Doctor Who (Matt Smith)

[Sundae]

I think you've just seen Rose Tyler
And her Doctor is Christopher Ecclestone. Intense man in a leather jacket?
He's the Ninth Doctor. Ideally I wouldn't tell you that he's not the current Doctor, but this thread and the David Tennant thread immediately give it away.

Dana liked him, I was wary.

The episodes are great fun though, and you will be introduced to characters who continue into the next series. In hindsight I loved Ecclestone's series - he brought the Doctor back with a real bang. The series is the longest running science fiction show in the world - going back to 1963. Dana and Wolf might tell you otherwise, but I think you'd be crazy to go back any further than you have already (obviously the very earliest are no longer accessible anyway).

And do NOT watch the Peter Cushing films - they are ridiculous. And worse than that, not even considered canon.

Even if you start with Rose (the episode I think you saw) it's a commitment - that was 2005! Personally, I think it's worth it, because there were long breaks between the series, and the majority are well worth watching. Chill out and enjoy weekly.

ETA. The spoilers here are only really spoilers for people about to watch the new series. Weeks or maybe months behind the UK. You'll not read anything that makes sense to you now. Me, personally, in my own personal opinion... I'd start exactly where you're starting and don't worry about how many you have to go. There are story arcs and stand alone episodes and you can join at any point. So start at the start of a season.

And you have some real treats ahead of you if you start with the Ninth Doctor. Personally speaking.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by Sundae

I think you've just seen Rose Tyler
And her Doctor is Christopher Ecclestone. Intense man in a leather jacket?
He's the Ninth Doctor. Ideally I wouldn't tell you that he's not the current Doctor, but this thread and the David Tennant thread immediately give it away.

Dana liked him, I was wary.

The episodes are great fun though, and you will be introduced to characters who continue into the next series. In hindsight I loved Ecclestone's series - he brought the Doctor back with a real bang. The series is the longest running science fiction show in the world - going back to 1963. Dana and Wolf might tell you otherwise, but I think you'd be crazy to go back any further than you have already (obviously the very earliest are no longer accessible anyway).

And do NOT watch the Peter Cushing films - they are ridiculous. And worse than that, not even considered canon.

Even if you start with Rose (the episode I think you saw) it's a commitment - that was 2005! Personally, I think it's worth it, because there were long breaks between the series, and the majority are well worth watching. Chill out and enjoy weekly.

ETA. The spoilers here are only really spoilers for people about to watch the new series. Weeks or maybe months behind the UK. You'll not read anything that makes sense to you now. Me, personally, in my own personal opinion... I'd start exactly where you're starting and don't worry about how many you have to go. There are story arcs and stand alone episodes and you can join at any point. So start at the start of a season.

And you have some real treats ahead of you if you start with the Ninth Doctor. Personally speaking.

*smiles*

Actually, the very, very earliest are available. The very first serial was 'An Unearthly Child' with William Hartnell as a strange Edwardian style figure, not entirely trustworthy and not exactly warm. Travelling with him was his granddaughter, Susan.

They'd parked the Tardis in an old junkyard, and the very first thing we see are the gates to Potter's Yard and a policeman walking the beat.

I watched it about two years ago and really enjoyed it. Very different show back then. And a very different character.

I think there's one more complete serial and a few half extant serials. Plus a few odd episodes, a single part of a serial sometimes survived.



@ V: Sounds like you watched 'Rose', which reintroduced the Doctor to TV. Just keep watching from there :p Hell of a journey, but not that much of a commitment when you consider the length of each season. With only 12-13 episodes a season and a Christmas special each year, plus one year where there was no season just four specials, the entire back catalogue of nu-Who equates to an average box set of most American series.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by DanaC

... not that much of a commitment when you consider the length of each season. With only 12-13 episodes a season and a Christmas special each year, plus one year where there was no season just four specials, the entire back catalogue of nu-Who equates to an average box set of most American series.

I see anything I can't catch up with over a weekend as a commitment, especially as I get burnout if I watch more than three episodes of something back to back. Even something I love like Torchwood or Queer as Folk.

I know YMMV

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by BigV

I've lightly skimmed this thread alert to the repeated occurrences of the word "spoiler"... We just watched the first episode of some Doctor Who series, though I don't know which era(?). It has a lot of pink in the beginning, a cute blond gal is attacked by mannequins, etc etc. no spoiler there. It was very entertaining! I'd welcome some more discussion but want no spoilers, please.

