New Dr. Who Episodes?

[Shockeye]

The rest of his character is pretty unique, although you see some glimpses of Tom and Colin Baker in it, especially in his wit.  More interestingly, this is the first doctor who (in-character) actually appears to have a bit of sex appeal.  It makes for some great moments in camera, mainly because it isn't something we've seen before.  The other interesting aspect is a noticeable pragmatic, perhaps even amoral, streak; he'll do the "right" thing if he can, but otherwise he'll just do what he can and not worry about the repercussions.

The only doctor I'd previously considered to have any "sex appeal" would've been Peter Davison (#5).

Sylvester McCoy (#7) really came into his own, I think, and rivals Tom Baker as one of the best.

I really disliked Colin Baker during his time as Doctor, but having watched "Trial of a Time Lord" quite a few times since then, I have grown to appreciate him in the role a bit more.

[Ironwood]

Sylvester McCoy (#7) really came into his own, I think, and rivals Tom Baker as one of the best.

FOAD

[Ironwood]

, or even before his "first" (there's nothing in stone that says Hartnell was indeed the Doctor's first body).

Glad to see I'm not the first person this thought has occured to.

Even if the other person has a twisted and broken mind.

It would be an interesting little twist.

There's a lot more in the first 3 that I'd like to discuss, but I'm tired tonight - Perhaps I'll post tomorrow when I'm at work (!)

[Shockeye]

Sylvester McCoy (#7) really came into his own, I think, and rivals Tom Baker as one of the best.

FOAD

Up yours you limey twit.

[stray]

Up yours you limey twit.

I thought he was Scottish?

[Ironwood]

Sylvester McCoy (#7) really came into his own, I think, and rivals Tom Baker as one of the best.

FOAD

Up yours you limey twit.

 :-D

But seriously, and now I've had ten hours sleep :

How the hell can you like McCoy as ANYTHING???  The episodes for the McCoy era were just plain BAD.  The writing was awful, the acting was dreadful and the whole thing was grinding down under Grade like it was going to be buried any minute.

I know, personal taste and all that, but when someone says summat like that I can only think that they're actually stirring rather than putting forward a serious viewpoint.  I mean, for fuck's sake the guy was fighting MR BASSET AT ONE POINT.  Jesssssusssss.

Though I loved the put down.

[Ironwood]

So, some discussion then :

I love the new Whos.  I think it's got right back to what it's all about :  A childrens/teen drama series that deals with hefty subjects in an entertaining way.  It's brilliant and I have LOVED watching as I get that old feeling of Doctor Who being worth a damn.

Eccleston is fantastic.  I mean it;  He's really, really bloody good.  Not only does he manage to encapsulate the manic energy of the Doctor, he also manages the sympathy, the irony, the humour and, above all, the total arrogance of the man.  He's played it perfect so far and I can't fault him save one thing.  You know, the whole 'ain't doing it again' thing...

Bruce was right about the story arc and I'm glad they decided to do one - looks like some severe devastation has happened that we are getting eased into gently.  Timelords - all gone.  Gallifrey ?  Probably all gone too.  And, judging by the emotional content and hinting around the edges, we're probably going to find out that it's either the Doctors fault or something that he's been persecuting himself about since it happened.  Bear in mind that MANY other Doctor Who episodes have dealt with the 'responsibility' of being a timelord and not messing about with things - I think this is a theme that is going to get thrown back at us.  In Episode 3 we see some real remorse about the situation leading to an incredible lapse of judgement.
It also explains the 'love interest' angle - more in a sec.

The Assistant :  You know, when it was announced that Billie Piper was going to be the new assistant, I almost threw up.  I thought - that's it by.  It's just not going to be good and no-one's taking it seriously over there obviously.

I am a Dick.

