Doctor Who Season 3 - Episode Previews...

[The Amstor Computer]

Picked up the new Radio Times today & it comes complete with Russell Davies' rundown of all 13 episodes of the new series of Doctor Who. For anyone who's interested - and can bear spoilers - here they are, starting with:

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EPISODE 1
"SMITH AND JONES"
Writer -- Russell T Davies
Guest stars -- Anne Reid, Roy Marsden

"Welcome on board, Martha Jones!" says Russell T Davies. "She's 23, a medical student, and her family's going into meltdown. Dad's run off with his secretary, Mum's boiling with fury, brother Leo's got a six-month old baby, and sister Tish is all ambition, thinking only of her next job. Martha's stuck in the middle, as the peacemaker. Just the sort of woman who needs an escape."

"Before you know it, mysterious storms are sweeping across London, sinister motorcycle couriers are stalking the hospital and Martha finds herself transported to the Moon! That's just the beginning of her troubles, as the alien Judoon arrive in a fleet of mighty spaceships - big, brutal space police! Only one man seems to know what's going on: a patient called John Smith. And he claims he's some sort of Doctor."

"When we first introduced Rose [in 2005], we were introducing a whole new audience to the concepts of Doctor Who at the same time, so sci-fi events invaded her life gradually over the first episode. With Martha, it's the opposite - she's thrown straight in at the deep end, away from Earth, surrounded by aliens and struggling to save the lives of everyone around her. I did think of calling this episode 'Baptism of Fire'!"

EPISODE 2
"THE SHAKESPEARE CODE"
Writer -- Gareth Roberts
Guest stars -- Dean Lennox Kelly

"Martha's baptism continues. With any new companion, it's important to show them the sheer range and breadth of the Doctor's life, so we've taken her back to 1599, when Shakespeare's at the height of his powers, in London's Globe Theatre. But if you're ten years old and the word 'Shakespeare' makes you groan, then rest assured, this isn't just a history lesson. There are witch-like creatures at work, strange deaths - a man drowns on dry land! - some terrible puns and a fearful plot dating back to the dawn of the universe."

"I think this might be our most lavish production yet. We try to film in and around Cardiff, but there aren't many Elizabethan settings around here, so the team had to travel to Warwick, Coventry and to the Globe itself for some magnificent location filming. And many thanks to the Globe for allowing us in - I hope we increase ticket sales!"

EPISODE 3
"GRIDLOCK"
Writer -- Russell T Davies
Guest star -- Ardal O'Hanlon

"Martha's eyes are opened even further, as the Tardis returns to the year five billion, on the planet New Earth, where the Doctor and Rose fought off cat-nurse nuns and zombie patients. It's a bit like the Doctor taking Martha to places where he took his ex - which Martha soon notices! But before long, greedy Pharmacists, hapless kidnappers and terrifying Beasts from Below have thrown her into danger. And all because the Doctor told a lie."

"I love these futuristic, far-off adventures because it's a chance to see every single design department working at full tilt - sets, costume, make-up, prosthetics and CGI, all creating an extraordinary and deadly world. At the heart of which, the Doctor's old friend, the Face of Boe, is waiting with a secret."

EPISODES 5-6
"DALEKS IN MANHATTAN" & "EVOLUTION OF THE DALEKS"
Writer -- Helen Raynor
Guest stars -- Miranda Raison, Hugh Quarshie & Ryan Carnes

"Another baptism of fire - this time for our script editor, Helen Raynor, who's an equally fine writer. Sometimes I give writers a shopping list of elements, and this was the barmiest one yet: 1930s New York, Pig Men, sewers, showgirls and the Empire State Building. Oh, yes, and Daleks too. Make a story out of that!"

"Helen's done a brilliant job, combining the Depression with the Daleks' desperation to survive and adding a good bit of 'The Island of Dr Moreau'. Not to mention 'Frankenstein'! Be prepared to see the Daleks as you've never seen them before."

EPISODE 6
"THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT"
Writer -- Stephen Greenhorn
Guest stars -- Mark Gatiss, Thelma Barlow

"Marvel Comics! That's what I said to Stephen Greenhorn. Give us a good old mad scientist, with an experiment going wrong, and an outrageous supervillain on the loose."