Yes, it sounds like you watched the first episode of the modern run of the series, with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor (short buzzed hair, leather jacket.) As an American fan who has watched all of the modern episodes (Doctors Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, and Matt Smith, in that order,) I will tell you that Eccleston was my least favorite doctor... so it gets even better from here on out! Keep up with the episodes, you won't be disappointed. I had more typed out, but I'm not sure how non-spoilery you want me to keep it, so I'll refrain for now.

[DanaC]

lol

I on the other hand will quite happily obsess on something enough to munch through the entire back catalogue of a major sci-fi franchise in a matter of days, weeks or months. I think it took me about three or four months to watch all the Stargates...starting at the first episode of SG1, going right through the ten years' worth of that show, plus the five seasons of SG: Atlantis, two seasons of SGU, and two SG1 films. That's about 350 episodes plus two feature lengths.


About 50 of those episodes I watched more than once. Mum and I watched the first two seasons of SG1 together during that same few months.

*grins*

But then I was desparately avoiding working on my MA at the time :P

[DanaC]

Check out this awesome (amd I mean awesome, my jaw's on the floor) set of videos, by a young violinist, doing his rendition of three of Murray Gold's Doctor Who tracks:



The Doctor Who Theme (11thDoc):

I am the Doctor (11th Doctor's theme):

Vale Decem (Farewell to the Tenth): .

[Sperlock]

A capella version (with amusing lyrics)

http://youtu.be/l2rfTR1PJkk

[Sundae]

Dani, I hope you remember I am terrible with ALL faces, and not just racist...
But it took me a second viewing to realise they were all him.
To me, if you change your hairstyle and clothes then you are a stranger!

Sperlock, that was cute.
I couldn't watch it though.
I scrolled down and enjoyed the sound.
Loved the JB reference.

So what "Doctor Who" happened in my life today?
Turns out Mrs M doesn't use the sand-timers we did in Reception.
Oh no.
She plays the Doctor Who theme tune.
Everyone needs to be changed for PE by the time the theme finishes.

WOW!

It certainly inspired Alex (real name, because there are at least two in every class).
In Reception he vied with Ak & Al for being last every changing session.
He wasn't first today, but he was ready exactly as the music ended.

The Doctor has powers Moffat hasn't even explored yet.
Or Murray Gold does.

[Sundae]

I cried until I had puffy eyes tonight.
I felt like I'd read a Kate Atkinson novel (excellent writer, she just hits nerves).

I could set myself off now if I thought it through again.

Anyway.
Shake head and blink.
Looks like the scariest episode is yet to come!

[DanaC]

Yeah. That was a lovely one.

[Clodfobble]

I'm so upset. Our DVR recorded the wrong channel (it's an occasional bug with our machine) for both "Let's Kill Hitler" and "Night Terrors." We were behind on watching the episodes, so we didn't notice it right away. Now all we can do is hope they get re-broadcast sometime soon. The series is just on pause for us until then. Gah!


Edit: Oh! OH! I was inspired to go check the schedule again and see when we might get our missing episodes replayed... and we just got them in the wee hours this morning! And that means we can catch up this evening and still be on schedule for the newest (American broadcast) episode tonight. Yay!

[Clodfobble]

[slightly off-topic]

And can I just say, for the record, that I think it's utterly retarded that BBC America shows all these American movies all the time, with the apparent criteria that they each have a single UK actor in them? Hunt for Red October... The Shining... Superman 2 fer Chrissakes! There have got to be at least a handful of worthy British movies they could show. Hell, they could just show Trainspotting every night, I bet it would still get them better ratings than Superman 2.

[now back to your regularly scheduled Who discussions]

[elSicomoro]

Michelle and I finally watched all the newer Doctor Who seasons and were ready to watch along with everyone else when Let's Kill Hitler came on 2 weeks ago.

Then we discovered that we don't get BBC America through Xfinity...FUCK!!!

So I bought it from iTunes and we get it 8 hours after it's shown on TV. But as of Monday, we'll have AT&T U-Verse, and we WILL have BBC America on our level of channels. So now we can watch along with everyone else...

It's the little things.

[elSicomoro]

The new episode was pretty good...quite enjoyable. This season has been a real mindfuck so far.

[Happy Monkey]

It seems to me that Amy and Rory would be more interested in finding their baby while she's still a baby than in visiting the second best tourist spot in the universe.

Or have they given up on raising her now that they've met her?

But, outside of the placement of the episode in the overall plot, it was a very good one.