As many of you may know, this year, 2015 is the 10th Anniversary of the Doctor Who reboot on 26th March. By 'Doctor Who reboot' I mean the show coming back in 2005 after its 16 year absence, revived by the wonderful Russell T Davies with a new Doctor (Christopher Eccleston). So in this article I will be deciding if celebrating the Doctor Who reboot is a good idea, especially so soon after the 50th Anniversary in 2013. No, We shouldn't celebrate the reboot.
As I mentioned above, the 50th anniversary was only a year ago, so isn't it a bit odd to have yet another anniversary so soon? And think about how that will sound to casual viewers, having the 50th anniversary then a year later having the 10th anniversary!?! When it comes down to it, its just 10 years since a hiatus finished, the same happened in 1986, but we didn't celebrate it. Some may also say we shouldn't celebrate the reboot because its the same show, we shouldn't split it into classic and new. Maybe fans should instead celebrate in their own way such as a marathon viewing or even a small convention. Yes, we should celebrate the reboot. 10 years ago Doctor Who came back and everyone was excited, including the people who cancelled it in the first place. Billboards around the UK had 'Doctor Who' plastered all over them and when it finally aired in March 2005, it gained millions of fans including me and possibly even you reading this, Doctor Who was practically re-born. Isn't this something to celebrate? Sure, we've just had the 50th anniversary, but you can never have enough parties! It doesn't even need to be anything as big as the 50th! Maybe just a story written by Russell T Davies or a series 1 character return... Russell T Davies' opinion... The man that brought the show back himself has said in a recent interview with Radio Times that “Someone from the [BBC's] branding team sent me a very lovely email saying do you want to do something, I don’t know what they imagined: a talk or a convention perhaps. I just said no, to be honest. A programme can’t have its fiftieth and then it’s tenth. I think that’s just confusing. It's marvellous and glorious; let it carry on." He also said Steven Moffat invites him to write a story every year, but he declines. My Opinion... In my opinion I think that yes, we should do something to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the reboot for reasons I mentioned above; I became a fan 10 years ago that day so it is a special day for me personally (and many others I'm sure) but also I just think it's something we should remember, how the show came back after years 16 years off air so successfully, it truly is a triumph. Conclusion. So, now I've weighed both sides of the argument and looked at what the good points and bad points are, I think it's unlikely we'll get anything big like a TV story, but I still think a small convention is possible. In reality plans for the reboot are still undecided. Of course it doesn't really matter if we celebrate or not (fans seem very split on whether we should or shouldn't) but although I would like something, if we don't fans will surely celebrate in their own way such as having their own parties or doing a Doctor Who series 1-8 marathon. As you've probably notice, this article is quite opinion based but I've tried to cover all sides. What's your opinion? Mention in the comments.
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Christmas is here again and you know what that means... Death, destruction and divorce. But enough about Eastenders, it also means we get a brand new Doctor Who story! And there have been some great stories in the past involving flying Sharks, giant spiders and living Snowmen. So in this article, I will discuss my top 5 Doctor Who Christmas Specials (including this Christmas's Last Christmas). 5) The Time of the Doctor. First of all, I'm not big on regenerations at Christmas - I don't need that kind of emotion at Christmas which is why The End of Time didn't make the list. I thought this story handled regeneration much better - it wasn't soppy but still had feelings. There were problems on the arc front - everything was dealt with but it just involved you noticing everything (which people in the evening at Christmas can't do) and maybe meant you had to watch it more than once. There was a good mix of Christmas themes, arc and comedy and Matt Smith was just fantastic but it did feel restricted by the time.
