I thought this looked really good....till I remembered it stars Matt Smith. I'll try again, I promise...

ooh look 1000's of daleks how will the doctor escape, ooh look all the daleks are dead

I may be in a minority, but I'm definitely more looking forward to the new series of Merlin than the new series of Doctor Who. The latter's last couple of seasons have been pretty poor, but I put that mainly down to the unlikebale companions.

I like both series. I don't think we need to choose.

Doctor Who is the one I download and burn.

Weren't they retiring the Daleks for a while?

They didn't (really) show up last year. I think that's about as much as you can ask for given how expensive the Dalek license is.

I like the trailer. Its good.

Looking forward to this season, agreeded there were a few shaky moments form the last series but on the whole I've grown to like Matt Smith, and with the BIG 50th coming up I really hope they bring back Tennant and Eccestlon and McGann is possible.

Doctor Who will return Saturday September 1. Probably at 7PM opposite Red or Black on ITV1.

Merlin probably returns Saturday October 6.

Just so people know...

Asylum of the Daleks (episode 1) is brilliant. Easily the best Dalek episode they've done in years.

So, as I never read promo material, just wondering if it was widely known that Jenna Louise was debuting in this episode or had they managed to keep it hushed up?

Oh.. is she the new assistant then?

It was all kept pretty quiet as far as I was aware.

Will be interesting to see how she becomes the assistant after this episode.


To update on the series, there will be just 5 episodes shown in this run, so there are just 4 more, the final one being shown on the 29th of September, which is the day they launch Merlin series 5, so it's the Doctor Who finale and Merlin premiere on the same day.

Then there will be the Christmas episode and then it'll be back in the Spring.

Well that was okay.
I could see the Oswin reveal coming miles away, but it wasn't bad.
Still, I feel that they could've done much more with the setting of an asylum for daleks.
The thing at the very end was just stupid though.
The constant chanting of Dr.Who was a bit cring-worthy. It was a bit too obvious 'Ooh, look at us saying the title of the show!'.
Also, Moffat seems to have forgotten that it was the Silence that needed to forget the Doctor.

No it was hushed up. They spent a bit of time at the press screening specifically asking people not to mention it.


Actually The Silence need to think he's dead. An additional part of that story arc though (which was touch upon again in this episode) is that The Doctor has become 'too big' and that he inspires too much fear and hate in his enemies. The idea is that he makes people more dangerous and so by being unknown he can't do that.

I'm sure all the papers said the new companion joined the series in the Christmas episode. Thought she was called Clara or something (certainly not Ozwin). That had me totally confused which partly spoiled my enjoyment of the episode (as I spent too much time trying to work out why the new companion was in this episode when she wasn't supposed to be). I thought maybe they were doing as they did with Karen when she was cast as May by using someone who'd already appeared in the show but as Jenna Louise hadn't been in the show they cast her as Ozwin then decided to cast her as the new companion (to be introduced in the Christmas episode).

Are Amy and Rory just going to go home after every episode now until they leave?

They announced the new companion as being Clara Oswin, so it seems to be the same person, she just went by her surname in this episode.

Or I guess she could be the twin of Clara or something.

She says twice it's Oswin Oswald. Not Clara Oswin. That was clearly a clue though. I think the 'Clara' name's false. So if people saw a character list for the episode. They wouldn't know it was the same person. Hence the Oswin surname. It was kept very secret. 4 different screenings. So it's fantastic that fans and press kept it secret.

I love the 'Remember' then look to the camera. I literally die! Interesting to see how they will make her the assistant. It's all wibboly wobbly timey wimey stuff remember. Anything can happen.

I loved the episode. I love the Daleks forgetting. Doctor Who? Is clearly the 'Question' talked about so much last series. And also. Millions of Daleks Crying out Doctor Who. Isn't going to help his 'Play dead' thing for The Silence.

Gutted there are only 4 more episodes left until Christmas. Looking forward to see what's coming though.

It was just meh, tbh.

Moffat must go.

And I can't wait till Adam Rickitt takes over as the Doctor. Squeeee!

I thought it was brilliant. Great use of the Daleks.

We were told there wouldn't be a story arc this season (which I thought was great!) but was that a lie.. is Oswin gonna turn up in some form every episode?

I really enjoyed it but it felt really short for some reason. Maybe it was the pacing.

Well the first five episodes, while individual stories, all lead up to the departure of Amy and Rory so it's sort of a story arc.

As far as I'm aware the BBC haven't officially announced any details regarding Coleman's character. My understanding is that the Clara name came from people who may or may not have been milling around the set during shooting for the Christmas special and everyone just ran with it.


There's always a story arc. I think the point was that it wasn't going to be as big as last years was. And Oswin might turn up again before Christmas. She might not.

For those that want to be obsessive though there was rather a lot about memory and remembering written into Asylum of the Daleks. And remember was Oswin's last word of the episode...

It wasn't the BBC who said it, it was a few Doctor Who crew members at a Comic Con, so it's very possible it was just something they said to get people talking.

How would they make Oswin being the new companion work? Go back in time?

I kinda wish they'd get a more mature companion. Someone around Donna Noble's age.

I think Matt Smith's Doctor would work brilliantly with a mature companion. I'd love to see someone like Celia Imrie taking on the role. An older lady with a twinkle in her eye.

