Should New Who revisit some Classic style heroes and villains?

[Flyboy]

Clearly elements of the classic series are returning to Who all the time, which is great. But should New Who revisit some time periods from the Classic Series and reacquaint The Doctor with some of his old friends and enemies in the manner that they used to be?

I'd love to see Capaldi nip back to the 70s/80s and team up with UNIT as they were back then - stationed in that wonderful manor house, wearing old style Olive Green combats and sand coloured berets, driving round in clunky landrovers with .303 rifles.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QUTSktCPub...3h39m18s94.png

I think it would also be great to revisit the time periods where the Daleks were a true galactic power, before they were all gold/bronze. Using the new construction designs, you could recreate the colour scheme of the classic days in a very convincing fashion:

http://www.kasterborous.com/wordpres...owerdaleks.jpg

Clearly this is just me thinking wishfully... but I just think it would be terrific...

[Blencathra]

I'm very conflicted over the idea.

For me a lot depends on who is writing the episode and which characters they want to bring back. Don't get me wrong, I adore modern Doctor Who, but some things they have done do niggle.

Now I love UNIT. But I love the characters in it most. I adore the Brig and Benton and Mike Yates and I can't see a way of having them back on TV. I didn't like the treatment of UNIT in the modern era. I know the Doctor was vaguely irritated by the Brig, but he also liked him and was amused by him and they worked together for the common good. They were both on the same side, all working to save the earth. But it seems to me that in the modern era, in the 10th Doctor's in particular, that they have changed UNIT completely, that the Doctor actively hates them. They are an enemy to be defeated and that they have become bad guys.. I didn't like that at all. So if UNIT are to be revisited I'd like to go back to the happy band days, where they all worked together and liked and respected one another. It's getting back to that somewhat with Kate Stewart (whom I do like very much), so more of that I think.

In fact thinking about it I haven't much like the treatment of various old favourites in New Who. There is something not quite right about them. The Master for instance. My Master was intelligent, suave, sophisticated. Not some raving lunatic. I think John Simm was correct when he said they way he was asked to portray the Master was wrong. Bring back the Master again by all means, but let's have him back in the Roger Delgado style.

Same goes for the Daleks. Is just childish memory that makes the old Daleks more menacing? Perhaps. They need to be frightening again. If that means pushing the boundaries about that is acceptable to show children in the early evening , then so be it. Doctor Who always did that in the past, and got into trouble with Mary Whitehouse. Hiding behind a cushion never did me any harm. Let's go back to frightening kiddies again.

Same goes for the Cybermen. More menace, less stomping please. Neil Gaiman nearly got it right with Nightmare in Silver, but not quite.

Oh, don't get me talking about modern Rassilon. I fume every time I think about him.

One of my particular favourites are the Sandminer Robots, but I think I'd like New Who to leave them alone. I'm happy with them the way they are & I don't want anyone tinkering with them.

So having said all that, some people I would like to see again are The Rani, Romana and Drax (the Cockney Time Lord from the Armageddon Factor). But there again I have a thing about Time Lords.

Edit - Sorry if that came out as a load of whinging & I don't think I properly answered your question. Oh well.

[Flyboy]

I'm very conflicted over the idea.

For me a lot depends on who is writing the episode and which characters they want to bring back. Don't get me wrong, I adore modern Doctor Who, but some things they have done do niggle.

Now I love UNIT. But I love the characters in it most. I adore the Brig and Benton and Mike Yates and I can't see a way of having them back on TV. I didn't like the treatment of UNIT in the modern era. I know the Doctor was vaguely irritated by the Brig, but he also liked him and was amused by him and they worked together for the common good. They were both on the same side, all working to save the earth. But it seems to me that in the modern era, in the 10th Doctor's in particular, that they have changed UNIT completely, that the Doctor actively hates them. They are an enemy to be defeated and that they have become bad guys.. I didn't like that at all. So if UNIT are to be revisited I'd like to go back to the happy band days, where they all worked together and liked and respected one another. It's getting back to that somewhat with Kate Stewart (whom I do like very much), so more of that I think.

In fact thinking about it I haven't much like the treatment of various old favourites in New Who. There is something not quite right about them. The Master for instance. My Master was intelligent, suave, sophisticated. Not some raving lunatic. I think John Simm was correct when he said they way he was asked to portray the Master was wrong. Bring back the Master again by all means, but let's have him back in the Roger Delgado style.

Same goes for the Daleks. Is just childish memory that makes the old Daleks more menacing? Perhaps. They need to be frightening again. If that means pushing the boundaries about that is acceptable to show children in the early evening , then so be it. Doctor Who always did that in the past, and got into trouble with Mary Whitehouse. Hiding behind a cushion never did me any harm. Let's go back to frightening kiddies again.

Same goes for the Cybermen. More menace, less stomping please. Neil Gaiman nearly got it right with Nightmare in Silver, but not quite.

Oh, don't get me talking about modern Rassilon. I fume every time I think about him.

One of my particular favourites are the Sandminer Robots, but I think I'd like New Who to leave them alone. I'm happy with them the way they are & I don't want anyone tinkering with them.

So having said all that, some people I would like to see again are The Rani, Romana and Drax (the Cockney Time Lord from the Armageddon Factor). But there again I have a thing about Time Lords.

