The Greatest Show In The Galaxy

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, graveyard johnny said:

I watch modern versions of things I used to like and enjoy- to see if they are better or worse or similar 

There's no pleasing some folk.

Anyway, thanks for resurrecting this thread to remind me to post in it to say how much I enjoyed Jodie Whittaker's fantastic swansong as the Doctor! 

Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, Tegan, Ace, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Doctors, Jo Grant, Ian Chesterton, the return of David Tennant and a tantalising glimpse of the (fifteenth?) Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

You'd have to have the stone heart of a Weeping Angel not to find something to like amidst all that.

[Spidey]

1 hour ago, graveyard johnny said:

I watch modern versions of things I used to like and enjoy- to see if they are better or worse or similar 

I’m sure you’ve done this more than once with Dr Who though, maybe it’s time to give up

[graveyard johnny]

10 minutes ago, Spidey said:

I’m sure you’ve done this more than once with Dr Who though, maybe it’s time to give up

YES- maybe it is 

[jacksy]

2 hours ago, graveyard johnny said:

I watch modern versions of things I used to like and enjoy- to see if they are better or worse or similar 

Thank Christ there's no modern versions of Love Thy Neighbour, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Alf Garnets shows..your head would explode

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

The BBC and Doctor Who are to partner with Disney+. While future episodes will be broadcast on the BBC as normal, internationally, Disney+ will be the new home for the show. So contrary to what some people are saying on this forum, the show is not dying.

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

21 hours ago, John Drake said:

There's no pleasing some folk.

Anyway, thanks for resurrecting this thread to remind me to post in it to say how much I enjoyed Jodie Whittaker's fantastic swansong as the Doctor! 

Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, Tegan, Ace, the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Doctors, Jo Grant, Ian Chesterton, the return of David Tennant and a tantalising glimpse of the (fifteenth?) Doctor Ncuti Gatwa.

You'd have to have the stone heart of a Weeping Angel not to find something to like amidst all that.

It was a fantastic episode and a fitting farewell to Jodie and Mandip. I also thought it was a perfect bridge between classic and modern Who, I'm sure some fans, who've never seen classic who, will want to find out more about Ace and Tegan, and wasn't it great to see William Russell, at 97 I thought his time had long gone .

[graveyard johnny]

20 hours ago, jacksy said:

Thank Christ there's no modern versions of Love Thy Neighbour, It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Alf Garnets shows..your head would explode

was never a fan of either IAHHM  or any Alf Garnett stuff - incidentally I did put an episode of love thy neighbour on at work on youtube for someone who had never seen it - after they had finished laughing, I went into great detail to explain that the joke was actually on the white guy every time and his ignorance, fears and attitudes were the joke and how racism itself was and is  ridiculous was the undercurrent of every script 

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

Just in case anybody missed it, from November 1st the BBC are putting the entire back catalogue of Doctor Who on iplayer. One episode that won't be on though, is the very first, An Unearthly Child, the episode was co-written by Anthony Coburn, after he died his son inherited his rights to the episode and it is he who is refusing the BBC permission, their are various reasons why he has refused but they would need to be discussed on the political forum, either the BBC or conspiracy thread.

As an aside, in 2013 he also tried to take the BBC to court to try and stop the BBC using the TARDIS, saying that it was his fathers creation.

[John Drake]

On 17/10/2023 at 19:07, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

Just in case anybody missed it, from November 1st the BBC are putting the entire back catalogue of Doctor Who on iplayer. One episode that won't be on though, is the very first, An Unearthly Child, the episode was co-written by Anthony Coburn, after he died his son inherited his rights to the episode and it is he who is refusing the BBC permission, their are various reasons why he has refused but they would need to be discussed on the political forum, either the BBC or conspiracy thread.

As an aside, in 2013 he also tried to take the BBC to court to try and stop the BBC using the TARDIS, saying that it was his fathers creation.

It's sad that this guy is taking his grudge with the BBC out on fans who just want to watch a TV show.

There are enough genuinely missing episodes already without adding to them unnecessarily.

Glad I already own the DVD. Three cheers for physical media!

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

16 hours ago, John Drake said:

It's sad that this guy is taking his grudge with the BBC out on fans who just want to watch a TV show.

There are enough genuinely missing episodes already without adding to them unnecessarily.

