Rewatched it and I thought it was a good way to see the Tenth Doctor have fun one last time before having to say goodbye and the whole Timelord Victorious thing Nothing deep, just a flying routemaster, UNIT, a theif and a gateway to another alien planet. What does this forum think about it?
Why do some people not like Planet of The Dead?
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Doctor Who is supposed to be corny, but there are some kinds of corny I just cannot tolerate and for me this was just one painful episode. Michelle Ryan made a horrible guest star whose written character was trying really hard to be "sexy and naughty" and the writing was a little too eager to be funny. By the time the bus is flying back to Earth and everyone is cheering over the excessively loud fanfare, you have enough cheese to make the moon.
The one that came after, The Waters of Mars, was amazing however.
The one that came after, The Waters of Mars, was amazing however.
I don't have a problem with it. Actually I rather liked Michelle Ryan's Lady Christina de Souza despite the character being a clone Lara Croft.
I think some of the more, ah... traditional fans dislike this one largely because it plays the Doctor as a romantic hero again.
I think some of the more, ah... traditional fans dislike this one largely because it plays the Doctor as a romantic hero again.
I'm a huge fan of the RTD/Tennant era but I wasn't madly keen on the specials to be honest. The 10th Doctor was at his best when he had a regular companion and I think that's why I didn't particularly enjoy these solo adventures. That said, I haven't watched either Waters of Mars or Planet of the Dead since they were first shown so maybe I need to give them both a second viewing.
For me, after the brilliant series 4, Planet of The Dead was pretty much RTD by numbers. The strings were beginning to show so to speak.
Of course it has it moments. I thought Lee Evans's Malcolm Tucker was a wonderful character and would have liked to have seen more after POD. (Although Osgood is pretty much a straight lift)
It isn't THE worst Who episode, it just plods along and the structure is fine. Considering it was a special there was nothing special about it.
As others have said the following Waters Of Mars was superb.
Of course it has it moments. I thought Lee Evans's Malcolm Tucker was a wonderful character and would have liked to have seen more after POD. (Although Osgood is pretty much a straight lift)
It isn't THE worst Who episode, it just plods along and the structure is fine. Considering it was a special there was nothing special about it.
As others have said the following Waters Of Mars was superb.
Originally Posted by Brandon_Smith:
“Rewatched it and I thought it was a good way to see the Tenth Doctor have fun one last time before having to say goodbye and the whole Timelord Victorious thing Nothing deep, just a flying routemaster, UNIT, a theif and a gateway to another alien planet. What does this forum think about it?”
“Rewatched it and I thought it was a good way to see the Tenth Doctor have fun one last time before having to say goodbye and the whole Timelord Victorious thing Nothing deep, just a flying routemaster, UNIT, a theif and a gateway to another alien planet. What does this forum think about it?”
You just summed it up right there: "Nothing deep". It's light and cheesy stuff, there's not much to get your teeth into, and therefore it doesn't stand up well on a repeat viewing. Plus, Michelle Ryan is a poor actress and badly written as a caricature - the naughty / sexy / bantering sort of companion that is very much a precursor to the Steven Moffat era of Who.
Maybe because it was billed as a 'special' there were slightly higher expectations than if it was just one of a run of episodes? I don't *dislike* it, just found it a bit bland and forgettable, with a perfunctory plot. I'd very much enjoyed David Morrissey's performance in the first post Donna (ahhhh...Donna) story, but Lady Christina...don't know whether it was the writing or the performance, or both!, but I think they were aiming for 'cool and roughish' but ended up with 'smug and spoilt' IMO. So her flying off away from the stereotypical 'plod' was supposed to be a rousing end, but I couldn't have cared less, really!
Still, I rather enjoyed Lee Evans and the image of the bus in the desert was v eye catching. If I do a complete rewatch sometime I wont miss it out or anything...
Still, I rather enjoyed Lee Evans and the image of the bus in the desert was v eye catching. If I do a complete rewatch sometime I wont miss it out or anything...
Its poo... the best bit about it wasnt even intended.. the bus being battered upon space time hopping
As others have said it was just run of the mill.
As episode 3 in a series of 13 it would have been fine, as one of only a few episodes in the year it just wasn't special enough.
