disassembling its own infrastructure. If Doctor Who says something poignant — fantastic, that’s against the odds. If it feels like an insincere theme-park ride… Well, there are reasons for that, too.
Ignoring that in our considerations is a bit like ignoring the Nazi invasion of Belgium’s impact on Tintin. Fleeing to Nazi-occupied France, losing his home, Herge had to write what the Gestapo would approve of, or be arrested. Consequently, Tintin stopped being an investigative reporter (i.e. an enemy of the State) and became an explorer.
Doctor Who was affected by its cancellation crisis in 1986 (The Trial of a Time Lord), Thatcher’s snap election in 1984 (Warriors of the Deep), the industrial relations disputes and power cuts in the 1970s (Shada, et al.)… These things do have an impact.
The Fifteenth Doctor’s era of Doctor Who has gotten away with a shockingly progressive remit in some ways. Probably because it is a co-production. But that’s not a guarantee. I think there is a fine line that it treads so it doesn’t end up like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur — a Disney series that had an episode pulled before broadcast because it criticised transphobia.
The world is not alright, in quite a serious way, and Doctor Who is feeling the brunt of that. As the Doctor himself once noted: “The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views. Which can get pretty uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.”
And that’s not a quote from a comparatively obscure place. That’s Tom Baker as the Doctor, in his heyday, on television, when everyone was watching. This programme was always going to be a problem to people who think, as the Sixth Doctor noted of dystopian Varos, “The truth is a very flexible commodity […] so long as things appeartruthful, that’s all that matters.”
The future of Doctor Who will be shaped by how bad things get here with us, I think, rather than the Doctor.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Disney’s partnership with ‘Doctor Who’ and the way things are going with the world and how it affects ‘Doctor Who’ as a TV series.
I’ve found where that speech said by the Fourth Doctor comes from. It’s from ‘The Face of Evil’, in a moment where a possessed Leela opens fire at the Doctor. Here’s a YouTube video showing that moment, including that speech.
I don’t know what the direction of the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series is going to be once Series 15 has finished. Whether Disney continues to fund ‘Doctor Who’ or not is yet to be determined. I’ll be interested to see what will happen should ‘Doctor Who’ return to TV screens in 2027. Hopefully lessons can be learned to improve the TV show’s quality in terms of the writing. I think Series 15 has improved in some areas compared to Series 14, especially in episode endings. We’ve yet to see ‘The Reality War’ and I hope things will round off satisfactorily.
In the meantime, we have ‘The War Between Land and Sea’ to look forward to. Personally, I would have called that ‘U.N.I.T.’ and have it be a continuation of ‘U.N.I.T.: The New Series’ from Big Finish. 😀
Bradley's Basement 
I bought The Good Doctor for my nephew. Along with others including Engines Of War by George Mann.
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Hi scifimike,
Hope your nephew enjoyed ‘The Good Doctor’ and ‘Engines of War’. I enjoyed revisiting ‘The Good Doctor’ recently via the audiobook read by Clare Corbett on Audible.
I’m currently enjoying the audiobook of ‘Ruby Red’ read by Millie Gibson on audio CD.
Here are my reviews on ‘The Good Doctor’ and ‘Ruby Red’.
Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember rumours that Gillian Anderson would be the next Rani. I was looking forward to that. But I think that these two actresses will be superb.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi scifimike,
Yes, it was interesting to see two Ranis appearing at the end of the episode. I didn’t expect Mrs. Flood to bi-generate in the episode. Archie Panjabi seems more vicious as the Rani compared to Mrs. Flood, matching to Kate O’Mara’s version of the character.
On the YouTube link for this Quick Reactions video, I’ve had answers to questions I’ve raised about Mrs. Flood as the Rani from Miranda-Zoya Jones and she makes some very good points. Here’s what she said:
Mrs. Flood/The Rani’s TARDIS could be her house/ apartment with the yard. Remember the only reason the Doctor’s TARDIS stays a blue police box is because it has a missing/unrepairable chameleon/camouflage circuit. Also it is not expected that The Doctor would recognize The Rani, 13 never recognized a time lord during SPY FALL.
I’m currently curious as to who the third member of the Unholy Trinity in the upcoming two-part finale is going to be. There’s Conrad, the Rani (Archie Panjabi and Anita Dobson/Mrs. Flood count as one apparently, according to RTD) and there’s a third member. I’m wondering if it’s the Daleks or Omega. It might be Omega. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long till Saturday to find out the answer.
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that would’ve been marvellous. Sadly, I think the closest we’re going to get is Gillian Anderson’s turn as Bedelia in Hannibal. Otherwise, it feels as though that ship might have sailed by now. A shame. It’s an obvious choice, but the sheer range on offer from her as an actress would’ve left an indelible impression.
