On the final day of Comic-Con International, over 6,000 fans were herded into Hall H with thousands more waiting outside as “Doctor Who” came back to San Diego. Joining moderator Chris Hardwick were the Eleventh Doctor himself, Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, “Doctor Who” producer Caroline Skinner and showrunner, Steven Moffat.
While the crowd went wild for the stars, Smith admitted to being a bit starstruck himself after getting to meet director Peter Jackson and “Breaking Bad” lead Bryan Cranston at Comic-Con.
Months ago, both Gillan and Darvill announced their departures from “Doctor Who;” which will take place near the middle part of the upcoming seventh season. Amy Pond and Rory Williams’ final episode will be a New York adventure in which the Weeping Angels return. Gillan said that she cried for weeks after her last episode. Smith added that the last chapter for Amy and Rory was “brilliant,” but he couldn’t resist teasing Darvill and Gillan about their exits. Hardwick noted that Smith had jokingly asked them if they used to be on “Doctor Who” during an elevator ride down to the first floor of the convention center.
Of course, the void left by Amy and Rory will partially be filled by Jenna-Louise Coleman’s new companion character. Smith was enthused about Coleman’s upcoming debut as the start of a new era for “Doctor Who.”
Although both Gillan and Darvill seemed emotional about leaving “Doctor Who,” they managed to get a few laughs when imitating each other as they plugged their new projects. Darvill attempted to mimic Gillan’s Scottish accent while mentioning her roles in Not Another Happy Ending and Oculus. Gillan’s impression of Darvill was admittedly not as polished, but she did her best Rory as she mentioned Darvill’s upcoming TV series “Broadchurch” opposite former Doctor, David Tennant.
Before the fan questions began, a brief clip was played from the upcoming Western themed episode; which will feature “Farscape” star Ben Browder as a guest star.
The most intriguing question came from a fan in Dalek costume who asked about a multiple Doctor episode in the future; which Moffat was quick to neither confirm nor deny. And regarding the secret being held by the Doctor that was alluded to in the sixth season finale, Smith jokingly complained that Moffat won’t even tell him what it is!
Smith also offered an amusing answer when asked about his favorite Doctor costume, picking the ridiculous addition of the fez with his tweed jacket and bow tie from the end of season five. Smith said that he asked Moffat to give the Doctor a hat and he got fez in response. As for Gillan, she loved the Kissogram outfit from her first appearance in “The Eleventh” hour while Darvill is fond of Rory’s Last Centurian costume.
The seventh season premiere, “Asylum of the Daleks” will be broadcast next month on BBC. Moffat promised that the episode will feature more Daleks than ever, including earlier incarnations that date back to the early days of the original “Doctor Who” series. Moffat then shared the secret of TV success before unveiling the new trailer: “putting dinosaurs on a spaceship!” The trailer not only included the dinosaurs on a spaceship, but also Rory’s father along for an adventure and the Doctor fending off the sexual advances of
Nefertiti.
After the trailer played, Moffat, Skinner, Smith, Gillan and Darvill were sent off with a standing ovation.
