Doctor Who (Matt Smith)
 

Wow!

What a wonderful opening episode. Love the new Doctor already, completely and utterly, and am a little bit in love with him. LOVE Amy - the hair!

And I see from the clips of forthcoming episodes that a number of familiar faces are along for the ride. In fact there were a surprising number of familiar faces in the first episode. Olivia Colman for one, who had the most frightening part of all (spoiler when she ran down the corridor with her daughters and all their teeth I physically shuddered - that would have been me behind the sofa a few years ago!)

Mark Gatiss' episode is in a fortnight's time. Unsurprisingly it's replete with period detail... Victory of the Daleks, set in WWII. Even the Daleks have a very austere look to them.

Stupidly, I kept watching the clips to see if Jack was in any one them. I know he isn't. I know I would know by now if he was. But childishly I keep hope.

The TARDIS materializes in the States on Saturday, April 17,2010 at 8pm CST on BBC America.

Loved it!

He is soooo The Doctor :)

Whoa! 2 praises. Now I'm really lookin' forward to it.

How does he compare to David...acting-wise?

Couldn't be worse, surely?

David Tennant is an excellent actor. His Hamlet was mesmerising.

But his Doctor was awful.

*smiles*
I disagree. Tennant is/was my favourite Doctor.

But this one didn't like bacon!

IMO, D.T. was the best Doctor since T.B.

*raises eyebrow and thinks dana is nuts*
I disagree with your disagreement. But I don't disagree that he's your favourite Doctor. :p:

I'm sure that as an American my opinion doesn't really count, but I too will boldly declare that Tennant is my favorite Doctor. But I'm giving Matt Smith a tentative approval based on his interviews; haven't seen his debut episode yet.

I have SUCH high hopes for the season to come. It wasn't until very near the end that I actually admitted that he is, in fact, the Doctor... but the Doctor, he is indeed.
And the budget! Blimey, they must have doubled it at least. SO much more polished and believable. I know part of what makes the show what it is comes from the camp absurdity of it but... I think they know that too, and will keep the perfect balance of knowing when to be silly and when to actually USE that effects budget.

Also, the new "desktop theme"? LOVE it. Retro-pinball-chic.

Actually, their budget has been sligthly tightened up.

They've come along way from the rubber monstr suits, and papier mache prison cells, but they still have to do a lot with a little :P

@ Clod: I think you'll like his portrayal of the Doctor.

This is one of the things I love most about Doctor Who: the renewal. I remember when I was a kid, seeing Peter Davison interviewed as he was about to take over the role (at the age of 29, he was the youngest ever to take the role, until Matt Smith came along). That was the first time the doctor changed, for me. Now here we are almost 30 years later, and my 11 year old niece has just tuned in to see the new, fresh-faced Doctor.

She loved it! i am so pleased. Their lot didn't watch the Tennant era. I think they may have watched one or two of the Eccleston episodes, at the start, but it wasn't a show they followed at all. I suggested to Soph that now it's a new Doctor and a new production/writing team, this would be a great time to give it a go: a completely fresh start, no need to have seen it before, no recurring characters from the past five years etc.

I've been so hoping she'd give it a go, because she has a real appreciation for stories and story telling. Moffat (the new show runner) is a superb story teller. He knows what is frightening and compelling: he was responsible for some of the best stories in the previous era; the ones that send a shiver down the spine.

Quick word about the new companion Amy: I think that was probably the best intro to a new companion I've ever seen. She's wonderful. Perfect for Smith's Doctor.

I agree with Data over Monnie? Well... yes I do. I pat my own back for being so open-minded :p:

The Ten was literally a marvellous Doctor. Because I marvelled at him.
And is a good actor.
At least the way I gauge it; whether something rings false, or whether he only ever plays one role. Neither were apparent to me.
We're a global community, my dear! At least as long as you love our output :)
As an arch-conservative with a small c I can ask no more. In fact it's what I did myself.

