DOCTOR WHO (2007): General Chat

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 2:17 pm

2007 Main Series episode reactions:
http://tfarchive.com/community/showthre ... adid=38521

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A little early, but I thought I'd be kind and provide a full list of the Who stuff on over Crimbo so none of you good people miss anything:

December 17th: BBC1 Repeat of The Christmas Invasion. The first time Who's been repeated on BBC1 since Planet of the Baleks back in 1993!

December 25th: BBC1 has both a Confidential and, of course, The Runaway Bride at seven. Radio 1 has a three hour (yes, three hour) special called Jo Whiley Meets Doctor Who, that runs up till the start of the special.

December 31st: Blood of the Daleks Part 1 staring Paul McGann is on BBC Radio 7. Ignore what the Radio Times says though, this season of audio's does not lead up to the regeneration. Big Finish aren't allowed to do that.

January 1st: Sarah Jane Adventures, a hour special leading into a series sometime next year of ten half hour episodes.

Starting with the double Christmas issue the Radio Times is giving away four Who CD's- Effectively two of the talking books read by David Tennant. The books themselves are a bit meh, but it's free (and some retail types won't even have to buy the RT, just nick it from inside) and Tennant is clearly having a ball doing it.

And as a treat for reading all this: Doctor Who meets Sir Patrick Moore!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTucwm23L0o

Isn't great how Jon Pertwee's pissed off acting is more convincing that he usually is? And I love how Peter Davision clearly would rather be anywhere else and isn't having any of it. Sad to think that must be one of the last thing the mighty Troughton did (and a £1000 was a lot of money in those days kiddies).

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 6:40 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek
Radio 1 has a three hour (yes, three hour) special called Jo Whiley Meets Doctor Who, that runs up till the start of the special.

Yeaahhhh... that'll be ****. Sorry, but as competant as she may be as putting CDs into a player, Whiley's hardly the most enthralling interviewer. I envisage lots and lots of gushing and platitudes... and many uses of her faux-excited tone. Even before we consider that it's a BBC self-promotional event.

I still remember the godawful "Co Hosted by Madonna!" Jo Whiley show. Which basically equated to Jo massaging Madge's ego for three hours in a glorified interview with a few records every now and then. Blame the playlist format, go on.

Blood of the Daleks Part 1 staring Paul McGann is on BBC Radio 7.

Properly starring Paul McGann? Or starring somebody doing an impression of Paul McGann which is just about passable if you've never heard him talk?

January 1st: Sarah Jane Adventures, a hour special leading into a series sometime next year of ten half hour episodes.

This is the out-and-out CBBC show, isn't it? Rather than the one that's purportedly for kids but really aimed at everybody (Who) and the one which is aimed at teh mature audience but made with panto values.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 10:32 am

I can't imagin David Tennant or RTD giving up their Christmas day to take part in the Whiley thing somehow either, so I'm not sure who she'll be interviewing in Wales.

Originally posted by Brendocon
Properly starring Paul McGann? Or starring somebody doing an impression of Paul McGann which is just about passable if you've never heard him talk?

McGann has actually done close to thirty audio's for Big Finish now, several of which have been broadcast on BBC7 to enough success for them to comision these radio first ones. His companions going to be the blond one from Two Pints of Larger. McGann even did a Douglas Adams script for BBCInteractive (The one that became Dirk Gentry).

This is the out-and-out CBBC show, isn't it?

The writters are treating it as they would an "adult" show, and they're smart enough to know they'll be a lot of misty eyed forty year olds tuning in as well. In the cast photo of a bunch of 12 year olds Lis Sladen does look woefully out of place though (and K.9's only a cameo because the BBC don't own him, bah).

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:08 pm

Doctor Who and the Runaway Bride

Well, Catherine Tate was better than expected, awful during the shouty stuff at the start but once she quitened down gave a much better performance.

I'm also ever so smug, as I guessed the whole Lance/Coffe/Evil thing as soon as they mentioned the water. And that the base would be flooded as soon as we found out about the Thames Barrier.

One problem was it was very New Who by numbers, after RTD boasted about how the show could go anywhere in the Confidential earlier it was somewhat odd to have that opening shot of Earth and the Robot Santa's all present and correct. The latter seemed particually pointles as they changed what they actually were (and the worrying amount of people who didn't understand the pilot fish thing last year will be even more baffled now).

The Spider Woman was a bit OTT as well.

Good ponts though included that nifty song by the Devine Comedy bloke, a top performance by David Tennant and effects so good in the car chase you forget to wonder why the sight of a Police Box flying through the air isn't causing a massive pile up and lots of death. Nor why the Doctor doesn't just materialise the Tardis round the cab.

Oh, and the bloke who ordered the tank to fire is this years Torchwood/Bad Wolf thing (he was on the front of the paper Peter Kay was reading last year as well).

Was that a Sontaran in the trailer? Or just one of those Sontaranesque Rhino things seen a few seconds latter with a helmet on? And is Sec the first ever reccuring Dalek?

