Who's who?

[cdave]

I feel like the Likely Lads trying to avoid the result of the England Bulgaria match before the highlights show.

I really don't want to know that there is a new Doctor, let alone who it is. It spoils the dramatic tension, as I know he's going to regenerate soon.

So far I've been warned by two separate Maxes to avoid Saturday night TV (unlike 7 million viewers who tuned in to find out), Livejournal (out of the first 8 posts on this, only two were cut tagged), and to be wary around the Today programme.

[Poll #1325686]

So far I've caught a glimpse of a photo in my peripheral vision on a webcomic blog and in today's Metro, but caught the headlines, and fled both times. So I know it's someone with dark hair, who I don't recognise out of the corner of my eye.

Comments

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

Voting for Sunday as I reckon it'll be sometime this week UNLESS someone nefarious interprets this message as a chance to annoy you by text/comment/email.

[cdave]

I nearly turned comments off, but that would have been a bit paranoid.

[(Anonymous)]

Can I vote if i'm not a LiveJournal user? Doesn't look like it, so i'm voting "Today" - this is _far_ more difficult than the Likely Lads thing.

But i'm going to spoil it for you - they've announced today that the winner of Celebrity Big Brother gets the gig. So hopefully that means either the shortest doctor ever, or the one with the biggest breasts.

Neil of neillydone.blogspot.com

[eviljules.livejournal.com]

You're lucky you don't work with kiddies. I heard the very *second* it was announced.

...Then again - I've known for a while anyway ;o)

[cdave]

iBon'll be so mad with you.

[surliminal.livejournal.com]

I have to say I find this totally weird. you know there's going to be a new actor now, you don't know the plotline or even when it's gonna happen, so what's to lose from finding out who the actor is? You're gaining nothing and losing out on the fun of being part of a Big Communal Cultural thing, plus the anti-ci-pation. (I sound irritated cos I was on hol with someone who had your aproach and I couldn't even discuss it with him which drove me mental!!! :-)

So if you want to avoid knowing yeh being in Marrakech and not visiting a cybercaffe is probably the way to go..

[cdave]

And now that I know there's a new actor I won't be thinking "I wonder how they'll get away!" I'll be thinking "I wonder how the writers will have got everyone else out of trouble, but left the Doctor to die?". In itself an interesting question, but a bit to meta. It's thinking about the plot, rather than being immersed in it.

They handled the last regeneration really well in that respect.

I guess you're right though. Nothing else plotwise can really be spoiled by finding out who he is. It's just a mixture of petty sticking to no spoilers, and partially trying to keep the surprise where it's intended.

The dramatic reveal should have the most impact when it happens in plot.

My flatmate's a huge Dr Who spoiler fan, and seeks out every piece of gossip and advance news on what's coming up. To me, that doesn't make sense. When you watching something that often uses dramatic reveals and twists, then surly knowing their coming means you never see it properly. It's like watching a repeat.

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid you should avoid my last entry as I did not put the new Doctor under a cut. I figured that what with it being announced on TV and on giant screens across the country and being all over the BBC News website, no one would ever manage to avoid it - it's one of those things which is so ubiquitous it doesn't seem worth trying to treat it as a spoiler.

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

Yup, yours was one of the 8 posts I counted.

Let me put you out of your misery

[(Anonymous)]

... I can't sit on it any longer ...

Ronnie Corbett is the next Doctor!!!

[tregenza.livejournal.com]

I considered trying to avoid finding out who the Doctor was going to be but figured it was pointless. The news was going to be unavoidable.

However I do try to avoid all other knowledge about DW. I like to be surprised. We don't even watch the 'Next Week' previews at the end of the episode.

It annoys me that the BBC seem to take great pride in spoiling surprises. Such as plastering the Doctor + Darleks / Cybermen etc on the cover of the Radio Times.

[cdave]

Yep. I hide behind the sofa for those bits.

I was watching the season one DVDs (while wrapping prezzies), and they've got the coming next time bits on them too. So I watched them then.

I think it must be just as annoying if you've spent all episode waiting for that spectacular thing in last week's "coming next time" and it turns out to be the cliff hanger at the end of the episode. Making it a fortnight's wait. At least it was when I used to watch Mysterious Cities of Gold as a kid.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

Most people won't recognise him even when it's not out the corner of their eye.

[davidataylor.livejournal.com]

I'm quite impressed that you've escaped it for this long - I only managed 5 hours or so.

I agree that it'd be nice if they'd kept it secret until it happened, but I think it's impossible these days - someone would sneak a cameraphone pic of them filming and it'd be all over the interblags in seconds.

[cdave]

True. But I don't tend to run across many spoilers in the normal course of things. And I think most LJers would cut a camera phone pic type spoiler.

I do see the point that if it was on prime time BBC1 then the normal rules of spoiler cut have passed.