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The beginning of this episode started well. It left questions. Who had put them there? Why? How do they get out of it? As for the answering of questions (given that it's a two parter and so far unanswered questions are accounted for) I was quite impressed that there were no plot holes the size of Ben Nevis present. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wow. An alround sinister 12th Episode., turning the doctor lose in TV reality show hell where first prize is your life and losers leave this life with nothing coutesy of a disintegration ray. Cult TV within cult TV complete with the correct theme music and accurate voices allows you to connect with the episode as it borrows themes from the running man then drops a reference to a future president Schwartzenegger, whether this was intentional I cant say. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oh....my....god. How amazing was this episode. As a fan of Big brother I got quite a tingle hearing Davina Mccall say "Can the Doctor please come to the diary room". Then hearing her say "You are live on channel 4400, please do not swear". Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It always seems to be the way - if the Slitheen turn up, the series really makes up for it in the next story. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This episode I found was brilliant in the way that it was so mysterious. It is very good at that; especially in this episode because at the beginning you may get the feeling that you've missed an episode when actually you have not. People who have not seen this episode I hugely recommend it it to you but don't be fooled by the start for it will all come into place. The thing I find so exciting about it, is that it tells you what happened before-hand to get to this stage.....after. I recall some classic episodes do that same thing but it has been brilliantly modernised by the BBC in the 00s. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After seeing the sneak preview at the end of "Boom Town" I was of course intrigued, but I assumed the Daleks must be part of a game designed to get at the Doctor. It opened well, reminding people of Episode Seven, and having the Doctor just appear in the Big Brother house was good for not getting stuck in that sometimes monotonous formula of "Where are we going to appear this time". Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penultimate Praises Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well............ what do you say? The last time I sat gripped like that with me mouth open and me tea falling out of it, Id just been electrocuted,,,but thats what happened last night. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And so the mystery is finally revealed - um, or is it? Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If there has ever been a better acting performance in the history of Doctor Who, feel free to exterminate this posting! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When I first found out that The Weakest Link and Big Brother were going to be in this episode I thought that Russell T Davies had lost the plot. However I have to say that after seeing the episode I am impressed at the way it was done. I am glad that Anne and Davina were willing to do the voices for the Anne and Davina Droids, I somehow dont think it would have been the same if they hadnt done them. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well, what can I say? Words can scarse compel me to begin describing the brilliance of what I've seen today. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No, No, NO!!! Doctor Who is SF not fantasy and therefore needs a plausible reality extrapolated universe to inhabit otherwise all plausibility is lost. The success of the Star-Trek franchise is because they take it seriously and make the viewer believe. Personally I do not believe that: Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Say what you will, but that Russell T Davies chap knows a thing or two about timing. The children's BBC forums have recently voted Dr Who their favourite TV show (trouncing the previously unshakeable Simpsons); their favourite subject for a new message board (beating Buffy, hobbies and mobile phones into the ground), and very nearly their favourite thing (narrowly defeated by Harry Potter, but still way ahead of friends, family and food). The only thing that could possibly topple the series from its television supremacy was that annual festival of relentless shrieking vacuity Big Brother. So what does Russell T do? The impossible, as usual. He puts the Doctor in the Big Brother house. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This episode was excellent. Doctor Who in 2005 has proved beyond doubt the durability of the series as a social metaphor and modern-day myth. I hope it runs for another 27 years. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whos afraid of the big bad wolf? Ill admit that I was afraid of Bad Wolf, because I thought that the ingredients for this episode, Big Brother, The Weakest Link, celebrity cameos Daleks, and the potential revelation of who or what Bad Wolf is, would, if not handled brilliantly, result in a mess. Indeed as Russell T. Davies had been arguably the only writer on the 2005 series to fail to deliver a classic episode, I really did not think he could pull off what was needed to make this work. Thankfully my fears were groundless and what was broadcast was a very strong and exciting 45 minutes of television, which had me totally hooked from start to finish. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aliens in London'/'WW3' were among my least favourite episodes, yet last week's 'Boom Town' proved unexpectedly watchable -- so I didn't switch off the television when another of my season lows, 'The Long Game', stepped into the reprise spot. I hated the idea of reality tv for higher stakes (there's got to be a pile of sf stories that play that card). Played out, though, it was more enjoyable than I'd anticipated: Jack's Dayna reprise was cute, and some of the re-envisaged programmes were hilarious ('Ground Force', who knew?). The rapid intercutting of the three scenarios generated enough tension to drive things along. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
For about the first 30 minutes of this episode I thought to myself, what a loud of crap. It was absolutely terrible, mainly cause I've never been a huge fan of reality TV, and I absolutely hate Big Brother. There were alot of things that I really hated about this episode, and one of them was Captain Jack, I really can't stand him, he is like a mosquito that won't go away. The character is so arrogant, and just seems to have no purpose in any of the stories that he has been in, he should've had one episode and thats all. I espeically hated when he was touching the androids breasts. I really was hoping that when the androids arm became a chainsaw that she would do the world a favour and chop his head off. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I'm trying very hard not to overload on the superlatives, but "Bad Wolf" feels like the episode I always knew RTD had in him, but which he hadn't been able to deliver. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I probably was one of the few fans who didn't realise that the Daleks were gonna be back until Id seen the trailer. So sadly all week Id been really looking forward to it although slightly dubious of the Big Brother parody. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This was on of the most unoriginal doctor whos episodes of the season. Second only to its predecessor The Long Game Now Im not saying the episode was bad
