I took some time from my Classic Who marathon to watch Life. I had purchased season 1 and 2 and was anxious to get into them. Btw, Life ran for 2 seasons on NBC and starred Damian Lewis, Sarah Sashi, Adam Arkin. It was a generic detective show, but the stars were very good, especially Lewis, and had a quirkiness to it that I like.
Back to the Classic Who-a-thon. I'm smack dab in the middle of Leela's adventures with the Doctor, and I'm remembering why I didn't like Leela. She's supposed to be this sexy huntress, but comes off as an awkward tomboy. At least she doesn't scream much. I will say that she was quite good in "Horror of Fang Rock". I think the cramped environment of the light house kept her awkwardness in check and her attitude was a nice contrast to the "very proper" secretary trapped in the lighthouse with them.
I took some time from my Classic Who marathon to watch Life. I had purchased season 1 and 2 and was anxious to get into them. Btw, Life ran for 2 seasons on NBC and starred Damian Lewis, Sarah Sashi, Adam Arkin. It was a generic detective show, but the stars were very good, especially Lewis, and had a quirkiness to it that I like.
Back to the Classic Who-a-thon. I'm smack dab in the middle of Leela's adventures with the Doctor, and I'm remembering why I didn't like Leela. She's supposed to be this sexy huntress, but comes off as an awkward tomboy. At least she doesn't scream much. I will say that she was quite good in "Horror of Fang Rock". I think the cramped environment of the light house kept her awkwardness in check and her attitude was a nice contrast to the "very proper" secretary trapped in the lighthouse with them.
Lifewas great. Best chemistry between two leads that never once veered into sexual. As far as Leela, she was my favorite 4th doctor companion and Fang Rock was her strongest. I just never bought her resolution when she ended up on Gallifrey.
I took some time from my Classic Who marathon to watch Life. I had purchased season 1 and 2 and was anxious to get into them. Btw, Life ran for 2 seasons on NBC and starred Damian Lewis, Sarah Sashi, Adam Arkin. It was a generic detective show, but the stars were very good, especially Lewis, and had a quirkiness to it that I like.
Back to the Classic Who-a-thon. I'm smack dab in the middle of Leela's adventures with the Doctor, and I'm remembering why I didn't like Leela. She's supposed to be this sexy huntress, but comes off as an awkward tomboy. At least she doesn't scream much. I will say that she was quite good in "Horror of Fang Rock". I think the cramped environment of the light house kept her awkwardness in check and her attitude was a nice contrast to the "very proper" secretary trapped in the lighthouse with them.
Lifewas great. Best chemistry between two leads that never once veered into sexual. As far as Leela, she was my favorite 4th doctor companion and Fang Rock was her strongest. I just never bought her resolution when she ended up on Gallifrey.
That is a very good point. There was absolutely no sexual tension between Lewis's and Sashi's characters, and you just knew that there never would be. Which is really cool. For so many of these types of shows, the minute the two leads start to explore a sexual relationship, boom, the show just jumped the shark.
Are the characters CAL( a.k.a Charlotte Abigail Lux from the Silence in the Library & Forest of the Dead episodes) and Clara Oswald one and the same? Some have speculated that they are (or at least related in some way). The Bells of Saint John prequel seems to offer further support for this theory.
CAL's parting words to the Doctor were "Aren't I a clever girl?". On several occasions Clara has referred to the Doctor as a, "clever boy". In The Bells of Saint John prequel (Re: rebis's embed above), young Clara mentioned that she once lost her best pencil (note the pencil in CAL's hand). She then goes on to say that she also lost her mojo once - kind of odd thing for a kid to say, unless she had been bestowed with some sort of powers before, and in a sense CAL had been. The Doctor replies, "Maybe I should find a quiet room and have a good think about it". Hmmm... a quiet room - a library perhaps?
