Doctor Who was at San Diego Comic Con today, which means that Hall H was full of sonic screwdrivers and eleven-foot scarves! Peter Capaldi already visited fans who were camping in the line last night, and a panel with the Doctor, Jenna Coleman, Michele Gomez and Steven Moffat has left fans buzzing. Here’s what went down!
Capaldi called the crowd in Hall H “cosmic” saying he’d never been in front of so many people (over 7,000) in his life, which got everyone cheering. When asked about how Moffat and Capaldi arrived at the Twelfth Doctor’s crankiness, Moffat claimed that the differences between each incarnation of the Doctor is down to the actor, and that you end up writing toward their performances.
About the show, Capaldi said: “It’s the only show that’s in my bones very deeply. It’s the only one that I’ve followed since I was six years old.” He said that doing the Pompeii episode (back in Season 4) was amazing enough, and that he asked David Tennant to show him the TARDIS and got teary.
Chris Hardwick of Nerdist (the panel host) joked that Clara sort of “dom’d” the Doctor in that last season, which is a pretty eyeroll-worthy way of putting such intriguing character development. But Coleman handled the point well, saying that Season 8 was about the Doctor and Clara figuring each other out all over again and in the upcoming season they will have a more sure dynamic.
When asked about playing the Master, Gomez said that she’s the best friend that you love to hate, that she and the Doctor have a great friendship gone wrong. Moffat agreed that they weren’t really arch enemies, but they butted heads–that it was a friendship between “a vegetarian and a hunter.” Capaldi said “She distresses him terribly” and that he’s still pleased to see her. Gomez added that it was the purpose of the Master’s life to follow the Doctor around the universe saying “You started it, I’m right.” All of these things sum up their relationship pretty damn well, I’d say.
Then the panel showed the Season 9 trailer! Oh wow, it’s awesome.
Of playing the Doctor, Capaldi said: “I think the first time I felt like Doctor Who was when they threw a rubber spider in my face and said ‘fight it.’”
Hardwick asked why the Doctor had such an “open-door” policy on the TARDIS last season, letting so many people in. Moffat claims he’s getting lenient in his old age. Coleman claims that the upcoming season will see Clara teaching the Doctor how to interact with humans better.
Audience questions opened up, and a fan asked about the possibility of a female Doctor. Moffat said that Capaldi wasn’t going anywhere, but that the appearance of a female Master should make his stance on the possibility clear.
Capaldi made mention of Susan! He said that the Doctor had a special bond with Clara, but that he’d like to see his granddaughter again. *tears*
Gomez said that the Master will come back into the Doctor’s life in an unexpected way next season. Regarding their kiss last season, she said, “The question is who kissed who, and who hung on and just didn’t let go?” (The Doctor, of course.)
Someone asked about whether or not Capaldi would beat Matt Smith and the oldest Doctor (meaning longest lived, I think), and Moffat says that we’ll get an answer to that coming up. Capaldi claimed that he didn’t realize how much the show was loved overseas, and that it’s been wonderful getting all the love for 50-years-worth of Doctor Who pointed right at him.
And there you have it! Definitely pumped for Season 9 now!
