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Doctor Who [Spoilers]

This belongs in announcements really, but I thought it would be more likely to find an interested audience here. There's an exhibition opening at The Hayward called Mark Wallinger Creates, which "explores the ambiguities present in our own perceptions and how the lines between fact and fiction are often blurred and manipulated". Anyway, it features a life-sized mirrored TARDIS, so as part of their accompanying series of lectures Gary Russell is going to be talking about the TARDIS at 7pm, Friday 27 Feb. Entry is free with an exhibition ticket - details on the Hayward website.
 
When is Dr Who actually returning to our screens? I am suffering (despite repeats on BBC 3 ) severe withdrawal symptoms, I have after all watched every episode since I was a young child (yes I did hide behind the sofa during the first Dalek episode-which undoubtedly at some level scarred me for life and probably formed my interest in matters Foretean!
 
Doctor Who has Tardis makeover
Mon 02 Mar 6:59 PM. By Press Association
Doctor Who's Tardis is apparently being redesigned for the arrival of new Timelord Matt Smith.
The Daily Mirror reports that new writer Stephen Moffat wants Matt's arrival to herald a new digital era of the popular BBC show.

"It will be the most hi-tech, intricate Tardis ever," said a source. The interior of the Tardis will have a completely new look and the police-box front will also be revamped.

Matt, 26, will be the youngest actor to play the 903-year-old Doctor.

A spokesperson for the show would not confirm or deny the changes.
 
Is it just me ... or does the Planet of the Dead trailer have more than a whiff of 'Pitch Black' about it?
 
As long as it doesn't have a whiff of The Chronicles of Riddick!
 
I quite liked the Chronicles of Riddick though! Honest, I did! I thought Riddick was an interesting character; the whole Furyan thing seemed like a good idea that should have been investigated further, same as the Necromongers.

Should have been a trilogy of its own.

Never mind that bloody Matrix travesty.
 
Fair enough, each to their own, I just thought it was a bit pompous in trying to be so serious after the more sprightly Pitch Black.
 
I just don't think the ideas were explored properly. Good ideas, just sort of glossed over a bit too quickly.
 
Chronicles of Riddick just went too far in trying to explain who everyone was and where they had come from. It did have some genuinely interesting ideas and is better than a lot of people give it credit for, but I think they went a bit over the top in making Riddick the saviour of the universe/underverse/omniverse and what have you. All it really needed was a soundtrack by Queen :D

I've been thinking about the new Doctor's costume and I reckon what he really needs is a 19th century gentlemans walking cane and an undertakers coat. I'm not really sure why but I think the cane could have a little compartment for the sonic screwdriver which would look pretty cool.
 
What can we expect from the Dr Who Easter special, Planet Of The Dead?

It starts with Michelle Ryan in a catsuit stealing something important. Then she tries to escape on a red bus, a London red bus. But London transport being what it is, it slips through a wormhole in time and space and ends up on a planet on the other side of the universe. [as you do! ;) ]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/enter ... 989827.stm
 
Wonderful! I was jumping about like an excited 8 year old. I haven't had that much fun, watching the Doctor, since the Yeti were lumbering around the London Underground.

For one horrible moment, I thought he was going to let cat burglar girl take the rap, but of course, he's a bigger rascal, than she is! ;)

My son enjoyed it, too. :)
 
It was a bit lightweight, but jolly good fun and even Lee Evans didn't overdo it, while still being recognisably himself, which is why they hired him of course. It did remind me a lot of the Stephen King story The Langoliers, though, which has a very similar premise. Do you think the prophecy at the end (he will knock four times) might have been about The Master?

The trailer for Waters of Mars has whetted my appetite for more - cloister bell and all! But we have to wait six months!
 
'Twas but a pile of unmitigated dross. The sooner RTD stops writing for Who, the better. Not long now ........
 
It was a bit, 'meh' but still entirely much more fun than the irritatingly preachy Robin Hood.

I have to agree though that the sooner RTD leaves the better.
 
If it wasn't for RTD Doctor Who wouldn't have been back at all...
 
gncxx said:
If it wasn't for RTD Doctor Who wouldn't have been back at all...
Click to expand...

