Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

[ferretchucker]

Do I like Doctor Who? Well...I'm British aren't I? ;)

(if only it were that simple, I'm dreadfully embarrassed by my friends who don't enjoy the show.)

But yes, I am a huge fan of Who. Unlike the majority of my dear peers in Generation Y and The Information Age, I was a fan BEFORE 2005. I used to sit and watch the Omnibuses on UKTV GOLD and grab VHS tapes where I could. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on classic Who - a lot of the serials are lost from my mind now and where watched through the eyes of an 8 year old.

But here we are, at the shows 50th anniversary! Hazzah!

I won't go too much into my feelings on the direction the shows been going in recent years or we really would be here all day (burn Moffat and hopefully RTD will rise from the ashes).

So yes, the BBC has started a wonderful season of Doctor Who related programming the air in the lead up to 23rd November, at which point we will get to see The Day of the Doctor.

http://comingsoon.net/nextraimages/day-of-the-doctor-small.jpg


Very exciting point to note is that they'll be showing this in cinemas across UK and US, so do check your local Multiplex!

Aaaanyway, to kick us off we were given one HELL of a treat. I mean really, I squealed with delight at what we were given in the minisode The Night of the Doctor. If you haven't seen it, WATCH IT NOW. WATCH IT FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! Spoilers in white after the link.

-U3jrS-uhuo

In case you weren't aware, that man was Paul McGann, the Eighth incarnation of The Doctor. His first and, until now, only live-action appearance was in a 1996 US funded adaptation of Doctor Who that was to serve as a pilot for a revival of the show, which had ceased production in 1989.

The made for TV movie was important in that it continued the continuity of the show before it, opening with the Seventh Doctor who soon regenerates into McGann's 8th. As such, the film is certainly canonical.

Alas, it's often overlooked in discussions of Doctor Who, partially because of poor home release, rare TV spots and in general...it wasn't great. Don't get me wrong, it was good! It really was the first time DW had been given this kind of cinematic treatment, with the show having been FAR more televisual - almost stagey - beforehand.

The true gem in the film, though, was McGann himself. I've always loved his performance which was, in my opinion, the greatest since T Baker. He captures the gleeful traveller who simply longs to experience the universe perfectly, and whose appreciation of life around him is superb. In fact, his performance was so great that despite the show not being picked up, his incarnation has been in countless (at least..I can't be bothered to count them) comics, audioplays and novels. In fact, in terms of continuous production of stories, he is the longest serving Doctor of all time!

And so it's been a dreadful shame that the revived series has totally ignored him, besides a couple of moments of archive footage. No information on how/why he regenerated, his presumed involvement in the Time War etc.

And so, The Night of the Doctor is incredible. It's a massive service to fans and to McGann, whose continual devotion to the role has been inspiring over the years. Not only does it bring back a fantastic Doctor (so good, I just want more of him!), but it ties up his story, confirms canonicity of his audiobook adventures AND leads nicely into The Day of the Doctor.

I also can't stress how much of a surprise it was. Doctors returning following the end of their tenure happens, yes, but it's by no means common. In TV show it's happened 4 times in main stories, plus a brief minisode for charity a few years ago. Whilst this one is a little different in that it doesn't involve Doctors meeting each other (as the Day of the Doctor will) it nonetheless brings back an old actor of the role. And with Paul McGann having denied any involvement, and then Colin Baker's bitter comments earlier this week about the treatment of Old-Doctors, it just seemed impossible. Oh, how wrong I was...

Now how about a prequel series with more McGann?

Yes. All of that is spoilers.

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

Spoilers Ahoy!

I watched the minisode yesterday and when he came on screen I was like "OMFG OMFG THEY GOT PAUL McGANN BACK!!" I've only seen the 8th doctor's movie twice (I watched it again in August cause BBC is doing those revisiting the doctors specials at the end of every month) Anyway, yea the movie isn't that great but I agree that McGann is the only reason it gets repeat viewings. I'm really glad they got more than just Matt and David in for the 50th even if Paul isn't really in the episode this minisode gives us the answers to some questions and bridges the gap nicely between old who and new who, even if 8 isn't really that old. My doctor is 9 (wait I guess Chris's doctor is now really 10 and David is 11...super confusion lol) and I'm kinda sad Chris won't be in the episode at some point but he was off making Thor 2 (also known as Loki the movie lol) at the time all this was getting underway. It feels like we've been waiting for the 50th special for years now and I'm super excited that it's only a couple days away.

[ChronoGrl]

Just stayed up late last night finishing off Series 4 (reboot) and said farewell to David Tenant.

Doctor Who runs hot and cold for me, unfortunately more cold than hot but I want so badly to be part of the Tribe that I keep sticking with it. I'm interested to see what Matt Smith brings to the role so I can join in the conversation re Who is your Favorite Doctor?

My father watched the original series. In fact I can remember watching it with him when I was wee (though the clearest part of that memory is the cry of the Daleks which of course spurred me to chase my cats around the house yelling EXTERMINATE). It's streaming on Netflix Instant so I might catch up with some of it.