Glad I already own the DVD. Three cheers for physical media!

If this can't be resolved, the BBC should consider filming a new introductory story for the Doctor, maybe get David Bradley to play William Hartnell again, lets face it, the first part of " An Earthly Child " is all that matters, parts 2-4 are really poor, there's no reason why the TARDIS can't leave the scrap yard at the end of part 1 and land on Skaro instead of stone age Earth.

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

If this can't be resolved, the BBC should consider filming a new introductory story for the Doctor, maybe get David Bradley to play William Hartnell again, lets face it, the first part of " An Earthly Child " is all that matters, parts 2-4 are really poor, there's no reason why the TARDIS can't leave the scrap yard at the end of part 1 and land on Skaro instead of stone age Earth.

Doesn't the bloke who is causing all the trouble witholding permissions to show these episodes own the rights to the script written by his father? That would make it difficult if not impossible to remake it.

I'd recommend anyone who wanted to see the origins of the show, who has never had the opportunity to watch 'An Unearthly Child', seek out 'An Adventure In Space and Time' written by Mark Gatiss and originally broadcast as part of the 50th anniversary in 2013. I think that's going on iPlayer in November, if it isn't already there. It's a brilliant evocation of the period, and you don't have to sit through three dull episodes about cavemen either! 

[Spidey]

2 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Doesn't the bloke who is causing all the trouble witholding permissions to show these episodes own the rights to the script written by his father? That would make it difficult if not impossible to remake it.

I'd recommend anyone who wanted to see the origins of the show, who has never had the opportunity to watch 'An Unearthly Child', seek out 'An Adventure In Space and Time' written by Mark Gatiss and originally broadcast as part of the 50th anniversary in 2013. I think that's going on iPlayer in November, if it isn't already there. It's a brilliant evocation of the period, and you don't have to sit through three dull episodes about cavemen either! 

I had Britbox for a while, but binned it off in favour of Paramount+ (for Star Trek) so got through a lot of who.   I did skip the B&W ones.  Now they're coming to iPlayer I can resume.   I was about 2/3 of the way through Pertwee I think.  If i ever finish the colour ones I may go back to the earlier ones

I do wish some boffin would edit and splice the various chapters into one story though, would become basically a load of films, instead of the old 30 min episode format it was following

 

 

[John Drake]

1 minute ago, Spidey said:

I do wish some boffin would edit and splice the various chapters into one story though, would become basically a load of films, instead of the old 30 min episode format it was following

Sacrilege! It'd be like painting over the Mona Lisa to make her smile a bit more!! 

Seriously, I do recall in the early days of BBC video releases of Doctor Who, they actually did edit down individual episodes into single stories, and they were terrible. Just not the same at all. They soon switched to releasing the episodes exactly as they were originally broadcast.

Sure, it takes a bit longer to watch them, but I'd rather be able to fast-forward through the opening titles and credits than for them to be chopped off. It makes dipping in to watch stand-out episodes so much easier, plus, on a lot of the early William Hartnell black and white stories, the episodes were individually titled, which adds to their charm, and some of the reprises at the start of each episode were often newly filmed, not reused from the end of the previous one.

The old episodes weren't made to be binge-watched in one go. They were from a time when you had to wait a whole week to see the next part, and you wanted the 25 minutes to last as long as possible when it was on, so the slower pace suited the format, and it wouldn't work if they were all stitched together now. 

 

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

9 hours ago, John Drake said:

Doesn't the bloke who is causing all the trouble witholding permissions to show these episodes own the rights to the script written by his father? That would make it difficult if not impossible to remake it.

I'd recommend anyone who wanted to see the origins of the show, who has never had the opportunity to watch 'An Unearthly Child', seek out 'An Adventure In Space and Time' written by Mark Gatiss and originally broadcast as part of the 50th anniversary in 2013. I think that's going on iPlayer in November, if it isn't already there. It's a brilliant evocation of the period, and you don't have to sit through three dull episodes about cavemen either! 

I Wasn't talking about re-making it, I was talking about making a brand new episode about how Ian and Barbara first met the Doctor and Susan.

I agree with you about " An Adventure in Space and Time " Its really insightful and quite moving at times, also it stars actors who go on to star in future Doctor Who episode, David Bradley, Sacha Dhawan, Jessica Raine and Reece Shearsmith.

