Phil Parker Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 But really no surprise the BBC has been pedaling the same formats for years.....Strictly Come Dancing , Casualty etc etc. Maybe people like predictability. I used to think it was an institution to be defended at all costs, but now I'm thinking is it worth the licence fee . Other formats are taking over and frankly more entertaining The problem with this argument is that the viewing figures suggest SCD etc are very popular. I'm usually in the pub so don't watch them, but unless you want to go down the "they are all idiots and therefore their opinions don't matter" route, you have to live with it. The biggest argument for the BBC is watching TV when you are abroad. The best thing on Australain TV is repeats of the BBC "Bargain Hunt". Best thing on Canadian TV is the weather channel. Both countries have masses of choice and every single bit of it is rubbish. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 Ah. You are under the impression TG wasn't scripted. Talk to anyone involved and the who thing turns out to be as tightly organised as any drama with a bigger special effects budget than any Tom (The best Doctor) Baker series of Who. Apparent to anyone under the realisation Hammond couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, often leave the vehicle on a steep hill engine running in neutral no handbrake...yeh right. 30 involved vehicles in the Patagonia special... C6T. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Legend Posted October 15, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 15, 2018 The problem with this argument is that the viewing figures suggest SCD etc are very popular. I'm usually in the pub so don't watch them, but unless you want to go down the "they are all idiots and therefore their opinions don't matter" route, you have to live with it. The biggest argument for the BBC is watching TV when you are abroad. The best thing on Australain TV is repeats of the BBC "Bargain Hunt". Best thing on Canadian TV is the weather channel. Both countries have masses of choice and every single bit of it is rubbish. But I think you'll find viewer numbers are quite a way down from 10 years ago . If the trend continues surely its hard to justify the Licence fee as more and more people are looking at alternate formats Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube . Of course peoples opinions matter , that's why we need to take into account the decline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) YouTube is turning to . I'll watch links to but the lack of editorial impartiality (not in the copyright sense either) and blatant chase for the advertiser dollar means, for me, it's not a viable alternative. C6T. Actually, the last part is unfair. As a non subscription resource, of course YouTube are within their rights to allow advertising. But the withdrawal of revenue to channels that don't meet YouTube's moving goalpost content "policy" stinks of corporate capitulation. Edited October 15, 2018 by Classsix T Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nedrahn Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 I would say more variable. Heaven Sent was fantastic and very clever. The series got a bit Clara obsessed but was very good. I thought that it became The Clara Show (featuring The Doctor), and suffered because of it. I liked Clara, but (given good scripts) the appeal of the show should come from seeing life through the eyes of an ancient traveller in time and space. The whole Clara thing was like making General Tagge the focus of a story when Darth Vader is in the room. I'm afraid I'm not impressed by the new series. Although it might make me unpopular, I don't approve of gender washing - if you want strong characters of a particular sex then create them, and use imagination rather than lazily piggybacking on an existing character. However, I could be wrong about this, so I gave Jodie Whittaker a shot last week. Afterwards I couldn't see what all the praise was about. I tried again this week, because I could have missed something, and thought that the episode was utter twaddle. The story was poor, the acting was third rate, and characters had no appeal or charisma whatsoever. Bradley Walsh was the only one to show some spark, and even then he disappointed. I won't be bothering next week. I know many will disagree with what is only my personal opinion, and I hope they continue to watch and love Doctor Who, but I'm done until the next regeneration. I can't help but be sad that, given the gender swap was clearly going to happen, they didn't get Olivia Colman or Tilda Swinton. Imagine what an actress of Tilda Swinton's ability would have brought to the role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted October 15, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 15, 2018 But I think you'll find viewer numbers are quite a way down from 10 years ago . If the trend continues surely its hard to justify the Licence fee as more and more people are looking at alternate formats Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube . Of course peoples opinions matter , that's why we need to take into account the decline. My wife watches SCD, the kids and I generally have watched Doctor Who (although last night both of them were doing something else before the mid point of the episode). That is the only BBC we watch. If the BBC was pay for view we'd probably not bother. I don't watch much TV of any sort, my wife watches various satellite channels and the kids watch Amazon Prime and Netflix if they watch TV. Given that I object to the idea of a TV tax to fund a service we almost never watch and would happily forego if it was made pay to view? If it is that great then surely they'll have plenty of viewers willing to subscribe and those viewers won't need to be subsidised by those of us who would happily live without the BBC. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted October 15, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 15, 2018 I thought that it became The Clara Show (featuring The Doctor), and suffered because of it. I liked Clara, but (given good scripts) the appeal of the show should come from seeing life through the eyes of an ancient traveller in time and space. The whole Clara thing was like making General Tagge the focus of a story when Darth Vader is in the room. I'm afraid I'm not impressed by the new series. Although it might make me unpopular, I don't approve of gender washing - if you want strong characters of a particular sex then create them, and use imagination rather than lazily piggybacking on an existing character. However, I could be wrong about this, so I gave Jodie Whittaker a shot last week. Afterwards I couldn't see what all the praise was about. I tried again this week, because I could have missed something, and thought that the episode was utter twaddle. The story was poor, the acting was third rate, and characters had no appeal or charisma whatsoever. Bradley Walsh was the only one to show some spark, and even then he disappointed. I won't be bothering next week. I know many will disagree with what is only my personal opinion, and I hope they continue to watch and love Doctor Who, but I'm done until the next regeneration. I can't help but be sad that, given the gender swap was clearly going to happen, they didn't get Olivia Colman or Tilda Swinton. Imagine what an actress of Tilda Swinton's ability would have brought to the role. The gender thing was done before anyway, but very cleverly with The Master/Missy, she was a very good actress. Chibnall is basically workmanlike, and I have watched since Pertwee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big James Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 (edited) That’s the thing the whole time lords changing gender thing is a very very late edition to the canon. But comparing the series of doctor who to the new series of Star Trek goes to show that you can do wonders. Discovery is clever morally, ambiguous and is willing to take risks. The new series of dr who feels stodgy, boring and very predictable. I’m not gonna bother watching the rest of the series. And I can’t wait for 19th January to get my sci-fi fix when discovery returns Big James Edited October 15, 2018 by Big James Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium pete_mcfarlane Posted October 15, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 15, 2018 You see I'm old enough to remember the Yetis down the London Tube . Can't remember if it was Hartnell or Pertwee, kind of difficult to tell from behind a couch . Now that was frightening . Its an age thing , for a start I'd need a bigger couch to hide behind , but this just didn't do it for me . No air of menace at all and all rather predictable. The Web of Fear, from 1968 with Patrick Troughton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Torper Posted October 16, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 16, 2018 The odd thing is that almost all the "professional" reviewers are saying how great this series of Dr Who is. It just goes to show yet again how out of touch the so-called Critics are with the average viewer, though I suspect that one of the reasons for the glowing reviews is than none want to appear to be non-PC. DT 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold RedgateModels Posted October 16, 2018 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 16, 2018 The thing is, my 13 year old, autistic son who will not watch a "Treehouse of Horror" Simpsons sits and watches the current series without problems. Maybe it is a fact that it's just not as scary as it used to be......... It still feels like a spin off series than the real thing to me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Personally I find the whole thing less traumatic than when Tom Baker turned into Peter Davison... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I am going to go against the flow and say I am really enjoying the new series. I had my reservations but Jodie Whitakker's performance has well and truly banished them. I found the first 2 episodes enjoyable even if not rivetingly original. The show is still introducing us to these new characters and it takes a while to find its feet. The last time we had a full cast change was when Matt Smith took over and his first few stories were hit-and-miss. 11th Hour was good but "Beast Below" and "Victory of the Daleks" were pretty naff. It was only the reappearance of River Song and the Weeping Angels that kick-started that season. I have enjoyed what I have seen so far and I am pretty sure that once they get past the scene setting episodes, things will improve further. I actually think the new series is closer to the old-Who than most of the past 4 Doctors but we'll wait and see if this is maintained. For me the show nailed it early on in the second episode with this exchange. Yaz: "Tell me honestly, are we going to die?" Doctor: "Yes, one day. It comes to us all. But not right now, not if I have anything to do with it!" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 As dr who has always been male to date, isn’t this “ cultural appropriation. “ that the snowflakes go on about..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovex Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I'm enjoying the new doctor. My only issue is that one episode is too short a period to develop a decent storyline. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karhedron Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 I'm enjoying the new doctor. My only issue is that one episode is too short a period to develop a decent storyline. I agree, that has been a problem with the series ever since the reboot. I miss the 4-6 parters of the old series. The odd 2-parter helps a bit, as does the ongoing season arcs but I would really prefer to see some stories given the breathing room to be fully developed. 45 minutes to wrap everything up seems to be the standard format for successful US shows and RTD decided to adopt a proven format. Still, it looks as if the Tooth fairies (Stenza?) are going to be the Big Baddies for this season but what (or Who) is the Timeless Child? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bimble Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 The gender thing was done before anyway, but very cleverly with The Master/Missy, she was a very good actress. Chibnall is basically workmanlike, and I have watched since Pertwee and set up even earlier, in 'The Doctor's Wife' (season 6 - 2011) where it's mentioned that The Corsair always got the same tattoo... whether they were male or female... Think if I've not got anything better to do I'll give the third episode a go... but I'm not going to out of my way to catch up if I do miss it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted October 20, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 20, 2018 (edited) I have just watched the first two episodes on catch up and think:- Jodie Whittaker has all the hallmarks of being a good Dr if she gets decent scripts). For some reason she reminds me of David Tennant when he first took on the role. I like her in the role and she does to my mind do a good job of capturing the kind, ruthless, action loving and slightly mad persona the Dr needs to have. I like what they have done to the theme tune - it sounds much closer to the original one conjured up by Delia Derbyshire all those years ago. The storylines were rather predictable, although to be fair introducing a completely new cast is always difficult as there are only so many ways you can do it - and given its longevity previous introductions have already covered the variations. However Episode 1 was very similar to Matt