[hammerfan]

Doctor Who runs hot and cold for me, unfortunately more cold than hot but I want so badly to be part of the Tribe that I keep sticking with it.

I feel the same way about it. I want so much to love it. There are episodes I've really liked, and episodes I've been totally bored with. I'm still trying to stick it out.

[ChronoGrl]

YES! I don't think I've ever put this much effort into trying to like a TV show! It's really weird!

[hammerfan]

YES! I don't think I've ever put this much effort into trying to like a TV show! It's really weird!

Hahaha, I know, right?! I do, however, enjoy Torchwood!

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

Today is the day that we have all been waiting for, for so very long now. It's the Day of the Doctor and I'm so excited right now I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. It feels like Christmas eve or something, maybe it's just because this has been built up for so long or maybe it's because 10 and Rose are back and I've missed them.

So who's everyone's Doctor? Mine is 9, I loved the wounded warrior trying to drag himself out of the horrors he committed in the time war and Rose was his salvation. I loved their dynamic and I think he was a great way to grab everyone's attention for the renewal of the series. I hated to see him go but in a way it makes sense, Rose had saved him from himself and made it possible for him to move on and become the bouncy and lovable 10.

You're favorite companion? It's a tie between Rose and Sarah Jane for me. I loved watching Rose and the Doctor fall in love, her and 10 together just felt right and the had fantastic chemistry. I don't think anyone watched their last episode and didn't cry or at least get a little misty eyed about it. Sarah Jane and Tom Baker were just hilarious together and you really got the feeling that they were best friends and I loved her tenacity. Plus she's the only companion (besides Jack) to get their own spin off show and that's pretty badass.

Favorite episode? The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Are you my mummy? One of Steven Moffat's finest episodes. Wonderfully written with a super scary kid in a gas mask stalking 9, Rose, and Jack. I'm terrified of kids and I love all the really scary Doctor Who episodes (most of those are usually written by Moffat which just leads me to believe he should direct horror movies, he would be wonderful at it). The end when the Doctor says "Just this once Rose, everybody lives," is probably one of my favorite lines from new Who.

Favorite villain/monster? I'm not gonna lie, The Weeping Angels scare the hell out of me and I always stare at statues with a lot of distrust now.

Least favorite companion? I'm not a Martha fan, she's ok and I do think she's a badass for walking the Earth for a year while it was under the Master's control. But she was totally the rebound companion lets face it. If she hadn't been following the Doctor around like a love sick puppy I think I would have liked her better. I gotta say I'm not really digging Clara that much right now, hopefully she'll connect with Peter Capaldi's Doctor more than she seems to be with Matt Smith.

Happy 50th everyone :D

[neverending]

I'm just a casual viewer, really. My fave Dr. is Tom Baker, and I love the old Dalek stuff. Never really cared for the modern Dr.s.

[Anthropophagus]

I'm just a casual viewer, really. My fave Dr. is Tom Baker, and I love the old Dalek stuff. Never really cared for the modern Dr.s.

I have a similar take as you Neverending.

My favourite was Jon Pertwee,a quirky character who had his own way of doing things,also a great actor to boot.

Favourite villain is tough,i would probably go for the The Sontarans and Davros,the older ones that is.

And just as you said Neverending,i dont watch the new stuff either,not that i dont like them but i have a soft spot for the originals.

I have heard very good things about the weeping angels though,i must try to check that one out.

[Sicknero]

I grew up with Pertwee/Baker so they'll always be my favourites just out of unabashed nostalgia : )

Of the new bunch I liked Ecclestone the best by far, just because I rate him so highly as an actor besides which it was great to see the Doctor back on telly. I've not really kept up with it since then though I did make a point of watching the Gaiman episode.

Villains is tough, there have been so many! Daleks, obviously. Especially when they started flying. I remember the Sontarans being pretty frightening when I first saw them (about 7 years old at the time I think). I reckon on the whole though my favourites were the Sea Devils, I seem to remember them in a series set in some Scottish castle or other with Jon Pertwee. Happy days : )

Oh yeah, the giant maggots! Anyone remember those?

http://images.wikia.com/tardis/images/9/9c/Greendeath6.JPG

Companions/others - I liked Rose a lot (slight Billy Piper crush lol) but what I remember is always being really chuffed when the Brigadier popped up.

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

I haven't watched as much Classic Who as I would like. I started watching Doctor Who 5 years ago and of the classic doctor's the 4th doctor is the one that I've watched the most although I have a love of Patrick Troughton too even though I've only seen like 2 of his episodes so far lol.

[ferretchucker]

I'm a lover of both, with the classic Who introducing me long before the revived series. I think the originality of the show is absolutely staggering. So many shows/films will either have one iconic aspect, or they will develop over time, and yet this show has a plethora that were in it from the start; the TARDIS's design and sound, the opening credits style and music, the enigmatic Doctor (despite his many changes since then), the companion concept - they were all in it in the first bloody episode! Within the season we'd been given the Daleks and before long the concept of regeneration (how else could such a show survive so long?)

