Unusually, if memory serves, we've been granted two full-length trailers this year in the run-up to Series Nine (which is still a month away!). While a few clips are the same as the one released last month, it's mostly all-new material. Let's watch the new trailer and then take a closer look at what it has to offer...
A lot of the minute is made up of the Doctor and Clara doing Doctory/Claray things (I particularly like the Doctor apologising to the TARDIS for being late and Clara's clearly been taking lessons from Torchwood's Gwen Cooper on how to be an action-hero). On the supporting characters front, there's a shot of a scared-looking Rigsy (returning from last year's 'Flatline') and, I think, we also see the impossibly-resurrected Osgood out for a jog.
But the most important thing are the monsters - and there seems to be a bumper crop this year. Including this CGI dragon thing. As the Zygons are back, this could be the modern rendition of a Skrarasen, the Zygons' pet that was actually the Loch Ness Monster. If so, I sort of miss it looking like a rubbery toy dinosaur...
Also, of course, this fella who's on loan fromPan's Labyrinth
We also get more glimpses of Maisie Williams' character, who appears to be in league with this leonine creature (who elsewhere in the trailer breathes fire). A relation of the Tharils, the lion-like aliens from Fourth Doctor adventure 'Warrior's Gate'?
And look what have we here. It seems the Master and the Daleks will team-up (or perhaps go head-to-head) - for the first time since the Third Doctor battled them both in 'Frontier In Space.' If I were a Dalek, though, I'm not sure I'd be pals with Missy if she was cackling in my face like that. Unless I'd just told a hilarious joke. Which I wouldn't have done, being a Dalek.
But trumping even the promise of Missy and the Daleks is more Daleks! Namely, Daleks old and new coming together. Below we have the usual bronze Time War Daleks, some 60s models (including a couple with blue domes), a Special Weapons Dalek and even the red Dalek Supreme from 'The Stolen Earth/Journey's End.' Oh, and there's a 70s one elsewhere in the trailer. Just about everyone apart from the despised Paradigm Daleks. One day they'll come back...
Overall, this trailer just fuels my already very high hopes for Series Nine. From what we've seen so far, the Twelfth Doctor has settled down into himself this year and he and Clara are back to having good times rollocking around the universe. To misquote Clara, I haven't seen this series yet - but I will do and it will be spectacular.
Thanks to the geek mecca that is Comic Con, last night we were treated to two sneak peaks at the upcoming episodes of Sherlock and Doctor Who. Over on Sherlock's Home you can read my analysis of the clip from the Christmas special (which looks to tick all this Holmes fan's boxes) but in this post I'll continue a Scribble Creatures tradition and take a closer look at the first trailer released for Doctor Who Series Nine. Have a butcher's at it below and then read on for some analysis:
'Everytime I think it can't get any more extraordinary, it surprises me...'
The trailer gave us some glimpses at the settings of the Doctor and Clara's adventures this year. For one, there seems to be an underwater compound - a great setting for a classic 'base under siege' Doctor Who story.
But even more mouth-wateringly, there is this shot of a very Dalek-looking city (notice those bumps). The trailer revealed the fact that the Daleks are back so perhaps we are making a return visit to their home planet, Skaro, last seen in 'Asylum of the Daleks.' Skaro is an irradiated, barren world so the following shot, which sees the Doctor and allies being fired at by some familiar laser beams, could be the Dalek homeworld too.
'It's impossible.. it's evil... it's astonishing'
Going by the trailer, the set of monsters this year look set to be the most sinister bunch yet. According to the BBC press release, we know one of them is called the Mire. I'm guessing the possessor of the Zombie hand...
With their long hair, space-age helmets and eye thingies the
following fellas must be the 'Vikings in space' that Peter Capaldi
mentioned recently. It is thought that they will appear in the
two-parter 'The Girl Who Died' and 'The Woman Who Lived.' Along with
these rocky robot types we have seen previously.
Then there's this cosmetically-challenged chap who looks as if he is on Karn from 'The Night of the Doctor.' He is also in the vicinity of a red-robed figure, the usual attire of the Sisterhood of Karn. What could be going on there?
Speaking of returning things, there is also a bumper crop of familiar foes this year. Alongside the aforementioned Daleks (they never give up, do they?), we also have Missy back to plague the Doctor in the opening episodes 'The Magician's Apprentice' and 'The Witch's Familiar.' Who knows what - hang on, she's not going to team up with the Daleks, is she? Only time will tell...
Of course, we also have the third appearance on the show of the shapeshifting Zygons. The BBC have described the Zygon two-parter as 'a global Zygon uprising.' Perhaps, after 'The Day of the Doctor', Zygons agreed to peacefully integrate with humanity - but now they have changed their minds...
'I'm the Doctor and I save people.'
The Doctor seems set to be more at peace with himself this series. He's smiling, hugging Clara and Peter Capaldi's showing his punk rock roots in the shot of the Doctor wearing sunglasses with a guitar.
Elsewhere we can see the new costume the Doctor will be wearing for at least the early part of this series - the hoodie from 'Last Christmas' plus some Patrick Troughton-inspired chequered trousers.
