Should New Who have been made to be more like the Classic Who?

[Flyboy]

I pose this question with the view for not just one area of discussion, but several.

1) Should the new eps have kept the old style of continuing episodes?

2) Should the invdividual DVDs have been released with Classic Who style covers? (relative to the UK only really)

3) Should the traditional blue Doctor Who logo have been kept?

[Rowana]

I pose this question with the view for not just one area of discussion, but several.

1) Should the new eps have kept the old style of continuing episodes?

2) Should the invdividual DVDs have been released with Classic Who style covers? (relative to the UK only really)

3) Should the traditional blue Doctor Who logo have been kept?

Let's see...

As far as the first question goes, I do kinda miss the old episode style. Mostly because it led to longer stories than just one or two of the newer episodes. The show could also invest more in story specific side characters and places some of which are very good. I certainly hope that we will get to go more places than just Earth in the future.

I do like the new logo though. I think it's pretty cool and still in keeping with the Doctor Who style.

[Metarock Sam]

Yes Yes Yes Bring it back bring it all back to the classic ways.

[creed462]

I think they should have kept the serial format

[Easter Lily]

In short, my answer is "No"...
As much as I am fond of the old series... I think it was a product of its times. Beebs really needed to appeal to a new generation as well as the older audience. For instance, the theme music from Tom Baker onwards is definitely not my cup of tea. I like the way they've revamped the theme in the new series.

Science fiction is a genre that dates easily because a lot of it is based on special effects and what technology can offer in that regard.
Frankly speaking I don't know if people would be used to the serial format these days when most shows (while having an underlying continuity) are pretty much standalone eps.

Didn't The Dr Who logo change several times anyway?...

[in circles]

No to all of them. I like the mix of stand alone episodes and 2 parters we have now. Less time spent watching people run up and down corridors and more character development. It doesn't really make sense to package the dvds in the same way as the old series since they're pretty different things and it's only going to confuse those who haven't seen the old stuff.
Didn't like the new logo at first but its grown on me and it makes sense to have a new logo for the new series.

[Flyboy]

But why should the show deny its roots? In adopting different cover styles and labelling the boxset as "The Complete First Series" it's almost as if they're trying to set the new series up as an original show, much like Enterprise when it first started. It now lacks the continuity from 1996 movie to 2005 Series.

The blue logo is now used to market ALL classic Doctor Who merchandise, and it worked well for the movie, so why not carry it across to the new series?

The new series is intent on doing this complete action packed thrill ride thing which imo isnt as good as the old series where people would INVESTIGATE something for a good fifteen minutes before there was any sign of an attack.

I DONT feel that there's enough character development, and there's far too much visiting present day earth.

dont get me wrong. There are aspects of the new series that i LOVE, i LOVED the TARDIS head on attack on the Dalek mother ship, and I love the military portrayal. But the eps sometimes seem a little rushed to me... and far too... glossy.

The new series DOES seem to be aimed at a younger audiance, and i do miss the days of the older doctors, and that includes McGann when the focus was about exploring fantastic new amazing places and seeing new wonders, everything was sort of... magical. Much like the initial few series of SG1 where there was as much wonder as there was action.

Now Dr Who has gone on to be like the later seasons of SG1 and is focusing on constant action and such and less on the wonders of whats out there. This is reflected in the opening sequence, the theme, the logo, and the filming style.

[Easter Lily]

*cough cough* I beg to differ on the serialization question.
I must be a product of the instant generation... because I like it the way it is now more than the way it was serialized. Occasionally I see the need for the two parters... which have so far been very appropriately used.
Also we mustn't forget that the episodes now are longer so one episode of the new series could be the equivalent of 2 or even 3 of the old. I've been revisiting the classic series here in Australia the last couple of year and I think some of the episodes were unnecessarily dragged out with overlong car/alien chases and red herrings. I'm not saying that that's the case for ALL the episodes but it happened a lot of the time. Also it annoyed me that the beginning of the next episode is always taken up with a few minutes of the previous episode. (At least it feels like a few minutes) I don't mind what BSG or Stargate does with the "Previously on..." stuff, that makes sense to me but to rehash the last few minutes of every single episode is a bit much.

One of the things that I actually like about the new series is how zippy it is. The pacing is a lot tighter and one actually feels that sense of urgency.
I believe that sense of wonder is still there but it needs to come largely from the companion(s).

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

I pose this question with the view for not just one area of discussion, but several.

1) Should the new eps have kept the old style of continuing episodes?

Yes.

2) Should the invdividual DVDs have been released with Classic Who style covers? (relative to the UK only really)

No, because the Region 2 covers have the old style TARDIS roundels, so that doesn't work. Plus the logo has been updated.

3) Should the traditional blue Doctor Who logo have been kept?

Traditional? It was used during the first four seasons of Pertwee's era, the 1996 Movie, and all merchandise since then, but I wouldn't call it "traditional". Yes, I like the Pertwee logo.

No, I don't like the new one.

However, there were seven logos used in the original series, so I accept that change as part of the show.

Also, the show is now in widescreen, therefore a wide logo.

Yet, I still prefer the others.

To see the logos, click here. I have attached files there which contain the various logos (except Colin Baker's logo, which proved very difficult to recreate).

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

But why should the show deny its roots? In adopting different cover styles and labelling the boxset as "The Complete First Series" it's almost as if they're trying to set the new series up as an original show, much like Enterprise when it first started. It now lacks the continuity from 1996 movie to 2005 Series.

