Talk:Eighth Doctor

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Infobox pic

Is this still the best we can do?

It was decided by discussion some time ago that the infobox pic was the best possible pic we could have of McGann, given his singular performance. Now that he's had two performances, though, the question can be opened up again. Anyone have strong feelings as to whether the image should be from the TVM or Night of the Doctor?
czechout<staff /> ☎ ✍  01:02: Thu 28 Nov 2013

Even if Eight's appearance towards the end of his life is more representative, Night of the Doctor simply does not have the best lighting. If a well-light left-looking image of Eight from NOTD can be found, though, I'm all game.
--SOTO ☎ 01:10, November 28, 2013 (UTC)

I suppose one question I'd have to ask, seeing as how I'm only somewhat familiar with the Lucie audios and none of the books or comics: is it the TVM or Night appearance which is more representative of everything else in those 17 years in between (prose and comic depictions, and any narration describing how Eight looks in audio), particularly short hair versus wig? -- Tybort (talk page) 01:41, November 28, 2013 (UTC)

In the Short Trips stories, he is described as having shoulder length curly brown hair. Shambala108 ☎ 02:06, November 28, 2013 (UTC)

If you want a pic from NOTD would this do?

Will this do?

- MrSiriusBlack ☎ 14:43, December 18, 2013 (UTC)

If not, what about this --> [[1]] from the TVM? MrSiriusBlack ☎ 14:47, December 18, 2013 (UTC)

Here are some guidelines to what we look for in infobox pictures: Tardis:Guide to images. Unfortunately, the image you've suggested here doesn't quite meet the guidelines. It's not close-up enough, and it's a bit dark. Shambala108 ☎ 15:21, December 18, 2013 (UTC)

Probably a bit premature to actually be suggesting pics. The question before to start with is just whether we should stick with TVM or choose something from TNOTD. Let's settle that first before we go putting up a lot of alternative images.
czechout<staff /> ☎ ✍  23:05: Wed 18 Dec 2013

I like the look of Eight from the Night of the Doctor, patly because the production values that time around were greatly superior to the movie where its always grainy and he looks a bit off--Storm ^{Long nights lay ahead.} 21:03, December 19, 2013 (UTC)

Well, I don't see much in the way of grain in the current pic. I'd assume that the Doctor Who Restoration Team would have sorted that out for one of the DVD releases, but the movie's not fresh in my mind. To me, unless there's really good evidence that, as SOTO says, the end-of-Eight's-life era is more representative of Eight in general, the one from the tele-movie we have (which itself has a lot of dim shots throughout as I recall) is just better lit than most NOTD images I've seen taken. Keep in mind that what's legible in a thumbnail is not the same as what's legible in the image's "original" size. -- Tybort (talk page) 21:58, December 19, 2013 (UTC)

Continuity

He goes through a list of his previous companions in chronological order, and places novel companions before audio ones.

When does this happen? I have recently re-listened to the entirety of the Company of Friends(including Mary's Story), and while he mentions various companions, there's no "chronological list".

Console Room

"the first to radically and completely transform the console room" What happened to the Fourth Doctor's cool wooden one? Doesn't that count? -Aochider ☎ 23:54, March 8, 2014 (UTC)

There is no 'three year break"

I posted this on the Theory Timeline Eighth Doctor. And here it is again.

It is received wisdom that there is a "three year gap" between Bounty (audio story) and Vampire Science. This article states as much. However, that is nonsense. Examining what the Eighth Doctor Adventures (and other material) in question 'actually say, we discover that there is no such thing.

Placing the Eighth Doctor comic stories(DWM) after The Gallifrey Chronicles makes no sense.

1) DWM refererd to the "newly-regenerated" Eighth Doctor for Endgame. And in The Glorious Dead Part 9, The Master says:

"In the past few months alone you have warped the Holloway woman's future(The TV Movie), shattered Sato's honour(The Road to Hell) and attempted to murder the benevolent Kroton(The Company of Thieves). "

So, the Doctor Who Magazine comics come very soon after The TV Movie, and everything from The TV Movie to the end of The Glorious Dead takes place over "a few months". To say nothing of the Threshold storyline. Would the Threshold wait for the Doctor to have centuries of other adventures before saying "Remember us?" Of course not.

