How has your interest in Doctor Who changed? (2005-2013)

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  • Sharon87Sharon87 Posts: 3,698
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    Series 1 and 2 - didn't watch it, but decided to catch them up just before series 3 started and loved them.
    Series 3 - I really enjoyed it and started to really get into it
    Series 4 - interest peaked further, I really enjoyed the David/Catherin dynamic
    Specials - ok, not brilliant, I enjoyed David's last 2 episode though.
    Series 5 - My favourite series, absolutely loved it, the story arc, just a couple weak episodes, like every series has.
    Series 6 - enjoyed the story arc episodes, but the stand alones weren't the best
    Series 7a - unsure, I never had the desire to rewatch it as much as the previous series'. Except the introduction of Clara, which is bringing new life to the show and will continue I reckon.
  • andy1231andy1231 Posts: 5,100
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    I've watched it since it started in 63. As I got older I enjoyed it more and more, but then around year 4 of Toms's era I started to lose interest and only watched it occasionaly. I then began watching it on a regular basis when Peter took over and kep watching untill Sly took the role. I must admit I started to loose interest again towards the end of his reign. Never really took to the Scottish Doctor. Enjoyed the movie and was excited when it came back in 2005 and was an avid viewer. I still watch every episode when it is transmitted, buy all the DVDs, soundtracks (When is the Snowman soundtrack released ?) etc, have a full size Tardis in the back garden, but must admit I'm not as keen on Moffatts productions as I was with RTD. Love Matt as the Doctor but preffered David but thats a personal choice. I don't know why but I just feel there is "something" missing now but can't put my finger on it.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,175
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    :)73-did see it wwith my parents butt didnt hide only when davros came on , cant stand him
    75-77 leela and the dr defo after grandstand
    78-80 yes with my pareents
    81-82 in warrington
    82-83-with my dad
    84-not for long , didnt like colin,saw it on uk gold 2004-5
    85-n0
    86-no
    87-no
    88-once didnt pay attention but saw it uk gold and though it was better
    89-no but again uk gold showed reruns
    90-96-no
    96 saw it with paul mcgann,was good actually
    97-2004-reruns
    2005-yes with my flat mate
    2006- yes with my lithuaian flat mate and then at xmas while they were stuffing the turkey
    2007-yes butt missed the sodding ffinal of dr who
    but got a dr who box set of the thrird series
    and i bought all off the 4th too 2008-watched all of that
    2009-watched speacials especially the xmas and regeneratioon ones
    2010-watched it but felt some was rubbish(vamppires,van goggh,big bang,pandorica,hated amy's choice) but gained interest in some (van gogh was good and rubbish,beast below,elevnth hour,the silrruran sstories,the lodger with James Corden who is a brill actor )
    2010 xmas special brill
    2011 series episode one ended v well, the pirate one silly,dr'ss wife ok,the gangers brill,the baby one surreal but ended well,l but the second part starter was naff ,the secondd episode was ace ,the third??? the fourth good,the fifth brill with James Corden and the baby,the sixth okish
    2011 xmas sspecial-pants
    2012 actually worth the wait , clara,oswin kicks ass and the final amy and rory story was goodd, didnt likee the cube one or the dinosaurs one , though rorry's dad was brill and the sort of spin off with the ood and the ponds anddd the dad
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,175
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    :cool:I like dr who so miss it if it isnt on , like aan old slippper though mr sellfridge and downton has helped the wait
    ok moffatt will never be russell but he adds a kind of mysteery to it and he gets ace writers in well they work most of the time
    glad mark gatiss is on board for the fifteith ax
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
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    Abomination, very good question. Here is my answer:

    1980s
    I grew up in the 80s and vaguely remember 5 and 6, though it wasn’t until 7 & Ace when I was regularly watching (from behind sofas). When the series ended I had become a definite fan and always yearned for a return.

    1990s
    I found the 8 movie disappointing and quickly forgot about it. It never really felt like proper Who to me, not British enough. Frankly I found Dimensions In Time and Fatal Death to be more exciting events in the saga. Even though Dimensions In Time was

    Early 2000s
    By the early 2000s I was still thinking about the show from time to time. Even around 2004 I remember writing my own little ideas for what would happen if the show came back and made my own version of a new theme tune. And, at the time, I had no idea it was going to be returning. Doctor Who was ostensibly a long-forgotten TV show but many of us never forgot about it.

