I think I may have made a mistake.

It was Series 4 AND the Xmas special I hsould not watch.

Awful 75 minutes in the whole series - a worse version of "Four to Doomsday" crossed with the Posidon adventure.

How does RTd get away with these types of scripts, both legally and in terms of quality control? His main responsibility is to ensure he has the BEST scripts at his disposal - surely no one working on the show thinks that sore of dross is up there with the quality of "Blink", "girl in the firelace" etc?

|Criminal really...

I think I may have made a mistake.

I read a Dervish post, thinking it would be a well thought out, rational post.

I see I was wrong.

How does Dervish get away with these type of posts, both legally and in terms of quality control? Her main responsibility should be to have valid supporting reasons for criticism, not just her usual 'shooting in the blind' attacks - surely no one on Digital Spy thinks that this sort of dross is up there with the quality of "Should Star Trek be more about Ghosts", " I created 3 new cocktails this evening", "NEW BERMUDA TRIANGLE STORY!" etc.

~%^&%^Criminal really...

I think he might have been watching Robots of Death too

And perhaps had a glance at Earthshock and Horror of Fang Rock whilst he had his Dr Who classic series DVDs out...

Mossy, half of that post was almost plagirised! I'll have you know that some of my posts are in the hands of 'publoshers' (sic) and I don't take kindly to it being published on t'internets.

dervish was unhappy with the resolution, which involved some dislikeable cockneys arguing about a video or something. I can't say it was RTD's finest moment either.

The only things predictable about DW seem to be Dervish miserably slagging everything off and my Dad talking thru' the show on Chrimble Day telling me to grow up and stop watching a kids prog. Both are annoying but minor irritations, I look forward to watching my tape of the show later on.

Dervish 14 millon people saw at least some of last night episode. Im so happy NOTHING you say will put me in bad mood.


Merry Christmas - here's to reading you analysis of season .

Am I alone in remembering that dervish does not slag every ep off? She even mentions a good one in the OP.

I have to agree, I thought it was dire. Many others did too. Many also loved it (though I can't fathom why). We all posted our comments in the VOTD thread.

What we should have done is each started our own thread about it, too. Oh yes.

Merry X-mas DS. You're a weird lot, but you make me smile.

I was one of those that hoped it would be worthwhile. I was sadly mistaken (and should have taken the shows title and writer in the opening credits more seriously).

But back to the topic - The removal of the baddie by forklift was from Aliens right ?

Yes, there were rip-offs, copies and plagiarisms throughout - just like in the last RTD epiosde - The Farce of the Timelords.

See the other review threads to remind yourself how bad RTD is at writing for this series - he is decent at other series but CRAP at this one!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shelly winters!!! soon as i saw them on the blocked stairs i thought of her!

Rip-offs, copies & plagiarism throughout.

Sounds like some of your 'stories' that you've put on here.

As usual, you state opinion as fact. You are WRONG Dervish, because you are stating an opinion and the FACTS are against you. As others have said, 14m people watched, biggest figures since 1979. I doubt ANYONE at the BBC said to RTD today, 'bit poor'.

Give little cute comedy names to episodes all you want, makes no difference.

I have come to the conclusion that does it on purpose just to annoy you personally dervish.

He's succeeded in stopping you watching, thanks to hiring Cath Tate.

Now we'll see some of his best work. Maybe even an episode or two about ghosts.

In the commentary RTD says he used to be obsessed with The Poseiden Adventure and knows every line in it. Doing an homage to it is something he's always wanted to do.

Since when was the Poseidon Adventure a paragon of originality anyway?

Look at 'A Night to Remember', you'll see a similar scene of the heroes trying to cross a chasm using a plank.

And as "A Night To Remember" was based on the fated voyage of The Titanic, it could be said that VoTD was very much basing itself on The Titanic

Of course The Poseidon Adventure (1972), having been filmed some time after A Night To Remember (1958), could have been copying scenes from that very film.

All through the episode I was laughing along at the parallels to the Poseidon adventure. I didn't care a jot about it, and actually found it enhanced my enjoyment of the episode. I don't see the problem with it, tbh...

Dr Who has always ripped off formats. Brain of Morbius is Frankenstein, Seeds of Doom is Thing from another world, Genesis of the Daleks ripped off ideas from The Seventh Seal......yet these are all classics. The Christmas Show gets slagged off for copying a disaster movie, when DT was quoted as saying thats exactly the style they wanted.

Absolutely agree with those last two posts. I thought it was great entertainment. Who cares that it referenced other films? Spotting those references was part of the fun (unless you've had a sense of humour bypass). I can't believe that some people tuned in apparently expecting a 70-minute version of The War Games or somesuch.

It looks as though RTD's Doctor Who can't please some of the people any of the time...

Copying The Poseidon Adventure is a point worth discussing, but the other rants herein are not.

I have always hated disaster movies, ever since TPA gave me nightmares when I was approx 8yrs old. It was plain from the trailers that VOTD would be a disaster movie. and the cribs from TPA were clear throughout. plenty of heroic self-sacrifices, a fat character, a baddie wanting to squeeze through a small gap in case fat character gets stuck, small group of characters dying while trapped in a room, clambering across a bridge, heroic heart-attack while saving friends, etc etc etc.

No-one else has mentioned the copying of Robots of Death. I'd like to think Chris Boucher will be having a cheque in the post. Or at least a very nice bottle of wine. Robot hand trapped in door then dropping off, robot repair room, art deco robots, calm robot voices, etc etc.

I had expected not to enjoy VOTD, and had the Harry Hill Christmas Special lined up after it to cheer myself up. In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed VOTD, despite its completely ludicrous ending that had me laughing aloud at its sheer audacity and OTTness, and despite the standard unnecessary religious comparisons.

I was very distracted by Kylie's Deirdre Barlow Neck.

Someone, above, raised a good point:

<<<
Bumping your cast off on Christmas Day though is pretty inappropriate - its like wishing all your viewers an unhappy new year.
>>>

I agree, but it's the same in the previous Christmas specials. the scientist being reduced to bones by an electric whip in Christmas Invasion was particularly unseasonal. That said, death is a constant feature of DW. And the BBC did show Titanic (the film) on Dec 25th a few years back. Now that really was miserably unseasonal.

chuff.x.

Oh they have (well, I did), but that was in the main VOTD thread.

But, you could even say that ROD was based on the classic Agatha Christie 'And Then There Were None' set-up, same with 'Horror Of Fang Rock'.

Makes no odds in my view as ROD, HOFR and VOTD all gave their own spin on their respective subject matters.

Regards,

Cypher

An, in a reply to that point, many posts have bee made on the last two Christmas Specials as to them being too cosy, too happy, and that the story needed to be more serious in tone. So we get a more serious Christmas Special, with characters being killed, sacrificing themselves, a bit of blood, etc and now that is wrong .........

Now, is it me or ........

I would just like to point out that I have just realised my post, above, was my 1000th.

You are all invited to my house for a mince pie* in order to celebrate.

chuff.x.




* I've got to get rid of those bloody mince pies somehow. Can't bare the things.

Killer Robots on the way

When will Moffat be deployed to save Christmas?