Thankful for New Who

2016 has been a long year, especially without any new episodes of Doctor Who.  With the holiday season approaching, I am so thankful that our Who drought is ending soon!  Lets take this time to get ready for the new adventures and our new companion!

Pearl Mackie
Actress Pearl Mackie will be playing the new companion, Bill.  Per usual, we're not seeing much of what she'll be like in Doctor Who before the episodes air, but we can get to know some of her past work.

She has a theatre background, appearing in plays such as A Mad World, My Masters and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.  On TV, she was in an episode of the BBC series Doctors.  Masters, dog, doctors?  Was she made for Doctor Who?  She also appeared in the film Svengali and the music video for the Years & Years song, Real.

I'm not that familiar with Pearl, but I'm looking forward to getting to know her better as Bill.

Matt Lucas
Now Matt Lucas is someone we're all familiar with.  He entered our Whoverse in The Husbands of River Song, and I'm happy he'll be back this Christmas as well as for more in series 10.  Even before Doctor Who, he made me laugh with his characters from Little Britain and appearances on British panel shows.  But I still remember the first time I saw him in Bridesmaids.

Sarah Dollard
I'm thrilled Sarah Dollard will be writing again for Doctor Who in series 10.  She was brilliant with Face the Raven (I still cry every time I watch it), and I can't wait to see what else she'll come up with.

Peter Capaldi
Of course the best part of the return of Doctor Who is the return of the Doctor.  He really hit his stride last series, and I can only imagine it will get better and better.  As much as I love Peter Capaldi's Doctor, I couldn't help myself and had to re-watch his other character I love in The Thick of It.  Such a fun reminder that he's not just a great Doctor but also a great actor.

Steven Moffat
This will be Steven Moffat's last series with Doctor Who.  He probably has some bold, grand plans in mind.  And with his mind, who knows what that will bring us.  I'm sure it will be quite an adventure.  So let's get this adventure started!

Get your Who fix audio play-style

With no new Who until Christmas and news of Steven Moffat leaving after series 10, I'm feeling a bit of withdrawal and separation anxiety.  What am I going to do for the next 10 months?!?!?!

Found a solution - Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish.  That's how I'll get my fix for new stories of the Doctor, played by the Doctors and his companions themselves!

There are lots of audio plays already out, voiced by actors from both the classic and reboot series, and even more exciting adventures coming soon.  Here are the ones I can't wait to start, and they're available for order or pre-order on Amazon through the links below:

10 and Donna together again!  The Doctor-Donna chemistry was phenomenal on screen, and I can't wait to hear David Tennant and Catherine Tate back in the TARDIS in these stories being released later this year:

   
   
   
The Return of River (or is it the introduction?)  It's no secret that I've fallen under the spell of River Song.  Any time Alex Kingston reprises her role of this mysterious archaeologist, I'm there!  And how do they deal with the timey-wimey of her meeting the 8th Doctor?

   
The War Doctor fights on.  One of the best aspects of the 50th anniversary was bringing John Hurt into the Whoverse.  With just one television episode, he brought life and depth to an incarnation of the Doctor we didn't know existed, and he left us wanting more.  Now we can get more - more John Hurt, more War Doctor, more adventures:

   
   
The stories above are just my top picks to start.  There are so many more available - we'll be well occupied during the TV hiatus.

Love and the Doctor

Love is a major theme in the Doctor Who reboot - romantic love, unrequited love, platonic love, unspoken love, unquantifiable love . . . the list goes on and on.  With Valentines' Day coming up, let's look back at some of the moments of love between the Doctor and his companions.  What were your favorites?  What would you add to the list?

That legendary moment where Rose declares her love and the Doctor says...

When Martha found the strength to accept that she would find love elsewhere, and it was time to leave the TARDIS...

The Doctor feels it's best to be upfront about what he wants from a relationship with Donna.  Just need to make sure his words are heard clearly...

He'll always remember his wedding day with River, when time literally stood still...

The Doctor's love for Clara can overcome any betrayal...

In the end, it's always these two together...