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The Doctor Who Thread.....


Greg1138

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This all sounds very promising! Now I can't wait to see it, even though my friend hated it so much (the cyberman story) that he's written a letter to the Radio Times!

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What's your friend called? I'd like to see his letter if it's published. :D

The next two classic Doctor Who DVD releases have been announced, they are:

The Hand of Fear (Tom Baker)

The Mark of the Rani (Colin Baker)

I'll get The Hand of Fear pretty soon, but I think I'll hold off on the other one... I'm not a huge Colin Baker fan, to say the least. :thumbup:

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The whole Cyberman saga has always been a bit piecemeal......but they certainly don't come from Earth!

But I see your point about the alternative thing......must think harder!

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My friend is Andrew from Kendal, and I've told him about this forum so I hope he reads this thread and adds a comment or two.

Hand of Fear: YEAH! (Perfect timing to coincide with Sarah's reappearance in School Reunion. They reference the ending of Hand of Fear a lot in that episode.)

Mark of the Rani. Yawn.

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Mark of the Rani. Yawn.

Since the new series starting airing here I've been watching my old classic Who tapes, and actually just saw this one not too long ago. It's better than it's reputation, as the Master/Rani interplay is actually quite good. Other than that though I share the sentiment.

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I didn't hate Colin Baker (McCoy was a lot worse), but I really didn't rate his stories very much. The only ones I enjoy are Twin Dilemma, Vengeance on Varos, and bits of Two Doctors and Trial of a Timelord. A few moments in Trial of a Timelord Colin Baker really shines. The famous part when he says "A thousands generations of absolute power, that's what it takes to be really corrupt" (or however he says it) is a really good and well delivered speech.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well Andrew's letter didn't get published in the Radio Times, but I notice there was a different Dr Who themed letter that week anyway.

Well last night's episode "The Impossible Planet" was amazing! I think it's my favourite episode of season 2 so far. I was actually rather disappointed by last week's episode "The Idiot Lantern" by Mark Gatiss, which is a shame as I loved his previous story "The Unquiet Dead". The current story (Impossible Planet) owes a lot to Quatermass, but it's really creepy, just how Dr Who should be! I can't wait for next week's conclusion.

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I liked the Idiot's Lantern, but it was certainlynot among the best.....it passed for a filler episode.......The Impossible Planert was great!!!!!!!!!!! Loved every minute of it.......

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well - I have just seen Love & Monsters - and have ended up wondering "Why?"......it was watchable, but after the strength of the previous 2 episodes it was a bit of a let-down.....but it also appears to be the calm before the storm, as the BBC have confirmed that another major character will (big spoiler if you don't already know) leave at the end of season 2.....

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Love and Monsters should have been the first episode of the Christopher Eccleston series. It just seemed out of place in the well-into-its-stride second series.

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Love and Monsters should have been the first episode of the Christopher Eccleston series. It just seemed out of place in the well-into-its-stride second series.

Spot on.....it would have made a great series opener (not to take anything away from "Rose"), or indeed a first story for any new Doctor....

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Series 1 wrapped up here last week, and it was very satisfying. The premise for Bad Wolf was really good, I love all the tie-ins with The Longest Game making that ep much more important (serialization! :P ) and the last 5 minutes with the Daleks was just plain wonderful. Even though I knew all the big events in The Parting of the Ways (and had even watched the regeneration scene when the BBC put it online after it aired) I still loved it. Hit all the right notes. I'm really looking forward to the Fourth of July, when the DVDs finally come out. (Buying a hit British TV show on the anniversary of our declaration of independence from them. I'm sure there's some irony in there somewhere.)

After one viewing I'd say my favorite eps were Dalek, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances and Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways with an honorable mention for The End of the World, just because I love it's classic Who feel. And I ended up being very impressed with John Barrowman's performance as Capt. Jack. I was really dubious about why he was getting his own show, but now I not only see why but am looking forward to seeing it. And I loved the Torchwood reference in Bad Wolf, the passing of the torch in a way for the running plotline/reference of the season to Series 2.

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I'm a few episodes behind now as my "source" over here has dried up briefly owing to his getting married. I'm sure only a temporary glitch (the source being dried up, that is. I'm sure the marriage will be permanent!). However, I still haven't seen the second part of Impossible Planet!

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I'm a few episodes behind now as my "source" over here has dried up briefly owing to his getting married.

Inconsiderate git! Tell him to sort out his priorities!!!!

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Absolutely brilliant! "Fear Her" is one of the best of the season, and is certainly one of the most entertaining.....loved it! The taster for the final two-parter......ummmmm.....think I'd better invest in a bigger sofa to hide behind......

