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"Doctor Who," He's Back and it's About Time!

Starius

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Neverwhere, Iowa
I'm one of those folks who downloads Doctor Who the day they air in the UK, I couldn't stand to wait months to watch it over here. Plus, I don't get the Sci-Fi channel anymore anyways.

I've watched classic doctor who (and still do) for 22 years now, so I agree the production values are quite different these days! Incidentally, that episode you are watching now has one of the first early clues that leads to the climax of the season. Which, without giving anything away, is another nice touch for the fans of the classic series.

Oh, by the way, wait till you see the episode titled "Blink." Fantastic episode!
 

dundeedavie

One of the Regulars
Messages
125
Location
Dundee , Scotland
the "blink" episode was indeed fantastic and i watch it religiously sometimes it factors in to my decision whether i go out (i must buy a dvd recorder ) .

the one (double) episode i was disappointed in was "the family of blood" double which here on the bbc was described as the sariest doctor who ever !!!


Davie
 

Starius

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Neverwhere, Iowa
I'll take any of those two-parters as they want to throw out because I do miss the serial nature of the original series. When you had an average of 4 episodes per story arc, you'd get around 3 cliffhangers per story! Whenever they do a two-part story now, at least we get one of those familiar cliffhanger moments like the old days. I love 'em.

I did like the ending of that Family of Blood though, its probably one of the darkest moments for the Doctor in the new series!

That Steven Mofatt should write more episodes, I tell ya. Love his work. I just got done watching that Jekyll series he wrote. Awesome show!
 

dundeedavie

One of the Regulars
Messages
125
Location
Dundee , Scotland
Starius said:
I'll take any of those two-parters as they want to throw out because I do miss the serial nature of the original series. When you had an average of 4 episodes per story arc, you'd get around 3 cliffhangers per story! Whenever they do a two-part story now, at least we get one of those familiar cliffhanger moments like the old days. I love 'em.

I did like the ending of that Family of Blood though, its probably one of the darkest moments for the Doctor in the new series!

That Steven Mofatt should write more episodes, I tell ya. Love his work. I just got done watching that Jekyll series he wrote. Awesome show!

again jekyll was superb !! really excellent writing .

the ending of te family of blood double was very very cold with the statement ... he hid himself to protect them from him ....BRILLIANT !!
 

imoldfashioned

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,979
Location
USA
Oooh! Good episodes to look forward to! Thanks for the heads up guys!

I started watching Doctor Who in college during study breaks. Unlike many I didn't see the Tom Baker episodes until a couple years into my Who viewership. I started with the Davison Doctor, enjoyed McCoy after the first few episodes (Time and the Rani was so awful!)--I really liked his chemistry with Sophie Aldred. I'd like to see some Troughton episodes but I haven't yet. Concerning Doctors since the revival, I liked Eccleston but I love Tennant.
 

Starius

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Neverwhere, Iowa
I started watching classic Doctor Who on Iowa Public Television when I was 7 years old, with William Hartnell episodes. And I've pretty much been watching it weekly for the last 22 years.

My mom was british so she remembered the show from when she was young and started to tape the episodes for me. I was hooked as soon as I first heard the sound of the Tardis materializing. None of my friends ever got into it, so it just must be in my half-british blood.

IPTV is one of just a handfull of PBS stations in the US that still airs the classic series. (It also now airs the 2005 series) I count myself lucky that I've experienced and enjoyed (mostly) all of the Doctors.

I certainly agree that Sylvester McCoy's first episodes weren't very good. But the series getting canceled in his run was terrible because his later episodes were excellent and getting back on track. The episode "Ghostlight" in particular is one of my all time favorite episodes. If you ever get a chance to listen to any of the "Big Finish" Doctor Who audio drama stories, the 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy stories are absolutely fantastic. And they are what his tv episodes SHOULD have been all along.
 