Edit - Sorry if that came out as a load of whinging & I don't think I properly answered your question. Oh well.

No no, it's great to hear your perspective.

Ref modern treatment of classic enemies - I'm sure you'll agree, many of them seem to be better handled by the Audio Dramas than in the TV series. But the scope is there, especially if they use some of the Big Finish writers, who are USED to writing classic enemies in a classic style, but in contemporary works!

The Cyberman is a key example of a Classic Villain done wrong, where as, imo, The Ice Warriors are a classic villain done right! I think returning to a time period where the Daleks are at the height of their empire might honestly do them some good!

As for UNIT - I certainly hear you - I much prefer UNIT under Moffat, rather than RTD. But, as I highlighted to P90 earlier, I think it could work with 12 and a 70s UNIT....

Imagine if the Brigadier was off dealing with a crisis elsewhere, and the Doctor was dealing with a Crisis in London, and then the final scenes of the episode involving a UNIT private telling the Doctor that the Brigadier is back and he'd like him to join him for a scotch in his office. Then, a very emotional Twelve opens a door with the Brig's name on it as the closing shot. That, or have some technical wizardry where some old footage is cleaned up and the closing shot is the Brigadier looking up and saying 'ah, hello Doctor'. (I'm getting choked up just thinking about it...).

I think a 1970s UNIT, with 1970s values, and 1970s tech is just the thing to bring back the good old family feeling that they had.

[rushy]

I'd love to revisit Series 1.
That gritty, yet slightly cheesy feel that could do a total 180 and become a space opera if the lead uttered one word.
Also, to see that the new series hasn't forgotten its roots which so far, it seems to have. Anyone remember those killer bats that prevented people from tampering with history? Or the Daleks as actual characters? Or that the Slitheen are a family, not a species?

If the show revisited a classic story or era or characters, I'd want it(or them) to not be used as a gimmick to be tampered with, but something to be respected and cherished. A Moffat story in a setting he cannot alter: the show's history itself... considering the quality of his RTD-era writing, I think that kind of restraint would work wonders.
With that said, bring back Seville, the Androgums and the Colin Baker era.

P.S. A good UNIT story can only work if it has good characters at the heart of it. So far, the only likeable UNIT characters of the 21st century have been Malcolm and Osgood. Bring them back, cut out the smug and the self-absorbed(i.e everyone else) and start over with people who rely on instinct, ethics and common sense.

[Coco Pops]

I'd like to see the Rastan warrior robots again...... they were almost good in the original series but done today they'd be frightening if done right

I'd also like to see the Ogri and Fendahl back

[knowles2]

No. It time for some new friends and some new foes.

[knowles2]

I'd like to see the Rastan warrior robots again...... they were almost good in the original series but done today they'd be frightening if done right

I'd also like to see the Ogri and Fendahl back

Only if they look this cool, http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...ightyMoose.jpg

[Coco Pops]

Only if they look this cool, http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...ightyMoose.jpg

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on BBC make it happen

Actually that design looks a hell of a lot like The Grid in Defiance

[knowles2]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Come on BBC make it happen

Actually that design looks a hell of a lot like The Grid in Defiance

It was done in 2010.

[Coco Pops]

It was done in 2010.

it's very cool but there are some minor similarities, but then again there's not much you can do with a basic robot shape.

But yes BBC make the Rastan Warrior Robots come back please

[cosmichobo]

Let's see... What have they brought back so far... and as an oldschool fan, did I enjoy their re-invention?

Daleks - Yes (up til iCandy)
Cybermen - No, no, just no...
Sontarans - Other than their size... and until they became the joke of every butt...
Ice Warriors - Not bad, til he looked like a shelled prawn
The Master - Prof Yana YAY, Mr Bean's Psychotic Brother NAY
The Time Lords - Meh

Do I want to see more classic baddies? Sure I do... one a year or so... Just - done with more care in future...

[P-90_177]

You forgot the Silurians.

[cosmichobo]

You forgot the Silurians.

It was deliberate...

Yeah, not a fan of their re-intro eppy, don't hate the Madam...

[rushy]

Let's see... What have they brought back so far... and as an oldschool fan, did I enjoy their re-invention?

Daleks - Yes (up til iCandy)
Cybermen - No, no, just no...
Sontarans - Other than their size... and until they became the joke of every butt...
Ice Warriors - Not bad, til he looked like a shelled prawn
The Master - Prof Yana YAY, Mr Bean's Psychotic Brother NAY
The Time Lords - Meh

Do I want to see more classic baddies? Sure I do... one a year or so... Just - done with more care in future...

Daleks - Only in Series 1.
Cybermen - Meh, a bit too computer-ish.
Sontarans - Never liked them, so Strax works for me. The humorous bit in the recent Christmas story was embarrassing, though.
Ice Warriors - They're fine.
The Master - Hell yeah.
The Time Lords - Only in The End Of Time.

[P-90_177]

Well speaking personally I've had no problem with any of the reintroduced Villains. Yeah they use the Daleks too much, and the Cybermen were a bit rubbish until Nightmare in Silver.... But on the whole I think they're all brilliant. Though the best reintroduction they've done by far and away is the Ice Warriors.

I mean The Daleks and the Master are one thing, Every fan wanted to see them, but honestly you had to question how you'd do something as bulky and silly looking as the Ice Warriors and make them menacing....Yet this was managed with style.