Doctor Who is 50 this year - and back on our screens tomorrow. This guide to every episode in the long-running science fiction serial by Guardian designer Kari Pedersen, uses data from the Datablog - and it really is everything you need to know. Click the image below to zoom around it or view it fullscreen
One last plug for the American Dr. Who crowd watching on BBC America--
If you are up for a recommendation, after the Dr. Who premiere you should stick around and try Orphan Black, which premieres right after. Full disclosure, my wife worked closely on this show on the network side, and she is really excited for it (and she's made a number of things to compare it to). It's great, and has been getting a lot of excellent reviews. Like this, from The Hollywood Reporter:
"It’s addictive and compelling -- you want the next episode mere seconds after the previous one has ended, which is always a fantastic sign. But even beyond that, there’s little doubt that Orphan Black is more than just a thrill ride or some guilty pleasure. It is, flat out, one of the most intriguingly entertaining new series of the year, and it’s so much more than pure entertainment...
Series creators Graeme Manson (Flashpoint), who does the writing, and John Fawcett (Spartacus), who does the directing, have been massaging this Orphan Black storyline for a decade, and you can tell immediately they’ve worked out the angles. This is a series that feels as confident as any you’ll see on TV right now, and it has the added benefit of being a sci-fi show without much heavy sci-fi, broadening its appeal. The story moves quickly, is thrilling at every turn and has surprisingly solid acting on every level."
Give it a try. I would particularly recommend it for fans of shows like Alias, as the show has a strong female lead, and has a lot of mystery and mythology behind it.
No word on how big a part they'll play, or where in their own timelines this will be taking place (or if this will be the real 10th Doctor or the half-human Meta-Crisis Doctor that stayed with Rose in the alternate universe at the end of series 4), but still, they're in and I'm happy as hell to see that. Let's hope we can get at least a few more Doctors in there before it's all said and done, age be damned (and remember, thanks to Time Crash, we have an in-universe explanation as to why the past Doctors always look older in the multi-Doctor stories).
Who-a-thon report. I've just started the Key to Time. Goodbye Leela. Hello NURSE! Mary Tamm is one of my favorite companions. I like that Romana is the Doctors intellectual equal. And I really like that she's hotter then a 3 alarm fire.
Who-a-thon report. I've just started the Key to Time. Goodbye Leela. Hello NURSE! Mary Tamm is one of my favorite companions. I like that Romana is the Doctors intellectual equal. And I really like that she's hotter then a 3 alarm fire.
She was a gorgeous woman and remained very pretty even in later years.
Doctor Who Lunacy: Did Rose Already Return? Who Is David Tennant Playing In The Special?
Doctor Who rumours have a way of catching fire and ripping up space and time. Often, there’s nothing to them. Sometimes, there is.
I expect the following may have very little substance to them, but they’re interesting, and the pace with which they’ve come around and again and again through my e-mail inbox of Twitter feed makes them just a little exciting.
And, hey, Doctor Who is back… in just a few minutes. So let’s have fun.
Rumour One: David Tennant will appear in tonight’s episode, The Bells of Saint John.
I’m not so sure about this. The episode has been screened or made available to plenty of the press, and some have said, pretty clearly, there’s no Tennant. So it will need a different edit for broadcast. I don’t buy it.
Rumour Two: Rose Tyler has already returned. In fact, she was in the prequel minisode for The Bells of Saint John.
Here’s the evidence, as culled from Tumblr.
The young Rose, chased by Mickey and then a quick look at a younger Jackie Tyler? Well, even if it was a coincidence, the fandom has given Moffat something to work with now.
Rumour three: Tennant won’t be playing the Doctor
Nowhere in the Doctor Who Magazine story does it say who David Tennant – or, for that matter, Billie Piper – will be playing in the 50th special. As a result, some believe this casting isn’t quite what it may at first seem.
Others expect Tennant will be playing the alternative, one-hearted Doctor last seen in Rose’s last “proper” episode. Others still just assume he’ll be playing The Doctor.
I expect it’s one of the last two, most likely The Tenth himself. But we don’t know. Yet.
Rumour four: John Hurt is the new Master.
There’s probably no more to this than fanwishery. But we’ll see.
I somehow missed this announcement, which apparently was made a few weeks back. The Doctor WHO 50th anniversary special will be released as a 3D movie and played worldwide at select theaters. The theatrical release is set to coincide with the broadcast premiere.
It's long. I'll break it up. And this is just my opinion. Your mileage may vary, and I'm interested in seeing what other people's suggestions would be.
