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

[Two Gun Bob]

Call me a romantic if you must, but it's clear to me that Professor River Song is...

... Mrs Who (several regenerations on, of course).

I'd certainly marry her

I'd got bored of Dr Who till that one, it got me interested in it again. I want to know who she is!

 

[Matt Deckard]

Call me a romantic if you must, but it's clear to me that Professor River Song is...

... Mrs Who (several regenerations on, of course).

I'd certainly marry her

It's tarue... who else would he tell his real name to?

I'm liking what's been happening so far.


Hmmm... unless of course she's the Doctor's mother.....

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Help!

Does the R1 DVD release of S1 and S2 keep the pop songs heard in the transmissions? S1 features Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade." Are the songs in the episodes as seen on the DVDs?

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

Does the R1 DVD release of S1 and S2 keep the pop songs heard in the transmissions? S1 features Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade." Are the songs in the episodes as seen on the DVDs?

Yes they are. They even play "Toxic" on the DVD the same as the broadcast version for "The End of the World".

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Yes they are. They even play "Toxic" on the DVD the same as the broadcast version for "The End of the World".

Thanks. Glad to learn this. Music replacement has been a problem for many classic TV DVD releases. I guess I'll be getting Series 1 and 2 after all....(I have 3).

I used to be obsessed with Dr. Who circa 1980-81 (Tom Baker era). Even wrote to Elizabeth Sladen and got a nice personally autographed pic from her. But I actually love the new series and the fact that it cherishes the Doctor's history and classic foes. Will we see the Zygons again?

 

[Josephine]

It's tarue... who else would he tell his real name to?

I don't think she's Mrs. Doctor, I think he told her his name in the future so he wold believe her in his past. Like he gave her the screwdriver in his future to save her n his past.

 

[Mahagonny Bill]

I used to be obsessed with Dr. Who circa 1980-81 (Tom Baker era). Even wrote to Elizabeth Sladen and got a nice personally autographed pic from her. But I actually love the new series and the fact that it cherishes the Doctor's history and classic foes. Will we see the Zygons again?

If you liked Elizabeth Sladen back in the day, you MUST check out the new Sarah Jane Adventures. It is more of a kids show than "Doctor Who", but it has some surprisingly mature themes and excellent writing. As the link shows, it is currently running on the Sci-Fi channel and the DVDs should be available by the end of the year. (it is also available by "other means" for those in the know)

 

[Nathan Dodge]

If you liked Elizabeth Sladen back in the day, you MUST check out the new Sarah Jane Adventures. It is more of a kids show than "Doctor Who", but it has some surprisingly mature themes and excellent writing. As the link shows, it is currently running on the Sci-Fi channel and the DVDs should be available by the end of the year. (it is also available by "other means" for those in the know)

Yes, the wife and I watched it every Friday night. We're big K-9 fans over here! We've also been watching the new Doctor Who "series" (to use the British term) since its relaunch in 2005. My wife actually hated Dr. Who as a kid, because she thought that Tom Baker was "creepy looking"! I gave her my novelization paperbacks and she became a fan after reading "The Seeds of Doom", which I knew she'd like.

I'm still waiting for the next big deepdiscount sale to get Series 1 and 2 on DVD...

 

[Eyemo]

My mate Tony got killed by the Ood!..:eusa_clap

 

[Lulu-in-Ny]

I don't think she's Mrs. Doctor, I think he told her his name in the future so he wold believe her in his past. Like he gave her the screwdriver in his future to save her n his past.

I agree, if for no other reason than they seemed to make it sooo obvious that she was his wife. Whenever they give you the old "nudge, nudge", they're usually misleading you...

 

[Hemingway Jones]

The episodes in The Library were amazing; the best since "Blink" in my humble estimation.

No Who next year. They're on break until 2010. Except for four "Christmas Special-like" movies.

 

[Josephine]

No Who next year. They're on break until 2010. Except for four "Christmas Special-like" movies.