    2005: Ecclestone
    The 2005 return of the series was incredibly exciting. And I don’t just mean the anticipation, I mean the series itself. I honestly still don’t think there has been anything to rival that level of sheer excitement yet. From Rose to Parting Of The Ways, it was sheer unadulterated excellence and the future was very bright for the series. Not only was it back but it was better than ever. Between Eccleston and Davies, they somehow managed to craft a Doctor who was both faithful to the legacy and totally fresh and mysterious. While I have enjoyed subsequent Doctors, I feel the darker and more mysterious and alien side of the Doctor brought by Eccleston is sadly still absent today.

    Tennant
    I have nothing controversial to say about the Tennant era. It really speaks for itself: excellent and worthy from start to finish.

    In honesty I think RTD’s best work was nearer the beginning and by the end, despite a few excellent episodes, it was Tennant himself really powering the popularity of this era as the show’s mascot. As the RTD years went on, I started to feel “epic” had lost all its impact. Parting of the Ways was good because back then, epic was new. But even by Doomsday I was thinking: “Yawn. Thousands of monsters yet not one personality among them and no sense of personal terror”. By the end of the RTD era, everything was too epic and everyone knew about the Doctor. I also personally thought Simm was a poor choice for The Master. (While Derek Jacobi was outstanding—a crying shame he was killed off instantly.)

    Smith & Moffat
    Now, this is where it gets complicated! ;) because I feel utterly ambivalent about this new era…

    I should begin by saying I have always been a huge Moffat fan and without doubt he is the greatest Doctor Who writer ever. Arguably, he used up all his best ideas before taking over as showrunner. But even with that said, his writing is consistently excellent to date and there is absolutely no sign of him running out of steam or losing his way. Creatively, the River Song story arc is unprecedented in the show’s history in terms of ambition, complexity, consistency, intrigue and innovation.

    When Moffat was confirmed as showrunner I was jumping for joy, and am still delighted it’s his show and feel it’s in excellent hands. That has never been in question to this day.

    Criticisms of 11
    However, on the other hand, if I am completely honest with myself, I do not feel 11’s era is as exciting or as engaging as it was when we first met him.

    Now don’t get me wrong, this is all relative. The 11 era is not bad. The episodes, let’s face it, are a million times more engaging and exciting than certain periods of Who antiquity. There is no worry about the series becoming stale or being taken off the air. It is still very, very good.

    But relatively speaking, I feel we are in a bit of a lull now. The last time I felt genuinely excited was The Eleventh Hour. That episode was perfect, and had a sense of magic, awe and wonder, similar to the 2005 Eccleston magic, as seen through the eyes of a child.

    But this magical dynamic of child and mysterious superior being was very quickly to fade…

    Amy, Rory and Docky
    While her husband was always a great character, I slowly came to find Amy more and more unbearable. And while Smith is an outstanding Doctor, I have been starting to feel a little bored and disengaged with his character. I think I am going to attribute the core of the problem to the dynamic between Amy, Rory and “Docky”.

    With the Doctor, Rory and Amy all being extremely similar in age (in terms of cast) there were times when the human/alien dynamic started to blur, the hierarchy broke down, and the Doctor failed to exert any authority or command over them. Instead of the Doctor being the grand hero, we started to feel like these were just three special people, a gang of three, with no real leader and no real hero.

    And with Amy becoming increasingly unpleasant, bossy and disrespectful and neither of the other two keeping her in check, it almost felt like it was Amy’s TARDIS and the other two were her companions at times. This, combined with the strong elements of self-deprecating humour in Smith’s performance only served to totally undermine any sense of awe and wonder over the Doctor being a wise, mysterious old alien.

    By the end of Rory and Amy’s time, I was starting to get incredibly sick of them, for two reasons. First, because we kept saying goodbye to them yet they kept coming back. So it felt like we just couldn’t move on to new things. And second because by the end Amy had become a totally unpleasant character and it was just an unpleasant experience to have to watch her, and mostly that she never got her comeuppance for her insolence—not once!