4) The Runaway Bride. Most people feel Donna is a bit over the top in this story which I can understand, but for me she is why this story is in fourth place. I just LOVE Donna, the gobby temp from Chiswick and in her first story a year before she would become a companion she is hilarious - I can certainly tell Russell T Davies wrote this. I love how she sort of becomes a better person because of the adventure and she has some great scenes in the story such as her disappearing walking down the isle and jumping from a taxi into the TARDIS. The monster (a giant spider) was certainly terrifying though not something that was new to Doctor Who, it certainly makes you want to hide behind the sofa. The story wasn't a classic but was good enough to get into fourth place. 3) The Snowmen. This story had quite a dark tone, especially the scene where the group of Snowmen feast on the workers of Dr Simeon. Dr Simeon himself was very formidable and frightening fellow played to perfection by Richard E. Grant. And to add to the dark tone, the eleventh Doctor - usually a fun adventurous person is here a broken man after the loss of the Ponds. So after reading this, why is it third? Well all these dark themes are beautifully written with a great plot to introduce a new Clara which further adds to the mystery of the 'impossible' girl arc. There are also some great moments such as The Doctor as Sherlock. And the Snowmen are one of the most visually scary monsters in series 7. 2) Voyage of the Damned. A fun Christmas romp is how I would sum this story up. When I first watched this I was at first intrigued (a flying Titanic replica with a host of aliens on board, which was definitely appealing for my young self) then after about the first 20 minutes I was absolutely terrified. The "Heavenly" Host seriously scared me, which I loved - not to mention Max Capricorn. It had a good balance of action and emotion. On the one hand there were lots of explosions and effects and on the other hand there was Astrid's tragic death - played excellently by Kylie Minogue who was another good element to the story. The story could have maybe done with more Christmas themes though to get it into first place. 1) Last Christmas. Firstly, this isn't number one because its just aired which I see lots of fans doing - liking a story just because it's recent. No. This was perfection. Christmas stories I feel are always a bit iffy and this was probably the only story which was the perfect Doctor Who Christmas Special. In the past they've either been too Christmas (to the point where the arc is just completely ignored for a bit of snow eg: The Doctor the Widow and the Wardrobe) or too Doctor Who (Time of the Doctor) I feel they've never found the right balance until now. This story was scary, (the sleepers) funny (Shona), smart (Dream within a dream within a dream) and made perfect Christmas viewing (Sleigh ride over London, Santa). Overall and enjoyable watch! In this second of two Master themed articles, I will today, in this second of two Master themed articles discuss my top five Master stories. The Master was first introduced to us in the 1971 story 'The Terror of the Autons' played by Roger Delgado. He was conceived as the sort of Moriarty of Doctor Who, facing almost every Doctor and facing the 12th Doctor recently as she in 'Dark Water'. 5) Derek Jacobi. I Just love Jacobi's version of The Master. Already an established actor, Jacobi shines in the role. You just have to watch the outtakes for the story to see how much fun he's having. Only appearing in the one story (and half of it he's not even The Master) he still a success. That one line 'I... am... The Master' which is delivered so manically is enough to put him in fifth place (beating the guy covered in rotting flesh and Julia Roberts brother). 4) John Simm. Marmite in the Doctor Who world I would say - some like him others say he's the worst because of how he was written. I loved Simm's acting and character but I just couldn't believe he was The Master. I felt he would have been better as a new character. I enjoyed his chemistry with Tennant and Simm played the character he was given perfectly (dat laugh). I also enjoyed the 4 knocks arc. 3) Michelle Gomez. Just amazing. I must admit I felt confused and rather sad at Missy's master reveal but she has put any doubt about her being The Master to rest. Michelle is an excellent actor who plays the master with a sort of sadistic confidence. It was quite a risky thing having a female version of such an iconic villain but it was a good risk that certainly paid off and I can't wait to see her again soon. 2) Anthony Ainley. At first he appears as a kind of copy of Roger Delgado's Master (even down to the facial hair) but as you watch him you see Ainley's talents shine. He seems to flourish in the role with a mad gleam in his eye and the sadistic smile. Taking on a role that was previously held by an amazing actor must have been quite difficult, but he managed to stick with Doctor Who for the most stories, appearing all the way from Tom Bakers last to classic Doctor Who's last, he is very much a fan favourite, making kids hide behind the sofa for almost 10 years. 