Yep, I think there are about 5 of them planned. I don't understand British television programming scheduling reasoning at all, but that's a rant for another day.

 

[CharlesB]

Season finale was decent. I'm glad they are letting RT Davies go elsewhere. Moffatt, who wrote Blink, is by far the better scribe.

 

[Edward]

Season finale was decent. I'm glad they are letting RT Davies go elsewhere. Moffatt, who wrote Blink, is by far the better scribe.

And the rest. As a friend put it recently, "RTD has done a lot for Doctor Who's popularity, if not its integrity." Can't deny he's done a lot for the show, but he's also responsible for writing the very worst of the episodes (in particular the diabolically bad Gods and Monsters). Beyond that, he has pulled some awful plot moves too: Rose being Badwolf was dreadful - the only reason I can see for doing that was because it was the one thing noone would have expected. An elment of surprise is good, but it is no substitue for creative plot and good dialogue. It needs to 'fit' the story - this didn't.

As to the latest finale.... bits of it were ok, and on the whole it was entertaining. There were far too many serendipitous coincidences that got them out of a tight spot, however. The 'faux regeneration' red herring was pointless - simply an unnecessary add-on to provide a cheap cliff hanger from the penultimate episode to the finale. Much as Tennant has emerged as my favourite Doctor, I'd have much preferred to see a genuine regeneration that they had pulled off without the papers blabbing it in advance. Not sure what they were doing with the 'half-human doctor' caper - that was already done in the dreadful McGann-Doctor tv movie from years ago. I hear Mc Gann is to appear in one of next year's specials, so they're keeping it in the continuity somehow, though I do hope they're dropping that ghastly half-human nonsense.

RTD had far too much of a tendency to push the "Doctor made human by his companions" rubbish.... I personally loathe the doctor being dumbed-down, emotionally speaking, to human level: he is a superior being and should be allowed to remain as such in my opinion.

Other things I hated about the episode: bringing back almost every chracter the doctor has encountered. RTD may have wanted to work with them all one last time, but his own wants should not have been allowed to bring down the story. Bringing in the Torchwood team added absolutely nothing, and the episode would have been so much better without the nonsensical "oh ,we're gonig to die.... no, wait, we have a time-lock which conveniently saves us, just like fairydust" get out. I particularly loathed Rose (new dentures and all) - I loved it when she was separated from the doctor lie that, and it was a real sell-out to bring her back in. At least they didn't have the "I love you" spoken aloud on screen, that would have been too saccharine to bear. On the plus side, she won't be back, which is great.

I have grave concerns for the next series of Torchwood. Not yet begun shooting, though the scripts are written. It was -alas - a given that Martha Jones will replace Owen as Torchwood's medical officer, so that "hint" was unnecessary. Hopefully she will either be rapidly killed off, or at least take some acting lessons to expand her range of facila expressions beyond the present two (which is, coincidentally, as many dimensions as she brings to the character). What was even worse, though, was that they brought back Mickey - the weakest recurring character of all three seasons of the revamped show, a character upon whom I have wished death since his irritating presence first appeared. The only purpose he ever had was to show how the Doctor took Rose away from her old life; he should have been done away with after Rose's first visit home. The idea of him joining the TW team is simply depressing. The reason for this dumbing down of TW is, I suspect, a sheduling change: present rumour has it that the next series will be broadcast in the Saturday evening family-entertainment slot that Doctor Who leaves vacant next year. I hope this rumour proves unfounded; TW has always been a considerably darker and more violent show, and that would have to be lost in the event of such a change in broadcast slot. The sole bonus would be that they wouldn't have this tedious business of them all shagging each other all over the place, nor the unbelivable relationship between Ianto and Jack, but I think those gains would be at the expense of sacrificing far too much of the plus sides of the show.

One thing I really did like in the finale: how they handled Donna. Having her mind wiped like that was a stroke of genius.

