Going Through Doctor Who (Spoilers all Eps aired on BBC/BBCA)

[cosmichobo]

The telemovie basically had nothing to do - quality wise - with the original series, in any shape or form. It was produced in North America, with British and US producers, so although the BBC had a hand in guiding their franchise, (a very strict hand, apparently), ultimately the only thing tying it to the original series was Sylvester McCoy and the Police Box TARDIS. (Ok, and mention of but no real appearance by the Daleks, and the Master, who IMO was far from great, but that's just me).

The first draft that Sylvester was shown (which he admits had no bearing on his decision to do the role - he'd have done it regardless, as it was Doctor Who, and he knew from his own experience that the baton should be passed on to the next actor) apparently had him appearing very briefly before the regeneration... Then there was a new draft which gave him a sizable chunk to do, which thrilled him... but then it was changed again into what was filmed... Which he understood, as it really had to be about McGann... (a close friend of his apparently) I'd love to know what that middle script was like now!

From memory, they had about US$4m for the telemovie. So, massive budget compared to new or old Who. NewWho runs on about $1m (UK? US?) per episode... Old Who I think was about $2.67 per episode... (Actually I think maybe £20,000? In the same era as Star Trek TNG had US$150,000 per episode)

Yes, the 8th Doctor's TARDIS was amazing... sentimentally it's not my fave, but in any other way it is... It was perfect... Ok maybe not a wooden console, as cool as it is... (Side Note - SO want to see it in action now it's been found and restored by some fans! If only I lived in the US and knew which conventions it was appearing at)

I really don't think the SFX could be faulted, perhaps except the regeneration being a tad too quick. I hate the modern regen effect, and hope like hell they change it at Christmas.

[P-90_177]

Cosmichobo is right about the production values put into the movie compared with Old Who. However I can highly recommend Sylvester McCoys era as The Doctor if you likes his performance. 'Battlefield' in particular is a story line that is extremely good.

I'm afraid though that I had to laugh when you called The Masters outfit at the end a "Devil's costume".... those are actually Timelord robes. More or less just an updated version of what you see in the classic series. In fact you've seen them in the new series already as well, and they show up again later.

[rushy]

Part 1 of The Deadly Assassin is a very fascinating watch. Not only because of Tom Baker's comedic performance as the Fourth Doctor(the fact that he keeps talking to the audience should be childish, but he just makes it work on an adult level with sheer willpower), but because of the chance to see Gallifrey at its best. Or worst.

Peter Pratt makes one freaky Master, but under all that heavy makeup, I really wish they could've had him at least move his mouth. As it was, the guy just seemed like a messed up puppet. Also, for such a ravaged body, his voice was rather light. I didn't get into him as a character, cause he was only there for a short scene and all I saw was a doll face... so I picture him in my head as a mock-up version of Voldemort.

One thing that the new series of Doctor Who lacks is a little bit of room to move. Everything happens so fast that there's little change to just explore the world it all takes place in. Seeing Gallifrey as it was in its height(with redshirt guards and "stasers") was glorious. Even if I saw it with crappy quality in black-and-white.

The Old Who is really like New Who reversed.

Whilst New Who goes fast and epic and has lovely background music, Old Who takes it slow and down to earth and only uses music in certain places. They are two sides of a golden coin.

As said above, Tom Baker is someone you relate to as soon as you see him. He really looks like he has no idea what's going to happen and when something does, it's up to jelly babies to come to the rescue.

A really lovely joke throughout the episode is that Gallifrey has its own CIA who are called the CIA(Celestial Intervention Agency). It's not a smart joke, but for some reason, it just puts a grin on your face.

I just love Doctor Who. And now I'm going to answer the question some of you may be pondering... why did I watch, much less review part of The Deadly Assassin instead of doing Series 4?

Well, I just don't have Series 4 yet, but I was in the mood for some Who so Who cares, right? I got curious with this ep because of the ravaged Master in it.

So far, the Master has been my favourite bad guy, even above the Daleks(it's a very narrow victory).

Series 4 review coming next.

[rushy]

...
I have... no words.
Actually, lots of them, I just wanna be dramatic.
I expected to be crying about Tennant going away, but really, I didn't. As soon as the Eleventh Doctor(Geronimo???) popped in, I was all laughter.

Whoa, that was a heck of a ride. Where do I even start? Ooh, let's start with Donna.
I did not like Donna. She's basically Jackie, if the Doctor took her riding. Wilfred was brilliant though(to those who don't know, the guy who played Wilfred also had a major role in a non-canon Doctor Who movie starring Peter Cushing long ago).

Next, Davros. Holy crap was he awesome. From his voice to his look to his retro-wheelchair. Now I know why the old series was so popular. Just because it was something like this series.