Billie Piper can act.  She's been brilliant.  Who'd have thought that a mediocre singing career and a failed marriage was only setting her up for what is a finely played role.  She's managed to inject a note of the everyday in Doctor Who and give the kids something to identify with.  That's always been the point of the assistant - to ask the Doctor the questions that the audience wants to.  Billie is so far playing a blinder and I'm really pleased.  She's also managed to get out of the 'you just sit there looking pretty and scream' nonsense that assistants usual fall into.   I'm glad to hear she's going to continue with Doctor Who and I hope that she gets herself a couple more acting gigs, since it's definetly a strength.  Well pleased and even more pleased to admit I was horribly, horribly wrong about her.

So, the 'baddies' have been up to snuff so far - the usual mix of the surreal and the alien.  The 3rd episode was a retread of some that have gone before (I kept thinking of the Horror Of Fang Rock when I was watching it).  I also liked the fact that they brought Dickens in, since that's a fine old tradition of Who as well.  I'm interested to see how they're going to manage the Dalek episode, and hope that it gets it right.

Gripes :  I can understand WHY they're doing a more emotional bond between the Doc and the assistant.  It's a new age of TV and everyone understands sexual tension and a love interest.  However; when the Doc first tries to convince Billie into his TARDIS, did anyone else think - he's going to ask her to come in and see some puppies in a minute !  It's the first time we've seen a Doc desperate for human contact.  That's been explained a little bit with the death of his race and the loneliness he feels - he almost shagged a tree, after all, not even Bruce has done that - but I still think some of it is a little 'desperate'.

Also, I wanna see some other planets.  Yeah, it was a really good device to give us Earth past present and future - but let's see what's out there, eh ?

Ok, since there's two people on this whole board who give a shit, I'll shut up now.

Over to Bruce with the weather.

[Bunk]

Actually I do give a shit, but Im not at episode two yet here in Canada, so I'm avoiding reading too much in advance.

[Ironwood]

Really ?  Damnit, maybe spoiler tags would have been an idea - though on re-reading, I don't think I talked much abot the episodes actual content...

[Shockeye]

I know, personal taste and all that, but when someone says summat like that I can only think that they're actually stirring rather than putting forward a serious viewpoint.  I mean, for fuck's sake the guy was fighting MR BASSET AT ONE POINT.  Jesssssusssss.

Granted some of the episodes were bad, but many were very good. Hell, even Ace stopped being terribly annoying after awhile.

Ice Hot!

[Ironwood]

but many were very good. Hell, even Ace stopped being terribly annoying after awhile.

We seem to disagree on so very, very much.  Still, it's up to you.


Edited to Add :

Pop Quiz, Slick :  Find me ANY episode in the following that's not dire :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/episodeguide/index_seventh.shtml

[Bunk]

Ace? *shudder*

[Fraeg]

..................

Gripes :  I can understand WHY they're doing a more emotional bond between the Doc and the assistant.  It's a new age of TV and everyone understands sexual tension and a love interest.  However; when the Doc first tries to convince Billie into his TARDIS, did anyone else think - he's going to ask her to come in and see some puppies in a minute !  It's the first time we've seen a Doc desperate for human contact.  That's been explained a little bit with the death of his race and the loneliness he feels - he almost shagged a tree, after all, not even Bruce has done that - but I still think some of it is a little 'desperate'...............

Jon Pertwee and Jo, when she says goodbye in The Green Death?  that seemed to be far more than mere paternal feelings on the Doctors part... He came across as a bit desperate to me

Anywho:  Ironwood, you are probably a metric fuckton more familier with the episodes than I am,  what are some episodes that you consider to be the real standouts?  I was always partial to The Sunmakers and Carnival of Monsters, someone else here mentioned Invasion of Time.

As for sidekicks  Mary Tamm as Romana I is the one I enjoyed the best, largely due to me getting sick of the slew of braindead and helpless sidekicks... Though I must confess, while her voice drives me nuts.. Perri aka Nicole Bryant has her plusses.

-me

[Fraeg]

Regarding Sylvester M.

Can't stand the guy, Curse of Fenric was the worst episode I have ever seen of any Doctor.