British reviews have applauded the new Doctor, but almost all (I've read) have bemoaned the low budget. How the show can't compare with American series, with movies. Man alive (Stephen Merchant ref for Dani) what do they expect out of the TV licence?! I can't remember ANY national paper campaigning for a rise in the licence fee; it would fill their mailbags with complaining letters. But the BBC are supposed to work in an arena where £4 million for 90 minutes is doing things on the cheap?!

Anyway, suspension of disbelief is part of what Doctor Who is good at. You don't look for strings and zippers. You don't even really look for plot holes. You just love it for what it is and go along for the ride.

Saying that, SPOILER: I was annoyed at the idea a WPC would be wearing a short skirt and seamed stockings - WTF?! And she didn't use her call sign when using her radio, OR sign out with "Over." But such is the power of Dr Who I was too taken in to do more than tut. I certainly didn't guess she was a strippogram! Fool.

why are they changing Doctors so often, do you know? Is it just a horrible job and the actors don't want to do it any longer?

I really liked the last two incarnations and wished they "served" longer.

It's a high-profile job that increases the other available opportunities for the actor in the short term, while carrying the risk of typecasting in the long term. Actors who don't want to be the Doctor for the rest of their life may feel the need to get out during that short term.

It also takes over the actor's life, pretty much, whilst they're in the role. One of the reasons Tennant's last year as the Doctor had some specials rather than a full series, was so that he could go and play Hamlet at the RSC, along with another play and a tv drama.

Most of the Doctors only did a few years. Tom Baker was very much the exception to that. Pertwee ( I think ... might have been Troughton) gave Davison the advice not to do more than three series; and then Davison passed that advice on to Tennant :P Any longer than that and there's a serious risk of screwing up your future career, I suspect. Tom Baker spent seven years (iirc) in the role and had huge difficulty finding a place for himself afterwards.

Eccleston was a slightly different situation. he wasn't particularly familiar with the programme (heard of it, obviously, but don't think he'd every really watched it) and they knew when they were making the series that he would only do one run. He was just treating it as an intriguing role with good scripts. They had no idea at that stage if the nu-Who would even succeed.

I'm kind of pleased by the length of Tennant's run as the Doctor. RTD put his Doc through the mill and then some. We saw him cope with loss, then love, then loss again. With the memory of his people's destruction, and his own role in that. Being alone, then finding the Master, his one time childhood friend and arch enemy; try to help him, then have him die in his arms. He's lost every person he's ever got close to, up to and including his best friend, who will never remember he exists.

Kind of hard to see, dramatically, where they could take him now. He's run the emotional gamut.


Add to that the fact that RTD and a couple of other key peeps all left at the end of the specials, and it seemed right (according to interviews I've seen) that he leave at the same time. Tennant was tempted briefly to change his mind and stay on for Moffat; but as he said, if he hadn;t left now, he;d have ended up staying until people made him leave :P Better to leave when people still love you.

It's the right time for a change :)

thank you; your response tells me what I wanted to know.

I wasn't sure about the second ep. I mean I loved the Doctor and Amy, but I had issues with the plot.
I had to watch it again before I worked it out. Truth is, I was texting my Mum AND bro (one in Benidorm, one in Tokyo!) so I'm pretty sure my lack of attention contributed to my unease.

I enjoyed it in the end though.
As JB said to the Bishop.

A non-specific SPOILER: I think I was just bugged that the creepiest part of the show was a symptom and not the cause. More specific SPOILER: the Smilers TERRIFIED me!)

I liked Amy's involvement.
I do want her hair.

I still can't break away from the fact that David Tennant is no longer the Doctor. This new guy is pretty good, but when you grow attached to someone, it's hard to break away from the image of that character.

It's like changing one character from a brawny guy in the @$$-kicking business to a refrigerator filter salesman. At least, that's how I view the change. O___o

I had an argument with j about this episode :p

He hated it. Didn't like the Doc in it and didn't think he carried off the gravitas.

Me? I liked it. Very fairytale; very quirky (British quirky) and I thought Matt did a fine job. The bit where he got angry was momentarily shocking, as it should be.