The Long Game was nothing more them a Doctor Who version of the 80s cyber punk series Max Headroom, While Bade Wolf is again an steal form yet another (not very good) 80s cyber punk film The Running Man These concepts of course were not strictly original to these earlier films and TV shows, but non the less are old and stale concepts by todays standards. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It sounded as though Russell T Davies had gone absolutely barmy. Big Brother. What Not to Wear. The Weakest Link. And Daleks? And yet it has resulted in one of the best episodes of the year, a cutting satire that reminds you of the extremes reality TV can be taken to and a gripping build up to the final, climatic episode. I was astonished at how excited I got during this episode, at the beginning I was groaning, halfway through I was roaring and at the end I was positively glowing. If anybody was still unconvinced that RTD is the man to bring Doctor Who back on the screen than surely this episode has put that to rest. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Back in the mid 1990's I sent a letter to the BBC, addressed to Davros. I did this because I had a hunch that the Beeb had been taken over by the Daleks, such was their reluctance to bring the Doctor back to our screens. I received a reply from Viewer and Listener Corresponance, which perhaps proved my point! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It's funny how a small minority can actually affect your perception of an episode before it airs. There has been a very vocal fan group who have had strong concerns over Russell T Davies output and regardless of the objective validity (and I for one am not condemning such opinion), one cannot help being infected by that concern, no matter how small the voice. Negativity is infectious; its voice is loud no matter how minor the group. I must confess that, despite enjoying most of RTD's work, I approached the teaser with a degree of non-objective concern. Parodies are dangerous things, and this episode from the very opening scene has no qualms about being so. Get too close to real life, and it can break that illusion of disbelief mainstream science fiction so desperately needs. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I was very worried about this episode due to its reality television content. I hold the view that reality television is an extremely tacky form of programming, and though I may watch the occasional reality programme, on the whole I disagree with it. So upon learning that this episode would feature the Weakest Link (more a game-show than reality), Big Brother (the programme responsible for the reality craze) and What Not To Wear (fashion according to two badly dressed females) I didnt hold high hopes for this episode. This wasnt helped by HEAT, one of those tacky celebrity magazines, declaring that Russell T.Davies has written the episode especially for them. That, for me, was not a very good recommendation for the episode. But I still decided to tune in and see it for myself instead of relying on reviews and friends comments. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I did two things after watching Bad Wolf. The first was calling my good friend and fellow Who fan Paul Webb and leaving a voicemail trying to put the sheer brilliance of the episode into words. The second? I hopped into the bath and cleaned up. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There's been a lot of criticism of RTD. Well in 45 minutes he answered it. With the best 45 minutes of Doctor Who. EVER. I'll repeat that...the best 45 minutes of Doctor Who. EVER. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After the somewhat dismal Boom Town (which seemed to me a filler that was merely meant to set up the cracking finale) I figured that Bad Wolf would almost have to be an improvement--which it was, but after a second viewing I'm still not quite sold on the lampooning of reality TV. It just seems to me that a fad in the 20th C. wouldn't have continued that long into the future, even if there is a progression towards "killing" the people who are "kicked off the island" so to speak, I think that "reality" TV would burn out very quickly before any such point was reached. (Think of the use of the zombies in game shows in the ending of Shaun of the Dead, for example, as a parody that seems more in the realm of possibility, IMO, despite the fact that they're bloody zombies). Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ok RTD... you've finally delivered half of the sort of Who script your much lauded talents have promised... but to date had failed to deliver. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've been dropping into the review page over the course of this series, to hear what others have been feeling about it, but this is the first time Ive been inspired to write my own opinions. Im glad I waited until this almost conclusion. My opinions have swerved almost maniacally over the course of the last twelve weeks; from crushing disappoinment to squeals of excitement; from genuine terror to lip-bitten embarassment. Now they feel settled. Settled and sad. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As if the prospect of Dalek invasion was not frightening enough, RTD offers us the potentially more nightmarish scenario that reality television will be around for the next two hundred thousand years. With shows like Big Brother and The Weakest Link set to run for the next few geological eras, enslavement by the Daleks looks positively benign in comparison. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Now.. has there ever been a premise that seemed so loaded for self destruction? Putting Dr Who in futuristic versions of Big Brother and Weakest Link? Not just future versions.. but exactly the same show, complete with Voice of Ann. And written by Russell Davies, whose stories have been amongst the weakest of this season (is this season 1 or season 27? Ah, well..), often with workable ideas but poorer execution and annoying flatulent humour. Yes, it looked like disaster loomed. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Big Brother. The Weakest Link. The "Anne"-droid. Trinny n thingy...I had a vague feeling beforehand that this episode could've gone either way. Gripping, suprising, satirical and totally "out there"; or "Oh dear, that didn't quite work, did it?" Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think RTD needs to look up the word satire in the dictionary somewhere in the definition the word irony is mentioned. Now irony doesnt seem to feature much in this episode. Nor does subtlety for that matter. RTD presents us with satire for the under 5s: instead of extrapolating the philistine dross that is Big Brother into a future scenario in which it takes on a different guise with a different name and set but detectably similar theme which the audience can pick up on and compare to their contemporaneous equivalent, RTD decides to simply reproduce exactly the same programme, along with its other cousin reality TV monstrosities, replace its hosts with androids who are obviously modeled on the real life presenters, and place it ludicrously over 200,000 years in the future. What we get then isnt satire at all, but just direct replication of said programmes presumably as a vehicle to further cement New Who in the commercial public consciousness by meshing it with other TV brandnames (no doubt in a further misguided attempt to get teenagers identifying with it) without any notable sense of irony whatsoever. This is laziness of the imagination on a stupendous scale. Robert Holmes provided biting tax-related satire in The Sunmakers with references such as inner retinue and it is rather despairing to deduce from this episodes satirical failure just how RTD perceives his modern day audience: incapable of detecting subtext. Either RTD is overly cynical about his audience or society really has degenerated intellectually in the last 15 odd years to a clutch of atavists who need everything literally spelt out in front of their eyes. So we also get The Weakest Link, also with exactly the same sets and an absurd and pitifully written reference to Call My Bluff with real guns. What the hell possessed him to write that line? It is amateur beyond belief. Greatest Show in the Galaxy was the last great Who satire, and, despite some fairly cringeworthy scenes here and there, demonstrated quite consummately how Who really can do this difficult genre to great effect. Happiness Patrol, despite its garishness, was another consummate satire (though it included some incongruous embarrassments script-wise with lines like no more queues at the post office). For Gods sake, even the fairly staid and lifeless Colin Baker era produced a reasonable satire and surprisingly prophetic take on the future of (reality) TV, specifically voting programmes, not properly manifest back in 1985 with Vengeance on Varos. One must ask then what exactly RTD was trying to say here? This is not polemical in particularly, only possibly in its rather lazy and unimaginative take on terminal versions of reality game shows, but this is 16 year old stuff. There is no satire here, at least not noticeably, because RTD doesnt seem to be saying anything at all about the nature of reality TV, only reproducing it on a slightly more extreme level therefore one can only assume it is yet another symptom of his all-too-blatant obsession with stamping popular culture all over the face of a once truly escapist and eccentric series. RTD missed a brilliant opportunity to truly criticize and comment on the insidious nature of reality TV here a massive disappointment. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Another Dalek invasion? Of Earth?! Thats IT?! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bad Wolf is a remarkably strange way of beginning an epic two-part regeneration story, showing the return, en masse, of the Daleks. It consists almost entirely of a pseudo-postmodern reality-TV-satirical run-around, with utterly bizarre imagery; robotic replicas of twenty-first century third-rate personalities menace the Doctor and companions - in the year 200,100! If it wasnt for the setting and recap to The Long Game, which tenuously confirms of the internet suspicion that Adam, a person for whom these shows would be current or recent history, is somehow involved in the series climax, I would be complaining vociferously that everybody in 200,100 dresses, acts, talks and has the TV-watching habits of people now. As it is, there is not much to complain vociferously about. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Theres an old interview with Blakes 7 star Paul Darrow, in which the actor talks about a certain scene he filmed for an episode of that series, in which his character had to suddenly produce a gun. Simple enough, you might think, but evidently the costume the production team had seen fit to furnish Darrow with for this particular episode was rather tight-fitting and had no pockets, meaning that there was nowhere on him he could carry the prop. As the script necessitated its appearance, there was no way around it, and a solution was sought. The problem was solved by having a scene hand crouch behind Darrow, just out of shot, and pass the gun into his hands behind his back. This while undoubtedly a neat solution had the unfortunate effect of, as Darrow put it, making it look as if I had plucked the thing from out of my backside! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have a strange relationship with Reality TV Shows and Quizzes. I find myself frequently watching the things, even enjoying them but then resenting them for the hour of my life just lost. To watch them for a while therefore, part of me must like them, but there is another part of me that switches over too. Whatever, there is something amazingly addictive about them, something that draws the viewer in like a tractor beam. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Before I begin, I'd like to thank each and every reviewer who mentioned "Daleks" in their review of Boomtown for spoiling a major part of this episode for me. I purposefully avoided watching the trailer because I was told it contained a major spoiler, only to have that spoiler revealed for me in the reviews. I guess I should have known better than to read a review with the potential to contain a spoiler I was purposely trying not to see, and the blame should also be placed squarely on the Beeb for their shoddy trailer-making in the first place, but I'm still very disappointed that the seminal, climactic surprise of the entire season of Doctor Who was spoiled for me by people who weren't careful enough in how they wrote their reviews. I wish I could have seen this episode without knowing what was coming. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So, 198,095 years into the future and TV is still dominated by 'reality' shows? A tad unbelievable...the only shows still likely to be running then are Coronation Street and Countdown. However, if one is going to play with such topical references then Big Brother, Weakest Link etc are as good as any I suppose. The Big Brother House did, however, look lame - were they finger paintings by contestants on the wall or was that left-over art from Playschool? And the contestants were way too articulate, and over-dressed. Has RTD actually watched BB recently? The female contestants should have been surgically enhanced and falling out of far too skimpy bikinis and the male contestant ought to have been screamingly gay. Actually, it came across as a Blue Peter version of Big Brother....nice young people with finger paintings. Pity the BBC had not hired Jon Tickle to appear - he would have introduced an element of the bizarre. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think I said this for a previous episode of this season of Doctor Who, but I find myself hard pressed to come up with a better word to describe this episode. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Ratings have just shot up. How prophetic. One thing I have found about any script from Russell T Davies is his ability to incorporate pop culture references into his scripts usually with a slight and sometimes unsubtle twist. This includes many Doctor Who references in his Queer as Folk series right bang up to date with the invention of the National Lottery in Casanova. Now he writes for almost 45 minutes purely about other shows.