    I guess this is off-topic but frankly I am quite surprised that this vile, sexist character was allowed to be put on TV in front of impressionable children and almost presented as an aspirational role model! I thought those days were long gone and those attitudes, rightly, belonged in the past?

    The future
    So with Amy and Rory gone (at long last!) I am hoping for a fresh new start and hoping the Doctor can actually start acting his age again and get his authority back.

    One of the standout moments for 11 was the Impossible Astronaut. What I particularly loved about that episode was seeing a Doctor from the future. A doctor who was hundreds of years older, had a different look about him, and, I had been hoping, was more mature and more sure of whom he was. Well, I don’t think that quite worked out to be the case.

    This time, I am hoping for a new regeneration of sorts. Maybe not necessarily a new actor (though I would not object to that at all) but rather if we could just have a new Doctor who has got a little more dignity and authority and knows he is the superior of humans (without being an arse about it obviously) then I would be happy.

    Conclusion
    For me, I am most excited about Doctor Who when it is spooky, mysterious and intimate, and tells the story of an alien landing on earth in a mysterious blue box. When there is a huge, tangible divide between companions and Doctor in terms of status, age, intellect, morals, experience and power. I also think it’s important that the Doctor is a moral force for good, concerned less about saving lives for the sake of it and more about imparting wisdom and good values into individuals and peoples. I also think the series needs to be very British. I never liked it when they tried to make a rainy day look sunny or glamorous. Britain is gloomy and that is what Doctor Who is all about for me.

    The series is at its worst when the Doctor is nothing more than a funny, eccentric member of the gang who just happens to have alien physiology, and when his superiority and status as the hero is undermined and demeaned by insolent companions. I also feel the series goes astray when, in trying to be epic, it loses its intimacy and the focus is on monsters and grand special effects rather than the people and the emotions and the relationships.

    Moffat’s strength is cleverness and humour. But even though these are both wonderful qualities (and are still much needed), they are ultimately superficial. At the heart, there needs to be spirit and passion and emotion. Moffat takes all these things on, but at times I feel it is all a product of the head and doesn’t come from the heart. And while cleverness is good, it can sometimes shroud or distract from the heart of the story.

    I am not hoping for gloomy stories. On the contrary, I am not a gloomy person and probably it’s the child-like fairytale episodes that appeal most to me. But there needs to be emotional depth.

    I think that is all I can say. I hope Moffat reads these threads! :)
  • Tom TitTom Tit Posts: 2,554
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    The audience that watches Doctor Who in 2013 is somewhat different to the one that watched back in 2005 (let alone 1963!).

    The audience is exactly the same: the British public (not withstanding the international audience). They're what gives Doctor Who it's steady ratings. The people who just watch it on a Saturday evening without putting too much importance on it and just enjoy it for its own sake, without added emotional investment.That's who the show has been made for since 1963, with perhaps only John Nathan Turner losing sight of that audience.

    The type of audience you are talking about is not the audience, it's the fan-base, which i something very different. The show has never been made with them in mind, except possibly that one spell with JNT - and the show died (or at least went into a coma).

    It doesn't really matter what fans say about the show; the audience remains unscathed.


    I think that is all I can say. I hope Moffat reads these threads! :)


    He never will, not whilst working on the show, because the opinions of a dozen fans, all saying something different, can't give him any useful information. Why is your (or my) voice more important than that of 7 - 10 million people who are perfectly happy with the way the show is?
  • ShoppyShoppy Posts: 1,094
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    When the show first came back in 2005 I felt a certain solidarity with other fans as we all eagerly anticipated the return of our favourite show.

    After 8 years of crap fan ideas masquerading as news, perpetuated tabloid cliches of what the show should be, Rani-hating, Davies-worship and latecomers mimicking the views of the old guard like bad ship's parrots, I can honestly say I couldn't give a flying Fenric about the rest of fandom any more as long as I enjoy the show.

    If I want to like it I will like it, If I don't I won't, and though many would like to think otherwise, their opinions, however amusing, will remain irrelevant to the process

    :)
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
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    Tom Tit wrote: »
    the opinions of a dozen fans, all saying something different, can't give him any useful information.
    I think there is some small possibility he may read these forums, so you’re wrong. … So you’re right! Fans all disagree! :D
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    Tom Tit wrote: »
    The audience is exactly the same: the British public (not withstanding the international audience).

