Category is television, but no media is off limits. Choose any two (feel free to choose the same one twice if you like):
1. Fourth Doctor
2. Eighth Doctor
Personally, I'd kill (that’s right….cold-blooded murder) to see them do a full t.v. serialization of the Eighth Doctor adventures.
Grew up watching the Fourth Doctor with my mother every weekend, so there will always be a special place for Tom Baker as the Doctor where I'm concerned. The Third Doctor just cracks me up because of the car. Recently I've been tracking down the 7th (where I left off years ago) and 8th Doctor's escapades.
Well crap, I totally forgot the Valeyard. Oh well, I’ll stick with what I have.
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Personally, I shouldn't be responding to this, since I've had little interaction with the Doctor...
Like I said, I've had little experience with the Doctors, but I like the Ninth one. Mostly, because he was the first I've ever seen. Also, he has the ability to turn invisible
There'll be no, "I've watched more Doctor than you!" brow beating from me, so no worries. I liked him too; wish he had hung on longer, personally. Funny you mention the invisibility thing; my co-worker was talking about it earlier today. The ninth is her favorite as well.
1. William Hartnell - First Doctor
2. Peter Davidson - Fifth Doctor
The ninth doctor is a close 3rd, though.
I liked the first doctor, William Hartnell, for his irascible character, but my first exposure was to Peter Davison, so that's my favorite. As a child I was inconsolable after watching The Caves of Androzani.
The Fourth Doctor- Tom Baker, closely followed by the new Chap.
Great balance of Horror and Humor
Tom Baker.
The current one, he is charmingly calm in the worst situations making most everything rather funny.
Tom Baker, I'm afraid, is my Doctor, he was the one I grew up watching. Indeed from ages 7 to 14 he was The Doctor, I was lucky that he didn't regenerate during earlier as I don't know how I'd have taken it.
Tennant, I think, is running a close second. He's a fine actor with great range and he's playing the part well.
Eccleston I don't care for. The excitement of watching Doctor Who again after such a long gap made his episodes great, but on a re-watching, Eccleston's shortcomings as an actor are wilfully exposed. While he can do dark, brooding anger very well, he can't switch to charming or funny so well as Tom Baker, Tennant, Troughton (or even Hartnell) could. Whilst he was a great 'name' to re-launch the show with, he was a bit of a flop, IMO.
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Troughton because he is honestly the best.
Davison because I grew up with him.
But the only ones I don't like are Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, and their flaws are more due to the wardrobe and script departments, so I try not to hold it against them.
Oh, and their companions REALLY sucked. Except for Ace, who was actually one of the better ones.
--Erik
Troughton because he is honestly the best.
Davison because I grew up with him.
But the only ones I don't like are Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, and their flaws are more due to the wardrobe and script departments, so I try not to hold it against them.
Oh, and their companions REALLY sucked. Except for Ace, who was actually one of the better ones.
--Erik
Funny that you mention Sylvester McCoy and Ace, as "Survival" just came via netflix this week. One of my favorite episodes (Paradise Towers, with Pex) is with Sylvester McCoy, but overall I wasn't sure what to make of him at the time.
Colin Baker was just plain "badong" as the Doctor in the television series, but he's not half bad in the radio dramas. I think he got shafted with poor episodes most likely.
Troughton because he is honestly the best.
Davison because I grew up with him.
But the only ones I don't like are Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, and their flaws are more due to the wardrobe and script departments, so I try not to hold it against them.
Oh, and their companions REALLY sucked. Except for Ace, who was actually one of the better ones.
--Erik
My favorites:
1. Tom Baker. 'Nuf said.2. Either Patrick Troughton or Sylvester McCoy (dark-coated era / 2nd & 3rd seasons ONLY). Unfortunately, there's just not enough of either of them available to watch - unless you have the patience to sit through the 'reconstructions' of the lost Patrick Troughton episodes. Which I do, on occasion.
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Anyone who holds "Trial of a Timelord" up as quality Doctor Who is immediately suspect.
