Dr Who Christmas 2010.....

worldshown · 26 December, 2010, 09:43:43 AM

I enjoyed it. The story was a lot tighter than other specials, some great lines, got the spirit of the source material without being a direct copy and some ideas "borrowed" from 2000ad. Loved the Christmas Future twist, [spoiler]I was convinced that the Doctor was going to open Abigail's fridge and let her see what Karazan had become[/spoiler].

Anybody else get the other significance of Rory and Amy's costumes? [spoiler](Think Rodney and Cassandra in the "Only Fools and Horses" 2001 Christmas Special).[/spoiler]

Only criticism I have of it is that it lacked spectacle for younger viewers. Yes, the shark drawn sleigh was fun, but surely that was critic-bait.

Zarjazzer · 26 December, 2010, 11:33:19 AM

I must have fallen asleep during a bit of it as sneck lifter ale and variou s o ther bozze was cpoursing through my veins. I couldn't work out why Abigail had one day left to live. After seeing karen Gillan in her policewomans outfit though I couldn't have cared less!

Fun and a nice twsit on a Christmas Carol. Flying sharks controlled by hymns. Bonkers!

JamesC · 26 December, 2010, 12:35:00 PM

Really enjoyed it.
Matt Smith is easily the best of the new Doctors in my opinion and Gambon was absolutely fantastic.

dracula1 · 26 December, 2010, 04:03:46 PM

Jenkins was great in her acting debut,...would make an awesome judge in the new movie.

Noisybast · 26 December, 2010, 05:43:11 PM

Noisybast not think Katherine Jenkins much of an actress, but she make Noisybast feel -hrrn- all warm and tingly in the thrill-receptors...

Colin YNWA · 26 December, 2010, 08:50:48 PM

Well just didn't work for me. Watching it tonight after family stuff yesterday and for the first time in New Who cracked open the internet before the episode has finished.

Still looking forward to the new series trailer.

Greg M. · 26 December, 2010, 09:07:30 PM

I enjoyed it, although maybe not quite as much as I wanted to. (This may in part be 'cos I convinced myself the Yeti would be in it. They weren't.) Certainly a league away from the Russell T era Christmas specials, which were usually some of the weaker examples of his output (and unlike some, I am not remotely anti-Russell). No, this was a clever piece of work: I particularly liked the bit where Smith goes back into Gambon's childhood and appears in the recording Gambon is watching. Having said all that, it felt as if it was missing something... maybe some kind of more actively malevolent threat. (A big hairy threat controlled by the Great Intelligence, probably...)

dracula1 · 26 December, 2010, 10:34:33 PM

SFX were excellent, especially the big ugly shark. Might be time to make a hook jaw movie perhaps.

Mardroid · 26 December, 2010, 10:42:14 PM

I only caught it today (spent much of Christmas day at relatives' house with people making a lot of noise and a kiddie driving his new remote control car against my foot repetitively. Dinner was nice though.) and I had my reservations in learning that it was based partly on A Christmas Carol. Don't get me wrong, I love A Christmas Carol, but it's been done so much it's drifting into the world of cliché.

Anyway, I decided to give it a chance today and....

It was wonderful. The Christmas Carol stuff blends with the story perfectly while making a lovely new story in it's own right. Sure there were heaps of sentimentality... but that proved not to be a bad thing. It was both sweet and heart wrenching in places (often at the same time) and Katherine Jenkins has a sweet sweet voice.

I never did quite see how she got out of the ice box in the first place though. The Doctor on a suspicion she would be of aid? I hope so as that would be a bit too convenient if it were accidental. I'd also have liked them to have used a bit more imagination with their design of the fish. The very fact these exist in an oxygenated atmosphere and can fly around is proof these are an alien life-form, so it would have been nice if they hadn't resembled our own fish species so closely. That's a small criticism in light of the whole episode though.

Probably my favourite Christmas episode.

[spoiler]As for the question as to why The Doctor didn't save her... I'll admit to wondering about that myself. Thinking about it though, it makes sense. If he'd gone back and retroactively cured her (assuming it would have to be retroactive, before her illness became terminal) then the Scrooge character would have gone back to being a miser, and the people on the ship would be doomed. Sure he could have done more time manipulation to get all around that, but I think there's only so far he will mess with causality before things really mess up....[/spoiler]

Mark Taylor · 28 December, 2010, 02:54:15 AM

Quote from: Inev on 25 December, 2010, 08:26:00 PM
Was this freezing people for loans etc not a twoothy tale? Definately rings a bell.

Indeed, you saw it on Judge Dredd first. In fact I think it is quite an early Dredd. IIRC loan sharks take a family member as security against a loan and if the borrower doesn't pay up they sell the body to organ leggers.

nick101 · 28 December, 2010, 12:31:52 PM

Quote from: Mark Taylor on 28 December, 2010, 02:54:15 AM
Quote from: Inev on 25 December, 2010, 08:26:00 PM
Was this freezing people for loans etc not a twoothy tale? Definately rings a bell.

Indeed, you saw it on Judge Dredd first. In fact I think it is quite an early Dredd. IIRC loan sharks take a family member as security against a loan and if the borrower doesn't pay up they sell the body to organ leggers.

I agree, had a look this morning and it's in Case Files 05, Mega-Rackets The Body Sharks.

Seeing Amy Pond in the police uniform certainly brightened up my Christmas

chilipenguin · 28 December, 2010, 07:59:08 PM

Weirdly enough, I received Case Files 05 for Christmas and had just read the bodysharks story shortly before watching DW. Very odd. It is a blatant lift but it was executed well so can't really gripe.

Probably the best of the specials so far. Can't wait till the next series.

daviebond · 30 December, 2010, 06:52:40 AM

Ive got to be honest here...it was the worst Chrimbo episode to date in my book although Gambon was brilliant as usual. Maybe its because I dont like whats his name as the new Dr.

Mardroid · 30 December, 2010, 06:15:03 PM

I watched it for the second time last night (I missed the very start last time) and I still thought it was wonderful.

Leigh S · 30 December, 2010, 09:11:25 PM

I was vaguely disappointed in it, until I caught a bit of the Kylie one, which showed how much of an improvement the Moffatt version is, if only because its lost the Cbeebies lighting, plotting, moralising ("that would make you a monster!") and crucially, central performance.

I find it hard to see what people object to about Matt Smiths Doctor. He seems to be what tennants spectacularly failed to be, with a touch more added awareness of his central uncoolness (whereas Tennants doctor was just constantly begging to be hip, Smiths seems to make a point out of his inability to come close). He's not that far removed from Tennant, just with lowered bluster, better lines and a more endearing humility underpinning the (for my money misjudged) omnipotence.

Or to put it another way, hes not too different from Tennants Doctor, just without the weird Timmy Mallett impression. do people really miss the Malletty stuff from 10?

The main problem i have with this and the preceding series is using time travel to "solve" things - its kind of appropriate here, being a retelling of Christmas Caraol and all, but once you open that can of worms, where do you go from here? Someone break the TARDIS again, and fast!