Doctor Who [2]

Been listening to the Big Finish Dctor Who audio plays- some great stuff highly recommend them.

Just finished listening to one about Richard III- some great dialogue.

The Fifth Doctor: I suppose you want to know what I'm doing here, why I'm snooping around asking questions, stuff like that?
Richard III: Oh I know, you're some kind of alien. I know you travel in time and space in some kind of machine. I know what you're doing here.
The Fifth Doctor: I'm sorry?! Who told you something as daft as that?
Richard III: You see past, present and future and make sure we all act according to the rules. You're worse than a god. At least a god allows his subjects to repent. Thats the bonus of being a historical celebrity and a notorious villain. I've had all the tourists and rubberneckers turn up to gawp at me since I was knee high to a peasant. Little green men and big blue fellers with silly hats and machines around their necks, claiming they're on holiday and they're from this century or that century. Most of them had two things in common, do you know what they were?
The Fifth Doctor: No.
Richard III: Firstly; they all had very strong views on whether I should kill my nephews or not, I was a bit taken a back, seeing as it'd never entered my head to do anything to 'em. Not when I was twelve anyway!
The Fifth Doctor: That's time travel for you. And the second thing?
Richard III: They were all afraid of you.



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Charley: I went to an orgy once...
8th Doctor: CHARLOTTE POLLARD!!
Charley:...I didn't stay

Notice how Karen is smoking AND drinking at the same time! .... WHOA!

Like the good Scotslass she is.
Although she doesn't look to happy with the quality of the beer in NY judging from her exprssion when she is drinking it- still any port or in a storm (or rum, buckie, whisky, vodka or whatever you've got ).

When were they there filming? A group of theater students from my school were just in NYC this weekend!

The beer scene in New York is not what it should be for a great metropolis. There are a handful of wonderful places to get a wide range of interesting beer, but you have to know where to go. Not like the British Isles where the beer is literally alive and you will rarely be disappointed at any decent pub.

The Dr Who characters were on the borders of the East Village, which is almost inevitable. One of the great lines in Men in Black II (not a great movie, but many great lines) is unfortunately only understandable to New Yorkers:

Processing agent to newly arrived alien refugee: "You can only go out at night. If you must go out by day, only in the East Village."

For some reason I remembered that line for years, though never understood it until I moved here.

Hah thanks Halfwise- that also explains part of a joke in Hitchikers Guide where in Ford's description for earth he recommends aliens get a taxi job there- and that the weirder they look they better.

I'm serioulsy thinking about getting into Doctor Who, starting with the ninth doctor as someone suggested, but does anyone know where I could watch it online in good quality or buy DVDs?

I get dvd's from Amazon uk, they are very respectable and safe to trade with, I have never had any problems with Amazon yet.

I've done a check about Norc and it seems the BBC has been on one of their periodic clean up sprees- so far not been able to find the first episode of the 9th Doctor anywhere- which is a shame as I think people should be able to see the first episode to see if they think they will like it before having to shell out on a whole series.

I'll look on amazon. I like being legal. how many series are there? or episodes? I mean, how many DVD boxes/single DVDs/set whatever am I going to plan on buying?

From the 9th Doctor to current there are 6 box sets. There are 12 episodes in a series and a xmas episode.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Doctor-Who-The-Complete-Series/dp/B0009AK57Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1334532612&sr=1-1

Is it avaliable on amazon instant? For one thing it would save on a whole lot of dvd cases Norc

Dunno Ally, might even be on the new iplayer mobile thing- is it not gone worldwide now too on xbox's and things as well?
And Norc once you have series 1 then there is series 2-4 to buy. And all Tennants specials up till he left. Then series 5 and 6. Hope your piggy bank is full!

I would just start with Eccleston the 9th Doctor and see if you like it before getting any of the others.

I've only seen one episode of modern Who. I have to suspect that since Moffat started writing it improved dramatically, though the episode I saw with David Tennant did not impress me so much.

So you recommend Eccleston over the Classic Tom Baker? Having been reared in the age of Baker I'd be very curious to read a critique of him versus the others.

Thanks ^^ helps a lot. No my piggy bank is not full, but there is christmas and birthdays and I tend to get my sister into Who too so then we're like double up

I'll give a critque of Baker if you like Halfwise. Also my era growing up. Although my first Doctor was Pertwee but my memories of his era are very vague- I seem to remember Betsy his car more! Baker was my first Doctor in the sense he is the one I really remember from childhood.