Fortunately, I have sixteen more seasons to rewatch before I get to that one again. It's the part of the experience that I'm least looking forward to. (When I first saw it, I spent weeks wondering if my PBS affiliate got the episodes out of order again.)
Sorry, mwbeeler, but you need to explain yourself to the Council!
You know you're secretly tempted by the idea of an evil regeneration...
Watched "Robot" this morning with my wife. Just as hokey and wonderful as I remember. ;)
I'm in the camp that believes the companion defines the Doctor, that his personality develops as a result of those interactions.
(For evidence, I'll point out that Baker's personality changed with each new companion).
Thus, my fav:
1. Elizabeth Sladen's Sarah / Pertwee and Baker
2. Billie Piper's Rose / Eccleston and Tennant
Anyone who holds "Trial of a Timelord" up as quality Doctor Who is immediately suspect.Fortunately, I have sixteen more seasons to rewatch before I get to that one again. It's the part of the experience that I'm least looking forward to. (When I first saw it, I spent weeks wondering if my PBS affiliate got the episodes out of order again.)
Vic, I have a question for you. How did you get all the episodes of Doctor Who? It sounds (very) expensive, but it would be something I would like to do.
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Growing up, my favorite was Tom Baker. The was largely due to the fact that he was the first Doctor that I saw on TV. Now, I would have to say Christopher Eccleston. He was easily the best dressed of the various incarnations of the Doctor and Eccleston brought a bad-ass edge to the character that I really liked.
It's awfully standard for people to pick Tom Baker as their favourite...of course, he played the role the longest, and here in the US, he's likely the best known (and for many, there was no other Doctor). That said, the first Doctor Who serial I ever saw was a Sylvester McCoy one, and I like his portrayal (especially as they seriously darkened his character in the final season) a good bit.
After him...oh, tough this. Honestly I'd say either Patrick Troughton (just got the 8-parter The Invasion a week or two ago, with the two animated recons for the missing two parts, and it's brilliant) or Jon Pertwee. Something about the shift from cosmic hobo to crusty aristocrat was very cool for me.
It's always a tough call. I really try to stay out of these discussions just because I don't think I've ever disliked a doctor based on the actor, special effects (the Mara anyone?), or the costume. I'll even sit through the occasional and unfortunately not-so-occasional "Bad Who" script (like those heavily dotted throughout Peter, and Sylvester's eras and then heavily throughout Colin's - did he have any good scripts? Vengeance on Varos or Two Doctors maybe?) to see some choice Doctor bit. Based solely on the character as a distinct entity, I like this wierd multifacetted character everyone calls the Doctor regardless of his form and love exploring his many sides - even the Michael Jayston one - who given a bit more time and better script might have been very interesting. I don't want to fight evil I want to be my own (selfish) person, thank you!
I perhaps have a greater fondness for the Doctors that show a bit of a human-side to go along with their alien genius and eccentricity (like Troughton and Davidson - who I guess would be my nominal favorites). Troughton in particular was as Erik says is the best actor to fill the role, particularly when he is being devious and kind all at the same time. Davidson likewise was just fun to watch on the screen, and a very likable Doctor because you often felt you knew where he was coming from. Then I also liked Jon's frustrated at being exiled to Earth Doctor (what a cool storyline explination for a low budget), and the restless, tireless madness and wandering of Tom and David's versions. And the the driven darker momments of Chris (who I don't think had the time in the part to really gel - but then again that might have been for the best as the war weary Doctor and the storyline both seemed to be calling for a rebirth at the end of that season). I think I would have liked Paul's Doctor as well had I seen more of him. Oh, and the more manipulative, intellectual moments featuring the seventh...which reminds me.
Dear BBC,
Please bring back Sylvester's Doctor to be the guy secretly working at cross purposes with David's Doctor in an upcoming season long arc of Doctor Who.
Sincerely, Matt
PS Also let Bill Nighy play the Doctor when David is done even though he is past his thirties. He's a cool character actor, and I think he would be perfect for the role. You really need an older Doctor in the mix.