I know I'm gonna skip a lot, but I just finished The End of Time and MUST speak of it, it was absolutely FAN-TASTIC. The Master(even my thoughts sound like John Simm right now) was back for some even crazier villainy than before and the drums were beating and beating and beating!
*Beat-beat-beat-beat*
*Beat-beat-beat-beat*
AND HOLY MOLY IT'S GALLIFREY IN EARTH'S ORBIT!!!
Btw, Rassilon seems like a rather unpleasant guy for the first of the Time Lords. Also, if he was the first, how come he's still alive during the Time War- oh yeah it probably happened during his era(wibbly-wobbly).

You may have noticed I'm a bit nuts right now but hey, I have every right to be.
The Tenth Doctor's regeneration was just epic, man. It was just a tad bit overdone(showing off Tennant's popularity), but it worked for Tenth.
Btw, I bet it was Tennant, not the Doctor who said "I don't want to go". Because that's exactly what I would've said.

The Next Doctor was a nice little story about a guy- THE CHILDREN OF TIME!! AND OMG ROSE BAD WOLF WAS BACK!!!

So overall, yeah I kinda liked Series 4. But now we got a new Doctor(really wish he'd meet Wilfred but fine) and new type of adventures ahead and I can't wait for it.

Oh btw did I mention THE MASTER RACE!! Billions of John Simms laughing together has replaced Track 03 as the best Doctor Who moment.

I'm not gonna comment on the Eleventh Doctor yet since we only saw him right after the regeneration and I'm not sure what he's gonna be like(Geronimo???)

Oh yeah, the eps. Most were pretty much awesome with a few exceptions(Pompeii). Oh and we got an alien planet, how rad is that?!

So the only thing still missing from the list is seeing the inside of the TARDIS which I know is on the road too.

Also, once again, there's too much Earth. Don't get me wrong, it works brilliantly, but can't we get more off-planet? How about a story where the Doctor goes to the past of another planet to change history there? Which would actually not affect Earth(I refuse to accept that there was a giant Cyberman in past London and it did not alter the future)

I loved how the relationship between the Doctor and the Master was developed so much over the course of two episodes. And they redeemed the Master. AND got away with it. Not a lot of writers(or actors) could've achieved that. But they did it.
The End of Time will definitely go down in my list of unforgettable DW classics.

See ya in Series 5!

[rushy]

"I am the Master and your loyal servant."

The Five Doctors proves to me that the classic series might've had a lot tighter budget, but they also had better writers. WAY better writers. First of all, the Doctors.

Richard Hurndall gives a splendid performance as the First Doctor and by the end of the episode, I grew rather fond of him. He wasn't as stubborn or sinister in the role as Hartnell, but he did excellent.

It could be just me, but I found Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor to be... well, irritating. He was funny at times, but mostly I found myself groaning whenever his scenes came up.

Jon Pertwee did a remarkable job as the Third Doctor(Bessie was priceless). He seemed a little overly cautious and distant though.

Tom Baker's role as the Fourth Doctor was very limited, but he and Romana had good chemistry.

Peter Davison shined as the Fifth Doctor. His outfit was very Doctor-y(in fact, it's the most Doctor-y outfit I've seen since Tennant) and I loved his reaction to having to deal with his older selves.

Other than Tegan(who looks really, really hot in that giant shirt.), the companions weren't very interesting and I kept wishing the Brigadier would close his mouth and start acting like military already.

Anthony Ainley is entertaining(and a little cliche) as the Master. His main flaw is that his actions are immensely predictable. You can just take one look and know straight what he's planning.

As for the story, it was one of the best I've seen so far. This kind of imagination really puts NuWho to shame. We get lots of Gallifrey and alien politics and tricky tests and witty wordplay. This is what Doctor Who is all about.
The lack of constant soundtrack only added to the atmosphere.

The Cybermen may look cheesy, but they put the new ones to shame. At least these guys don't go stomping around yelling "Delete!"(ripping off the Daleks).
Also, that robot-hunter thing was creepy. I mean, really creepy.

At first I thought the white interior of the TARDIS would give me an eye-strain, but it's surprisingly easy to get used to. On the other hand, the TARDIS looked horrible on the outside. I could barely tell it was blue. And Susan left the door open for anyone to get in(nr 1 rule when leaving the TARDIS, close the door).

Classic Who for the win.

[rkgardner2003]

I hope this is an ok place to ask this, when does the next season start? From what I've read online, (skimming to not get spoiled, we're only at the beginning of season 3) it looks like the 50th special in Nov, a Christmas special and then the next season sometime in 2014? My son is trying so hard to power watch them all now, I keep trying to tell him he has some time

[Blencathra]

Yes that's right. The 50th Special (The Day of the Doctor) is on 23rd November, then there will be the Christmas Special on Christmas Day and series 8 sometime autumn 2014.