All that said, Archie Panjabi has the acidic glamour of Kate O’Mara’s interpretation down pat. Right down to the small touches of body language like the hand on the hip. It’ll be interesting to see how much of the pragmatist will be brought forward into her character. She wasn’t above killing others like some swat flies.
I can’t say I was enthralled by the journey to get here (i.e. the Mrs Flood mystery box), but the destination could prove something rather interesting. The Rani is a chemist with no real interest in domination, only experimentation.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Wolfie,
Honestly, I didn’t pick up the rumours that Gillian Anderson was going to be the Rani at any point. Not that she wouldn’t be a good Rani. Quite frankly, I would welcome the casting idea. I’m quite often the last to know about these things and I wasn’t sure if the Rani was going to make an appearance in the series at all. I have revisited the ‘Behind the Sofas’ on ‘The Mark of the Rani’ and ‘Time and the Rani’ to refresh my memory of the character (especially since Bonnie Langford as Mel (who’s going to be in the two-part finale as well) has met the Rani herself), and it’ll be interesting to see how Archie Panjabi will play the Rani, as she’s clearly matching Kate O’Mara’s performance compared to Anita Dobson. I doubt the questions I’ve raised about Mrs. Flood in the video will all be answered, but I’m keen to check out the two-part finale regardless.
I have read about the shake-up in Gallifreyian lore, according to Russell T. Davies, as well as this Ruby/Rani theory that’s been addressed, especially with pictures of a baby held by the Rani, and Millie Gibson’s response to that. I can’t deny I’m a little anxious about this, as there are echoes of a retcon in the air, particularly with what’s been established with the Timeless Child in ‘The Timeless Children’ in Jodie Whittaker’s era, and how people have responded to it. Again, looking forward to checking out how it will play out in the two-part finale and I’m keen to see Millie Gibson as Ruby again. Fascinating preview about the Doctor and Belinda being married in ‘Wish World’. What’s that about? 😀
Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eh… Rumour is essentially market speculation. I am long past the day of putting much stock in it (Rupert Grint as the Doctor? Huh?). There was giddy anticipation, I remember, for the return of Missy in the last season among some, which didn’t happen. The wish for Gillian Anderson in the role of the Rani has been a long one. I think it’s been been around for… Gosh, it has to be a decade now, at least, I think? Anderson for the Rani or Charles Dance for the Master. Either could have worked tremendously, but different paths were chosen to different effect.
The Rani is one of those characters that — much like the Toymaker — has tended to be the right idea in the wrong place. In her case, a character that is much better suited to being a free agent acting with or against the Doctor depending on her own motivations, rather than the arch-villain leading the ultimate scheme in the story. Someone entirely self-motivated, who we genuinely can’t predict the allegiances of, until we put her in the room and see what happens.
As to lore… No clue. I do know one thing. We are unfortunately now in the era of the retcon. There’s no getting around it. Immediately, Ruby’s story keeps changing to fit the writers’ needs and, more broadly, Gallifrey has been destroyed/saved at least a half-dozen times now. Day of the Doctor (or, arguably, The Big Bang) was, unfortunately, the nail in the coffin for anything permanent. A great deal of present-day lore has been rewritten down to its toenails since then. Developing something that will stick, and will last, is modern Doctor Who‘s weakness at the moment. For the constructive efforts behind a new UNIT era, there’s the revisionism of Sutekh. It could go either way, but this Disney tenure has been playing it very safe with intergalactic stakes. The big red reboot button is right there.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Wolfie,
Apologies in the delay in replying to your recent comments. Greatly appreciate them.
I would welcome Charles Dance as the Master and Gillian Anderson as the Rani, as they’d be ideal in terms of casting. I’d like to think Big Finish can provide them as alternatives in ‘Doctor Who’ audio stories, but I fear it’s a vain hope.
It’s a shame that the writing in ‘Doctor Who’ doesn’t seem consistent anymore, especially when we’ve had character motivations constantly changing like Clara’s as well as the destruction of Gallifrey countless times. As much as I like Ruby, there’s a sense of her ‘happy ending’ being turned upside down. Granted. it was Mrs. Flood who said about Ruby having her ‘happy ending’ at the end of ‘Empire of Death’, but we didn’t know who she was then. I’m looking forward to how Ruby’s story turns out in ‘The Reality War’ and hope it’ll be very good.
There’s a sense of repetition in terms of the structure of the two season we’ve had lately in Ncuti Gatwa’s era, particularly with U.N.I.T. and Mel making appearances in the two-part season finales. I’m holding back on what I think will happen in ‘The Reality War’, but I’m hoping it won’t be disappointing like ‘Empire of Death’ sadly turned out to be.