2)And as stated, the Eighth Doctor Adventures make it clear what really happened between Bounty (audio story) and Vampire Science.

i)In Seeing I, Chapter 12:

"She shook her head with a grin. 'Ahh, come off it. You were taking side trips even when we first got together. It was three months for me, three years for you..."

ii)In Placebo Effect, Chapter 3:

"Sam laughed. 'Who's getting hitched?'

'Two dear friends of mine. I haven't seen them for a while.'

Sam raised an eyebrow. 'Anyone I know?'

'No. No. I don't think so. They...travelled with me for a few months'.

'How long ago?'

'Ah. Well. Promise you won't get upset?'

Sam's other eyebrow raised. 'Oh yes? This sounds good'.

'Remember not long after we first met, and I dropped you off at that Greenpeace rally in Canada?'

'Uh-huh'.

The Doctor smiled. Sheepishly. 'Well, you know that while only a few hours passed for you-'

'You'd been gone nearly a year of your time. Yes, I remember'.

'Well, I met them then.' The Doctor took the book back. After we parted, they stayed together. Very romantic, I suppose. "

iii)And Vampire Science, Page 160 actually says:

"One day he dropped me off at a rally, and when I got back he told me he'd just popped off in the TARDIS for a while. A pretty long while, actually - like a year."

iv)While the "three years" is the Doctor's age since regenerating(in The TV Movie), from Page 206 of Vampire Science:

" 'Well, I don't know who he was I'm still not sure I know who you are.' He moved as if to get up, and she reached out to his shoulder to keep him there. 'There are all these basic little things you still haven't told me yet. I mean - how old are you?'

He thought for a moment, counting back through the months. 'Three.'

'What?' She sat up and stared at him. 'Three what? Centuries? Three oogleplexes? What?'

he shook his head. 'No, no, three years. I'm sure I heard Sam lecturing you about regeneration.'

'Well, yeah but-'

'It's all perfectly simple. That's how long it's been since my last fatal accident. That's when this body was born.'

'No, no, no. I mean how old are you really? All your lives together.' Good grief, she thought irritatedly, it sounds like you're interviewing Shirley MacLaine.

'Well, I'm not really sure. there's some question of whether I lost count.'

'Round it off, at least.'

He started frantically counting on his fingers. 'Um, about...'

'Come on, it can't take that long to-'

'...one thousand and twelve.'

Silence.

'Carolyn?'

This was sensible, it was logical, when someone's lived a bunch of lives in succession it's reasonable for them to go past a normal human lifespan. She really should have thought about this before - it was obvious really. There was absolutely no reason for suddenly to be feeling cold.

He moved over until he was sitting next to her. 'It's a big number, isn't it?' he said quietly.

She nodded without a word.

He smiled gently. and the corners of his eyes crinkled up. 'I know. That' why I prefer three'. "

So, there is no "three year gap". This is sort of equivalent to the Eleventh Doctor and Clara. They travel together for a while, he drops her off at home, travels alone(or with other companions), then returns and travels with Clara, then drops her off, and travels alone, then...

The Eighth Doctor aged three years from The TV Movie to Vampire Science. However, he travelled off and on with Sam during those three years. And his sheepish smile suggests that this "nearly a year" gap which included his travels with Stacy and Ssard, as well as (from Page 20) "Met up with some friends. Saved Earth from alien invaders. Hung around with an old archaeology chum of mine"(The Dying Days) is the longest of these "side trips".

Or to put it another way, there is no chance of using one of these gaps for where he travelled with one companion for "three or four years", as well as the travels with Mary, Samson and Gemma.

It must go something like: The TV Movie-The Eight Doctors-The Dying Days-Eighth Doctor comic stories(DWM)-Radio Times Comics-Doctor travels with Sam again-Totem-Doctor travels with Sam again-short stories where Doctor is travelling alone-Doctor travels with Sam again...Master of Spiders ☎ 16:01, April 5, 2014 (UTC)