Asylum of the Spoilers

Doctor Who fans desperate to keep a lid on anything Asylum of the Daleks shaped will be disappointed to learn that already one major newspaper has leaked something of importance concerning the episode.

It’s pretty grim that we’ve got over two weeks to wait and that the press are already making things tough for spoilerphobes, but don’t worry as we’ve got a list of top things to do to avoid spoilers!

Avoid forums

Yep – we just relaunched our own Doctor Who Forum which comes complete with a dedicated area for discussing Doctor Who Series 7. But if this isn’t enough to stop you trying to satiate your need for spoilers, we advise avoiding forums altogether.

Don’t use Twitter and Facebook

You really don’t want to hear from some smart chap or chappess who is intent on spilling everything about Asylum of the Daleks (or other episodes) before you get to see it on TV. Blocking the #doctorwho hashtag is simply not enough – just don’t visit those websites, and uninstall them from your phone!

Don’t click on links related to the episode

If you have to stay on your social networks, then do use a block for the #doctorwho hashtag, as well as avoiding contact with anyone who is likely to be talking about the episode.

Don’t read news

We really, REALLY want to see you every day at Kasterborous. But as there are spoilers around there is a chance that a comment or badly-worded article might give too much away. We’d hate to see you go, and obviously there’s your Artron Energy to think about, but hey, it’s all for the good of your enjoyment of Doctor Who, right?

Switch off the internet

This might not be ideal, but then again if you’re not visiting Kasterborous, what else is there to do with the Internet?

Don’t talk to anyone ever again

Well, within reason. After all, you’ll want to share your delight/disgust (you’re a Doctor Who fan, after all) with the episode with someone…

Lead by example

The chances are that you aren’t alone in your desire to avoid Doctor Who spoilers. Series 7 has been pending (as it were) for some time now, and a lot has already been written about it in the eight month void since Christmas. But you don’t have to succumb, and neither do your friends. Tell everyone that you’re avoiding spoilers and let them know that you hope that they will follow your lead. It might not work; someone might break, but it is certainly worth sharing these ideas with your fellow fans!

Move into a cave

This is perhaps the ultimate spoiler-free move, short of detonating and EMP device and protecting yourself from all communications. It might get a bit cold in your cave, however. At least try and find work as a professional hermit?

6 thoughts on “Asylum of the Spoilers

  1. Actually Kasterborous is one of the few sites I can say I’ve never been accidentally spoiled on. No revealing pictures next to headlines, massive spoiler warnings and generally nothing in the comments either.

    Having seen a “spoiler-free” review earlier which spoiled a couple of plot points before I stopped reading, and remembering the BBC ruining the start of “The Impossible Astronaut” last year, I’m particularly grateful for sites that don’t publish spoilers irresponsibly.

  2. Here, here!

    I read a ‘spoiler-free’ review too, and it spoiled a big ol’ plot point in the first paragraph! Might’ve reaf the same one as you.

    Forgot that the Beeb ruined the Doc’s death last year! Also, remember the next time trailer at the end of that episode, with Amy saying to the ‘little girl’ she was sorry she shot her – that she was glad she missed? That was stupid, too.

    1. Agreed – while not the only time their “next time” trailers have ruined the suspense of the cliffhanger, this was certainly one of the worst examples of it.

      That “spoiler-free” review though.. (I’m assuming you read the same one, I’ve only seen two major sites who have posted one, and the DoG one was spot on) was just wrong.. the first paragraph was essentially a rundown of the opening scenes, with some major companion and continuity spoilers involved.

  3. I read a review on DWTV, it read this a spoiler-free review and it gave away the entire plot and ruined the episode for me. =(

  4. People have seized on the word spoiler and begun to use it without being clear on its meaning.

    It refers to the blowing of plot points that the author would prefer to hold back. The end of Citizen Kane, Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, etc. The initial set-up of a story is not a spoiler. If the writer deems a story detail acceptable for discussion before broadcast, then it is. I’ve read people moaning about Moffat spoiling his stories before broadcast, but if the writer isn’t the arbiter of what constitutes a spoiler, then who is?

    When there is a surprise later in the story, which spins away from the expected narrative, that is a spoiler and should not be flagged in advance. People read reviews and become incensed about having been told the whole plot, yet they haven’t seen the show/movie yet, and have no idea whether the reviewer is withholding further twists.

    There are also thousands of forum users who think their wild guesses constitute spoilers. They imagine what might happen in future episodes, and then conceal it with a warning. But if it isn’t based on knowing for sure what happens, it can in no way be described as a spoiler.

    Of course stories shouldn’t be ruined. But anti-spoiler criticism is a sprawling web of knee-jerk reactions, and people should step back and think about what is really bothering them.

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