Smiths first one in the overall theme / plot and I was half expecting Jodie to do a "similar "this planet is under my protection / I'm the Doctor and you should be very afraid of me" routine to the alien at the end. Episode 2 was also very predictable and full of 'be nice to each other and everything will turn out good" undertones reminiscent of a Enid Blyton novel. Having seen that they featured in both the first 2 episodes, I feel like the baddies who use their victims teeth for skin decoration may well be developing into the 'big monster' of this series and expect to see / hear more references to them as it goes on. FAR to much PC / Diversity nonsense being shoved down our throats - particularly in that 'here are the 'stars' you will be seeing in this series' nonsense. Nothing wrong with having lots of non white actors of course, but in episode 1 virtually everybody other than the Dr and Bradly Walsh was BEM, which is not representative of Sheffield as a whole. Agree with those who feel the best potential companion was killed off in episode 1 and the others are all a bit wooden (apart from Bradly Walsh). More widely I think the BBC needs to make up its mind as what Dr who is for or see the thing continue to decline. For a start they need to junk the PC obsession and also focus less on lecturing folk on how to behave in a PC manor. It is supposed to be a Sc-fi show and less moralising in favour of more traditional story lines is needed regardless of who directs it. Personally I want this series to do well so as to demonstrate to all those complainers out there that a ###### not a requirement for time travel, particularly as I think Jodie will do well IF she gets decent scripts. Edited October 20, 2018 by phil-b259 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nedrahn Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 I don't claim in any way to be an expert on Who, but surely the series has always had a slightly moralising element, hasn't it? Think of Tom Baker famously NOT preventing the genesis of the Daleks. If it had been gung ho, rather than pushing a message, he would have blown the future pepper pots to bits, and on with the next adventure. I've registered my disapproval of the sex change and JW's acting, and won't bore by adding much to the subject. However are 'complainers' really objecting to a Time traveller with a whatever (see above)? What about Susan? Did she not have something of the Time Lord about her? Perhaps more to point, what about Romanadvoratrelundar (yes, I did look it up)? Personally, I would object just as much to a male Romana as a female Doctor. It's not about sexism or wanting women to be marginalised. I just believe that an established character should be respected, not twisted this way and that to suit a particular writer or trend. We are told that it's about time a woman had the role, because now girls can identify with the character. But what about boys? Why is it acceptable to say to boys that your gender is irrelevant? As I've said already, strong female roles should created anew. To take an established character and change the sex or race to suit the political correctness of the hour is just lazy writing, a form of thoughtless pandering rather than truly addressing the issues of sexism and racism. For what it's worth, which probably isn't much, if it had been me I would have brought back David Tennant, it being a twist with great writing potential to have the Doctor return to one of his old bodies. I would also have had Romana, portrayed as a Time Lord who is every bit the equal of the Doctor, if not better. There would have been no regular companions (or is that friends or gang now?), just characters who come and go and perhaps come back. The focus would have been on the interplay between the two Time Lords against a solid backdrop of a cohesive plot that hammered each story to its conclusion. There would have been less running and quipping to make up the minutes, and the Doctor would remember that he owns a ship that can travel in Time and Space, so less getting stuck in corridors, buildings, spaceships or whatever as the threat of the week approaches. I would also have the Doctor lose once in a while. Perhaps one of the greatest moments in modern Who was when he had to accept saying goodbye to Rose. More of that, less saving the day with a screwdriver. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted October 21, 2018 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 21, 2018 The premise for this episode was bonkers, a time travelling racist! Made no sense whatsoever Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 The premise for this episode was bonkers, a time travelling racist! Made no sense whatsoever Seems to make sense to me. Inverting the 'Go back in time and kill Hitler' trope. The bit that doesn't quite work is future racists. To misquote Terry Pratchett black and white will live in harmony and gang up on green. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinty3f Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 The premise for this episode was bonkers, a time travelling racist! Made no sense whatsoever If you have already accepted a premis that a box can be bigger on the inside than out, that it can travel in time and space, that it’s owner can regenerate multiple times (as well as changing gender, etc,) then a time travelling racist (or killer robot, or tooth collecting alien or whatever other fantasy is injected into the program) cannot be stretching your credulity much further! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dickerson Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 The premise for this episode was bonkers, a time travelling racist! Made no sense whatsoever A villain who was subtle (I was expecting The Monk), who doesn't like how humanity turns out. The Doctor didn't like his name.I didn't have high hopes for this as there's now so many instances of the TARDIS's crew messing with Earth history that it sometimes seems like we can't do anything by ourselves - except here they "didn't". Where in the past did Krasko end up? And did he lose a letter and rename his new home after himself, and find a way to get around his limiter? Hmmm...Skar... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovex Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 The premise for this episode was bonkers, a time travelling racist! Made no sense whatsoever Less bonkers than the daleks. I seem to recall they are time travelling racists. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bimble Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I do remember Lady Cassandra, from the very second episode of the rebooted series... 5 billion years in the future and very proud at being the last "pure blood" human left... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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