From TVScoop:
Doctor Who sensation! Those series four finale rumours in full
I don't know about you, but I'm still reeling from last night's episode of Doctor Who. It was pretty big and daft, but really brilliant. John's review will go into more depth than I dare (go here for all of John and Anna's ace reviews), but really... did you see a regeneration coming? No! of course you didn't, even if you are the Doctor's biggest fan. If you have a quick scout around the interwebby, the rumours about what happened and what will happen have already started spewing forth. As is the way in these things, there are some good juicy rumours, so let's have a look over the jump to see what the fans are saying...
1. There's much more to Donna than meets the eye.
A lot of people think that the scene where Donna's heartbeat(s) are heard (where there multiple heartbeats?!) is very significant indeed.
There was this on Behind The Sofa:
"For all we know, it'll be revealed that Donna was adopted, has always carried a fobwatch around with her that Grandad Cribbins gave her one Christmas which he found on the doorstep with her as a baby and those non-diagetic heartbeats are the first sign of the cockerney regaining her timelord senses before regenerating into River Song."
And, a commenter from Planet Gallifrey said this:
"also harking back to donnas first episode... the racnoss lady did call her the "secret heart" - maybe it was important in this whole 'donna is the most importnat woman in the whole of creation'"
I've always thought Donna was important.
And then there's this:
"I think a potential clue to what may be coming is the mention of Calufrax. The planet was mentioned as one of the 27 that was stolen. It was also "stolen" by The Captain in the original series as part of the Key to Time serial. Seems an awfully big coincidence. That was an episode that featured Romana (Queen of the Timelords or something). Could be a nod to her return. Dona did seem to have a moment of recognition just after Calufrax was mentioned. Could be she's Romana and doesn't yet know it."
Someone else is thinking that Donna could be the regenerated Master. Is she wearing the same ring as the Master? Are those the drums she hears the same as The Master? Is Donna a 'new' Timelord? My head hurts.
2. What or who is The Threefold Man?
Mad Dalek Caan said something about The Threefold Man. Could this mean that the Doctor will 'split' into three Doctors. This commenter on Behind The Sofa speculated:
"Having watched 'Dr Who confidential' previous Doctors who have had dealings with Davros were interviewed including Peter Davidson and Silvester McCoy, Silvester being in his Doctor Who outfit. Could they be both returning as the 'Threefold man'?"
3. The Doctor will regenerate into...
David Morrissey. That's what I read somewhere. David Morrissey is a very good actor (last seen in Cape Wrath). If he does regenerate, it'll be caps off to all involved because of their excellent secret-keeping abilities.
4. The Doctor will not regenerate.
Calm down, everyone. It's all a big hoax. For some reason the regeneration doesn't happen and David Tennant will remain as the Doctor. DT has been seen on the Christmas special set and has said he'll be in the four specials to appear next year.
5. The shot of the Doctor's hand is significant.
Another poster on Planet Gallifrey:
"As far as the regeneration, my guess: Once the Doctor splits in two (the other being what formed from his hand), one of the Doctor's stays behind with Rose in her universe. The real Doctor will return to our universe. That is why we have two Doctors on the beach, as has been spotted. It will be a bittersweet ending, with the real Doctor giving up his love, but Rose and the Doctor still united." [I did actually notice the hand in the jar, like something out of Futurama. And then, when the Doc is lying on the floor of the TARDIS he reaches up with his right hand first... cue long, lingering shot of hand... important? Oh dear, even I've started this speculation thing now!]
Those seem to be the most interesting rumours, but we haven't even touch on the significance of the Osterhagen Key (sp?) and which of the Doctor's companions will buy it. Sets itself up quite nicely for next week, wouldn't you say?
From the Guardian:
A new Who? Who knew?
The Dr Who team has sprung a completely unexpected plot twist on viewers. A coup rarely achieved these net-savvy days
June 30, 2008 12:45 PM
Now, who saw that coming? As the Doctor gasped "I'm regenerating", there must have been countless others up and down the country gasping "No way!" For the end of The Stolen Earth was that rare thing indeed nowadays: the genuine, jaw-dropping, outta-nowhere cliffhanger.
