Doctor Who from the start (by a n00b)

Discussion in 'Doctor Who' started by Start Wreck, Jan 25, 2013.

  1. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 4, 2005
    About six months ago, I started watching Doctor Who from the beginning. Now, as I plan to continue to watch these until the very end, I decided to start a blog and write a few comments about each serial as I go. Things I liked, things I didn't like. Nothing in-depth, just passing thoughts and opinions.

    Since I have never seen any of these before, I figure my "fresh eyes" perspective might be of interest to some. If not, it's a nice record for me. :)

    The blog is here:
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/

    Please bear with me while I upload (and back-date) articles. I'll be up to date in a few days hopefully.

    Any suggestions and comments welcome. No spoilers, please. :)
     
  2. Iamnotspock

    Iamnotspock Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Location:
    Bristol, England
    I've recently started a re-watch (as I'm sure many fans are at the moment), and I've found a new appreciation for Hartnell. The line fluffs grate occasionally but for the most part I found it quite refreshingly natural for a character on TV (especially an eccentric and forgetful old man) to fluff his words and lose his train of thought the way people actually DO in real life. Even when it's unintentional it ties in with him getting Ian's surname wrong and the like. He was supposed to be doddery and comically forgetful, and I found it amusing to occasionally see the other actors smile in character at some of his fluffs. For me, it added to the character. I'd also contest that "No-one else, even the guest stars, have this problem"; not to the same degree, no, but the show was recorded 'as live', with retakes only being done if everything went completely tits-up, and several of the cast do occasionally fluff lines in those early stories. It's worth noting that the screen medium was very young at this point, and screen acting was far less naturalistic than it is today. :)

    I also feel compelled to point out that Hartnell was not a well man at this time, and that his arteriosclerosis (of which he was suffering the onset) made it harder for him to remember lines and eventually contributed to his premature departure from the show. By all accounts, he would get very frustrated with himself and his inability to perform the role to his own satisfaction, and his resultant irascibility made him somewhat difficult to work with. In a way, while very sad for him (he was a great actor in his day) it gave the show its longevity. If Hartnell had been well enough to continue, the show would have died with him, but the fact that ill health forced him to leave before time necessitated the invention of regeneration...

    Patrick Troughton rightfully receives much praise for his portrayal of the Doctor, and for being the template for who the Doctor is now (he's certainly the most influential on his successors), but I think it's all there in Hartnell's performance too.
     
  3. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Dec 18, 1999
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    Switzerland
    ^^
    And the original Tardis gang is just a perfect ensemble of characters.
     
  4. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    May 4, 2005
    Since Patrick Troughton took over, I've been enjoying these old episodes a lot more. I don't want to be too harsh on William Hartnell, but the show has become immeasurably better since he left. Admittedly, this isn't entirely down to the change in cast - the stories are more interesting too. More sci-fi, less "adventures in history". More monsters, better villains and generally just more fun.

    Anyway, my blog is now up-to-date with where I'm up to. I just watched The Invasion, which I quite enjoyed.
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/2013/01/28/the-invasion/
     
  5. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 4, 2005
    I have now seen all of Patrick Troughton's episodes, ending with The War Games:
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/the-war-games/

    I wrote a summary of the second Doctor and listed some of my favourite episodes. Repeating myself a bit, but:
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/the-second-doctor-summary-best-episodes/

    Now, if you'll excuse me, 1970 awaits. :)
     
  6. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 4, 2005
    Still going strong. I've got as far as the end of season 8 so far. Just watched the (underwhelming) 'The Daemons'.
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/the-daemons/

    Pertwee's Doctor is such a GRUMP! I know you're exiled, Doc, but cheer up!
     
  7. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Switzerland
    The third Doctor is a sanctimonious twat surrounded by idiots.
     
  8. Eliczo

    Eliczo Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    I have enjoyed reading your opinions of the stories, gonna catch up now....
     
  9. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Haha, yes, exactly this!
     
  10. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I find Pertwee is an acquired taste. I wasn't too impressed with him at first, but now I consider him to be my favourite of the classic era Doctors.
     
  11. Start Wreck

    Start Wreck Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    May 4, 2005
    Season 9 ends on a more entertaining note:
    http://doctorwhofromthestart.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/the-time-monster/

    The Time Monster
    :)
     
  12. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Sep 6, 2008
    Location:
    Liverpool, UK
    If you don't mind my asking (I'm a noob to "old-Who" too and wouldn't mind getting acquainted), how does one go about "watching" and rating episodes when they are missing?

    Cheers.
     
  13. Smoked Salmon

    Smoked Salmon Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Apr 12, 2012
    I always found that the beauty of the show was that it's never quite the same each week. That means that as a fan, sometimes casual, sometimes more, for the past 30-35 years I've either moved stories, been indifferent or sometimes hated them. As a result, what I like to do is dip in and dip out of the various years, including nuWho, on and offer. This, for me, gives a fresher approach, allows me to dip into the era or Doctor I fancy at the time and keeps me more interested in the entire run as a whole.
     
  14. Smoked Salmon

    Smoked Salmon Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Many of the deleted episodes remain either as novelisations or the original studio recordings.

    In some cases where there is only one or two shows missing they have been animated using the aforementioned studio recordings. So, in a lot of cases, while the episodes themselves are gone, the stories are still there in some form or another.
     
  15. MikeS

    MikeS Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Liverpool, UK
    ^Thanks for the answer. Amazing that the BBC just binned a load of art. Do you still think there's any chance whatsoever of them turning up somewhere?
     
  16. Smoked Salmon

    Smoked Salmon Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Apr 12, 2012
    Well, two episodes turned up in the past year or two, so there's always a chance. Astime goes on I guess it becomes less likely, but the show was broadcast all other the world and some old recordings do sometimes turn up aborad every so many years.

    So maybe, maybe not. :)
     
  17. The Wormhole

    The Wormhole Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Back in the 1960s there were no reruns, shows aired once and that was it. And in the 1970s there were still no reruns and BBC believed there was no worth to black and white shows now that everyone had a colour TV.
     
  18. diankra

    diankra Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Jun 22, 2005
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    UK
    The track record is that 106 episodes are currently missing, 105 of which might just possibly survive (the other one was never transfered to film, so it's gone).
    2 turned up in 2011.
    1 in 2003.
    1 in 1999.
    4 in 1992.
    4 in 1988.
    20-ish between 1978 and 1987.
    So, the rate is slowing down, as the obvious places to check have been checked, but sometimes things turn up.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2013
  19. DWF

    DWF Admiral Admiral

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    There were reruns actually, in the '70s they'd put a story together movie style and show it and in the break between Tom Baker and Peter Davson they showed what amounted to full season of past Dcotors calling it The Five Faces Of The Doctor.
     
  20. arthur2sheds

    arthur2sheds Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Location:
    Alderley Edge, Cheshire, England
    Doctor Who wasn't the only casualty of the film and tape purges. A large chunk of the BBC archives was destroyed,news programmes, documentaries and lots o classic BBC comedy. It wasn't only black and white shows that were junked either. Lots of late 60's and 70's colour programmes were wiped so that the BBC could reuse the then expensive videotapes.