1) Roger Delgado. Such a talented actor making his untimely death all the more tragic. He was perfect for the role of The Master and indeed the success of the character was down to him. Often there is no competition between him - the first incarnation of The Master and the many others who have taken on the role, and rightly so. He, even now is still the Master and probably forever will be. His use of facial expressions like the stare that would probably kill you mixed with the dark costume creates an unsetteling combination. In real life Roger was quoted as being 'kind and a Gentleman'. With the not-so-recent reveal of Missy as The Master (and with that every Doctor Who fan smugly saying they guessed it all along), I will today, in this first of two Master themed articles discuss my top five Master stories. The Master was first introduced to us in the 1971 story 'The Terror of the Autons' played by Roger Delgado. He was conceived as the sort of Moriarty of Doctor Who, facing almost every Doctor and facing the 12th Doctor recently as she in 'Dark Water'. 5) Dark Water/Death in Heaven. The amazing recent 2 part is enjoyable as it is confusing as with any Moffat finale. I didn't much like the story but its in fifth place because of the fantastic Michelle Gomez who shines as The Master, its as if the role was almost made for her, not only was she a bit of a gamble, casting a female version of such an icon of Doctor Who but she managed to pull it off fantastically and I can't wait to see her again which we no doubt will. 4) Logopolis. It took me a while to appreciate this story, it is Tom Bakers last so has lots of themes and arcs running through it such as the man covered in white following The Doctor but there are also some brilliant scenes, the most memorable of which is The Doctor and The Masters fight scene atop a telescope which is edge-of-your-seat gripping. 3) Terror of the Autons. The Masters introductory story, is I daresay one of the best. Also introducing us to Mike Yates and Jo Grant, this is a story that has a lot going for it. With perfect sets and acting and the marvellous Autons as the monster and a little unsure of himself Master, it sets the bar high for The Master stories to follow it. 2) The Daemons. Such a fun story mixed in with dark themes, this story is just perfect. Its so fun to watch - I can't watch its five episodes without smiling. Delgado is probably never better here - he's on top form and so is Pertwee and the UNIT family are just the icing on the cake. Its also a really fascinating plot which never fails to entertain me. This story is the pure definition of 'classic'. And in first place is... 1) The Deadly Assassin. How could it not be? The fast paced, adrenaline filled four part shows Doctor Who at its most violent and dark. It's scary (even drawing in complaints) and gripping. So many adjectives I could use but I have nothing bad to say about this story. There is also an excellent use of Time Lord science with The Matrix and I always enjoy seeing Time Lord society which we get loads of here. The Master unlike previously is scary purely based on his appearance. He is disfigured and rather gory with rotting skin, played excellently by Peter Pratt in his only appearance as The Master. 'Who is Missy?' the question that all whovians are wanting to know, the internet is rife with theories about her, some obvious, some weird and some unlikely. In this article I will show you some popular theories from around the internet before telling you my theory. Little is known about Missy, she has been seen in two stories of series 8 so far (at the time of writing this, she has been in 'Deep Breath and 'Into the Dalek'). When someone dies in the story (Half-Face Man for 'Deep Breath' and Gretchen for 'Into the Dalek') they instantly appear in 'Heaven' where you will be greeted by Missy who we will find out in the two part finale is The Gatekeeper of the Nethersphere. The finale also involves Cybermen. 'Hello! I'm Missy. You made it. I hope my boyfriend wasn't too mean to you.' I would describe Missy as slightly unhinged, saying things like 'He can be very mean sometimes. Except to me of course, because he loves me so much.' Which suggests she sort of a stalker thinking The Doctor loves her when we don't know if they've even met before.