"This episode also marks a return to modern-day Earth and a chance to find out what's been happening to Martha's family in her absence. With every series, we've woven in a small linking theme, which gradually builds to the series climax - series one, we had the mystery of Bad Wolf, and series two saw the creation of Torchwood. This time, pay attention to the enigmatic paymaster of Professor Lazarus as a trap plotted across the whole of time and space begins to close..."

EPISODE 7
"42"
Writer -- Chris Chibnall
Guest star - Michelle Collins

"The 42nd century, a spaceship in a far-flung galaxy, saboteurs at work, crew members possessed, and the terrifying catchphrase 'Burn with me'. To be honest, I love that title as I can't wait to see the Radiot Times billing for this episode: (7/13. 42). Dial that number, you get a free pizza."

EPISODES 8-9
"HUMAN NATURE" & "THE FAMILY OF BLOOD"
Writer -- Paul Cornell
Guest stars -- Jessica Hynes (formerly Stevenson), Harry Lloyd

A very different sort of story - though still with monsters and scares galore! But when you're got David Tennant as your lead actor (call me biased, but The Best Actor in the Land, frankly), then you want to write stories that push the Doctor into completely new territory. And these two episodes take the Time Lord to places he's never been before, all in the haunting setting of a boys' public school in 1913; the winter before the War, with a chill in the air, and mysterious lights in the sky. If ever you thought scarecrows were scary, you ain't seen nothing yet."

EPISODE 10
"BLINK"
Writer -- Steven Moffat
Guest star -- Carey Mulligan

"The King of Terror, that's Mr Moffat. He was the genius behind that gas mask child with his sinister lament of 'Are you my mummy?' and the tick-tock clockwork droids who stalked Madame de Pompadour. But this one!"

"To be honest, Doctor Who rarely scares me, because I've seen all the behind-the-scenes prosthetics and computer trickery, and I've lived with the scripts for months. But when I watch this episode - I'm not kidding - I'm scared to death! Go on, I dare you. Close the curtains. Turn the lights off. Huddle round the TV. Clutch your loved ones. And shiver."

EPISODE 11
"UTOPIA"
Writer -- Russell T Davies
Guest stars -- Derek Jacobi & John Barrowman

"Jack's back! As John Barrowman's Captain Jack Harkness comes storming back on board the Tardis - with an arrival like no companion has had before - it's time for the Tardis's wildest ride yet! It hurtles out of control, taking the crew to the distant planet Malcassairo, where a lonely and patient professor is giving his all to save his people from extinction."

EPISODES 12-13
"THE SOUNDS OF DRUMS" & "LAST OF THE TIME LORDS"
Writer -- Russell T Davies
Guest stars -- John Simm, Tom Ellis & Nichola McAuliffe

"The season finale! And the trap closes, as the Doctor, Martha and Captain Jack find themselves in a desperate fight for survival."

"Who are the Toclafane? What is the power of Archangel? And what terrible secrets are stored at the heart of the Valiant? It's an epic and heartbreaking story, as the Doctor faces his greatest enemy yet. Now, I wonder who that could be..."

[The Amstor Computer]

So, seems pretty certain the Master is returning & a few other potentially interesting episodes in there. Lots of Earth/quasi-Earth stories again, though, and with more Daleks and more cat-people, a feeling that it's treading old ground already.

[Lord Running Clam]

Iâ??m starting to come to the conclusion that Russell T Daviesâ?? is quite possibly obsessed with showing how â??greatâ? all his ideas are by using them repeatedly.

The reuse of various alien effects could be down to not having a big enough budget to start with a completely blank canvas; though I still hold the constant use of modern day London is just plain lazy.

This being said, some of the stories sound like fun and Iâ??m looking forward to seeing it.

[Lord Running Clam]

Sorry forgot to add 'every week' to below sentence. I've added it to below...

The reuse of various alien effects could be down to not having a big enough budget to start with a completely blank canvas every week.

[Buddy]

I'm sorry but his use of the word 'lavish' has catapulted this into the 'just too gay' catagory.

I'll watch what I can of this only for my childhood fondness of Dr. Who but I hope the rumours of RTD leaving Who are true.

He's all 'look at me.. look at me.. I'm doing Dr. Who.. More Daleks... More Daleks' instead of 'right lads, what would make a good story that'll really put the shits up the kids watching... and can we get Perry back for the dads.'

I'll watch it but I suspect I won't enjoy it.