Lambda prime · Post by **Lambda prime** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:47 pm

Sontarans spliced with Earthern fauna? maybe it's a secret Torchwood experiment to bring fossilised aliens back to life by melding their DNA with the closest Earthern relatives...

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 8:55 pm

The popular theory on OG is that there is a Rhino/Sontaran connection, certainly in in the screencaps people have done they seem to be wearing Sony uniforms.

A worryingy amount of people have been overly excited by the namecheck of Gallifrey, it's a shame we just missed global orgasm day because they'd have tipped the squee total over the edge. Errr, not that I was one of them.

Everyone I saw it with is now sick of the Daleks, have the BBC reached overkill point? (Though they don't really have a choice, they paid a huge amount to use the Daleks for three years, so droping them wouldn't be an option...)

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:41 pm

My mum's reaction to the montagey thing at the end was "I wish they'd make up their bloody minds if there are any Daleks left or not."

Regardless of loopholes left in at the end of the last ep, she has a valid grievance. Yay parents.

That was... mediocre. Awful in places, bearable in others, great whenever it involved David Tennant.

RTD is **** at dialogue, isn't he?

Was slightly bemused that they left the series 2 throwforward in at the end of the Christmas Invasion repeat earlier in the week. Or was it last week? I have nary a clue what day it is. Yay cheap wine.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:47 pm

Originally posted by Brendocon
My mum's reaction to the montagey thing at the end was "I wish they'd make up their bloody minds if there are any Daleks left or not."

Regardless of loopholes left in at the end of the last ep, she has a valid grievance. Yay parents.

Well not really, there's no ambiguity about Sec's Blofeldesque escape at the end of the last season. The Doctor doesn't know he surrvived, but the audience does.Though oddly Doctor Who Adventures is keeping up the pretense.

Was slightly bemused that they left the series 2 throwforward in at the end of the Christmas Invasion repeat earlier in the week. Or was it last week? I have nary a clue what day it is. Yay cheap wine.

I'm assuming they were to lazy to do anything to the mastertape. Either that or it's those BBC Budget cuts...

I'll give RTD credit for not doing the obvious spider down the plughole gag.

Did anyone find it odd the console room is now twice as big? They paid for all that extra floor but not the interior door?

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:49 pm

Originally posted by inflatable dalek
Well not really

You don't think the fact that they can't go five minutes without wheeling out the ****ing Daleks is grounds for a valid greivance?

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:56 pm

Originally posted by Brendocon
You don't think the fact that they can't go five minutes without wheeling out the ****ing Daleks is grounds for a valid greivance?

That is a valid grievence. Your mothers grievence however was:

Originally posted by Brendocon
"I wish they'd make up their bloody minds if there are any Daleks left or not."

Which isn't the same thing at all.

Still, I'd rather have a Dalek zaping gangsters in 1930's New York than the rumored [In the Sun, so thankfully most likely untrue] Son of Doctor Who showing up.

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 9:59 pm

No, that was her phrasing. Which is why I said "regardless of loopholes" - which translates as "I corrected her by saying that we know at least one got away at the end of the last season" - her grievance being that they keep "wiping them out" [or letting the Doc think as much] and then bringing them back.

I cannot be argued with, for I fight with the power of Truth! And guns. Big ****ing guns. That make people **** themselves. And are untraceable.

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:13 pm

Originally posted by Brendocon
her grievance being that they keep "wiping them out" [or letting the Doc think as much] and then bringing them back.

I misread that as "Whipping them out", and thought you were talking about what they seemed to be trying to do with Catherine Tate in the special.

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 4:29 am

That spider thing was rather crap... and does the "origin of the Earth" throwaway explanation not clash with anything else?

Catherine Tate not too awful.

Was it artron energy that was referenced? Couldn't quite hear.

Hopefully the head thing in the clip montage will get a move on and confirm that there are still Time Lords / a way to bring back the planet, etc.

Torchwood didn't bother stripping the base?

TBH came off as very rushed, and the character bits were doubly heavy handed because of the time pressure.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 3:17 pm

It was rather entertaining until the big with was that the Earth and the human race owes it existance to some OTT spiders whose entire space craft was blown appart rather easily by 1 tank.

The Dialogue was a tad pants in places I mean Tates character because amusing articulate in the last 5 minutes when saying fair well to the Doctor and considering the fact she annoyed the Doc for half a day it seems a rather too emotional a fair well and it was much to drawn out. Buy then RTD always seems far to in love with his own creations.

The first half was certainly better than the second, if only for the TARDIS chase sequences. I'm glad they kept a Second Doctor reference that the TARDIS isn't really buil for short distance travel.

I may be wrong but I was under the assumption the TARDIS doors couldn't be opened in flight?

Originally posted by Brendocon
You don't think the fact that they can't go five minutes without wheeling out the ****ing Daleks is grounds for a valid greivance?

And I actually don't mind the Daleks. Last season they were around for less than the length of 1 episode and in the 1st (or 27th) season they featured in 2 and a bit episodes.

Considering there have been 28 episodes (2 of those extended) 3 and a bit episodes of Daleks is hardly over blowing it.