Looking forward to the rest :)

Saw a preview of the newb. OMFG. yes it can be worse. You can get a Tennant wannabe... ouch

Gotta say though, that the couple of Episodes wih tennant I watched recently, were actually OK -I enjoyed the script and the plot ---and I'm not a DW fan--- but I cringed everytime that asshole had a line.

I don't get the whole tennant hating thing. I love him, he's a brilliant actor. His Hamlet was awesome. He was brilliant in Secret Smile (playing a really creepy stalker guy). Casanova rocked. He's a complete sweetheart in interview.

I also don't see that the new guy's like Tennant. His portrayal is, if anything, more like Troughton's Doctor (2nd Doc - 1960s).

That's why she had to leave the country, Dani!
Anti-Tennant is anti-British and we won't stand for that.

hahahaha. That made me chortle.

Watched the first two episodes last night. What I delight to find out that I needn't have been worried.

Good humor, extra bravado, but more smug grandiosity than I've been used to in a Doctor, but quite well done overall. Except the bowtie. Can't abide bowties. Can't wait for the Daleks!

So far episode 4 (1st of a two parter) has been the best, I think.

The Daleks episode i really enjoyed; but it came in for a lot of stick :P It's basically a Boys Own adventure meets classic British war movie ... with Daleks. It's the most ... umm..camp of the series, I think. Good fun for it, though.

Ep 4 is the return of the Weeping Angels: in a word, gorgeous.

Dana, you're doing post-grad history research.
Once you've done your masters - what is it, 19th century military and social interactions, or some such - do your PhD on something you are really passionate about.
Dr Who studies.
Seriously. It has been a pillar of British culture for 50 years, reflecting social conventions, ethnicity, budget situation, societal fears, etc etc. Far less worthy things have been studied. Heck you could probably end up teaching a course in Dr-Whology.

Dana, you're doing post-grad history research.
Once you've done your masters - what is it, 19th century military and social interactions, or some such - do your PhD on something you are really passionate about.
Dr Who studies.
Seriously. It has been a pillar of British culture for 50 years, reflecting social conventions, ethnicity, budget situation, societal fears, etc etc. Far less worthy things have been studied. Heck you could probably end up teaching a course in Dr-Whology.

*Chuckles*

yeah. I don't think so ;P It is something that some academics are focussing on; but whilst i know a great deal about Doctor Who; I know very little about media studies more generally and cultural trends and developments that feed into Doctor Who. I've spent the last couple of years learning about and gaining an understanding of the surrounding issues and trends of 18th and early 19th century British culture. I'd have to teach myself a whole new field, before I even started on independent research.

Besides; I would hate to turn my leisure obsession into my work.

Also; I really, really like the area I'm looking at. And have already submitted my PhD research proposal and been offered a place at the Uni on that basis. Have also sent same proposal to the arts council in hopes of a scholarship.

Nice thought though :)

I quite liked the Daleks vs Churchill.
Camp? I should cocoa (have just introduced LJ to the phrase)
But none the worse for that; Dr Who is allowed to camp it up on occasion.

I was gobsmacked when the last episode ended.
For one I'd forgotten it was a two-parter.
For two I thought "That was never 45 minutes!"
For three, "Aaargh - how are they going to get out of that one?!"

I referenced Dr Who today in class. I was doing word lists (soul-destroying when you do one after another) and only one girl recognised Dr - written as the abbreviation. I pointed out to one of my faves that it was Doctor, as in Dr Who. She confidently responded that Dr Who was ALWAYS Doctor Who in the titles. She was right of course. I'm so used to writing the abbreviation that I'd forgotten.

She has two older sisters who are fans. At six she's still a little young for it. Certainly for the last episode. Gave me some shudders. Specially the bit with Amy in the Portacabin.

Oh my.

Just saw the final episode of the season.

Rather a lot went on. I like the cohesive story arc concept, made for a very exciting run.

Show of hands ... who thinks Doctor River Song is a future incarnation?

