The Doctor Who Thread.....

[Greg1138 3]

Sylvester Stallone (I am not kidding you, he was actually one of the names in the press at the time)...

Yes - I remember him being mentioned!!!!! Along with another name who was being mooted for taking over from Sylvester McCoy should the series have continued.....Dame Thora Hird!!!!

Which does bring me to an interesting question.....why are we only considering male Doctors? How about Judi Dench? Pauline Quirk? One suggestion on the bBC website was Dawn French (!!!!!!!)....but Jennifer Saunders, though? Maybe?

Ideas, please, gentlemen!

[davros72 1]

Sylvester Stallone (I am not kidding you, he was actually one of the names in the press at the time)...

Yes - I remember him being mentioned!!!!! Along with another name who was being mooted for taking over from Sylvester McCoy should the series have continued.....Dame Thora Hird!!!!

Which does bring me to an interesting question.....why are we only considering male Doctors? How about Judi Dench? Pauline Quirk? One suggestion on the bBC website was Dawn French (!!!!!!!)....but Jennifer Saunders, though? Maybe?

Ideas, please, gentlemen!

Dame Thora Hird rings a vague, vague, vague bell from way back when.

I think by now the general public would accept a female Doctor. At least, I would hope so. Conceptually, it's no stranger than the concept of regeneration itself. Saunders would be eccentric enough, I've heard Joanna Lumley's name mentioned since the 1980s as a possibility. Dame Judi Dench would never do it, I don't think, though she'd probably be wonderful. More than likely, the BBC would go for someone of generally similar qualities to the successful formula Tennant brought to the role... dynamic, young-ish but not too young, good looks, sunshine-y outgoing persona, bit mad. Doesn't help really narrow down the field, though, does it?

Hmmm... not too familiar with young-ish British female "TV-level" stars... Keeley Hawes? Carey Mulligan? (Though I still want Sally Sparrow as companion!!) Keira Knightley? Kate Winslet? Rachel Weisz? (OK, those last three are wishful thinking.)

Any more ideas?

[Greg1138 3]

Julia Sawalha, anybody?

[davros72 1]

Julia Sawalha, anybody?

Ooh, forgot about her! She's so lovely. Plus she has a connection to The Moff... she starred in Press Gang! (And was the companion in his Comic Relief Doctor Who sketch "The Curse of Fatal Death"!)

There we go, we have a winner!

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Enlightened new century or not I will be extremely pissed off if they get a female as the Doctor. Sorry ladies.

[Greg1138 3]

Julia Sawalha, anybody?

Ooh, forgot about her! She's so lovely. Plus she has a connection to The Moff... she starred in Press Gang! (And was the companion in his Comic Relief Doctor Who sketch "The Curse of Fatal Death"!)

There we go, we have a winner!

Lovely indeed!!!!!

Staying on the "Six Degreed of The Doctor" type thingy for a moment though - I rewatched The Season 4 closing 2-parter the other night....I hadn't taken much notice of his cameo before but since I read his book "The God Delusion" I have been very much into Richard Dawkins and his writings/philosophy.....something rang a bell this time round though and I went back to read the introduction to that fine book....turns out Dawkins is married to none other than Lalla Ward aka Princess Astra and the second "Romana" (who in turn of course was married to Tom Baker)...how closely things are connected sometimes!!!!

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

Hahaha, at the thought of Bill Bailey stepping into the TARDIS. It'd be great to see him in the show at all, either as a writer or in an appearance!

I'm not going to bother looking at this speculation. I expect the process is all happening very quietly and the only people who know about it are the ones who are dealing with it.

On the subject of gender, I wouldn't say no to a female Doctor. But I thought it'd make more sense to have a male companion (I know Jack was one, but more permanent).

[John Crichton 4]

Enlightened new century or not I will be extremely pissed off if they get a female as the Doctor. Sorry ladies.

Agreed. There's no reason to do it other than cheap publicity the show doesn't need.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Silva's just digitally released the new CD for series 4. I've just finished taking a listen (not from them, I'm saving my money for when I buy the actual CD) and it's outstanding. Much less mindless action than the last CD, and some very unexpected emotional material. There's also a wonderful 10 minute suite from the last Xmas special.

[John Crichton 4]

Tempting. There's still no US release date set, and that'd be cheaper than paying shipping for a British import.

[aj_vader 534]

ive just finished listening to all the soundtrack, it is fantastic!

the Doctor's Statement in Voyage of the Dammed Suite is amazing!, keep playing it over and over!

[Quintus 5,399]

If they ever cast a woman as the Dr I'd boycott. Seeing as I don't watch it in the first place, it would be simple.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Blasphemy! Burn him!!!!

