Tuesday 3 July 2007

Martha

It is about time a spade were called a spade. Freema has been sidelined because her performance lacked charisma. Partly this is not her fault as the Martha character was scripted as a generically feisty bore with a grating crush on the Doctor, however Freema clearly lacked the ability to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and the production team want her out. However I suspect that there might be contractual reasons ewhy they can't just sack her. Also this might lead to her going to the press and 'dishing the dirt' , revealing behind-the-scenes rows etc. Therefore they've possibly palmed her off with the promise of 'new opportunities' in Torchwood in order to present a demotion as something else.

Obviously the above is speculation, however it is incisive speculation based on the glaringly obvious. Had Freema gained the confidence of the production team they would not be giving her a lesser role in the series. You don't demote successful people. They probably worked out very quickly in the shooting of the series 3 production blocks that she couldn't cut the mustard and so RTD rewrote the ending of 'Last of the Timelords' to have her leave. I'd guess that her contract was for two seasons or that they thought that sacking a companion would generate bad publicity. So they've possibly hauled her into the office and cut a deal: said words to the effect of: "Look Freema. We don't want to sack you. So here is option two: we give you a role in Torchwood and a few episodes of series 4 and you agree to accept this." Classic management tactic that.

24 comments:

Youth of Australia said...

It is about time a spade were called a spade.

All right. You are a talentless, witless, racist, classist little mysognistic heterophobe who is desperate to consider himself normal so you translate your sexual fantasies into pathetic Doctor Who plots and put them up on the web with the twisted idea that anyone wants to see them because if they do, you'll stop being a freak.

But you're still so ashamed, which is why you refuse to reveal your real name, and instead to pretend to be a highly-acclaimed expert and history teacher... it's all out of self-disgust.

And you're in denial, so the first thing you'll do is say this bit is entirely irrelevent AND wrong.

I didn't want to say it, but you want honesty.

Freema has been sidelined because her performance lacked charisma.

No, she hasn't. That's like saying the Brigadier was sidelined because his performance lacked charisma. Her character is now the Earth-based contact for the Doctor, which is why she's back next year and in Torchwood. They wouldn't have done that if they thought the character was crap.

That's why Martha will return but Adam Mitchell has not even been mentioned since 2005.

Partly this is not her fault as the Martha character was scripted as a generically feisty bore

Once again, I must ask, how can a bore be feisty, and why would it be generic? Martha is a black female medical student with a sense of fun. The only other companion to come close to that was Sharon Davies in the DWM comic strip, and now SHE was a character they sidelined...


with a grating crush on the Doctor,
Yet, you think we like stories where EVERYONE has grating crushes on Ben Chatham?

however Freema clearly lacked the ability to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and the production team want her out.
If they want her out... why make her a continuing guest star? Why have the character and the Doctor promise to meet again?

If they hated her so much, they'd have just refilmed a bit and had the Master shoot her.

But they didn't, did they?

However I suspect that there might be contractual reasons ewhy they can't just sack her.
No, it's the fact they like her, they like the performance, and they like the character of Martha.

Has anyone in the production team actually SAID they don't like the character of Martha? Coz, I haven't seen anything in DWM or even on the net.

In fact, the only people who seem to want Martha gone are YOU and the more psychotic Billie Piper fan club members.

Also this might lead to her going to the press and 'dishing the dirt' , revealing behind-the-scenes rows etc.
Which there weren't.

I mean, Confidential were there all the time and showed at the very least that the main cast liked her and praised her continually. If they all hated her guts, at best we wouldn't have had anyone talking about her, would we? Hardly anyone mentioned or spoke about Eccleston in his series of Confidential, but do you really think everyone invovled thought he was rubbish?

You're just ignoring facts that challenge your prejudices. You know. Like villains in Doctor Who. You should be more open-minded.

Therefore they've possibly palmed her off with the promise of 'new opportunities' in Torchwood in order to present a demotion as something else.
Nonsense. Utter nonsense.

Even if I thought Martha shithouse, that would be nonsense. If Freeyma's contract prevents her from leaving Doctor Who, they can't just say, "Aw, do Torchwood instead". She'd need a new contract for Torchwood.

