Comic-Con 2013: ‘Doctor Who’ Panel

Matt Smith may leave ‘Doctor Who’ behind by the end of the year, but judging by the mammoth excitement from the panel at Comic-Con 2013, the future of the series remains well intact. Steven Moffat brought along Smith, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Marcus Wilson, Mark Gatiss and David Bradley to preview the major ‘Doctor Who’ milestones of the coming year, so what did we learn amid all the excitement from fans in attendance?

First and foremost, you’d better believe there was a ‘Doctor Who’ 50th anniversary special trailer with returning stars David Tennant and Billie Piper! Moffat made the room swear to secrecy as with the recent ‘Sherlock’ panel, so we’ll only share a few key bits. Lots of explosions, and running, with some good moments for Billie Piper, but far and away the best part about the trailer was the chemistry and banter between Matt Smith and David Tennant.

On that note, we were told that no casting decisions had yet been made on Matt Smith’s replacement, but consider Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) back in play as a possibility for the 50th anniversary!

The panel also offered up a first look at “An Adventure in Space and Time,” staring ‘Game of Thrones’ Red Wedding orchestrator David Bradley (“for some reason, the wedding invitations have dried up"), which tells the real-life story of actor William Hartnell originating the central role of ‘Doctor Who.’ Hopefully, that trailer will make its way online as well.

Here were the best bits from the various Q&A portions of the ‘Doctor Who’ panel at Comic-Con 2013:

• Craig Ferguson hosted the panel, introducing Steven Moffat as “the bastard who killed Amy and Rory.” Moffat later said of the infamous couple’s fate “They died in their 80s. How much more merciful could I be?"
• Moffat kept predictably tight-lipped about the series itself, especially the 50th Anniversary special, but did offer "there are certain things we've been setting up for a very long time and they will be resolving in the 50th anniversary.”
• One recurrent topic was that of the Doctor’s unresolved sexual tension with his companions, which Smith says depends on which actor is within the role, describing his own as more flummoxed around women. Coleman called the character “asexual,” eliciting jeers from the crowd. Still, a snog isn’t outside the realm of possibility!
• Future episodes might shoot in America, as Smith expressed a desire to shoot the Christmas Special here, but Moffat retorted they’ve only started to write it, and would want a specific reason to shoot in America.
• On Captain Jack’s potential inclusion with the 50th Anniversary special, Moffat answered a fan question with “And how do you know what is or is not in the 50th?" Moffat admitted to “lying his ass off” in past interviews, but promised that Captain Jack could come back if they had a good story idea for him.
• Smith admitted his desire to play “The Master” if not the Doctor, while Coleman jokes about playing Strax, despite Moffat’s insistence she would be too short for it.
• "It's supposed to be scary," Moffat said of the frightening imagery of the show, which often evinces any gore or blood. “When I was a kid, I was proper terrified of 'Doctor Who.'"

That’s all for ‘Doctor Who’ at Comic-Con 2013, but what say you? Are you more excited than ever for the 50th Anniversary special, or are you too bummed out about Matt Smith leaving by the end of the year? Stay tuned for future ‘Doctor Who’ announcements, and give us your predictions and casting picks in the comments!