Dr. Who

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 13th, 2006, 11:30 pm

I know that this isn't exactly animation but at one time people thought it might be produced as an animated show.

Has anyone here ever seen it? It's a British sci-fi show that ran for thirty years in England and has only recently been updated with new episodes. (I haven't seen them) I was a big fan of the show as a kid however, particularly through the Target paperbacks based on the show and the New Adventures that were later published. (VERY HARD to find any books in America now, however.

You used to be able to get them at any bookstore. )

I loved this show! I even met two of the actors from it.

Post by **fani** » April 13th, 2006, 11:44 pm

Yes I know that show! I watch it regularly on CBC!!You can prolly order from AmazonUk for the new (2005) season/older stuff. How about checking out Blockbuster? Some branches usually have them.

Post by **fani** » April 13th, 2006, 11:45 pm

urr...there are books of it? I am a new fan.

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 14th, 2006, 12:38 am

Yes: The books fall into three categories:

Target novelizations, based on actual shows that were televized. (published since the late 70s I think)

New Adventures, original novels of Dr. Who fiction (often by former Dr. Who scriptwriters)

Missing Adventures: These are not the Target books of episodes that were written but never aired, (or those that were aired and got destroyed) but original stories that supposadly took place between episodes that WERE aired. (How tricky is that??)

In Dr. Who magazine and the Dr. "Yearbooks" there were also these little two-page/three page short stories or "Brief Encounters" that were often very well written. Unfortunately unless you can get back issues of Dr. Who mag, these are IMPOSSABLE to get ahold of!!!!

Post by **Meg** » April 14th, 2006, 8:24 am

My parents used to watch it all the time, and they freak whenever they see a red phone booth.

Post by **Ben** » April 15th, 2006, 4:33 pm

They can't have been big fans then... the Doctor's phone booth Tardis is BLUE!!

There was a Flash animated webisode show of this duing the show's nadir years (mid 80s to late 90s).

It was, at one time, the biggest sci-fi thing on British TV and worked up a good following in the States after Star Trek ended. There were even two big screen theatrical feature films (non canon) with Peter Cushing as the Doctor.

As more and more sci-fi shows (like Trek: TNG, Babylon 5 and the like) came along, Dr Who began to look very old and very cheap (some will tell you that was part of its charm, but it simply didn't cut it).

Eventually the series ended (in 1989), though the character remained popular in video re-issues, print magazines, radio episodes and the web series. The BBC tried to kick start a new series with Universal, which resulted in Dr Who: The Movie where the new Doctor arrived at millennium time New York, aired as a one off special in 1996.

The pilot wasn't picked up for a show and Dr Who remained in time warp limbo until this new series basically re-booted the whole thing last year (hence why it's out on DVD as "The Complete First Series").

"Regeneration", where the Doctor can be injured and come back in a new body (therefore cleverly explaining new actors) meant that Paul McGann was the ninth and "final" original series Doctor. Christopher Eccleston's series last year basically started afresh, though he is claimed as the tenth Doctor in canon. He only lasted one season, leaving as he didn't want to be typecast.

His 2005 season is what is out on DVD in the UK and about to come out on DVD in the States. Funny that you started this thread today Vi - the second of the new version series just started this evening on the BBC, with David Tennant making a very fresh and new Doctor. I think he's better than Eccleston, in fact, and the show's values have benefitted from a good first series.

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 15th, 2006, 7:01 pm

They can't have been big fans then... the Doctor's phone booth Tardis is BLUE!!

I was just about to point that out too!

As more and more sci-fi shows (like Trek: TNG, Babylon 5 and the like) came along, Dr Who began to look very old and very cheap (some will tell you that was part of its charm, but it simply didn't cut it).

Yeah...I guess you had to use your imagination there. Some of the stories, especially the later ones, were so good though....I thought "Survival" with Sylvestor McCoy (met him and got his autograph in 1993) had shades of "28 Days Later", while "The Curse of Fenric" WW II story was just sooooo good. For a long time Peter Davison, Dr. # 5, was my fave, now I'm kind of split between him and McCoy. The thing is that each story is feature-length, an hour and a half, you need a loooooooong attention span for it!

When my friend finally got Tom Baker's regeneration on tape in Logopolis he made us watch it OVER and OVER again!

I saw the 1996 TV film of course, and I LOVED Paul McGann. He would have been a kick-a** Doctor! I didn't care that he smooched with Grace....so what, this is the 21st century and how the heck did the Doctor ever get a granddaughter if he didn't...you know.

So what if he's an alien....so is Mr. Spock and even the Vulcans have their "mating ritual" every seven years!

Is it another Anakin SkyWalker immaculate conception thing???

