| brian_may_wannabe 04.03.2005 10:48 |
Is anyone watching the new series of Doctor Who? |
| bellydancer 05.03.2005 05:40 |
What new series of Doctor Who???? |
| brian_may_wannabe 05.03.2005 08:43 |
bellydancer wrote: What new series of Doctor Who????You haven't seen it? Dosen't the Daleks ring any bells? The TARDIS? Cybermen? |
| agneepath! 11994 05.03.2005 11:47 |
Of course... isn't it on telly around March 26th? |
| We Are The Champions 05.03.2005 12:39 |
brian_may_wannabe wrote: Is anyone watching the new series of Doctor Who?I'm a huge fan of Dr Who!!. I grew up with Tom Baker and Jon Pertwee. Didn't like Colin Baker and watched Sylvester McCoy on UK Gold!! It doesn't start until March 26th so how can anyone be watching it? It's being produced by BBC Wales and is being filmed in Cardiff. Chris Eccleston's regeneration scene from Paul McGann ...if it's shown.... will be interesting! I think each episode is about 40-50 minutes long and the Daleks are definitely making an appearance. They have already filmed scenes at Madame Tussauds for one episode I believe. |
| agneepath! 11994 05.03.2005 13:12 |
I "grew" up with Pater Davison... but my favourite doctor will always be Tom Baker, followed by Davison. Looking foward to it... Eccleston is an interesting choice. |
| brENsKi 05.03.2005 13:30 |
Agneepath! wrote: I "grew" up with Pater Davison... but my favourite doctor will always be Tom Baker, followed by Davison. Looking foward to it... Eccleston is an interesting choice.i suppose living with one of the Doctors it would be easy to take for granted ;-) - no wonder you prefered one of the others ;-) |
| brian_may_wannabe 06.03.2005 08:56 |
fAVOURITE Doctor: Tom Baker (but I grew up eith Sylvester McCoy's Doctor) Favourite Monster: Daleks (of course) Am I looking forward to the new series: Yes I am |
| Queenleaf 06.03.2005 10:04 |
I haven't seen any Doctor Who but I love Douglas Adams and I love Peter Davison and I want to see some. I didn't know they were coming out with new stuff. |
| Banquo 06.03.2005 10:31 |
Its going to be shit hot I can sense it. Brilliant writer, really good actor and special effects that aren't cardboard or paper mache. |
| *JAZZ* 06.03.2005 13:55 |
ploof |
| bellydancer 06.03.2005 22:18 |
Hey bm wannabe I was watching the original Dr Who series WHEN THEY WERE NEW and you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye!!!! But I live in Australia and so we are behind the rest of the world when new series get released - so that is why I asked if there was a new series.....at the moment they are running Tom Baker on our government ABC - and my favourite assistant - Leela - god I love those outfits of hers - I wanted to be her!! |
| Mr Mercury 07.03.2005 06:40 |
I was never a fan but I think i'll be watching it after seeing pics of the Doc's new assistant (and Chris Evans' ex missus) Billie Piper.... link |
| iGSM 07.03.2005 09:45 |
*bites down hard on knuckle of index finger* Mummy. I have to watch it now. |
| Fraz 07.03.2005 10:31 |
Sounds Cool |
| Taylor-Mayed 08.03.2005 07:08 |
I might just give it a glance... |
| Saint Jiub 08.03.2005 23:38 |
Taylor-Mayed ... for one night only ... I knew this topic would bring you back for one post at least ... Welcome back ... or are you gone again after looking at the state of this board? |
| Taylor-Mayed 09.03.2005 09:40 |
Oh I still pop in from time to time... Rarely have anything to say, however. I'll be interested to come back on the 26th though, as this may be a good place to see what any non-fans who watch make of the New Who. Tuesdays from 5th April, 8pm on the CBC, for any Canadians interested, too. |
| Banquo 09.03.2005 15:25 |
T_M What did you think of the second series of Shameless? It grew after a slow start I think. The last two were fantastic. The comedy still outclasses most sit-coms in Britain. I never thought I would snigger at someone trying to kill a dog. |
| Taylor-Mayed 11.03.2005 06:19 |
I enjoyed it a great deal - as with any series, the second season risks not seeming as fresh and imaginative as the first, simply because it *is* the second. It did suffer a little from not having as many Paul Abbott-written episodes, but I don't think Danny Brocklehurst is as bad a substitute as some claim - he's particularly good with Kev and Veronica I think, who shone in this season. Losing Steve was a shame as it took some of the dynamic out of the charasterisation, and Craig was no adequate replacement. Having now lost Fiona too, it'll be intriguing to see how the third season shapes up. Of course, the one bad thing about the second season of "Shameless" was that its existence meant Paul Abbott was too busy to do the "Doctor Who" episode he was originally going to write - he and Russell T Davies are great mates, going back to their "Children's Ward" days. |
| Banquo 11.03.2005 13:02 |
Did I dream it or did Russell T Davies offer JK Rowling an episode of Dr Who to write? I'm sure I read about it somewhere. |
| brian_may_wannabe 12.03.2005 08:10 |
He did ask her, but she said no as she was busy on the Harry Potter movies. |
| Taylor-Mayed 13.03.2005 08:51 |
Well, it was the sixth book rather than the movies she was too busy with. But yes, he did apparently ask her - he said so himself in one of his Production Notes columns in Doctor Who Magazine last year. They also invited Hugh Grant to audition to play The Doctor again, but he also turned them down, oddly enough! |
| brian_may_wannabe 13.03.2005 08:59 |
