The Doctor Who Thread

[GNUF Kris]

Alongside stupid little toy guitars (I love ukes really) I also love Doctor Who, so lets have a Doctor Who thread!

How is everyone feeling about this gap year?

What are thoughts on Chris Chibnall?

Should Peter Capaldi stay on for Chris' first season or should he have a clean slate?

 

[mikelz777]

I only know Doctor Who from the reboot on so my point of reference starts with Christopher Eccleston and ends with the latest season of Capaldi. All my knowledge of the magic, lore and history of the show starts and ends there so I don't have any concept of past Doctors other than seeing pictures or short clips of them after the fact. I think everyone has a soft spot for their first Doctor so I was disappointed Eccleston only lasted one season. I thought he was excellent in the role. He or Tennant are my favorite Doctors followed by Smith, then Capaldi. Capaldi placing last is not a bad thing in the least, I like him and think he's doing a great job, I just like him less than previous Doctors. Surprisingly, he took even longer for me to warm up to than Matt Smith who had Tennant's giant shoes to fill but I think a lot of that had to do with how the writers handled him in the first season. I think they were doing him a disservice spending so much time on Clara and Pink and the whole adjustment he and Clara were experiencing with the regeneration. Now on to your questions.

I don't like the long gap between seasons. It's like they are taking advantage of the loyal fan base who are most likely going to stick around regardless of how frequently or infrequently they are putting out shows. I think it certainly makes it more difficult for people who are new or just catching on to the show. With the long gaps you lose track of what's going on and lose the flow of the show.

I don't know enough about the new head of the show to form an opinion on whether it is a good, bad or neutral thing. I do think it was time for a change from Moffet. He wrote some great stuff but he seemed to be imposing a lot of himself onto the show.

I think Capaldi should stay on for Chibnall's first season. For me, the jury was still out on how I felt about Capaldi even after the entirety of the first season. There were glimpses of what he could be but they didn't fully come to fruition. I don't think it was until the 2nd season that he really stepped up and owned the role and proved himself. Again, I blame it more on on the writing for him his first season more than I blame it on Capaldi himself. I think anyone would have suffered under that first season writing.

 

[GNUF Kris]

For me the gap between seasons doesn't concern me too much because it's giving them a chance to start showing it in Spring again. In the UK it's been a scheduling nightmare for ratings. Back in the Russel T Davies era, it was 7pm on a Saturday night for the first few series' and people knew where to find Doctor Who.

Since The Grand Moffat took over, the BBC put it to an Autumn launch where it had to be scheduled around Strictly Come Dancing (the British Dancing With The Stars) which naturally has a format that means the shows get shorter as the series continues, so the earlier episodes were later than episodes later in the series, unless they put something on before Strictly. Then they had to make it so it didn't clash with X Factor on ITV, or just let it clash with X Factor. And if it wasn't clashing with X Factor, it was clashing with Saturday night football (soccer) or the Rugby World Cup last year.

In Spring, it has nothing to compete against so badly, which makes it a more stable home for the show.

Furthermore, I'm confident that things will be okay, bear in mind that the BBC is showing great faith in the show as they're holding back this year, but have comitted to both 2017 and 2018, and Moffat said that the show was guatanteed for another 5 years!

 

[jollyboy]

From a personal point-of-view I will miss the show while it is away. More objectively, I can see how taking a break might allow it to return somewhat freshened up and reinvigorated.

I would like to see Capaldi do at least one season with the new showrunner. I've always considered Moffat to be something of a curate's egg in regard to his involvement with DW. He has certainly done some excellent writing for it but, as showrunner, I believe he has allowed things to get rather overbaked at times. Byzantine season arcs bloated with way too much 'rule of cool' philosophy. I feel that Capaldi's Doctor can get a bit lost in all of this (as did Smith's). Not always - Capaldi absolutely rocked the single-hander that was 'Heaven Sent' and that is why I would like to see him continue under the new management. I feel he has more to give and might benefit from 'a new broom'.

 

[jollyboy]

way too much 'rule of cool' philosophy...

 

[GNUF Kris]

Definitely! I've loved some aspects of Moffat's Who, and what he has brought to the show, such as the Weeping Angels, and I loved the Vashta Nerada and would like to see them return! I do think Moffat's strenghts lied in writing standalone episodes.