    I think you put my meaning into better words, though as with any era of the show there have been new people who have given Doctor Who a go in recent years and have stuck with it, and others who left shortly after Tennant was no longer in it. For example, I wouldn't have described most of my friends as 'fans' of the show... they watched it when it came back, and they enjoyed it. But never enough to really talk about it in conversation, certainly not enough to buy DVD's or merchandise or invest in it in any way beyond just watching the episodes and not being too bothered about occasionally missing one. That being said, most of them no longer watch the show and lost interest in it...an overwhelming majority of them. They just lost touch with it as it went, which is something, I feel, a lot of the audience has done. That's not a suggestion of a dip in the ratings, far from it... I feel on-demand has merely tapped into a section of the audience who now have the opportunity to watch it on catch-up for free, at their own leisure. Whilst some general viewers eventually just move on, the endless cycle dictates that more come across the show as time progresses. :) Add in the fact that the show has made the odd allowance for the fantastically successful international audiences as well, and there is a slight shift in who the general audience of the show may be. Nothing crucial or suggestive of anything, but an intriguing development that has made the show recognised across the world. :)

    _____________________________________________

    As for my interest in the show over the years, I'm not old enough to have witnessed Doctor Who as a child - in fact the only thing released in my lifetime before the RTD-Era was the McGann movie. Although I recognised the title of the show and associated Tom Baker with the lasting image of it (thanks to The Simpsons :p ), as well as recognising what a Dalek looked like (though not even knowing what they were by name) it is more than fair to say my Doctor Who interest only came about with the revival....

    2005 - Series 1
    For Rose and The End of the World, I wasn't around to watch the episodes on television. I handily had them taped on VCR to watch the Sunday following their broadcast. Both occasions were terrifically sunny days and I enjoyed what I saw of them, as my first experience of Doctor Who. The announcement of Eccleston's departure so early on was news that struck a chord, as I had already grown immensely fond of his character. It was enough to be a topic of conversation with the few friends of mine that were fans of the show and had seen Classic Who. From The Unquiet Dead, I was absolutely hooked as Dicken's happens to be my favourite writer and I thought the story was brilliantly done. Despite farting aliens, human trampolines and jokes about plastic arms I liked this show a lot. By the time I'd seen Dalek, I was well and truly invested... although I had no internet access, I read absolutely anything I could about the series... from rumours that Jackie was the Bad Wolf to Simon Pegg playing The Master. It was an interesting time for an interesting series, and a high point of my time as a viewer. Whether it was Eccleston, the refreshing feel, or just coincidence...Series 1 remains one of my favourite series and has my favourite finale to date.

    Episodes Missed on Initial Broadcast: Rose, The End of the World, Fathers Day*

    *The only episode I have ever entirely missed and not seen at all on television until the DVD purchase. I didn't see this episode until shortly before Series 2 had begun.

    2006 - Series 2
    The new, young, cockney Doctor was something I wasn't used to at first, and I was suffering my first regeneration blues in Series 2. Although the Christmas Special had focused on Rose to please the fans (I think), I felt the new Doctor lacked the authority or coolness of the old one - he felt like an impersonator, but all the same the episodes were of such a high quality I got over it quickly. I loved all the episodes at the time, and was happy to see the end of Mickey, or so I thought. Come the end of the series, I'd realised how I'd preferred the first series in the end but that every week I did have to question whether or not the episode I'd just seen was the best one yet (even for Love and Monsters and Fear Her!), and I feel now that was a testament to the strength of the stories in Series 2.