Hugh Grant played the Doctor in the Comic Relief story didn't he. I thought he was a good Doctor (even though he only played him for five minutes of the story). I thought Rowan Atkinson was good as well. Who would be a good tenth Doctor? (now Eccleston is the ninth) I always thought David Jason would be a good Doctor, but he's starting to age now, and the Doctor seems to be getting younger now. I also thing Martin Clunes would be good. |
| Taylor-Mayed 13.03.2005 09:28 |
My money's on David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. Tennant can be seen starring in RTD's "Casanova" starting on BBC Three tonight, and has previously been in "Blackpool" and "He Knew He Was Right" on BBC One. In films, he's been in Stephen Fry's "Bright Young Things", and is currently filming the role of 'Barty Crouch Junior' in the latest Harry Potter movie. In a few weeks' time he's also popping up in the live re-make of "The Quatermass Experiment" on BBC Four, as Paterson. However, I'd bet on him not only because he's a superb actor, but because he is very much a dyed-in-the-wool Who fan. He's been in several of Big Finish Productions' straight-to-CD licensed "Doctor Who" radio plays, most notably as Colonel Brinnicombe-Wood in "Sympathy for the Devil", and I believe he's also a regular in some of the "Dalek Empire" spin-off audios, although I've not listened to any of those so I wouldn't know. Mark my words, anyway. David Tennant to succeed Eccleston whenever Chris decides to leave. That's assuming he hasn't become too big a star for it by then - mind you, I thought Eccleston was too big to commit to such a series, so what do I know? Far too early to be talking about No. 10 when we haven't even seen No. 9 in action yet, anyway. Here's hoping for many years of Chris! |
| Flashman 13.03.2005 12:35 |
Just seen a selection of the 'monsters' to appear in the series and they look pretty dreadful, even by the lame Doctor Who standards. Still stuck in the 70s, it's like Star Trek for kids. It never recovered from the awful Colin Baker/Sylvester McCoy years. Gad, they were tripe. |
| Taylor-Mayed 14.03.2005 07:41 |
Sorry, I must have missed the point when "Star Trek" became a gritty adult drama. ;-) "Doctor Who" has never been an adult-orientated programme, or at least never exclusively so, I don't think anybody would argue that point! The whole point of the series is to appeal to all age groups - that's kind of what you have to do in an early Saturday evening slot. |
| agneepath! 11994 14.03.2005 09:03 |
I'm looking foward to it... Since 1989 I think the Beeb have treated Doctor Who shabbily - almost as if it is something to be ashamed of. We've had endless repeats of Star Trek and all of its various incarnations but how often have they repeated classic Dr who stories? At least they've seen sense to release them on dvd. |
| Flashman 14.03.2005 12:24 |
Taylor-Mayed wrote: Sorry, I must have missed the point when "Star Trek" became a gritty adult drama. ;-)You obviously have never seen the classic episode 'The Trouble With Tribbles'. I will give the new Doctor Who a chance to allay my qualms, although given my nature of absolute bigotry, I doubt I will be converted. |
| FreddiesGhettoTrench 14.03.2005 13:58 |
I was named after a character on Doctor Who! |
| Taylor-Mayed 15.03.2005 08:06 |
Agneepath!, I don't think you're being fair to the Beeb. For one thing, it's much, *much* more expensive to repeat UK-made television programmes than it is to repeat foreign imports, which would make any "Who" repeats prohibitively expensive. And indeed, compared to other archive shows, "Who" has done very well - a long run of repeats of several stories on BBC Two between 1992 and 1994, an attempt at another repeat run in 1999-2000, no less than *three* brand-new documentaries on the show since 1989, two of them on BBC One in prime-time... It's not done badly out of the Beeb at all. And now - well, nobody can accuse them of not being behind the show this time. Extensive radio and television trailers, mentions in newspapers and magazines virtually every day, extensive Radio Times features, billboard adverts, *another* BBC One documentary before the first episode, thirteen tie-in documentaries on BBC Three, a two-part radio documentary, tons of merchandising... And that's quite apart from all the money and effort that's been put into the show itself! Basically, if it doesn't work this time, then there is absolutely *no way* anybody can throw any brickbats at the BBC. Of course, there are about twenty-five scarf-wearing loons who *will*, simply because they always do, but sadly there's nothing much we can do about them. |
| Taylor-Mayed 25.03.2005 15:07 |
*bounce* 7pm BBC One Tomorrow Be there! :-D |
| agneepath! 11994 25.03.2005 15:58 |
yep... My nephew (aged 9)and I are getting very excited. It should be good! |
| Mr Mercury 25.03.2005 17:29 |
Right, a quick question for ya. Who remembers what TARDIS actually stood for? |
| agneepath! 11994 25.03.2005 18:19 |
Time and Relative Dimension in Space - just to prove I'm not a Dr Who geek, i can never remember if its "Dimension" or "dimensions" |
| Taylor-Mayed 25.03.2005 18:28 |
Well Susan said it was 'Dimension', singular, back in the very first episode. Everyone else over the following forty-odd years tends to have added the 's'. Oh dear. I'll get me coat... |
| Banquo 26.03.2005 04:19 |
Now, now lets not slag Star Trek off thank you. Alright you can slag Enterprise off all you want but that's it. Playing Knights of the Old Republic II on X-box in the morning. England v N. Ireland 3pm. Dr Who 7pm. What would Lou Reed say? Perfect Day? |