It has also been hinted that Missy was the woman in the shop who gave Clara the Doctor's number in 'The Bells of St John' as well as the newspaper article in 'Deep Breath' that again led Clara to the Doctor... So in no particular order here are some popular theories from around the internet: The Rani. The Rani is definitely in need for a return, the treacherous Time Lady who appeared in the 80's with the 6th Doctor and 7th Doctor as well as the charity special 'Dimensions in time' was the perfect villain. Played by Kate O'mara who sadly died early this year, Michele Gomez certainly has the same mystery, seductiveness and evil The Rani had It's also a nice kind of memorial to Kate O'mara Clara. Personally I think this is a case of people looking into it too much (same goes for a few others on this list) I don't think it is Clara but questions like why would Missy give her the Doctors number? arise. Plus with the whole impossible girl thing there's lot's of possibilities. The Woman. The mysterious woman seen in 'The End of Time' known simply as 'The Woman' was supposed to be The Doctors mother or at least that was who RTD (the writer) thought she was, but in the story it is unclear who she is other than she is probably a Time Lord. Could The Woman be Missy? It's definitely possible. River Song. Personally no. Just no. Although Missy has the same seductiveness River has, River gave up her regenerations and I felt her arc was done with the eleventh Doctor and I feel River would fit awkwardly into Capaldi's era. I can see similarities between them and River is supposed to have met multiple Doctors (mare than two at least) but I haven't yet seen a plausible theory for River. The Master. The Master has been rumoured for a return for a while and he is definitely in need of a return but can whovians (especially classic lovers) really except a female Master? I have still seen some good similarities such as people saying that the fountain is the master's TARDIS and The Master and Missy certainly share the same uneasiness and craziness. CyberKing, Cyberleader, Miss Hartigan... With the return of the Cybermen in the finale, people are thinking that Missy could be part of the Cyber ranks similarities such as MISSy and MISS Hartigan are getting people thinking, though it's unlikely we are yet to find out how the Cybermen fit into the finale. New Character altogether. With wild theories everywhere people haven't stopped to think about if it maybe someone new, maybe a new Time Lord or just an ordinary human with too much power, I'd be interested to see how this new character would play out.. My theory is... She is a dark side of The Doctor much like The Dream Lord or the Valeyard (she may even be the Valeyard) of the Doctor in a world she created calling it heaven, taking people who killed themselves for the Doctor possibly to make him understand how he isn't a good man which is a theme running through series 8. Whatever the answer, I'm excited to find the truth in the finale. In this 'Doctor Who favourites' article I will discuss my top 5 Post-Regeneration stories. By this I mean stories just after a regeneration, so it's the debut of a new Doctor, a new era. This story has a lot to live up to, probably one of the most important stories in that Doctors tenure. Not only should it properly introduce us to a brand new lead actor but it must tell us what kind of man he is whilst also reminding us that this is still the same show as before. 5) The Movie. A tricky one this one, I find the 8th Doctor amazing here giving us all the qualities The Doctor should have (mystery, alien, unpredictable) but I don't really like the plot of this story. Saying this, his regeneration was incredible. It hinted back to the first regeneration but more modern and I love those iconic scenes of the 8th Doctor standing up in the morgue, some fantastic music here creating a sense of fear such as him banging on the mortuary door. But on the other hand I really didn't like The Master or the love story really. But the regeneration scenes were brilliant making this number 5. 4) Deep Breath. I thoroughly enjoyed this story - don't want to give too much away as I'm yet to review this properly, but I really liked the introduction to the new Doctor. There was a lot of scenes where you didn't quite know what the Doctor was going to do such as leaving Clara with the Clockwork droids and holding her breath making the story quite tense but then of course he came and helped her. I felt the story lacked the whole trauma of the regeneration and I didn't like Clara's reaction to the regeneration as surely she more than anyone should understand regeneration, but apart from that, fantastic monster and acting all round and I won't say anymore until the review. 