I never really enjoyed his series finales which were like a kid with EVERY DOCTOR WHO MONSTOR TOY EVAH!

Admittedly in the Peter Capaldi series he's toned that down a bit, and I did love the return to Gallifrey, and the Zygon episodes (great speech from Capaldi in that one!)

Also, I enjoyed the guitar. It did just seem quite Doctorish. Hated the Sonic Shades. They can bugger off.

 

[jollyboy]

Maybe we should start talking about which is the best make of string?

 

[Inksplosive AL]

When I was young my first Doctor was number 4 "Tom Baker". You had to catch them on public network television Ch 13 and many times were forced to watch telethons to raise money through the one or two they would play. Along with different doctors we can variations on the theme song.



I didn't give the actor after number 4 much of a chance and lost track until the series reboot. I agree that Chris Eccleston made a great doctor and I was miffed that he didn't get more of a run with it. I hated the next doctors all as they arrived and missed them as they departed. The use of modern effects with a larger budget is something I like very much. I never watched The Sarah Jane Adventures and I'll admit I thought her popping up on the new series quite a pull back to reality at my time spent here and not something I enjoyed. I did enjoy Torchwood but watched the series become child proofed as it became popular and rose in the British channel lineup. I guess as shows become popular they just trail off into nothingness.

Another great British show that has unfortunately ran its course already (not bad for binge watching though) is Misfits. Some very interesting concepts on that show although it might be a bit adult for some.

 

[Barrytone]

I'm in my late sixties and have watched a lot of Dr.Who. The early years were interesting, wobbly scenery, terrible acting and aliens in furry costumes and cardboard armour. Some Doctors like Sylvester McCoy I found intensely irritating along with his constant stream of inane companions.
Tom Baker was by far the best of the early Doctors. His wild eyes were mesmerising and twinkled with mischief.
Of the new breed, each one has brought something different to the character, with Peter Capaldi demonstrating his immense charisma and acting ability.
One of the joys of this series is, Doctor Who can be anywhere, any-time and in any form. As long as there are mysteries in this universe and beyond, there will be a place for The Tardis to materialize and the philosophy and jokes to reflect the times.
Long may the last of the Time Lords travel at will.

 

[Rllink]

My wife loves Dr. Who. I've tried for years to get into it, but I just can't. More times than not, somewhere in the slow climb to the crescendo that marks the anticlimactic end of each episode, I fall asleep.

 

[GNUF Kris]

Long may the last of the Time Lords travel at will.

No longer the last of the time lords

Also, how can anybody not like Sylvester McCoy!? (okay, I'm biased, he was my first Doctor as I remember being a kid in the mid 90s and seeing repeats of Remembrance of the Daleks, and being bloody terrified of them!)

 

[jollyboy]

Weirdly McCoy's Doctor and companion Ace were one of the show's great pairings. Some peculiar synergy took place that somehow made the sum of the two of them together far greater than its individual parts. I found McCoy himself to be a bit of a mumbler and often had trouble understanding what he was saying.

I remember there being some seriously dodgy stories during this period - the one with the liquorice allsorts monster springs to mind - but also some rather good ones too... especially Rememberance

 

[GNUF Kris]

Weirdly McCoy's Doctor and companion Ace were one of the show's great pairings. Some peculiar synergy took place that somehow made the sum of the two of them together far greater than its individual parts. I found McCoy himself to be a bit of a mumbler and often had trouble understanding what he was saying.

I remember there being some seriously dodgy stories during this period - the one with the liquorice allsorts monster springs to mind - but also some rather good ones too... especially Rememberance

the Happiness Patrol, the episode with Bertie Bassett... uhmm, I mean The Kandyman (sigh) was actually a good bit of satire about Herr Thatcher, but people just remember it for such a dodgy monster.

Remembrance of the Daleks is definitely up there with my top three classic Who stories

1) Tomb of the Cybermen - Patrick Troughton
2) Remembrance of the Daleks - Sylvester McCoy
3) Terror of the Autons - Jon Pertwee

All give me the fear in one way or another.

 

[jollyboy]

All give me the fear in one way or another.

And there is the key I think - Doctor Who is at it's very best when it's trying to be absolutely bloody terrifying.