    Episodes missed on Initial Broadcast: None

    2007 - Series 3
    Despite missing Rose, I was still hopeful of hugely enjoying the show beyond the second series. Catherine Tate had proved I didn't need Billie Piper to keep me interested in the show, and I was excited to see what it was that Freema would bring to the table. Frustratingly her character didn't click with me, as she felt like a lesser attempt at making a Rose-character. I was all for continuity but it went overboard. In addition to that, the episodes early on in Series 3 didn't grip me. It only turned around come 42 which I was unexpectedly impressed with, and would be for much of the series to come. I ended up not liking John Simm very much, as he played the comical side of his character up to to stupidity rather than insanity most of the time, and I felt Captain Jack's return was a bit wasted and disappointing too. My interest went down with the third series, as I still preferred Eccleston too much over Tennant, and Agyeman and the first half of the series (barring Gridlock) had disappointed me.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: None

    2008 - Series 4
    My interest dropped down further after being disappointed with Voyage of the Damned, and despite liking The Runaway Bride, I was not keen on seeing Donna as a companion full-time. But one 'Coming Soon' trailer later and I was made up again. My interest in the series soared, and during the time it was back on air, a run of diverse and successful episodes meant my interest had peaked again. Although I still preferred Eccleston, I felt Tennant refined his role a lot here and I liked him a lot too. Tate took things up a whole notch, whilst the whole series was just hit after hit. I remember feeling sad as the series neared its end, sadder still come the finale, and sadder still seeing the final episode being one of only two (with The Doctors Daughter) to slightly disappoint me. And although Donna's exit remains the most tragic moment of all in the whole series for me, I was still optimistic about the quality of the specials that lay ahead.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: The Unicorn and the Wasp*

    *I had fallen asleep and missed the first ten minutes, and whilst the rest struggled to make any coherent sense to me I counted it as a missed episode and caught up with it on DVD :D

    2008-2010-The Specials
    A bit deflated with Donna's exit, I was still quite hyped for The Specials year. Only that took a knock when The Next Doctor became my least favourite Christmas special to date. I aced a dilemma come Planet of the Dead, as for the first and only time ever Doctor Who clashed with Primeval. As it was a DW Special, I knew without a doubt that Primeval would lose out in the viewer ratings, and decided to stick by it, which I was glad of! Whilst DW offered a soso episode that was decent enough but not very well developed, Primeval offered an episode that turned everything on its head and killed off its main character out of nowhere, three episodes into the third series! With that all in mind, I approached The Waters of Mars with even less interest, and even more caution. It was the best Special of the bunch, but by no means perfect... the trailer for The End of Time won my interest back over, though Part 1 itself left everything in tatters - not only the worst Xmas Special to date, or even the worst Special of the year, but overall my least favourite episode of Doctor Who ever! How they got it so wrong with such a strong cast of fantastic actors I'll never know, and it's frustrating to this day. I approached Part 2 with no enthusiasm at all, and save for everything after Wilf knocks four times, I was totally unimpressed. My interest has peaked and plummeted in the space of a year.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: Planet of the Dead


    2010 - Series 5
    A massive turning point, I had no idea of what to expect from Series 5. I was unfortunately a bit pulled in by the 'Moffat is King' idea, but I've since learned my lesson. Though my opinions on some episodes have changed wildly, this cannot be more true of my opinions on some episodes of Series 5 (I loathed The Beast Below when I first saw it, now I love it!). For the first time since Series 2, I approached a series from the off and knew I didn't want to miss anything. I was a bit put off by the change in tone at first, though come the time of Vincent and the Doctor I had accepted it, and quite liked it too. Save for the Silurian two-parter, I found much to like with every episode and though my interest in the show wasn't as high as it had been two years earlier, I still enjoyed it an awful lot. Smith and Gillan were a strong pairing, and though the writing of the latter was a bit of a let down in the end, I still liked Amy, and indeed the show all the same.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: The Lodger

    2011 - Series 6
    The end of Series 5 had impressed me, and then A Christmas Carol became my favourite Christmas special to date. With America, pirates, TARDIS-turned-human, and more River Song on the way, how could I not be eager for more of the show?! There are elements I like and dislike about Series 6 that don't gel with everyone, and I find it's the most divisive series of the bunch for most people. I felt the ambition for Series 6 was strong, and it felt like the production values had shot through the roof. Unfortunately too much was left riding on the final episode to deliver a satisfying resolution, and it didn't for me. Instead, it left a mark on the sixth series that made it less rewatchable, and meant I was less bothered about where it would be going next.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: None