Yes but it is now time for him to move on - he's done some good stuff and can still contribute to DW in the future but his work now is not as good as it could be - he has good ideas but the scripts he writes seem merely to be first drafts - get more input and control (a script editor?) and he will come up with some blinders.

Gordon
 
It was awful.

I'm not even going to bother pointing out how truly terrible it was. Lee Evans was good though, eh? eh? /sarcasm

I'll stick to watching dvds of old Who. Even Sylvester McCoy episodes were better than this dross.
 
Perhaps we're all expecting every episode of Dr Who to be a minor masterpiece? This is early evening family entertainment we're talking about, not the latest Austen adaptation, after all.

I watched the first repeat of Planet of the Dead with a certain amount of trepidation, having only caught the last 5 minutes on Saturday, and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was an enjoyable bit of fluff which hung together reasonably well - not the best thing since the new series started, but not the worst by a long way ("Fear Her", "Idiot's Lantern" being two horrors, IMO).

If I'm going to sound picky, I would point out that the bus was of a type rarely, if ever, used in London, and that its registration changed on at least one occasion, but that would make me sound like some kind of rabid bus-spotter, so I won't. Apart from that, I didn't spot too many continuity errors or gaping plot holes.

To me, the main problem with these new shows has been, and remains, the 45 minutes per story format (OK, this was an hour-ish, but my point still stands!). These days, any time spent on atmosphere is time lost for action/dialogue, and vice versa, which always leaves me wanting more. Fair's fair, some of the old 6 episode stories left me wanting less, but I still think that the old 4 episode stories worked best. The same is true of the new show - the 2-parters seem to linger longer in the memory, for some reason.
 
michelle ryan looked good ( not so sure about her acting ability)

and the cat burglar descending from the ceiling to grab priceless relic has been done before - can't remember which films / shows - any offers?
 
The problem I have with RTD is that his comedy always appears forced, the romantic sub-plot with Rose and The Doctor seemed to come from nowhere and to be honest the majority of his stories always feature the same basic plots. Twice now he's used the companion, imbued with glowing yellow energy to save the day and I'm left racking my brains as to the last time The Doctor actually saved the world at the end of a series. I'm grateful he managed to bring it back, but I'd like it to stop trying to be Rose The Dalek Slayer.

And I'll never forgive him for that godawful Cyberman catchphrase.
 
Mal_Adjusted said:
the cat burglar descending from the ceiling to grab priceless relic has been done before - can't remember which films / shows - any offers?
Click to expand...

Topkapi.
 
Supposedly they're talking about making a Lee Evans/UNIT spin-off. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen.
 
gncxx said:
Supposedly they're talking about making a Lee Evans/UNIT spin-off. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen.
Click to expand...
With the Chuckle Brothers, as his lab assistants?

Oh, Dr Malcolm!
In which a captured cybermat escapes, inside the UNIT HQ and Dr Malcolm attempts to recapture it, with the help, or hindrance of his comical assistants. Much hilarity ensues as the cybermat runs rings round our chums and attempts to contact the Cybercontroller .

:lol:
 
Anderson Set For Doctor Who
23 April 2009

The X-Files star Gillian Anderson is set to return to her sci-fi roots - British TV bosses are lining her up for a cameo role in Doctor Who.

The 40 year old starred alongside David Duchovny in the cult 1990s show and two subsequent movies in 1998 and last year.

TV executives in the U.K. are reportedly keen to sign Anderson for a special one-off episode of hit show Doctor Who - playing a villain to do battle with the Time Lord in the ultimate sci-fi showdown.

A source tells British newspaper the Daily Express, "Gillian obviously has a massive sci-fi following following and it's felt it would be a major coup to have her appear in Doctor Who.

"The team behind the show are keen for the next Doctor to have lots of new enemies and Gillian would be a glamorous and impressive addition to the list.

"It would undoubtedly be regarded as one of those great sci-fi moments if the star of The X-Files gets to clash with the Doctor."
Click to expand...

http://www.imdb.com/news/ns0000002/#ni0757151
 
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