Obviously the above is speculation, however it is incisive speculation based on the glaringly obvious.
It is not incisive, nor is it glaringly obvious. You clear have no memory of the fact Freeyma signed up for Torchwood BEFORE being offered the role of Martha Jones.

Had Freema gained the confidence of the production team they would not be giving her a lesser role in the series. You don't demote successful people.

Sorry... WHY do you think it's demotion? Was John Barrowman demoted? No. Yet he too left the mainstream series, joined Torchwood as the main character and returned as a guest to Doctor Who.

Martha isn't being demoted, she's being PROMOTED you silly little alcoholic.

They probably worked out very quickly in the shooting of the series 3 production blocks that she couldn't cut the mustard and so RTD rewrote the ending of 'Last of the Timelords' to have her leave.
You have no idea, do you? RTD reveals (and all the paperwork agrees) that Freema was originally to be in Rise of the Cyberman as a preacher called Esme. Macrae rewrote the script, but RTD and the others were SO impressed by Freema, they offered her the role of Adeola in Army of Ghosts. They were even MORE impressed by her, and offered her a role in Torchwood. They decided she was so good they could save time looking for a new companion and just make HER the new companion.

The new companion newspapers across the land have said is brilliant. Her enthusiasm, talent, wit and wide variety of skills from stunt racing to CPR have earned her so much praise, statistically she's better than Eccleston.

I'd guess that her contract was for two seasons or that they thought that sacking a companion would generate bad publicity.
You are so pig-headedly stupid. You don't get contracted for two seasons. You get one contract and the option for another.

Now, instead of appearing in 13 episodes of Doctor Who, she'll appear in X of Torchwood and Y of Doctor Who. That's two programs, two pay checks, and a lot of money used up.

Do you REALLY think if Freema was THAT bad, they'd spend an incredibly vast amount of cash and went through all sorts of scripting loops which will change the course of Season 2 of Torchwood and Season 4 or Doctor Who, which will make the "generic fiesty bore" a more famous personality... rather than just sacking her?

So they've possibly hauled her into the office and cut a deal: said words to the effect of: "Look Freema. We don't want to sack you. So here is option two: we give you a role in Torchwood and a few episodes of series 4 and you agree to accept this."

You are a true moron.

If Freema was not the problem as you say... the character of Martha would have been changed. She would have done a Fitz-style reprogramming to change her personality. Or else be killed off and brought back as one of her own cousins.

Classic management tactic that.
Yes, instead of firing a person, spend twice as much money on them to do the exact same thing over and over again!

Calling a spade a spade, you are a mean-spirited woman-hating jerk.

I bet anything that if Adam Rickitt appeared in the show and was given the exact same character, dialogue and plots, you would applaud it and 'be calling a spade a spade' by announcing Rickitt's perfomance as Jones the best of the year, and his division between Doctor Who and Torchwood, the most exciting thing ever.

You lying little hypocritical fool.

Stop posting this drivel unless you get someone with THREE brain cells to proofread it first. It might stop this blog making you look like a bigger mental deficient every time you 'set the standards'.

Youth of Australia said...

Oh dear!

They've announced the new companion!

And it's not Ben Chatham!

It's DONNA NOBLE! The bitch is back! Of course, she is a human being capable of love, empathy, and humility.

So she's no Spartha, either.

Just HOW many years of New Who have to be made before you accept the fact no one wants BC as a companion?

I'm serious:

"Freema Agyeman who has played Martha Jones, The Doctor's companion throughout the critically acclaimed third series, will return to the show to join The Doctor and Donna mid series."

Hmmm. So, that's episodes 7-13, giving Donna six episodes to sort out her character. And probably a Doctor-lite episode as well.

It looks more and more like Martha is being given all the GOOD episodes. Hardly demotion.

Hah! Fishface is wrong again! He's as reliable as a sunrise!

Cameron Mason said...

Martha's storyline has been set in stone from the start.

It was set up from Smith and Jone that she wanted to complete her medical degree.

We see her attraction to the Doctor build up to that scene in The Sound of Drums where Jack says "You too huh." in which she realises that the Doctor doesn't love like human does.

In short Martha was ALWAYS going to leave at the end of Series Three in order to return at a later date.

Now we know some of what she'll be up to before she makes that call to the Doctor...

