The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (2011)

[Sealurk]

They specifically call it a Christmas Special of Doctor Who, so surely the fact that the programme celebrates and is about Christmas is sort of natural progression?

I don't consider myself Christian but I still celebrate Christmas, and I know I'm not the only one.

[Flyboy]

It honestly bothers me that these specials assume everyone in the universe is Christian, and celebrates Christmas. I love Doctor Who, but these specials have a huge amount of arrogance built into them.

Oh for Pete's sake.

Right.

Doctor Who is made by the BBC. The BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation. Great Britain is a CHRISTIAN state. Now don't go giving me crap about how many people in the UK aren't Christian, I myself am *not*, I'm an agnostic. But like it or not, Christmas is an official UK day of celebration, and Doctor Who is a sodding UK show. The Christmas eps are designed to be festive in formula and have been stated in the past to be designed to be your TV version of a pantomine on Christmas day. They're fun and allowed a slight bit more daftness than your usual Doctor Who episode.


Honestly, I've sodding well had enough of the UK having to apologise for doing things that it's bloody entitled to.

[Ian-S]

here here.

The episode wasn't ground breaking, but it made a change to watch something a bit different from the simple, let's kill someone rinse and repeat storylines in EastEnders every dam Christmas.

I did nearly fall off the sofa laughing when they found the wrong phone box though - had to happen eventually.

BUT..... why was a space ship attacking Earth in the 1940's? That never did get explained.

[The Flyattractor]

What was the reference for when they hit the light pole?

[SaberBlade]

It honestly bothers me that these specials assume everyone in the universe is Christian, and celebrates Christmas. I love Doctor Who, but these specials have a huge amount of arrogance built into them.

Of all the things to complain about in this episode, I did not see this coming at all.

Oh for Pete's sake.

Right.

Doctor Who is made by the BBC. The BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation. Great Britain is a CHRISTIAN state. Now don't go giving me crap about how many people in the UK aren't Christian, I myself am *not*, I'm an agnostic. But like it or not, Christmas is an official UK day of celebration, and Doctor Who is a sodding UK show. The Christmas eps are designed to be festive in formula and have been stated in the past to be designed to be your TV version of a pantomine on Christmas day. They're fun and allowed a slight bit more daftness than your usual Doctor Who episode.

Honestly, I've sodding well had enough of the UK having to apologise for doing things that it's bloody entitled to.

Well said.

[DigiFluid]

It honestly bothers me that these specials assume everyone in the universe is Christian, and celebrates Christmas. I love Doctor Who, but these specials have a huge amount of arrogance built into them.

Aaaaand...

Yeah. Like Christmas is a Christian Holiday anymore.

They specifically call it a Christmas Special of Doctor Who, so surely the fact that the programme celebrates and is about Christmas is sort of natural progression?

I don't consider myself Christian but I still celebrate Christmas, and I know I'm not the only one.

Bam, bam, bam.

While I thought this Xmas episode was pretty lousy, that's one of the most absurd complaints I've ever read.

What was the reference for when they hit the light pole?

The lamp post in the middle of the forest in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

[4thDoctor]

The lamp post in the middle of the forest in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

I never read the book nor have I seen the movie, so I totally missed the point on that.

[DigiFluid]

It was nothing profound or hidden-meaning, just a little nod to the source material.

[The Flyattractor]

The lamp post in the middle of the forest in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Ahhh 10-Q. It has been way to many decades since I have read the books.

[Crazedwraith]

OK, I just saw that and it was a bunch of rubbish. Silly, fun rubbish but rubbish nevertheless. Still its a christmas special and that gets it off on that score, imho. And because its entertaining and didn't try to drum up cheap drama its was head and shoulders above everything in series 6 not written by Neil Gaiman.

The only real moment that made me go, wtf was the idea that the Ponds thought he was dead. I didn't remember that from the end of series 6 at all.

[Flyboy]

OK, I just saw that and it was a bunch of rubbish. Silly, fun rubbish but rubbish nevertheless. Still its a christmas special and that gets it off on that score, imho. And because its entertaining and didn't try to drum up cheap drama its was head and shoulders above everything in series 6 not written by Neil Gaiman.

The only real moment that made me go, wtf was the idea that the Ponds thought he was dead. I didn't remember that from the end of series 6 at all.

Spoiler:

As far as the Doctor is concerned, at the close of S6 only two people know he's alive, River and Dorium. River then goes and sneakily tells Rory and Amy

[WingedPegasus]

I was pretty disappointed with this episode. There were a few good lines sprinkled throughout, but it gave the overall feeling of an extended kids' special, IMO. I actually enjoyed the flying fish much more than this one.

Holy Toledo, this was written by Steven Moffat?? Yipes!

[Blencathra]

I was pretty disappointed with this episode. There were a few good lines sprinkled throughout, but it gave the overall feeling of an extended kids' special, IMO. I actually enjoyed the flying fish much more than this one.

Holy Toledo, this was written by Steven Moffat?? Yipes!

The bolded statement left me a tad puzzled. It was supposed to be a children's special. It was made for children, families and people who don't normally watch Doctor Who to watch in the early evening on Christmas Day.

[Cold Fuzz]

Oh for Pete's sake.

Right.

Doctor Who is made by the BBC. The BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation. Great Britain is a CHRISTIAN state. Now don't go giving me crap about how many people in the UK aren't Christian, I myself am *not*, I'm an agnostic. But like it or not, Christmas is an official UK day of celebration, and Doctor Who is a sodding UK show. The Christmas eps are designed to be festive in formula and have been stated in the past to be designed to be your TV version of a pantomine on Christmas day. They're fun and allowed a slight bit more daftness than your usual Doctor Who episode.


Honestly, I've sodding well had enough of the UK having to apologise for doing things that it's bloody entitled to.

Hear, hear! Very well said Bennett. I was incredibly busy with work this week but I took the time to re-watch the special and I'm glad I did, especially with how rough work was with stress.

The references to Androzani Major and the Forest of Cheem now have me wondering how much tie-in there'll be to past Doctors in the upcoming series. *sigh* It'll be a more than a bit of a wait.

[WingedPegasus]

The bolded statement left me a tad puzzled. It was supposed to be a children's special. It was made for children, families and people who don't normally watch Doctor Who to watch in the early evening on Christmas Day.

That doesn't mean it has to be so simple as to be nearly exclusively for children...I always appreciate the complexity of DW, and this seemed to have very little in that way. I understand that many people thought it was great; I just wasn't one of them.