There's a reason for that. They're relaunching the series and they're trying to draw in new fans. That means they need to keep it simple. As time goes on, we'll see more elements from the classic series emerge and more continuity will be revealed.

If they had started with Season 27 or 28, it probably would have scared away the new audience. Many folks would have thought, "Well, I don't have time to catch up on all that."

The blue logo is now used to market ALL classic Doctor Who merchandise, and it worked well for the movie, so why not carry it across to the new series?

Once again, they wanted to rebrand it to avoid confusion with the classic series merchandise.

The new series is intent on doing this complete action packed thrill ride thing which imo isnt as good as the old series where people would INVESTIGATE something for a good fifteen minutes before there was any sign of an attack.

That's what I love in particular about the early seasons of the classic series. You really got emersed in that world. Much of the plot devices that would be used later were setup as part of the world. They would explore and get into trouble. You got the sense they were just trying to survive.

I DONT feel that there's enough character development, and there's far too much visiting present day earth.

The same could be said about different eras of the classic series. I think characterization is good, but there was too much Earth. RTD's attempt to keep us grounded and care about the characters.

dont get me wrong. There are aspects of the new series that i LOVE, i LOVED the TARDIS head on attack on the Dalek mother ship, and I love the military portrayal. But the eps sometimes seem a little rushed to me... and far too... glossy.

It's a matter of taste. I prefer the more leisurely pace of the classic series. It gave me a chance to soak it all up. IMO, the new series does rush around, because the newer fans are less patient.

The new series DOES seem to be aimed at a younger audiance, and i do miss the days of the older doctors, and that includes McGann when the focus was about exploring fantastic new amazing places and seeing new wonders, everything was sort of... magical. Much like the initial few series of SG1 where there was as much wonder as there was action.

Yes, I agree. In the case of SG-1, RDA kind of ruined that with his blase attitude.

The Doctor picked Rose as a companion because she was very adaptable, but I think we lost a lot with that. I remember Ian & Barbara struggling to grasp new ideas in every story. Back then, the show really opened your mind. Maybe it still does now, but it doesn't give enough time for it all to sink in. By The Long Game, I got the impression that Rose wasn't going to express much more wonder and the "magic" of the travels was gone, even though the enthusiasm was still there.

Now Dr Who has gone on to be like the later seasons of SG1 and is focusing on constant action and such and less on the wonders of whats out there. This is reflected in the opening sequence, the theme, the logo, and the filming style.

Maybe when the next companion comes, things will change.

[Nuallain]

1) Should the new eps have kept the old style of continuing episodes?

No, it's a different world now. Even back in 1963 the serial format was considered old fashioned and quaint. Doctor Who was practically the last program to be commissioned using it. It's main justification, in fact, was simply that it was cheaper to re-use the same sets for four-seven weeks and not have to pay for the casting process for new characters. These days people simply wouldn't *watch* a show like that and even a two-parter has to earn its status by being epic enough in scope (do you really think the average viewer would tune into a Stargate episode called "Fourth Horsemen of the Apocolypse Part Six" for instance?)

The new show maintains the budget and arcs through revisiting the same locations throughout the season. Just think of Rose/Aliens of London/World War Three/Boom Town as a four part story if it makes you feel any better.

2) Should the invdividual DVDs have been released with Classic Who style covers? (relative to the UK only really)

No. The market research carried out by the BBC discovered that people had a negative reaction to stressing the link between the two. Adults who could remember the old Who would think the new one would probably be shabbily made and 'just for kids', while kids would think that the new show was 'for their dads'. That's why things like "He's Back!" or "The return of..." was avoided in all promotion of the series.

Having the same logo on both sets of products would had a similar effect - 'tricking' new series fans into buying old series stuff that then might put them off the whole thing.

3) Should the traditional blue Doctor Who logo have been kept?

There's really no 'tradional blue' logo at all! The logo that appears on merchandise at the moment was only used for 1970-1973 and again in 1996. And, overall, the old series had a blue logo (of one sort or another) for 12 of the 26 seasons, a white one for 11 and a black one for 3.

The logo changes a lot - and using one that's a colour (orange) that's never been used for makes it very simple and easy to differentiate new and old Who.

[Flyboy]

Ok, Firstly in relation to Nuallain:

I would disagree as to your description of the limited use of the blue logo. Yes it was first properly seen in Pertwee's era, but it was a very slight development from the Hartnell and Troughton logos, which were essentially rudamentrary versions of the same thing.

Ok, I'll give on the whole serial episode thing, but I still think it's far too "zippy" and fast paced. I mean, really, sometimes the fast pace DOES work. It worked brilliantly in Parting of the ways and Bad Wolf. Buit there are times when it shouldn't have been employed.

DASP;


I can, unfortunatly, see exactly what you mean with your argument. Though why they couldn't have labelled the boxset "Doctor Who, The Complete Christopher Eccleston Collection" or something...

I'm glad someone agrees about the pace and style of the show.

IMO, keeping things grounded to Earth has made it too much into a Buffy style show. Far too much focus on what's been left behind and not what is out there.

The Doctor seems to be an action hero now, as opposed to an adventurer and an unwilling hero.

And on a completely personal note.

I really hate Rose.

I do however LOVE the new series, really, I do. I just prefer classic Who.

[creed462]

I am happy they are putting elements from the old seris in season 2

[Metarock Sam]

Yep for in season two it is confirmed that so far we will have Sarah Jane Smith, K-9, The Cybermen and also

Spoiler:

the Daleks

. A Well round ground for this season to stand on.

[creed462]

The Darleks, I thought they wern't coming back for a while