Beyond scripts, the various psycho-analytical takes on the role and the actor himself, companions (as they are scripted and later as they evolve) can also make the Doctor. Whoever he is he is an interesting chap and he's made even more interesting by interplay with others. A few companions that stand out to me (at least during their high moments) include: Ian and Barbara, Jamie, Zoe, The Brigadier, Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Sara Jane Smith, Leela, Romana, Tegan, Nessa, Turlough, Ace, Rose Tyler, Captain Jack, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones. They sort of encompass the traditional roles people bat about of the companion - to question the Doctor and call him to task if necessary; to do the dirty work including sword-fighting, fisticuffs, and gunplay; and to be a fellow intellect and expert in some field of science or arcana in such a way that even the Doctor respects their skill. All of these roles I think fail though if the companion is not allowed to grow beyond their type and into their own person.
Boy was that long. But then we can all go on about our true-loves can't we?
Matt
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Chief Technical Officer
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Vic, I have a question for you. How did you get all the episodes of Doctor Who? It sounds (very) expensive, but it would be something I would like to do.
If you'd like to do it through official sources, the easy part—collecting the DVDs—is expensive, and the difficult part—getting everything else—is relatively cheap.
For information on what's out on DVD and VHS in the US, check www.doctorwhodvdfaq.com.
I personally started my "rewatching" quest a while back after Amazon put together the Doctor Who Mega Collection, which consists of the first several dozen DVD releases, at a fairly decent bundle price. (You might be able to save some money by buying individual DVDs from a bunch of different places, but it'll take you some effort.)
I've purchased most of the releases since then from deepdiscount.com. (Better yet, try dvdpricesearch.com, which lets you comparison-shop a whole bunch of places.
There are a couple of DVDs that are only available in the UK—usually, it's because they're released there first, so it's just a matter of time before the US release, but the 1996 TV movie, for rights reasons, is probably never coming out in the US; if you want that one, you'll need to buy an import copy, and a DVD player that will handle Region 2/PAL discs.
All surviving episodes not available on DVD were made available on VHS; that goes for the US as well as the UK. VHS tapes are becoming harder and harder to find, though; eBay is your best bet, though you might be able to start a small collection at Half-Price Books if you have one near you.
Then, there's the lost episodes. Fortunately, fans of the show managed to record and save audio for every single lost episode, and the BBC has released them all on CD, with an actor—usually one of the companions from that episode—supplying narration to describe anything visually important. There's a list of those on Wikipedia.
If that's not enough for you, there are fan-made reconstructions linking the surviving audio with visual material. "Telesnaps" (photos taken from the screen, at the rate of around 70 pictures per episode) exist for many of the missing stories, and those form the foundation of most reconstructions. There are also quite a few surviving clips (most of which have been released on the "Lost in Time" DVD set) that are frequently inserted into the reconstructions.
You might want to check out the BBCs own "Photonovels", which include a lot of these telesnaps. (I suppose paging through the photonovels while playing the BBC's CDs would constitute the most "official" reconstructions.)
Actually, the BBC has done a couple of their own reconstructions in video form. In addition to animating the missing episodes for the DVD of The Invasion, they did a reconstruction of The Power of the Daleks on an MP3 CD of the soundtrack. (They also did a recon of the missing episodes of The Ice Warriors for the VHS release, but since they edited both episodes down by half, it's not good enough for me.)
Outside of those, the best recons around are the ones done by Loose Cannon. These guys go to crazy efforts for authenticity, spending ages tracking down photos of actors, rebuilding props, and such. (Check out this article on how they reconstructed The Massacre to see what I mean.) And while they're not officially endorsed by the BBC, the BBC is certainly aware of them, and hasn't tried to prevent them from doing anything they're doing. Part of this is probably because they don't take compensation for their reconstructions—they're available worldwide for free. Essentially, you send blank VHS tapes to somebody near you, and they send them back with reconstructed episodes. Just visit their website, http://www.recons.com/, for details.