I feel a lot of missed opportunities have been made in the BBC/Disney partnership, especially when you consider Disney owns ‘Star Wars’ and the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’. You’d think Russell T. Davies would take advantage on making the TV show more epic and build up on what he’d set up already in his original era. Not go back to basics or play it safe. It doesn’t seem to be the case which is a real shame, as the positive aspirations I had for RTD as a writer/showrunner have ebbed away over the years. I’d like to think he can prove me wrong in the final episode of Series 15, but I have my doubts. 😦
Many thanks,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do think there are a few layers to this, so let me chip down through them. Come with me:
Ah, but Doctor Who was never really about scale. That’s the thing. If we think back to some of the most effective and enduring storytelling of yesteryear from the series… It’s vignettes, montages, moments of something big, but the things that truly gripped us were in small laboratories, caves, lighthouses, casinos, and elsewhere.
That’s the classic trap of any big-budget project. “It’s bigger than Ben Hur.” But do you remember what Ben Hur was about?
With this new partnership, there’s also… ta-da! The Disney brand. The company has a ruthless reputation in how it treats its animators. Especially those of a diverse background.
I was… unsurprised to see how carefully-manicured the episodes ended up being. The shorter episodic run, too, isn’t a shock. I’m also considering that these two seasons are intended as one full story arc on their own. Not the traditional “one and done” format started by RTD back in the 2000s.
Despite the gloss, despite the budget… I do think the Fifteenth Doctor got off to a rough start. Bi-regeneration trampled what should’ve been a proud solo debut. The actor was forcibly absent during his first season. And the whole ethos of Disney, the idea of seeing the Doctor advertised on animated billboards like a corporate bauble, really sits at odds with what the programme did best. Criticise greed and those in power.
It’s also now being made in the era of “key jangling”. Writers are forced to iterate and reiterate what they’ve said to keep the attention of audience members who aren’t actually watching the series. On their phone, going out the door, whatever. Stories like Andor have thumbed their nose at the idea (to considerable acclaim).
But… On the whole… You have to remember most of all… Doctor Who is being made in conjunction with a currently fascist country that is disappearing people with secret police, lying to its media, and systematically disassembling its own infrastructure. If Doctor Who says something poignant — fantastic, that’s against the odds. If it feels like an insincere theme-park ride… Well, there are reasons for that, too.
Ignoring that in our considerations is a bit like ignoring the Nazi invasion of Belgium’s impact on Tintin. Fleeing to Nazi-occupied France, losing his home, Herge had to write what the Gestapo would approve of, or be arrested. Consequently, Tintin stopped being an investigative reporter (i.e. an enemy of the State) and became an explorer.
Doctor Who was affected by its cancellation crisis in 1986 (The Trial of a Time Lord), Thatcher’s snap election in 1984 (Warriors of the Deep), the industrial relations disputes and power cuts in the 1970s (Shada, et al.)… These things do have an impact.
The Fifteenth Doctor’s era of Doctor Who has gotten away with a shockingly progressive remit in some ways. Probably because it is a co-production. But that’s not a guarantee. I think there is a fine line that it treads so it doesn’t end up like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur — a Disney series that had an episode pulled before broadcast because it criticised transphobia.
The world is not alright, in quite a serious way, and Doctor Who is feeling the brunt of that. As the Doctor himself once noted: “The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views. Which can get pretty uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.”
And that’s not a quote from a comparatively obscure place. That’s Tom Baker as the Doctor, in his heyday, on television, when everyone was watching. This programme was always going to be a problem to people who think, as the Sixth Doctor noted of dystopian Varos, “The truth is a very flexible commodity […] so long as things appear truthful, that’s all that matters.”
The future of Doctor Who will be shaped by how bad things get here with us, I think, rather than the Doctor.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hi Wolfie,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Disney’s partnership with ‘Doctor Who’ and the way things are going with the world and how it affects ‘Doctor Who’ as a TV series.
I’ve found where that speech said by the Fourth Doctor comes from. It’s from ‘The Face of Evil’, in a moment where a possessed Leela opens fire at the Doctor. Here’s a YouTube video showing that moment, including that speech.
I don’t know what the direction of the ‘Doctor Who’ TV series is going to be once Series 15 has finished. Whether Disney continues to fund ‘Doctor Who’ or not is yet to be determined. I’ll be interested to see what will happen should ‘Doctor Who’ return to TV screens in 2027. Hopefully lessons can be learned to improve the TV show’s quality in terms of the writing. I think Series 15 has improved in some areas compared to Series 14, especially in episode endings. We’ve yet to see ‘The Reality War’ and I hope things will round off satisfactorily.
In the meantime, we have ‘The War Between Land and Sea’ to look forward to. Personally, I would have called that ‘U.N.I.T.’ and have it be a continuation of ‘U.N.I.T.: The New Series’ from Big Finish. 😀
Many thanks and Best wishes,
Tim 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person