'What took you so long, old man?'
Now, here's what's set Who fans' minds racing. Game of Thrones favourite Maisie Williams was previously theorised to be playing a younger version of Clara but now it has shifted to to her being a relative of the Doctor's, due to her 'old man' comment. Perhaps Jenny, the Doctor's Daughter previously played by Georgia Moffett in, erm, 'The Doctor's Daughter'? Others are saying Susan, the First Doctor's granddaughter, but I would have thought her return would have happened in the nostalgia of the 50th anniversary year if it was ever going to.
Regardless of her true identity, Ms Williams' get-up here seems to confirm the rumours that she will play a highway(wo)man who encounters the Doctor and Clara. She is set to appear in 'The Girl Who Died'and'The Woman Who Lived' - even though that is presumably the Vikings in Space episode. Perhaps she'll become a companion?
Doctor Who - don't you just want to kiss it to death?
The clock really is striking Twelve as the début of Peter Capaldi's Doctor is right around the corner, with more and more stuff coming out about this series (both officially and, ahem, illicitly). Yesterday, Who fans everywhere brought the internet down when the first full-length trailer for Series Eight was released (what do you mean there was some sort of big sporting event happening too?). So, in grand Scribble Creatures tradition, I'm here to breakdown the trailer to see what is in store for the new man...
Oh, but first, you might want to see it.
So, now that you know what I'm talking about, let's shed some light into this darkness...
'Life Returns... Life Prevails!'
The most recent mini-trailer, which featured a Dalek voice talking about souls and beauty, started rumours that the Daleks' creator Davros could return. While I personally don't agree with said theory, we had more evidence for the new series featuring a more eloquent Dalek (or maybe a whole bunch of them) in the first dialogue heard in this trailer - 'LIFE RETURNS... LIFE PREVAILS!' went the Dalek voice with a more nuanced delivery and certainly a wider vocabulary than usual. Only time will tell what this means...
The trailer also offers us a glimpse at a revamped TARDIS interior. Unlike the transition from David Tennant to Matt Smith and then later Matt Smith to, um, Matt Smith, the console room hasn't completely regenerated but it is subtly different. The green glow of the Time Rotor has been replaced by an orange one and it can be seen that more home-y additions have been implemented such as bookshelves, suggesting the feel of Matt Smith's first TARDIS.
Plus, it's going to be on fire at one point. I hope they've added a fire extinguisher.
Old Friends, New Foes
The only episode we know anything concrete about (and if you're someone who's sought out the episode online - everything about) is the series opener. Titled 'Deep Breath', it sees the newly-regenerated Doctor and Clara return to Victorian London and to their old pals the Paternoster Gang. Fun fact: in her one line in the trailer, Vastra says 'here we go again...' This is exactly what the Brigadier said upon the moment of the Third Doctor's regeneration into the Fourth. Yes, I do know too much about Doctor Who. But you're reading me meticulously picking apart a minute-long trailer so really you're just indulging me and it's all your fault.
Moving on. What would a new Doctor Who series be without new monsters? Nothing that's what. So let's take a look at the latest monstrous villains and alien enemies that the Doctor will face.
This cyborg (or perhaps robot covered in human skin) presumably appears in the opener alongside Vastra, Jenny and Strax going by their visibly Victorian clothing. They're the first of what appears to be a very cybernetic collection of monsters (more later). But this one has what looks to be a flame thrower for an arm so he might just pip the rest. Flame throwers are cool, as ol' Eleven would say! Oh, what did I go and do that for. I need a moment...
Robot number two here seems to be a fan of top Who monsters, the Cybermen and the Daleks, as its metal skin slightly resembles the Cybus Industries Cybermen while its striking blue eyes are the colour of a Dalek's eyestalk. You know, whimsicality aside, a monster that takes parts from the Doctor's other deadliest foes is quite an idea. Hmm, Steven Moffat, if you're reading this and something similar appears in the next series I want to be made co-Executive Producer. And be given a BAFTA. And perhaps a yacht.
This handsome fella is the only alien alien seen in the trailer and he seems to be rather a treat, with his eyes on stalks (but not in the Dalek way). In fact, it looks like the Doctor is giving it a staring contest. Expect that episode to be a tense forty-five minutes. Don't blink, indeed.
Say hello Robot Number Three! Going by the background, perhaps a castle or a monastery, it looks like this robotic ragamuffin has shacked up in a historical location, possibly the medieval setting said to feature in the Mark Gatiss written episode this year. Interestingly, the robot's helmet and prominent cross resembles the look of English Knights from the Crusades that went on in that period.
And finally, we have... dinosaurs! For such a popular extinct race of creatures, they're a surprisingly rare thing to find on Doctor Who. For instance, the last time they appeared was... last series. Ahem, yes.
Ah, I hear you cry (I mean, I imagine that you cry. Don't check behind that vase. I promise there is not a bug hidden there) those Dinosaurs were on a spaceship, this adorable little predator is trampling through the streets of London. That's never been done before.
