The New Doctor Who

[Cole]

Tonight the new Doctor Who aired on BBC 1.

++No Spoilers++

Had a shiver down my spine during the starting titles, as up to that point, I wondered if I really believed that Doctor Who was back on Saturday night television.

The programme came across as an enjoyable romp, which for me, is what Doctor Who is all about: adventure, escapism and fun. That was achieved, however, it didn't have the seriousness of some of the original series and was more presented as a comedy programme. Oddly enough the production style reminded me of the BBC series 'Strange' from 2003.

The strength of the episode was maybe hampered a little purely by being the 'introduction' episode, but this now out of the way can leave the rest of the series to get better and better.

As for the stars, Eccleston looks that he can be a very good Doctor and thankfully, Bille Piper's Rose isn't going to be mouthy type that I feared that she would be.

Bags of fun and I hope it is a big success.

Did anyone else see it, and what did you think?

Edit:The publics' reaction to this episode seems oddly parallel to the old Doctor Who - either people think it was fantastic or a load of rubbish! Just like old times really!

[Craig Tucker]

Christopher Eccleston has quit already.

[MackemX]

loved DW as a youngster and I thought the 1st episode was OK but I reckon it will get better once they get off the boring earth

Christopher Eccleston has quit already.

I saw that as he said doesn't want to be typecast!!! He could be holding out for new money as it will probably prove successful. I'd hardly heard of him before DW anyway as will many others

[Faustus]

Christopher Eccleston has quit already.

Seriously? That was fast. I bet there is a story there.

I got to see it. I found it overall enjoyable and figured I'd see what the future brought to the show.

My main concern was the new Doctor spent most of the first episode kinda coming off as a bit of a dick. But then kinda mellowed into place by the end.

It also felts like it was missing some explanation of what exactly was going on, but I figured we'd find more details later.

But if the new Doctor already quit thats gonna hurt alot IMO. I mean sure Doctors change but ... damn, like I said, thats was fast.

edit: just checked the episode guide. Looks like he at least finished the season. Thats good.

[MackemX]

he was a bit of a prat but so was Sylvester McCoy . I'm sure he won't be like that throughout the whole series

I think Tom Baker's son is the current favourite to take over

[Faustus]

I'd prefer they just find a way to flash clone tom baker.

[Faustus]

AH here is one talking him quitting.

http://slashdot.org/articles/05/03/31/1258253.shtml?tid=214&tid=129

[Cole]

Apparently the BBC are in talks to get David Tennant to take over for the now commissioned second series (something already in progress, so the BBC must have known about Eccleston wanting to leave for a while). Tennant is not a household name, but the star of the new version of the BBC's Casanova.

I saw that as he said doesn't want to be typecast!!! He could be holding out for new money as it will probably prove successful. I'd hardly heard of him before DW anyway as will many others

He was already typecast of sorts as a "Miserable Northener" (how it has been said, not my words) and appears to have tried to use Doctor Who to shake this image off. It also appears to be to do with what Eccleston says was a heavy work schedule as this was something he kept talking about.

Trouble is, making this announcement now (poss. hastened by the fact that the Tabloids got hold of it) after only one episode has aired, could unsettle the audience (mind you, the Dalek episode will be the most watched of the series) and will cause issues with merchandising as how will licencees feel about producing stuff with his face on it, when he will be out of date by Christmas?

I bet there is a story there.

Indeed, there is surely to be more than that but it is something that we will never know about.

Typecasting didn't seem to do Patrick Stewart any harm though did it?

[Faustus]

(mind you, the Dalek episode will be the most watched of the series)

Which lead to my question. Why didn't they lead with a mainstream villain. Seemed kinda odd.

[Cole]

I can't say for certain, but the following could make sense:

Being the intro episode where everything has to be bedded in, it would not have given a proper Dalek story justice. As it was, the Autons (an old monster last seen in the early 70s) were used but very simply.

Plus it gets more publicity mid way into the series rather than play all of its best cards from the off. It could be argued the return of the Daleks' is as good a pull for viewers as the new Doctor himself.

[bugster]

(mind you, the Dalek episode will be the most watched of the series)

Which lead to my question. Why didn't they lead with a mainstream villain. Seemed kinda odd.

I seem to remember reading about some sort of IP licensing problems re the Daleks, as the rights are not owned by the BBC (surprisingly). As the 1st series was well into production before these rights probelms were resolved, they had probably written all the scripts without them and filmed several episodes before they could re-write and bring them back.

As to Eccleston wanting to leave, it was siad on a local Radio station this morning that he wants to leave because he thinks the Dr Who character is "too camp" (gay) for his liking. There then follwoed a phone in with listeners suggesting who would be the best person to play a Gay Dr Who!

Eddie Izzard seemed to be a poular choice for the part

[Faustus]

Screw him then. Doctor Who is a classic. People should jump to play the part. Of course! its campy. Its Doctor Who.

[foulplay]

I saw the first Doctor Who in 1963 and virtually every episode until its abrupt ending in 1989.

William Hartnell and Tom Baker will always stand out, but camp they never were.

The New series opening episode and was most enjoyable, keeping it serious and high tech would simply alienate part of the audience. It's all about balance (like critics?)

[flaninacupboard]

Not sorry to see him go, i wasn't impressed.

Looking forward to the daleks though!

I'd like to see Alan Davies in the role, complete with curly hair....

[offline]

No idea when or if it will be aired where I'm at.
My favorite Dr. Who was Jon Petwee btw.

The best plots, however,
seemed to occur during Tom Bakers time.
I recall being freaked out by that
planet of the androids when the face was
knocked off that guy and you saw the ping pong
ball eyes and circuitry. Gave me nightmares
as a kid

Daleks.. bah! Give me the giant spiders, the fish
monster, the Cybermen, the Green Death or even
that giant moving vegetable thing. Davros was a pussy!