James- working slowly through my recently purchased Who DVDs. Silurians and Axos done, halfway though Sea Devils. Time Warrior next. Great stuff!

[John Crichton 4]

I don't know if I could sit through The Silurians again. The end is great, but as a 7 parter it's so over bloated, there's barely enough plot for a 4 parter. But Axos and Sea Devils grace my DVD collection as well. Axos is just camp fun, and Sea Devils is one of the Pertwee greats.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

I actually really enjoyed The Silurians. Mind you, I was watching an episode a night in bed, right before turning off the light, so they were managable bite-sized portions (as they were intended to be!). The Claws of Axos I think is really well done. The freak weather conditions during filming the opening episode really add to the atmosphere. The pacing of the final episode is great. The scene where everyone evacuates the building before it blows up, and then the Tardis lands in the empty building and the Doctor gets out and wonders where everyone is, is just as adrenaline-pumping as any scenes in the new series. Great stuff! Mind you, I think the Axon costumes were put to better use in the (superior) Seeds of Doom.

[John Crichton 4]

Rumor has it that the departure of pretty much all of RTD's crew will, after all, include Murray Gold.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

What????

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*ahem*

He can't leave, his music is perfect for the show, and I want another CD. I got the series 4 CD delivered today, best one of the lot IMO.

[John Crichton 4]

On the good news front, this year's Children in Need special is online. Not as big as previous years, this is only the pre-titles sequence for the Christmas special, The Next Doctor. Still, it's fun and makes for a nice teaser. And in light of what I saw today makes me realize I'm going to miss Murray Gold almost as much as David Tennant.

Those in the UK can see it here. Those in the rest of the world can see it

.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I watched "Time Flight" earlier this week.

Not good.

[Greg1138 3]

I watched "Time Flight" earlier this week.

Not good.

No....not good at all! I list it among my guilty pleasures, but it is pretty awful, and I know Peter Davison hates it with a vengeance....

The news about Murray Gold....well, I guess I kind of expected it...disappointing, but not surprising, I feel....and yes, the season 4 CD is the best yet I think....

Children in Need special was great fun - looking forward very much to seeing the whole thing!

[Bryant Burnette 654]

Yeah, "Time Flight" represented one of the very few times that I've actively considered not finishing the episodes. I know that with some of the older runs of stories, you have to take things with a grain of salt, as well as some patience, but this one just sucks. The villain for the first two episodes is amongst the most annoying characters I've ever seen on film. Well, on video in this case, but you take my meaning. I had no idea that he was the Master in disguise, so that revelation was a cool, effective moment, but otherwise, yeah, man, I was looking forward to the episodes ending.

But hey, if a show runs for three decades, it's bound to turn out a few genuine stinkers.

That's too bad about Murray Gold leaving the series. He's done stellar work, and at some point, I'm going to need to buy the CDs. Hopefully, his replacement will be up to the task.

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Unfortunately Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor produced many such stinkers. I just watched Warriors of the Deep. It's terrible! Absolute manure. Rotten script, rotten acting, rotten monster costumes!

[Greg1138 3]

Unfortunately Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor produced many such stinkers. I just watched Warriors of the Deep. It's terrible! Absolute manure. Rotten script, rotten acting, rotten monster costumes!

To be fair though, it did also produce some absolute crackers.....Black Orchid, The Visitation, Snakedance and The Caves of Androzani are up there with the best of them....just a shame that with such highs, it also had to sink to such depths......

Greg - who just finally bought Season 3 on DVD

[John Crichton 4]

I had no idea that he was the Master in disguise, so that revelation was a cool, effective moment...

Until you think about it for half a second and realize that there is no logical or even illogical reason whatsoever for him to disguise himself like that, other than for there to be a big reveal halfway through the story.

Unfortunately Peter Davison's tenure as the Doctor produced many such stinkers. I just watched Warriors of the Deep. It's terrible! Absolute manure. Rotten script, rotten acting, rotten monster costumes!

Great ending, though. "There should have been another way."

I agree with Greg, Davison's era produced as much good as bad. I would highly reccommend:

Castrovalva

The Visitation

Earthshock

I guess Kinda and Snakedance, I'm not as big a fan as some.

The Black Guardian trilogy: Mawdryn Undead, Terminus, Enlightenment (especially the first and third ones)

The Five Doctors (the best multi-Doctor story)

The Awakening

Frontios (highly underrated)

Planet of Fire (mega underrated)

The Caves of Androzani

[Greg1138 3]

Incidentally - much of the section of Mawdryn Undead dealing with Turlough's school was filmed at my old University

[pixie_twinkle 48]

After the dire Warriors of the Deep I've just started watching The Two Doctors. Compared to the former it's actually not nearly as bad as I remember it being. Ok, so they completely ruin any sense of menace from the Sontarans by just having them forst appear in long shot (who's daft idea was that???) but the story has much more of a sense of purpose and excitement than Warriors. What's with the bloody double entendres in the start though??? "Look at the size of that thing!" "Yes, Jamie, it is a big one". Honestly.