One thing I remember noting at the time was that Tennent's performance wasn't that great and he just seemed to be phoning it in. This may have been partly down to the filming conditions (very hot) but it was also something I felt to a lesser extent in a couple of the other specials as well.
As episode 3 in a series of 13 it would have been fine, as one of only a few episodes in the year it just wasn't special enough.
One thing I remember noting at the time was that Tennent's performance wasn't that great and he just seemed to be phoning it in. This may have been partly down to the filming conditions (very hot) but it was also something I felt to a lesser extent in a couple of the other specials as well.
Originally Posted by Lord Smexy:
“Doctor Who is supposed to be corny, but there are some kinds of corny I just cannot tolerate and for me this was just one painful episode. Michelle Ryan made a horrible guest star whose written character was trying really hard to be "sexy and naughty" and the writing was a little too eager to be funny. By the time the bus is flying back to Earth and everyone is cheering over the excessively loud fanfare, you have enough cheese to make the moon.
The one that came after, The Waters of Mars, was amazing however.”
“Doctor Who is supposed to be corny, but there are some kinds of corny I just cannot tolerate and for me this was just one painful episode. Michelle Ryan made a horrible guest star whose written character was trying really hard to be "sexy and naughty" and the writing was a little too eager to be funny. By the time the bus is flying back to Earth and everyone is cheering over the excessively loud fanfare, you have enough cheese to make the moon.
The one that came after, The Waters of Mars, was amazing however.”
What a ridiculous post, everyone knows the moon isn't made of cheese, it's a giant egg.
Originally Posted by CAMERA OBSCURA:
“For me, after the brilliant series 4, Planet of The Dead was pretty much RTD by numbers. The strings were beginning to show so to speak.
Of course it has it moments. I thought Lee Evans's Malcolm Tucker was a wonderful character and would have liked to have seen more after POD. (Although Osgood is pretty much a straight lift)
It isn't THE worst Who episode, it just plods along and the structure is fine. Considering it was a special there was nothing special about it.
As others have said the following Waters Of Mars was superb.”
“For me, after the brilliant series 4, Planet of The Dead was pretty much RTD by numbers. The strings were beginning to show so to speak.
Of course it has it moments. I thought Lee Evans's Malcolm Tucker was a wonderful character and would have liked to have seen more after POD. (Although Osgood is pretty much a straight lift)
It isn't THE worst Who episode, it just plods along and the structure is fine. Considering it was a special there was nothing special about it.
As others have said the following Waters Of Mars was superb.”
It was OK, nothing great but I totally disagree with you over this (see bold above) I can't think of a more annoying character to be honest, well I probably could if I really tried, but I thought the whole Malcolm thing was just crap.
I remember when Planet of the Dead was broadcast, it was the only time I actively ever chose to watch something else instead of Doctor Who. It was the one and only time that the show clashed with ITV's Primeval which I also watched. Reflecting upon it, I am glad I made the choice I did.
Doctor Who's supposed 'special' episode was up against the third episode (of ten) of Primeval's third season. My only reasoning at the time was that I knew that less people were going to watch Primeval and I wanted to support it. As it turned out, the episode in question pulled the shock twist of killing off its main character. Douglas Henshall was out of the show and they didn't hold back at all in series that became merciless for killing off its characters around this time - but none was more shocking that killing off the lead.
And it says it all really. The regular episode of Primeval was more fun and ultimately more shocking than the extra-special episode of Doctor Who proved to be by far. That's not to say that Planet of the Dead is awful or anything like that... it's passable. The cast all do a great job - including Michelle Ryan in my opinion who had less than an hour to make something of a rather hollow character. The location filming in Dubai looked stunning, the visual of the bus in the desert was particularly iconic, but you do feel that maybe they could have used the stunning location filming for Tennant's actual swansong.
Ultimately the episode feels like filler with a hefty budget. It didn't live up to its 'special' label, but then frankly none of the specials did in my personal opinion and they all carried some major flaws.