Also there will be lots of other programmes about the 50th anniversary but I think it depends on where you live if you will get them or not, for example, An Adventure in Time and Space (a drama about the beginning & making of Doctor Who) is also being shown on 23rd Nov in the UK and the US. Not sure about the rest of the world.

[rushy]

As a kid, I was once watching TV when I came across this Roman guy holding his girlfriend or something...
and then suddenly a man with a fez and a mop teleported into the scene and I was hooked forever...

Does Series 5 hold up to what little I recall from my childhood? Yes.
Matt Smith gives a riveting performance as the hyperactive Eleventh Doctor, even more ready to cut off his own sentences and add something than the last guy. I love the bow-tie, I love the tweed and I don't care what anyone says, the fez works.

Karen Gillan isn't Rose, but she sure glues eyes to the screen, I'll tell ya that. Love da accent. She should've been paired with Tenth instead of Donna. Then they could share accents together. BTW, that is one small skirt. *grin*

Arthur Darvill is... funny, at times. I think Rory is cooler when he's sarcastic. When he's doing the Mickey... meh.

Contrary to most people's opinion, I did like the New Paradigm Daleks. They were a great contrast to both the background and the old Daleks and they got me a little worried for the Doc's wellbeing. I actually thought that was how classic Daleks looked like when I first saw them.

The Dream Lord is definitely a character who should come back. He was played masterfully by Toby Jones and was a great mirror to the Eleventh Doctor persona.

I absolutely adored the new intro, giving the old theme song a little more curiosity and wonder. Took me a while to get into the thunderclouds, but now that I think about it, it shows pretty well how destabilized the vortex has become.

And here we come to The Big Bang, the episode that I saw so long ago... it was exactly as wonderful as I thought back then. The Doctor beaming in and out should've been a running gag, but oh well. And how did Rory not go mad after spending 2000 years awake?
The Doctor screaming "LISTEN TO ME" as the Pandorica shut gave me real chills.

I was also highly fond of the historical characters like Winston Churchill(Having already been a fan of Ian McNeice) and Vincent Van Gogh(why did he go insane? I don't get it.) who seemed rather accurate(especially when compared to some caricatures done in the run of the series.)

Here I have an important question though... how did remembering the Doctor's existence bring him back? I mean, when Amy recalled Rory was alive, it didn't just pop the real him back into existence.
And if the Doctor never existed how was it possible for River Song to deliver Amy the empty diary, much less exist? Where'd she come from?
And if the future River had said to the Doctor that they'll see "when the Pandorica opens", how come nobody figured out that their survival was pretty much meant to be?
And what was the Doctor thinking when he left a walking Dalek android with a deactivated but still intact super-bomb into the 1930s?!

Ooh, the new TARDIS design! A bit too mosaic if you get what I mean, but could've been worse...

Spoiler:

no it couldn't have, it was horrendous. Worse than the leopard skin!

[cosmichobo]

As a kid, I was once watching TV when I came across this Roman guy holding his girlfriend or something...
and then suddenly a man with a fez and a mop teleported into the scene and I was hooked forever...

I've been watching WHO since before permanent memories... and as such, I envy you this wonderful defining moment... I instead grew up with an absolute mixed bag of mixed up moments in my head from Drs 3, 4, and 5 having seen most of their stories on first or re-runs whilst under the age of 7... (mostly only once, maybe twice if I as lucky) I then had quite a wonderful journey revisiting them all as I grew older and saw the episodes on rerun again as time went by... But, no real defining moment.

Probably the closest for me was circa 1988, with my first VCR on hand to tape the omnibus editions that were screening at the time from Tom's last few seasons... and just knowing that something big was coming... Off to check my brother's "What's What and Who's Who" of Doctor Who, to discover that Logopolis was indeed coming up, followed by Castrovalva - the first episode of "my" Doctor... The excitement built so much, on the day of Logopolis airing, I had a migraine... spent the day in bed vomiting with 7 nine inch nails thru my head.. but not to sick to stagger out and hit REC on the VCR...

[rushy]

Time and the Rani. Good lord... *sobs* What were they THINKING?!
Positives? THERE ARE NO POSITIVES!!! This is as bad as Love and Monsters!!
But let me explain step by step. The episode begins with the TARDIS under attack. The Doctor and his companion(whom I cannot elaborate on out of fear of throwing up) are unconscious. The TARDIS lands on some random quarry planet and the Doctor has the most pathetic regeneration scene EVER.

