BS: Doctor Who

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: GUEST,Blandiver
Date: 01 Dec 13 - 01:07 PM

The Peter Cushing problem is due to both his films being non-canonical adaptations of existing BBC series. In both films he isn't alien and his actual name is Dr. Who. Whatever the case I reckon both to be very fine films, especially the second one, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD (1966), which not only features Bernard Cribbins in his first Who-related role, but also some of the finest spaceship SFX of pre-CGI era - FX that would give even the brilliant District 9 a run for its reportedly low budget. I even went to see it back in 1982 at a childrens' matinee in Newcastle just so I could bask in its Techni-Color glory on a big screen.

Prefiguring Katy Manning's legendary soft-porn Dalek shots of a decade or so later, Cushings assistent Jill Curzon stripped down to her utility underwear for a publicity shot:

http://weirdflix.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Daleks-InvasionEarth1.jpg

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: DMcG
Date: 01 Dec 13 - 05:06 PM

I think part of the problem is simpler. You can have a photo line-up of the doctors, as in the publicity images for the 50th. Or you can have one of the actors-who-played-doctors. But you can't have both at the same time, since Peter Cushing was another actor for the first doctor. (Including stage doctors makes things even more complicated). And if you want to emphasise the doctor, not the actors, excluding Peter C is the result.

But because of the same effect, I've always felt McGann is over-emphasised, given that nothing came of his incarnation.

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Stringsinger
Date: 01 Dec 13 - 05:54 PM

I was disappointed that in the retrospective series on female companions, Romana was not in attendance. I found that character to be extremely interesting and worthy of comment.

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: akenaton
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 08:20 AM

My claim to fame....classmate and pal of Doctor Who.

I always get asked "and what planet was that on then??"

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 01:21 PM

Watched Adventure in Time & Space last night, a worthy & moving commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Dr Who.

My personal observations continue with a DVD of The Two Doctors in which Colin Baker & Nicola Bryant cross time-lines with Patrick Troughton & Frazer Hines in 3 45 minutes episodes first broadcast in spring 1985 when my hippie idealism didn't allow for TV, so - an unexpected treat.

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 03:35 AM

DMcG:
And if you want to emphasise the doctor, not the actors, excluding Peter C is the result.


Abbreviating peoples names is acceptable if you can do so without causing confusion. I assume you meant Peter Cushing, not Peter Capaldi in that last comment.
The same confusion could be found by referring to "Mr Baker's" time as the Doctor without qualifying whether you mean Tom or Colin.

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 03:53 AM

Dave the Gnome:
Looking forward, or possibly backwards or sidewards, to the Peter Capaldi years. Not sure if he is the twelfth or thirteenth. If it is the latter it could be his last life! Unless of course they come up with some off time based reason why it is not :-)


Something can always be done, and the willingness of Bilie Piper & David Tennant to continue making guest appearances is promissing.
One scenario I came up with is as follows:

The scene opens on an almost deserted beach. Overhead no vapour trails scar an almost perfectly blue sky. A few cumulus clouds float in the distance.

A small group of people approach the camera, as an airship (showing us we are in Universe 2) passes slowly overhead and across the camera's view. The group closes with the camera and resolves itself into Jackie, Pete & Rose Tyler, and, a little further off, skimming stones into the flat calm tide, The Doctor (or at least, the blue-suited mortal version of the Doctor). The Doctor re-joins the group and they head for a pathway up from the beach.

Cut to a view of a pub on the headland, and our group coming from a sandy path towards the pub.
As they approach the pub the camera pans around, taking in the scenery. A remote pub, with a road (almost a farm track) leading away, parked on the small forecourt, and on grass verges around it, a few (posh) 4-wheel drive vehicles, a Mini, two horse boxes, and a number of more rugged Land Rovers.

Our group of characters enter the pub and find that while it looks welcoming, the locals look them over quickly and continue with what they were doing (playing darts, playing dominoes, or chatting at the bar). However the atmosphere seems oppressive (similar to "The Slaughtered Lamb" in "American Werewolf in London"), and all conversation seems to be in Welsh.

Pete approaches the bar and orders the drinks. The barman makes no effort to serve him, saying "Beth chi'n dweud?"

Rose sees his attitude and approaches the bar, in the hope that the barman will react better to a pleasant young female. She repeats Pete's order, word for word. The barman smiles and starts serving the drinks.