To this, I have to awkwardly look away and mumble that you are mistaken. Third Doctor story 'Invasion of the Dinosaurs' featured... Dinosaurs in London. Unlike that story, however, it seems Mr. T. Rex here will appear in Victorian London in 'Deep Breath', with the cyborg man and the Paternoster Gang (alongside Capaldi's first full appearance, this is turning out to be a packed episode!), going by the steam and hat seen in the image above. Also, there's this shot in the trailer of the skyline of a Victorian-looking London. Look close enough, and you may find something out of sorts...
'Into Darkness...'
But you don't want to know about all this. The only question on your lips (apart from 'how did he get that bug in here?) is: what will Peter Capaldi be like as the new Doctor? The trailer, though only short, does give some hints. True to the rumours and scant comments we've had so far, he looks set to be a very different Doctor from the last two. A darker, more sombre Time Lord, who, rather than despair over the losses of his past, seems to actively want to atone for them. The heart of the trailer, and more tantalising than any of the clips of monsters and the new TARDIS (as fun as they are), is the short speech the Doctor gives Clara in the TARDIS - handily presented on this dinky photo for your pleasure.
In dialogue presumably taken from the first episode or one of the first, even the Doctor seems unsure of his new nature asking Clara,'Tell me, am I a good man?'
So while everything is still bathed in mystery until 23rd August (well, for most of us), only one thing is certain...
Yes, yes, it's the Olympics. Yes, yes, Britain's winning some golds. But, really, the excitement of everything happening in London 2012 is nothing to the excitement packed into these one and a half minutes! If you haven't seen it yet today - you are way behind the times but I'll forgive you - I won't spoil anything until you've seen it. Then we'll get into what we can pull out about the coming episodes.
So, here you go. Here's the first full-length trailer to the NEW SERIES OF DOCTOR WHO probably starting this month. At long last...
To quote the Doctor himself; 'I know!'
Wow, is still all I can say after seeing this several times. Daleks, Dinosaurs, New York, River Song, Daleks, Lestrade from Sherlock, Baby Weeping Angels and Daleks - this trailer has it all! But, for the moment, I'll try and calm down to look at what treats we have in store very soon...
The TARDIS seems to have landed in the Asylum of the Daleks (the only episode title we know as of yet)itself - right in the heart of the action! As we've been promised for ages, this episode, the series opener, will feature every Dalek ever. By the signs shown in this trailer, it looks like the episode is sure to live up to expectation. We've got that wonderful snowy landscape in this one plus that awesome moment at what is presumably the end of the episode; 'Who do you think?'
'Dinosaurs ... on a spaceship!' There can't be many more audacious lines in Doctor Who than that. And there's also rumours it's the title. We've got Triceratops! Raptors! Other sorts! Plus, on what looks like the same set we've got Rupert 'Lestrade' Graves in a hat and an Egyptian woman. Only in Doctor Who...
The Doctor. In the Wild West. With a Stetson! On Horseback! Wonderful shot from the third episode of the series which looks very impressive in terms of scale. By the looks of things it also involves a cool-looking cyborg cowboy. And, if that wasn't enough, the Doctor mentions the Master in one of these clips too!
See him? Behind Matt Smith. No, that's Rory. The other one. Got him? It's only Mr Weasley! Yes, the trailer also gives us our first glimpses of Mark Williams as Rory's Dad. As a fan of companions' families, I've missed that from Moffat's series but it looks like Mr Williams (as he shall now be known) is getting really stuck into the action. What are those robots about? This clip could either be from episode two or four as Rory's Dad is in both. If it's from episode two though, that will mean there's nothing of episode four in this trailer. They are obviously keeping that well under wraps.
And here he is. That infamous baby Weeping Angel, as fans are now labelling him. Whether he really is remains to be seen but he can guess that he is indeed from episode five of the series which is Amy and Rory's final adventure. From this trailer, we know River shows up in a trilby, there's a creepy old decaying Angel and proper, proper New York! They're definitely pulling out all the stakes for the Pond's final farewell...
Well, don't they all look amazing? Going by the trailer, one thing this series isn't going to be small on is scale. We've got awe-inspiring snowy landscapes, an army of Dinosaurs, Spain mocked up as the plains of the Wild West, Times Square and a truck-full of Daleks! On a more personal level, it's interesting to note the hints of the darker aspects of the Doctor's personality resurfacing. As a big theme of Series Six, the Doctor was shown to be nonplussed by his reputation as a dark warrior throughout the universe but it seems like he may be about to accept it. He derides his own mercy in that Wild West scene and in the last seconds of the trailer we are led to believe (whether it is him or not) that he has killed all the Daleks - something he banished a copy of himself to a parallel world for doing in Journey's End (2008).
Now, let's all put cold compresses on our heads, relax and calm down. There's no need to get ourselves in a hype just yet. We've still got... JUST 23 DAYS UNTIL DOCTOR WHO IS (PROBABLY) BACK ON! Wow, that's soon. The TARDIS is flying in the skies and is about to land back in our living rooms very soon. Where it belongs.