3) The Christmas Invasion. A sort of Christmas romp which could have been a sort of downside to the story, I don't think Christmas is the best time to have a post-regeneration story as you may get too caught up with Santa and Tinsel but it actually just made the story better as I loved how it still included Christmas themes such as the amazing killer Christmas tree and Santa Robots but also showing the effects of the Doctors regeneration better than any other story. It also set's the new Doctor up brilliantly with a straightforward plot that tells us what kind of man he is, even including him debating it, but finally discovering he's a 'no second chances' kind of man. The alien threat is also quite good with the Sycorax and their spaceship over London. The Sycorax are definitely in need of a return. And in this story we are basically Rose - it was the first regeneration in new who and Rose was kind of the audience which I think regeneration stories definitely need. 2) The Eleventh Hour. A complete revamp with almost everything changing, it's just the perfect introduction to my favourite Doctor. This episode needed to do a lot after the negativity of Matt Smith's casting as he was so young and after the fan favourite David Tennant, I think some people thought the show wouldn't last. Right from his first scene we see what a fun, enjoyable Doctor he is, and the 20 minutes to save the world provides the perfect scenario to see how he deals with threat as well as testing Matt's acting abilities which he totally surpassed. Also I loved how he kept getting the wrong times with Amy, it meant that while he put trust into Amy, he was also putting trust in the audience so quite an intelligent story. 1) Spearhead From Space. Like 'The Eleventh Hour' a lot had changed and, for the first time ever, Doctor who was in colour bringing it into the 70's. Somewhat of a fan favourite, this story perfectly set's up the 3rd Doctor, clearly showing the viewers what the new Doctor's going to be like with an iconic, memorable alien threat of the Autons which would return again the next season and in New Who. What a brilliant idea to have UNIT there, helping the audience to get know the Doctor and giving people the Doctor could bounce off. The only downside is Liz Shaw who I felt was a bit stuck up but by the next story she was brilliant. So overall an amazing entrance to a lot of people's favourite Doctor. So as you can see New Who is much better in my opinion at introducing us to a new Doctor, almost all Post-Regeneration stories of the classic era were rather average in my opinion apart from the fantastic 'Spearhead From Space' which is the clear winner for me. With Series 8 just a few hours away, I will discuss as the title suggests my thoughts on everything we've heard so far including episode titles, opening titles, Peter Capaldi's Doctor, Clara ect... Series 8 isn't any ordinary series, it's a debut series of Peter Capaldi which means as usual with a debut series I am really on edge as to whether I'm going to like it. And that's basically why I'm doing this article. I am going to talk here as if you have seen all the recent trailers, episode titles ect... If you haven't, scroll down to the bottom to see all the information you need. Enjoy! The Doctor: "Clara, be my pal, tell me, am I a good man?" As we should all know, he's going to be a 'dark Doctor', a 'Snarling Beast', 'Less user friendly'. Quotes like these appear in almost every interview about Capaldi's Doctor. On my favourite Doctor's list I did a few weeks ago, I put Matt Smith, Sylvester McCoy and Patrick Troughton at the top of my list. These three are pretty known as the comical and light Doctors, sometimes showing their darker sides but mostly supressing it. On the other hand I put Colin Baker and William Hartnell at the bottom of my list. These two are both notoriously the Darker or the angrier Doctors, again they of course had a lighter, friendlier side and I thought they both mellowed after time. So I think you can see where I'm going with this, the 'darker' Doctor's are both at the end of my list and I really don't want Capaldi to end up there two. This is probably my biggest worry with series 8, as I really want to like Capaldi. Clara: "You said renewed. He doesn’t look renewed, he looks… older." To be honest I'm haven't been a fan of Clara in any of her previous stories, in series 7 I found her annoying, cheesy and boring, in Day of the Doctor she mostly just stood there but in Time of the Doctor she began to finally become a Character the viewer could like and relate to, after all the companion is the one the viewers look to ask the Doctor questions, I hope to see more of this in Series 8, challenging the Doctor but not being a nuisance, I don't want the Doctor to not like her either, I like there to be some kind of chemistry, I would like their relationship to be kind of like Sherlock and Dr Watson. She also will probably be quite independent since the new Doctor seems like he may not even notice her. Also... just one small thing... NO. MORE. ROMANCE. Episodes and writers: Some really good and intriguing episode titles for series 8 such as 'Mummy on the Orient Express' which is my personal favourite. This year we only have 12 stories not including the Christmas special as well as a two part finale finally! So technically 11 individual stories but of course