| dragonzflame 26.03.2005 04:25 |
I remember (vaguely) Dr Who from my childhood, but only the Tardis (phone boxes were always a grave disappointment to me!) and that awesome music. If TVNZ were to screen it I'd watch it, probably with me old man who'd love it, but I'll probably eat my hard drive before that happens. |
| Mr Mercury 26.03.2005 06:06 |
Agneepath! wrote: Time and Relative Dimension in Space - just to prove I'm not a Dr Who geek, i can never remember if its "Dimension" or "dimensions"Cheers, I always thought it was "distance" and not "dimension" .... You learn something new every day.... |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.03.2005 06:36 |
dragonzflame - it's not going to be on TVNZ, but Prime TV have purchased the series and will be showing it sometime soon. :-) |
| DeaconJohn 26.03.2005 06:49 |
Ah, I can just picture T-M, getting into his Cyberman costume ready for tonight's show. Did you download the leaked version of the episode off the internet? Or have you mamnaged to control yourself enough not to spoil the surprise? |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.03.2005 08:26 |
Of course I didn't download it. Others may have wanted to open their presents early, I was waiting for Christmas! Glad to see the person responsible lost their job, anyway. |
| Banquo 26.03.2005 14:48 |
First to comment on it and it was way, way more than I expected. Christopher Eccleston was brilliant. Everything about it was perfect. Bloody excellent. |
| DeaconJohn 26.03.2005 14:58 |
Christopher Eccleston was fantastic, I agree. I was expecting this to be a bit crap, but I will definatley be tuning in next week. |
| Banquo 26.03.2005 15:08 |
Anyone know how many they have made? |
| agneepath! 11994 26.03.2005 15:38 |
13 episodes, I think. I wasn't thrilled to bits. Eccleston was good but a few cheesy moments - esp. the ending with Rose. |
| John S Stuart 26.03.2005 15:44 |
I thought that Chris (how many Chris' are there in Billy Piper's life?), was very like (not visually - obviously) Tom Baker. Same eccentric/comical streak. 13 episodes over 10 months is a hard toll on any actor. Hope he makes a second season. FreddiesGhettoTrench: "I was named after a character on Doctor Who!" It must be a real bitch having a name like Davros Smith! |
| deleted user 26.03.2005 16:28 |
Just finished watching episode 1 - it rocked ! There were some nice touches of humour - the wheelie bin that came alive and swallowed Rose's ( Billie piper's character's ) boyfriend and the bit where the Dr nearly got strangled by the shop dummies hand in Rose's flat . I still haven't recovered from the fact * shock horror * Billie piper CAN act - everyone I know thought she would suck . |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.03.2005 16:29 |
Wibble. :-D Fuller review to follow no doubt.... First impressions: Loved Chris. Charismatic, serious when he needed to be, lively, engaging... Just brilliant. A tad too much humour for my taste, but it was on the whole well-executed humour, and it never threatened to swamp the thing. Well-paced, well-put together... Really, really good. "A woman looked at your website?" Nice nod to us fans from our Russell! :-) The only slight annoyance was the sound-bleed from BBC Three early on - Graham Norton was only saying in the press the other day how he wanted a role in the series, and he got one. Given the number of people obsessing over this minor fault over on the OG forums, reassure me normal people - the general audience neither noticed or really cared, right? |
| agneepath! 11994 26.03.2005 16:50 |
Just wondering, perhaps Taylor-Mayed can answer: will there be a regeneration scene? The change was hinted at but regeneration scenes were always a highlight / ending of an era. I've always tried to avoid internet / magazine articles on a new series. They kinda kill the suspense / surprise. Not to sure what I make of the interior of the Tardis. we didn't see a great deal of it today. |
| rachael mae. 26.03.2005 17:09 |
Great.. but nothing compares to the black and white episodes with Patrick Troughton, the cybermen, the Daleks.. For me everythings scarier in b/w |
| Brimon 26.03.2005 17:15 |
I thought the first epsidode was top class, and having seen some of the trailers for the later episodes, it looks as if its going to get better and better. At last a show on a saturday night, that does'nt involve having to phone in to vote for a winner. |
| deleted user 26.03.2005 17:30 |
someone asked about a regeneration scene - There wasn't a regeneration scene - there was a subtle nod to it - chris looked in the mirror at one point ( a scene in Rose's flat ) and made a remark to himself about his ears - but no morphing from the last Dr to this one . Just seen trailer for episode 2 - looks even better |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.03.2005 18:14 |
