Tales of the Tardis

[Qonundrum]

Thank God they didn't make Colin wear the damn coat. LOL

I'll defend the coat, even if my reason for liking it is other than JNT's bizarre spoken idea of wanting something "totally tasteless", depending on if he was wanting more than just reflecting the Doctor's shiny new personality versus other ideas.

But I will agree 1000% that the coat, in tandem with the bright yellow trousers, was way too much. And keep in mind I'm one of the few looking at the costume as a representative of another world culture and thinking "Interesting, why, what, and other questions that start with 'W'?" as opposed to "Why is this dumb slop still being made?" as this is sci-fi and it was a radically different genre back then... But it was risky and not "safe". Which probably also explains why the modern show lazily relies on off-the-rack generic stuff that's dated far worse. But Diamanda Hagan has a DW review channel on Youtube and has gone into far more detail and is more accessible to most audiences anyway. From "The Twin Dilemma" review from what I recall...

 

[Christopher]

a new low for the show straying from sci-fi into fairy tale fantasy fluff (along the lines of how the ship takes the Doctor to where the Doctor is needed, et al.)

How is that fantasy? The TARDIS is a sentient artificial intelligence. The frequency with which the Doctor arrives exactly at the peak of a world-shaking crisis would be vanishingly improbable if his travels were random, so it actually makes things immensely more plausible and logical if the sentient A.I. in control of the TARDIS is consciously directing the travels the Doctor believes to be random. Heck, I (and no doubt many others) came to that conclusion decades before Neil Gaiman made it canonical, because it makes things more believable that way. Which is the opposite of straying into fantasy.

Although I'll agree that these framing scenes did have a sense of sentimental mysticism to them, treating the TARDIS as a magic wish-granting box that responds to feelings and nostalgia.

 

[Samurai8472]

From Russell's interview in SFX: "There are bigger plans behind this that we can't talk about yet. Eventually "Tales Of The TARDIS" will begin to make more sense as the series next year unfolds, you will see."

So more than just a bit of nostalgic fun.

I mean when you think about it they do have some big effects. Six and present day Peri and Seven and present day Ace are travelling together again, and Jamie & Zoe get their memories back.

I think Russell is laying the ground work for Doctor Who to enter the multiverse concept

A 7th doctor that didn't regenerate that will eventually meet the 15th doctor for example. Shenanigans like that

 

[Rich Watson]

Although I'll agree that these framing scenes did have a sense of sentimental mysticism to them, treating the TARDIS as a magic wish-granting box that responds to feelings and nostalgia.

I mean, that's what it is.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

The aforementioned YouTube channel has posted the remaining videos although, again, there appears to be some clipping.

Like Deborah Watling before, I loved the tributes to Lis Sladen, Jon Pertwee, and William Hartnell. That said, it is odd considering how the Vicki/Stephen and Jo shorts ended with them reencountering their respective Doctors that the Jamie/Zoe short didn't end the same way.

I'm glad the Clyde short openly acknowledged his feelings for Rani and I hold onto hope that Davies is working on someway to continue their adventures together, whether in their own spin-off...or maybe finally as fulltime companions.

 

[Steve Roby]

Though I'm also still hoping that one of the spinoff series RTD has plans to make is The Rani and Clyde Adventures. The Jo/Clyde material here could conceivably be a setup for something like that.

While it would be nice to see, the fact that Big Finish is doing a Rani Takes on the World series, which was referenced in the BBC's Doctor Who spinoff podcast drama Redacted, would seem to make that unlikely. If RTD had plans he would have had a word with BF before the first Rani set came out earlier this year.

 

[David cgc]

I think Russell is laying the ground work for Doctor Who to enter the multiverse concept

A 7th doctor that didn't regenerate that will eventually meet the 15th doctor for example. Shenanigans like that

I remember thinking that would be an interesting possibility for a multi-Doctor story that wasn't a multi-Doctor story, back during RTD's first term when he had said he was disinclined towards multi-Doctor stories. You could even do some fun stuff, have the older Doctors partnered with newer companions, have "Turn Left"-style flashbacks where we see how they were in a familiar Doctor Who story from after their time, stuff like that.

 

[Samurai8472]

Although based on the past doctor's ages I think only Davison, Baker and McGann can physically do/carry a full "What if..." style episode

McCoy has to walk with a cane nowadays.

