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I’ve just watched the new show now and here is what I think (broken down succinctly)
The new Doc is a northerner, brilliant! 😀
I haven’t seen Dr Who (as a whole episode) since I was quite young, (only say part of an ep as a temp flatmate last year is in to Dr Who) so I don’t have much to go on as far as memory goes, but still, I was raised on Dr Who and I think the new show is great. IIt is much better than the TV movie however many years back. Though does anyone recognise the living dummies (spellling must be pretty bad eh?), I remember the waxworks which replace important people (was that when sylvester mckoy played the Doctor?)
Even with a somewhat recycled plot, this show sets the scene for what is going to be (IMHO) a great series, score one for British SCI-FI!
I enjoyed it too. I’ve never seen any other Dr Who (please don’t shoot me) so I can’t compare it to any of the previous ones, but I thought it was very funny. It was pretty ridiculous, but that was why it was cool. Looking forward to next week’s episode!
Absolutely! This show was VERY cool.
My Dr Who era (the Dr Who show that I used to hide behinde the sofa when the title music came on) was Patrick Troughton (2nd one). Then came Pertwee, Baker and after that total crap. Dr Who in the 80s and 90s (sept the 8th, Paul McGann) made me embarassed to be a Brit.
This show re-kindled my faith in the BBC and is the best Sci Fi show to come out of the UK since Red Dwarf and the Strangerers!
WADDA CRACKER!
Better still, next weeks show looks even better.
Well said, goes to show that the beeb has some life left in her ( though I’m sure the government wants to kill the BBC off, after they declared war after the whole WMD thing)
I for one will definately be watching Dr Who next week, now all we need is for the beeb to produce a period version of war of the worlds, i.e. set in HG Wells time and with nice, big, gracefull, elegant tripods
Hi Fellow UK Whovians,
I’m very glad you like the new show & the new Dr; I’m also glad you all mentioned the other series & compared the 2. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it & find out if I like it or not; since I’m in the states, all I can do, is hope we get here soon.
What’s the bad guy/creature like? How do you like the new companion & the Dr’s outfit?Whovians Unite,
Jhevz 😉Logan posted a story today about the new Dr. stepping down. Seems like quite a surprise, whadda you guys think?
It’s kinda bizarre, especially considering Eccleston’s initial request (plea?) to be considered for the role of the 9th Doctor.
Regenerations are such a big part of Doctor Who that the older fans shouldn’t have much of a problem with the change, but this is a really short run, and it just doesn’t inspire confidence.
Haven’t seen him yet in action (premiers April 5 in Canada on CBC), so I don’t even know if I’ll like Chris E.’s take on the character.
{Edited for glaring typos and incorrect CBC airing month (had baby wailing as I wrote the last sentence — must have been saddened by the news even though she’s a few years too young for the target demographic 😉 )}
It has been suggested that he only came on board to improve the show’s prospects of being regenerated – ie, the famous ‘credible’ actor was used as a way of selling a ‘children’s’ show to the BBC in the first place, and his prestige, in turn, raised the show’s profile in the media. He was probably given the chance to make more ‘serious’ drama (or develop a pet project) as a reward.
Its just a theory of course, but it has a ring of truth to it – to be frank, I was surprised that he was even interested in the role to begin with, and so, am not surprised that he has decided to move on to playing miserable sons of bitches again.
I stand corrected
BBC’s anger at the vanishing Dr Who
by RICHARD SIMPSON, Daily Mail 08:16am 1st AprilBBC bosses are furious over Christopher Eccleston’s decision to quit as Doctor Who after spending millions on merchandising which carries his image.
They had hoped to cash in on the show’s popularity by exploiting the lucrative Christmas market with toys and other merchandise with the actor’s distinctive features.
BBC Worldwide licensed Manchester firm Character Options to design more than 20 items. And a 12in action figurine of him is ready to be in the shops by October.
But by Christmas, Eccleston will have already been long departed as the Doctor – his last appearance on television being in June – and will have already been replaced by a new Docousfor the second series, rendering the merchandising obsolete.
There is also the embarrassing possibility that the actor’s replacement will already be starring in the planned Christmas special.
Eccleston has said he does not want to become typecast, while friends said he thought the role of the Doctor was ‘too effeminate’.
A BBC source said: “Chris’s decision to quit on artistic grounds is causing major waves.
“Not only was he seen as the saviour of Saturday night ratings, but also his face is crucial to the Christmas merchandising drive. What child is going to want to buy a Doctor Who action figure of the old Doctor when a new
one is already on the television?”
A spokesman for Character Options said: “We are going ahead with all of our Christopher Eccleston-themed merchandising, about 20 items in all. We are hoping his departure will not damage sales.”
The actor the BBC is lining up to replace Eccleston is David Tennant.
Damage sales
Tennant, 33, is the star of the raunchy BBC drama Casanova, which has attracted record ratings on BBC3 and begins on BBC1 on Monday.
It is written by Russell T Davies, the executive producer and chief writer of the new series of Doctor Who who also wrote the controversial Channel 4 series Queer As Folk about the Manchester gay community.
Last night friends said one reason Eccleston decided to quit Doctor Who was because he thought the part was ‘too effeminate’.
They said he had grown uncomfortable playing such a ‘fey’ Doctor and was concerned that if he continued, he would lose out on gritty serious roles later in his career.
One source close to the actor said: “Chris thought playing such a flamboyant Doctor was a laugh for a while and a real challenge.
“But he soon realised that being so outrageously camp in such a mainstream popular show was going to kill his career as a seritor-actor.
Typecast
“Russell wrote a very fluffy, effeminate script, which is great for the show, but where does an actor go after that? Chris didn’t want to be typecast as the camp Doctor Who.”
Eccleston, 41, shocked BBC bosses this week by announcing he would not sign up for the second series of the show, which pulled in 10million viewers for its debut episode last Saturday.
His decision was a major blow for corporation bosses who had pinned their hopes on Eccleston and Doctor’s assistant Billie Piper, who has signed for the second series, trouncing ITV in the ratings war every Saturday.
But Eccleston was said to be ‘adamant’ about turning his back on the Doctor even after he was offered a lot more money to change his mind.
Eccleston’s northern upbringing also played a part in his decision. The actor, famed for gritty dramas such as Our Friends In The North and Cracker and films such as Shallow Grave is said to be unhappy at spending long periods of time away from his family in Salford, Manchester.
During the first series of Doctor Who, he split his time between Cardiff, where most of it was shot, and London, where more filming was done – returning home only when a break from filming allowed.
He is now expected to return permanently to his four-bedroomed house in Manchester, wondering (like the rest of us) whether its all an April Fools joke.
Cool, thanks for the info.
Having said that, I’m not sure I’d believe Eccleston. It’s great to see him an’ all, but to be honest, if I was to choose the worst performance of the main cast, it would probably be his. He seemed a little unsure of himself as Dr Who – I put it down to the fact that he was just settling into the role (or maybe it’s me typecasting him in his usual macho/rugged northerner type).
Ah yes, a Mancurian (note, not Manchurian, I use that joke too much when people say Mancurian)
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