Dr Who = New Red Dwarf

[ThePope]

Now ive watched all of S1 and a couple of S2 of the "New Dr Who" and ive noticed that they are quickly drifting away from the realm of serious sci fi. If you look at the older Dr Whos the storys were good, they made sense and it was entertaining, they were even realy creepy, i'm not sure if anyone remembers Davros!! But now its nothing like that, the last episode was terrible. The story was completely awful, the series is doing it self no favours by using comedy actors all the time, it just doesnt work. Now im a massive fan of Peter Kay and all the other actors, well except Billy Piper and David Tennant but they just didnt fit with the story.

Another thing is BBC spending on the show, when Dr Who was 1st made it had a small budget, but then agen so did all sci fi shows at that time. Nut today sci fi is massive and when you hear that the BBc only spent only 4 million on the 1st season when you have Star Trek and Star Gate have almost 20 million spent on them it makes you feel a little down!!

The best thing about Dr Who at the moment is the music and the worst has to be a load of weirdoes in a basement playing instruments for absalutly no reason!!!! Oh and some bloke mistaking an alien space ship for a plane!! it crashed into big ben for god sake!!!!

Its all so Red Dwarf, but that was supposed to be a fuuny spoof type show but this isnt, its supposed to be serious sci fi but it's just.....not!!

ThePope

[Darkseid]

I'm a fan of Red Dwarf, in fact I just watched the entire run over the course of the past few weeks.

With that said, Doctor Who has nothing in common with Red Dwarf. I agree that the show's writing isn't as strong this season has it was last. On the other hand Tennat seems more comfertable in the role then Eccelston ever did. Rose has had less to do this season then last.

On the other hand the show has had moments of great humor. I laughed out loud a couple of times during 'Tomb of the Cybermen'. 'The Seeds of Doom' had some funny moments. Then there was that block of Tom Baker episodes where it was fairly slapsticky.

Other then the last one, 'Love and Monsters', there hasn't been any one episode I have seen of the new show that was too corny for it's own good. Maybe a corny moment or two that looked good on paper, but as far as an episode the show has always taken the science fiction aspect of rather seriously.

On the other hand, Tennant is a 'funny' Doctor. Like Troughton, T. Baker and too a certain extent C. Baker and McCoy. It's a personallity difference.

The show is not a comedy, nor is it being treated like one. You can watch 'The Impossible Planet/The Satan's Pit' for proof of that.

As far as the budget is concerned, I can point out high budget projects that have been filmed that aren't worth the film they are printed on (Judge Dredd, Waterworld, Soldier). Don't you ever think that money equals quality. Back in the mid-1980s Doctor Who had a budget of around $1 million per season (give or take) where Star Trek; The Next Generation had a budget of over $1 million per episode. That first season of Next Generation was a complete throw-away.

[Willow'sCat]

Now ive watched all of S1 and a couple of S2 of the "New Dr Who" and ive noticed that they are quickly drifting away from the realm of serious sci fi.
<>
Its all so Red Dwarf, but that was supposed to be a fuuny spoof type show but this isnt, its supposed to be serious sci fi but it's just.....not!!

ThePope

I don't know what you have been watching but it isn't the same show I have.

[Easter Lily]

I wouldn't be too hasty about comparing the new Dr Who to Red Dwarf just yet...
I've been watching the first four seasons of Red Dwarf in the last couple of weeks and I can safely say that they are both quite different shows. Red Dwarf is, in short, a sitcom in space. It is completely and deliberately comedic even to the point of having recorded audience laughter in the background. While occasionally Dr Who is unabashedly cheesy, it's still far too good natured to be compared to Red Dwarf.

I think our memories are very selective... we choose to remember the good bits of the past. Classic Who has had its share of whacky episodes... which I've mostly enjoyed... The Gunfighters, The Happiness Patrol, The Time Monster, The Pirate Planet. Furthermore, I find the Daleks laughable and I don't care for the Autons (who look strangely like Kryten's predecessor) but overall the show has always had a flexible format that appeals to different people on different levels.

[in circles]

I don't see any reason why the budget is a problem. The show looks fantastic, Tooth and Claw especially had some great effects. UK shows have a lot smaller budget than US ones and it has a much smaller cast to pay. Love and Monsters may have been a bit wank but it's hardly the worst episode ever. Time and the Rani is so horrible I've repressed it all. Doctor Who has hardly ever been a serious sci-fi show.

[SGalisa]

I've never seen Red Dwarf... heard lots about it, especially from those who have actually watched it on the homefront.

But as for DrWHO being what it now is and what it *was*... To me, except for the "farting" bits (from the Slitheen) and kissy-kissy other relationship stuff, it still reminds me of the *classic* eps...

The Long Game ep quite captured the spirit of the creepiness of the classic WHO eps, and the Doctor's astute skeptism over the "walls covered with gold" comments.

As for the humor bits, that's always been part of the DrWHO series - all the way back to the first Doctor eps with Ian and Barbara... it makes the cynicisms more realistic and fun, especially when you catch them in action. Just read the tidbits from the "Favorite Doctor Who Quotes" topic and "You Know You're a Whovian When..." topic {on Gateworld's Doctor Who forum}...

Lots of (great) *fantastic* stuff in there!

[creed462]

I don't find it like red dwarf at all

[GhostPoet]

Now ive watched all of S1 and a couple of S2 of the "New Dr Who" and ive noticed that they are quickly drifting away from the realm of serious sci fi. If you look at the older Dr Whos the storys were good, they made sense and it was entertaining, they were even realy creepy, i'm not sure if anyone remembers Davros!! But now its nothing like that, the last episode was terrible. The story was completely awful, the series is doing it self no favours by using comedy actors all the time, it just doesnt work. Now im a massive fan of Peter Kay and all the other actors, well except Billy Piper and David Tennant but they just didnt fit with the story.

Another thing is BBC spending on the show, when Dr Who was 1st made it had a small budget, but then agen so did all sci fi shows at that time. Nut today sci fi is massive and when you hear that the BBc only spent only 4 million on the 1st season when you have Star Trek and Star Gate have almost 20 million spent on them it makes you feel a little down!!

The best thing about Dr Who at the moment is the music and the worst has to be a load of weirdoes in a basement playing instruments for absalutly no reason!!!! Oh and some bloke mistaking an alien space ship for a plane!! it crashed into big ben for god sake!!!!

Its all so Red Dwarf, but that was supposed to be a fuuny spoof type show but this isnt, its supposed to be serious sci fi but it's just.....not!!

ThePope

I don't really see it as a comedy series...I do see it as very much serious sci-fi. The current Doctor is very quirky...but you can tell it's just throw people off-guard and hide his true emotions. The way he switches from quicky to dead serious in an instant just makes it all the better.

[GhostPoet]

I don't see any reason why the budget is a problem. The show looks fantastic, Tooth and Claw especially had some great effects. UK shows have a lot smaller budget than US ones and it has a much smaller cast to pay. Love and Monsters may have been a bit wank but it's hardly the worst episode ever. Time and the Rani is so horrible I've repressed it all. Doctor Who has hardly ever been a serious sci-fi show.

I though the Christmas Invasion had fantastic special effects...it felt like a Doctor Who movie to me