No, no regeneration - the assumption being it happened off-screen in an unseen advanture since the TV Movie. I thought the "ears" line was nice, though - I just don't thinkt the Ninth Doctor looks in mirrors all that often! :-) Here's my full review anyway - sorry if it's a bit nerdish, it was written for a fan audience really. For the past sixteen years, the concept of “a new series of Doctor Who” has existed purely in the abstract – a dream in the minds of the fans, something to debate and conjecture over, write articles about on internet message boards, talk to other fans about down the pub. As the years went by without any new television series, so each and every one of us began to imagine what such a thing, were it ever to happen, might be like. This long period meant that we all had time to build up our individual fantasies of what we wanted, until we all had a ‘perfect’ Doctor Who constructed in our heads, whether consciously or not. This is part of the problem of Rose, but only for fans – suddenly, rather than each having our own visions of the future, there is only one, and it’s here and now and right in front of us and it’s real. It’s such a culture shock to find that it’s actually here, that we perhaps risk forgetting that it can’t satisfy everyone’s desires – that would be impossible. Nor should it strive to – this is, after all, a new series for the general public, and however many nodding winks it may tip to fandom, it can never be exclusively designed for a few thousand of us amongst the millions, let alone for an individual fan amongst those thousands. Rose was not my image of perfect Doctor Who, of course it wasn’t. I’ll tell you what it was though – pretty damn good. First things first then, Christopher Eccleston. It sounds a crass and obvious thing to say, but he really was one of my favourite actors long before he ever got the part of the Doctor. I remember well sneakily staying up late in my room as a twelve year-old, because I was desperate to find out what happened to all of Our Friends in the North, but more than any of them I wanted to see what became of Eccleston’s Nicky. The intensity and sheer watchability he brought to that and other previous roles is present here, but with so much more – a wonderful sense of a lust for life, a line in bad jokes, charisma and great comedy timing. On first watch I wasn’t convinced about his wrestling with the Auton arm, but second time around I really enjoyed it. His whole comic routine in Rose’s living room was wonderful – for a moment he has the ‘Fonz touch’ of previous Doctors as he goes to shuffle the cards in a fancy manner, and it’s all suddenly lost as cards fly all over the place. The intelligent and the farcical going hand-in-hand – very Doctorish. This is not an out-and-out comedy Doctor though – he’s also excellent when called upon to do the more serious stuff, such as the ‘world spinning’ speech to Rose, or the confrontation with the Nestene Consciousness where he pleads almost guiltily that he couldn’t save its world. Is this the sound of a plot arc being dropped into place, perhaps? References to ‘The War’ are interesting – it’s probably a coincidence, of course, but way back in 1963 CE Webber and Donald Wilson, two of the show’s triumvirate of creators, were of the opinion that the mysterious ‘Doctor’ character in the series they were dreaming up was a refugee from a massive ‘Galactic War’ tens of thousands of years in the future, suffering from some form of amnesia brought on by the horror of what he’d seen there… Never a concept developed upon in the series itself of course, but worth mentioning. A Doctor needs his companion of course, and in this case we have the episode’s eponymous heroine, Rose – Rose Tyler, this project’s bearer of the Russell T Davies trademark surname. I have to admit I was one of those who was a little surprised when Billie Piper’s casting was announced back in May 2004 – yes I was prejudiced, of cours |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.03.2005 18:14 |
Because despite all of those influences, all of the modern pacing and production, this is still very much Doctor Who. The sense of fun mixed in with the adventure, the righteous crusading of the Doctor tempered with his unhumanity, and the fact that he wants to give the Nestene Consciousness a chance before he has to destroy it… All of this comes right out of the heart of the series we all know and love. This is certainly Doctor Who, and very good Doctor Who at that. The production was uniformly excellent – well-paced, well-shot and with only the incidental score from the usually-reliable Murray Gold occasionally jarring – Gold’s done an excellent job on the new mix of the theme, however, admirably accompanied by pleasingly familiar-seeming visuals from The Mill. In fact the only technical aspect to let the BBC One broadcast of the episode down were the two very brief sound bleeding errors from BBC Three’s concurrent broadcast of the Strictly Come Dancing tie-in show: unfortunate, perhaps, but I’d challenge anybody to say that these two three-second or so interruptions in any way spoiled their enjoyment of the episode. Given how much there was to fit in and how brisk the pace was, it’s surprising there was much room for any supporting characters, but Davies has always been good at quickly establishing character, and the main supports were all very good. A few have suggested that Mickey is ‘token ethnic comic relief’, but I think this is nonsense – yes, he’s a bit useless, but that’s just his character. There’s nothing derogatory about it – Jackie and Clive are equally comically drawn and I don’t see anybody complaining about them being stereotypes. Clive of course is one of Davies’ knowing nods to us, the fans – he is one of us basically, from a world where we don’t have a show but an actual real Doctor to obsess and make websites over. The collection in his shed was nice, and the photo from 22nd November 1963 was a lovely touch – the new beginning going right back to the first time around. Oh, and his wife’s line of “She’s read a website about the Doctor, and she’s a she?” was