 

[Christopher]

Although based on the past doctor's ages I think only Davison, Baker and McGann can physically do/carry a full "What if..." style episode

McCoy has to walk with a cane nowadays.

I'd potentially be interested in seeing them do voices in some original animated stories, except I haven't been that impressed with the production values of any of the animated DW productions I've seen, whether reconstruction or original like Dreamland. Though if the budget is higher now, maybe they could do something better.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I remember thinking that would be an interesting possibility for a multi-Doctor story that wasn't a multi-Doctor story, back during RTD's first term when he had said he was disinclined towards multi-Doctor stories. You could even do some fun stuff, have the older Doctors partnered with newer companions, have "Turn Left"-style flashbacks where we see how they were in a familiar Doctor Who story from after that time, stuff like that.

The 50th anniversary special The Light at the End played with that format with great success (I especially enjoyed The Fourth Doctor and Charley together).

Although based on the past doctor's ages I think only Davison, Baker and McGann can physically do/carry a full "What if..." style episode

McCoy has to walk with a cane nowadays.

Unfortunately, true. Although maybe if there was some way to include The Seventh Doctor in a stationary role, it could work. He is the great chess master so it could be a natural fit for him.

 

[The Lensman]

The First Doctor was a frail old man, Ian was the guy who handled the action. Just go with that. It’s the original formula after all.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

OMG, a theory on what's gonna happen in the specials!

The Fourteenth Doctor is exactly like those old Doctors in these specials are! Meaning, a memory of a past Doctor - and Donna is going to die, but the Doctor will build the Memory TARDIS to keep her alive via the TARDIS!

 

[Christopher]

OMG, a theory on what's gonna happen in the specials!

The Fourteenth Doctor is exactly like those old Doctors in these specials are! Meaning, a memory of a past Doctor - and Donna is going to die, but the Doctor will build the Memory TARDIS to keep her alive via the TARDIS!

I doubt it. They keep stressing in interviews that he's not just a return of the Tenth Doctor, but is a new, distinct Doctor in some way. And if a Memory Doctor counted as a full Doctor warranting their own ordinal number, we'd have to add the other returning Doctors to the list, and then Gatwa wouldn't be the Fifteenth.

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

I doubt it. They keep stressing in interviews that he's not just a return of the Tenth Doctor, but is a new, distinct Doctor in some way. And if a Memory Doctor counted as a full Doctor warranting their own ordinal number, we'd have to add the other returning Doctors to the list, and then Gatwa wouldn't be the Fifteenth.

It was a stream of consciousness thing, but I feel this Memory TARDIS is created after Donna's gone or something.

 

[Rich Watson]

I wonder if the BBC are turning a blind eye to these being on YouTube? It's not like they're hard to find, in fact they're the first videos that come up with a Google search.

 

[Christopher]

I wonder if the BBC are turning a blind eye to these being on YouTube?

Well, technically they are just excerpts. Are we sure they aren't official promotional clips? That YouTube page seems to consist mostly of official promo material.

Incidentally, has anyone seen the full episodes? I'm curious how the classic stories are handled. The articles say they've been edited into single episodes, but does that mean they're condensed, shorter versions, or are they like the "movie"-style releases I saw on PBS in the '80s-'90s, full-length except with the cliffhangers re-edited as continuous scenes?

 

[Rich Watson]

The only things that seem to have been removed are the titles/credits and recaps. Even though the episodes were listed as 90 minutes they run closer to 100.

 

[Christopher]

The only things that seem to have been removed are the titles/credits and recaps. Even though the episodes were listed as 90 minutes they run closer to 100.

Okay, that's good.

Although... Do they omit the original credits entirely, or do they credit the original cast and crew along with the frame-sequence cast and crew in a combined credit sequence? I certainly hope it's the latter.

 

[Steve Roby]

Well, technically they are just excerpts. Are we sure they aren't official promotional clips? That YouTube page seems to consist mostly of official promo material.

That Youtube page, if we're talking about Doctor Whotube, is not official, judging by their attempt at ass-covering in the video descriptions as quoted below. Any official promo clips would be at https://www.youtube.com/@DoctorWho.

All rights to the BBC. Entertainment purposes only. Non-Profit Channel and Fair Use.

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news, reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in the favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended.​

 

[publiusr]

Thank God they didn't make Colin wear the damn coat. LOL

It was returned to Gene Rayburn’s storage unit…