I watched the pilot for the 2005 revival back when it aired on sci-fi and I really didn't think much to keep watching. I've just gone back and watched 'An Unearthely Child' and 'The Cave of Skulls'. I think I'm hooked.
Doctor Who Newbie
- Thread starter Starbreaker
- Start date
Ah sweet! Welcome aboard! Plenty of Tardis veterans here, so if you have a question, just give a shout.
Glad to hear from a new fan who wasn't bored to tears by 'Cave'. If you can make it through that, then you're ready for everything DW can dish out.
Me, I've been a fan since the early eighties, when a friend introduced me to the local DW fan club in Atlanta. Thankfully PBS started showing it locally soon after and it just kind of exploded from there.
Glad to hear from a new fan who wasn't bored to tears by 'Cave'. If you can make it through that, then you're ready for everything DW can dish out.
Me, I've been a fan since the early eighties, when a friend introduced me to the local DW fan club in Atlanta. Thankfully PBS started showing it locally soon after and it just kind of exploded from there.
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Except for Mind Robber.Ah sweet! Welcome aboard! Plenty of Tardis veterans here, so if you have a question, just give a shout.
Glad to hear from a new fan who wasn't bored to tears by 'Cave'. If you can make it through that, then you're ready for everything DW can dish out.
Starbreaker, I'm glad you gave the show a chance. A few things I like to point out for people new to the series ...
1 - When the show started, there was no such thing as a "Time Lord" or regeneration or anything like that. It was a simple show about an old man traveling through time, teaching his granddaughter about Earth's history. The mythology of the show has built up over the last four decades, but at its heart, it's always been about exploring.
2 - There is more than one actor playing the part of the Doctor. If you find you don't care for one particular actor, no one is forcing you to watch the rest of his stuff. Move on to another actor you prefer. To date, there have been 10 main actors playing the part. Somewhere in there, you'll find someone you really enjoy.
3 - You've seen the new series. Well, at least one episode. You've seen CGI and .. well, fx. The classic series had no budget. At all. Any time they needed to make an explosion on screen, the cast and crew went around the neighborhood, looking for spare change in couch cussions. Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but it's pretty close. When you watch, think about the *story* not about the visual special effects. They do try their darndest, but there's only so much money to go around.
If you're curious and want to try some more stories - for free, and legally - visit this site - http://www.blinkbox.com/TV/Series/343/Doctor-Who-The-Classic-Series ... The BBC has allowed to date four stories, two from the first doctor, and two from the second, to be streamed there. It's a British version of Hulu.com.
And finally, don't be afraid to ask questions. If something doesn't make sense (and there's a lot of it that won't), ask. With the exception of Neroon, we're usually a friendly bunch.
Oh, one more thing, sorry. The Cybermen are the most fantastic bad guys ever. That's why the Daleks are trying to take over the world. They know the Cybermen could kick their collective butts.
Welcome, fellow Who newbie! I'm a bit farther in than you, but I got myself through nuWho within the space of a week, so I've still only been a "Whovian" for about a month and a half or so. So it's still all new and sparkly to me, too. 
I commend you for getting through "Unearthly Child"... I still have yet to get myself through it...
Again, welcome! Nice to not be the only newbie around here!
Joy
I commend you for getting through "Unearthly Child"... I still have yet to get myself through it...
Again, welcome! Nice to not be the only newbie around here!
Joy
Welcome aboard!
I have to say I'm a bit surprised that you were hooked by "The Cave of Skulls." Most people (Whovians included) are bored by the serial starting with that episode, but "An Unearthly Child" is definitely a solid introduction. I look forward to reading your thoughts of the show (both classic and new) as you go along.
I have to say I'm a bit surprised that you were hooked by "The Cave of Skulls." Most people (Whovians included) are bored by the serial starting with that episode, but "An Unearthly Child" is definitely a solid introduction. I look forward to reading your thoughts of the show (both classic and new) as you go along.
Indeed, anyone that can make it through the "The Cave of Skulls" is definitely a Whovian. I've been one since I first saw Tom back in the 70s and even I tend to skip right from "An Unearthly Child" to "The Daleks" when re-watching my DVDs.
Welcome to Doctor Who! As a US citizen, I became a fan of the show by watching episodes starring Tom Baker. The episodes were shown late on Saturday evenings on a local PBS station during the early to mid 1990s. I've since purchased many DVDs of older stories, and William Hartnell's Doctor is among my favorites.