The Baker era is an odd one- he did it for 7 years and the show changed production and direction during that time twice.
It was during Bakers years that it took a trip into gothic horror with episodes like the The Talons of Weng-Chiang. It was also the first time the Doctor referred to his companions as his best friends. However after the production team changed Douglas Adams became the Head Writer, giving us such classiss as The Pirate PLanet (here the seeds of his Hitchikers Vogons would be planted) and the very funny City of Death. Towards the end of the Adams era in charge however many fans felt it had become more comedy than anything else. Bakers final series took a more heavy sci-fi route as the underlying theme of it is death and entropy.

In comparison to modern Who the main difference for a new viewer is really just how bad it looks in places- I actually prefer the effects in the old black and white days to the ones in Bakers era and after until the end of the classic run- part of the reason for this is they were using 'new' techniques in video effects- the sort of thing comes free in windows movie maker these days and looks better. And it can be a stumbling block for some. The excellent tale the Ark in Space for example has an alien nasty that is a sort of space caterpillar thing- and its also quite oviously a bloke wrapped in bubble wrap spray painted green crawling about on the floor- easy to forget bubble wrap was a rarely seen new invention at the time - but now it looks pretty stupid.
But if you are the sort who can get by that sort of stuff most of the stories still hold up- Bakers eccentric, alien Doctor was in my view not equalled again until Matt Smith took over the role. Although the reason for me Matt is edging Baker out as my favourite Doctor is Matt's Doctor also has little bits of the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7 th Doctors (at the last count) in his personality mix that all surface from time to time. (And he has the best writing in a long time, certainly the best writing of NuWho).
Baker's era was also blessed with some good companions, Sarah Jane Smith being the obvious one but also Leela.
And of course mentoin has to be made to K-9- probaly the most controversial aspect of Bakers Who- the tin dog- some hate him some love him. (theres a great line in series 5 Amy's Choice when the Dream Lord taunts the Doctor saying 'I'm suprised you dont have a purple space dog just to drive home what an intergalatic wag you are.") I liked K-9 as a kid- I was never a huge fan but I dont remember not liking him either- I am less of a fan now than as a kid although he does get some pretty funny lines.

The Doctor: Where's your joy in life? Where's your optimism?
Romana: It opted out.
K9: Optimism: belief that everything will work out well. Irrational, bordering on insane.

Doctor Who: We all make mistakes sometimes, don't we, K-9?
K9: Clearly.

But he is a bit gimmicky at times too.
Overall the Baker era holds up- the classic stories from that time still are- Gensis of the Daleks is still the best Dalek story they have ever done by a country mile. City of Death will still make you laugh (well it was written by Douglas Adams afterall). Whilst I probably would not recommend every single episode as the pinnacle of Who there are stroies in there I would recommend any fan must see for a better understanding of the character.




City of Death is currently on Youtube- you can catch it here:



If you know Adams work you might spot that the basic premise for the bad guy is the same as that of the ghost in the first Dirk Gently book. (And the basic story for the never completed Who episdode Shada written by Adams, and especially the character and most of the dilaogue for the Professor of Chronology, is reused in the same Dirk Gently story- its 3/4 Who that book).

I remember Baker first too, but I dont remember anything apart from being scared by the Daleks.
I now think of Eccleston as 'my Doctor' rather than the earlier incarnations, and I like him much more than Tennant or Smith the new kid. Eccleston is more my age range so I can relate to him, and he's Northern, and he's the coolest.

My problem with Eccleston's time is nothing to do with him- he is a good Doctor, might have even been a great one if he had got more than a year at it. But apart from some bits of the opening episode, Rose and parts of Dalek the only complete episodes I think are any good is the WW2 two parter that introduces Captain Jack and Father's Day where Rose interfered to save her fathers life when she shouldn't.
A lot of it is embarrisingly bad however- the Anne Robinson Weakest Link robot for example. The 'Bad Wolf' story line is deployed in such a fashion there is no real mystery as its impossible to piece the clues togther and work it out- pulling something out the bag at the last mnute from nowhere is a cheap way to reslove a story- and RTD uses it all the time quite crudely, it also plagues the Tennant years- end an episode on a cliffhanger where the Master turns eveyone on earth into himself? No problems next week it will all be resolved out of the blue in 2 seconds flat with quite literally a wave of the hand using a plot dvice he hasn't bothered mentionng at all before. It aint good enough.

