The Greatest Show In The Galaxy

[17 stone giant]

Love the theme tune. Have never gotten into watching it regularly, but didn't dislike the episodes I have seen (mostly 1980's ones with Baker, McCoy, Davidson). Might have to find time one day to properly watch a few episodes.

[John Drake]

This trailer for the Season 24 Bluray box set is quite entertaining.

It's probably my least favourite season of all, but I'll still be ordering the box set for a reappraisal. When it comes to Doctor Who stuff, me and my money are easily parted. 

[HawkMan]

I have listened to Big Finish Melanie Bush / McCoy stories and she isn't too bad in that, but season 24 doesn't do much to showcase her undoubted talents. But I can't imagine any actress making Mel work, the character is just a pain. Dragonfire was good and Delta was quite entertaining. Luckily I don't have a bluray player or I'd be spending loads too.

[Futtocks]

On 07/01/2021 at 19:25, Johnoco said:

Thanks and I see the point but I don’t think that’s necessarily comparing like with like. Dribs and drabs of viewers over a period of time isn’t the same thing as 20-25 Million people sat down watching the same programme and enjoying the experience at the same time.

In my view at least. 

Yes, but TV viewing habits have changed, and not just for Doctor Who. And the younger you are, the less likely it is that you will make a point of watching a show at the moment of broadcast. If you somehow brought Morecambe & Wise back to life, at the peak of their powers, and had them make a Christmas Special, it wouldn't change the way things are now.

Live sport is still watched simultaneously in large numbers, because nobody wants to get a call, text or Tweet about the score/result before they've watched it themselves.

[M j M]

4 hours ago, John Drake said:

This trailer for the Season 24 Bluray box set is quite entertaining.

It's probably my least favourite season of all, but I'll still be ordering the box set for a reappraisal. When it comes to Doctor Who stuff, me and my money are easily parted. 

I don't believe I ever watched that series, certainly not avidly. Even at age 10 I'd like to think I could tell it wasn't very good - Bonnie Langford certainly didn't seem great.

Those Tetraps though, they look like they might have been created from leftover Argonds.

[John Drake]

16 hours ago, M j M said:

I don't believe I ever watched that series, certainly not avidly. Even at age 10 I'd like to think I could tell it wasn't very good - Bonnie Langford certainly didn't seem great.

Those Tetraps though, they look like they might have been created from leftover Argonds.

They probably were!

You could really tell the Beeb were bored of supporting the show by this point. They had forced the sacking of the lead actor (Colin Baker) and even scheduled it directly up against Coronation Street, the slot of death (hmm, good title for a Doctor Who story, that).

The actual stories themselves are not completely dreadful, but they abound in pointlessly stupid moments, like the literal 'cliffhanger' in Dragonfire, which apart from that one scene is probably the high point of this season.

The overall production is cartoon-like, more panto than sci-fi, and hammy performances are the norm. When you have Ken Dodd popping up in the cast list, and he is giving arguably the straightest performance on screen, you know you have problems.

Bonnie Langford was given nothing to work with. Her character is just non-existent, so she screams a lot in compensation. Not her fault, and she has done much better work than this since, including in the Big Finish Doctor Who audios where her character has actually been given some depth. She is far better in the 2 minute promo clip I posted earlier than in any of these Season 24 stories.

Sylvester McCoy deserved better too. He's by far the best thing in these stories, and luckily he got two more seasons to show how good he could be.

Season 24 is a mess, but there are valid behind the scenes reasons why that was the case, so these stories need to be viewed in the context of the time and circumstances they were made. That's the real beauty of the bluray box sets, because they come with tons of supporting material which do exactly that.

Anyone who thinks the modern show is bad, and that the classic series was always superior, really needs to sit through these stories again to recalibrate their critical faculties, in my view.

[Futtocks]

The show could have gone in a very different direction.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/13/this-much-i-know-brian-blessed-i-am-only-noisy-when-i-choose-to-be 

"The BBC wanted me to be Doctor Who. They said, “William Hartnell is getting older. We’d like you to play the Doctor in a different way.” I was still a young man, so I said, “I’d be interested, but I want to make him Oriental. His name is Who, so I’d like to play him like Charlie Chan.” That terrified them. They went, “Good God, no!” and dropped the idea."

Edited February 14, 2021 by Futtocks

[M j M]

7 hours ago, Futtocks said:

The show could have gone in a very different direction.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/13/this-much-i-know-brian-blessed-i-am-only-noisy-when-i-choose-to-be 

"The BBC wanted me to be Doctor Who. They said, “William Hartnell is getting older. We’d like you to play the Doctor in a different way.” I was still a young man, so I said, “I’d be interested, but I want to make him Oriental. His name is Who, so I’d like to play him like Charlie Chan.” That terrified them. They went, “Good God, no!” and dropped the idea."

He also says he fired a bow and arrow at V-2 rockets blowing up Sheffield. V-2s never made it to Sheffield, least of all via Goldthorpe, so I suspect he may be a somewhat unreliable witness.

[Wiltshire Rhino]

Dr Who - Never liked it

[John Drake]

On 14/02/2021 at 00:57, Futtocks said:

The show could have gone in a very different direction.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/13/this-much-i-know-brian-blessed-i-am-only-noisy-when-i-choose-to-be 

"The BBC wanted me to be Doctor Who. They said, “William Hartnell is getting older. We’d like you to play the Doctor in a different way.” I was still a young man, so I said, “I’d be interested, but I want to make him Oriental. His name is Who, so I’d like to play him like Charlie Chan.” That terrified them. They went, “Good God, no!” and dropped the idea."