Gotta say, after an IMO somewhat lackluster first episode, Doctor Who came back in force.
Loved tonight's episode.
Nefertiti and Rory's dad were great and the Mitchell and Webb robots were hilarious.
And both Ponds were good as well (Amy especially).
Some obvious foreshadowing of the Ponds leaving too.
And there was some fairly dark Doctor going on towards the end there, as he basically executed Solomon.

Indeed a very good episode this week.

I was somewhat dubious about the whole dinosaurs on a spaceship thing but actually it was a really good fun. Its also good that they explained why the Ponds aren't travelling with The Doctor anymore. That was a nice little dialogue exchange between the Doctor and Amy.


I'm not sure the show is compatible with a 60+ companion.

Watched it while quite tired after getting home late so was not fully alert but did enjoy it. Really pleased Rory's dad got a look in and it's a good job he did go as they would never have been able to fly the ship home (what are the chances of that?).

My grumble this week is I just wish Amy & Rory would just leave, its starting to become a tedious part of the show where Doctor has to go and pick them up at the beginning and then drop them off at the end. I liked it more when they were always on board and the TARDIS was more uncontrollable and they had no idea where the were landing.

My plus note is that I think its a great idea to have slightly different opening titles each week.

It was great to finally see Rupert Graves show up on DW. And the kiss was an unexpected bonus. With the robots it all had a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy vibe to it.

"Untitled Web Series"

Haha Kev. Thanks for that. The guy playing the Doctor type isn't bad. The girl isn't good. Accent is terrible. The Circuit Chaps made me giggle! Not bad at all!

So great to see Ben on Dr. Who.

Terribly OT - but there was a great programme on the radio with Jon Pertwee last night which I urge any fan of his to listen to. Most fascinating.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00bd...th_Jon_Pertwee/

The star of 'Doctor Who', 'The Navy Lark' and 'Worzel Gummidge' entertains an audience with his one-man biographical show.

Yes,I would agree,nice to see Ben Browder(Farscape) back on our screens again.

Apart from the Cyborg speaking with - what was it? Romford? - a most earthly accent, I really enjoyed this. It was a change from the usual joking, jumping about and shouting for no good reason. About a third of the way through, it turned dark and reflective. I thought it was very good indeed.

I'm not sure I liked A Town Called Mercy.

I appreciate what they were trying to do with it but on the whole it felt a bit lacklustre and anti-climactic. I just don't think the story particularly worked and equally I think they wasted a great setting on a pretty uneventful episode.

I'm sure I didn't like it. It was too preachy for my taste. It was also the second (or third ) time that Amy used the line that the Doctor should not be travelling alone. Maybe you should've thought about that before you and Rory decided to stop travelling with him

I don't mind that too much since they're presumably building to some kind of pay-off on that front during the next couple of episodes.

With that said I'm enjoying this run so far. The big stand alone episodes is a nice change of pace to the last couple of series (although the series arcs there didn't bother me its just nice to have a change of gears) and its allowed them to overtly build each episode around a big concept – Daleks, dinosaurs in space, Western – and that in turn has given each episode a nice unique feel and vibe. I think however my big disappointment is that A Town Called Mercy wasn't the big Western I was expecting/hoping it would be. It was a bit too much tell and not enough show.

Next week looks very good though.

So presumably this is/could be where the 'Carla' confusion surrounding Oswyn came from? Unless it's planted as a deliberate connection to become clear later.

Another very good episode this week with The Power of Three that rather brilliantly balances the feel and dynamic of an RTD era episode with the feel and dynamic of the Moffat era. There are a couple of brilliant montages as well. The one minor complaint is that it could have done with another 5-10 minutes to effectively wrap everything up which in turn means that primary invasion story loses a little weight. It does however squeeze a lot of content into 45 minutes and manages to foreshadow the Pond's farewell next week very effectively. I think it might also be one of Matt Smith's best performance to date. Ostensibly its an episode about the Ponds and their life with and without The Doctor but its very much Matt Smith's episode.

Also another neat little change to the title sequence this week and the trailer for Angels Take Manhattan is pretty good.

Hmmmmmm...


Started off not liking it much.
The Doctor gardening/painting the fence etc. was just too Silly CBBC for me.

Then liked it a lot.
Excellent baddy.

Then didn't like it at all.
They ran out of time, so I know.. wave screwdriver and everything is right again.
REALLY? I thought we were beyond that now.

Rory was lovely though.


Worried about next week too.
Don't like River Song, and surely the Angels have been done to death now.

Goes without saying... Rory is ALWAYS lovely

He is looking ultra-lovely on the cover of GT this issue.

Not a bad final episode. I still love Alex Kingston. Not really as moving as they made it out to be, or not for me anyway. I'm now interested to see how they pull the Christmas episode off.

Am I the only person in the world who kind of wanted Rory to die?

I liked him, when Amy was the companion and he was just tagging along. When he was a companion in his own right, I just didn't like it/him.

I didn't like Rory, and have grown to dislike or more say be quite disappointed in Doctor Who of late in general, espeially this series. I find the acting quite bad sometimes, even from Matt Smith which you wouldn't expect. If a programme and the stories, via the acting, doesn't feel convincing it loses it's watchability. Will still prob carry on watching until it gets really bad.

I liked the last episode. The angels are back to the way i like them, instead of how they where a few series back in the caves.

Though one thing i don't understand, how come the doctor can't go back in time to see Amy and Rory, yet River song could and did.

I think that was kind of explained in the cab with River and Rory. It's to do with the Tardis and the disruption it causes during time travel and how it could rip apart the atmosphere, whereas she travels back in time in a different way, forgot exactly what she said.