New Doctor Who Series Discussion *Spoilers*

[StarshipClass]

There's more pics here too: Doctor Who: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman embrace in new on-set pictures - Doctor Who News - TV - Digital Spy

"Hey, these pants are just a smidge snug - anything you can do about it?"

 

[Angelus Lupus]

We may all be judging this too quickly, after all, we don't even know how this Doctor's personality is going to present itself. Will he be serious and glum, or fun and playfull? Will that suit the outfit, or serve to add to the quirkiness of the Doctor by being different to what the outfit suggests? Also (assuming Capaldi has a long run) there's time for him to add to/change the outfit. Tennant kept changing ties and shirts, and then got a different suit, Smith radically changed from tweedy Don, to Victorian sulky. Going further back, Pertwee changed clothes all the time. So this could be just the first iteration of 12's look.
I still maintain it's more 'clothes' than 'costume' and I doubt it's going to be many people's first choice for cosplaying, but I'll wait and see. I'm just hoping the new Doctor means fresher story ideas.

 

[Doctor Whom]

Same here moffat's always wanted an older doctor so now that he has one perhaps we can get some better stories

 

[NakedMoleRat]

So, my 14 year old American daughter looks at the picture of the new costume and the first thing she says is... "That looks like the 3rd Doctor's costume!"

How many 14 year old British kids would have made that connection right off the bat?

So proud!

 

[Solo4114]

What we need is a return to McCoy's vest, lol.

YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

Although, of the JNT era, his and Davison's costumes were the least offensive.

With the comparison to Pertwee I wonder if we'll get venusian aikido back?

As for the lack of a Sonic in the pose...maybe he'll do more Venusian aikido.

Excellent theory.

We may all be judging this too quickly, after all, we don't even know how this Doctor's personality is going to present itself. Will he be serious and glum, or fun and playfull? Will that suit the outfit, or serve to add to the quirkiness of the Doctor by being different to what the outfit suggests? Also (assuming Capaldi has a long run) there's time for him to add to/change the outfit. Tennant kept changing ties and shirts, and then got a different suit, Smith radically changed from tweedy Don, to Victorian sulky. Going further back, Pertwee changed clothes all the time. So this could be just the first iteration of 12's look.
I still maintain it's more 'clothes' than 'costume' and I doubt it's going to be many people's first choice for cosplaying, but I'll wait and see. I'm just hoping the new Doctor means fresher story ideas.

I'm not loving the pants, but that's adaptable, and a lot will depend on how they shoot him. A wider cuff would be my choice, though, rather than "skinny pants."

Capaldi, apparently, described him as "pure rebel Timelord," which to my way of thinking, harkens back very much to the 3rd Doctor, who was himself quite the rebel at least in regards to how Gallifrey viewed him.


As for the costume, I'd TOTALLY rock this one, but I don't have the facial features for it.


At any rate, I'm REALLY looking forward to Capaldi's run. I'm delighted that we're moving away from the "young hearthrob" look, towards an older chap.

 

[Angelus Lupus]

So, my 14 year old American daughter looks at the picture of the new costume and the first thing she says is... "That looks like the 3rd Doctor's costume!"

How many 14 year old British kids would have made that connection right off the bat?

So proud!

Come to that, how many 14 year old Americans would? Even amongst 14 year old Whovians (of any nationality) most of them probably only have a passing knowledge that Who existed before 2005.

 

[Solo4114]

In fairness, it's tough for people -- not just kids -- to get into older films in general, let alone older, low budget sci-fi. And let's be honest: Doctor Who pre-2005 was older, low-budget sci-fi.

The thing is, the stories from back then are REALLY cool. The 3rd Doctor stories in particular were especially cool, in my opinion, but a lot of the early Who stories are awesome concepts. The problem lies more in the execution. Wobbly sets, rubber masks, the same old "quarry as an alien planet" gag, cheap effects overall, it makes it hard for folks to get into it so that they can focus on the stories.


I came to Doctor Who in two phases. The first was when I tried renting the Key To Time season arc from Netflix. I got through the first disc and lost interest. The second was after I'd finished the 2005 series and had down time before the start of the 2006 series, at which point, I went back to the William Hartnell era and watched literally EVERYTHING that Netflix had in broadcast order. It was...difficult at times, especially that first story. It's incredibly jarring to go from CGI and fast-paced everything back to 1963. I found it worthwhile to do, but I certainly don't expect everyone to be able to do it.

But hey, that's what makes it all the more impressive that a 14 year old would know the 3rd Doctor from a hole in the ground!

 

[Angelus Lupus]

^Agreed. I made a point of re-watching all the old Who during the run-up to the 50th, and I really found myself enjoying the depth of stories from the first and second Docs. I'm going to have to get hold of the newly re-discovered Troughton stories because he really became a favourite (hard to say what number, but def. Top 5, maybe even Top 3). Watching en masse like that makes it hard to get into Pertwee at first, not helped by Spearhead (so slow to start) and being earth-bound. (But there's always The Master to entertain you until he finally gets off-planet in Peladon)

 

[TimeyWhimyStuff]

Major spoilers here, read at your own risk.