It may be that there's some Dana Scully-esque rational explanation for the whole thing and/or Donna's going to make it all alright somehow and the David Tennant Doctor hasn't really breathed his last; the filming of the Christmas special is going to take some explaining otherwise. But as discussed over on organgrinder and mused upon here, the mere possibility that a new Doctor is imminent (in this reality or an alternate one) is tantalising indeed. Moreover, the coup that the Who production team has pulled off in keeping secret the regeneration, genuine or not, is impressive. Even with closed sets, stringent security and multicoloured photocopies of scripts, it's harder than ever to keep a secret in television. Today, you'd be hard-pushed to keep under wraps the existence - let alone the details - of a cliffhanger and its reveal. Can you imagine the world wondering Who Shot JR? today? I'm not sure I can.
It's the blessing and the curse of the internet that it's easy to find out What Happens Next in your favourite show, especially if it's a US import, as the temptation of foraging for spoilers is often too strong to resist. That said, I managed to avoid reading episode guides to Damages before watching it and I'm doing well to avoid any inside knowledge of Battlestar Galactica's big finish, but it takes some doing.
Not knowing what is about to happen is as rare as hens' teeth but it's a thrilling ignorance. Or is it? Do you find the temptation too enticing to resist? Do you go off trawling for spoilers, Googling for gossip only to feel all soiled once you've found stuff out and spoiled your future viewing? Have we become too keen on instant gratification to contemplate waiting for weeks and months for the resolution of a story? (It's weird to think, is it not, that back in the day, months and months elapsed between US and UK transmission of series.)
Put another way, is the problem not that there are so many spoilers out there - amid the completely unsubstantiated, entirely fabricated gossip, that is - but that it's harder to care about such things now? With programme makers now often complicit in the leaking of vital plot twists and with the art of storytelling seemingly in its death throes, do you care about anything enough to be on tenterhooks about it? Then again, perhaps that's what live shows such as Big Brother and The X Factor, in which the tension is genuine and the ending unwritten, are for.
Finally, and not quite finale-related, from the Daily Mail:
David Morrissey to star in Doctor Who Christmas special featuring deadly CybermenLast updated at 16:30 22 April 2008
Actor David Morrissey appeared on set alongside David Tennant as the pair filmed the next Doctor Who Christmas special.
Dozens of fans gathered in the grounds of Gloucester Cathedral to catch a glimpse of the stars of the popular BBC sci-fi show.
David Morrissey filming the Christmas special of Dr Who in Gloucester on Monday
David Tenant, the 10th Doctor, was seen with the cast in period costume engulfed in a fake snow storm on the early evening shoot
College Green was covered with artificial snow for a scene filmed on Monday, in which mourners in Victorian costume marched in front of a horse-drawn cart carrying a coffin.
Tennant was dressed in the Doctor's trademark ankle-length brown coat, while Morrissey was in kitted out in full period garb - a tan knee-length jacket and red waistcoat.
It is unclear who is in the coffin ? but at one point Tennant stands by with a grim expression and watches the hearse pass him.
Secrecy surrounds the storyline, but it's believed to feature the Cybermen - the Doctor's deadliest enemies
Who's that on the phone? An extra takes time out and, right, David Tennant
A security guard sat in front of the Tardis, which was tucked down a nearby alleyway, covered by a white sheet.
Tennant waved to the crowds as the crew prepared the intricate set and covered the surrounding historic buildings with fake snow.
Secrecy surrounds the Christmas episode's storyline, but it's believed to feature the Cybermen - the Doctor's deadliest enemies.
Gloucester is often used as a film location because of its historic buildings ? the Harry Potter films have been shot in the cathedral.
Mysterious: pallbearers shoot the funeral scene, but the dead person's identity has been kept under wraps
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