There are precious few great Davisons in my opinion (The Awakening and Caves of Androzani are about all IMO), but I would say that Castrovalva, Kinda, The Visitation, Earthshock, and Snakedance are pretty good. The outer stories of the Black Guardian trilogy are fun, but Terminus is weak.

[Greg1138 3]

Why does no-one else mention Black Orchid? Am I the only one who rates it that highly? We get to see The Doctor thrashing everyone at cricket, we have a good old-fashioned mystery with absolutely no aliens whatsoever, we have charming production design (although Auntie Beeb has always had a knack with period costume dramas), and a whodunnit (although of course we always knew "who dunnit") that is as diverting as it is enthralling...and all in only 2 short episodes! The joke about "The Master" still provokes a giggle too - even now...

Anyone not seen this - I heartily recommend it...

[John Crichton 4]

Why does no-one else mention Black Orchid? Am I the only one who rates it that highly?

Er...yeah. Sorry. But to be fair I'm on an island of my own with Frontios and Planet of Fire (one of Ainley's best).

[Greg1138 3]

Why does no-one else mention Black Orchid? Am I the only one who rates it that highly?

Er...yeah. Sorry.

Fair enough!

[John Crichton 4]

I think Davision even said on the recent DVD release that he's not too fond of it, like Four to Doomsday.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I just watched "The Five Doctors." I'd heard it was a train-wreck, but it's not too bad. The use of the Tom Baker footage amounts to absolutely nothing. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the guy playing the First Doctor did; that could have been a disaster, but I thought he did a pretty good job.

And, for the first time ever, I almost liked Anthony ainley as the Master. Not quite; but almost...

[Greg1138 3]

The Five Doctors was always a little underrated.....I like it a lot!

For anyone interested, a load of paperwork has just been released from the archives regarding the genesis of Doctor Who all those years ago.....have a read HERE.

Greg

[pixie_twinkle 48]

As a 13 year old kid when 5 Doctors was first shown I remember being blown away by the Raston Warrior Robot. Nowadays it just looks like a guy in a silver leotard, but back in 1983 I was absolutely gobsmacked. The way the spears appear from nowhere when it fires is still pretty exciting I think.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

No, you're right; that robot is cool as hell. A little cheesy, but cool as hell. That's a great example of using editing and alow budget to create something extremely memorable. And let's face it; anything that beheads and mutilates Cybermen is just kinda awesome. I only wish some Daleks had come rolling by to be similarly dismantle.

[John Crichton 4]

The Five Doctors is a fine story. They do a good job of balancing the various Doctors and giving them all time to shine. Though I wish some more had met up earlier, mainly Troughton and Pertwee. Their wonderful comic/argumentative interplay was by far the best thing in The Three Doctors.

I wish the original plan had worked too, if they had gotten Tom Baker to come in. Then it would have been Troughton with Jamie, Pertwee with the Brigadier, and Tom with Sarah Jane.

[D_A_R_T_H 24]

i'm sad, the "one word" theme of season 3, last episode is missing (we can hear a few part at the end of "Martha Quest")

[pixie_twinkle 48]

My only major gripe with the 5 Doctors is that each of the four Doctors present should by rights have had a massive teary-eyed hug with Susan when they were reunited. After all, it's his Grandaughter who he hasn't seen since abandoning her on Earth halfway through season 2! Peter Davison gives her a slightly affectionate look when he sees her (good old Pete!) but I wish the script had given him something a bit more emotional than that. I don't think Pertwee or Troughton even get that much!

[John Crichton 4]

Don't want too much emotion. Not British enough.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Question for anyone who's buying the DVD box sets:

I've heard that the single disc (3 episodes each) releases have 2.0 sound mixes, but that the season box sets have 5.1 mixes? Can anyone confirm this, and whether they have been properly mixed, i.e. music and sfx in the side, dialogue in the centre?

[Greg1138 3]

Question for anyone who's buying the DVD box sets:

I've heard that the single disc (3 episodes each) releases have 2.0 sound mixes, but that the season box sets have 5.1 mixes? Can anyone confirm this, and whether they have been properly mixed, i.e. music and sfx in the side, dialogue in the centre?

Yes - the 5.1 mix is only on the box sets....the single-disc releases are indeed stereo only for some reason......perhpas to add a little exclusivity for the sets, I guess....

