Yeah, I caught that in the credits and thought it awesome.

I also have fantasies of 11 hanging out with Donna at some point -- she'd never have to know as long as he kept her clear of spooky woo woo. That could be a fun episode, The Doctor moving heaven and earth to keep Donna away from weirness only to have her sleep through yet another cataclysm.

That's such a great idea! I sort of have a weird feeling that Donna, out of all the RTD companions, might come back because I saw an interview with Steven Moffat somewhere online where he just gushed about how great Donna/Catherine Tate was.

Is RTD really correct in assuming that future writers and showrunners won't want to use any of the old cast? (With Donna maybe being the exception.)

So, I'm 9 minutes into this "Demons" thing, and so far it seems to be about the kid being shirtless.

Is RTD really correct in assuming that future writers and showrunners won't want to use any of the old cast? (With Donna maybe being the exception.)

Well, I wouldn't say forever, but one assumes that there's no plans for the immediate future (except, obviously, the characters that live on Torchwood and SJA.) But, considering Doctor Who's longevity, Lord knows what'll come around again. I mean, Sarah Jane popped back up after, what, more than 20 years?

I'm personally still holding out for Ace to return.

So, I'm 9 minutes into this "Demons" thing, and so far it seems to be about the kid being shirtless.

Yeah if only the kid could act. The rest of the cast can act; in finding someone for the starring role can did they really need to prioritize looking good shirtless over acting ability; I mean is the UK really short of 17 years olds who can do both? I supposed given the script quality there was no point in bothering, but then why bother hiring competent people for supporting roles?

So, now I'm at "you have a destiny, blah blah blah" then "I have a choice", etc.

Now, i wonder, who has to die, the mother or the girlfriend?

Is RTD really correct in assuming that future writers and showrunners won't want to use any of the old cast? (With Donna maybe being the exception.)

I think that's why my gut reaction to the self-indulgent goodbyes was that it was RTD saying "you can't play with my toys. I've given you a clean slate, Moffy, now go make your own toys."

Because the opposite is what I loved about Nine's transition. Rose (omg, I just typed rover) was there for both, she bridged them, so there was something familiar while viewers adjusted to the new guy. And the whole thing about time travel, and he's not dead . . .

I wish there wasn't that meta-feeling, because I get that while the Doctor remains, Ten will be gone, and before the Doctor becomes 11, Ten wants to say goodbye, and for Ten it is the last time that "he" will see them, with his eyes, and his quirks and emotions and whatnot. I get that there is a form of finality. But in the grand scheme of time and the Doctor, it's not over, so with this big long goodbye, it would be weird if the next day 11 popped back into town and said "Hullo! I'm the Doctor! Let's go grab some chips!"

Weird from a viewer standpoint, at least for me, having seen, you know, the big long goodbye of emo angst with eyeliner and bells on. Not from a storypoint, because he totally could. Go back and see them or bump into them or they into he.

Is RTD really correct in assuming that future writers and showrunners won't want to use any of the old cast? (With Donna maybe being the exception.)

Did he say that? I didn't think it was his assumption but other peoples, um, assumption of his assumption. Any writer with the slightest imagination could riff off of any of those vignets.

I'm not getting what's so dreadful about him having a Doctor version of "dying in bed surrounded by fat grandchildren" He's spent the past however long saying he needed to be alone and at his death he realized he did not, he went ahead and loved them. It was good old-fashioned character arc, imho.

Did he say that?

I was actually asking if that was a reasonable interpretation. I always thought one of the point of the Doctor (even the original) was that the past was never really dead, that anyone could be a continuing character. I mean I don't see why Donna and Martha and Rose and Donna's mother shouldn't continue to pop up. They could just write everyone out and start fresh, but having established all of this back story why wouldn't they take advantage of it?