BeBopBaby

One Too Many
Messages
1,176
Location
The Rust Belt
dundeedavie said:
again jekyll was superb !! really excellent writing .

the ending of te family of blood double was very very cold with the statement ... he hid himself to protect them from him ....BRILLIANT !!

They just started airing Jekyll on BBC America. My husband and I have watched the first through the third episodes and are hooked. I'm really enjoying the twists and turns and psychological nature of the writing. I'm chomping at the bit to see the fourth episode that airs on Saturday.

And yes, we are also hooked on Dr. Who. I used to think Christopher Eccelston was my favorite Dr. Who, but I'm really warming up to David Tennant. He has an almost goofy, expressive face that can change emotions so subtlely and powerfully. There's something very endearing and touching about it that I like. Plus, he wears Chuck Taylors. I first saw David Tennant over a year ago on a masterpiece theater, where he played a young Casanova and Peter O'Toole played the older, dying version of Casanova. He was excellent in that as well.

Brits - Keep sending us more good tv shows, our American shows are crap! lol
 

Edward

Bartender
Messages
25,066
Location
London, UK
Alas, if only Converse hadn't been bought out by nike. I miss them. :(

imoldfashioned said:
I started watching Doctor Who in college during study breaks. Unlike many I didn't see the Tom Baker episodes until a couple years into my Who viewership. I started with the Davison Doctor, enjoyed McCoy after the first few episodes (Time and the Rani was so awful!)--I really liked his chemistry with Sophie Aldred. I'd like to see some Troughton episodes but I haven't yet. Concerning Doctors since the revival, I liked Eccleston but I love Tennant.

I met Sophie Aldred at a book signing once. She was just adorable - and very, very tiny. I seemed to remember her being noticeably taller than McCoy - either that was my memory playing tricks, or he is incredibly little!
 

Starius

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Neverwhere, Iowa
Hemingway Jones said:
Has anyone seen the episode on the "Weeping Angels?"
It was fantastic! Excellent writing and very creepy.
I wholly enjoyed it.


Thats the episode "Blink" written by Steven Mofatt!
Don't give too much away for those who haven't seen it yet!
 

BeBopBaby

One Too Many
Messages
1,176
Location
The Rust Belt
My husband and I kept chuckling about the part in the Lazarus Experiment episode when Martha introduces the Doctor to his sister and the sister calls him a science geek. The Doctor asks Martha what science geek means and Martha replies "a person who is overely enthused about science." And the Dr. thought it was a compliment. lol

Moments like that are what I love about Dr. Who, the show runs the gamut of emotions - humour, seriousness, quirkyness, sadness. It can be sucessfully serious, touching and funny all in the same episode.
 

imoldfashioned

Call Me a Cab
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2,979
Location
USA
Looks like Blink is next up on the SciFi channel (rubs hands together in anticipation)!

I said this in the "What Shows Are You Watching" thread, but I really liked Human Nature/The Family of Blood. So far, Series 3 has been awfully strong and Tennant continues excellent.

So cool that you met Sophie Aldred Edward! Hard to believe she's tiny--she looks like she'd be tall, but isn't that what they always say about folks on tv? She wrote a book about her time on Who but I've not read it yet. Have you and, if so, is it any good?
 

VegasMike

One of the Regulars
Messages
100
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Well, as I mentioned in the TV thread, I'm a VERY recent new fan of the good Doctor. On a lark I decided to grab season 1 of the new series off the ol' BT, and Eccelston hooked me. I am partway into Season 2 now (just finished "The Girl In The Fireplace), and I was worried when they changed Doctors, even though I knew enough about Doctor Who to expect it at some point, but I had just become really attached to Eccleston, but David Tennant has totally blown me away, and really portrays the Doctor like I always thought he would be when I heard the name, with the suit and all that.

I'm currently trying to get a bunch of the classic series now to watch, while working my way through seasons 2 and 3 and working up to Torchwood as well.

I really, really like this show :)
 

imoldfashioned

Call Me a Cab
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2,979
Location
USA
I'd like to watch/re-watch some of the classic series as well.