Originally posted by Denyer

Hopefully the head thing in the clip montage will get a move on and confirm that there are still Time Lords / a way to bring back the planet, etc.

I still like the idea of the Doctor being the only time lord in the universe. It's produced some brilliant characterisation of The Doctor and it's one of the new ideas in the series that has really worked and helped in the best stories. The Time Lords were dull anyway. Other than the 'The deadly assassin' and starting off 'Genesis of the Daleks' I can't really think of any other great stories that involve them.

I'd actually prefer some years subtile hints to their existance about the place rather than them back full time.
And that's if they come back. Sci-fi and comics suffer form the resurection syndrome. Currently I can't get into any epics in either genre or format because any real deaths or threats just aren't believeable when characters get resurected constantly.

It's adds layers to the character and gives him a real grievance with the Daleks . It also makes the encounters much more personnal with them and adds weight to them being the ultimate evil race in the universe.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 3:34 pm

Pretty ****ing awful, really. Sign the guest star, build an episode round them probably. Good bits? Er, end credits?

Everything else was pretty sucky. Stupid monster, stupid Tate (she didn't tone down, you just got used to her), all the stupid bits from last year's special, horribly artificial chase scene (cheering kids? Pat Lee scripting this one?), Chavs a go-go, some pretty poor Fake Londonery, about six minutes of plot stretched to an hour, the army shooting at something in the sky (sadly, all those missed shots blowing the crap out of other bits of London with all those shots that missed were omitted, Cuba Gooding stylee - I mean, I know the RAF aren't exactly at a high watermark in their history, but getting some bloke in a tank in?).

Yeh, best thing is the next series with be Tate-free. You'd think someone so unfunny would be gifted at the dramatic. No, she's just a talentless tw@t.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:12 pm

Originally posted by Jetfire
Considering there have been 28 episodes (2 of those extended) 3 and a bit episodes of Daleks is hardly over blowing it.

The problem is the way every time it's been hyped as "the last of the Daleks" - the last Dalek, the last fleet of the Daleks, the lost cult of Daleks... It's not about screentime. Sad thing is that they could have not bothered with them in the Ecclestone ****ing-off, what with them being written as Anything. However, them turning up every year does tend to indicate a production team with zero imagination...

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 8:53 am

Originally posted by Cliffjumper

Yeh, best thing is the next series with be Tate-free. You'd think someone so unfunny would be gifted at the dramatic. No, she's just a talentless tw@t.

I find her popularity strange. I love Lauren, partly because it's such a accurate sterotype it could possibly be no different to filming your average teenage chavette.

On the other hand I don't find much else from her funny. Yet some how her last series became increasingly popular (So much so it's ratings started below extra's and because much higher at the end of both series runs).

I wonder if it's a generational thing? When I speak to parents about various pupils at evenings I note they always bring it up, initally behaviour comparisions with their little angels and say how great it is.

Still the Tate casting decision made sense in that it avoids a new companion being compared unfavourably with the popular Rose.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:51 pm

My main problem with her stuff is that it's deeply unfunny, and also derivative - we've got Vicky Pollard, Grandma Kumar etc. with minor tweaks. That's the bit that staggers me, TBH - Vicky Pollard is a sort-of cultural phenomenon, like it or not. A few months later some stupid bitch comes along and does the same basic thing, and everyone laps it up? What the Hell?

Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:43 pm

Hopefully the next Dalek story will serve to give them a permanent power base in the Universe that can be used for future stories. Though considering how hard it was to sort out the current three year deal I wonder if they'll bother once they've fullfilled the contractual obligation...

Oh, and of course, Mr.Saxon is a anagram of Axons. Probably just fan baiting/coincidence but don't be hugely suprised if there's a sudden mad rush on pasta from all the Cardiff Italian places.

That spider thing was rather crap... and does the "origin of the Earth" throwaway explanation not clash with anything else?

It might contradict the Daleks plan in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but they might not have known about the ship, and frankly their plot to remove the Earth's core and turn the planet into a spaceship is bobbins anyway. The other main contradiciton is that back in Inferno penatrating the core released a gas that turned people into Wearwolf's. But you can rationilise that by saying Spidey was smart enough to deal with it. Oddly the actual origin of Earth has never been delt with on TV Who (unless you think the Doctor was being serious about knowing Arthur Dent last year...)

It would have been so cool if opening the doors in flight had caused them to shrink like it used to in ye old days.

What's potentialy interesting is that we're geting Vampires next year- Who were the main foes of the Time Lords in the war where the Spiderwoman's people got destroyed. That might well be seting up some sort of Timelord return...

Halfshell · Post by **Halfshell** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:21 pm

Oh, so the spider race people stuff was actually precursored in continuity somewhere? I just assumed RTD made it all up, being as it was godawful.

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
My main problem with her stuff is that it's deeply unfunny, and also derivative

I prefer Tate's chav to Pollard. Thing is that her stuff suffers from the same problem as most sketch shows these days, in that it's the same bloody joke each time. Seven characters is fine, but when every episode is basically a recyc, it just gets pathetic.

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