There are three stories with missing episodes that Loose Cannon hasn't gotten around to reconstructing yet—The Evil of the Daleks (which they're working on now), The Web of Fear, and The Wheel in Space—though other people have done recons of those. I know of no one good source for these, so that will be a hunting project left to the reader.
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Troughton because he is honestly the best.
Davison because I grew up with him.
But the only ones I don't like are Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, and their flaws are more due to the wardrobe and script departments, so I try not to hold it against them.
Oh, and their companions REALLY sucked. Except for Ace, who was actually one of the better ones.
--Erik
I agree Erik.
My favourites have always been Pat (2nd) & Peter (5th).
I really liked Christopher (9th) though and would say he is a very close third.
I grew up watching Jon (3rd) & Tom (4th) although after that I never stopped watching, so I suppose really I grew up watching them all =)
Colin (6th) & Sylvester (7th) are my least favourite also (although I liked quite a few of their stories). Sylvester I probably could have liked, but I agree that there were problems with other aspects of his run that made me not like his run as much.
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Vic, I have a question for you. How did you get all the episodes of Doctor Who? It sounds (very) expensive, but it would be something I would like to do.Anyone who holds "Trial of a Timelord" up as quality Doctor Who is immediately suspect.Fortunately, I have sixteen more seasons to rewatch before I get to that one again. It's the part of the experience that I'm least looking forward to. (When I first saw it, I spent weeks wondering if my PBS affiliate got the episodes out of order again.)
For Dr. Who's 40th Anniversary a couple of Years ago the ABC here in Australia started showing every episode (5 nights a week) of Dr. Who that is available as a full story (apart from half a dozen Dalek stories where there were legal issues involved). I managed to tape all but 3 episodes and have a massive pile of VHS tapes just waiting for me to finally get a DVD recorder.
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I'm in the camp that believes the companion defines the Doctor, that his personality develops as a result of those interactions.
(For evidence, I'll point out that Baker's personality changed with each new companion).
Thus, my fav:
1. Elizabeth Sladen's Sarah / Pertwee and Baker
2. Billie Piper's Rose / Eccleston and Tennant
I wouldn't necessarily say that the Companion defines the Doctor, but I do know that when you get a Companion who you dislike (and I am gonna swim against the flow here and say that I disliked Sarah Jane immensely) you tend to be a bit more "meh" towards the stories.
Incidentally, my favourite Companion was Turlough (and I actually met Mark Strickson and have some stuff signed). I stress the word WAS there, because ever since Captain Jack there's no turning back =)
(and did anyone else find that watching any episode with Leela or Peri in it made you feel all warm and tingly?)
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Chief Technical Officer
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For Dr. Who's 40th Anniversary a couple of Years ago the ABC here in Australia started showing every episode (5 nights a week) of Dr. Who that is available as a full story (apart from half a dozen Dalek stories where there were legal issues involved). I managed to tape all but 3 episodes and have a massive pile of VHS tapes just waiting for me to finally get a DVD recorder.
Right—I forgot to mention broadcast media. In the US, many PBS stations carry some or all of the classic Doctor Who syndication package, which, as I understand it, currently consists of every complete story minus the Dalek episodes (with the possible exception of Invasion of the Dinosaurs Episode 1, which only survives in black-and-white; in the past, it has been left out and the following episodes have been renumbered). The existing Dalek stories used to be part of the package—I'm not really sure when they were removed.
The TV movie airs semi-randomly. I forget what network it appears on—possibly FX?
The new series is broadcast on Sci Fi and BBC America, but they both show shortened versions of every episode; PBS affiliates that have picked up the new series are the only US broadcast source for the unedited episodes.
For Windows users, Amazon Unboxed also offers $1.99-per-episode "rental" downloads of a seemingly random selection of the stories that have been released on DVD (no Dalek stories here, either).
Thanks Vic and flash_cxxi for that info. I will try to start looking for those.
(and did anyone else find that watching any episode with Leela or Peri in it made you feel all warm and tingly?)