well dont get me started on Amy Pond with a tame robot for a mate, that was cringy. or the 'wooden' Amy Pond, almost better acting I thought. or Amy Pond with little people living inside her making her talk slightly less stultified and stiff.. can go on.. if you want? oh and the funny wild boar running about a hotel thats supposed to be moving and is just boring and silly. and the achingly tedious Ponds. oh and the big guy who busts his cyberman, cos he loves his kid boo hoo

The Rory robot in the Girl Who Waited was brilliant- the face she drew on it is hysterical- whats the matter with you. And when they first go in and she says "Sit down Rory," and the robot also sits down exactly the same way Rory does and it suddenly dawns on him she was not talking to him- genius.
The doll Amy I think would be one of those Who moments I would bever forget had I been 6 or 7 when I firt saw it- classic creepy image to scare the children that one- as Who should.
And as for tesselector Amy- well the fact there is a marked diference in her delivery for you to point out is proof in itself she does not normally act stiff like that. I find her character, complex, sad and easily one of the most indepth companions in years, certainly since the classic series.
The minatoaur looked excellent I thought- not my fav episode but has great moents- the muslim girl is execellent as is how they do her death. All the ventriloquists dummies sitting in the morgue is just brilliantly creepy and the two scenes, firstly whent eh Doctor tells Amy she can't trust him he really is just a mad man in a box and the final scene withthe dying minataur and the Doctor when it talks of being 'soaked in the blood of innocents' and then the Doctor realising it not talking about itself but about him- and the way that plays in to the Silences plan of brining the Doctor to a point where he concludes the universe owuld be better off with him gone from it. Its way better written and conceived than the random RTD years approach to a series stroy arc.

In depth, if you like saucers that is. Rose was easily the most interesting and vibrant and courageous assistant. Amy Pond does little but run about in short skirts, what does she actually do or contribute, nada thats what. I saw at least three episodes where she literally did nothing but run about like a headless chicken. The one in the castle, she ran about doing nothing, the dolls house, she ran about doing nothing, and the hotel she ran about doing yes you guessed it, nothing. She had said nothing interesting and did nowt. boring.

the only good episode was the one in the 40s and that was brilliant, and no Ponds. funny that.

First episode she does loads. Second episode she solves the problem when the Doctor cant see it. Third episode she stops the bomb going off. The Angels two parter is all about her as is the next episode, Amy's Choice in whihch she makes the big decision. She doesnt do so much in the next two parter but does get the traditional comanion role of being captured. Vincent and the Doctor her releationship with Vincent is front and centre and the emotional heart of the episode. She is not in the Lodger much as its a Doctor episode. And she plays an importan t role in the final two parter- and thats just the first series- some fans were complaining she was doing to much and the Doctor wasn't getting to be the hero enough! And whilst the xmas epsiode was well recieved the bit most people like most is the end- which is the Ponds bit. In general the consenus on Gallifrey Base at least is that it was not as good as the previous xmas special A Christmas Carol. I would agree.

Tell you what I miss about Smith and the Ponds, humour and wit, the light touch and banter there was with the 9th and 10th Doctors. I find the Ponds to be dour mirthless dead weights around the Doctors neck. The more madam scowls the more the Doctor prances and twirls like her Fool, not impressed. But when he was alone in the 40s episode he became a real person and stopped acting like a court jester to show his childlike self

Odd as I find Moffats writing is often very funny.

From River accosting a Nazi partol withthe words 'I was on my way to this gay Gypsy bar mitzvah for the disabled' to Amy' "Did you wish REALLY hard' in repsonse to finding out the women sitting next tot eh Doctor is the Tardis.
And as for banter whats wrong with:

Amy Pond: Where are we?
The Doctor: A room.
Rory: What room?
The Doctor: I don't know what room. I haven't memorized every room in the universe, I had yesterday off.

or

Rory: Is anybody else finding today just a bit difficult? I'm getting a sort of banging in my head.
Amy Pond: Yeah, I think that's Hitler in the cupboard.
Rory: That's not helping...

or

Amy Pond: Will that door hold it?
The Doctor: Oh yeah, yeah, course! It's an interdimensional multi-form from outer space, they're all 'terrified' of wood!

or

The Doctor: Kissogram?
Amy Pond: Yes! A Kissogram! What's going on?
The Doctor: Why did you pretend to be a policewoman?
Amy Pond: You broke into my house! It was either this or a French Maid!


And thats just some quotes from only two episodes out of 26!