...NEW DR WHO TONIGHT, 15/04/06, 7.15pm, NEW EARTH...

[Richmond Clements]

I find it disturbing that a five year-old can wear your coat.
How big is he. or how tiny are you?


Heh! I didn't say that it fit him terribly well, just that he wore it.

[Leigh S]

there is a huge tendency in RTDs stuff to write the doctor from the viewpoint of him you get as a viewer - so he is always describing himself and what he stands for or is, as if in the real world (something RTD often spouts he is keen on) anyone woud car. too many, "i am  he doctor and i..." speeches. thats what you get if you read too many comics kiddies!

it was all bit "empty child" lite, trying to emulate that stories emotional core in RTDs usual rushed and illogical way.  That said, watching the confidential, and seeing McCoy that i havent seen in near twenty years reminded me why this is so much better than it could have been.

the show could be great, if Russell just let others do the scripting and plotting, and he did the overall mood and dialogue.

I mean, it doesnt take a genius to sort out a few of the problems - the lift thing and "pass it on" could have been avoided if the Doctor had used the sprinkler system to hit the whole hospital.  Of course, that doesn't explain why the drugs would (instantly!) cure patients suffering from diseases they are presumably still working on cures for... otherwise, whats the point of having them infected with diseases they can already cure?

But as i say, frustrating and fun in equal measure.

[The Monarch]

The bbc3 repeat had optional commentary which my fave part of was this little nugget

David tennants impression of zoe wannamaker was at one point snidely refurred to as a snagglepuss impression by tennant himself

[paulvonscott]

Wheadon's stuff really grates on me, but Firefly for all it's wheadonisms is the better show I'd agree.  Although if I had to choose, I'd choose Doctor Who, because... it's Doctor Who, even though it's influenced by Wheadon.

And though the special effects in Who are good, but not as good as Firefly, you'd expect us to be able to have better scripts.

The only non Doctor Who show I've seen by RTD is Second Coming, where Jesus Christ sacrifices himself on some poisoned spag bol.  The whole show builds to a climax and you realise he has nothing to say (except what the doctor, sorry - Jesus, just comes out and tells you what the two hours of TV have been about) and tghe show cops out at the end.  Presumably all of his shows can't have been like this or he wouldn't be where he is?

I reckon with the moons and wolves, we're going to get to the end and RTD goes 'double bluff, it's bad wolf AGAIN!  Weren't execting that now were you!?"

Anyway, I'm moaning for the sake of it, I'm never that fussed at the end of the show. The show where I'd be less forgiving is Torchwood, it's for adults and I think my expectations should be high for such a show, but we've had a lot of BBC ventures into this territory and I can't help but feel the 15 year embargo on SF has left us all a bit clueless.

[Quirkafleeg]

Listened to a interview with RTD the other day and he came over as a bit of an arrogant dick to be honest... bleating on that Dr Who won't win any BAFTAS because the powers that be are against it...

Still fingers crossed for the next one... The new tarisode (god I so hate that word) wets the anticipation (plus the long long trailer for the rest of the series - like Sarah Jane and Rose having a 'I've seen more monsters that you competition'). Obligatory grump: too much trailering/spoilerage kind of ruins the episodes a bit.

[petemaskreplica]

Of course he's an arrogant dick - he works in television! ;p

RTD's scripts do seem to have this air of someone having lots of very exciting ideas for stuff that would look great on telly, and bunging in any old plot device to string them together, rather than having the discipline to edit out those really cool ideas that don't actually serve the tale. Given this, and his tendency to ladle on the sentiment, may I suggest that this type of script henceforth be referred to as Egg McGuffin?

[paulvonscott]

Yes, retardisodes and the trailer which seems be longer than the series - both could give me an episode of grumpy old men all to myself, mind you, I couldn't not watch em :p

I'm not very worried about the series, I suspect it's going to follow the same path as the first.  Frst episode a bit pants, second episode better, third a cracker and then we're more or less on target.

[Floyd-the-k]

this new new who sounds very good; cat people, nuns, Rose, the tardis, a doctor who looks like he's twelve years old.....I can't wait!

but I'll have to wait anyway, because I'm in Australia. dang.

[Tex Hex]

New-Earth = Earth with (gasp!) hover cars!

Shyea! I suppose in 5 billion years time there'll be robots that can walk up stairs too!

Unlikely!

-hex

[Buddy]

Never worry Quirkafleeg.

I did indeed watch it.

Very disapointing.

Tennent was good but everything else was poor.

Change the writer, get rid of Rose, change the programme format. Get back to multi parter stories.

The old Jon Pertwee episodes bbc3 showed the other week really showed up this effort.

Well, things can only improve.

6/10

[Dudley]

The old Jon Pertwee episodes bbc3 showed the other week really showed up this effort.

I saw a couple of them, if we're talking about the ones with the appalling acting, laughable dialogue, endless running around shouting to no good effect, inconsistent characterisation, rampant and reactionary sexism, blatant rip-offs of other and better sci-fi writers and a load deus ex machina devices?

[Buddy]

Exactly!!

They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

[JamesC]

I thought it was OK. I don't really think much to Cassandra as a villain. It seems that RTD is really trying to get his creations to stick as part of Dr Who lore. It seems that the recurring character to episode ratio is pretty high with RTD's characters (Slitheen, Face of Boe, Cassandra, the prime minister woman). I can see why he wanted to have Rose's family in the first series as something for kids to relate to but do we really need to see more of Cassandra in place of creating some more new characters? They could have taken out the Cassandra plot completely and just focussed on the evil cat nurses as villains - to my mind this would have made for a more interesting episode.

[Adrian Bamforth]

"I don't really think much to Cassandra as a villain. It seems that RTD is really trying to get his creations to stick as part of Dr Who lore."

Let's face it - no pun intended...Cassandra is really a fleeting cosmetic surgery gag, not really a character with any presence or menace (I mean, she's stuck on a frame), and not really funny the second time.

ADE

[JamesC]

Yep. I agree. It wouldn't surprise me if 99% of RTD's motivation for having Cassandra return was to have that 'talking out of your arse' line.