Watched My First Classic Who

[Blamo]

Personally speaking I'd choose these actresses who have a Romana feel about them:-
Anna Friel
Katie McGrath - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2692146/
Gemma Arterton - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2605345/
Alexandra Moen (though that may take some explaining if she was also cast as Romana) - played the Masters wife
I would also add Carey Mulligan who played Sally Sparrow.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

*Suddenly alert*

Did someone say Kate Winslet? Huh? Did they? Huh?

ITL, quite obviously fancies The Winslet.

I never did, until Extras. And no, it wasn't the Nun's outfit. It was just the personality and attitude. (I know she wasn't really playing herself)

 

[Starkers]

*Suddenly alert*

Did someone say Kate Winslet? Huh? Did they? Huh?

ITL, quite obviously fancies The Winslet.

all hail the Winslet...

Shame is there was more chance of it happening under RTD than Moffat. Not much of a chance but RTD was responsible for one of Kate's first acting roles. (Dark Season, it's actually very enjoyable)

 

[Rackon]

Isn't "Genesis of the Daleks" considered to be one of the best of the original series? I like it. Though I just recently saw it again and it did seem way too long (but you could say that of ALL the old series).

Not by me.

 

[Tomalak]

Isn't "Genesis of the Daleks" considered to be one of the best of the original series? I like it. Though I just recently saw it again and it did seem way too long (but you could say that of ALL the old series).

Not by me.

I love it. It's not too long, it's just paced differently to how a modern episode would be. I like the steady build-up, it really allows you to see how the societies on Skaro live.

Okay, the stuff with the rocket is basically filler, but the rest is all good stuff.

 

[Captain Pike]

I think it's awesome. It's one of the great stories I recall from my youth that actually still holds up quite well now that I've come back to it after many years. In some ways I appreciate it more now than I did then - the subtle (and at times not so subtle) humour and the subtext of socio-political commentary within the themes and the script resonate more with me now.

 

[The]

claudia black? fuck no.

Wrong.

cate blanchette? only if you want to use the character once. too expensive.

You have no imagination.

toni collette? meh.

And, it seems, you're gay.

Rachel Weisz? same as Cate.

Says who?

Zooey? meh.

See my response about Cate...

I wasn't going to say anything, but since you quoted him ... It's funny that he talks about having an American actress in the part, and then lists five actresses - only one of them being an American.

Well, true. But, I made that list with the intention of trying to keep Romana a Brit, but not be confined by the notion. Those are just the ones I picked a while back. I'm certain if I try, I could come up with some more outlandish picks.

Of ALL of them, I think Zooey is my favorite. She would make a good 6th Doctor-like Romana, but without the rage and arrogance. She'd make a great mind-drifting-crazy-genius Romana...

 

[The]

Yeah... hilarious.

You know OmStar hasn't been the same since they canceled Will & Grace...

 

[OmahaStar]

^ LOL!

 

[The]

 

[CaptMurdock]

I do think while Tom Baker basically became a caricature of himself in his last seasons (and it didn't help that he was given stinker scripts like "The Creature In The Pit") a lot of stories from his era still hold up well:

• The Ark In Space: Doctor Who does Alien, four years early
• Planet of Evil
• The Masque of Mandragora: Nobody does historical costume drama like the Beeb
• The Brain of Morbius: It was on a dark and stormy planet...
• Talons of Weng-Chiang: Sherlock Holmes, anyone?
• Robots of Death: Not only was the design and costuming great, but when asked "I suppose it's just a coincidence you popped up just when there's been a murder...Well?" Baker's delivery of "Oh, sorry, I thought it was a rhetorical question -- yes, it's just a coincidence!" makes this one a keeper.
• Image of the Fendahl: DW's entry into almost pure horror. Get that hiding place behind your couch ready.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I do think while Tom Baker basically became a caricature of himself in his last seasons (and it didn't help that he was given stinker scripts like "The Creature In The Pit") a lot of stories from his era still hold up well:

• The Ark In Space: Doctor Who does Alien, four years early
• Planet of Evil
• The Masque of Mandragora: Nobody does historical costume drama like the Beeb
• The Brain of Morbius: It was on a dark and stormy planet...
• Talons of Weng-Chiang: Sherlock Holmes, anyone?
• Robots of Death: Not only was the design and costuming great, but when asked "I suppose it's just a coincidence you popped up just when there's been a murder...Well?" Baker's delivery of "Oh, sorry, I thought it was a rhetorical question -- yes, it's just a coincidence!" makes this one a keeper.
• Image of the Fendahl: DW's entry into almost pure horror. Get that hiding place behind your couch ready.

And many, many others... But all the ones you mentioned are from seasons 12-15, which seems to confirm my little theory.

 

[Cutter John]

Its true. When I think of Tom I like to picture the strong, heroic pre-Romana Doctor rather than the later "I'm not working for anyone. I'm just having fun." version.

Personally, with a few notable exceptions I thought pretty much everything before the infamous 'we have to tone down the violence' memo came down, was a classic.

 

[Guy Gardener]

When did that memo arrive?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

When did that memo arrive?

1977, season 15, at the beginning of the Graham Williams era.

 

[Cutter John]

Yeah. One of Mary Whitehouse's little campaigns. Convinced the BBC that the show was geting too violent for kids, so the powers-that-be sent down a memo to dial it back. Thats when the silliness started to sneak in.

 

[Captain Pike]

Am I the only one who actually likes 'the silliness' ? I mean ok, maybe not as much as Phillip Hinchcliffe's golden era, but to me Creature from the Pit & The Horns of Nimon are classics. Everytime I see them I laugh so hard I nearly cry. I like The Key to Time as a whole, even if at times it may not be the best storytelling. I even get a kick out of The Sun Makers & Underworld. I like my doctor bat-shit-crazy!

About the only ones from the Graham Williams era I am lukewarm on are The Invisible Enemy, The Invasion of Time & The Destiny of the Daleks. I will conceed that on The Invasion of Time especially Tom was given too much freedom.

But basically in every other case, his ad-libs are spot on - he knows the character. He was born to play this part and never had to reach for it. Sure, it's silly, but to me it's in a good way. And when Douglas Adams is also driving the humour there is a kind of fusion of wit and charm in the dialogue that I find very appealing.

For me, JNT's first season, season 18 where they de-humoured the show and tried to make it serious sci-fi are, on the whole, a big let-down. I find it sterile and you can see the actors aren't having anywhere near as much fun. The Leisure Hive I find particularly dire, although State of Decay is a bit of a return to form.

 

[Mr Light]

Invasion to Time and the Key to Time are my all time favorites of the original series.

 

[Cutter John]

Oh I love some silliness in my Who. Thats what makes it fun and charming. But I think they just went too far in season 17 and it started hurting the actual drama of the stories. And lord knows with DW's budget it was hard enough taking the sets and monsters seriously.

I mostly liked JNT's early stories. But you do have a point. He did get a little too carried away in dialing back the humor.

 

[Stevil2001]

I like silliness, too. But Season 17 (aside from City of Death and, to a lesser extent, Nightmare of Eden) is crap silliness. And that's unforgivable.

The level of wit in Season 18 is often underestimated; Logopolis in particular is chock full of great lines: "That's woolly thinking, Doctor." "Ah, but very comforting when worn close to the skin."