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Doctor Who

Slugjc said:
The programme has always been preachy about things. Because let’s be honest it was a programme that was made to educate younger people. To teach them right and wrong. To teach them that you should fight for what you think is right. To show them through History there were evil dictators, that want you to be like them (Daleks and Cybermen.) Most of all, it teaches us that we are all equal, we all unique. Don’t ever let someone tell you there way is better.
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I agree it's always had a message of compassion and imagination. Really the whole premise was built around that positive message. I do think that any entertainment needs something to either agree with /be inspired by or to object to, it shouldnt be indifferent.

But now it's changed to be VERY on-the-nose, with box-ticking attempts at political moments that have crept into the episodes. At the end of one episode last series, the Doctor spends 3 minutes bluntly explaining the evils of capitalism to the viewer after the plot has actually finished and we are left with a ham-fisted political message being shoved down our throats. It's not thought provoking or entertaining like it used to be.

Another episode was a terrible rip off of 1984, most episodes had almost no story unfolding on-screen for viewers to enjoy, so characters stood around shouting 'edgy' political things instead. The Master (my favourite character when I was young) came back to serve no purpose other than to be a pantomime Donald Trump stand-in.

In some ways Doctor Who's old message message for youngsters was to think for yourself and not see narrow mindedly. Now the message is to think the way the show wants you to think, akin to reading a ranty ill-informed post on Facebook. I don't know if its just lazy misjudged writing or deliberate attempt at propaganda.

Also as a gay man myself the 'LGBT' message seemed annoying and shoehorned. We've had some fun gay characters in the past, but they weren't put on a pedestal like this in a phoney and embarassing way.

And I've not even mentioned the terrible waste of Peter Capaldi (great actor) and the scriptwriting which, like Sherlock, has disappeared way up its own bum and mistaken pretentious showing-off as 'clever plot'. I thought it got extremely sentimental and overblown during Matt Smith's time, but now it's gone in an even more bizarre direction and needs to stop.
 
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I hope with a new show runner that it stop the full on in your face social agenda.

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There's always a social agenda.

But the show could be less preachy agreed. t Davis didn't over do the gay characters. Barrowman aside in touchwood. He was toned down but the hint of man on man action was there. Then there was Shakespeare hinting at a dabble in men. Bill was a good companion. But having her and Jodie in the tardis together would make the porn industry happy.

If the show is to still be preachy I hope they have paid Jodie as much as capaldi!!!
 
RTD did the doctor who social agenda in such a way, that is was so natural it felt right.

He wrote strong in your face homosexual character, that fitted the story. Queer as folk, is a brilliant piece to show this. And worked so well.
Then he wrote every day homosexual characters. That did a lot to show they homosexuals are normal people not stereotypes.
We need RTD type of writing back in Doctor who.

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Did the BBC cut all the sex scenes in the last series Torchwood then? Because I wouldn't call what RTD did there a 'hint', unless the Beeb did cut it (I only saw the Starz version which made GoT look tame).

BTW Auntie already said Jodie is getting the same wage.
 
Torchwood was the adult spin off, and had some scenes that where more queer as folk than DW. However that was the brief for it.
 
Pretty much every single Doctor Who episode in the BBC's archive (minus the first story for very pathetic feud problems) is now available on iPlayer for the first time. They've also uploaded all episodes of Class, Doctor Who Confidential and a bunch of other stuff for the 60th anniversary.

Press release: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/doctor-who-the-whoniverse-tales-of-the-tardis

Are there any serials you're looking forward to rewatching?
 
GooseOnTheLoose said:
Pretty much every single Doctor Who episode in the BBC's archive (minus the first story for very pathetic feud problems) is now available on iPlayer for the first time. They've also uploaded all episodes of Class, Doctor Who Confidential and a bunch of other stuff for the 60th anniversary.

Press release: https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/2023/doctor-who-the-whoniverse-tales-of-the-tardis

Are there any serials you're looking forward to rewatching?
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To think of the money I wasted on the DVD's.

Must admit I'm looking forward to be able to see some old who on the player. Looking forward to actually watching 5,6 and 7 Doctors episodes.
 
Slugjc said:
To think of the money I wasted on the DVD's.

Must admit I'm looking forward to be able to see some old who on the player. Looking forward to actually watching 5,6 and 7 Doctors episodes.
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It's a shame that Unearthly Child and the rest can't be seen.
 
Also nice they've included the recent animated reconstructions, I guess that's the closest we'll ever get to seeing the debut of the cybermen.
 
I like the animation stuff. I know some are cheap and clumsy but it's far better than the stills.

We should take time to think of how lucky we are in Doctor who terms. Lots of episodes lost but we still have the audio. How incredible that the 60s generation had the idea of taping the audio and keeping it. We forget in this day and age that once a programme was shown, that was it. We have the audio so the animation can be done.
 
Cool. I'm not a massive Doctor Who nerd, but I always specifically enjoyed the Dalek series. I'm not sure I was ever scared of them, but I just find them hilarious, and at times very stupid - how many times could they have actually exterminated the Doctor quite easily - yet didn't? I have all the original Dalek series on DVD. The later ones I just watched as they were aired. Good that so much of it is up on iPlayer now.

I got the tapes at first, then CDs of the audio of 'The Power of the Daleks' & 'The Evil of the Daleks'. Then got the animated reconstructions, which I thought were pretty well done. Surely an animated 'The Daleks Master Plan' must be in the pipeline. I need to play that audio again sometime. I guess video of all episodes is the holy grail for Dalek fans. Some of the scenes in the few episodes that exist are quite funny, Mavic Chen & the Time Meddling Monk, etc.
 
Slugjc said:
We should take time to think of how lucky we are in Doctor who terms. Lots of episodes lost but we still have the audio. How incredible that the 60s generation had the idea of taping the audio and keeping it. We forget in this day and age that once a programme was shown, that was it. We have the audio so the animation can be done
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It's great that people did capture that audio. It's also incredible to think that back then shows were taped over because tape was so expensive. I guess there is always hope that more audio / video is sat in somebody's loft to be unearthed someday. (sorry for double post, it wouldn't let me delete one)
 
It's great that the BBC have made available (almost) the entire catalogue of Doctor Who free to watch. I know you could get it on Brit Box but you had to pay for that, and no spin offs were included. I did start with the classic series on Brit Box but begrudged the monthly fee for the sake of one show, so I'm glad the classic epsiodes are now on iPlayer, will encourage me to watch them again now.

It's a good time to be a Doctor Who fan.

For anyone interested in 'New Who', Doctor Who returns on 25th November with three 60th anniversary specials (25th November, 2nd & 9th December), with David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning for the three specials.



Then Ncuti Gatwa will make his debut as the 15th Doctor with a Christmas special on Christmas Day (the first Christmas day episode since 2017!).
 
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