It's horses for courses, isn't it I suppose? Matt's Doctor may have been less accessible to some, but I found Amy the most captivating companion there's been and that worked wonderfully with Matt IMO. Her backstory enhanced the character (I found it relatable) and when Rory joined the party full-time, its the most enjoyment I've had from the show ever.

I agree Clara's way of coming into the show wasn't as good and never took to her, although part of that comes down to Jenna in my opinion not being as good an actress as other companions. That's all opinion though.

I do worry for the show at the moment though if its going down a more Classic Who route, its closing itself off more and more to people. Hopefully the next Doctor (which I hope comes with Chibnall) will be the breath of fresh air needed. They need to be fun and accessible....

Peter Capaldi is one of my favourite actors and, by all accounts, is a lovely bloke too. But I just don't think his incarnation has worked.

I was SO upset when Clara stayed on at the end of "Last Christmas" and her continued presence (in my opinion) damaged season 9. I think the same for the 12th Doctor. I think the launch of the Chibnall era will stumble at the first step without a new Doctor.

Indeed. It's all fine and good being lovely off-screen but judging on what we seen on screen, I honestly don't get why anyone would want to travel with Peter's Doctor. I honestly don't get that.

I remember groaning too when I saw 'the Doctor AND Clara will return' for Series 9 thing too. It definitiely didn't help that series at all. There was nothing new to it. It's no surprise the promotional material came upon a stumbling block "same old, same old" or something on those lines, wasn't it?

Basically this. It always gets to the point where the male and female lead inevitably fall in love and I can't help but groan at how cheap it is and wonder why I'm supposed to care. Many stories are prone to tack it on the end without actually bothering to build that chemistry up. I know it's something we can relate to, but by this point it's become so tedious it's more akin to eating cornflakes... I can relate to that to, but I don't want it shoehorned into everything I watch.

Why not have more same-sex relationships? They're still a relatively new thing in the scope of it all that the industry still tiptoes around, but I also think there's a much wider potential for ideas in it. The ones we do see tend to be more layered and compelling because there's the added drama of social rejection, self-esteem, etc. which tends to make the characters feel ever so closer and unbreakable together.

Series 2. Easily one of my worst series of Who, possibly behind only Season 24, and the ending was the nail in the coffin for me. It represents almost everything I dislike about these repetitive love stories.

As the OP, I don't remember any same-sex relationships in Classic Doctor Who.

I'd rather not see smooching in Doctor Who, whether heterosexual or LGBTQABCDEFG.

We only got a flaming Captain Jack because RTD believes in using his show running opportunities as a political and campaign tool when it comes to alternative sexualities.

Classic Who was always neutral in this regard. Was never used to ram a minority viewpoint down the mainstream's throat - unless you count appreciation of cult/scifi tv.

A recurring answer in this thread is bringing back cliffhanger episodes. Yes. Definitely.

Also, New Who episodes seems much more smug and all wrapped up in a pretty little bow at the end. Strikes me as having similarities to The Simpsons after about Season 12 when Homer became self-aware of his stupidity and played up to it.

Also missing from New Who: Quarries. Need more episodes set in a quarry, whether used a a quarry or as an alien landscape. That and a 6 episode story arc that involves the Doctor repeatedly running back and forth across a quarry from on side of battle to the other.

I know! It's almost like society has changed in the past 27 years. Who'd have thought?

Sexual relationship with a paving slab. Real family viewing....

I'm currently watching Doctor Who from episode one (2005) with my 14 year old. She's really enjoying it too. We're halfway through season 2 and Love and Monsters is the next one we're watching. It'll be interesting to see what she thinks of those final scenes.

It's not "political" when it comes to heterosexual relationships, I don't see why it's any different with same-sex ones.

My fault for bringing it up though, I didn't realise that in 2016 same-sex relationships were still vexing for some.

Stop putting everything on modern day earth or spacestations.

Give us alien planets.

Some of the best classic Who episodes were Earthbound! Having said that, I'd love to see more alien planets or historical settings. I thought Moffat captured it pretty well with some of the episodes, in particular the opener of the last series which had quite a few planets. I still hold out hope for something like the Shadow Proclamation returning, it gave the show a big sense of scale.

I strongly agree with you I remember loving the time The Doctor and Rose spent together and thought the I love you in doomsday was a result of their character progression and the result of how far their friendship came but I also loved The Doctor and Donna as just friends I think RTD made the right choice introducing this element and making it more like a "soap" with the companions problems at home but it didn't overshadow the episode,

Apart from the 3rd Doctor era very few stories were modern earth.

The War Machines, Faceless ones, The Web of Fear, The Invasion, Robot, Terror of the Zygons, The Android Invasion, Seeds of Doom, Hand of Fear, Image of the Fendahl, City of Death, Black Orchid, The Awakening, Ressurection of the Daleks, Mark of the Rani, The Two Doctors and Ghost Light.

That is not many at all, and what made these stories better is since modern day earth was rarely used it feels unique, and the fact that every one of those stories happens in completely different environments and settings. We aren't constricted in London and Cardiff.

I wouldn't count Black Orchid (1920's) and Mark of the Rani (19th Century) as modern Earth.

Survival is partly (mostly?) set on Modern Earth, at least half of Logopolis is and Battlefield though set a few years in the future would probably count as well (given that all the Pertwee earth stories were probably a few years in the future).

Ah yes, i couldn't really remember if Black Orchid was modern day or not. Survival was a tough one, as at least half the episode was on that cheetah planet, and i felt the story was more to do with that, than the Earth setting.

I have no idea why i put Mark as modern, the mind slips. Logopolis probably could be modern Earth as well, but i left it out similarly to Survival as i wouldn't call it an Earth story, it just happened to revolve around there from time to time.

Forgot completely about Battlefield, that can join the list.

How about Planet Of Giants? The Stones Of Blood?Mawdryn Undead? Time Flight-(to a certain degree?) Arc Of Infinity?

Plus the very first episode(If one counts it as a separate story, which in some ways it is)

Silver Nemesis?

Ah yes the first 3 and Silver Nemeais. Well actually I debate planet of the Giants mainly because they are so small it's like a new world. Time flight and infinity aren't earth stories, they just happen to be there for a period of time.

What you think of as neutral is probably better classified as ramming a mainstream viewpoint down everybody's throats. Casual sexism to racial stereotyping and everything in-between.

Even aside from that, some of the most respected episodes - and, in fact, aspects of the Doctor's character as a whole - were about the right of the individual over that of the mainstream. From environmental campaigners, to faceless military, to the control of the media in suppressing individual thought. It seems odd to just focus on the kissing.

Don't be daft, the first episode was set in the early sixties.

33 out of 155 classic who episodes were set on modern day Earth.
New Who 44 out of 107 episodes modern day Earth.

Simply Earth stories in general any era. I need to add a criteria, if more than half the story is on Earth, or an significant portion then i will count it.

Classic Who- 63 out of 155 set on Earth. May have missed a couple.

New Who- 85 out of 107 episodes on Earth, 80% of episodes!

What i want is definitely more alien planets, the stats speak for themselves.

Which brings us back to the quarry...

I would say Planet Of Giants counts as it still had modern settings and the non regular, normal sized people were quite contemporary. Time Flight was always questionable but Arc Of Infinity had a large amount of location stuff in each episode and Part 4 was nearly all location so I would say it counts.


Does that mean Mawdryn Undead wasn't modern as it was set in 1983?