 

[cboath]

^Agreed. I made a point of re-watching all the old Who during the run-up to the 50th, and I really found myself enjoying the depth of stories from the first and second Docs. I'm going to have to get hold of the newly re-discovered Troughton stories because he really became a favourite (hard to say what number, but def. Top 5, maybe even Top 3). Watching en masse like that makes it hard to get into Pertwee at first, not helped by Spearhead (so slow to start) and being earth-bound. (But there's always The Master to entertain you until he finally gets off-planet in Peladon)

Pertwee and the original Master were just gold together. Almost as if they were best friends. To me at least they worked together incredibly well. It's something the following doctors and other incarnations of the master never had. In their defense, though, I don't think they were ever given the chance.

I looked at Dr Who as the history of TV for the most part. It originated in the states in the mid 50's and still had to be a fairly new concept for those making the show. You could see it start off more or less as televised stage acting with elements coming from radio as well.

As noted, there were some really good stories in there as well....and we'll just pretend the OK Corrall doesnt' exist. I think we can all agree on that

 

[Angelus Lupus]

I think The Gunfighters is probably what happens when you're stuck for ideas, it's the late 60's and someone higher up in the BBC suggests that they should try capitalising on the fad for American cowboy shows that, I'm fairly certain ITV (or was it still ITA, then?) were showing.

 

[Solo4114]

The info text on the DVD says that one of the producers wrote that awful awful song, which meant that every time it was played or sung...he got a royalty payment.

I guess the BBC didn't have conflict of interest rules then?

 

[Angelus Lupus]

Either that, or they desperately needed to pad the story out and no-one else wanted to write such a cheesy, over-the-top pastiche of a song?

 

[StarshipClass]

With all the various conversations (http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/gaiman-on-doctor-numbering-56240.htm) on various forums about the number of the doctors now, and their regenerations, I thought this would be of some use to some people. Free free to share it if you want.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee64/ncc1701_photos/DoctorWho-Chart_zps02f44e96.jpg?t=1391200155

 

[Solo4114]

I honestly don't find it all THAT confusing. I think, basically, that Moffat wanted to deal with the 13-limit head-on and knock it aside conclusively. He does so in a typically-Moffaty-convoluted way, but he still manages to have it flow in the end.

I know a lot of people take issue with Moffat, but I honestly think that you can find fault with pretty much any era of Doctor Who.

The early Doctor eras had real issues with budget constraints making the stories look cheap (probably even by standards of the day). By the time you start getting into the "women's lib" era at the end of the 3rd Doctor's tenure, you find the show-runners introducing characters who are supposed to be "more than just a damsel in distress," but who keep finding writers who write them as exactly that (yes, even Leela found herself screaming "DOCTOR!!!" too often, in my opinion). The JNT era was full of outlandishness, flights of fancy, "tap into what's current" attempts (e.g. The Concord! Kamelion! Chariots of Fire!), and AWFUL costumes. The RTD era too often felt a bit self-congratulatory. And the Moffat era is prone to dashing off stories that don't stand up to close scrutiny, all done at breakneck pace.

I'm hoping we'll see the 12th Doctor era as a refocusing of the show, away from the heartthrobs, slowing the pace down just a titch (say, back to RTD era standards...), and with a bit more...hmm...."science." Not science, per se, but "science" in the sense of the Doctor being a bit more of a thinker at times.

 

[Angelus Lupus]

I'll agree with your definition of 'science', i.e. episodes that require a little thought from both the writers and the viewers. I'd also like to see a return to more 'classic' sci-fi concepts, and alien planets/civilisations that are actually 'alien' and different from Earth. Back before prosthetics and makeup were so good, you actually had to use the writing and acting to convey the idea that things were weird, rather than a mask and some CGI on people who are basically just 20th/21st century westerners.
Also, more historical stories would be great, and I mean actual history, in the past doesn't count if it's within my lifetime (so the 80's are out), or from after Who first aired. I'm pretty sure classic Who used to regularly raid the BBC costume department for both outfits and story ideas.

 

[rodneyfaile]

I can't wait to see what the new sonic screwdriver looks like.

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

I can't wait to see what the new sonic screwdriver looks like.

Nothing new. The filming so far has continued to use Matt's.

 

[rodneyfaile]

Nothing new. The filming so far has continued to use Matt's.

Anything new with the inside of the Tardis?

 

[Usagi Pilgrim]

Anything new with the inside of the Tardis?

Not that I've heard, but since all that filming is on a set, I doubt any of that will leak. I'm really not holding my breath for any major changes to anything other than the Doctor himself. I kinda have the feeling that they'll focus more on how different he is than the last couple, & maybe hold of on the big merchandising tie ins until he gets better established. My thoughts anyways.