Info about the new companion *POTENTIAL SPOILERS*

[the_willows]

At the moment, this is potentially speculative, and the info comes from an as yet un-aired interview with Steven Moffat for BBC Radio 5. But, according to DoctorWhoTV, Mr Moffat has said the following about the new companion:

Comments

[philstar22]

I don't necessarily mind that she's a contemporary human. But I think Moffatt is majorly underestimating his audience if he thinks that New!Who only people couldn't handle a non-human or non-contemporary companion. Personally, I love the idea. And I think that is the biggest problem with modern television: people underestimating their audiences.

People who like sci-fi and are the people who are going to like Dr. Who are most likely not going to mind a non-contemporary human companion. People relate to characters they aren't like all the time. I mean, she's still a white, middle-class, able-bodied, cis-gendered female who is probably straight. There will be people who don't fit in some or all of those categories who can still relate to her. People don't need characters exactly like them in order to relate.

[the_willows]

This may not be entirely Moffat's decision, he still has to bow to the whims of The Powers That Be, and may have been 'advised' to make the companion a contemporary human woman.

I do agree that perhaps audiences for any show and genre can be underestimated by the people who make the shows, but you really can't please everyone with one character in one show, and maybe they just feel that defaulting to the contemporary human female will have the widest demographic appeal.

[lyricwrites]

This may not be entirely Moffat's decision, he still has to bow to the whims of The Powers That Be, and may have been 'advised' to make the companion a contemporary human woman.

You know, the more I think about this, the more likely it seems. Underestimating his audience isn't exactly Moffat's typical writing flaw, after all. Given his penchant for telling a story upside down, backwards, and inside out, simply because he bloody well can . . . I think he tends to overestimate more than underestimate.

Also? Moffat likes multi-companion teams. I think he's on record as saying that. So, it's always possible that there will be another companion added at the very end of this season, like Rory, and we don't know a thing about them yet. (Including whether they exist or not, but work with me here.) If Moffat is working with a mandate, I can see him making the "primary" companion into a contemporary human, slipping a non-contemporary non-human in, and pointing out that it's still perfectly in line with his instructions because the main

[ccorday]

"The new companion will, again, be a human from contemporary earth. This is necessary for audience identification and a ‘jumping on’ point for new viewers"

ASDHJKL:JDTHJKHLJFGKLGH

This better not be true. I am so sick of this garbage. I watched Doctor Who for years without worrying that Romana wasn't human and I didn't understaaaaand her. What utter nonsense.

[corvus_fox]

The highest grossing film of all time not only has no modern humans, but the main human spends most of the film as a blue alien. And yet audiences need a modern human to identify with what's going on in Doctor Who? That sure makes sense, Steven Moffat.

[carma_bee]

The new companion will, again, be a human from contemporary earth. This is necessary for audience identification and a ‘jumping on’ point for new viewers

really bleh about this but still really excited. really happy that she's totally new, too

[sharkshark]

I have no problem with any of this. While I'd like someone really different (alien, different time period, or whatever), I'm not surprised or upset if she continues in the same general category as the rest of the new Who companions.

NGL I am still going "I WISH SHE WAS SUSAN" because I do wish the show would at least freaking mention what happened to her, but that's just fun wishing and not even speculation and I'm not actually that invested in that theory.

In conclusion, I'm just rolling with it. We'll see how it all actually turns out come Christmas.

[everyforever]

as a new Who fan, i agree -- it would not be a totally mindblowing concept to wrap my head around if the companion was alien/etc. give us some credit, moff! we've managed to follow you without totally shitting ourselves this far!

however i'm still openminded about her, i hope these "twists" are good!