I have to admit this episode looked like it was going to be a stinker. We were going back to the days of surreal episodes featuring Bertie Bassetts or Flying Knights. It also threatened the return of the celebrity casting ala the previously mentioned Beryl Reid, Liza Goddard, Ken Dodd. But then, I shouldnt have worried. Not only has this series proved versatile in its format, Doctor Who (the classic series for want of a better word) has been doing the same successfully for 26 years (or 42 if you dont actually think it has ever left the air). Look at The Unearthly Child (obviously), Planet of Giants, Inferno, The Deadly Assassin, Vengeance on Varos (so similar, in fact) to name a few. I have watched this episode probably more than any other with the exception of Rose and enjoy it more each time. Even when I first watched it I found it immensely entertaining even though I didnt initially think the format suited. My partner loved it from the off. It features BIG BROTHER which is a bigger love to him than the Doctor. The precredit teaser was brilliant especially with the classic BB phrase coming from Davinadroid. Davina, Ann Robinson, Trinny and Susannah were perfect in their voice acting to bring life to the robot characters. A complaint he did have was that the music was loud and drowned out some of the dialogue. Some of this was intention especially when the Doctor was captured just after Roses death but I have to agree some of the conversation was lost. I also found some of the Dalek voices difficult to understand until repeat viewings. Billie Piper as Rose has (in my humble opinion) won the award for best companion in the whole Who run. She is an accomplished actress and immensely likeable. Her death was genuinely moving. I knew she wasnt really gone and did guess it was some kind of transport device but doubts were soon put into my head when the disintegrator left a pile of ash. Throughout this first season I have warmed to Pipers understated facial acting, from here wide eyed discovery of the Doctors world, through her introduction to Captain Jack, to her lip trembling when she is introduced to the Weakest Link platform. She emotes serious feeling when required usually getting a good slice of an emotional scene in each episode. Piper has handled comic timing to perfection even if she has been given some dreadful puns and has sometimes been used to drive home a piece of exposition a bit too hard. I didnt like her hysterical giggling during the Weakest Link segment. I thought it was quite clear that she was not aware of the terminal nature of the game and was playing it as such without the need to overemphasise this. Otherwise she continues to shine. Chris Eccleston has by now turned into an outstanding Doctor. There was near any doubt about his acting ability in general but there had been some gripes about his performance as the Doctor. Yet now, he IS the Doctor. He has never been so alien before. He enjoys his life yet dotes on Rose. No more apparent than when he watches her die. He turns what could have been a very odd themed episode into a proper adventure that the Doctor would have. Just because Big Brother and The Weakest Link are now pop culture references why should it not mean that its part of the Doctor Who time-line. Nothing special in the support cast apart from Jo Joyner as Lynda with a Y looking like another candidate as a companion. I bet she dies though! John Barrowman again doesnt quite settle in as Captain Jack. Apart from getting naked that is. Its Who-lore (how many new words could I make up?) that theres something for the dads but now we finally get something for the mums and one or two of us guys. No offence to Jamie or Turlough but Jack is top-totty. However I watched Doctor Confidential afterwards and RTD did explain why Jack was there. As The Doctor and Rose are not characters that would not use weapons, the story required (to quote) a soldier. RTD was disappointed, as am I that Jacks butt was filmed but banned by the BBC Hope its on the DVD. He has become quite an entertaining character to watch but I dont feel he has settled in as TARDIS crew. There were enough references to the Daleks being involved during the episode, especially all the droids having skirts, gliding and you could say Trin- E and Zu zannas(?) nodules. Yet far more effective than the spaceship interior and the CGI army was the gentle return of the Dalek spacecraft hum harking right back to their first episode. The episode had more in common with The Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks 12 parter than any other multipart story. Yet although the two episodes are likely to be miles apart in style (I could be proved wrong next week) there are enough clues throughout to tie the two together. I was disappointed the trailer was moved to before the end credits again. Saying that I would still have watched it. Roll on The Finale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor wakes up with amnesia, to discover hes a contestant on a futuristic and deadly game of Big Brother. Fantastic idea. Rose wakes up, also with amnesia, to discover shes playing a futuristic, and just as deadly, game of The Weakest Link. Er
pretty good idea. Jack wakes up to discover hes on a futuristic/deadly What Not To
yawn. Twos company, Russell; threes padding. The first twenty minutes or so of this episode just drag by, and it doesnt get going at all until the Doctor announces hes going to break out. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drivel. After watching Boom Town and thinking nothing could be worse, along came Bad Wolf. Having sat through The Web Planet, Horns Of Nimon and Delta And The Bannermen, Bad Wolf ranks up there as one of the most embarrassing episodes in the series history. Where can one start to explain just how embarrassing this pretence at cleverness is? Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Being a proverbial hater of surprises, I'd read all the spoilers I could regarding this episode. Which is pretty gosh-darned easy when you're a Canadian since we get the stories transmitted to us two weeks after their shown in England. I'd even read the reviews on this page to get some answers I was looking for and was actually disappointed to see how some fans of the series are, once again, being pointless "nigglers" who seem impossible to satisfy. With the diverse reactions I was reading, I once more felt like I did back in the eighties when I was subscribed to three or four fanzines. It seemed to be impossible to get a clear idea on the effectiveness of these stories since there were just such radically different opinions being expressed about them. I knew that, once again, it was all going to boil down to me watching the story and just judging for myself. And, if anything, forgetting the opionions I'd read already on these stories was the smartest thing I could do. Lots of points being made about them were extremely uneducated, at best, anyway! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WHAT AN EPISODE! I wasnt surprised as PREVIOUSLY flashed across the screen as highlights from The Long Game the episode Ive enjoyed the least played. From various sources Id heard this episode would be set in the year 200,000 so it was just a matter of 200,000 + 200,000 = Long Game sequel. However, although I didnt care much for The Long Game it did raise some unanswered questions about the human race being held back, questions that needed to be answered. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wow! That was good. I have a feeling that there will be actual tears when I watch the finale. Christopher Eccleston is just brilliant as the Doctor; the Doctor who doesn't stand around waiting for explanations - a Doctor who just does what he has to. Brilliant. I'm missing him already! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod! My inner eight-year-old is so very happy... Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With interesting concepts and a few odd twists, Parting of the Ways was a rollercoaster- and had it's fair share of ups and downs. With a warming display on the part of Mickey and a rare glimpse of Jackie Tyler's compassionate nature, complete with Captain Jack at his most 'heroic' (for want of a better word), it succesfully tied up the odd loose end. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have really mixed feelings about this episode. The first 10 minutes where really clever and just fantastic! Most of the rest of the episode was great, but then the ending ruined it all. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oh my god....That was possibly the best episode of Doctor Who ever. Any Russel T Davies doubters shurely must be at ease now. This was mind blowing stuff. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When I was growing up in the 70's we used to visit my grandparents every fortnight and we always used to leave at the same time - unless Dr Who was on- I was glued to it ,without fail. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
What a splendid episode. This series didn't grab me from the off, and I watched out of loyalty and nostalgia for the first few episodes. But Father's Day drew me in and by the Finale I was completely in love with this incarnation. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've had a lot of problems with Russell Davies throughout this series. He writes with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, he can't develop characters and plot at the same time, he doesn't bother to develop characters beyond the Doctor and Rose (and even the Doctor is often left to Christopher Eccleston to flesh out), he appears to appreciate the old series primarily as camp. All of these failings and more have corrupted much of his writing on the new Who, turning often promising concepts into disappointing episodes. With "Parting of the Ways," however, I was anticipating something different: how could anyone dissapoint on a massive, (relatively) big budget Dalek invasion? Well, Mr. Davies somehow lowers himself to the occasion. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well it's over for the time being...time was up on Saturday 18th June 2005 for Christopher Eccleston's doctor and what a finale. The BBC had cleverly built up this episode over the past week with a 'Time Is Up In..' countdown, even going as far as having a countdown clock prior to the transmission of the episode and.. BOOM.. we never looked back. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well, I have to say I am a little disappointed. My wife, who has been watching as avidly as myself actually exclaimed "crap!" at the ending of this story. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All I can truly say about The Parting of the Ways is WOW!!! My previously unmovable favourate, Genesis of the Daleks, has finally been toppled! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
With Russell Davies at the helm, the new series has often felt more like fanfiction than television. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when character interaction takes precedence over plot then the feel of 'Doctor Who' has a tendency to sidle out the back door. Worse still, it seems that Davies isn't just a fan of 'Doctor Who' -- many scenes from 'The Parting of the Ways' felt like a thinly disguised tribute to Joss Whedon. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It seems a while ago now since we were promised the trip of a lifetime and an exciting new re-awakening of a much loved tv show which had been off the box for years. The return of Doctor Who was something we have craved for years. I, for one, could not quite understand why it had been taken off air, given that it had plenty of scope and storylines could take place anywhere and in any time. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And so the Parting comes about, and in far more impressive fashion that the slightly lopsided Bad Wolf. Speaking of which, the title should absolutely have been saved for the season finale, where it would have made a lot more sense. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Urgh. What a mess. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have just finished watching the finale of the new Doctor Who season and as a result this review will also contain a review of the season as a whole. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Let the dust settle... literally. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And now to my final rhyme Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A couple of years ago Big Finishs audio adventure Zagreus was, somewhat unjustly, criticised, largely on the basis that it was not being the epic multi Doctor conclusion to a terrific story arc people expected. This was in no small part due to the fact the hype surrounding it had resulted in fans coming up with increasingly grander anticipations of what it would be about. The Parting of the Ways was always going to be one of the most eagerly awaited in Doctor Whos history, and after last weeks ending few fans were not speculating on its content. Given this there was a real danger it could be a disappointment if it did not live up to the adventure people had been writing in their heads over the past week based on speculation, conjecture, internet rumours and wishful thinking. As this adventured turned out to have none the predicted appearances from Davros, the Eighth Doctor, the Watcher or any other of a number of weird suggestions I had heard, I suspect some fans will be disappointed. Personally I thought this was generally a good episode with nice twists and surprises, good action sequences and moving moments. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This fantastic series ended as excitingly as it began - with a flash and a wink of what is yet to come. I have an empty feeling inside me, after seeing Eccleston's last moments. You really were fantastic. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So, as the BBC said just before the episode began, "Times Up!". After thirteen weeks the first new adventures since the TV movie drew to an end. Did we find out the secret behind Bad Wolf? Did Captain Jack make it? Did we find out how the Daleks survived the Time War? Did the Doctor and Rose reveal their feelings for each other? Did the Doctor regenerate? Well, yes all these questions were answered. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So here we have it, the epoch of Christopher Ecclestons Doctor. The final tie up of this very contained season. After thirteen episodes, after a year of production titbits, after nine long years of wait, after sixteen years since the last full series... Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I've been sitting in front of my computer for 15 minutes trying to figure out what to write for this episode. To be honest I was actually very disappointed in it, RTD continues his trend of poor writing. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daleks, people killed, Doctor Who's first gay kiss, more Daleks millions of them all waiting to pounce on earth which has gone Reality TV crazy this episode had it all! 'Parting of the ways' is an enjoyable enough episode which see's the final departure of Christopher Eccleston and the apperance of David Tennant to play the new Doctor. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It has taken me some time to review this final episode of the first series (or is that season?). This could be due to sudden depression setting in that thats no Dr Who until (Christmas excluded) March next year. I prefer to think though that the main reason for not reviewing earlier is that I had a lot of inner turmoil just deciding how to observe it. Should it be a single episode in its own right, part of a two-part story with Bad Wolf or as a season finale? I have had to watch it a number of times before I could be objective. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So here it was. At Last. Episode 13. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for...." ....and how!!!! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It's now two whole days since the screening of this final installment in the Ninth Doctor's all-too-brief tenure, and I'm still feeling a real tearing inside that he has gone. So many moments replay themselves in my mind, pieces of music, great lines, great expressions. And a new Doctor with new teeth.... Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Change, my dear - and it seems just a moment too soon..." Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ok then, no Davros. Fine. I suppose this makes the second (after the infinitely superior Dalek) true Dalek story since Death to the Daleks back in 1974. Not necessarily a bad thing as arguably the continual returning of Davros since his definitive and never quite equalled debut in the outstanding Genesis of the Daleks eventually became a little tedious and overly predictable (though excellently done in the superb Revelation of the Daleks); I often felt it was a mistake to bring him back at all, and this was painfully clear in his first sequal, the shoddily realized Destiny of the Daleks. Anyway, I think I suspected at the end of Bad Wolf, from the next week trailer, that it was either as the media seemed to want us to believe Davros returning as some sort of evolved version, now practically the Emperor of the Daleks first seen in Evil of the Daleks, or just simply the Dalek Emperor without any implication of Davros having evolved into it (which I think would have been a clever evolution of the character: that it had in fact been an evolved Davros who had been inside the Emperor Daleks casing way back in 1967s Evil of the Daleks). Not to be then. Instead we just get the Emperor Dalek with no hint that this is an evolved Davros. What am I wittering on about anyway? Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I am someone who didn't live during the time of the old Doctor Who and therefore know almost nothng about the previous Doctors or even the Daleks for that matter. I have to say I think Russell T Davies and his team of writers have done a fantastic job in resurrecting Dr Who for a whole new generation. The 'Parting of the Ways' was similarly a mostly excellent finale and closing episode for Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. It was kind of saddening to watch Eccleston and Piper's final episode as a duo and it certainly feels as though they have been together for years and not just 13 weeks. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frankly I was disappointed. I've generally enjoyed the series, and my debates with my dad about the merits of this doctor with all of his previous incarnations, but this ending left me feeling strangely unfulfilled. There were just so many points that didn't seem to stack up. I have to admit that some may say I'm not a true who fan as I haven't seen Evil of the Daleks, which other reviewers have referred to, but I have been watching since the Tom Baker days and have watched most of the Pertwee stories, so I think I'm allowed to pass my comments. These comments are: Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Okay - I can't stand it anymore - I need to add my comments to the reviews of this splendid series. The thing that really gets up my nose is the amount of bitching about whether or not it is any good, and the intense analysis it's put through, as though it were a 19 century novel up for a PHd thesis. It winds me up because, like it or not, (and forgive me raising my voice here) DOCTOR WHO IS A KIDS' PROGRMME. It always has been. I guess many of those who are "disappointed" with RTD's vision seem to forget that you first saw it when you were kids and it's grown with you - probably fed by the many books and audio tapes that have been predominantly written for the kid-become-adult audience. What particularly offends me is that so few hard core Who fans seems to appreciate that this new series is giving something absolutely wonderful (and amazing and frightening and MORAL) to a whole new generation of children. RTD understands this, and he also understands that along with the kiddies content, he also needs to throw nods at the adults watching alongside their offspring. So we have Capt Jack's bisexuality, post-modern references scattered all over the place (big bruv, weakest link et al), and I'm convinced that the Eastenders council estate revisits - Rose, Micky and her Mum - are tongue in cheek as well. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hmm
new teeth
.thats weird. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
At the end of the day, its just a TV show right? It sure is and it is not written exlusively for Doctor Who fans.... if it was, the show would not have come back at all - look at the state of the show in it's dying years in the late 1980s, tired old ideas, poor writing and an over reliance on the show's past. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Well, It's been quite a ride. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There's so much I like about Parting of the Ways: the beautiful Dalek FX shots, Jack kissing Rose and the Doctor (and, later, the Doctor and Rose kissing), the Doctor sending Rose on a one-way TARDIS trip to safety, the Anne Droid's final stand against the Daleks, the tow truck of doom, the Doctor's great farewell scene, etc. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Doctor Who season finale. Sounds strange to hear that, doesnt it? It says something about the new format of the show and how much television has changed since Doctor Whos hey day. In the eighties Doctor Who was climaxing seasons with Time-Flight, The Kings Demons and The Twin Dilemma and they were hardly examples of the show going out in a blaze of glory. These days we have season arcs, shorter episodes that are interlinked and if dealt with properly all those links converge in the final episode that makes the whole experience take on a greater meaning and hopefully more rewarding. I think I can confidently say that Doctor can join the ranks of Buffy and DS9 (in my humble opinion) as those shows that know how to structure their seasons and offer the viewer considerable pay off for sticking around. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So the first new season of Doctor Who is now over and viewers are debating if it went with a bang or an even bigger bang. After the cliff-hanger of "Bad Wolf" I was in seventh heaven, feeling like I did as a kid watching Peter Davidson. "Parting of the Ways" had a huge mandate to cover in 45 minutes, wrapping up the Dalek invasion storyline, resurrecting an old enemy, solving the riddle of the Bad Wolf and killing off the latest incarnation of the Doctor. So, for those interested, did it pull it off? Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parting of the Ways was by far the best Who since the Key series back with Tom Baker. The way the story was threaded through the entire series was done quiet well. The plot construction was very much like Babylon 5, but shorter (Thank god, if you came in late you were lost! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