SPOILER HEREIN (HILIGHT TO READ) The Cybermen are obvioualy back with a vengeance, but I reckon I saw a Dalek blaster there.........the two come together??????????

:angry:

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  • 2 weeks later...

SPOILERS HEREIN IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN "ARMY OF GHOSTS" - Highlite to read.....

Now that we know Billy Piper is to be killed off in the final episode of the season, the BBC have confirmed that Freema Agyeman is to be the new companion - she appeared in "Army of Ghosts" as a different character and will join the Doctor for Season 3, though will not feature on this year's Christmas Special - more info Here....... :music:

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Interesting DVD news...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/news/cult/n.../20/33077.shtml

Doctor Who ReAnimated!

Two lost episodes recreated for DVD release.

We're delighted to announce that in November, 1968's Cyber-epic The Invasion will be released on DVD - including fully-animated recreations of two missing episodes, by world-renowned studio Cosgrove Hall.

This Invasion stars Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor in a battle with the Cybermen. Episodes One and Four from this eight-part story have long been missing from the BBC's archives, but the soundtracks survived.

Sophie Walpole, head of the BBC's Interactive Drama & Entertainment division, explained the thinking behind the project. "In the year that the Cyberman have returned to Doctor Who, it seemed a good idea to complete one of their finest outings from the 1960s," she said. "We have found a unique and innovative way of presenting this classic adventure with new animation fitted to the lovingly restored soundtrack."

Cosgrove Hall's Lead Animator Steve Maher found the job of recreating a black and white TV adventure "a slightly surreal experience", but explained that animating Patrick Troughton's Doctor was a real treat. "He has a wonderfully animatable face, so he was a gift. Baddies are invariably more fun to depict than the good guys so the sneering, unblinking Tobias Vaughn was a lot of fun, too."

The company had previously worked on the 40th anniversary Doctor Who story, and have been able to significantly advance the techniques they developed for The Invasion.

It's up for preorder from Amazon now.

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I heard about this a while ago, and I'm REALLY excited! If this DVD sells well (please EVERYONE buy a copy!) then perhaps this is how all lost and incomplete stories will be recreated for the visual medium. Imagine a recreated Marco Polo, or Ice Warriors, or Evil of the Daleks!!! Oh yes!

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Actually - I would like to see what they made of "Shada".....

I have seen a couple of stills from the animation, and the project looks worthwhile.....I just can't get it out of my head that it was Cosgrove Hall that did "Dangermouse"..... :)

Greg - who is looking forward to "Doomsday"....

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I just found out (I don't know when this was announced) that in January 2007 a mini-box set will be released (in a simliar format to the "Beginning Box Set") called "Return of the Master", and it will feature the last two Tom Baker stories plus the first Peter Davison - The Keeper of Traken, Logopolis (where the Doctor regenerates) and Castrovalva. :D

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For me, that was really the golden age of Doctor Who.....sure, there were great stories dotted all over the place, but the consistent excellent stories, scripts and acting that was going on around that time, and for the next couple of seasons, made it the D's B's of Who for me......but you can't really release those three stories without also including The Deadly Assassin....?

Greg - who actually watched Keeper of Traken only the other day, but wishes that they would get round to releasing State of Decay on DVD fairly soon.....

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A-ha, now we're getting to the real meat and potatoes of this thread! What do YOU consider the perfect era of Dr Who. Greg, I assume from your last post that you consider the first 2 seasons of John Nathan Turner's production (season 18 and 19) to be the pinnacle. They were very good, though I found June Hudson's costume design a little dull I'm afraid. However, those were easily the best season's from JNT.

For me the classic era of Dr Who was the Philip Hinchliffe era, seasons 12-14. The stories were all based on gothic horror and the Doctor (Tom Baker) played the part very alien, and kept his humour slightly more in check. If they ever get round to releasing the Dr Who canon by season (ijn box sets) these will be the first sets I'd buy. The Deadly Assassin is a classic and (like many of the stories from this era) gave me a few scary dreams at the time. Well come on, I was only 6!

After that "golden" era, I'd honestly have to say that the new series comes in a very close second. Ecclestone and Tennent have both proved to be the best Doctors since Tom Baker. It's a really exciting time to be a Dr Who fan, isn't it? :D

P.S. I just pre-ordered The Invasion! YEY

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Changing the subject slightly (but still Doctor Who related)...

If you ever need to know how to say "exterminate!" in German, watch this clip from a German-dubbed episode.

:D

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:D:)

Hey - now here's a thing......

