NEW DR WHO TONIGHT (26/3/05) WHAT DID YOU THINK...

[astrojoe]

I'm really in two minds about the show. It feels a lot like the Paul McGann special but looks like something CBBC programme makers would come up with if they were told to make a Hollywood blockbuster.

The CGI is really bad...just really bad. It looks like plastic even in the scenes where it wasn't supposed to be plastic! It looked terrible where they'd used blue screen techniques and placed several layers of image on top of one another. A part of me wishes they'd used models - at least that would have been forgiveable.

The humour is terrible. It made me actually THINK I was watching CBBC! Doctor Who's humour should always come from Who's eccentric personality. [Message to Mr. Eccleston: Crazy 3 minute Tom Baker smile isn't eccentric, it's just annoying. Though, other than that, you weren't too bad.]

Continuity errors and bad camera direction made it feel a bit sloppy in places for me.

I'm sorry if I'm being too negative. I really wanted it to be great and for me to be impressed but it just didn't happen.

...until I saw the trailer for episode 2!

[paulvonscott]

Well, I enjoyed it, it was okay.  Laughed a couple of times, sometimes intentionally.

BUT, very unfortunate echoes of the yankee TV movie for me.  The music was terrible, lots of running about, not so much plot, a Tardis which looked fine in the photos but I couldn't really get a grip on it when watching the show.

Some of the special effects were very poor, the wheely bin should maybe have used less CGI and more actual props.  I just kept reminding myself that Flubber always looked like a rubbish movie.  Wayne's son looked very silly as an Auton.  The Nestene Yorkshire pudding mix... I could go on.

Anyway, here's hoping it really gets going with next weeks episode which looked like a lot more fun.

[Lord Running Clam]

I really injoyed it.Both Eccleston and Piper were good and fit into there roles nicely.Eccleston in particularly is looking like he is going to be a great Doctor.
I quite liked the humor and while some of the sfx was abit dodgy,it didn't distract from the show.
I can't wait till next week which is looking to be a belter.
The only thing that distracted me was Graham nortons voice coming over top of the episodes sound at the start.

[The Amstor Computer]

"I watched it with my 11 year old, who thought it fantastic, and my 2 year old, who was scared witless and had to be taken out of the room (bad parent that I am)"

That's nice to hear (the "fantastic" bit, not the "I terrified my child" ;-) ) as I think that it's important that children can be entertained by this.

It's all very well just catering to the older fans, but it's a small audience. They need to appeal to younger viewers & adults who aren't necessarily into Who - if they can build on what they seem to have here (good cast, good writers, nice setup & decent production values) and reach out to all TV viewers, it's possible this might not be just a one-off.

[OldOne]

That was bloody fantastic! Man, felt like I was ten years old again! :)

Trailer for next week looked awesome too!

[DavidXBrunt]

Giggling like a loon, quite frankly. Really, really enjoyed it. A lot. Liked the bit in the shed. Can not wait for next week.

[Shakara]

OKAY: What about this, in one of the crudley drawn 'from the distant past' pictures of the doctor, how about Rose was drawn in there WITH the Doctor!! Ah HA! She's marginally bothered by this

AT THE END OF THE EP: He comes back and says "And it can travel through time and she suddenly goes WIDE-EYED and remembers seeing herself in the picture, she assumes this is fate, as most stupid people believe in this and she leaps into the Tardis

that's a little plot device they shoulda stuck in there

[longmanshort]

Wasn't that in an episode of Star Trek? And Stargate? And Sliders? And ... etc etc etc

[Noisybast]

It was pretty good, wasn't it? There was the small matter of some atrocious CG special effects, and the regrettable wheely-bin/plastic boyfriend sequence, but apart from that - not a bad start. Ecclestone showed promise as the Doctor. Looking forward to the next episode.

[Shakara]

Oh come on, that's a great little thing, and NO it wasn't in Stargate, and a Sliders homage is long overdue

[The Amstor Computer]

Forgot to say:

As first episodes go, this certainly matches up to the first episodes of shows like Buffy or Stargate. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun, exciting & entertaining and showed great promise.

The other thing I was reminded of was Bonnie Greer's comment on Newsnight that this "wouldn't travel". Well, you're right - it wouldn't. It seems squarely aimed at a British audience, and it's all the better for it - as I'm sure anyone who remembers Ultraviolet, or that pants Beeb alien-invasion series with Fred Ward would agree.

[Max Kon]

I missed it. I was in the gym. But the few momments i caught watching their tv I saw Piper looking gormless. I really can't say i'm sorry to have missed it. And i didn't enjoy the few episodes I have seen. Bah Who, what has that doctor done for anyone? He just gets in the way, grumble grumble.

[paulvonscott]

Typical Cuberman response

[Conexus]

Max, why do you have a cyberman icon?

Personally, I liked it

[Quirkafleeg]

I liked Ultra Violet! (The Fred Ward thing was shite though)

Seeing a few minutes of Casualty later I think we got off lightly... it could have been so much more rubbish that it was. Decently acted, a non-stupid plot. OK the cgi was a dodgey - but not that bad...