What it really needs is a girl in pink pants!

[Bico]

RTD's constant insistance of pointing out how brilliant every facet of his show is has become stifling for someone other than me, surely?  A little humility here and there, possibly with a side-order of "I know there have been lots of mis-steps and far too much pantomime trappings that straddle the line between 'family entertainment' and 'outright patronising', but we're taking note of the word of mouth on the show and not insulating ourselves from criticism" would be nice - even if it is contrary to all evidence otherwise.
It'd be nice to be lied to, is all - like what Tony Blair did when he said all those millions of people who protested against the invasion of Iraq had a right to be heard, and then went ahead and murdered thousands of Iraqi civilians regardless.  He made the effort to point out that people didn't agree with him, and he has blood on his hands - I think RTD - a man who's merely made a shite tv series - could at least do the same.

I'm not saying RTD is as good as a mass murderer, I'm just saying he isn't as honest as one.

[Leigh S]

Bear, I think it was the same "Aren't we brilliant" schtick that finally snapped my patience with new Who.  I think RTD has done a lot of things right, but a fair few important things were left underdeveloped in too many instances, like, for example the actual plot!

After the first series, I would have been here defending him, arguing that the smugness was just a front, and behind the scenes, they were well aware of what needed doing to improve the show. After all, (what I assumed to be an) Improvised regeneration aside, the series seemed to be finding it's feet a bit.

After the second series wore me down by emphasising the problems seen in the  first series, I can only agree with you.  Of course, the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the show in general means they can afford to stay in the same gear, which I think is a huge shame - to be honest, theres a lot of things I'd forgive about the new series if they could only make the stories actually make stand up to any kind of scrutiny.  

On the strength of Torchwood and Tennant, my initial enthusiasm has gone.  I'll tune in - It's not like a McCoy style car wreck of a show, it's just a flashy car without an engine - I'm all for emotion in the stories, but when there's emotion for its own sake, rather than driven by the plot, it becomes manipulative exercise in "how can we make them cry this week?"

[Dunk!]

From the tiny flashing clips that they've been showing in the trailers I was pretty sure i spotted my old favourites the Sontarans (sp?)

The only Dr Who monsters that still give me the creeps.

So close, but i fear they are something else.http://img10.picsplace.to/16/Judoon-Sontaran.jpg">

[Steve Green]

I think those are the rhino-headed aliens that were glimpsed in one of the trailers.

From the episode description and the other trailers, they sound like the aliens that are in the first episode.

Cheers,

Steve

[petemaskreplica]

For fuck's sake, it's his job to talk the show up! What do you expect him to say? "Here's the new series, it's alright, I suppose, if you've nothing better to do"?

[Dunk!]

Rhino-headed?

Bollocks.

[Leigh S]

True - and its the line I would have taken a while back - you arent going to air your dirty laundry in public - the issue is whether they think there is any dirty laundry - do they believe the hype to a degree its impacting on their judgement in terms of areas they could still improve?

If it was just hype (as I used to think), then go for it - as you say, you arent going to talk down your product.  That said, if you are swept up in that hype (and in many ways who can blame them?) it's to the detriment of the show IMO, and really irritating if you don't share the "nothing could be better" mantra.


Primeval wasnt genius TV, but noone was trying to convince me it was...

[paulvonscott]

I have noticed that in some of the cult TV mags, the backlash has begun about RTD saying the show is brilliant all the time.  

It's fair enough bigging something up, but when what you say doesn't match the reality then you are going to be left with a dissapointed and cynical audience as they come to the conclusion you're either over egging the pudding, or simply deluded.

When I was a kid I don't remember having to be told whether Doctor Who was brilliant or not to enjoy it.

[Mangamax]

"When I was a kid I don't remember having to be told whether Doctor Who was brilliant or not to enjoy it."

Spot on.

Dare you to listen to any of RTD's audio commentaries without either: gnashing teeth,swearing out loud, making balls of fists, throwing the remote at telly, turning off.

Personally, went for the last one and have avoided any interview or feature on him since

[Cthulouis]

I appreciate that he can hardly slag off the episode s in advance, as has been said, it's his job to big them up.

But when you read in the Doctor Who Magazine that he's still claiming that all the second series was absolutely brilliant, even though it's now long gone and all the people reading the mag would have already seen it, then you have to wonder who he thinks he's fooling.