the first story 'Deep Breath' is a feature length at 80 minutes which is basically two episodes but I'll talk about Deep Breath in the next part. We've seen a few teasers of all the episodes which if you want to go into this series blind I won't go into but so far I would say 'Listen' which is episode 4 written by Steven Moffat is the best. Steven Moffat has written 2 stories this series as well as the two part finale, interestingly he has also co-written 3 stories with Gareth Roberts, Stephen Thompson and Phil Ford. These episodes are 'Into the Dalek', 'Time Heist' and 'The Caretaker'. I think that him co-writing stories is a brilliant idea, it allows him to input his ideas as well as another writers ideas which should create some interesting ideas. Also one of the things I thought series 7 was missing was collaboration between writers which I thought was one of the reasons Clara wasn't as good in some stories. Overall it sounds like a really good series. All the stories sound very good let's just hope none of them are rushed and hopefully less usage of the Sonic Screwdriver. My favourite story from what I've heard is probably 'Listen', my least favourite from what I've heard it 'Robot of Sherwood' by Mark Gatiss featuring Robin Hood who I don't really find interesting. Deep Breath: I'm actually quite surprised at how many spoilers have been released on this story as well as the rest of Series 8 (not including the recent leaks). Because of this I've already got a fair idea of what's supposed to happen in this story and so far it seems like a pretty generic post-regeneration story but from the people that have seen it early seem to quite like it but personally I'm doubtful I'm going to like it that much, just hoping I'm wrong and I hope I don't get bored since it is almost double length finishing just after 9:00 (Watershed) which could mean we see a rise in violence... This story is also being shown in Cinema's which personally I think is a bad idea as I think Doctor Who isn't for the big screen it's something you should watch in the living room. Also they might for some reason give people at Cinema's extra content which they did with Day of the Doctor so I feel by not going I'm missing things but sadly I still won't be going even though I'd love to see what it's like.
The fact it's based off something fan made I think is brilliant, I've seen other fan made openings that are all worthy of representing the show also it shows that fans are involved and are what make the show. As I've said it's probably one of the biggest changes to the title sequence and since we're starting the next 50 years I think it's a good idea and it will also represent Capaldi's dark doctor well. Conclusion:
So after reviewing everything about the new series, I'm confident it's going to be just as good or better than previous one's. It sounds to me like they have worked on things that didn't work last series and I just hope I'm going to like this darker take on my favourite show. Also I hope the stories can be watched again, I can barely make it through the series 7 box set, after seeing all the stories they are really boring to watch again for some reason, especially stories like 'The Rings of Akhaten and 'The Power of Three'. Hopefully this series won't be like that. If there's anything I've missed post it in the comments and I'll add it. If you want to see all the episode titles, recent trailers and news then look down the news section of this site to catch up (Link). Take a Deep Breath, and enjoy the new series! In this special 1st anniversary article I will go through each Doctor from Hartnell to Capaldi even including John Hurts War Doctor in order of how much I enjoyed watching them and briefly discussing how much I liked them, discussing their good features as well as their bad. As usual these are just my opinions, feel free to post your top 14 Doctors. In case you get confused with all these Doctors and their numbers - check out the updated 'Who's who in Doctor Who' page here link. 14) Peter Davison - The fifth Doctor. I've never really liked him to be honest. His stories are a main factor but also I dislike how kind and un-alien and kind of wooden he is. And also he just incredibly dull in my opinion. On the plus side he is calm under pressure and handles things in a mature way (which is another thing I didn't really like about him). 13) William Hartnell - The first Doctor. Stony faced and sometimes incredibly unkind I find it hard to feel any kind of sympathy towards him. Despite this he still has an air of knowledge and kindness towards his companions. 