What might have been? We did get some idea when Brian Blessed appeared in Doctor Who in 1986. He goes over the top, then a little bit further for good measure.

[HawkMan]

This is what we have wanted for years,  Evil of the Daleks animation. Confirmation of September 27  release date. Brilliant. Victoria's debut story and a much missed masterpiece ❤

 

Edited July 9, 2021 by HawkMan

[John Drake]

2 minutes ago, HawkMan said:

This is what we have wanted for years,  Evil of the Daleks animation. Confirmation of September 27  release date. Brilliant. 

 

My credit card is in for another hammering... 

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

 

This photo was taken in Normanton on Friday . While its highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the up coming series , its still an unusual sight .

[voteronniegibbs]

2 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

 

This photo was taken in Normanton on Friday . While its highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the up coming series , its still an unusual sight .

Very unusual, it appears the person taking the photo has one leg much shorter than the other..... 

[M j M]

On 24/07/2021 at 02:36, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

 

This photo was taken in Normanton on Friday . While its highly unlikely that it has anything to do with the up coming series , its still an unusual sight .

Not hard to guess which local lad is in disguise there; I'd recognise Ben Thaler's body shape anywhere.

[John Drake]

Promo clip for the new series...

Her biggest adventure yet. Returns later this year. #DoctorWho #Series13 pic.twitter.com/etOq7Qmcn3

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) July 25, 2021

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

19 hours ago, John Drake said:

Promo clip for the new series...

Series 13 is set to be one continuing story, it will only be 8 episodes long due to covid restrictions . As well as Jodie , Mandip Gill and John Bishop , Series 13 will feature Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm GoT) as a recurring character , it will also feature some old monsters such as Weeping angels and Sontarans .As everyone knows there are rumours that this is Jodies last series , other rumours suggest that she will film a couple of specials , which will air next year and then leave , another rumour is that the next Doctor will not be revealed until Jodies Doctor regenerates .

[John Drake]

3 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

Series 13 is set to be one continuing story, it will only be 8 episodes long due to covid restrictions . As well as Jodie , Mandip Gill and John Bishop , Series 13 will feature Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm GoT) as a recurring character , it will also feature some old monsters such as Weeping angels and Sontarans .As everyone knows there are rumours that this is Jodies last series , other rumours suggest that she will film a couple of specials , which will air next year and then leave , another rumour is that the next Doctor will not be revealed until Jodies Doctor regenerates .

I think it is an interesting idea to make the whole series one continuing story. I know it has been done mainly due to the truncated season length due to Covid, but it is a nod back to the classic series where stories would run for four to six episodes as the norm, rather than the one-offs or loose story arcs we've tended to have since the show resumed in 2005.

When Torchwood did this with Children of Earth, five episodes over five consecutive nights, they knocked it out of the park and produced the best series they'd ever done.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

28 minutes ago, John Drake said:

I think it is an interesting idea to make the whole series one continuing story. I know it has been done mainly due to the truncated season length due to Covid, but it is a nod back to the classic series where stories would run for four to six episodes as the norm, rather than the one-offs or loose story arcs we've tended to have since the show resumed in 2005.

When Torchwood did this with Children of Earth, five episodes over five consecutive nights, they knocked it out of the park and produced the best series they'd ever done.

I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Children of the Earth was probably the best thing ever to come out of the Whoniverse , I can remember people at work who never watched Doctor Who/Torchwood talking about it and saying how good it was . Back to the upcoming series , I too am looking forward to it , I want to see the conclusion of the Timeless Child arc and to find out who or what are " The Division "

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

The BBC has just confirmed that Jodie and Chris Chibnall are leaving Doctor Who , there will be 6 episodes in the up coming series , then 3 specials , the last of which will air in autumn 2022 .

[John Drake]

7 hours ago, Sidi Fidi Gold said:

The BBC has just confirmed that Jodie and Chris Chibnall are leaving Doctor Who , there will be 6 episodes in the up coming series , then 3 specials , the last of which will air in autumn 2022 .

Let the speculation about their replacements begin - or continue, given that these two have been particularly unfairly hounded and criticised in certain quarters since they took on their roles, in my view.

I hope whoever replaces them gets a fair go, assuming the show continues.

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

21 hours ago, John Drake said:

Let the speculation about their replacements begin - or continue, given that these two have been particularly unfairly hounded and criticised in certain quarters since they took on their roles, in my view.

I hope whoever replaces them gets a fair go, assuming the show continues.

I absolutely agree with this , another rumour doing the rounds is that in Jodie's final episode , she will be seen to start to regenerate but we won't see who she regenerates into , this is because the show maybe going on a 2-5 year break , this is not because the Beeb want to put it on an hiatus , but because they can't find anyone to take over as show runner , and quite frankly , who can blame them , parts of the DW fandom is absolutely toxic , as you say , the level of abuse Chibnall has received is absolutely shocking , and that was before an episode had aired , Steven Moffat had to leave social media because  of the abuse he received and death threats , even Russel T Davis left twitter because of abuse he received towards the end of his tenure .

[graveyard johnny]

watching dr who in the david tennant era and watching it now is like comparing watching wigan in the early 90s and watching them now!

[Sidi Fidi Gold]

Well , that's a surprise , Russel T Davies is to to return as Doctor Who show runner for the 60th anniversary special and series beyond , there were rumours that Olly Alexander would be the next Doctor , so this appointment will make those rumours even stronger .

[HawkMan]

OMG ! IT'S HERE. I feel like I've waited 40 years to see this, in fact longer. Listened to the audio recording that survives but this animation is special.