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

Tonight at 7.30pm on BBC4 there's a documentary "Talking Doctor Who", presented by David Tennant and looking back on the classic era of Doctor Who, It is followed by " Doctor Who at 60: A Musical Celebration " a concert featuring all the music from Doctor Who.

So on the 25th of November we've got the first of three 60th Specials, then we have a Christmas Special and it looks like Ncuti's first series will air in the first half of 2024, also his 2nd series started filming 2 weeks ago. Incidentally, Ncuti's first series will be referred to as Season one, not series 14.

[Futtocks]

This is the first time in a while I've seen an episode and... it reminded me that reason I started to drift away from it was David Tennant's gratingly OTT* eye-rolling, nostril-flaring, teeth-baring hamminess.

I saw a bit of Matt Smith's early episodes, but it had already stopped being a must-watch by then.

So I cue up New Who... and Tennant's's only bloody back again!

I think I might wait 'til 2024 and see what the new Doctor's like.

*I know, Tom Baker's my Doctor, so it's a tad hypocritical, but still.

[John Drake]

I love all Doctor Who, even the slightly rubbish bits, which only help to make the great bits even greater. And there were a lot of great bits in The Star Beast.

I’m not one of those who is going to say the return of David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies is a return to some mythical ‘glory days’ era, as I really enjoyed all the stuff that preceded it, and thought Jodie Whittaker and show runner Chris Chibnall got a horribly rough ride from critics who have forgotten how to enjoy the show for what it is, rather than what they think it should be.

The pace of modern television is frenetic, and Tennant channels that in his portrayal of the Doctor. Not only is he a great actor, as proven by the roles he has played away from the TARDIS, but his love for the show shines through his involvement in it. He seems to relish the publicity rounds that are required to promote the show, or if he doesn’t, he makes a very good job of looking like he’s enjoying it! That enthusiasm transmits through to the audience. He is undoubtedly the most popular of the modern Doctors, and it’s not hard to see why they brought him back for the 60th anniversary specials. His partnership with Catherine Tate is up there with the best Doctor/companion pairings of all time.

As for the writing, Russell T Davies just has that knack of mixing drama, comedy and character development that brings the show to life. One minute he’s making you laugh, next minute he’s making you well up with tears, and he makes the storylines accessible to a general audience as well as pleasing geeks like me with subtle continuity references. He’s also unafraid to challenge the audience and play with the format to keep it modern and fresh. Basically, in my view, the bloke’s a genius.

Fans of the show are truly spoiled these days. If only some of them realised it. Those who aren’t keen on the more modern approach can now easily dip back into any era from the past on BBC iPlayer and wallow in old memories to their (two) heart’s content. Back when I first started watching the show in the 1970s, you got one chance to see an episode, as it was transmitted, and that was it. You missed one, tough luck, wait for the Target book novelisation to come out.

Here we are, sixty years on from its remarkable debut back in 1963, two more anniversary specials to go with Tennant and Tate, and then a brand new Doctor and companion arrive on Christmas Day. Doctor Who fans have never had it so good.

[Futtocks]

14 minutes ago, John Drake said:

I love all Doctor Who, even the slightly rubbish bits, which only help to make the great bits even greater. And there were a lot of great bits in The Star Beast.

I’m not one of those who is going to say the return of David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Russell T Davies is a return to some mythical ‘glory days’ era, as I really enjoyed all the stuff that preceded it, and thought Jodie Whittaker and show runner Chris Chibnall got a horribly rough ride from critics who have forgotten how to enjoy the show for what it is, rather than what they think it should be.

The pace of modern television is frenetic, and Tennant channels that in his portrayal of the Doctor. Not only is he a great actor, as proven by the roles he has played away from the TARDIS, but his love for the show shines through his involvement in it. He seems to relish the publicity rounds that are required to promote the show, or if he doesn’t, he makes a very good job of looking like he’s enjoying it! That enthusiasm transmits through to the audience. He is undoubtedly the most popular of the modern Doctors, and it’s not hard to see why they brought him back for the 60th anniversary specials. His partnership with Catherine Tate is up there with the best Doctor/companion pairings of all time.