[SirBruce]

The best part of Sylvestor McCoy's performance was seeing him get gunned down in the tv movie. Pricless!

Bruce

[Sky]

Up yours you limey twit.

You know, the Brits were first labelled 'limey' because the Royal Navy stocked their ships with limes to stave off scurvy. Or rickets. Or whatever it was.

Anyway, great thread, I just forgot most of what I knew about the good Doctor. I wish the DVDs were cheaper, I'd love to go back and get a metric crapload of them, so many memories of youthful weekends and the quirky Doctor.

Ok, since there's two people on this whole board who give a shit, I'll shut up now.

So, yeah, one more lurker here :)

[Ironwood]

Jon Pertwee and Jo, when she says goodbye in The Green Death?  that seemed to be far more than mere paternal feelings on the Doctors part... He came across as a bit desperate to me

Anywho:  Ironwood, you are probably a metric fuckton more familier with the episodes than I am,  what are some episodes that you consider to be the real standouts?  I was always partial to The Sunmakers and Carnival of Monsters, someone else here mentioned Invasion of Time.

Horror of Fang Rock.  Robots of Death. The Brain Of Morbuis. Planet of the Spiders.  The Three Doctors.  ANYTHING with Delgado as the Master. Silurians and Zygons.  Most of the Dalek episodes.  Cybermen - The Borg of their time -  crushing throats and cracking skulls.  Particularly Earthshock;  though mostly because that killed that little turd Adric.

Outstanding Best Ever Episode :  Destiny of the Daleks.   Honest to God, the best episode ever in my opinion.  The Daleks and the Movelans were fantastic thematically and putting the Doctor and Davros as polar opposites was inspired and inspiring.  Romana was fantastic.  The Doctor Died.  It was a brilliant episode.  Paper, Rock, Scissors for teh win.


As to your other point, I didn't really think that much of the goodbye.  It was, for me, much more of a fatherly sendoff than a runner up in a podging contest.  Pertwee, IMO, played it much as a father at a wedding.  But it's all in the eye of the beholder I guess.

[SirBruce]

Hmm, favorite Dr. Who episodes is a tough one.  You mention Destiny of the Daleks, which was great, but I think Genesis of the Daleks is better, and really needs to be watched before Destiny.

My favorite Dr. Who episode might be City of Death, which follows right after Destiny.  The Doctor and Romana critiqueing on the Mona Lisa - what more needs to be said?  It's a very funny episode, and tightly scripted.  I'm also very fond of the Key to Time saga (season 16), and particularly the finale, The Armageddon Factor, has some great moments.

It's ironic that the unifying element here is Douglas Adams, who came on board at the end of 16 and for all of season 17, which the above episodes are all part of.  So really, watch them all. :)  I am also rather fond of Tom Baker's last episode, Logopolis.

So Tom Baker is my favorite doctor, obviously, but Jon Pertwee also provided some memorial moments.  I would recommend Inferno as the one episode that should be watched of his tenure.  I also admit I have a weakness for Death to the Daleks, which while generally regarded as a weaker episode, I find a lot of fun to watch with some great crowd-rousing moments as well.

Bruce

[Ironwood]

Hmm, favorite Dr. Who episodes is a tough one.  You mention Destiny of the Daleks, which was great, but I think Genesis of the Daleks is better, and really needs to be watched before Destiny.

Bruce is right on the money here about needing to watch Genesis first.  Though I still prefer Destiny's themes and plot.  Genesis goes very heavy on the morality of time travel as well, which is not really handled so heavily again until Adric dies.


Incidentally, BBC 3 runs a program right after Doctor Who - an 'uncovered' and behind the scenes show, narrated by Simon Pegg.  Are you guys getting that too ?  It's really fascinating in it's own right and I believe will be included in the special DVD's that will get released in the new series.  Well worth it IMO. 

