I tried watching “The Three Doctors”....

[Iamnotspock]

The new one is not "the same show." That show folded back in the 20th century. nuWho is an entirely different production, much more expensive and elaborate and successfully directed at a wider audience.

I see what you mean, and there's certainly a case to be made for both points of view. In many ways it isn't the same show, certainly from a production standpoint. If you look at the original 26-year run, though, the Hartnell era and the McCoy era aren't "the same show", despite having a continuous run. There's no uniform style and approach to the original run, so while the series post-2005 is undoubtedly very different in many respects, it's as different from the Tom Baker era as that is from the Troughton era and so forth.

So you have the early Hartnell stories that were initially intended to be partly-educational, the action adventure of the Troughton years, the Quatermass-inspired Earthbound Pertwee years, the Hammer-esque Gothic horror of early Tom Baker into the characteristic Douglas Adams stories of his later era, the hard SF of Davison etc. until you get to the more postmodern slightly Buffy-esque Eccleston/Tennant years and now the new Tim Burton-inspired dark fairytale of the Matt Smith stories.

To me, despite the differences in production techniques, pacing, acting style and so forth, to me it is all the same show as Doctor Who has never been entirely one thing, consistently. The "old show" may have folded back in the 20th century, but it endured for a quarter of it and ended only because it was allowed to stagnate, and it returned in the 21st because certain people at the BBC who had enjoyed it as children when it was at its peak were now of the age where they were in the position to recommission it. They could see that it had a place in the modern televisual landscape, and of course it did; it's the ultimate format for a TV show.

I really like your differentiation of the Doctors and their respective styles/attitudes. Very appreciated and concise.

I'm not sure how I missed Iamnotspock's post the first time around but I have to also concur on his stance on the show. Very introspective.

Totally. I'm going to copy that second paragraph as a guide for the "era's" of Doctor Who. Flawless.

Thanks people!

It makes me smile when some people say that the "new series" (which will itself be 6 years old in a couple of months) is not as good as the "old series". It's a viewpoint that just does not work. The Caves of Androzani may be better than Fear Her, but Blink is surely better than Time Flight?!?

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ I'd also like to endorse your summary of the various Who eras. I wouldn't quite agree with the Tim Burton comparison of the Smith stuff but otherwise it's spot on.

 

[Starkers]

Just to add into the classic vs nu debate...a quote from Gareth Roberts taken from the Brilliant Book of Dr Who.

We think we're a lot more modern and sophisticated now, of course, but in fact there are areas Doctor Who used to go into- violence, horror and regular critisism of religion- which we can't get away with today. It's all fashion!

 

[Iamnotspock]

^ I'd also like to endorse your summary of the various Who eras. I wouldn't quite agree with the Tim Burton comparison of the Smith stuff but otherwise it's spot on.

That's the most tenuous comparison, I agree. It's more just little bits that have reminded me of Burton more than a generalisation.

Just to add into the classic vs nu debate...a quote from Gareth Roberts taken from the Brilliant Book of Dr Who.

We think we're a lot more modern and sophisticated now, of course, but in fact there are areas Doctor Who used to go into- violence, horror and regular critisism of religion- which we can't get away with today. It's all fashion!

That's so true. Part of it I think is that a lot of the violence and horror in the old days frankly wasn't all that convincing - if they'd been able to better achieve certain things from a production standpoint, they probably wouldn't have gotten away with half of it. The fact that the monsters were generally men in rubber suits and the effects were a little unconvincing by today's standards meant that they could get away with making things surprisingly dark and adult, conceptually. The opening sequence of Genesis of the Daleks for example just wouldn't be done today.

 

[FalTorPan]

I loved seeing the chemistry between Troughton and Pertwee, and it was great to see Hartnell's last round as the Doctor, but the story of "The Three Doctors" was not interesting.

 

[Starkers]

^ I'd also like to endorse your summary of the various Who eras. I wouldn't quite agree with the Tim Burton comparison of the Smith stuff but otherwise it's spot on.

That's the most tenuous comparison, I agree. It's more just little bits that have reminded me of Burton more than a generalisation.

Just to add into the classic vs nu debate...a quote from Gareth Roberts taken from the Brilliant Book of Dr Who.

We think we're a lot more modern and sophisticated now, of course, but in fact there are areas Doctor Who used to go into- violence, horror and regular critisism of religion- which we can't get away with today. It's all fashion!

That's so true. Part of it I think is that a lot of the violence and horror in the old days frankly wasn't all that convincing - if they'd been able to better achieve certain things from a production standpoint, they probably wouldn't have gotten away with half of it. The fact that the monsters were generally men in rubber suits and the effects were a little unconvincing by today's standards meant that they could get away with making things surprisingly dark and adult, conceptually. The opening sequence of Genesis of the Daleks for example just wouldn't be done today.

The trouble is that it might not seem convincing by today's standards, but it was convincing by the standards of the time, same with the effects. pacing etc. It was the norm, and often the violence didn't always involve a monster, take Tom being strangled in the Deadly Assassin, or the fate of all those people killed by the Tong in Weng Chiang!

 

[Iamnotspock]

The trouble is that it might not seem convincing by today's standards, but it was convincing by the standards of the time, same with the effects. pacing etc. It was the norm, and often the violence didn't always involve a monster, take Tom being strangled in the Deadly Assassin, or the fate of all those people killed by the Tong in Weng Chiang!