Unless anyone who likes anything to do with "Who" has been on planet plimsoll for the past week, they will know that for the final two-parter of the current season the Daleks and Cybermen have teamed up - and all is to play for in "Doomsday" tomorrow night. Much has been made of the presence of the "Ark" that the Daleks appear to be protecting in the various teasers. I've had a thought about this and I think I know what this Ark contains - and if I am right then the shivers down my spine are going to start all over again......

In "The Parting of the Ways" we saw that an Emperor Dalek had basically crowned himself and recreated the Dalek fleet using human cast-offs. At the end of the episode we clearly saw the Emperor Dalek destroyed. The Dalek History - which the writers of the new show have been scrupulously faithful to - shows us that without some sort of leader, the Dalek's are lost, yes? Now think back to "Remembrance of the Daleks" (still one of the best Dalek stories, and should have been the Silver Anniversary story)......at the very end we see the Dalek Fleet destroyed, but not before a certain mad scientist has ejected......and he has not been seen nor heard of since......Terry Molloy has been involved in several of the Big Finish Doctor Who stories.......are the pieces of the jigsaw coming together?

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Hmmm, I never cared for Molloy's portrayal. I know Wisher is dead and we can't possibly have his phenomenal performance recreated, but I think there must be someone less shouty than Molloy. Having said that Greg that audio clip you sent me last year was quite good so maybe I stand to be corrected.

And that Invasion of the Dinosaurs comment was a bit below the belt! :P

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But that season really was a low point in the whole canon.....that particular story was dreadful, the Dalek story that followed was a waste, The Monster of Peladon was a joke, and Invasion of the Spiders was just poor TV (apart from the last 5 minutes - still holds as the best regeneration scene so far, I think - after 3 hours of bring telly and a long, pointless chase scene we are suddenly hit with an unexpectedly and highly emotional final couple of scenes.....very clever stuff and a send-off that Pertwee deserved)....The Time Warrior was the only redeeming feature of that year, I think.....

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!SPOILERS!

Well, I just saw Doomsday. To be honest, I was disappointed. It was too contrived, too many "twists", and it set up for a much darker ending (i.e. Rose dying). It wasn't terrible, but very disappointing after Army of Ghosts. I keep saying this, but I think a better writer could have made a more satisfying finale. And as for Catherine Tate in the Christmas episode... I don't like the sound of that at all... :?

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MAYBE SPOILERS!!!!

I finally saw the final 2-parter tonight. My contact got back from his honeymoon and sent me the disks! Good lad! Well I really enjoyed it. Not quite as great as the finale from season 1, but still a very moving romp. I wish there had been a little more thought put into finding the solution to the Cybermen/Dalek menace. It all seemed a bit too easy, and didn't really put the main actors in peril at all, at least until Rose's lever began to slip. The final scenes on the beach were devestating, and Rose's last words to the Doctor were a real tearjerker, as was the Doctor's attempted response. Is this the first time we see tears from a Time Lord? His assistents have cried often, especially at regeneratrion time: "Tears, Sarah-Jane?" being a prime example.

Oh well, an overall excellent end to a season of highs and lows.

Highs:

Tooth and Claw (9)

School Reunion (10)

Girl in Fireplace (9)

Impossible Planet/Satan Pit (10++++)

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday (9)

Lows:

The Idiot's Lantern (6)

Love and Monsters (first half 9, second half 5)

Fear Her (6)

And what a weird cliff-hanger! We have to wait until Christmas to find out what it's all about. And I suppose this thread will gather dust and be forgotten until December when me, Greg, Robthehand, and the other Whovians desperately search the archives to find it and revive it once again.

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I think you need to re-assess "Fear Her" - otherwise I think your comments and ratings are absolutely spot-on.....!

Nevertheless, the thread continues to grow, and the faithful few contribute as always (a bit like the series, really!!!!) and news is abound.......to follow in the footsteps of the mass-market "TARDIS" box-set of Season 1, Amazon.co.uk are releasing the entire Season 2 in November as a Cyberman Head........Creative control of the Big Finish Audio series has passed over to Nicholas Briggs, who has had some slight involvement with the new TV series.....and returning to the world of Who is Janet Fielding as "Tegan", who will feature in an upcoming Big Finish production......I hated Tegan.....she got to spend more time with Nyssa than I did........bitch........

Greg - who with the news of the "Master" trilogy, is hoping for similar release of the E-Space and Guardian trilogies.....the e-space stuff was released in the US as a video set, but never in the UK....

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I think you need to re-assess "Fear Her" - otherwise I think your comments and ratings are absolutely spot-on.....!

I just didn't think Fear Her was all that good. It was a little too schmaltzy and twee for me, and I just didn't buy the little girl's performance which was a shame. I hate it when a show's success depends so strongly on the performance of a child and the kid just doesn't nail it, because it makes me feel guilty for not liking it! I wish the whole thing had been darker. It just didn't live up to it's title IMO.

the e-space stuff was released in the US as a video set, but never in the UK....