one of my great favourites. I would have liked to have seen more of Clive – a shame he ended up being a rather resigned victim of an Auton attack. The Autons themselves were fantastic, blank-faced, unstoppable and suitably menacing, only really letting the side down a little when the three brides just stood there pointing their guns at Jackie and not shooting her in the several moments they had before they were deactivated. But hey-ho, it’s nice to still have Jackie around – she looks as if she’s set to provide more comic relief in the contemporarily-set episodes, and her ludicrous attempt to seduce the Doctor was a nice way of signposting just how uninterested he is in that sort of thing, thank you very much. Overall then? Superb. The first time around I was a little worried there was too much humour for my tastes, but I think after a second viewing I was simply worrying because I was watching it with my parents and I was anxious that they’d find it too silly. Needless to say, they loved it – the burping wheelie bin went down well, and I can’t see what all the fuss has been about concerning it. Yes, it’s a comic moment, but it works. The humour never undermined the drama, it nicely counter-pointed it, which has always been how the very best Doctor Who has worked down the years. So of course it wasn’t perfect. It never could have been it had too many expectations and dreams weighing down on it for that. But it was a fine start to what looks set to be a very fine series indeed. |
| dragonzflame 26.03.2005 18:16 |
Taylor-Mayed wrote: dragonzflame - it's not going to be on TVNZ, but Prime TV have purchased the series and will be showing it sometime soon. :-)Ah yes, Prime. I suspected as much - they tend to like to get these things to compete with TVNZ. Just as well I'm one of the 75% of the country who can get it then. Thanks for that T_M! |
| Banquo 27.03.2005 01:38 |
'If your an alien why do you sound like you come from the North?' 'Lots of planets have a north' Am I the only one or has he got a Tom Baker feel about him? Given Russel T Davies' age and the Doctor he would have seen as a kid its surely no coincidence? |
| Flashman 27.03.2005 05:14 |
Poor acting, weak script and dialogue, woeful continuity. However, great fun and I'll watch it again next week. |
| Taylor-Mayed 27.03.2005 06:08 |
"woeful continuity" Intriguing remark. In what sense? |
| Flashman 27.03.2005 10:25 |
In the context of the show. |
| agneepath! 11994 27.03.2005 11:03 |
I'm a sucker for nostalgia... I do hope that in the upcoming episodes references are made to His other selves... They don't have to be quiet as obvious as Peter Davison's impersonations in Castrovalva but subtle references / reminders will do! |
| Taylor-Mayed 27.03.2005 13:31 |
"In the context of the show." I didn't spot any continuity bloopers, but then again I've only watched it three times so far... |
| deleted user 27.03.2005 14:23 |
" continuity bloopers " - well he is a timelord , travelling back and fourth so thats that one explained ! - Re Tom Baker likenesses I thought that to - Tom Baker THE best Dr ! |
| deleted user 27.03.2005 14:38 |
btw that was a really lucid , eloquent and fair synopsis / criteque of episode 1 taylor > starts a round of applause .......For once someone posted something intelligent readable and interesting , in the person section - shakes head in disbelief . |
| Banquo 10.04.2005 05:53 |
Now that its established itself 3 episodes in. What do we think now. Last weeks End Of The World was very good. I can understand why they went to Cardiff being a BBC Wales production (actually it was Swansea) for last nights but it didn't flow right for me. Only the Happy Medium gag worked for me. Next weeks episode, however, looks awesome. |
| agneepath! 11994 10.04.2005 06:10 |
Banquo wrote: Next weeks episode, however, looks awesome.Thats the trouble.... the trailers are better than the episodes themselves! But next weeks episode does look very, very good! |
| Taylor-Mayed 10.04.2005 07:06 |
Three great episodes so far I think. The reviews are generally very positive, the viewing figures are high, the show's established itself again... It's all going well. I enjoyed last night's - I think I narrowly preferred The End of the World though, probably because I liked the character of Jabe so much. I thought the supporting cast was still very good last night though, particularly Callow. I'm sort of looking forward to the two-parter beginning next week - it'll be interesting to see how the longer stories work out compared to the one-shots we've had so far. But there is one extensively-previewed moment I'm absolutely dreading. Perhaps when seen in context it won't be that bad, but I'm not hopeful. |
| brian_may_wannabe 13.04.2005 10:40 |
This is what I think of the episodes so far... Episode One - funny Episode Two - emotional (especially towards the end) Episode Three - spooky Looking foward to episode six though. |
| Taylor-Mayed 13.04.2005 11:09 |
Isn't everyone? :-D |
| agneepath! 11994 13.04.2005 14:43 |
Taylor-Mayed: is Davros going to return either this series or next? What do you think of the Tardis interior? |
| Taylor-Mayed 13.04.2005 19:28 |
As far as I'm aware Davros isn't coming back, but you never know. I can't say I'll miss him if he doesn't - he's superb in his first story, but they should have left him alone after that I think. He became a progressively weaker character, and what's more his presence in stories always reduced the Daleks to the level of henchmen, completely sidelining them most of the time. And I like the TARDIS interior very much. |
