>"No-one ever stays dead in science-fiction," he said.

Is this true?

Is it balls.

Even within Who, they've done a pretty good job of keeping Adric in the dirt for twenty-odd years, for a kick-off...

Thanks for the spoilers warning, there.

*grumbles*

"they've done a pretty good job of keeping Adric in the dirt for twenty-odd years"

So was Who ;)

:D

Thanks for the spoilers warning, there.

What? The killing-off thing is speculation... the story about her leaving is a pretty widespread, unavoidable entertainment news story!

Yep, news item on 5 Live, unavoidable.

> Is this true?

Absolutely not. At least not in the good sort of SF.

I knew she was out as soon as I found out she was doing The Ruby In The Smoke and the second one in that trilogy/series for the BBC. There's just no way she would be able to do something that big AND Who at the same time. Although I was pretty sure it would be the Christmas episode where she left. Who knows, maybe we WILL see her in that briefly. They could have shot something for it already.

I'm not that fussed that she's leaving 'cause she was much better as Eccleston's companion. They could have killed her in The Christmas Invasion and seriously it wouldn't have made the second series any worse. She hasn't brought much to it IMO when she was just about the best thing in the first.

It's obviously in the public domain, and perfectly right for NTS to mention it now it is... but I really, *really* wish that stuff like this didn't come out in the general media, like the BBC News site. I'd been deliberately avoiding spoilers for the last two episodes, and whilst it certainly won't have ruined them, it would have been great just to have the shock of her departure.

I guess it's just the way media works these days. It is a shame, though.

For what it's worth, whilst I'm certain the series won't suffer if they cast a good new companion (as I'm sure they will), I'll miss Billie. I've gone from not being sure about her to really really loving her. I wish she'd done three years.

It's obviously in the public domain, and perfectly right for NTS to mention it now it is... but I really, *really* wish that stuff like this didn't come out in the general media, like the BBC News site. I'd been deliberately avoiding spoilers for the last two episodes, and whilst it certainly won't have ruined them, it would have been great just to have the shock of her departure.

Tell me about it. I still think that if they'd managed to bloody keep the lid on Eccleston's departure, then the regeneration would have gone down as one of the greatest moments in television history.

It's certainly a shame to see Billie go - I think Rose has been a great character, and an excellent companion, though I agree that she was better with the ninth Doctor - she just hasn't developed further this year, and as a result, has been rather annoying in a few episodes.
Of course, the downside of Rose leaving is that the chances are, we'll no longer see Jackie, which is a great shame.
But with Rose gone, there's less to tie the Doctor to present day Earth and domesticity all the time. And if his new companion is more of a loner, or from another time or planet, there'll certainly be more scope for TARDIS travel.

As for Stephen Fry's script - that is a real shame, though there's obviously enough been written (even if it's only a story outline) for them to know that it would cost too much for the second series, and to push it to next year.
Can't we have a co-writing credit, or a 'story by Stephen Fry' credit?

> Of course, the downside of Rose leaving is that the chances are, we'll no longer see Jackie, which is a great shame.

Why you shouldn't post while drunk: Exhibit A.

I like Jackie!

Jackie for the Doctor's next companion then, is it?

They would NEVER have been able to keep the regeneration under wraps right up till the end of TPOTW. The problem was the way it came out so early and how obsessed the media got over Eccleston's departure.

As a character I think Billie's great, while the acting is a bit dodgy I think that they will have one hell of a role replacing here with anyone else. Go on, who would you like to see as the next companion?

It's strongly rumoured that the new companion is Freema Agyeman, who appears in the last 2-parter. She was seen in the long series 2 trailer being attacked by Cybermen.

Go on, who would you like to see as the next companion?

Marc Warren.

Yeah, this week's ep would have been a great intro for him as the new companion.

While I wouldn't have Jackie as a companion, I will say that I thought she was brilliant tonight.