12) John Hurt - The War Doctor. Since he is the 'War Doctor' it's likely that Moffat wanted to show him as Hostile, so I didn't really like him or I relate to him that much throughout the one episode. Maybe if we saw more of him he may grow on me... But again as I say he was meant to be a negative character played excellently by John Hurt. 11) Colin Baker - The sixth Doctor. Arrogant, loud and extremely rude, this Doctor just isn't for me. His Doctor was taken in the complete wrong direction (although if he's people's favourite some may say this was a blessing in disguise). But with no blame on Colin Baker who didn't really get any say in costume ect... 10) Christopher Eccleston - The ninth Doctor. I don't know why but I've never really enjoyed his Doctor. He just wasn't anything special more an amalgamation of previous Doctors, I especially hate his costume! He is still acted perfectly and the right guy to bring Doctor who in to the 21st Century. 9) Peter Capaldi - The 12th Doctor. Probably slightly unfair to include him on his list since we've only seen a few seconds of him but we've heard a lot about him being a "Dark Doctor" or a "Snarling Beast" so from this I'm not sure I'm going to like him as much as others. 8) Paul McGann - The 8th Doctor. I haven't listened to his audios so I've only seen him in the Movie and the more recent Night of the Doctor and in both of these I loved him, he seemed caring and incredibly alien - he reminded me a lot of Matt Smith in The Movie. If only we'd seen more of him... 7) Jon Pertwee - The 3rd Doctor. The dashing hero, he plays an exciting and active Doctor despite his age, one of his best qualities are he behaviour towards his companions as well as his relationship with The Master and the hilarious banter with the Second Doctor. 6) Tom Baker - The fourth Doctor. Already one of the most loved Doctors, he is funny, witty and incredibly likable especially during his early years. It would be a crime to put one of the most iconic Doctors lower than this, however I felt he began to loose some of this, especially when JNT took over. 5) David Tennant - The tenth Doctor.1 (The parting of the Ways - The stolen Earth). His love for everything alien is what I love most about him, as well as his ability to try and save everyone but with no second chances. David Tennant is brilliant at acting the 10th Doctor, I feel he doesn't really hide his emotions and expresses them but luckily he's mostly happy. 4) David Tennant - The tenth Doctor.2 (Journeys end - The end of time part 2). The 10th Doctor didn't really change in personality after regenerating just his wounds in The Stolen Earth so it's just the same as above. 3) Patrick Troughton - The second Doctor. A complete opposite to his previous incarnation he played the Doctor with excitement and goofiness, this is shown particularly with his companion Jamie who are the perfect Doctor-Companion combination so far. He also has an unbreakable love for travelling through time. Such a shame so many of his episodes are missing. 2) Sylvester McCoy - The seventh Doctor. A rocky start with what is sometimes called Doctor Who's worst season, he totally turns this around in his last two seasons playing a progressively darker Doctor but still retaining some of his goofiness which I love. I especially love his relationship with Ace which is quite odd in a way, forcing her to face her fears but this just showed how much he cared for her, making her a better person. 1) Matt Smith - The eleventh Doctor. Funny, adventurous and not afraid to be who he is. He is kind of like a mix of emotions, most of the time he's funny but sometimes he let's his anger show which is a good thing. Matt Smith also plays him as old despite being the youngest Doctors especially when he's alone. He is also one of the most alien Doctors and Matt it so great at being the Doctor, overcoming a lot of negativity when he first started. So as you can see I prefer Doctors that are fun or enjoy themselves and are not afraid to be who they are, on the other hand I don't really like the more darker or negative or loud Doctors, so I'm still very much on edge about whether I will like Capaldi... From Amy Pond of Leadworth to Nyssa of Traken, the Doctor has always had someone to share his adventures with and to show the wonders of the universe to as well as being a good friend, improving their lives and indeed in most cases, improving him and making him a better person. So in this article I will discuss my top 5 and why. 5) Ian Chesterton. One of the very first companions, a kind of action hero. He is selfless and kind whilst improving the first doctor a lot, making him less grumpy and more welcoming. He is also someone of reason and clear minded and reliable. Basically a perfect travelling companion. 4) Sarah Jane Smith. Who else but the fantastic, reliable, adventurous Sarah Jane. One of Doctor who's most successful companions, with children loving her in the 70's then all over again with her highly successful spin-off 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'. The thousands of tributes from around the world of her unexpected death shows this exactly. 3) Jamie McCrimmon. Probably the best Doctor/companion combination so far. Jamie and The 2nd doctor just bounce off each other creating a brilliant atmosphere and brilliant TV as well as some excellently executed comedy. 