| agneepath! 11994 20.04.2005 15:48 |
Taylor-mayed, what you think of last weeks episode |
| Taylor-Mayed 24.04.2005 05:48 |
I thought the two-parter just gone had a very weak first episode compared to the previous three, but improved massively in the second part. Still very enjoyable, but the least good overall so far. How about the trailer for next week's episode last night though? Was that not just the best damn thing ever!? I cannot wait for Saturday, I really genuinely cannot wait. "That thing downstairs is going to kill every last one of us!" |
| Banquo 24.04.2005 06:24 |
link Quite possibly the greatest trailer I've ever seen in my life. Looks very dark and menacing. If you have something planned for next Saturday cancel it. |
| Flashman 24.04.2005 08:09 |
Had to turn over last night's episode, as it was so poor. Missed episodes 2 & 3, but after last night's weak effort, I'm not too fussed. Feeble acting lets it down, and a really badly cast Doctor. Not surprised he's pulled out of the show, as he seems to be as bored with it as I am. |
| Mrs.Taylor 24.04.2005 17:43 |
Have to say, having watched the last two episodes together (being a two-parter) that last night's was a brilliant satire on the government Loved the references to weapons of destruction and them being ready for deployment in 45-seconds LOL And isn't the trim-phone in the Tardis a nod to nostalgia? Me and one of the girls at work, who coincidentally I went to school with, were reminiscing about the days of K-9 and our boss, all 27 years of him, had no idea what we were talking about *leans heavily on zimmerframe* |
| FreddiesGhettoTrench 24.04.2005 18:48 |
I was named after a character on Doctor Who :) |
| Mr Mercury 24.04.2005 19:01 |
Right here's a question for you all. What the connection, other than the name, between Dr Who and The Who? |
| iGSM 24.04.2005 20:09 |
Not the answer but apparently Roger Daltrey was considered for a cameo in 'Revelation of the Daleks' |
| Flashman 25.04.2005 03:11 |
Mr Mercury wrote: Right here's a question for you all. What the connection, other than the name, between Dr Who and The Who?Easy. They're both overrated. |
| Mr Mercury 25.04.2005 05:39 |
Nobody know yet? Where's Taylor-Mayed when you need him, eh :) |
| Carrots Of The Piratebean 25.04.2005 09:58 |
Lol @ Flashman :) |
| Taylor-Mayed 25.04.2005 11:23 |
Nothing springs to mind. I don't think they're one of the bands whose music crops up in the series. Go on, tell all! :-) |
| Mr Mercury 25.04.2005 12:24 |
Ok then here goes. The answer is that Ron Grainer, who did the theme tune for Dr Who also produced and recorded some of the Who's early stuff!! |
| Taylor-Mayed 26.04.2005 06:12 |
Ah, didn't know that! I wasn't aware that Grainer was much of a producer - a prolific composer yes, lots of TV themes and film scores under his belt, didn't know he produced though. I shall file that one away for future use! ;-) |
| Mr Mercury 26.04.2005 19:59 |
Its Daleks, John, not Darleks - unless of course they were the lesser known half Freddie half Dalek breed that you are on about. Thats the ones that say "Darleks" instead of "Darlings" :P |
| Mr Mercury 26.04.2005 20:07 |
Taylor-Mayed wrote: Ah, didn't know that! I wasn't aware that Grainer was much of a producer - a prolific composer yes, lots of TV themes and film scores under his belt, didn't know he produced though. I shall file that one away for future use! ;-)Didnt know that myself until I watched The Who's Kids Are Alright DVD where there is a bit on disc 2 where Roger Daltrey is being interviewed and he was talking about their early days. And it was there that he mentioned Ron Grainer. |
| Taylor-Mayed 27.04.2005 08:38 |
Interestingly, when Paul McCartney was originally considering having an electronic backing to "Yesterday" rather than strings (or possibly in addition to the strings, I forget) he went along to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to meet Delia Derbyshire, the woman who produced and essentially co-created Grainer's "Who" theme. The meeting never came to anything - probably for the best, as good as Delia was I can't see "Yesterday" with an electronic backing working very well! On the issue of Dalek spelling - well, as the show is now produced by BBC Wales, clearly it should be Dalechs! :-D Three days, five hours and twenty-one minutes to go... I can't wait! Anybody who phones me between 7 and 7.45pm this Saturday shall not live. |
| Deacons 1st Choice 27.04.2005 19:49 |
In other words...they will indeed be "exterminated"!! I am so envious of you all....us yanks have to WAIT until the New Who is broadcast Stateside! Argh!!!! I want to see it NOW!!! |
| Taylor-Mayed 28.04.2005 07:05 |
Well, those of you close to the border can watch it on CBC, as I know many fans in places like Detroit and Seattle have been doing. :-) |
| Mr Mercury 29.04.2005 19:40 |
Its nearly that time again........ the return of my childhood nightmares...... now wheres the sofa that I need to hide behind???!!!! And remember - nobody phone TM!!!! |
| Pheobe 30.04.2005 15:29 |
Sorry guys but that "Dalek" episode was shit. |
| Taylor-Mayed 30.04.2005 15:43 |