I really liked The Caves of Androzani, Davison's last episode. I seem to recall reading that he said "if all my Doctor Who scripts had been that strong I wouldn't have left!" The DVD has a commentary track that intrigues me; has anyone listened to it?

I thought Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric (both McCoy) were very enjoyable, and the latter is set during WWII. Silver Nemesis was fun too--the bit where the Doctor won't let Ace see the dead man always touched me.

Anybody else have favorites from the past?
 

imoldfashioned

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,979
Location
USA
Ok, one more thing and then I'm going to bed (no, really, I'm going to bed!).

Did anyone else have "Song for Ten" in their head after seeing The Christmas Invasion, Tennant's first episode? I was so disappointed when they released the song on the soundtrack with another (in my opinion) inferior singer. Apparently it was rerecorded because new lyrics were added, but I wish they would have stuck with Tim Phillips.

The original: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkkQDVJAiVE) I love the nose twitch Tennant does at 1:15, so characteristic of him.

The rerecording: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33R_Huou11Q&mode=related&search=)
 

carter

I'll Lock Up
Messages
5,921
Location
Corsicana, TX
No, but my favotite line was,

"Tea. We're having a picnic while the world comes to an end. Very British."

lol lol lol lol lol
 

Starius

Practically Family
Messages
698
Location
Neverwhere, Iowa
VegasMike said:
Well, as I mentioned in the TV thread, I'm a VERY recent new fan of the good Doctor. On a lark I decided to grab season 1 of the new series off the ol' BT, and Eccelston hooked me. I am partway into Season 2 now (just finished "The Girl In The Fireplace), and I was worried when they changed Doctors, even though I knew enough about Doctor Who to expect it at some point, but I had just become really attached to Eccleston, but David Tennant has totally blown me away, and really portrays the Doctor like I always thought he would be when I heard the name, with the suit and all that.

I'm currently trying to get a bunch of the classic series now to watch, while working my way through seasons 2 and 3 and working up to Torchwood as well.

I really, really like this show :)

Girl in the Fireplace is another Steven Moffat episode. The best thing they can do for the series is MORE MOFFAT!

imoldfashioned said:
I'd like to watch/re-watch some of the classic series as well.

I really liked The Caves of Androzani, Davison's last episode. I seem to recall reading that he said "if all my Doctor Who scripts had been that strong I wouldn't have left!" The DVD has a commentary track that intrigues me; has anyone listened to it?

I thought Ghost Light and The Curse of Fenric (both McCoy) were very enjoyable, and the latter is set during WWII. Silver Nemesis was fun too--the bit where the Doctor won't let Ace see the dead man always touched me.

Anybody else have favorites from the past?

Okay... this blows me away... you liked Peter Davidson's last episode? I've always hated it. I've thought it a gross injustice to end off Peter's run as the doctor. Aside from the Doctor and Peri, there is not one likable character in this story! The Doctor, once again, falls in the middle of some alien political struggle yet either side is full of asses! And so many people die an you don't care about any of them, everyone would have been better off if the Doctor and Peri didn't even arrive on this world and they just killed each other on their own. I didn't feel his "death" and regeneration was for any good cause whatsoever, other than to save Peri's life of course. This episode makes me more mad than even how Sylvester McCoy's doctor "dies" in the Fox TV movie.

Though, as for those McCoy episodes you mentioned, I enjoyed them quite a bit too. Ghostlight might be one of my all time favorites actually.

Oh, on a side note, there is a rumor going around that Peter Davidson is going to reprise his role as the Doctor in series 4, in a multi-doctor story. Really cool if it's true.

And this isnt a rumor, this is true... Series 5 is going to be delayed a whole year while David Tennant does some work in on the stage for awhile. That's going to suck...

IPTV started airing the classic Tom Baker story, "Meglos" last night. Unfortunately, I fell asleep through it since its on so late. Though, seeing that alien disguised as the Doctor and then sprouting those cactus spikes is a image I've never forgotten from this story..
 

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