As far as sound mix is concerned - the 5.1 mix is fantastic and yes - for the most part it is properly mixed...someone spent a looooong time doing that mix.....my ony gripe being that sometimes - just sometimes mind - the music is mixed a little too loud and certain dialogue moments get lost in the mix....the main one that springs to mind is the seconds after Rose touches the dalek in "Dalek"...we almost miss the end of the dalek's chilling line there....

EDIT - sorry - I should have metnioned that the Box Sets also contain the stereo mix, so you do have the choice.....

Greg

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Cool, thanks Greg. I had thought for ages that music couldn't be extracted because of the stereo mixes, but now I find this out

[John Crichton 4]

If I ever get my DVD drive fixed/replaced I'm going to have a stab at ripping a Who DVD. I'm not too optimistic though, I've tried ripping a TV 5.1 mix before (Farscape) and it was loaded with SFX and dialogue.

[Richard Penna 3,695]

Experience has shown that BBC 5.1 mixes are lazy, in other words, the dialogue/other separation is good. I'm hoping that's the case with Doctor Who.

And by a curious coincidence, I also need to get a new DVD drive... can't play anything at the moment on it.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

"Resurrection of the Daleks": Terrible. Am I the only Doctor Who fan who really just cannot stand Davros? He sucks. Seriously, dude: you don't have to start shouting at the end of every scene you're in. It doesn't make you scary, it just makes you annoying. And, Daleks: please stop shouting "EX-TER-MI-NATE!" and start, you know, exterminating. Actually, go ahead and holler it once or twice, but put a cap on it; you come off like frickin' idiots. I can now say that Peter Davison is easily my least favorite Doctor of the ones I've seen so far (haven't seen 6-8 yet). And seeing him with a gun killing things...? Weird. Just plain weird. I was very glad when these four episodes were over.

"The Infinite Quest": Not bad. Pretty good, in fact. Anthony Head's droll voice work was a particular highlight, but I basically liked the whole thing. I enjoy the fact that the producers took advantage of the animation to do things they'd never hae been able to do in live-action: the oil-rig sequence was another highlight. I wish the animation was better in some places, but it's good enough. I wouldn't want Doctor Who to exist only in this format, but I'll happily watch more of it if more is produced.

[John Crichton 4]

I wouldn't be too harsh on the Daleks or Davros based on that one story, it is a mess. An incoherent, illogical, almost impossible to watch mess. It's down there with The Chase and Death to the Daleks competing for the worst Dalek story. OTT death acting reached a new low.

But...BUT...there is one absolutely superb scene. When the Doctor walks in with every intention of killing Davros, puts the gun to his head, hesitates, gets taunted by Davros, and gets distracted before making a final decision...perfection. That one scene, despite the crap around it, is one of the true gems of not only the Davison era but all of Who.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I'll agree with all of that.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

I just re-watched "Blink" and it remains one of the best 40 minutes of television I've ever seen

I recommend everyone check out Moffat's original short story that it was based on, if you haven't already.

[Bryant Burnette 654]

I just re-watched "Blink" and it remains one of the best 40 minutes of television I've ever seen

I recommend everyone check out Moffat's original short story that it was based on, if you haven't already.

Don't know if Moffat was inspired by it, but in The Shining, Stephen King wrote some malevolent topiary animals that only move when you're not looking at them. Kubrick did not include these in his movie, but the mediocre Mick Garris miniseries has them ... and they are shockingly cheap CGI effects, which the audience (unfortunately) gets to see moving. I always had very vivid pictures of the topiaries' not-movement in my mind when reading the novel, and years later, while watching "Blink," I sat up in my chair and shouted "That's how they should have done it in The god damn Shining!" My friend looked at me like I was a nut.

"Blink" is indeed a great episode. If that's not a reason to be excited about Moffat taking over the show, I don't know what is.

The last Who I watched was "The Caves of Androzani." Very good, but I have to say: Colin Baker looks absolutely awful as the Doctor.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

With all that wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff, it's one of the most quotable episodes.

[John Crichton 4]

The last Who I watched was "The Caves of Androzani." Very good, but I have to say: Colin Baker looks absolutely awful as the Doctor.

Given your reaction to Davison it's probably safe to say you're going to hate his run. And there is a lot of bad, but good is there to be had. The Two Doctors and Trial of a Time Lord are two of my favorite stories, and Revelation of the Daleks is an interesting and brave attempt to do something different that mostly pays off.

Blink wise, I still want to see where the Doctor and Martha were heading with the bow and arrows.

Just a couple of days to The Next Doctor! For those that haven't heard, us continuity porn fans are in for a major treat:

a montage of all 10 Doctors!

There's also supposed to be a big cliffhanger ending that'll lead in to the Easter special.