It did occur to me; I wouldn't quite say I think it's the case.

I just made a terrible, terrible mistake.

I downloaded Doctor Who: Nuclear Time to my Kindle.

This is a very, very bad novel. Awful. The plot is stretched so this and twisted so far that even the minor amount of credibility required by a Doctor Who story is missing.

Totally.

Bloody awful, if I may.

I don't know if it's as jarring to a British reader, but as an American, it it really, really weird when Americans speak British. I can get through descriptive stuff where Americans are wearing trainers and holding doors open with their bums and whatnot, but at least try to Yank-Up the dialog!!

I haven't read the book, but it jars me when ANYTHING is out of place re nationality. Sorry, amend that to when I notice things out of place. Screws up the whole willing suspension of disbelief.

I noticed recently in an American novel that the lady was removing her tights, not her pantyhose. A book set in America, written by an American author. So it looks like they are now tinkering with texts in the same way they've done over the pond for years. WHY?! We're used to pantyhose and sidewalks and vests and pants now. The buggers.

Of course it does jar even more when you are the same nationality as the person portrayed incorrectly. Even national stereotyping jerks you out of the story.

I will offer the lame excuse that Dr Who is primarily a British institution, but of course I don't stand by it. Editors should really sort these things out. Crikey, I'm sure there are countless people who would proof-read for free (me! me! me!) for the sheer kudos, in order to get local influences/ inflections correct.

Still. Rub dirt on it, Mary furriner.

Tights are different than panty-hose/nylons. Thicker. Sometimes footless. Not as thick as leggings.

I didn't know that!
In that case I take it back - it was a pretty good book and I was saddened to think that an over-zealous editor was "translating" for us.

Nuclear Time is a real stinker. I haven't actually finished it (left it halfway along).

The Forgotten Army is also a little silly. Night of the Humans and Apollo 23 are both excellent.

I was reading the description of Apollo 23 and wasn't sure. I might give it a try after I've chewed through my current to-read piles.

There are still odd bits in that which might irritate you. Don't kow if the American characters will jar. But it's a decent plot, and genuinely quite chilling in a few places.

Nuclear Time, was interesting in some ways but I think it was trying to be too clever. All that backwards conversing is a neat idea, but broke me out of the story. The plot seems a bit too convoluted. Don't know, just one of those that feels like it should have worked, but hasn't.

I just saw the first two episodes of the new Sherlock Holmes show from the BBC. I'm enjoying it, but I didn't feel the need to start a new thread, because it seems to be a slight variation on Doctor Who.

There is a British TV thread around here sometimes, but this does suit as you say.
Mycroft is played by Mark Gatiss, so it was always going to be a winner for me.

Is this running on BBCamerica or will I have to wait several years to see it?

PBS, actually, under "Masterpiece Mystery".

Cancelled intro to Matt Smith on Craig Ferguson. Cancelled because they didn't think to get the rights to the theme song.

Doctor Who at the Proms ... how wonderful is that! Lovely way to spend Christmas Day. Getting actual chills from the finale ... the Ron Grainer theme music. The bit Matt Smith did with the kid from the audience was priceless.

I am desperately hoping that the Christmas Carol will be available OnDemand since I won't be home tonight, and I'm not sure if I can convince my friend, her children, and all of her other (non-SF loving) relatives they need to watch it as part of a new Christmas Tradition.

I watched it when it went out (Christmas Carol that is). Best Christmas special since the series re-launched imo. A genuinely beautiful story. Michael Gambon was wonderful as the Scrooge-like character.

It's like...A Christnas Carol, meets Mary Poppins and The Snowman.

Did you catch the brilliant shark/dolphin bit?

Makes you wonder ... is the writer one of our lurkers, or a participant?

I did!!!!I did!!!

Mum didn't understand why I laughed heartily at that line :P


[eta] Oh, and I agree btw: Doctor Who at the proms is awesome. The last couple of them have been fantastic. I think my favourite was the one from the year before last. Murray Gold's score is pure class. The Doctor's theme from Tennant's era Season 3 is one of my favourite pieces of music, along with Gallifrey/Our Childhood Home.