Pete puts a banknote on the bar to pay for the round, and turns to Rose "That's amazing. I didn't know you spoke Welsh!"

Rose looks flustered, then thoughtful. She then looks down at the key hanging from her necklace; it is pulsing with a dim light.

Rose turns quickly and rushes from the bar, outside she scans the surrounding area. (much as the camera did earlier). The expected Blue Box isn't there, just the same assortment of cars, and a few horse boxes. But one of the horse boxes has a lock on it which also appears to be pulsing.

Rose approaches the horse box, and, ever impulsive, tries the lock with her key. The door opens and she steps inside. She sees almost exactly what she expects to see, the interior of the TARDIS, but not quite as she remembers it. But that's no problem; she's seen it re-modelled before.

"WHO ARE YOU? HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" A figure rises from a seat in the shadow by the console, but not the one she expected.

(RT)"Are you The Doctor? Don't you know me?"

"WHO ARE YOU? HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" The figure approaches, almost menacingly, and passing through a shaft of light we see that it is no-one we recognise.

(RT)"It's me, Rose, don't you know me?"

"How did you get in here?" notices slightly pulsing key "Is that a TARDIS key? You're not Gallifreyan."

(RT)" Doctor, it's me, Rose, don't you know me? You gave me the key. Or (thoughtful, and speaking more softly) haven't you met me yet?"

The inhabitant of the TARDIS pauses, and considers the conversation so far. "Right, you seem to know me, and you've got a TARDIS key. You also seem to know about the complications of personal timelines introduced by time travel. If you know me, but I don't know you, then that puts you in my future."

…

From here on in the script would become the province of someone with a 'grand design' for a massive inter-universal catastrophe. Whether or not the (blue-suited) Doctor follows Rose into the TARDIS the outcome will not change. Between the available characters it becomes clear that the inhabitant of the TARDIS is not a different incarnation of the Doctor, but his Universe 2 equivalent.
The possibility of this has not previously been considered by the Doctor we have become used to, but because of a threat to both universes, the Doctor from Universe 2 has to contact the Doctor from Universe 1 and both have to work together to overcome the catastrophe. In the course of the tale Universe 1 Doctor & Universe 2 Doctor update one another on their own histories (possibly with a 'mind-meld' which we've seen in recent series). A problem at some point results in their each being in charge of the other's TARDIS, and by the end of the story, when 'the void' has again been sealed we find that the Doctor who we have only just met is stuck on our side of the void with the Blue Box, while the Doctor who was historically in Universe 1 is stuck in Universe 2 with a TARDIS in which the 'chameleon circuit' actually works.(or else he has perished heroically as he is out of regenerations!)

…

The result of all this is that a new actor/actress has been introduced as the Doctor, has got the Blue Box, the memories of 'our' Doctor, and we don't know whether this new Doctor has had any regenerations! This makes us good for several more incarnations of the Doctor.

The scenes on the beach & in the TARDIS could be recorded at almost any time, with a film crew recording it as a dual viewpoint scene. This would mean that Rose (Billie Piper) would not have to be 'in the know' about the identity of the new Doctor. In fact, once filmed, the whole scenario could be saved for some future possible use once a new Doctor is found. (possibly for the end of Peter Capaldi's run)



Nigel Parsons, July 2013

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Will Fly
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 04:57 AM

I'm going to make my own version of "Dr. Who". It'll be called "Dr. Fly". The Tardis, instead of being a police box, will be an army surplus tent from the immediate post-WW2 period and, inside, will open out into a space the size of the London Dome, but with more taste.

My Glamorous Assistants will be the Cheeky Girls, and there will be romps galore through space, time and my garden shed!

The Daleks will be there, of course, armed with futuristic instruments and playing selections from "The Best Of Bellowhead".

Bet you can't wait...

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: akenaton
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 05:06 AM

:0)

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 09:35 AM

It was almost in the bag, Nigel. Sorry but you got trumped by Will :-)

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 09:13 PM

I long for the episode in which a convoluted plot about the Doctor saving the world from killer computer programs ends up with everyone singing "Doctor Who's a Windows cleaner now".

Subject: RE: BS: Doctor Who
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 09:13 PM

I long for the episode in which a convoluted plot about the Doctor saving the world from killer computer programs ends up with everyone singing "Doctor Who's a Windows cleaner now".