True. I was thinking more about lumbering rubber monsters but you're right, there are some pretty visceral moments in the Baker era in particular. Mary Whitehouse was on a permanent crusade!

 

[Starkers]

Yeah but even some of those behind the camera accept they might have pushed the boundaries a bit.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

For the 1st few years, I referred to the early seasons of the new series as Seasons 27-30. However, I finally realized I had to ditch that when my friends started getting into the new series, friends who would never have the patience to sit through an entire classic story, even one of the brisker Tom Baker ones. So while the 1963-1989 series & the 2005-present series both exist in the same continuity, I consider them different shows because the 2005 series doesn't require the patience of the classic serial format. And while I've grown to love that classic style of pacing, I'll admit that it's very much an acquired taste; never something I'd expose to a noob.

^ I'd also like to endorse your summary of the various Who eras. I wouldn't quite agree with the Tim Burton comparison of the Smith stuff but otherwise it's spot on.

That's the most tenuous comparison, I agree. It's more just little bits that have reminded me of Burton more than a generalisation.

Like what?

I was watching Lust in Space the other day, a temporal commission, a time court was looking for gross exploitive cases of sexism in the media to scrub from time, and after the court explained this to their new expert witness Sophie Aldred, who they had just plucked from time with their time scoop in fear that she might be flustered or confused because it was all a little hard for her to wrap her pretty little head around, Sophie replies "Don't worry, I was in Ghostlight."

Yeah... "Lust in Space" is a pretty stupid, pointless exercise, demonstrating just how bored Doctor Who fans were in the 1990s. However, that line makes it worth it (and the fact that 1990s Sophie Aldred is pretty damn cute!).

 

[Mr Light]

I'm in the middle of watching The Three Doctors right now and the comedy pairing of Pertwee and Troughton is absolutely priceless

 

[Cutter John]

I guess classic Who is like TOS Trek. A lot of newer fans can't get past the lack of shiny, realistic cgi. While those of us who grew up on it don't see the problem.

 

[Starkers]

I guess classic Who is like TOS Trek. A lot of newer fans can't get past the lack of shiny, realistic cgi. While those of us who grew up on it don't see the problem.

Yeah unfortunately true, also a lot of newer fans accustomed to a faster pace possibly get bored because people actually talk to each other for more than 20 seconds at a time

Of course a lot of that talk is needless padding/time wasting, but still, classis stories tend to have more room to breathe than the more modern episodes.

 

[Mr Light]

So I've been watching all the Pertwees in order and I just finished Three Doctors. It's definitely the best one so far. It's just really a set above all his other serials. It just seems so much faster paced and jammed full of goodies, not just the Doctors but everything else as well. Omega is a really great villain and his costume is pretty cool looking.l

 

[fjk61011]

And "The Three Doctors" is great in my view. My favourite scene has to be the Beatles' "I Am The Walrus" bit, with the Second Doctor whipping out the recorder and saying "How does it go?"

It goes something like this if I remember rightly -

Third Doctor: Jo, it's all quite simple - I am he and he is me!

Jo Grant: And we are all together, coo coo cachoo?

Both Doctors: What?

Jo Grant: It's a song by The Beatles.

Second Doctor: Really? How does it go?


That was the Sixties; the Beatles and Doctor Who and Men on the Moon.

They say that your Doctor will always be the one you saw first when you were a child and that, for me, was the First Doctor.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Actually, the third doctors tenure was set somewhat in the future.

The only date actually ever given was Sarah Jane insisting that she came form the year 1980 in the 1976 episodes Pyramids of Death.

But I've seen it referred "noncanon" too often Weeeeell after the fact that the U.N.I.T. days were duringt he 80s... When did the UNIT passes used in battlefield expire.

What the hells is this?

It was Courtney's own belief that the Brigadier had been in a previous marriage to a woman named Fiona, and that he and Doris were having an affair; his first marriage ended due to his work

 

[Anji]

The Three Doctors was made in the spirit of pure fun. It's not meant to be high science fiction.

If you watch it in that respect, you'll get a lot more out of the episode.

The interaction between Pertwee/Troughton and then add Courtney...well, it's classic Who. It doesn't get any better than this.

I've always loved this one. Watch it again and ENJOY it. Don't evaluate it.

 

[The Castellan]

Anyone else but me think that the Fifth Doctor was acting very out of character in Time Crash...I I don't recall him getting angry and impatient like that before.

 

[OmahaStar]

Anyone else but me think that the Fifth Doctor was acting very out of character in Time Crash...I I don't recall him getting angry and impatient like that before.

It happens when you get older. And he did get older. So it kind of fits.

 

[The Castellan]

Anyone else but me think that the Fifth Doctor was acting very out of character in Time Crash...I I don't recall him getting angry and impatient like that before.

It happens when you get older. And he did get older. So it kind of fits.

Not really, in story, he only looked so different, due to being pulled out of his own time stream by that black hole or whatever was causing the problem. I have a feeling that's why #2 looked older for the same reason in The Two Doctors, the Timelords causing it, though.

Also, I am finding myself less cranky as time goes by. "Fortunately, one mellows with age,"the Fifth Doctor's own words.

 

[Starkers]

Anyone else but me think that the Fifth Doctor was acting very out of character in Time Crash...I I don't recall him getting angry and impatient like that before.

Really? He gets pretty angry at the start of Earthshock, and Tegan winds him up no end!