Doctor Who's supposed 'special' episode was up against the third episode (of ten) of Primeval's third season. My only reasoning at the time was that I knew that less people were going to watch Primeval and I wanted to support it. As it turned out, the episode in question pulled the shock twist of killing off its main character. Douglas Henshall was out of the show and they didn't hold back at all in series that became merciless for killing off its characters around this time - but none was more shocking that killing off the lead.
And it says it all really. The regular episode of Primeval was more fun and ultimately more shocking than the extra-special episode of Doctor Who proved to be by far. That's not to say that Planet of the Dead is awful or anything like that... it's passable. The cast all do a great job - including Michelle Ryan in my opinion who had less than an hour to make something of a rather hollow character. The location filming in Dubai looked stunning, the visual of the bus in the desert was particularly iconic, but you do feel that maybe they could have used the stunning location filming for Tennant's actual swansong.
Ultimately the episode feels like filler with a hefty budget. It didn't live up to its 'special' label, but then frankly none of the specials did in my personal opinion and they all carried some major flaws.
Originally Posted by Boz_Lowdownl:
“What a ridiculous post, everyone knows the moon isn't made of cheese, it's a giant egg.”
“What a ridiculous post, everyone knows the moon isn't made of cheese, it's a giant egg.”
So an omelette?
Planet Of The Dead is a bit of a weird one for me.
On the one hand, it certainly is nowhere near the high quality of the episodes in the second half of Series 4. It's quite a lightweight story really where style definitely wins out over substance. The Dubai setting definitely gives it a glossy feel but the story itself is not one that springs to mind when thinking of the classics of the Tennant Era.
On the other, though, is that unlike the other specials, The Tenth Doctor is at least behaving normally and is not the grim shadow of himself that he became later on. Here he's having fun and even though the flying bus is a bit far fetched The Doctor is at least enjoying himself in the meantime.
As for Lady Christina, I liked the way Michelle Ryan portrayed her. I think it's good for her that this was another chance to pull away from Zoe Slater in Eastenders and I would like to think in another time and place she could have been a proper companion. I liked the banter between her and The Doctor.
As for Malcolm, I thought he was superb! He didn't annoy me at all and I thought he was one of the best things about the story.
Unlike others, I actually prefer this to The Waters Of Mars as it was more playful and fun and not so downbeat and grim.
However, it's not perfect by any means and maybe if it had been part of a proper Series it may have worked better.
On the one hand, it certainly is nowhere near the high quality of the episodes in the second half of Series 4. It's quite a lightweight story really where style definitely wins out over substance. The Dubai setting definitely gives it a glossy feel but the story itself is not one that springs to mind when thinking of the classics of the Tennant Era.
On the other, though, is that unlike the other specials, The Tenth Doctor is at least behaving normally and is not the grim shadow of himself that he became later on. Here he's having fun and even though the flying bus is a bit far fetched The Doctor is at least enjoying himself in the meantime.
As for Lady Christina, I liked the way Michelle Ryan portrayed her. I think it's good for her that this was another chance to pull away from Zoe Slater in Eastenders and I would like to think in another time and place she could have been a proper companion. I liked the banter between her and The Doctor.
As for Malcolm, I thought he was superb! He didn't annoy me at all and I thought he was one of the best things about the story.
Unlike others, I actually prefer this to The Waters Of Mars as it was more playful and fun and not so downbeat and grim.
However, it's not perfect by any means and maybe if it had been part of a proper Series it may have worked better.
Originally Posted by andy1231:
“It was OK, nothing great but I totally disagree with you over this (see bold above) I can't think of a more annoying character to be honest, well I probably could if I really tried, but I thought the whole Malcolm thing was just crap.”
“It was OK, nothing great but I totally disagree with you over this (see bold above) I can't think of a more annoying character to be honest, well I probably could if I really tried, but I thought the whole Malcolm thing was just crap.”
I think this is certainly a part of why (some) viewers bad mouth it - if you don't like Christina or Malcolm, they will certainly bring your enjoyment down. The rest of it is hard to dislike, but it also doesn't really stand out.
For the record, I loved Malcolm, got really irritated by Christina, so maybe my feeling end up somewhere in the middle.
POTD is a bit of an enigma for me. I watched it again recently, I don't like it but have no good reason why!