Part the First:
1st Doctor – William Hartnell An Unearthly Child – Very first story. Worth seeing for that. The Daleks – First appearance of the Daleks. Too long, but has its moments. The Aztecs – Can’t remember seeing this one, but I hear it’s one of the better straight history stories from the era. The Dalek Invasion of Earth – Too long, but has its moments. The Romans – Ditto. The Chase – The Daleks get their own time machine and chase the TARDIS all over. Lots of fun bits. The Time Meddler – First time we meet another Time Lord. My favorite Hartnell story. The Tenth Planet – First Cybermen, last Hartnell. The last episode is long missing, but the regeneration scene still exists.
2nd Doctor – Patrick Troughton
(Most Troughton stories no longer exist in complete forms. Stupid BBC. You can see sample episodes from a lot of those if you look, though. Here’s what’s worth watching in more-or-less complete form, though.)
The Tomb of the Cybermen – Best Cybermen story ever. The Mind Robber – The Doctor and companions are taken to a land of fiction. Lots of fun, and quite creepy in places. The Invasion – Incomplete Cybermen story, but missing bits were filled in with narration on VHS release, animation on DVD. First appearance of UNIT. The War Games – WAY too long, but last Troughton, and the first time we really see the Time Lords and find out why the Doctor left.
3rd Doctor – Jon Pertwee
Spearhead from Space – First Pertwee, first color episode. The Doctor is exiled to Earth and begins working with UNIT. Inferno – A bit too long, but a fun alternate universe story. Terror of the Autons – First appearance of the Master, who then shows up in most subsequent stories for the next season or two. And even when those stories are bad, they’re still kind of awesome because the original Master, Roger Delgado, is a fantastic actor, and he and Pertwee play off each other very well. The Three Doctors – Tenth anniversary episode. Pertwee, Troughton, and Hartnell team-up (though Hartnell doesn’t do much because he was quite sick in real life). Frontier in Space / Planet of the Daleks – Two stories that make a bigger one. The Green Death – Once again, maybe two episodes too long, but lots of good material. Fantastically awful special effects in places, even by Who standards. The Time Warrior – First Sarah Jane. Planet of the Spiders – Last Pertwee. Plays off of a plot point from The Green Death.
The First Doctor The Aztecs: You can't rewrite history, not one line! A classic because it takes a DC approach to time travel that is somewhat unique to Doctor Who, at least until Davies with 'fixed points in time', Normally in later years the Doctor, intentionally or not, would cause history. Here you have a companion determined to change an entire culture's ways despite the doctor's warnings. The War Machines: A unique (as far as I've seen) first doctor story in that he deals with a threat in the present day, also has the departure of Dodo and the arrival of Ben and Polly, all three companions barely represented on existing episodes. The Second Doctor The Seeds of Death: A great Ice Warriors story. The Third Doctor The Daemons: The Doctor vs. the devil and satanists. Very Wicker Man-ish
So... spin off media. The novels, the audios, the comics and the like. What do people think?
I've only ever heard a few of the Big Finish classic Doctor audios, but they've all been pretty good. The most recent one I've heard is The Holy Terror, a 6th Doctor story which was great. Starts off very funny, gets satirical in the middle, and then creepy as hell at the end. Another 6th Doctor story I loved was ...Ish, which got so deep into issues of the English language that it made my little English major heart just soar. And Colin Baker was the perfect Doctor for that one... in fact, I can see why so many people think he's the best of the audio Doctors. Big Finish treats his version far better than the TV series ever did. Not a scene-stealing leather-clad mercenary character to be seen!
Currently reading one of the 7th Doctor "New Adventures" novels, too: Blood Heat, the beginning of the Alternate History arc. Never read a lot of these as they came out, but reading them now kinda confirms my fears about them: they make the 7th Doctor into a really manipulative dick. I know he was seen as the master chessplayer toward the end of the TV series, slyly moving people around to serve his needs, but he was never as callous as the books made him to be. On the show, he had to destroy Ace's faith in him one time, and he felt really bad about it. In the books I've read thus far, he seems to do that because it's Tuesday. Some of the plots in the books I've read are good, mind you, but I almost have to envision a completely different Doctor as I read them.
The best in the alternate stories block is Paul Cornell's Not Future. The Virgin line varies. I thought it ent off the rails after Happy Endings, but it kept Who alive when nothing else remained, and most of the movers and shakers on the show: Moffat, Gatiss, and Cornell all wrote for the line (though Moffat only wrote shot stories for the Decalogs).