    2011-/13 - Series 7
    Kicking off with the most disappointing Christmas special to date (TDTWATW...I count it as Series 7, personally) I felt that with the lack of new cast members appearing, announcements about Daleks returning again, and less than impressive episodes that the Moffat-era was in a bit of a lull, akin to the RTD-Era having its first one in early Series 3....it is coincidentally Moffat's third series, maybe it's a thing :p I was intrigued to see the episodes in Series 7A, but not pressingly so. I was impressed with three of the five episodes, but not itching to see them again straight after. Similarly, I wasn't particularly psyched for The Snowmen despite being intrigued by the new TARDIS and companion, and even the trailer for 7B hasn't particularly grabbed me. I AM still interested, but feel that the show is in a bit of a slump right now. I'm not quite sure why, though.

    Episodes missed on initial broadcast: None

    :)
  • SexSex Posts: 44,161
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    ^jesus chris

    All I have to say is

    Series 1: great
    Series 2: excellent
    Series 3: really good
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
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    Sex wrote: »
    ^jesus chris

    All I have to say is

    Series 1: great
    Series 2: excellent
    Series 3: really good
    Stop waffling and get to the point!
  • Face Of JackFace Of Jack Posts: 7,181
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    Hmm that was a long and interesting review eh? ^^
    I'll keep it short.
    Let's go back to 1963....
    Doctor 1: I can just about remember Hartnell - I was hooked as an infant.
    Doctor 2: He became 'my Doctor' - I was six at the time!
    Doctor 3: I found him a bit boring - and no Tardis!! (well, not till later!)
    Doctor 4: Didn't like him at first - but his quirkiness got me in the end.
    Doctor 5: Loved the new-style young Doctor, lots of companions and lots of Tardis scenes!
    Doctor 6: Not at all keen on that outfit! Bit too full of himself, but I quite liked him actually.
    Doctor 7: Not good at all. The ? on his jumper, shirt, and even his frigging umbrella!! Crap stories - all done on the cheap! I gave up watching after the KandyMan rubbish!!
    Doctor 8: Not too bad a film. Paul McGann was very good. Just a bit too americanised.
    Doctor 9: Came back with a vengeance! Excellent stuff. Fantastic Doctor.
    Doctor 10: This Doctor excelled himself - he brought it back properly into existence, thanks to his love of the show!!
    Doctor 11: Nice alien-esque look about him, like his looks and character......not so sure about the way it's going though! At least they've got shot of Amy & Rory, who were becoming a bit tiresome by the end. (constantly dying etc....yawn!)
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    Stop waffling and get to the point!

    The scary thing is that I probably cut out over half of what I wanted to say in my post. I could go on for hours :p
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
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    Just realised I never finished what I was saying above about Dimensions In Time.

    Dimensions In Time
    I was going to say, even though Dimensions In Time was just a cheap, short and tacky comedy charity cash-in, and not exactly a profound story, there was a lot I really liked about it. For a start, it had multiple Doctors, which was (and still is) deeply exciting. It also had a strong sense of occasion, with it being shown “live” on Children In Need and also tied in with current events in Eastenders, making it feel very real and relevant (before the RTD era, I always felt there was a lack of “ordinary life” in the series). Added to this, almost every scene was shot with a moving camera on a dolly, or had lots of movement, which really gave it a sense of excitement that was normally lacking from your typical early 90s TV drama. Oh and on top of this, I love the theme tune they specially made for this. It was really good and stuck in my memory for the last 20 years.
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
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    Oh my goodness! I just decided to have a look at Dimensions In Time on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it in a while you’ll have a shock.
  • SexSex Posts: 44,161
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    Stop waffling and get to the point!
    :D:D:p
    Oh my goodness! I just decided to have a look at Dimensions In Time on YouTube. If you haven’t seen it in a while you’ll have a shock.

    Is that the one with the EE cast
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 72
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    I've been a huge fan since the 1970s (really got hooked with Peter Davison). I even went to a convention in Miami back in the 1980s. . .

    I love the new series although it definitely has its peaks and valleys -- but the thing that has tired me the most is the very, very, very, very long breaks between episodes. It has gotten past the point of annoying.

    This started with 10s series of "specials." It seems that Who no sooner returns then it is gone again. We had a huge gap last year, then the Christmas special (which rocked) and now here we are in February waiting for Easter. . .