If ever I have truly felt like a geek, it was this past week (sorry, didn't mean to do some cheap rhyming verse there!). The anticipation of this final episode has weighed far more heavilly on my thoughts than it ought to for a grown man of 34! And even though, once again, I had read all the spoilers and knew how the story would resolve, I had to see how it was going to be executed. Had to see if the grand season finale would live up to itself. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
War! The episode opens spectacularly with the Daleks firing some missiles at the TARDIS. With the combined tricks of a force field and a clever materialisation around Rose, one of the best episodes (and I mean ever) of Doctor Who begins. This is certainly one classic that will stand the test of time! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I believe it was Harlan Ellison that once said that it's much easier to criticise a bad film, because there are more things to write about. In which case, this review of Parting of the Ways would be extremely short. This is an episode that will definitely divide fans because it flies in the face of every single convention that's been touted by traditionalist Doctor Who fans since 1963. Russell T. Davies said he wanted to write a space opera in which anything can happen. He has succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Daleks. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The vanquished Daleks behind them and the TARDIS speeding on, Christopher Ecclestones Doctor regenerates into David Tennants, Rose Tyler looks on aghast, and we all count the weeks to The Christmas Invasion. So ends The Parting of the Ways, a parting with Captain Jack Harkness perhaps, but not yet for Rose and the Doctor
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Series end, so excuse me if I get a bit indulgent.... Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The new era of Doctor Who seems in many ways just to have begun. Only 13 weeks ago the 9th Doctor ran onto our screens with his Leather Jacket, his manic grin and his love of the Fantastic. Now the 9th Doctor is all finished on TV, but its hardly an end to this new world. Russell T Davies Doctor Who (it is his, more than anyone else) has amazed us over the last few months and now we have a show that is popular, loved by the media and trendy three things that Doctor Who of the past only rarely achieved. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Now this is more like it. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I wasnt looking forward to these episodes for many reasons; one it would mean the end of the series, once again Saturday TV would return to celebrity wallpapering or Test the nation hamster edition or such like. Secondly it would be the end of Doctor #8 the ever gurning Christopher Eccleston whose rapidly grown on me like head lice on a schoolchild. And three a guest list that sounded just as ghastly as Ken Dodd and the annoying little welsh bloke from please sir in Delta and the Bannermen. .I mean Anne Robinson as a killer robot? The Doctor landing in big brother? Trinny and Susannah doing anything, none of these things should work this should sink the Doctor back into the dark days of the mid 80s but some it did work ,some how it was funny, somehow you cared and by the end of episode 12 you were on the edge of your seat Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is one of those times when I'm not sure where to start. So much happened! I'll go backwards from my usual and tell you I'm giving the story 9 out of 10. This is to say it's about 10 times good and 1 part bad, so 9. I'll save the bad bit for the end. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Can somebody please tell me why the hell it is that so-called professional scriptwriters seem physically incapable of writing coherent scripts? There are many things that can make a script good pacing, action, insightful or entertaining dialogue, deeper questions and thoughts, originality, surprises and many things that can make it bad viz all the opposites of these things. But beyond all of this, there are a few things that a script must have in order to be called a finished script at all. It must, for example, be 45 minutes long in the case of Dr. Who. It must be technically realizeable given its budget. And it must be logically coherent. You can pen the most brilliantly entertaining story in the world, but if it doesnt make sense, its not done. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I have, on the whole, enjoyed the new series of Doctor Who, but Ive come to the conclusion that the weaker episodes are those written by Russell t. Davies. I hoped however that for the two-episode season finale, Davies would pull out all of the stops and write a rousing, epic climax to the series. In one respect he achieved this, as the Doctors most familiar foes make a return appearance en masse, but in other respects the story is deeply flawed. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
When I saw the trailer for Bad Wolf, I was dreading it - Russell T. Davies's flair for unsubtle, smug and crude satire had been rammed down my throat once too often and the prospect of seeing him riffing reality TV was not encouraging. It was nice to see a glimpse of the Daleks, but I was worried that they'd done a Planet Of The Daleks and ruined what could be an otherwise good cliffhanger by showing us the subject of it a week in advance. Fortunately, the season finale of the first series is not half as bad as I feared and does justice to an excellent reinvention of the programme; I may be disillusioned with Davies, but in fairness only two of the thirteen episodes have got a below-average rating from me and that's an impressive hit rate. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Having been rendered a gibbering wreck by the absolute wonder and awesome quality of "Bad Wolf", I have somehow got my brain to function after being absolutely blown away by "Parting of the Ways". Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So, was it all worth it? The answer is a resounding yes. Bad Wolf and the Parting of the Ways represent RTD's epic season finale, his best contribution to the series to date and, minor concerns excepted, a hugely enjoyable piece of television. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hmmm... 200,000 years in the future, and reality TV is still going strong? Humans still haven't evolved into something more advanced? And still wear 20th century clothing? And fight Daleks with bullets? Where are the laser guns? You know, just set it in 2200 or something. That would be a believable yet distant time period. Half your problems are solved. The other half is not so easily dealt with. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bad Wolf and The Parting Of The Ways have a lot to live up to. They have to conclude Series One and lead into Christopher Ecclestons departure, they have to reintroduce the Daleks, they have to wrap up the Bad Wolf plot thread that has been running through the Series, and they have to also be damn enjoyable in their own right. On top of all this too, they have to sustain enjoyment over two separate Episodes, something that I feel has been a bit of a weak link throughout this Series. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It seems like a screechingly bad idea Earth, hundreds of thousands of years in the future, dominated by . . . turn of the 21st Century reality-TV shows? OK, so maybe it doesnt just *seem* like a bad idea. On paper, this story really couldnt be more ludicrous, and from hearing about it beforehand I was frankly dreading it. And while I wouldnt call this two-parter a classic story, or even a great one, ultimately it is a surprisingly watchable one, and considering the mess of a plot were asked to swallow, that is accomplishment enough in itself. The key to the success of this story, apart from the obvious crowd-pleasing plot points, might be Joe Ahearnes straight-faced approach to the material when the Anne Droid is brought out, it isnt presented as a joke (even though the script works hard to make it one), and Ahearnes unwillingness to wink at the audience helps us to believe it (or to try to, anyway, which is always enough in Doctor Who). Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