And Martha, Romana, and Polly too on occasion. Ah, to be a monstrous villain with a torture chamber.... Waitaminute!
;)
GGG
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(and did anyone else find that watching any episode with Leela or Peri in it made you feel all warm and tingly?)And Martha, Romana, and Polly too on occasion. Ah, to be a monstrous villain with a torture chamber.... Waitaminute!
;)
GGG
Oh yeah,
Martha & Polly for sure. You know I never thought much of Romana when I originally saw her, but after watching again a couple of years ago I have had to revise that thought. So yes, I agree with you on all counts GGG =)(err. this is Romana I we're talking about right?)
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Right—I forgot to mention broadcast media. In the US, many PBS stations carry some or all of the classic Doctor Who syndication package, which, as I understand it, currently consists of every complete story minus the Dalek episodes (with the possible exception of Invasion of the Dinosaurs Episode 1, which only survives in black-and-white; in the past, it has been left out and the following episodes have been renumbered). The existing Dalek stories used to be part of the package—I'm not really sure when they were removed.
We got the Black & White for Invasion of the Dinosaurs ep.1.
Apparently there are some legal issues with the Estate of Terry Nation over the re-showing of most of the Dalek stories.Ones which were shown were:
The Daleks
The Chase
Death to the Daleks
Genesis of the Daleks
We didn't get:
Mission to the Unknown (Missing)
The Daleks' Master Plan (Missing)
Power of the Daleks (Missing)
Evil of the Daleks (Missing)
Day of the Daleks
Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks (Not sure if some are Missing)
Destiny of the Daleks
Ressurection of the Daleks
Revelation of the Daleks
Rememberance of the Daleks
To my mind it seems funny why some are allowed and others aren't, especially since you could buy some of the ones that weren't shown on Video/DVD (pretty much all but Frontier/Planet and Destiny I believe).
Right there with you. Anyone who holds "Trial of a Timelord" up as quality Doctor Who is immediately suspect.
Quoted for Truth.
In case anyone in the US hasn't heard, Kylie Minogue will be appearing in the 2007 Christmas Special episode of Doctor Who. She wears a maid's costume.
At least two of my non-Who watching friends are suddenly interested!
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32
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Right there with you. Anyone who holds "Trial of a Timelord" up as quality Doctor Who is immediately suspect.Quoted for Truth.
In case anyone in the US hasn't heard, Kylie Minogue will be appearing in the 2007 Christmas Special episode of Doctor Who. She wears a maid's costume.
At least two of my non-Who watching friends are suddenly interested!
Yeah, she plays a waitress named Astrid on board the Titanic in the Christmas Special 'Voyage of the Damned'.
Also, another interesting tidbit for all you Who fans: There will be a kind if hiatus after Season 4 is completed so that David Tennant can play in a Stage production of Hamlet. Apparently they will do a couple of "Specials", and return in 2010 for Season 5.
Also, "The Bride" from the Christmas Special 'The Runaway Bride' will return as a regular Companion in Season 4 along with Martha.
In case anyone in the US hasn't heard, Kylie Minogue will be appearing in the 2007 Christmas Special episode of Doctor Who. She wears a maid's costume.
Nice. Time travelling and maid costumes are two fetishes that actually make sense together.
I'm actually quite a bit happier Catherine Tate is returning, over Kylie Minogue guest starring. One of the things I've always loved about Doctor Who is they have a lot of actors who look like "real" people. If they want to tart up a show, knock themselves out, they've Torchwood for that now.
The local PBS affiliate is playing THE DEADLY ASSASSIN!
Hooray!
Sweet.
-GGG
(and did anyone else find that watching any episode with Leela or Peri in it made you feel all warm and tingly?)And Martha, Romana, and Polly too on occasion. Ah, to be a monstrous villain with a torture chamber.... Waitaminute!
;)
GGGOh yeah,
Martha & Polly for sure. You know I never thought much of Romana when I originally saw her, but after watching again a couple of years ago I have had to revise that thought. So yes, I agree with you on all counts GGG =)
(err. this is Romana I we're talking about right?)