Youth of Australia said...

Yeah. The very first thing we learned about Martha? "She wants to finish her degree, not stay with the Doctor forever".

Wow. Truth in advertising.

I always think of Sparacus as that irritating git in Human Nature who has a go at Martha for being a black female servant - three prejudices for the price of one.

The only difference between Spara's hatred for Rose and Spara's hatred for Martha is that he thinks people agree with his hatred for Martha.

A sad nutcase.

Cameron Mason said...

Heck, the production team had been chasing after Freema since production of The Christmas Invasion - she read for the role of Sally but they decided they wanted to give Freema a larger role.

So then they had her in mind the role of Esme, which disappeared over subsequent script rewrites as Mrs Moore's part expanded.

From here on YOA sums up the story quite neatly.

Youth of Australia said...

Would the flagship of the BBC, the finest creators in the land, go to all that trouble to get Freema if they thought she was crap?

Credit the professionals with SOME intelligence - they have, after all, achieved something unlike some people.

Colin said...

This is not "incisive speculation", but borderline slander.

Youth of Australia said...

Hello, Colin. Nice to meet another sane person nowadays.

Do you agree with my "incisive speculation"?

Youth of Australia said...

Meanwhile, on Doctor Who Confidential, the production team's pathological hatred of Martha as a generic fiesty bore and their desperation to get rid of her are proven to be...

...absolute bollocks from Sparacus "Wrong End of the Stick" Fishface.

FREEMA AGYEMAN
By the end is definately no longer in Rose's shadow. I think she no longer feels she is. Which is important. She's come into her own.

DAVID TENNANT
I think it'll surprise people that Martha doesn't hang around. Martha was never quite accepted by the Doctor because he couldn't quite accept that Rose was gone, he certainly couldn't accept he needed somebody else and of course Martha's helped him come to terms with that and move on, but as always in relationships, the person that helps affect change is the never the one that gets to enjoy it and that's Martha's story. But she'll be back. She's not going for good. You know, she's left her phone. She's not saying goodbye to the Doctor forever, but she's saving herself, I think, from hurt and from feeling inconsequential.

JULIE GARDNER
When we look back at Martha Jones in episode one, not even knowing that aliens exist, and you look at her now, you know, a freedom fighter in a way. It's an extraordinary journey.

DAVID TENNANT
Martha's dazzled by the Doctor form the off. He's pretty dazzled by her too. I mean in episode one, you can see him getting her, seeing her, clocking her and thinking "Oh, she's special. When this hospital's flying through space and everyone's dissolving into panic, she doesn't. She's sparky and spunky and she gets it." And the Doctor is, of course, drawn to it.

Yep, Spara is proved wrong.

Yet again.

Youth of Australia said...

You know I mean 'by the standards of the blog administrator', in which you're saner that Sane Raymond MacSane, winner of the last thirteen Mr Sane Person competitions.

sparacus said...

"All right. You are a talentless, witless, racist, classist little mysognistic heterophobe who is desperate to consider himself normal so you translate your sexual fantasies into pathetic Doctor Who plots"

YOA

This style of writing contains phrases that could possibly be construed as abusive. Please moderate this.

sparacus said...

My point is that had Freema had the complete confidence of the production team then WHY are they sidelining her? Why fob her off with a reduced role in the show?

Youth of Australia said...

YOA
I write a detailed and thoughtful analysis of your insensitive bile, and you don't even bother to read past the first paragraph.

Are you unable to read more than a few lines? You are supposed to be a history teacher, aren't you?

This style of writing contains phrases that could possibly be construed as abusive. Please moderate this.

Well, I found the opening post containing phrases I DEFINITELY construed as abuse. If you can't moderate yourself, you're hardly setting standards, are you?

Edit your own first post to remove the slander, racism and outright stupidity and I promise to moderate myself from now on.

My point is that had Freema had the complete confidence of the production team then WHY are they sidelining her?
It's not sidelining. You can't seem to understand that.

So let's define sidelining. In wikipedia, that wholly remarkably guide to the galaxy...
The term "to be sidelined" refers to a player in a sports event who is unable to play (e.g. confined to the sideline) for injury, suspension, or other similar reasons. This term has spread into a business context; a project that has been "sidelined" is no longer a major concern or objective of the proponent company.