For those interested, I cannot recommend Mark Gatiss' An Adventure in Space and Time, starring David Bradley, more. A beautiful docu-drama telling the tale of the creation of Doctor Who. Bradley in particular makes me love Hartnell more than I thought possible. Granted, it IS a docu-drama and must be taken with a pinch of salt, but still! And knowing how close we came to it never picking up is staggering.

dEwikIhEZrE


And now on to my views on the 50th Anniversary special. Hold tight, there are some spoilers ahead.

Incredible. Just absolutely incredible. 76 minutes of utter genius, pleasing for fans and first-timers alike. Yes it was cheesy, yes it had a few plot holes and yes, Joanna Page was pretty poor as Queen Elizabeth (sorry Gavin and Stacey fans). But this truly was the best way to honour such an iconic show's almost unheard of 50th Anniversary. Still, I won't just hash out the plot for you - watch it and see for yourself - but I'll try and pick out on some of its shining moments.

Firstly some context - I watched it at one of my boyfriend's friend's flat. There were about a dozen of us there, of which maybe 8 were fans (although I was the only one with more than a basic knowledge of classic who), 2 were casual viewers and 2 had never seen it before. All were transfixed throughout - myself gurning like a fool - and, whilst the newbies left it somewhat baffled, they had at least enjoyed the ride.

If I'm honest, it started a little weak. Clara's still so new it's tough to care much about her, and the TARDIS being helicoptered over London felt like another of Moffat's irritating attempts to spawn a Buzzfeed article and Tumblr GIFs. out of "iconic" images. But when it got going, it got going well.

David Tennant's return was marvellous - despite 4 years out of the role, he still knows how to play his Doctor perfectly. The wide eyed, slightly cheeky, witty and altogether more human than Smith (something I prefer) was a joy to see again. His energy is palpable, his grin is infectious and yet his dark moments are nonetheless chilling and intense. As he angrily confronts Eleventh's forgetting of casualities you sense a dark judgement within.

Besides this, however, I thought his and Matt Smith's on screen chemistry was fabulous. How rare an occurence in any media that two actors can play the exact same person meeting each other! Well...barring previous Who's that is. Their teasing was hilarious, a self-referential wink to many of the comments that viewers and the media have made about each Doctor. Combined with John Hurt's "am I having a mid-life crisis?!" I was in stitches of laughter.

And now we get to Hurt. I was VERY weary about his "War Doctor" characters introduction to the show. The retroactive fitting of a new incarnation seemed sloppy and causes all sorts of complications (more on this later). I also wondered how I was meant to care about this man. This weird new unheard of man. But hell, did that Thespian prove me wrong! For a frail old man his character exuded a great strength that suited his purpose tremendously. And yet, the vulnerability was there and important. His voice cracking "thank you" to the other Doctors as they prepare to join him in the deed made a lump in my throat.

Before getting to the BIG revelation, I'll just run through some more of my favourite moments. Piper was fantastic as the Bad Wolf Moment Persona, and I thought it was a wise move to not have her replaying Rose herself. It was nice to see the Zygons back, and I thought their classic, rubbery, cheap look was a nice nod to the show's roots. Why bother with fancy CGI mo-cap monsters when you can have some drama school drop-outs in red latex?! Tom Baker's cameo, though perplexing, was also wonderful. Knowing he's regretted not coming back to Who for a long time made it seem very fitting, especially as it doesn't seem the old man has too much left in him. And of course, Capaldi's eyebrow-cameo was a great touch.

Now on to the BIG one. The one I called, in fact. For a while now I've felt as though the whole "Last of the Time Lords" thing was running thin. It was a brilliant new layer to the show in 2005 and it had a profound effect on both Eccleston and Tennant's performances. But since Smith took hold it's had little effect - his guilt has faded, his mentions of the Time Lords are less frequent and the moral absolution that the ordeal seemed to give 9 and 10 had sort of just become part of the character. This was nicely addressed in the episode as "the one who regrets...and the one who forgets." So...why not bring them back?

Well, it seems that's what's happening! It'll be great to see the show with some direction again, a fresh injection of momentum to propel the narrative and reinstate a glimmer of hope. And there are a good few seasons that can be extracted from this (provided Moffat's heavy-handed, rushed story resolutions don't take over). The time lords were always an interesting presence in Classic Who, their strained relationship with The Doctor offering some great interactions. Of course, what's also lovely is that this new development DOESN'T effect anything we've seen thus far. The Doctor forgets his deed, must live with the guilt and as a result, allow himself to go back and change it.

Of course, it couldn't all be great. Eccleston's absence was felt throughout, although I think they handled this well with the brief moment of his face in the regeneration. And then there's the confusion of numbering. Before it seemed obvious - Hurt didn't mess the numbers because, technically, he wasn't the Doctor. But then we're assured he's proved himself as The Doctor, AND when Capaldi is brought in we're told "all 13". So hmm...how will they handle this. The implications of "all 13" are also interesting.

So what more is there to say? Honestly...loads. But my fingers are going numb from furious typing. Nonetheless, it was the perfect special for both old and new fans. Great storytelling, stellar performances. And then we're given this beautiful image.

http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2013-11/enhanced/webdr07/25/11/anigif_enhanced-buzz-19307-1385396935-11.gif