This might be the first time someone who was introduced to DW via the new series and didn't like it became hooked on the original. I thought that wasn't allowed!
I agree with the others - you should give the new show a chance, but your appreciation of the new series will be enhanced by watching the original series, so keep those classics coming!
Alex
I agree with the others - you should give the new show a chance, but your appreciation of the new series will be enhanced by watching the original series, so keep those classics coming!
Alex
I'm pretty clueless, but what I lack in knowledge, trivia and insight, I make up for in enthusiasm!
And that's why we all love you.
Welcome to the Whoverse, Starbreaker. Love seeing another American get into Who. You will find Who fans are more than enthusiastically willing to answer any and all questions your may have. Trust me on this. The answers will be thorough, varied, numerous, and quite debatable.
I'm a relative newbie myself, and I have a question of my own:
In "The Five Doctors", what does the Second Doctor mean when he says this to the Brigadier:
What is the Doctor talking about in this instance? Is it because the Doctor and the Brig are meeting 'out of order' in their respective time streams? (The Brig's "normal" Doctor, at this point in his life, would seem to be the Fifth, given the Brig's age and the fact that TFD is nominally a Fifth Doctor episode anyway.)
If this is so, then why are they meeting like this? What is the Second Doctor doing in that time period? And why is he alone?
Also: The Second Doctor had a regeneration forced upon him at the end of "The War Games", yet in TFD - obviously taking place before that, from the Doctor's perspective - the Doctor knows that Jamie and Zoe were returned to their own times and had their memories of him wiped. How could he possibly know that, since for him, it hasn't happened yet?
Ah, yes, the Cybermen are so badass that it's possible to kill them with a handful of gold dust.
In "The Five Doctors", what does the Second Doctor mean when he says this to the Brigadier:
What is the Doctor talking about in this instance? Is it because the Doctor and the Brig are meeting 'out of order' in their respective time streams? (The Brig's "normal" Doctor, at this point in his life, would seem to be the Fifth, given the Brig's age and the fact that TFD is nominally a Fifth Doctor episode anyway.)
If this is so, then why are they meeting like this? What is the Second Doctor doing in that time period? And why is he alone?
Also: The Second Doctor had a regeneration forced upon him at the end of "The War Games", yet in TFD - obviously taking place before that, from the Doctor's perspective - the Doctor knows that Jamie and Zoe were returned to their own times and had their memories of him wiped. How could he possibly know that, since for him, it hasn't happened yet?
Ah, yes, the Cybermen are so badass that it's possible to kill them with a handful of gold dust.
About the Brig and the Doctor in "The Five Doctors"... the Second Doctor was bending the rules of time because, at the time of the second Doctor's visit, the Brigadier had interacted with the third and fourth Doctors. I've no idea why the second Doctor visited the Brigadier.
As for the Doctor knowing about Jamie and Zoe's fates... Season 6B, perhaps?
If you prefer the older stuff, I'd say just stick with the first four incarnations of the Doctor to start with and just get a feel of it. Yeah, there's some winners and duds like all things but I don't know that I'd try to cherry pick yet.
I believe current fan theory is that it has to do with "Season 6b", as FalTorPanstated. Supposedly what we didn't see at the end of War Games was the Second Doctor being offered an extended stay of sentencing. He would work for the Time Lords "spy agencies", going on missions outside the purview of the Gallifreyan High Council. This explains his presence in the Three, Five, and Two Doctors.
But, I've heard other theories, too. It's whatever you need to rationalize the dis-congruity...
I do remember the Season 6B theory. It would explain a lot, such as why the Second Doctor in "The Two Doctors" is so much older, and why Jamie is his only companion in that episode.
Also, I seem to remember a DW comic in which the Doctor, as he is being sent to Earth at the end of "The War Games," breaks free of the Time Lords control and has those adventures on his own ("The Five Doctors" included), without any outside involvement. The Time Lords eventually catch up to him and trigger his regeneration.
Also, I seem to remember a DW comic in which the Doctor, as he is being sent to Earth at the end of "The War Games," breaks free of the Time Lords control and has those adventures on his own ("The Five Doctors" included), without any outside involvement. The Time Lords eventually catch up to him and trigger his regeneration.
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Yup! So good that it was remade as one of the Cushing films. Which I actually like. Don't hit me.
I like both of the Cushing films, so don't worry.
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