Just watched The Bells of Saint John and loved it.
Anyone else catch the author's name on the book that one of the kids Clara watches was holding? Don't know if that'll pan out into anything, but it was a nice little Easter egg. :D
Watch the new episode and I thought it was okay. Didn't care much for the story, felt like just like too much of a setup. Not that I'm not interested in finding out who the new big baddie is this season. Although I was a bit creeped out at the outcome of the Kyzlet.
It was OK. I enjoyed the reveal of the Bells. I enjoy the interaction between the Dr. and Oswin. However, at times it's hard to tell if the Dr is enthralled in a truly challenging mystery or crushing hard on Oswin. I hope it's the former.
Doctor Who’s iconic police box is being axed after almost 50 years.
In a surprising development, it has been announced that the TARDIS exterior as we know it will be dramatically changed in time for the 50th anniversary.
And the reason for the change? The production team claim that the classic blue box just isn’t “street enough” any more, with audiences finding it old fashioned.
Steven Moffat said: “My goal for the 50th anniversary is to attract a whole new generation of fans. It’s time to look forward, not back. The old look just doesn’t cut it any more, quite frankly. Who uses police boxes now anyway! It’s something that has been a part of the show for far too long and it’s time to shake things up.
“Many casual viewers have been put off the show and want to see something hipper, cooler and sexier. That’s what we’ll deliver and what better time than the 50th year!”
The police box will make its last ever appearance in the Series 7 finale.
Comments
With Sid James as Davros surely? :))
:x :x :x :x :x :x
Back to the Classic Who-a-thon. I'm smack dab in the middle of Leela's adventures with the Doctor, and I'm remembering why I didn't like Leela. She's supposed to be this sexy huntress, but comes off as an awkward tomboy. At least she doesn't scream much. I will say that she was quite good in "Horror of Fang Rock". I think the cramped environment of the light house kept her awkwardness in check and her attitude was a nice contrast to the "very proper" secretary trapped in the lighthouse with them.
Are the characters CAL( a.k.a Charlotte Abigail Lux from the Silence in the Library & Forest of the Dead episodes) and Clara Oswald one and the same? Some have speculated that they are (or at least related in some way). The Bells of Saint John prequel seems to offer further support for this theory.
CAL's parting words to the Doctor were "Aren't I a clever girl?". On several occasions Clara has referred to the Doctor as a, "clever boy". In The Bells of Saint John prequel (Re: rebis's embed above), young Clara mentioned that she once lost her best pencil (note the pencil in CAL's hand). She then goes on to say that she also lost her mojo once - kind of odd thing for a kid to say, unless she had been bestowed with some sort of powers before, and in a sense CAL had been. The Doctor replies, "Maybe I should find a quiet room and have a good think about it".
Hmmm... a quiet room - a library perhaps?
If you are up for a recommendation, after the Dr. Who premiere you should stick around and try Orphan Black, which premieres right after. Full disclosure, my wife worked closely on this show on the network side, and she is really excited for it (and she's made a number of things to compare it to). It's great, and has been getting a lot of excellent reviews. Like this, from The Hollywood Reporter:
"It’s addictive and compelling -- you want the next episode mere seconds after the previous one has ended, which is always a fantastic sign. But even beyond that, there’s little doubt that Orphan Black is more than just a thrill ride or some guilty pleasure. It is, flat out, one of the most intriguingly entertaining new series of the year, and it’s so much more than pure entertainment...
Series creators Graeme Manson (Flashpoint), who does the writing, and John Fawcett (Spartacus), who does the directing, have been massaging this Orphan Black storyline for a decade, and you can tell immediately they’ve worked out the angles. This is a series that feels as confident as any you’ll see on TV right now, and it has the added benefit of being a sci-fi show without much heavy sci-fi, broadening its appeal. The story moves quickly, is thrilling at every turn and has surprisingly solid acting on every level."
Give it a try. I would particularly recommend it for fans of shows like Alias, as the show has a strong female lead, and has a lot of mystery and mythology behind it.
Here's a trailer
Okay. Plug done.