Or was it Fred? ;) Though I have to say I liked Lalla's dress sense better.
-GGG
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Or was it Fred? ;) Though I have to say I liked Lalla's dress sense better.
-GGG
What, you didn't like that plunging neckline Mary liked to wear ;)
I admit the Tartan Cap was a bit much, but you gotta admit that Purple number with the Hat was pretty funky!
lol, GGG and I have just Threadjacked the hell out of this =)
Ooo, forgot about the Androids of Tara outfit. Is it me or are there more dulpicates of Romana in the universe than duplicates of the Doctor? And better yet they're all princesses. The Romana clones that is. Anyhow back to watching Zoe wander about in heels and that sparkly black catsuit.
Sir, can we keep her? She's ever so much better than a computer!
G-to-the-Three
PS We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread. Maybe. ;)
Speaking of the sexing up of Doctor Who Companions, holy crap, I see Billie Piper is doing something called "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl." Strange trade from Doctor Who, but it would certainly keep you from being typecast!
Ya know, growing up, I never watched Doctor Who because I couldn't make any sense of it. Any time I caught part of an episode no characters were the same and I often wondered if the tv listings had the right show because it was so different every time I saw it.
When the show started up again on Sci-Fi (here in the states) I forced myself to watch because I figured "They're rebooting the series and I won't need to worry about all that other stuff that didn't make sense." After watching a few episodes and realized that 1) they didn't re-boot the series, and 2) the explanation they gave for how and why it always looked different when I was a kid was fantastic. Now I wish I had the time to find all the episodes with the prior doctors and watch them.
Sorry, for the long rambling. to get this back on topic, my favorite doctor is probaby the current one . . . 10th isn't it? The bald guy was good, but the current guy just does a better job of showing positive emotions.
I was going to type a great, long post about all my memories of Doctor Who from childhood to the present day, but mature reflection has revealed to me that it wouldn't be very interesting for anyone else to read. Edited highlights instead:
I grew up with Tom Baker. Really, he's the Doctor as far as I'm concerned (although I have some vague memories of Jon Pertwee from the time and excellent opinions of his performance in the re-runs I've seen). I know that I used to have a large Doctor Who action figure (Action Man/G.I. Joe size) modelled on Tom Baker. It came with a TARDIS that the figure could be placed in and it would disappear and reappear through a cunning mechanism inside. I really do hope that it's still knocking around at my parents' house somewhere, but my mother has a mania for throwing things away, so in all likelihood, it's landfill by now.
Peter Davidson worked fine for me and he was the Doctor that appeared in the first storylines that I fully understood (Tom Baker had the presence and authority, but I was of an age where I was either overawed by his persona or scared sh*tless by Davros, so whilst I respected him deeply, I never quite appreciated all of the subtlety he brought to the role). Davidson was good and the show was doing well in the viewing figures, but the next two Doctors just couldn't carry the can. Admittedly, there were some pretty flat storylines, but neither Colin Baker nor Sylvester McCoy quite 'worked'. A real shame, which resulted in the show's disappearance for some time.
I remember the hype for the Paul McGann resurrection of Doctor Who and I'm sure that he did a great job of it, but they put it on around new year (some year, any year) when I was discharging my duties to be hugely drunk in a party somewhere, so I never saw the episodes.
I did think that Chistopher Eccleston did a fantastic job of reviving the character, and David Tennant, if anything, is even better. Lots of emotional interaction alongside your space horrors. I would honestly have to say that, as much as I loved the old programmes, the new series with Eccleston and Tennant have really pushed the envelope and they're the ones that I am most likely to go out of my way to watch again.
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Anyhow back to watching Zoe wander about in heels and that sparkly black catsuit.Due to the lack of evidence supporting Victoria Waterfield, I think you may have isolated my favorite companion outfit on the hotness scale right there.
That outfit was just about the best thing about The Mind Robber.
(And while I was looking for that image, I found this photo of Leela that makes me laugh for about six different reasons.)