The Third Doctor was my first, at a very young age, and the giant maggots in The Green Death genuinely gave me nightmares. I was so upset that my mom seriously considered banning the show in our house and I had to beg her to let me keep watching.

The Green Death remains one of my favourite DW stories

 

[Barrytone]

No longer the last of the time lords

This may be true depending on where and when; you (the observer) are in relation to the space time continuum occupied by The Doctor.
One premise of quantum theory states that; by the very act of watching, the observer affects the observed reality.

 

[GNUF Kris]

No longer the last of the time lords

This may be true depending on where and when; you (the observer) are in relation to the space time continuum occupied by The Doctor.
One premise of quantum theory states that; by the very act of watching, the observer affects the observed reality.

Wibbly wobbly.
Timey wimey.

 

[Barrytone]

Wibbly wobbly.
Timey wimey.

Ah, there's a man who truly understands.

 

[Booli]

When I was a kid, the Tom Baker series was on PBS now and then, but it seemed really slow to me back then compared to the Star Trek, Star Wars and other Sci Fi that I was into at the time, and I could never develop the patience to watch a full episode.

With the reboot in 2005, I REALLY loved David Tennant as the Dr., and later Matt Smith too. I also got into the Sarah Jane Chronicles and loved that series as well. Sad that Elizabeth Sladen got sick and passed away. She was a wonderful actress.

Peter Capaldi is different from the two previous incarnations of the Dr. that I mentioned above. At first he was too different, but he's been growing on me, and I quite like him now. I'm also a bit sweet on Clara.

Overall, I do not find the delays in the seasons a bother, because I stream everything, and I'm a bit behind anyway on purpose, so I'm not actually watching in realtime. I prefer to wait for a season to end, and then stream all the episodes of that season back-to-back over a 1-2 week period rather than wait for a week's delay between episodes.

Here in the USA, some shows have a months long intermission in the middle of a season, and it just kills me when they do this, for when they start the episodes again, the story continuity is completely destroyed for me because too much time has passed, and I have to go back and watch the previous one or two episodes before the new one, otherwise the story arc is too disconnected.

Maybe I'm getting old ld:, but marathon-watching is much more satisfying to me than the weekly or months-long interruptions.

 

[GNUF Kris]

When I was a kid, the Tom Baker series was on PBS now and then, but it seemed really slow to me back then compared to the Star Trek, Star Wars and other Sci Fi that I was into at the time, and I could never develop the patience to watch a full episode.

With the reboot in 2005, I REALLY loved David Tennant as the Dr., and later Matt Smith too. I also got into the Sarah Jane Chronicles and loved that series as well. Sad that Elizabeth Sladen got sick and passed away. She was a wonderful actress.

Peter Capaldi is different from the two previous incarnations of the Dr. that I mentioned above. At first he was too different, but he's been growing on me, and I quite like him now. I'm also a bit sweet on Clara.

Overall, I do not find the delays in the seasons a bother, because I stream everything, and I'm a bit behind anyway on purpose, so I'm not actually watching in realtime. I prefer to wait for a season to end, and then stream all the episodes of that season back-to-back over a 1-2 week period rather than wait for a week's delay between episodes.

Here in the USA, some shows have a months long intermission in the middle of a season, and it just kills me when they do this, for when they start the episodes again, the story continuity is completely destroyed for me because too much time has passed, and I have to go back and watch the previous one or two episodes before the new one, otherwise the story arc is too disconnected.

Maybe I'm getting old ld:, but marathon-watching is much more satisfying to me than the weekly or months-long interruptions.

Yeah, Classic Who worked on a "serials" format, with some stories spanning about 8 half hour episodes! (possibly more!), I mean that when it was broadcast twice a week but still. I enjoy Classic Who stories but I watch them in a couple of goes.

I enjoy the week's wait on Doctor Who, especially when there is a cliffhanger on a two parter. I know The Doctor will win in the end, but I like not knowing how he's going to get himself out of that particular scrape. In a marathon session you don't get to enjoy that as much (I know because I binge watched Once Upon A Time on Netflix). I totally get where you're coming from on the mid season intermission, we have it here out of nessecity for the American import shows, for example I have no idea what last happened on The Flash, and I almost missed the return of Elementary (because my Sky+ [TiVo style thing] box didn't pick it up)

At least with Elementary each episode is a stand alone

 

[Rllink]

Bring back Red Dwarf.