Another cracking episode, with Robert Shearman delivering as expected. However, I did have a few problems with it which took the shine off it being an all-time classic for me, and I’ll get these quibbles out of the way before I get onto the things I liked, which were many. For the first time this series, the pace did seem to be something of a problem for me – the first half of the episode few by too quickly for my tastes, and I would have liked a while longer to get to know the various characters, particularly those who were getting bumped off. The second half seemed much better paced and I didn’t feel as if I were missing too much, though. I’m also not sure about the Dalek, or rather its end – the idea of it being ‘infected’ with Rose’s DNA was a good one, and there is an established link of a Dalek bonding in some way with a young human female, touched upon in “Remembrance of the Daleks” and expanded upon in the novelisation of that story. But still, the way it ended… On the one hand it’s nice to see something different being done with the Daleks, and it did hark back to the 1960s stories so wasn’t totally ‘alien’ – as it were – but I’m a bit of a Dalek purist in some ways, in that I prefer them as the hard-arsed bastards of the universe killing and scheming and plotting. Which meant I enjoyed it murdering all the troops, anyway! The Doctor wielding a gun as if he were Bruce Willis was awful, but worked in a way as Rose pointed out how horrific he’d suddenly turned. However, there’s absolutely no excuse for “What use are emotions if you cannot save the woman you love?” Urgh! It’s like the tagline from a bad Hollywood movie. Oh, and if Adam’s so clever and so wants to see it, why’s he never been down to the cage before? He gets there so easily, after all. Having said all of that, there was much to love. So many great lines – “Hairdryer”, and Van Statten’s calling Adam “Lord Fauntleroy”, who was of course an American character! The SFX were superb, and so were all the battles – I loved the water sequence in particular. The Time War backstory was just the sort of thing I’m a sucker for, and speaking of suckers the new use for the Dalek’s one was great as well. The plot of the episode was very strong, and the Dalek had a sense of mystery and suspense and menace. The supporting cast were excellent, as were the leads, and special praise to Nick Briggs as the Dalek. Joe Ahearne’s direction was accomplished, and overall it was a thrilling, hugely entertaining and superbly-executed piece of Doctor Who. So, bearing all this in mind, 4 out of 5 from me. |
| Mrs.Taylor 30.04.2005 15:49 |
Very cool. I thought the Dalek was excellent. I also saw the behind-the-scenes stuff by accident on Blue Peter yesterday, which was a bit of a bonus. |
| Banquo 01.05.2005 14:58 |
Wow, Wow, Wow. Fucking brilliant. |
| agneepath! 11994 01.05.2005 17:07 |
For the first time in a long time the Dalek was frightening. (and cool too!) Probably my favourite story of the series. It does make you think - if the doctor struggles to defeat one Dalek, how would he fare against several or a whole army? |
| Taylor-Mayed 03.05.2005 08:21 |
Episode six’s writer, Robert Shearman, was always expected to deliver an excellent script based on his reputation forged in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio dramas. Perhaps particularly so given that Dalek was based on one of the most successful of those scripts, Jubilee, a tale featuring the Sixth Doctor encountering a lone Dalek imprisoned in the Tower of London in an alternative timeline. Taking the basic set-up of the lone Dalek and its relationship with its captors and being alone in the universe, Shearman manages to craft an effective tale less than half the length of the play upon which it is based, which is similar enough to retain what made Jubilee so good, but different enough not to make thus of us who have heard the earlier story feel cheated. While I did have problems with some of the story elements, there was nothing I felt to be badly written as such, with the exception of one line. The Dalek’s “What use are emotions if you will not save the woman you love?” was without a shadow of a doubt the worst piece of dialogue to have been uttered so far in the new series, so bad it sounded exactly like the sort of tagline a third-rate Hollywood movie might have. That it came from the pen of usually so reliable a writer as Shearman makes it all the more surprising, but then again when the only piece of dialogue you can fault in an episode is one brief line, it shows what a difference there is between this and your average classic series story. Outside of this, Shearman’s use of the Dalek was interesting – for the first time since the 1960s we got to see a Dalek that was more human in its dialogue, something that is particularly noticeable if you go back to the original Dalek story, long before they started to become mere caricatures of themselves. There is also a distinct Power of the Daleks feel in terms of the Dalek’s use of guile and cunning, but I have to confess that I do like my Daleks to be the hard-arsed bastards of the universe, killing anything that gets in their way, so I did take a particular sadistic joy in the scenes of the creature going on the rampage and wiping out van Statten’s troops. Of particular note was the electrocution scene, another ingenious example of the Dalek – and the writer of the episode! – putting some thought into things, even if the pedantic might put out that showing us a shot of the rubber soles of the soldiers’ boots surely suggests they ought to have been insulated from the electricity… I’m not sure about the end of the story, however. The idea of it being ‘infected’ with Rose’s DNA was a good one, and there is an established link of a Dalek bonding in some way with a young human female, touched