[foulplay]

As a kid back in the sixties, every episode kept me in suspense or scared the hell out of me, especially when a Dalek "Exterminated" someone, you see inverted video (when a Dalek killed someone), was quite scary then, but know special effects have improved astronomicaly so to speak.

We expect so much from cgi and realism, quite often the story line and drama from the actors is more important (Hammer Horror?).

I;ll never forgat hiding behind my mum, when Daleks exterminated or perhaps that feeling what I saw was real...

[Cole]

I seem to remember reading about some sort of IP licensing problems re the Daleks, as the rights are not owned by the BBC (surprisingly).

The actual issue was that the copyright of the Daleks was owned by their creator (no not Davros), the late Terry Nation's estate and it was his family who originally didn't want the Daleks to be used.

Davros was a pussy

No, he was a Kaled

It was the man chainging into a Krynoid that greatly bothered me as a child!

I'd like to see Alan Davies in the role, complete with curly hair....

I don't know, I just think he is a bit lightweight. I honestly can't think of anyone at the moment that has the charm for the part. Mark "League of Gentlemen" Gatis wants the part desparately (he also wrote episode three of this series) as does David Warner apparently.

Mind you, casting an unknown has worked before in Tom Baker.

Eddie Izzard seemed to be a poular choice for the part

He has just said on the Johnathan Ross show that he isn't interested after Ross was pleading with him to do it.

[offline]

Ozzie Osborne would make an interesting Dr Who imo.

[vhelp]

..William Hartnell and Tom Baker..

Can someone post *all* the Dr. wHo guys. I'm curious, as I did
have a favorite.

Thanks,
-vhelp 3255

[Faustus]

I don't know them all or know their names.

I know Tom Baker, the old guy, and dorko.

But thats all I remember

Lets also not forget the US Doctor Who, which THANKFULLY didn't get past the made for TV movie.

[Cole]

In order:

William Hartnell
Patrick Troughton
Jon Pertwee
Tom Baker
Peter Davison
Colin Baker
Sylvester McCoy
Paul McGann
Christopher Eccleston

Also: Peter Cushing in the two 1960's films

[mikesbytes]

I've missed the first 4 episodes been shown on Auntie (that's ABC in Australia). I think I'm jinxed.

Any recommendations on where to buy the Video for the 2005 and 2006 series. I assume that covers all of the new series.

[lordsmurf]

Amazon.co.uk

[mikesbytes]

Amazon.co.uk

Thanks Lordsmurf.

Now for a really dum question. The new stuff, is this the ones marked;
"Doctor Who: Series 1 - Volume 1 [2005]"
"Doctor Who: Series 1 - Volume 2 [2005]"
and
"Doctor Who - The Complete Series 2 Box Set" for the 2006 series available in November. Or if I'm impatient, I could buy part of the 2006 series.

I'm assuming that there wasn't anything between 1986 and 2004.

[lordsmurf]

They release individuals volumes while the series is ongoing. After it's over, they make a new box set. I don't know if the smaller releases get finished or not. See what they did for S1.

I basically despised Doctor Who before the 2005 series, so I know very little. There was the American non-canon 1996 movie that most people hate, but yes, I think the older shows were from the 60s-80s and then got cancelled. No series in the 90s, but there were some web cartoons, some comics, audio books, novels, and things of that nature. Apparently the 2005 series ignores most of the non-tv stuff, though it does make some slight references and alterations of the other content. In fact, the 2005 series says little about anything before it. They made it friendly to new viewers, like myself. And it worked.

[mikesbytes]

Yeh, the concept was excellent and the 60 shows were good in their day, however the budget must of got smaller and smaller as they went and it really bottomed out in one series where the largely drove around the brittish country side with the Brigidare. One eposide made me crack up, they were driving a futeristic car and when the stopped there was the sound of the handbrake been put on. What they couldn't afford sound editing?

I gather that the 2005/2006 series have successfully brought the concept into the 21st century?

[lordsmurf]

The new Who series is almost like Stargate in terms of visual quality, acting and audio. It's got a decent budget, and they use it quite well.

[Shadowmistress]

Ozzie Osborne would make an interesting Dr Who imo.

OMFG Hahahahahahahaha!!!
I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair!

[mikesbytes]

Ozzie Osborne would make an interesting Dr Who imo.

OMFG Hahahahahahahaha!!!
I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair!

Yeh, remember is reality tv show, there was a episode where a decent amout of time was allocated to Ozzy trying to figure out how to use the remote on new flash tv. Ozzy fixing the Tardis ?

[Cole]

There was the American non-canon 1996 movie that most people hate...

Paul McGann is offically the 8th Doctor, so I suppose that makes it cannon. The cannon argument, however, makes a lot of die hard fans foam at the mouth over this movie. Personally, I liked it because I really liked Paul McGann's portrayl. If you ever get cornered by a die-hard, don't ever mention the half-human bit as they will probably have a fit!

Yeh, the concept was excellent and the 60 shows were good in their day, however the budget must of got smaller and smaller as they went and it really bottomed out in one series where the largely drove around the brittish country side with the Brigidare.

The reality of the budgets were that they were pretty constant AFAIK up until the late seventies when large cut backs had to be made at the BBC. The budgets for Tom Baker's last two series were seriously slashed at it showed very much on what they were making.

One eposide made me crack up, they were driving a futeristic car and when the stopped there was the sound of the handbrake been put on. What they couldn't afford sound editing?

That sounds like the Whomobile which was atually owned (and I beleive paid for) by Jon Pertwee himself. A special chasis built onto the body of a Bond Bug.