I think it's overlong. Could easily have made it a faster paced 45 minute episode. I don't mind it but I feel underwhelmed after watching it.
I love Planet of the Dead! One reason is that it features Ellen Thomas who plays Claudette Hubbard in EE.
Also, I like the way UNIT handles the situation with the flying Stingray creatures. And Lee Evans is good, too!
He is one of my favourite stand-up comedians. His "Live in Scotland" DVD is a hoot. Especially when he proceeds to play the piano and it moves, just as he puts his fingers on the keys.
I like the ending with Ellen Thomas saying that "he will knock four times", and the Doctor looking quite aghast at that revelation.
Michelle Ryan did herself justice with Christina. The acting was up to scatch. Just a shame that she hasn't reprised the role since. But Steven did say back in 2010, that he'd rather not have characters from RTD's era, overlap into his.
Obviously there are people that HAD to return for SM's era. River Song for one, plus Davros, and the Master (Missy).
Also, I like the way UNIT handles the situation with the flying Stingray creatures. And Lee Evans is good, too!
He is one of my favourite stand-up comedians. His "Live in Scotland" DVD is a hoot. Especially when he proceeds to play the piano and it moves, just as he puts his fingers on the keys.I like the ending with Ellen Thomas saying that "he will knock four times", and the Doctor looking quite aghast at that revelation.
Michelle Ryan did herself justice with Christina. The acting was up to scatch. Just a shame that she hasn't reprised the role since. But Steven did say back in 2010, that he'd rather not have characters from RTD's era, overlap into his.
Obviously there are people that HAD to return for SM's era. River Song for one, plus Davros, and the Master (Missy).
Originally Posted by Corwin:
“As others have said it was just run of the mill.
As episode 3 in a series of 13 it would have been fine, as one of only a few episodes in the year it just wasn't special enough.
One thing I remember noting at the time was that Tennent's performance wasn't that great and he just seemed to be phoning it in. This may have been partly down to the filming conditions (very hot) but it was also something I felt to a lesser extent in a couple of the other specials as well.”
“As others have said it was just run of the mill.
As episode 3 in a series of 13 it would have been fine, as one of only a few episodes in the year it just wasn't special enough.
One thing I remember noting at the time was that Tennent's performance wasn't that great and he just seemed to be phoning it in. This may have been partly down to the filming conditions (very hot) but it was also something I felt to a lesser extent in a couple of the other specials as well.”
I felt this, too. I'm sure I remember reading somewhere that he'd had back trouble (an operation?) was in some pain with it, and wasn't as athletic as normal. But I did feel that he began to pull back from the role at this point.
I did feel disappointed with this episode at the time (something I wasn't used to then!). It wasn't just anti-climax after the brilliant series 4 - I hadn't felt disappointed when watching The Next Doctor. It all felt a bit flat.
I did think Michelle Ryan was dull as ditchwater.
I've watched it since, though, and it's grown on me a bit.
Originally Posted by Pull2Open:
“POTD is a bit of an enigma for me. I watched it again recently, I don't like it but have no good reason why!”
“POTD is a bit of an enigma for me. I watched it again recently, I don't like it but have no good reason why!”
I feel the same. It's not one that had me particularly enthralled, but at the same time, if someone asked me what I disliked about it, it's hard to put my finger on why.
On paper, a one off sassy cat burgular companion and the Doctor getting transported to another planet on a London bus with some quirky characters, and Lee evans providing comic relief as another element of the story sounds like a winner.
Funnily enough, I haven't seen it since broadcast, so maybe I i'd like it more now. It was the first special, after all, and at the time, the weight of expectation was pretty heavy on it.
I find the morality of it slightly odd... She's an unreformed theif. (I know he stole the Tardis) but it's a bit of a strange message for children watching.
Originally Posted by Steven_P:
“I find the morality of it slightly odd... She's an unreformed theif. (I know he stole the Tardis) but it's a bit of a strange message for children watching.”
“I find the morality of it slightly odd... She's an unreformed theif. (I know he stole the Tardis) but it's a bit of a strange message for children watching.”
Yeah but maybe The Doctor just let her go this once as a don't do it again as a thank you and farewell, but she would've been caught had he not soniced her cuffs.
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