2) Donna Noble. In my opinion Donna is the Companion that has made the biggest impact on the doctor, and the viewer in 50 years of time travel. As well as him having the biggest impact on her which is heart wrenchingly taken away. She is likable, funny and very very boisterous and there is just so much character development throughout series 4 from a loud mouth nuisance to a caring person, Catherine Tate who is known for her comedy handled this perfectly! 1) Ace. Always smiling, relatable and friendly she is the perfect companion. She faces danger head on and indeed the doctor made her in some cases but just making her a better person in the hardest way possible. One of her most poignant moments is probably the small scene in Remembrance of the Daleks when she turns the racist sign on the door over (story set in 1963) this is exactly why she's my favourite and always will be. If you are unfamiliar with 'Doctor-Lite' it is where we don't have an extensive appearance by the doctor. In other words the doctor doesn't appear very much in the story or contribute very much to the story. Instead the focus is on the companion or a new character altogether. One of the most famous examples of Doctor-Lite is the title card opposite - "Love and Monsters" but there is also the highly praised "Blink". So in this article I will be reviewing each Doctor-Lite story and suggesting what worked and what didn't. Enjoy! Love and monsters: The rather infamous episode that is always the first to be knocked in New who - unnecessarily I think, but compared to other stories this is somewhat of a failure... but a good failure. As I've said this story in my opinion was an experiment; it was the first Doctor-Lite story, the main monster was designed by an eight year old, low budget etc... all these risks didn't really pay off sadly but it allowed doctor who to learn from these mistakes. So our first Doctor-Lite story wasn't too successful - things like the relatively weak ‘love’ story between Elton and Ursula, the mediocre monster all may have been improved if the doctor had been involved, if they wanted it to work, they needed a good enough story to kind of pull us away from the fact our favourite time lord is nowhere to be seen - rather than the odd, weak love story between the two main characters. Human Nature: This story may come as a surprise to some people being a Doctor-Lite story but in this we didn't have our doctor - we got the same actor but a completely different personality. Our doctor was of course tucked away in a Fob watch while a human doctor took his place with no memories of his travels in time and space (played excellently by David Tennant). Since some people may not have even realised this was Doctor-Lite - with the same actor playing a different character, the fact the real doctor isn't there doesn't really have a negative impact, the story kind of wants you to want the doctor back just like Martha and considering how well it did in the latest Doctor who poll, we can consider this Doctor-Lite a success. Blink: Oddly enough this story comes straight after the above two part, but this one is easily one of the most memorable. In this story we have Sally Sparrow and her 'assistant' Larry Nightingale taking on the lead characters and this story is an undeniable success - regularly being praised both in poll's and in reviews and the likeable, independent Sally as well as the actual monster are probably the reason this story is so good. So this story definitely shows that Doctor-Lite can work if written in the right way with as I said what Love and Monsters was missing, people that we can relate to and pull us away from the fact the doctor isn't there as well as being believable. Turn Left: This story unlike the previous ones actually wants you to know the doctor isn't there by having him killed in an alternate timeline where the world is changed from him not being there. So him not being there was probably the main plot. In this episode the focus is on the companions, particularly Donna but with Rose guiding her. Another rather successful story that is incredibly interesting when you think about it: 'what would happen if the doctor wasn't there to save everyone?' It also allowed Donna to once again show what she's capable of and the resolution is particularly fantastic. Within the Matt Smith area there hasn't really been any full on Doctor-Lite stories but as I've seen above, maybe it could have benefited from some Doctor-Lite, in the latest doctor who magazine poll 'Blink' came second behind 'The Day of the doctor', 'Human nature/Family of blood' came 9th so that's two of the above stories in the top 10. Then 'Turn Left' came 39th finally 'Love and Monsters; coming 220th out of 241. Oppertunites of Doctor-Lite in Matt Smith's era were with 'Amy's choice', where we could have just had the Dream Lord tormenting the companions then in and 'The girl who waited' focused more on Amy and her relationship with Rory although The Doctor was quite a big theme in it. |
About this areaThis area will be where I discuss things, give my opinion on things or just tell you about things going on in the whoniverse. Enjoy! Archives
January 2015
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