[SirBruce]

No, I haven't seen them... then again, I didn't know to look for them on BitTorrent. :)

Bruce

[Bunk]

Didn't see that here either on CBC.

I really need to add some more dvds to my zip list. Thanks for titles guys, its been so long since I've seen many of these that I forget the names of the episodes I enjoyed.

[Fraeg]

closet luddite here

buying a tv, cable, the bbc package.....seems a bit much just to be able to see the Doctor.  But then I might be able to hold my end of the conversation when people ask me about The Apprentice and General Hospital.

Watched The Two Doctors this weekend... gotta say I was pleasently surprised.

An episode I forgot to mention as being a favorite was:  State of Decay  aka the vampire/goth one.

[Sky]

But then I might be able to hold my end of the conversation when people ask me about The Apprentice and General Hospital.

Yes, there are some downsides.

[Shockeye]

Casanova star Tennant is next Dr Who
Deborah Haile



CASANOVA star David Tennant has been named as the man who will take over the role of Doctor Who from Salford actor Christopher Eccleston.

The BBC announced Eccleston was to quit the role of TV's Time Lord two weeks ago, after the screening of just one episode of the new series.

They had initially hoped that Eccleston, whose first appearance as the ninth doctor attracted 10 million viewers, would continue in a second series.

But Eccleston said that, while he was proud to have been a part of Doctor Who, he wanted to leave and was planning new projects.

The BBC announced that David Tennant - currently starring in the BBC drama Casanova - would take over the role when the next series is made.

Tennant, a long-time fan of the series, was always the bookies' favourite to land the role.

David Tennant confirmed as the tenth Doctor Who



David Tennant is confirmed as the tenth Doctor Who, it was announced today by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, following the recommissioning of the second series.

Tennant, whose recent credits include BBC THREE's critically-acclaimed drama series Casanova, BBC ONE's Blackpool and He Knew He Was Right, will star alongside Billie Piper who returns as Rose Tyler.

Julie Gardner, BBC Head of Drama, Wales says: "Christopher Eccleston has given an exceptional performance as the ninth Doctor.

"David Tennant is a great actor who will build on the excellent work already done by Christopher in establishing Doctor Who for a new generation."

David Tennant says: "I am delighted, excited and honoured to be the tenth Doctor!

"I grew up loving Doctor Who and it has been a lifelong dream to get my very own TARDIS.

"Russell T Davies is one of the best writers television has ever had, and I'm chuffed to bits to get the opportunity to work with him again.

"I'm also really looking forward to working with Billie Piper who is so great as Rose.

"Taking over from Chris is a daunting prospect; he has done a fantastic job of reinventing the Doctor for a new generation and is a very tough act to follow."

Executive producer/writer Russell T Davies adds: "Christopher Eccelston's wonderful Doctor has reinvented the role, so that it now appeals to the best actors in the land.

"I'm already writing David's first new adventure on board the TARDIS!

"Regeneration is a huge part of the programme's mythology, and I'm delighted that new, young viewers can now have the complete Doctor Who experience, as they witness their hero change his face!"

A new 13-part adventure and Christmas special begins filming in Cardiff in the summer for transmission on BBC ONE.

[raydeen]

My favorite Dr. Who episode might be City of Death, which follows right after Destiny.  The Doctor and Romana critiqueing on the Mona Lisa

Actually, the best part of that episode was John Cleese and some woman critiqueing the Tardis.  :-D

I guess it's just me, but I don't feel McCoy deserves all the bashing. I always felt that he was as good as any of the doctors (most comparible to Troughton (sp?) if you ask me), but that the writing had reached such a low point. Well, writing and set design. It seemed that no one was putting any time into either. Some good concepts but really poor production and execution. The only things that really save some of the final episodes for me are seeing some of my favorite brit-com stars appearing in them. Richard and Onslo from Keeping up Appearances  (and I'd swear Daisy was in the same episode with Richard Briars (Tom Good) - Paradise Towers), Mrs. Raven from My Hero in The Curse of Fenric, one of the brothers from Butterflies was in one of the Peter 'Davidson episodes, Geoffrey Palmer was in an episode, but that was much earlier and I believe in the Tom Baker era. It seemed like all the steam went out of the series after Baker left.