As for the writing, Russell T Davies just has that knack of mixing drama, comedy and character development that brings the show to life. One minute he’s making you laugh, next minute he’s making you well up with tears, and he makes the storylines accessible to a general audience as well as pleasing geeks like me with subtle continuity references. He’s also unafraid to challenge the audience and play with the format to keep it modern and fresh. Basically, in my view, the bloke’s a genius.

Fans of the show are truly spoiled these days. If only some of them realised it. Those who aren’t keen on the more modern approach can now easily dip back into any era from the past on BBC iPlayer and wallow in old memories to their (two) heart’s content. Back when I first started watching the show in the 1970s, you got one chance to see an episode, as it was transmitted, and that was it. You missed one, tough luck, wait for the Target book novelisation to come out.

Here we are, sixty years on from its remarkable debut back in 1963, two more anniversary specials to go with Tennant and Tate, and then a brand new Doctor and companion arrive on Christmas Day. Doctor Who fans have never had it so good.

A friend of mine when we were both very young used to have a subscription to the Doctor Who comic, but he never had the habit of keeping issues in order (or keeping copies at all long-term).

This meant that if you saw any interesting episode of a multi-part story, the chances of finding the subsequent editions were slim to none.

But the Meep/Star Beast was definitely one of the very few stories I remember from way back then. Obviously, much has been adapted and modernised for this 2023 special, but the central plot was the same, as was the name of the creature.

Edited November 26, 2023 by Futtocks

[M j M]

13 hours ago, Futtocks said:

This is the first time in a while I've seen an episode and... it reminded me that reason I started to drift away from it was David Tennant's gratingly OTT* eye-rolling, nostril-flaring, teeth-baring hamminess.

I saw a bit of Matt Smith's early episodes, but it had already stopped being a must-watch by then.

So I cue up New Who... and Tennant's's only bloody back again!

I think I might wait 'til 2024 and see what the new Doctor's like.

*I know, Tom Baker's my Doctor, so it's a tad hypocritical, but still.

This is similar to me (except Peter Davison is my doctor). It was the back end of the Tennant era when I started to stop watching as regularly. Whilst I didn't mind Tennant that much I found Catherine Tate virtually unwatchable (for some reason, maybe it's just me, this doesn't appear to be the wider consensus view of her performances). Matt Smith's approach to the role did nothing to drag me back in. I resumed watching when Capaldi took over and rated his version and his acting very highly. And I had no objections to Jodie Whittaker at all - except for the weakness of a lot of the scripts, concepts and story arcs.

Happy to give Tennant a go in these specials but I hope Tate doesn't prove too much of a distraction.

[Futtocks]

5 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

A friend of mine when we were both very young used to have a subscription to the Doctor Who comic, but he never had the habit of keeping issues in order (or keeping copies at all long-term).

This meant that if you saw any interesting episode of a multi-part story, the chances of finding the subsequent editions were slim to none.

But the Meep/Star Beast was definitely one of the very few stories I remember from way back then. Obviously, much has been adapted and modernised for this 2023 special, but the central plot was the same, as was the name of the creature.

Here we go - it first appeared in 1980: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beep_the_Meep 

[Futtocks]

Uh-oh, Sandra Bond has weighed in on the matter.

 

[Futtocks]

On 27/10/2020 at 21:58, HawkMan said:

The story of Shada.

Made in 1979, or rather not made, only half completed due to a BBC technicians strike. Lost and consigned to history as an unfinished story. Revived on VHS with Tom Baker narrating the missing bits, and finally recently completed using animation to cover the missing segments,  and using the still alive cast to record the soundtrack. A typical Douglas Adams story, inventive,  confusing and a bit weird,  but eminently satisfying. 

On a personal note, I was at school in Cambridge around the time when the BBC were attempting to shoot this storyline, but had fallen ill.

I was confined to quarters for several weeks and, when I emerged, most of my schoolmates had photos of themselves with Tom Baker, usually with about 4 feet of scarf round their necks.

I'd missed the whole thing.

The jammy gits.

[M j M]

39 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Uh-oh, Sandra Bond has weighed in on the matter.

 

[graveyard johnny]

17 hours ago, Futtocks said:

 

*I know, Tom Baker's my Doctor, so it's a tad hypocritical, but still.

your lucky-I dont even know who my doctor is - its impossible to get an appointment or even get past reception

[HawkMan]

.

Edited November 27, 2023 by HawkMan