And so it's over. Not just this current series - a whole era, the Christopher Eccleston era, is over. And boy, what a way to go!! Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Come In, Number Nine, Your Time Is Up
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My problem with Russell T. Davies writing isnt that he goes too far with sex, satire, and humor its that he doesnt go far enough. Bad Wolf / Parting of the Ways is a good case in point. When I first heard about these episodes, I anticipated that Davies would use Doctor Who as a forum for wry commentary on the reality TV phenomenon. But there is no commentary here; theres just the skin of a good idea, wasted. The Doctor goes on Big Brother
only to break a camera and leave. Captain Jack gets a makeover, Rose plays The Weakest Link (surely it wouldve been more exciting if she had to play against the Doctor?), and ultimately it amounts to nothing. Its not a satire because its not reflective in any way; it merely presents these TV programs as they actually are, only with robots. I expected more. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Television | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
However, last month I had the opportunity to attend the Remembrance of the Daleks event, and I absolutely loved it. The chance to watch a great Doctor Who story on the big screen, with a large and enthusiastic audience who love the series just as much as you do, and to hear more from some of the people who made it happen with the interview panel afterwards… I was hooked, and despite having come to these BFI events rather late in the series, was determined to try and get to more of them before the end of the year. I was very fortunate, then, to be able to pick up a couple of returns on the BFI website in the week leading up to the Ninth Doctor event, and went along with a good friend of mine on Saturday to enjoy that Doctor's grand finale, the two-parter Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways. The observant among you will have spotted that this is the Ninth Doctor, but in the eighth month. Presumably due to the availability of guests for the screenings, they’ve got a little out of order now, with the David Tennant event following next month, and Paul McGann finally getting his moment at the beginning of October. At the beginning of this month’s event, compère Justin Johnson announced that both Tennant and McGann will be attending their respective screenings. Probably to nobody’s great surprise, there was no appearance from Christopher Eccleston at this month’s showing, although he did send along a note for Johnson to read out before Bad Wolf. It was short, but definitely sweet, and although Eccleston doesn’t often make any statements or appearances related to his period with Doctor Who, you do sense that he remains proud of his time on the series and the work that he did to help establish its successful return. In his note, Eccleston joked that if Joe Ahearne – who directed the two episodes being screened – were to return for the 100th anniversary special in 2063, he’d take part and bring his stair-lift, providing the Daleks do not bring theirs! You do sense that there was a great bond formed between Ahearne and Eccleston during the five episodes of Doctor Who which they made together. Ahearne, remember, wrote to The Guardian to rebuke those who’d criticised Eccleston for his departure from the show after only one year, and he and Eccleston collaborated on the ITV drama Perfect Parents soon after their work on Doctor Who. Ahearne has rightly won many plaudits from fans down the years for his work on the 2005 series, but has oddly never returned to the show. It does make you wonder whether the fact that Eccleston left has anything to do with his not wanting to come back and do more, but sadly during the question-and-answer session which followed the interview panel, nobody put that one to him – and I wasn’t brave enough to ask him myself! Nonetheless, Ahearne did give many interesting insights, such as his observation that Doctor Who was a pleasure to work on because it was one of the few British television dramas of the time where the camera could help to tell the story, rather than just being pointed at people having conversations in kitchens. And he did dispel the long-standing fan myth about his having been born on November 23rd 1963 – not true, evidently! Representing the actors of the Ninth Doctor’s era was Bruno Langley, who played short-term companion Adam Mitchell in Dalek and The Long Game. I felt a little sorry for Langley, as there wasn’t a great deal for him to say, given the fact that he wasn’t actually in the two episodes being screened. Nonetheless, he came across as likeable enough, and another person proud to have been associated with Doctor Who. Also present as a guest was visual effects supremo Dave Houghton, who was interviewed between the two episodes, and it’s odd to hear someone from that side of things talk about how much more can be done these days – we’re used to hearing those who worked on the classic series day that, but these 2005 episodes themselves are now starting to seem old! There is no question, however, that both the interview panel and the question-and-answer session were dominated by day’s other guest – Phil Collinson, who was the producer of Doctor Who when it returned in 2005. Collinson is, of course, an old-school, dyed-in-the-wool Doctor Who fan, but he was also the sure head and steady hand who made sure that the whole thing didn’t fall to pieces in those early days when nobody had made a series like this in the UK for so very long, schedules were falling behind and elements both inside and outside of the BBC were predicting an embarrassment. It was anything but, of course, as Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways go to show. Collinson was a witty, informative and hugely enthusiastic guest, proud not just of these two episodes, not even just of his era, but of all of Doctor Who. Even after everything that’s been said and written about the show and how it is made, he still had some fascinating new insights, too – such as the fact that the first cut of Rose, the first episode of the new series, came in at a mere 28 minutes, necessitating some frantic additions and reworking! On a technical level, while it was very impressive to see the episodes on a film-sized screen, oddly I thought that they didn’t stand up to it quite as well as Remembrance of the Daleks last month. I don’t know if it’s because I was sitting nearer the front this time, or whether it’s an artefact of the field-pairing process used to ‘filmise’ the video, or simply my imagination, but I thought that the jagged edges you’d expect when 625-line video is blown-up to cinema-screen size were more apparent. Perhaps it was simply the contrast with some of the high definition Matt Smith-era material we’d seen only a few moments before, when we were treated to a sneak preview of a montage from BBC One’s Doctor Who Prom broadcast. On the basis of that, I’d expect An Adventure in Space and Time and whatever 11th Doctor story is chosen to look fabulously lush on their showings here at the BFI. Such quibbles aside, I can only thank the BFI once again for putting on this series of celebrations for Doctor Who’s anniversary, and repeat my recommendation from my Remembrance of the Daleks review that if you have the chance to attend one of these events, you should grab it with both hands. Filters: Series 1/27 Ninth Doctor Screening |