Now. Martha is STILL a major concern and objective of the proponent company. In sports terms she is being saved for the second half rather than being taken off altogether.

Do you understand now?

Why fob her off with a reduced role in the show?
Her role is not reduced. She's not in six episodes. Her role in the remaining seven episodes will no doubt be spectacular.

The fact is, the first six will establish Donna as the regular companion, a solo companion, so RTD can shake things up when Martha is introduced. In order to make sure she's NOT sidelined, he's putting her in Torchwood so everyone remembers her in the mean time.

Fobbed off? She's got a better deal than before - starring roles in two separate programs that saves time in make up, location shooting and character-rehearsal.

They wouldn't do this to an actress they had no faith in - her work load is now more than David Tennant's. And they wouldn't use Martha Jones this way if they didn't think she was up to it.

It is like Tegan leaving in Time Flight and coming back in Arc of Infinity, or Mickey not joining the TARDIS in Aliens of London.

It is characterization.

Hell, you had Ben Chatham quit the TARDIS in an untold story, then constantly ring up the Doctor to come and solve his problems. Are you saying BC was so useless he needed to be sidelined into his own spin off before making guest appearances in the next series of Doctor Who?

Your hypocracy is truly frightening.

Cameron Mason said...

Did you not read my point that it was all set in stone from the start that Martha would leave at the end of Series Three?

I'd say it was a contingency plan if Freema got offered another role before they had the chance to sign her up for another year.

Since they got in first, they could mix things up a bit for her.

Bringing her into Torchwood is easy as Jack knows her, and can introduce her as a 'fellow expert' to the team without revealing how he knows her.

It will be interesting to see how she and Donna spark off each other...

Youth of Australia said...

I don't think he reads any of this, Cam.

I point out that a similar thing happened to Captain Jack - was that sidelining John Barrowman?

And season two was structured in case Billie Piper couldn't make the whole year, so she'd leave in Rise of the Cybermen and return in Doomsday.

He'll be saying next "If Catherine Tate is so good, why did they sideline her for a whole yeah and get that generic fiesty bore in the show instead?"

I've had better arguments with my jacaranda tree. And that tree knows some great trivia about the Czars of Russia. Stupid intellectual purple weed...

Colin said...

Why do you keep removing my posts?

Bernie Fishnotes said...

The problem with Martha wasn't Martha, or Freema Agyeman. The problem with Martha was Rose.

ANY young female character would be instantly compared to Rose. It might have been braver for RTD to introduce a male companion, mainly because the Doctor is, in the public consciousness, accompanied by "Some Tart In A Miniskirt" (copyright Charles Daniels 2005), but that would alienate an entire gender who've been introduced to a genre of television that they would normally avoid.

The new series has offered strong female role models (and before you say there aren't any male ones, I have photographic evidence that David Tennant is male, and the Doctor is hardly a crappy role model) which make it more appealing to female viewers. Having two dominant male characters joined by the likes of Victoria Waterfield or Jo Grant just isn't acceptable these days. Jack was hardly incompetant, but he never overshadowed Rose, he was on equal terms with her, despite his obvious advantages over her.

Look at Donna, she was in her thirties, gobby, a bit thick, had no time for the Doctor and was almost nothing like Rose, although she changes during her adventure. The main problem people have with her is that she's played by Catherine Tate. If she was played by an unknown she'd be far more popular, once she's developed a bit more, as long as she didn't just turn into a generic companion

And saying that the Doctor should have a male companion doesn't mean that it should be Amateur Archaeologist Ben Chatham, that's like saying if you don't have a Royal Family you have Hitler. There are thousands of possible companion ideas, although I think the best one would be some one similar to Fitz from the BBC books, a scruffy layabout who grows from being a slob into the sort of person who rescues damsels in distress and thinks of others.

Just a thought.

(oh, and I've saved this in case you decide to delete it, so it will just reappear again)

Colin said...

(oh, and I've saved this in case you decide to delete it, so it will just reappear again)

Oh, he does that to you, too?

Youth of Australia said...

Yet, somehow, he leaves my posts alone. Maybe he thinks if he did, people would notice... yay! I have public appeal! I matter! When I eat alone I am an honored guest at the table! Yipeee!