His 2005 season is what is out on DVD in the UK and about to come out on DVD in the States. Funny that you started this thread today Vi - the second of the new version series just started this evening on the BBC, with David Tennant making a very fresh and new Doctor. I think he's better than Eccleston, in fact, and the show's values have benefitted from a good first series.

It sounds really cool, just haven't had a chance to see it.....

aired as a one off special in 1996.

Yeah....kinda reminds me of that "Generation X" pre X-Men pilot that aired that same year! (I actually liked it, except for the stupid villain, who I think was played by the Max Hedroom guy!

)

Post by **Ben** » April 16th, 2006, 8:12 am

The original Doctor Who series (from William Hartnell up to McCoy and the McGann special) were not feature length stories.

The original show (as with the new one) ran 45 mins (an hour with commercials in some re-runs) for the first few seasons.

It then went out as 25 min (half hour with commercials) episodes. Since a story would only run four or five episodes, the BBC cut the cliffhanger endings from each one and cut them together for airing around the world. These are the versions that you saw, I guess, and that have come out as "specials" on home video. The McGann pilot from 96 was always a 90 minute length, for a two-hour TV presentation.

I guess your favorite Doctor was, as with Bond perhaps, the first one you see. For me, and as someone who dipped into Dr Who over the years, it's mainly Tom Baker, though I liked Patrick Troughton and Peter Davidson also. McCoy wasn't bad, but he was saddled with bad scripts, though Colin Whasshisname (Baker?) was a dud and I didn't really see any of that season.

The new one, Tennant, is great. Look forward to that one!

Post by **Meg** » April 16th, 2006, 2:59 pm

They can't have been big fans then... the Doctor's phone booth Tardis is BLUE!!

Blue, blue. Sorry, that's what I meant.

Post by **ShyViolet** » April 16th, 2006, 11:03 pm

though Colin Whasshisname (Baker?) was a dud and I didn't really see any of that season

Yeah, Colin Baker. (No relation!) What a wacko. Well, they wanted him to be the "evil" dr. but he never really had that center of decency and sweetness that makes the dr. worth watching. If McGann was the first Dr. to lip-lock a companion, Colin was the first to strangle one.... (no joke)

I once read a comment that the best story Baker ever appeared in was Caves of Androzani, Peter Davison's regeneration story!

And Trial of a Time Lord?? Yawn.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 17th, 2006, 10:37 pm

I know this topic is old but I just want to say that last night on Sci-Fi I FINALLY got to watch the new Christoper Eccleston Dr. Who series!

I was a bit skeptical of it at first, even though I like Eccleston (especially in 28 Days Later)

I shouldn't have worried. He was grade-A AM-A-ZING! So many years after the show was cancled and he totally "gets" the Doctor. Gives shades of him that no other actor ever attempted and makes it work. (I did like Paul McGann a lot, however.

)

"The Dalek" was a great homage to "Rememberence of the Daleks" which first aired in 1987 I think.

I also kinda liked how they kept the special effects quite cheesy, perhaps to keep a balance with the old series. Since they're already on the Sci-fi channel, I doubt anyone will notice.

The new one, Tennant, is great. Look forward to that one! Smile

Can't wait for this!

Post by **ShyViolet** » February 3rd, 2008, 4:05 am

Cool promo from 1996 "American" Dr. Who!

So funny 'cause one of the shots they used wasn't even from the film but an older episode from the 80s ("Trial of a Time Lord")

BTW, I finally got to check out some of Tennant and liked him a lot!

Post by **Ben** » February 3rd, 2008, 9:18 am

That is pretty cool - never seen that before.

I didn't really have a problem with this movie, it did what it did in a decent way even if it needed to try and appeal to a wider audience and attempt to pull in a wider fanbase...shame it failed in that respect.

Glad you're liking Tennant, though season three is a big yawn for the most part. They swap out Billie Piper at the end of two and the differences with the new girl are just not that "different" enough. Perhaps if they'd made her a posher girl with her own fiestyness instead of a Billie clone it would have worked. And by S3 Tennant is basically playing himself playing The Doctor...it's lost the freshness.

We have a new companion coming in S4, starting here in April, who was the Bride in the Christmas special from 2006. That was pretty good but not sure how she'll work full time. Billie is rumored to be coming back for six episodes though, so it might have some spark.

It sounds like Tennant might jump after this season - it's about time before he becomes a parody of himself - but how they will handle the regeneration argument (if you follow this as a continuation then it will be the eleventh and he's only supposed to have ten, but if this is a reboot then we're only on two, which is what I think they might do but that has its own conflicts) has yet to be revealed.

Speaking of which, there's a cool editing of the first 8 regens in the additional clips in the link you posted above Vi. Even given the technology advances (or not!), that first one is still very nicely aligned.