 

[Josephine]

One thing I really did like in the finale: how they handled Donna. Having her mind wiped like that was a stroke of genius.

It was so cruel! She was so much more with the Doctor, becoming who she really was, getting out form under that harridan of a mother of hers. I hated the bone they threw the Rose shippers. I don't like her to begin with, and to have her come back was eh for me, but then to have the whole ZOMGTRULUV running to each other through the daisies --I mean burnt out cars... my eyes rolled SO far back into my head.

 

[Edward]

It was so cruel! She was so much more with the Doctor, becoming who she really was, getting out form under that harridan of a mother of hers. I hated the bone they threw the Rose shippers. I don't like her to begin with, and to have her come back was eh for me, but then to have the whole ZOMGTRULUV running to each other through the daisies --I mean burnt out cars... my eyes rolled SO far back into my head.

At least this time they wrote themselves into a corner with her, and she can't come back..... though this comeback i gather was at least in part because Piper later regretted leaving the show...

 

[Nathan Dodge]

For Those of You Who Must Know Everything!

Anyone else read About Time 4: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who? I got this yesterday and it's an excellent, detailed work on the bulk of the Tom Baker era (1975-79) that covers *everything*. I especially liked the cultural/political events that the authors mention that took place during those years, as well as the British pop culture stuff I know nothing about! Well thought-out sidebars, too.

http://tinyurl.com/56yz48


Too bad that About Time 3 is out of print...

 

[CAL-NOIR]

Rediscovering the Doctor ...

I have to say i am only just rediscovering the Doctor , back in the mists of time as a young 'fellow me lad' i used to watch it religiously, had the annuals for Christmas & everything . I seem to remember Jon Pertwee being my favourite . I have occasionaly glimpsed some of the later Doctors & i have to say this ...Sylvester McCoy was TERRIBLE !

Regarding the new breed of Doctors i must say as much as i think Christopher Eccleston is a fine actor i just didn't see him as the Doctor . I have just recently started watching the latest incarnation with David Tennant & i think he does a fine job , only seen a handful of episodes but i have them booked back to back on Netflix . My renewed interest came aboout because i saw a trailer for the series & though 'Blimey, the production values have gone up a bit ' & so have found the good Doctor yet again . I was VERY pleased when Elizabeth Sladen made an appearance , i remember having a HUGE crush on her back in the day .

Oh , by the way , in my home county of Leicestershire there is a huge park named BRADGATE PARK , i don't know if it is still there but just inside the entrance there was a full sized Police Box , when i visit blighty again at the end of the year i will make my way there & have a photograph taken .

Now...here's a ..'Hot Topic' who should the next Doctor be ?

I think Eddie Izzard would make a fabulous Doctor !

Or if it came to a BIG movie version ....what about Johnny Depp directed by Tim Burton ?

 

[Edward]

For years I didn't think a movie version could possibly work as it would be Hollywoodised and lose much of the very Britishness / Englisheness which is core to Doctor Who. I felt my suspicions entirely confirmed by the dreadful McGann TV movie, which was a US/UK co-operative production. That said, with the success in recent years of films like Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz[i/], etc, there's no reason why it couldn't be done now and keep its integrity, without it turning into (as one pre-McGann rumour had it) David Hasslehoff and a talking TARDIS.

Depp could do it well. I'd also like to see Brendan Gleeson give it a go for a very different Doctor. Izzard would be excellent, and I always wanted Richard Wilson (aka Victor Meldrew) to give it a crack.....

 

[Nathan Dodge]

A Major Exception To My Rule!

Like everyone else here, I'm accustomed to watching old movies and shows and accepting the lack of special effects, but in Doctor Who's case, that will take some serious adjustment! LOL! And as much as I look to the vintage stuff in everything I like, Doctor Who (the current edition) is one of the few new things I prefer to the old! I may still pick up some of the baker-era DVDs, as I was another of those Sladen Slaves back then! As I may have mentioned before, I'm really looking forward to a release of "Terror of the Zygons."