No word on how big a part they'll play, or where in their own timelines this will be taking place (or if this will be the real 10th Doctor or the half-human Meta-Crisis Doctor that stayed with Rose in the alternate universe at the end of series 4), but still, they're in and I'm happy as hell to see that. Let's hope we can get at least a few more Doctors in there before it's all said and done, age be damned (and remember, thanks to Time Crash, we have an in-universe explanation as to why the past Doctors always look older in the multi-Doctor stories).
I've just started the Key to Time. Goodbye Leela. Hello NURSE! Mary Tamm is one of my favorite companions. I like that Romana is the Doctors intellectual equal. And I really like that she's hotter then a 3 alarm fire.
Doctor Who rumours have a way of catching fire and ripping up space and time. Often, there’s nothing to them. Sometimes, there is.
I expect the following may have very little substance to them, but they’re interesting, and the pace with which they’ve come around and again and again through my e-mail inbox of Twitter feed makes them just a little exciting.
And, hey, Doctor Who is back… in just a few minutes. So let’s have fun.
Rumour One: David Tennant will appear in tonight’s episode, The Bells of Saint John.
I’m not so sure about this. The episode has been screened or made available to plenty of the press, and some have said, pretty clearly, there’s no Tennant. So it will need a different edit for broadcast. I don’t buy it.
Rumour Two: Rose Tyler has already returned. In fact, she was in the prequel minisode for The Bells of Saint John.
Here’s the evidence, as culled from Tumblr.
The young Rose, chased by Mickey and then a quick look at a younger Jackie Tyler? Well, even if it was a coincidence, the fandom has given Moffat something to work with now.
Rumour three: Tennant won’t be playing the Doctor
Nowhere in the Doctor Who Magazine story does it say who David Tennant – or, for that matter, Billie Piper – will be playing in the 50th special. As a result, some believe this casting isn’t quite what it may at first seem.
Others expect Tennant will be playing the alternative, one-hearted Doctor last seen in Rose’s last “proper” episode. Others still just assume he’ll be playing The Doctor.
I expect it’s one of the last two, most likely The Tenth himself. But we don’t know. Yet.
Rumour four: John Hurt is the new Master.
There’s probably no more to this than fanwishery. But we’ll see.
bleedingcool.com/2013/03/30/doctor-who-lunacy-did-rose-already-return-who-is-david-tennant-playing-in-the-special/
The Doctor WHO 50th anniversary special will be released as a 3D movie and played worldwide at select theaters. The theatrical release is set to coincide with the broadcast premiere.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tv-radio/doctor-who-celebrate-50th-anniversary-1771441
The Aztecs: You can't rewrite history, not one line! A classic because it takes a DC approach to time travel that is somewhat unique to Doctor Who, at least until Davies with 'fixed points in time', Normally in later years the Doctor, intentionally or not, would cause history. Here you have a companion determined to change an entire culture's ways despite the doctor's warnings.
The War Machines: A unique (as far as I've seen) first doctor story in that he deals with a threat in the present day, also has the departure of Dodo and the arrival of Ben and Polly, all three companions barely represented on existing episodes.
The Second Doctor
The Seeds of Death: A great Ice Warriors story.
The Third Doctor
The Daemons: The Doctor vs. the devil and satanists. Very Wicker Man-ish
Anyone else catch the author's name on the book that one of the kids Clara watches was holding? Don't know if that'll pan out into anything, but it was a nice little Easter egg. :D
And it's sure nice to see some traces of Pond :D
I really want that Triumph. What a beauty!
Doctor Who’s iconic police box is being axed after almost 50 years.
In a surprising development, it has been announced that the TARDIS exterior as we know it will be dramatically changed in time for the 50th anniversary.
And the reason for the change? The production team claim that the classic blue box just isn’t “street enough” any more, with audiences finding it old fashioned.
Steven Moffat said: “My goal for the 50th anniversary is to attract a whole new generation of fans. It’s time to look forward, not back. The old look just doesn’t cut it any more, quite frankly. Who uses police boxes now anyway! It’s something that has been a part of the show for far too long and it’s time to shake things up.
“Many casual viewers have been put off the show and want to see something hipper, cooler and sexier. That’s what we’ll deliver and what better time than the 50th year!”
The police box will make its last ever appearance in the Series 7 finale.
doctorwhotv.co.uk/doctor-whos-police-box-axed-42019.htm