Yes I do see your point, I think that's a very good analogy.

Can I just echo those sentiments as well.

No - it's not. I love moving house - I always do it for a reason and am always sure of the next house I'm buying. I never do it lightly, but am always 100% sure of the reasons I am abandoning the previous one in favour of the new one!

Mostly, my reasons are practical. It's very rare that my reasons would be aesthetic - but I suppose in a modern casting environment, both would be equally applicable.

I just don't see how you can write someone off as the doctor after one episode when they weren't awake in that much of it anyway.

He seemed decent enough to me but time will tell I'll watch the first few with interest.

For all that everyone seems to be saying the xmas invasion was just lightweight in comparison with CEs Doctor I didn't see that at all. Parts of the xmas invasion were quite dark and there were certainly signs to suggest this doctor won't be all fun and sweetness and light and certainly that he will not be one dimensional.

I'm not writing him off on those grounds at all - I've disliked him for far longer than he has ever had something to do with Dr Who.

Which on balance, wouldn't have been that long at all really, would it?

I might be biased, purely because I keep watching the end of TCI over and over again, but I'm now really excited about seeing DT as the Doctor (based on watching the end of TCI over and over again!)

Whatever Den. I'm sorry but I really dislike the guy and I find it difficult to see him in anything for longer than 5 minutes without just having to switch over. Various people (but not usually you) on here have had a go at me for holding such views but I can't help feeling the way I do. I just can't stand the guy.

I would never have a go at you, Eileen.

I never saw him in anything apart from Casanova - after that, I thought he had to be the Doctor. But then again, I thought that was the whole point of the production.

P.S. Glad to see you've changed your mind about the new Battlestar Galactica.
Last edited by DenWatts : 25-03-2006 at 01:48

I never compared the actual episode with Chris Eccleston.
That wouldn't make sense if I did.

I just said that The Christmas Invasion was lightweight as a story in itself. And that is completely independant to Chris Eccleston or David Tennant.

I said that the epsiode itself was crap, but what David Tennant did in that epsiode with the framework he was given to work within was very good indeed.

Which is fair comment indeed!

I think colin Baker was not too bad. In my opinion Jon Pertwee was by far the worst doctor.

The Christmas Invasion may well have been "lightweight" but it had its moments ("Lion King")..given the day it was screened and time slot, what were you expecting? Personally, I just wasn't convinced by DT in the fight scene...and that sharp cut to him in "rage" mode..? Nope. Not convinced. Compare it to CE quietly explaining 'The Gathering Storm" nic..understated menace or what? Or spewing venom at the Dalek..? It is very early days to dismiss DT, and I really want to see Dr Who thrive, but not by relying on 'celebrity' guests (Peter Kay). I need to believe in the Doctor, and given time, that may well happen. Once the 'Arther Dent' look has faded from memory....

Oh so I'm not the only one who does that?

I usually start from around the point when the TARDIS is 'beamed up'.

And that slo-mo move in towards the TARDIS as realisation dawns and the doors opening gets me every time

A lot of people were sceptical about Chris when he took over the role. By the end of the 13 weeks he had won some people over and some he didn't. Lets give David his 13 weeks and then give an honest appraisal of how he has developed his portrayal from TCI.

Surprised by myself, having always rated the top Dr Who's as
1.William Hartnell
2.Jon Pertwee
3.Patrick Troughton
3.Tom Baker
4.Peter Davison
5.Sylvester McCoy
6.Paul McGann
7.Colin Baker
Having watched Ecclestone (who I'd never really rated as an actor) play the Doctor I happily placed him in joint 2nd place.
Tennant , too early to be sure but promises at least a good joint 4th

Due to what the trailers looked like, I expected what we eventually got.

Don't get me wrong, It was enjoyable hokum, but it was pretty weak and lightweight.

And that's why it really isn't fair to compare the tone of that episode with one of Chris's performances in a more serious scene.
You might be better comparing it to a more similar scene in a weak episode where Chris is in a scene that isn't working,.....such as a comedy moment of backing into a lift door to get away from a load of men pointing guns at him.


Yes the fight scene was rubbish.
But a lot of that would be the fault of choreography, direction, and editing.

I was intending to post this at the time, but it was just after the Christmas episode and I didn't want to piss somebody's Christmas off at the time.

What I intended to post at the time, was that the Steve Martin/Eddie Murphy film 'Bowfinger' was on a day or two before....When I watched that David Tennant fight scene it immediately reminded me of the final scene of 'Bowfinger' when Eddie Murphy's character is fighting off a load of bad guys in a badly choreographed fight scene....
..punching like a girl, people launching themselves into the air after a really crappy weak punch, and the timing all wrong. But that was deliberate. That was the comedy showing somebody making a film badly......

...and that was exactly what that David Tennant fight scene reminded me off.
Really badly choreographed moves, both actors seen to be deliberately hesitating and deliberately being careful to clash their swords together in time, doing that taking turns swinging their sword swordfighting,...really pantomimey bad.

Doctor who can be excellent. But it's these drops in quality that are probably the main reason why America didn't want to buy it.
It still needs work...but I think it's getting there.
Last edited by Alrightmate : 26-03-2006 at 02:59

Lets hope RTD and co looked at what worked and what didn't during the last series and used that knowledge to make the series much sharper and stronger.

I hope the Cybermen make a good impact on viewers - maybe Trig...sorry, John Lumic's leg injury would have been caused by an...angry Cyberman.

Actually just thought of a good climax for Episode 5.

John Lumic wheels up to the Doctor...the Doctor is curious

JOHN: Hello Dave...

I know you wouldn't Den but I got a bit fed up as for a time a couple of people seemed to be following me around other threads and every time I said something they somehow bought every point back to the fact that I didn't like DT (and I mean on threads that were nothing to do with DW or even about scifi) and it was really annoying and rather petty.

As for BSG, it still doesn't grab me as much as some other shows tbh, but I did get the DVDs of the miniseries and series one and watched them all back to back and by the end I was quite into it. I'm watching series 2 but not avidly - I do like it but I still don't think it is as excellent as a lot of other people seem to think so. I've missed a few episodes and haven't been too bothered about catching up, though I did want to know where the Pegasus had come from as it wasa bit confusing having the gap of information

Hey everyone, thank you so much for all of your replies. I have really enjoyed reading them all. Also, I definitely think that David Tennant is a better doctor. Christopher Eccleston wasn't a bad Doctor Who, it is just that David puts a lot more 'oomph' into it and it just makes his whole personality completely different, more genuine, perhaps.

Anyway, he has appeared in Cassanove and Blackpool, where he was always eating something, heh heh!

Thanks again, bye!

Eccleston is the best actor to play the role, though not necessarily the best cast.

Eccleston is definately the best actor to have ever played the role. Tennant's gurning doesnt do it for me.

Exactly.

I've said it before Eccleston may well be a brilliant Shakespearean actor etc but for the majority of the time I watched him in Doctor Who I never ever lost the impression that he was an 'actor' playing the Doctor. From the first episode I got the impression that Tennant was the Doctor.