Rose Tyler isnt quite looking herself in The Day of the Doctor trailers, so whats the story?
Spoiler warning: contains some fairly wild speculation aboutThe Day of the Doctor.
Avoid if thats not your thing.
Theres a very simple two-word answer to that headline question: Rose Tyler.
Its what the IMDb says.
Its what common sense says.
Then came this weekendsThe Day of the Doctortrailers, in which Rose wasnt quite looking herself.
The face was the same, yes, but her hair, accent, and clothing were all unfamiliar.
Was this Rose Tyler, or was it someone or somethingquite different?
Before weighing up the options, lets review the last few months of promotion forThe Day of the Doctor.
During his reign as the Time Lord, Tennant appeared in three series as well as several specials.
He was first revealed as the Doctor in the 2005 series finale, The Parting of the Ways.
Appreciating that theres a bit of straw-clutching going on here, note the language used.
While Tennant is reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor, Piper is simply appearing in the show.
Not necessarily, is one way of looking at it, as Rose Tyler.
How about what Piper has said about her role?
It would be nice to be rid of the burden of that enormous secret.
What might be left?
Weve worked together and Im very fond of her.
David and I do in real life as well, and our Doctors are quite collaborative.
Once again, the actress was mentioned without reference to her character.
Now to those trailer appearances.
First up, and most noticeably: the clothing.
Moth-eaten, piratic and bohemian she was not.
So what explains this ensemble?
It is the look of a time-traveller, well grant her that.
), and the palette of whites and beiges and the result is half-Victoriana, half-New Age traveller.
Drop her on top of House inThe Doctors Wife, and shed blend right in, this raggedy Rose.
Its the look of a woman with more on her mind than GHD straighteners and hot oil treatments.
Such as The Time War, perhaps…
Lets deal with the glowing eyes.
Only visible in the first, shorter trailer, Billie Pipers irises momentarily appear to glow golden.
Look closer though, and its not quite the same glow, not quite the same effect.
In fact, is it even a glow at all, or a reflection of an explosion?
(There are plenty of those in The Day of the Doctor trailers.)
That line, not at all incidentally, is delivered without Rose Tylers characteristic Estuary vowels.
Theres a clearly enunciated t, and everything.
Perhaps elocution lessons are all part of life in Petes World?
My (almost certainly worthless) money says thats not a postJourneys EndRose Tyler though.
What possibilities then, are available to us?
Well, this beingDoctor Who, approximately all of them.
), or a Rose from another parallel world.
It could be someone or something thats borrowed Roses appearance.
Could she be a TARDIS-generated hologram, a la young Amelia Pond inLets Kill Hitler?
An alien, friend or foe?
(definitely not).
Any more for any more?
See you back here for the post-broadcast dissection.