Brilliant way of getting youngsters to listen to some orchestral music.

Am SO looking forward to the new series.
Moffat says it will be spooky. Yay. Spooky is very good.

NEIL GAIMAN WRITES AN EPISODE!
Excuse the shouting, but if any sentence deserves caps it's that one.
FTR, episode four.

In the mean time I am all excited about the Tate & Ten Much Ado performance.
We're going in August. I think. It's all booked anyway, and Ste has the tickets. I'm on school holiday at the time, so I'm hoping Mum & I can go down to London and have some fun before meeting Stevo from work and going to the theatre. He might even be considering having the day off too - Mum & I aren't girly together, we'll probably do a London Walk or a boat trip.

A lickle bit of T&T on Graham Norton
The focus is on them at the beginning.
I laughed at the whole clip... but then I love Graham Norton... if not, duck out after the initial exchange.

I just saw the extended trailer from BBCAmerica. Looks amazing.

We also have the trailers on television.
It's just tricky to find them on YouTube.

This trailer works for now (is this what you saw?) below.
Not very spooky, but I trust the Moffat.


Is that the Doctor in the Oval Office?
Maybe paving the way for Torchwood (my birthday, 1st July!)

This is spookier

Series 6 (SOME SPOILERS IN WHITE)
 

The Impossible Astronaut

I enjoyed it enormously.
I find it hard to get my head round River and the Doctor's relationship, but then I had trouble with it in The Time Traveller's Wife and putting things in order in the various backstories in Harry Potter. Not to mention Captain Jack's adventures, although I studied those until they made some sense. So I think it's just me and timelines.

I'm so looking forward to the next episode!
I hate being left dangling like that, and with confusions to sort out.

Couple of (perhaps spoilery) questions:

If Amy is pregnant, why was she knocking back wine at the picnic?
This is not an oversight. Somehow The Silence made her sick (as it did River) is she making assumptions about pregnancy because of this?
Also there was NO reason to announce it right there and then if she was.

Are the characters in black suits even The Silence?
They can talk.
And if they wipe people's memories of them, how come they told Amy she would tell the Doctor something. Pretty poor instructions/ prophecy is they take away her means to do so.

How can a little girl fill a spacesuit?Again, that can't be an oversight so must have a meaning.

Does The Year of the Moon mean something specific to the Doctor as opposed to just referring to the moon landings?

The tunnels are really not very far underground.
And they run everywhere.
I thought Florida was quite a swampy place.
Also - would this not compromise takeoff for rockets?
I'm willing to suspend my disbelief on that one though.

Roll on Saturday!
And the one after. And the one after etc etc.

Otherwise - roll on 1st July.
Just over two months.
My birthday and TORCHWOOD returns!!!!

Might have to start a countdown.

It was a good week. Game of Thrones on Sunday, Portal 2 on Tuesday, and Doctor Who on Saturday.

I don't pay enough attention to Doctor Who when it's not on the screens.
Have only just found out that there is another Mark Gatiss penned episode in series 6.
And that it features Daniel Mays (who was shattering in Funland - co-written by Jeremy Dyson) who we really don't see enough of these days.

AND it has creepy looking dolls in it.

Not really spoilers, but some extra information already circulating:
It's set in a tower block in Bristol.
There is a little boy in it who has OCD and is always afraid.
The Doctor turns up and tells him he's right.

Shivers.
Reminds me of a story (Grandfather Moon?) about a girl afraid to go upstairs.

Ohhhh! Didn't realise Daniel Mays was slated for the Gatiss ep. I frikkin love that actor!

SPOILERS ANSWERED - very spoilery
 

I LIKED!
Sets up a good story arc, because of course sneaky Moffat does not give us all the anwers. But if I hadn't written down my queries, like a tally mark on my skin, I wouldn't know that. He left me with a satisfied wrapped up feeling. Kinda like eating popcorn, except it isn't false - good writing, good acting and great cast.