The importamt question is whether little Andrew wants the Sonic Screwdriver or a radio-controlled Dalek in his Christmas stocking. Heard somewhere today that there are over sixty items of merchandising for DW about to be released. Need a bloody big sofa to hide that lot.
NB: is the title of this topic taken from HELP? Yours, Colin
Actually there is a more important question. I've just been scanning the tv schedules for the next ten days or so, including the next two DWs. (No Spoilers)
I had assumed that last Saturday's episode was an "Introduction" and that thereafter we would have the usual (ie Old DW) pattern of episodes, cliff-hangers, and climax. This is not so this time around for the next 2 DWs are entirely seperate stories (one takes place when the sun goes super-nova, the other in Victorian Cardiff!) First reaction is that this is catastrophic news. Second reaction (can you have a second reaction or must it be 'reaction', then 'reflection'?) is that dramatically discreet 45 minute stories is exactly the pattern for Buffy, Stargate, Hercules, Xena, Enterprise(etc.), Farscape, Lexx, Angel, and all the other SF/Fantasy shows the new DW is competing with. (albeit many of those also have an over-arching storyline that plays out across a whole series) In other words is the old "episodic storyline building to a climax over several weeks" no longer workable in modern tv land.
And if so, why, and what have we lost? Yours, Colin
The part that worried me was that it hadn't been confirmed whether either Christopher Eccleston or Billie Piper would be returning.
I think, in any show, it takes a while for viewers to warm to new actors playing the same character or new characters in a supporting role. SO I hope a deal can be done quickly to ensure the two stay.
The bit which amused me was: "the Christmas special will be broadcast towards the end of this year."
Oh dear oh dear. "Crap" hardly even begins to say it. For me, Ecclestone's unforced but idiosyncratically alien performance was nine tenths of what made the first episode so good. I really fear for the second series now - especially if they end up using a "Doctor parody" actor like Colin Baker.
And another thing: why does everyone consider Paul McGann a legitimate Doctor after just a single film, but not Peter Cushing? See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060278/
andd another thing: why does everyone consider Paul McGann a legitimate Doctor after just a single film, but not Peter Cushing? See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060278/
Canon. Paul McGann's one film set itself up as "a continuation of the old series". He was very explicitly "the 8th Doctor". Where Peter Cushing was not, in any story-internal sense, "the second Doctor." The two films were (poor) re-makes of two TV stories. If anything, Peter Cushing was "the 1st Doctor as played by a different actor."
Isn't this the same thing as saying "Paul McGann is the eighth Doctor because he says he is"? Seems a bit weak to me.
Actually, it's the same thing as saying "Paul McGann is the eighth Doctor because the BBC says he is." The TV movie was explicitly intended to continue from the TV series, hence the (perhaps ill-advised ) inclusion of the regeneration sequence.
8 comments:
The importamt question is whether little Andrew wants the Sonic Screwdriver or a radio-controlled Dalek in his Christmas stocking.
Heard somewhere today that there are over sixty items of merchandising for DW about to be released.
Need a bloody big sofa to hide that lot.
NB: is the title of this topic taken from HELP?
Yours, Colin
Actually there is a more important question.
I've just been scanning the tv schedules for the next ten days or so, including the next two DWs. (No Spoilers)
I had assumed that last Saturday's episode was an "Introduction" and that thereafter we would have the usual (ie Old DW) pattern of episodes, cliff-hangers, and climax. This is not so this time around for the next 2 DWs are entirely seperate stories (one takes place when the sun goes super-nova, the other in Victorian Cardiff!)
First reaction is that this is catastrophic news.
Second reaction (can you have a second reaction or must it be 'reaction', then 'reflection'?) is that dramatically discreet 45 minute stories is exactly the pattern for Buffy, Stargate, Hercules, Xena, Enterprise(etc.), Farscape, Lexx, Angel, and all the other SF/Fantasy shows the new DW is competing with. (albeit many of those also have an over-arching storyline that plays out across a whole series)
In other words is the old "episodic storyline building to a climax over several weeks" no longer workable in modern tv land.
And if so, why, and what have we lost?
Yours, Colin
The part that worried me was that it hadn't been confirmed whether either Christopher Eccleston or Billie Piper would be returning.
I think, in any show, it takes a while for viewers to warm to new actors playing the same character or new characters in a supporting role. SO I hope a deal can be done quickly to ensure the two stay.
The bit which amused me was:
"the Christmas special will be broadcast towards the end of this year."
That'll be around Christmas time then :-)
crap.
Oh dear oh dear. "Crap" hardly even begins to say it. For me, Ecclestone's unforced but idiosyncratically alien performance was nine tenths of what made the first episode so good. I really fear for the second series now - especially if they end up using a "Doctor parody" actor like Colin Baker.
And another thing: why does everyone consider Paul McGann a legitimate Doctor after just a single film, but not Peter Cushing? See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060278/
andd another thing: why does everyone consider Paul McGann a legitimate Doctor after just a single film, but not Peter Cushing? See http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060278/
Canon. Paul McGann's one film set itself up as "a continuation of the old series". He was very explicitly "the 8th Doctor". Where Peter Cushing was not, in any story-internal sense, "the second Doctor." The two films were (poor) re-makes of two TV stories. If anything, Peter Cushing was "the 1st Doctor as played by a different actor."
Paul McGann's one film set itself up as "a continuation of the old series". He was very explicitly "the 8th Doctor".
Isn't this the same thing as saying "Paul McGann is the eighth Doctor because he says he is"? Seems a bit weak to me.
Isn't this the same thing as saying "Paul McGann is the eighth Doctor because he says he is"? Seems a bit weak to me.
Actually, it's the same thing as saying "Paul McGann is the eighth Doctor because the BBC says he is." The TV movie was explicitly intended to continue from the TV series, hence the (perhaps ill-advised ) inclusion of the regeneration sequence.
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