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I like Dr. Who. And Blackadder Goes Forth was the best.

IAIN wrote:They've turned what was dark, intelligent and well acted into Boyzone for the telly.

Just like people can't admit the very first BlackAdder was the best.

It's not been dark (nor intelligent) since the BBC removed the 'educative' component of the show around the time of Patrick Troughton's tenure.

And, as much as I love Tom Baker (at my age, I guess he was my Doctor) let's not forget that his was era that ushered in K-9. Dark and intelligent? Or a cutesy tin dog to appeal to the younger generation?

The one thing I do miss about the 'old days' is how each episode formed part of an overarching story, rather than being self contained. But I guess that's a sign of the times (and also indicative of that fact that we now have 60 min shows rather than the 25 minute shows of old). I guess the sci-fi nuts will argue that shows such as Battlestar Galactica (the new one), Babylon 5, etc are evidence that the topic can be treated seriously but those shows just leave me cold.

Give me a mad-eyed Doc with a sonic screwdriver anyday of the week. (Chuck in a companion dressed as a policewoman in a mini-skirt each week and I'll definitely watch )


Sean

Here on my side of the pond in Canada, I, too, am a fan of the good Doctor. My TARDIS is revved up and ready for more awfully big adventures!

I enjoyed it. Very much an establishing episode, but good fun.

Matt Smith handled the role well, bt has yet to put a mark on the character. But then, they've got twelve more episodes to develop his character.

I think there's something sinister afoot with Amy Pond. That 'crack in the wall' had more to do with her than shoddy plastering, I'm sure of it.

Yes, I'm a fanboy, and unashamedly so.

It's fun. 'nuff said.

Pete

Well I loved it anyway

Matt did a great job, better than I had hoped and he fits the role perfectly. I wasn't so sure about the special effects though, did they take a budget cut since last year?

For those who are bemoaning that the old ones were better, are you forgetting that ever since Russell T Davies took the realm he's always had an overall storyline in the series, and has always had grand plans spanning over several years?

And there is NO way that this


is better than this!

Besides, if it's dark storylines you're after, I don't think any of Doctor Who's past writers have ever delivered anything as dark and outright creepy as the scripts new head honcho Steven Moffat came out with since the show's reboot.

Blink, anyone?

The Empty Child?

Silence in the Library?

Can anyone mention a vintage episode that matches any of the above for dark creepiness?

Pete

i've touched a time-travelling nerve i think...

its easy to dismiss the older stuff with historical hindsight...

We can trump the old stuff cos the new stuff looks prettier, or inversely defend the old stuff cos the new stuff look prettier (the old stuff was much harder work!)...

those photos posted up, they were chilling as a kid, because that was the best we could do at the time, and we had nothing much to base it on...whereas now we have...and it no longer looks any good...

just take my opinion as my opinion and not fact...

otherwise, i'll start on how pantomime it all is (it is) and all the massive scientific rules it ignores each week (i was speaking to someone quite high up in the physics world recently, and she is anti-Who for just that fact)....

Flying daleks? pfft...

I've always claimed that anyone who wants realism from sci-fi is missing the point and on a fast train to disappointmentville.

I like fun.

I don't know if anyone else picked up on some of the new 'features' the TARDIS has?

Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1TIGGzF0O4

pcwells wrote:Besides, if it's dark storylines you're after, I don't think any of Doctor Who's past writers have ever delivered anything as dark and outright creepy as the scripts new head honcho Steven Moffat came out with since the show's reboot.

Agreed. Blink is my all time favourite Doctor Who episode

You're right, back then they didn't have the budgets and technology, but they were still bad compared to the original star trek series, which was made around the same time. But it started off as a childrens show, to teach children about science and history. But it's now an entertainment program, and it shows

And as pcwells said, it's science fiction. I watch it for entertainment. If I wanted realism in time travel and extra terrestrial beings, I'd read a physics book :p

Harry Guinness wrote:I don't know if anyone else picked up on some of the new 'features' the TARDIS has?

Here's a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1TIGGzF0O4

hahahahahahhahahaha! Epic!

As a fan of the Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker Doctors, I'm enjoying these new incarnations mainly because the sorties and production values are of a very high standard. Matt Smith seems more than capable of handling the role, the fact that his companion is/was a strippergram is a bit of a departure from the usual companions and we all now know that she has to be back by morning for the Big Day so already we have an inkling of future possibilities and the timescale involved. The fact that the Doctior can promise to return in 5 minutes but take 12 years then a further 2 years suggests he might have problems in getting her back in time although it does strongly echo Girl in the Fireplace (also penned by Stephen Moffat) for missed opportunities and differing timelines.

Good to see all the hints at forthcoming episodes and if the Weeping Angels are involved, can we expect to see Sally Sparrow as well?

I've often wondered if most magicians are Who fans. You'd think we'd be attracted to a character like that.

Mandrake wrote:(Last Christmas Santa brought me a sonic screwdriver - the 'old' ultraviolet one, not this new green one... )

replace the UV ink head with the ordinary black marker pen head. Slip the UV ink head in your pocket, and you'll find it a very convenient size for PW effects. Use the sonic screwdriver for the final reveal.

I really shouldn't have just posted that... but it's fun!