I agree with Bernie. It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that Anthony Colburn created the three major companion archetypes:

1) A 15-year-old girl who is with it, eager for life, lower than middle class, with a neutral accent laced with the latest teenage slang.

2) A woman, 24, timid but capable of sudden rabbit courage. Modest, with plenty of normal desires. Although she tends to be the one to get into trouble, she is not to be guyed; she is a loyalty character, one we want to watch.

3) A young man, 27-28, physically perfect, strong and courageous, a gorgeous dish. Oddly, when brains are required, he can even be brainy in a diffident sort of way.

Basically, until the 1970s when the 'raised by wolves' companion archetype (anyone of the above who does not react to modern society the way you'd expect because of an usual background - which covers Leela, Romana, K9, Adric, Nyssa, Destrii, Captain Jack and, arguably, Mel) any companion could fit into one of those with a small amount of tinkering.

Now, Ben Chatham can apply to number 3, but so can Fitz. And the Brigadier. And Captain Jack. And Jamie. In fact, Ben doesn't QUITE fit the profile - he's not brave, or strong, and often is incredibly stupid.

The one thing he DEFINITELY isn't is a loyalty character. The only person who genuinely wants to spend time with him is his stalker, all his boyfriends and girlfriends inevitably dump him, and even the Doctor seems to be trying to avoid him, giving him a K9 so he'll stop calling for help. He's not open minded, happy with his current life, or interested in much beyond his reputation.

He would... at best... make a vaguely memorable villain. But a companion? In the fourteen episodes he accompanied the Doctor, he did nothing to save the day or even justify his presence.

So, to summarize, Ben has to join Old Tom, Lotte Evans, Grace Kelly and Nik as companions that weren't ruddy good enough to be in the proper Doctor Who universe.

Now THAT is summarized, can we never talk about Ben Chatham again?

Jared "No Nickname" Hansen said...

I would do Donna.

...wait, is that relevant in any way? Oh.

When it comes to male companions, though, we've had them anyway. Jack and Mickey, anyone? Even Bruno "Sodding" Langley kinda counted. The fact that they aren't in every episode of a season doesn't change their role within the series, it's just a measure for fiscal/storytelling convenience. Not to mention that the Doctor has always had more female than male companions anyway.


So, to summarize, Ben has to join Old Tom, Lotte Evans, Grace Kelly and Nik as companions that weren't ruddy good enough to be in the proper Doctor Who universe.


... I have no idea who any of those people are.

Incidentally (by which I mean 'on a completely irrelevant note') does anyone else find Evelyn Smythe distinctly irritating?

Youth of Australia said...

Evelyn has good days and bad days. The bad days are VERY bad, but the good days are VERY good.

Just to prove I know what the hell I'm talking about...

Ben Chatham - you know about

Old Tom - brainfried tramp who was to join the Seventh Doctor in the NAs and ultimately be revealed to be Bernice's father. He was replaced with Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej.

Lotte Evans - just one of many names for common-as-muck-serving-girl who seduces the Doctor in the movie Last of the Time Lords, AKA Varnax and the Immortality Bullet, Genetic Duplicate, Matrix Crystals, Chameleon... Replaced by:

Grace Kelly - blonde surgeon who seduced the Fourth Doctor. Replaced by Grace Holloway.

Nik - male rights activist who replaced Jamie when the horny highlander took his leave on the planet of sexually frustrated women. No, seriously, they were really going to do that.

Jared "No Nickname" Hansen said...

Oh, I've read all the sordid details of the 2nd Doctor story that easily would have been the most offensive set of episodes ever made. My favourite details was that Jamie would reverse Zoe's feminazi mind conditioning by slapping her on the arse.

Didn't know that Grace Holloway was to have originally been named after a Hollywood starlet...

Youth of Australia said...

Chang Lee was originally called Jack and had an Uncle. Called Sam. Hence "Uncle Sam".

Seriously, anyone who bitches aboutn the TV movie should see the crap they WANTED to make instead...

Cameron Mason said...

If you've read the latest DWM then RTD's comments on Martha's character arc put the final nail in the coffin of Sparacus' post here...

Cameron