And maybe I'm again in the minority, but I liked Paul McGann. The movie was pretty bad and I think only did as well as it did because we were so starved for any kind of Who over here in the States we would've settled for a Hanna-Barbarra production of the Harlem-Globetrotters vs. the Daleks with special guest appearances by Laverne and Shirley, Vincent Price, Scrappy Doo, and the Baby Jesus.

And now it seems we're right back where we started as the old Who has been pulled and no one seems to want to purchase the rights to the new one.

I feel Sonically-Screwed.

[Sky]

I think the sonic screwing is the price of the goddamned DVDs.

[Furiously]

Ok - just finished watching the 4th and 5th episodes. That was damn good - I especially liked Rose's mother yelling at the doctor for putting her in dangerous situations.

And next week....we have Daleks! EXTERMINATE!

[Ironwood]

4 wasn't terribly good, but was 'saved' by the exposition of 5.  If it had been watched by me in a 'whole sitting' I would have been happier with it...

As you say, Daleks.  Sweet.  And whatnot.

However, from what I could gather from the trailer, it's set on Earth.  AGAIN.

I mean, what's the fucking point of a box that can go anywhere in the universe ?  At least when they did that shit with Pertwee they said 'Oh, and you're fucking grounded Doctor.  Go anywhere you like as long as it's Sussex'.

Sigh.

[Fraeg]

4 wasn't terribly good, but was 'saved' by the exposition of 5.  If it had been watched by me in a 'whole sitting' I would have been happier with it...

As you say, Daleks.  Sweet.  And whatnot.

However, from what I could gather from the trailer, it's set on Earth.  AGAIN.

I mean, what's the fucking point of a box that can go anywhere in the universe ?  At least when they did that shit with Pertwee they said 'Oh, and you're fucking grounded Doctor.  Go anywhere you like as long as it's Sussex'.

Sigh.

-They ran out of quarries?

I really should stop reading this thread so as not to spoil things when i finally see the new episodes.

-me

[Bunk]

Just watched "Aliens of London" last night (#4 I think). Anyone else have a strong urge to yell out in a booming voice: "Piiiigssss iiinnn Spaaaaaaace!"

[Ironwood]

I think that was probably on purpose.  The suit he wore was the exact same....

(Oh and having rewatched five a couple of times, I still get a chuckle at the 'aliens can launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes' line.  Classic politicking there.)

[eldaec]

Dalek epsiode wasn't bad, I was somewhat concerned that they'd have difficulty maintaining the sense of menace that the old daleks did given how ridiculous they appear by modern standards.

They did pretty well. Though the stairs scene, frankly, was even worse than the Slyvester McCoy stairs scene. And the ending was crap.


Also, guess which planet they are visiting next (it begins with E).

[Furiously]

Watched 7 and 8 last night.

I thought 7 was mediocre, but 8 blew me away. The flashback scenes were great at the beginning and ending.

[Ironwood]

GET OFF OF EARTH.  OR AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE ALWAYS THERE.

IT'S TIME AND SPACE.  TIME AND SPACE.


DAMMIT.


Still a damn good series tho.

[Yegolev]

GET OFF OF EARTH.  OR AT LEAST EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE ALWAYS THERE.

Right on.  I finish up episode ten and get a few glances at the preview of eleven and the first thing out of my mouth is "Mickey AGAIN?"  I wouldn't mind staying on Earth so much if they could resist stopping by Rose's apartment every other episode.  The Nestene should have done away with Mickey.  And now I am denied having a Dalek obliterate him.  I'd settle for a stray brick at this point.

My wife was glad to see a couple gay references in #10.  I'm waiting for an appropriate point to tell her about Russell Davies' other work.