Dr Who Rolls On

derek_farn writes "It looks like us lucky Brits will be getting a Dr Who christmas special, plus a third series has been commissioned. Those of you who get their news from the BBC web site will know that the current Dr Who, Christopher Eccleston, left after the first series and was replaced by the actor who recently played Casanova in a mini-series (not quite the same as the women wearing lycra in Star Trek, but we Brits are a bit more reserved)."

Re:Rose

[Trigun]

That's all I need to know to keep watching.

Although, I thought Chris Eccleston was brilliant and this new guy has some big shoes to fill.

Will this Dr. Who tackle harsh political issues?

[CyricZ]

The original Dr. Who series was quick to tackle very controversial political issues, such as (in the early 1970s) the lack of British participation in the American occupation of Vietnam, as well as the threat of terrorism from various groups in Ireland, but with a futuristic setting and insight.

While I haven't seen it, I must ask, does this Dr. Who series do the same? Are they tackling issues such as the torture of innocents at Abu-Ghraib, Guantanamo, etc.? Will they look at the issues behind the fakery of terrorism?

In short, is this new series a provocative, worthwhile viewing experience?

Re:Rose

[Trigun]

Is Jack a permanent member of the Tardis crew? I was hoping he'd just be a recurring character, showing up every other/third episode. Putting too many people in the Tardis, no matter how big it is on the inside, cramps the whole style.

great

[some_god]

i have never seen any of the older dr who episodes, i think i have seen a dr who movie but i can barely remember it, but i absolutely love the new episodes! every time they have a "to be continued..." episode
I sit and plan how to infiltrate the bbc james bond style just so i can see the next ep.

I really hope this new guy can match Eccleston, but right now i find Eccleston to be one of the best actors on tv, i even include voice actors in this statement.
the scene in the last ep when he is holding a bfg and then throws it to the guy he is pointing it at saying "like i was ever going to use that" or something like that was brilliant.

sorry for sounding so fanboyish but this show seams to drag this side of me out in the open, my beloved sarcasm is blown away when dr.who is on hehe.

A Doctor Who Christmas

[Anonymous Coward]

Brits will be getting a Dr Who christmas special

Ah yes.
Time to break out the Dalek Christmas Tree [bsfs.org] and sit down for the Dalek Christmas feast [cuttingsarchive.org.uk], while listening to your favourite Dalek Christmas Carols [millenniumeffect.co.uk]

Re:Third series?

[RonnyJ]

This new 'first' series is considered by some to be the 27th series of Doctor Who, and by others to be the first series of a new production (although I'm not sure on the exact reasoning behind either viewpoint). This new 'third' series will therefore be considered the 29th series by some.

Also, in case any Americans are reading this and are slightly confused, we tend to use the word 'series' instead of 'season'.

Re:Rose

[VdG]

I gather it was decided that they needed someone to shoot the bad guys. Neither The Doctor nor Rose do. That's probably why Jack has an American accent.

One significant difference

[jd]

The number of episodes in a season has dropped over time. The original few seasons had 40+ episodes. By Tom Baker's era, this had dropped to 25, and Sylvester McCoy's was down to 12.

This makes a big difference, as it mean that early stories could be longer if needed (6-part and 8-part stories were not uncommon, and the longest was 13), which made for potentially richer stories. On the flip-side, the actors were pushed to their physical limits and there simply wasn't that much time available for script editing or rehearsal.

The practical upshot is that modern stories have to sell on impact (there isn't time for an in-depth plot), whereas older stories had to sell on plot twists (otherwise nobody would tune in next week).

Personally, I think the 25 episode format was the ideal balance and I wish they would switch back to that. Since Dr Who has proven so popular in its revival, it is possible the BBC might do that. Especially as the actors are only lasting one season anyway. The BBC might as well get the most for its money.

Re:Rose

[BasilBrush]

Who says that the change from Eccleston to the new actor will be a regeneration? The Bad Wolf theme hasn't played out yet. It might be more interesting than that.

Re:Eccleston made a good doctor.

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually before the era when Space Channel was synonymous with Star Trek Channel ,they played a lot of Dr Who, and Lost in Space. That was when the channel first started, in the late 90s...

What's too bad is that many of the episodes are missing, so there were many holes in the storylines... Plus I didn't like it back then. The new show - much better :)

Re:I just want to say...

[orac2]

And the terrified eyes of Doctor Constantine as he morphed...

Re:I just want to say...

[idontgno]

He posted someone's address. Someone will regret this, come the day.

Postal Joe-job, anyone?

Re:The stand out - absolute stand out...

[t_allardyce]

She needs to get her kit off for the late-night Christmas special thats for sure..

Re:I just want to say...

[exp(pi*sqrt(163))]

Weakest isn't the right word. I think the second one was the weakest - too much of a HitchHiker wannabe episode. The first episode was just a get-to-know-the-characters story and I quite enjoyed it for what it was. But Dalek was just plain wrong. Reminds me of the way Star Trek invented the awesome Borg and then completely ruined them by giving them a centralized human face in the form of the Borg Queen (who must have been the inspiration The Controller in Bad Wolf). Neither The Borg, nor the Daleks, are human (in the broader sense that includes Galifreyans), and I wish scriptwriters would remember that.

Dalek should have been a tense episode where The Doctor and the Dalek pit their wits against each other for 45 minutes in an attempt to eliminate each other with the audience wondering how each character will avoid the next trap set for them by their opponent. Or at least that's how I would have written it. Above all, no schmalz.