upon in Remembrance of the Daleks and expanded upon in the novelisation of that story. But still, the way it ended… I can accept that in a way it was the Dalek being true to how we’ve always known them before as it wanted to destroy itself rather than to live with the sickness with which it had been infected, but I think the idea of trying to make us sympathise in a way with the Dalek was a mistake. Daleks should be irredeemable, evil, merciless destroyers, and despite the fact that it’s just killed two hundred people Rose won’t let the Doctor destroy it, which seemed wrong to me. Having said that, Rose’s appalled reaction to the Doctor wielding a gun was an excellent piece of scripting. Most fans would be horrified at the Doctor packing a weapon, and it was awful when he said ‘lock and load!’ after finding a gun that worked. (Although the “broken… broken… hairdryer” line almost made up for it!). I can accept, however, that it’s his sheer fear of the Dalek, his horror at finding one still alive, which drives him to this – after all, it was Resurrection of the Daleks which showed the usual pacifistic Fifth Doctor happily wielding a pistol at a loose Dalek mutant. Plus the Doctor’s horrified realisation of what he had become at that moment – earlier foreshadowed by the Dalek’s taunt of |
| Taylor-Mayed 03.05.2005 08:22 |
Plowman was also very good as van Statten’s No. 2, Goddard, who seemed like she’d stumbled in from the solicitors Wolfram & Hart in Joss Whedon’s Angel. That’s by no means a complaint, however – no, I’ll save those for Bruno Langley as Adam, who I wasn’t particularly taken by. He did seem to improve as the episode went on, I admit, but he lacked anything in the way of charm, charisma or anything else that might make me want to take an interest in his fate. All he seemed to be was, as the Doctor said, “a bit pretty”, and that’s not enough to interest me. For one thing, if he’s such a genius, then why has he never bluffed his way down to the cage before? He clearly wants to, and manages it easily enough when Rose wants to go down and stop the Dalek from being tortured. Perhaps he’ll improve in the next episode, but I have to say I am relieved to know that he won’t be travelling in the TARDIS beyond that. One problem that did arise from characterisation was that, for the first time this series, the pace did seem to be something of a problem for me. The first half of the episode flew by too quickly for my tastes, and I would have liked a while longer to get to know the various characters, particularly those who were being killed off. Di Maggio’s decision to attempt to stand and fight the Dalek on the stairwell and allow Rose and Adam more time to escape, for example, would probably have been a lot more affecting if we had been given a little time to get to know Di Maggio first. I accept that such characterisation is probably difficult in the confines of a 45-minute episode, but establishing sympathetic characters in minimal screen time has been a particular strength of Russell T Davies’ scripts thus far in the series, and the contrast is notable. The problem didn’t affect Mark Gatiss’ The Unquiet Dead, as he was working with such a small cast of characters in the first place. On the production side of things, Joe Ahearne was always the most hotly-anticipated director to be hired to work on the series, given his experience in UK telefantasy productions such as his own Channel 4 vampire serial Ultraviolet and Andrew Marshall’s Strange for BBC One, and more recently the docu-drama Space Odyssey – Voyage to the Planets. Indeed, so limited has been the production of fantasy-orientated dramas in the UK that Ahearne is probably the only director currently working in British television who is particularly associated with the fantastical. This expectation that he would thus deliver the goods for Doctor Who is more than justified here – my own personal favourite shot was the Doctor’s face and head being encased within the reflection of the Cyberman head on the glass early on. Whether you take this to be a sign of the Doctor’s forthcoming ruthlessness and desire to destroy later in the episode or just a nice piece of framing, it’s still a nice touch. I also liked the Doctor’s comment in that scene about “the stuff of nightmares reduced to an exhibit” – a comment on what happened to the old series after it ended, perhaps? And the Doctor reaching out as if to brush away the tears moulded into the eyepieces of the mask was also a lovely little touch. Ahearne proves more than adept at handling the action sequences too, giving great style and flair to the sequences of the Dalek wiping out van Statten’s troops. Overall the direction gives much more imagination and creativity than the rather flat approach of Keith Boak in the previous two-parter, perhaps no surprise given Boak’s background in more standard BBC drama fare such as Holby City. The whole look of the episode was wonderful – from the fan-pleasing selection of alien nasties in the museum to the superbly-realised Dalek itself. The other production areas more than kept up – some have complained about the look of the Dalek in its CGI state, but I didn’t have a problem with any of the effects. Perhaps I am just easily pleased! Overall then, I have to say that despite all t |
| Taylor-Mayed 14.05.2005 07:16 |
Now we've reached episode eight, I can come out with my stunning claim to fame, which is... I once bought a cup of tea for Paul Cornell, who wrote tonight's episode. Impressive, eh? |