0.14am: It's Sunday morning in San Diego, and more than 4000 people have queued up to file into the second largest hall in San Diego's convention center. Now, they've promised they won't be releasing any news here today, but just in case, I'll do this live.
At the moment, the moderator is introducing the panel. There were cheers and calls of 'WE LOVE YOU RUSSELL!' for Mr T Davies. But there was a full on rock star reception for David Tennant. Standing ovation, girls screaming. Everything.
10.17am: Kicking off with an announcement. An announcement about no announcement: There will be NO announcement about a movie today. Because there is no movie, says Julie Gardner.Oh. May as well leave it there, then.
But is it something that people want?
The screams are deafening.
10.19am: They show the trailer for Tennant's last excursion as Doctor Who. Many cheers for the appearance of Catherine Tate. And many many more when the voice whispers: "He returns" and a blonde John Simm turns around, and you hear his voice saying "My name. Is. The MASTER'
Wooooooooo!
But then, this crowd says 'WOOOOO' a lot. This panel has high woo factor, though.
Hurrah! I mean, WOO.
10.21am (in San Diego, I mean, in case you're wondering. It's teatime in the UK): Good questions from the moderator, but nothing revelatory:
What's the cultural impact on Doctor Who in its homeland?
we quite like it, apparently, according to RTD and Tennant (like they would say anything else: only this time it happens to be true). It's part of the cultural collective memory because it's been around so long: David Tennant feels weird about having his face on cakes (I would make some filthy note about many people gladly eating David Tennant's face here, but I think it not proper or fitting) - Russell T feels strange (but ebullient) about having the innards of his brain splashed onscreen.
The crowd kep screaming out questions: "Why are you LEAVING?!" being the main one.
10.30am: A fan calls out 'I LOVE YOU DAVID!" Tennant replies that "We love *you* - each one of you, but in a slightly different individual way". the wee flirt.
The man from the Guinness Book of Records arrives and hands over a plaque declaring Doctor Who to be not only the longest running sci-fi programme ever but also ... I don't know, they started mumbling. OOH, that's dodgy, isn't it? Can something really be long-running if it has a big frakking (intentional, yes) gap in the middle?
10.34am: When asked about his favourite moments; Tennant gives the usual, beautiful answer about the last four years being the most incredible of his life.
They talk a little about the last episode; and about showing it to the composer and how, halfway through the second episode, he started shaking and sobbing. Tissues, they warn, will be necessary.
Another question from the audience: one about how John Barrowman stole things from the Doctor Who set, and what Tennant might have stolen from the set. he says nothing - but says that one of his coats disappeared from the set during the last episodes (which was a problem because - he's careful to avoid spoilers - one of the coats had to get 'compromised')
Gardner argues that Barrowman possibly only stole things for the chance of getting frisked on the way out.
10.44am: Tennant just got asked if he would be returning any time. He said, and I quote: "Well, nothing's planned, no one knows what might happen. But, well, 2013 is the 50th anniversary, isn't it? NO! Wait! That's not an announcement! Don't twitter that!"
Immediately the three TV writers on my twitter stream twittered it. As did I. And now I'm liveblogging it. Sorry, duckie.
10.51am: The 10th doctor will be appearing in an episode called 'The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith'. And, related to that, Tennant tells a lovely story about one of his favourite moments as a fan/Doctor was hearing Elizabeth Sladen call him the Doctor during a table read. "Suddenly this voice from my childhood was calling me The Doctor" - it's a very sweet moment.
10.52am: Every single question so far is for David ... until right now: when a girl so nervous and excited about talking to the David/RTD that she can barely speak, asks if Russell has any plans for Torchwood: he has lots he says - but there'll be more about that in the Torchwood panel this afternoon (which I might just carry on in this blog if that's ok) - but "When you're dead you're dead. Sorry".
Another for Russell T - "Why did you cast John Barrowman as an American"
asks one chap - turns out they tried him as Scottish, and perhaps even English, but they tried those with Barrowman only, they really targetted him for the part. And, you know, he's American and stuff.
10.56am: Oh, sorry, I forgot this bit from earlier: Tennant was asked a question about how he felt abotu being the fastest Doctor to take the lap on Top Gear (yes, that has a big following here too). He replied that he was still sore that Billie Piper got her time bumped down/up the chart because she was wearing a see-through top. "And if Billie Piper didn't have such great breasts, I would be faster than Billie! So unfair!"
Stay classy, Top Gear!
11.00am: At the news there's only time for two more questions, the audience gets very sad. And then there's a question from an 11-year-old, who begins "Hello David my name is Ariel and I am 11-years-old and I just LOVE you." and the room explodes with cuteness. She asks him if he was a teacher, what kind of teacher he would be. Weirdly, while he is thinking, the audience starts shouting out suggestions. I hear at least two calls of 'Physics' and three of 'Spanish' from near me. Which is just WEIRD.
They say goodbye, and tennant takes a victory lap around the panel table, and poses with the crowd for Doctor Who confidential. So, when you see that: I'm the one at the back of the other 4500 people. And I'm typing.
11.11am: From another TV writer I know is in the audience, on his twitter account: "He's very enthused and full of energy and he's quite clearly going to be brilliant, which is annoying." Tennant on Smith.
And he was, they were all very positive, and glowing about the eleventh doctor. "There is no one who has worked with Matt in the UK who doesn't rave about him" said Tennant, who also told a really lovely story about how, when he was a kid (when asked about his favourite Doctor) - he thought there could never be a greater doctor than Tom Baker, who was his first Doctor, and absolute favourite ... until three weeks after Peter Davison started. Then HE was he favourite.
And for this audience, who are a mixture of new and old fans of the series, but clearly very big fans of Tennant, that's a really good thing to hear. Well, that and that he's probably coming back for a movie, released in 2013.
I'm kidding.
Read More? click this site for more http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/jul/26/doctorwho-comic-con
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