I mean seriously, this is the only time where it felt unimportant. Even he himself was like: "I must have regenerated. Oops." And what killed him? A bump to the head? An electric shock?

And then we get the Doctor Who intro. Which has been utterly lobotomized. The sound pierces and twists my ears like a screwdriver(pun intended). Even the DOCTOR WHO sign is wrong! The "Doctor" is too small and the "WHO" is ugly and ginormous. It's a little stylish, but that's about it.

The CGI is something you cannot make up in your worst nightmares. I know DW had a small budget, but come on, it was the 1980s, by that time we had A Space Odyssey and Dune!! Couldn't they have made a little plastic TARDIS and fly it around a black background?

The Rani is basically a regenerated professor Umbridge without the intellect(the Doctor literally did the "look behind you" and took her out).

Sylvester McCoy does an okay job as the Seventh Doctor, but he has little personality besides moping and being drunk and I swear his clothes(after he changes them) have a perception filter on them.

Even the scene where he picks himself new clothes was wrong because it was the Rani, not the companion who was helping him pick(I don't know if that's a curse or a blessing).
The aliens suck, the villains suck, the story sucks, the Doctor sucks, the companion sucks.
That's all there is to it.

[rushy]

The Daleks made for a fascinating watch. One thing I truly enjoy about Moffat's way of handling Doctor Who is that he hides these little things(like sounds and objects) from the old series into the new one. For instance, the beeping sound from the Dalek control room was the same as the sound of the Progenitor in Victory of the Daleks. But let's start with characters.

*William Hartnell is underused but also the only really effective character here. Many complain about his selfishness and amorality, but I think they should remember that at this point, the Doctor is still alien to Earth(which is where he learned to become the man who said "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."). Just take the First Doctor as the learning antihero that he is and you'll be fine for the most part.

Note that the Fifth and Tenth Doctors were not the only ones who wore "brainy specs".

Unfortunately, other than force the group to the Dalek City, he had very little to do in this episode but just be the Doctor. Because the show has to have one.

*I am not fond of the companions. Barbara is useless, Ian is a pompous cardigan-wearing headache and Susan is unusually childish for a species who "serve at the age of 8. Not that you'd call it childhood."

The storyline was a hit and miss. It's arguably the most important Doctor Who serial ever produced as the introduction of the Daleks, but I'm a little shocked at how unscary they were. I mean seriously, the way they just open up one of them and toss the mutant out makes them look pathetic. However, I do admire that the Daleks firing at people caused them to go negative was a thing even then. Also, how come we never saw them extend their plungers in the new show? That's a practical function!

*The Thals are generic Star Trek(yes I know which came first) aliens. In fact, they look a lot like the utopian folk who tried to kill Wesley for stepping on their flowers.

Despite all these setbacks, I have to applaud the old series for its creativity, something that the new series still lacks. Where are the colorful new planets with historical backgrounds that have NOTHING to do with the OVERUSED human race?

If I could've changed anything about this one, I would've erased the last two episodes. Everything was set to end and we even would've gotten a lesson about non-interference had Ian not left the bloody fluid tank in the Dalek City.

[cosmichobo]

Useless, pompous and childish... Mmm...

Sadly, I certainly agree that Susan was regrettably played like the 15 year old she appeared to be, rather than (as Carole Ann Ford had originally anticipated) as a very intelligent and capable child of another race... I believe originally it was intended she would be a much stronger character, however ultimately they turned her into the damsel in distress/access point for the young audience. If you watch the unaired Pilot of An Unearthly Child, you get a bit of a glimmer of that other option...

As for Babs and Ian being useless and pompous... I think really it's just this story. Barbara goes on to prove her abilities many times over the following 2 years, and Ian is I think quite simply a man of his times...

Given that this 160-odd minute story was condensed into 90 for the Cushing movie, it obviously could have been quicker on its feet... (and I'm working on such an edit as we speak) But it was serial television from the 60's...

[rushy]

15 year olds are NOT that pathetic. Or pathetic at all, they're actually pretty smart already by that age.

Had Susan been played as a proper Time Lady, we would've gotten some excellent material. And the character might have returned(instead she was just ditched in the 22nd century.)

Even though I usually stay away from non-canon material and I've heard some bad things about it, I might check out the Cushing movies.

But definitely not before Genesis of the Daleks.

[Flyboy]

Genesis is epic.

The Cushing movies are dire - avoid.

[The Flyattractor]

I dunno. The First Cushing isnt' all that bad and it stays pretty close to the orginal story. (only real downside is the guy playing Ian gives a real hammy out of character performance. Is all klutzy and goofy. The Dalek Invasion is pretty bad. It gets all wacky and very very Mod Style 60's at times. That one I couldn't get thru. And its not a sequel to the first Cushing movie either.