Actually it was released as a box set in the UK. I got it for Christmas back in 1998 or whenever it came out. Full Circle, State of Decay, and Warriors' Gate all came in individual plastic clamshell cases packaged in a sturdy cardboard presentation box. A very nice set. I bet you can find it on e-bay.

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the e-space stuff was released in the US as a video set, but never in the UK....

Actually it was released as a box set in the UK. I got it for Christmas back in 1998 or whenever it came out. Full Circle, State of Decay, and Warriors' Gate all came in individual plastic clamshell cases packaged in a sturdy cardboard presentation box. A very nice set. I bet you can find it on e-bay.

Arse! Don't know how I missed that one.....it has one of my favourite stories of all time on it (State of Decay - which I also possess as a rare 2-tape audio-book read by Tom Baker).....oh well - maybe the DVD might be forthcoming......? Perhaps it might be a little quicker if I track down the vids!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Some news for anyone still interested......the spin-off series "Torchwood" is to air in the UK heading up the Autumn Season on BBC3........the DVD's are already available to pre-order.

David Maloney - director of several adventures including Planet of the Daleks, The Krotons, The War Games, Genesis of the Daleks, The Deadly Assassin, planet of Evil and The Talons of Weng Chiang - as well as being involved in the series under other capacities righ from Troughton's era - has passed away......

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Dunno - but one of the reviewers on that page has got the right idea.....

"I read with much amusement and hilarity other reviews of DVD's that have not been released, and can sometime understand people reviewing films that they have seen at the cinema and want to review it. But in the case of Torchwood, we haven't even seen a minute of the TV show yet so how anyone can give it 4 Stars is beyond me? Are you basing it on RTD's Doctor Who? In which case I will base it on Russell T. Davies' "Century Fall" & "Dark Season". Both are very poor, so I will give Torchwood Two Stars. That should even up the playing field."

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"Sarah Jane Smith Investigates"

Has anyone else heard about this? It's mentioned on the Gallifrey Online. It looks like Torchwood isn't going to be the only spin-off from the new series.

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Some news for anyone still interested......the spin-off series "Torchwood" is to air in the UK heading up the Autumn Season on BBC3........the DVD's are already available to pre-order.

It's also been announced that Captain Jack will show up on Doctor Who proper in Series 3. :)

John- who recently purchased both new series complete Season 1 and Genesis of the Daleks :P

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"Sarah Jane Smith Investigates"

Has anyone else heard about this? It's mentioned on the Gallifrey Online. It looks like Torchwood isn't going to be the only spin-off from the new series.

"K9 and Company" was due to be a series in which Sarah-Jane and K9 would investigate other-worldly goings-on on Earth.....but of course the finished product was only one episode......

Hopefully we might see more of these great characters now....

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Liz Sladen. Mmmmmmm. I've loved her since I was 5!

I actually met her at a talk/signing around the time the K9 and Co video came out. She's just wonderful. I was devestated when she left at the end of Hand of Fear. Of course I was only 6. Then I cried all over again at the end of School Reunion. I was 36 by then!!!

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It's all but official: Series 2 to premier in the US on Sept. 29 with 2 eps. No word yet on whether we'll be getting the double-length Christmas Invasion though, might have to wait for the DVD on that one.

And Season 3 of Galactica premiers the following week, and until the Who run is over the two will show new eps back to back on Friday nights. I think I'm going to go into geek overload. :P

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No word yet on whether we'll be getting the double-length Christmas Invasion though, might have to wait for the DVD on that one.

And Season 3 of Galactica premiers the following week, and until the Who run is over the two will show new eps back to back on Friday nights. I think I'm going to go into geek overload.  :P

Christmas Invasion sadly not double-length - I think it will be a while yet before we get "Movie Length" Who......it's still great at an hour long though.......they have to show it, since it is all part of the story......

.....and I'm jealous about Galactica!!!!!!!

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Christmas Invasion sadly not double-length - I think it will be a while yet before we get "Movie Length" Who......it's still great at an hour long though.......they have to show it, since it is all part of the story......

.....and I'm jealous about Galactica!!!!!!!

Ah yes, my bad. I meant a full 60 minutes instead of 45. I don't know how they'd work that in with commercials and all, hopefully they'll do it without cutting 15 minutes. :)

And Galactica, well, I guess that just makes us even. ;)

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I wish they'd edit the "Childern in Need" scene into the pre-credits sequence from Christmas Invasion. It's excellent writing/acting, and gives us the wonderful first reactions by Rose, plus the reason why they don't end up going to Barcelona!

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