    It is hard to keep the interest high when Who returns only to disappear again. The question may indeed be "Doctor WHO????"
  • AbominationAbomination Posts: 6,483
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    I do admire the concept of quality over quantity, but I'd rather they just put the show on a break and aired a series altogether, once they could put one together, I think.

    It's a fair point that getting the episodes in such short bursts since the end of 2010 has left the show feeling quite fragmented, especially as there is no consistency to these short bursts...

    Since the end of Series 5 we had A Christmas Carol stood on it's own as the last episode of Nu-Who to properly conform to the structure we'd grown familiar with. We then had the expected post-Christmas gap and then that's where it all changed. We had seven episodes and then a gap (which at the time felt huge, ironically) then six more. A gap until Christmas again, then after Christmas a gap of nine months! We got five episodes at that point, then endured another gap until Christmas, and now over three more months to get eight more episodes.

    I love the show to pieces, and despite its many strengths and weaknesses I have to say it is definitely structure and pacing that is letting it down a bit. Hopefully there can be a bit more consistency instilled come 2014, and Series 8. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,244
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    Loved it from the word Rose, and from then onwards my interest only climbed and climbed, right up until somewhere around the Night Terrors area.

    S6 started brilliantly, but I ultimately found the conclusion a little disappointing, and over the era of the slipshod scheduling that followed I've found my attention gently waning. I find it very hard to look forward to something if I don't know when I'm going to be watching it or why I should be excited, and series 7, while always good and often great, felt like it was missing something. Might be because we weren't travelling with Team TARDIS, might be the lack of any kind of arc whatsoever. I don't know. I loved the Ponds, but the companions were so far detached from the Doctor that it felt like a coda to a story that should've wrapped up in September of the previous year.

    I'm sure I'll be irrepressably excited by the end of March, but my obsession's dwindled a little for the first time, and it's a process that's been going on for the last eighteen months. The brilliant thing about Doctor Who is that it bypasses that cynical part of your brain and drills deep into your inner child, but lately the portions have been so sparse and sanctioned info's been so thin on the ground that the child's got its work cut out for it. But... give it a few weeks!
  • Grand DizzyGrand Dizzy Posts: 7,369
    Forum Member
    I think we all seem to agree that the messing around with the schedule is really annoying.

    I like seasonal routine and want consistency. I want there to be a regular “Doctor Who season” in the year. Even if they split it in two, I want consistency.

    It’s a bit like Bonfire Night. I always used to love Bonfire Night because it was one time of year and you could look forward to the fireworks. But now, with people doing firework displays all year round, the season has lost its significance. Same with Christmas. Christmas used to be in December, but now many people start Christmas in October and it’s just unsettling.

    If I were BBC, I would do a schedule like this:

    Christmas
    Christmas special

    January
    1 month break

    Beginning of February — end of May:
    Last year’s episodes are shown on Saturday nights in the run-up to the new series.

    June
    2-week break.

    Mid-June — end of July
    New series part 1

    August
    2-week break.

    Mid-August — end of September
    New series part 2

    October — Christmas
    Winter break
  • Inseriousity.Inseriousity. Posts: 83
    Forum Member
    Interesting question. I've only watched New Who so can't really talk about the classics. I didn't get involved in the fandom til I got really bored one day and started watching the whole series as I heard Catherine Tate was in it and I like her. I ended up liking the show on its own though but series 4 is my favourite series and it's mostly because of Donna Noble (Wilf helps too) so that's when my interest peaked.

    Sadly, while I don't want to turn this into another boring rtd vs moffat debate, my interest has gradually declined series 6 onwards. I liked season 5, that was largely very good but series 6 for me the main arc got a bit too clever for its own good and lacked the heart that RTD gave the show (even if the plot was bare, you rooted for the most minor of characters).

    I like River Song, that relationship dynamic is still interesting but I go into Clara's story with trepidation because it sounds like another complex timey wimey situation that'll be wrung out. Despite all that, I still enjoy waiting for the next episode so my interest hasn't completely gone even if I don't mind catching it on IPlayer later rather than trying to gain control of the TV when it started like previous series.
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