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New Dr Who Actor Named

gdav writes "Well, after all that talk about Bill Nighy, it's actually going to be Christopher Ecclestone. He was prominent in Cracker, Our Friends in the North, and more recently 28 Days Later."

211 comments

  1. Who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doctor who? Say again please.

    1. Re:Who? by BinBoy · · Score: 1

      Yes, that's right.

    2. Re:Who? by Sabalon · · Score: 1

      Ah...was that in The Gunfighters or War Machines? I really can't remember.

    3. Re:Who? by BinBoy · · Score: 1

      I can't remember which episode. It was a good line though.

  2. Lets face it though.... by andy666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    nothing beats the good ol' Tom Baker days. Not that I didn't like the other doctors...

    1. Re:Lets face it though.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    2. Re:Lets face it though.... by torpor · · Score: 5, Funny

      yeah, you just can't go ooo-eee-ooooh without thinking of Tom.

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    3. Re:Lets face it though.... by Masem · · Score: 5, Informative
      The reason that many people like Tom Baker is that during that time, the complete DW production staff was one of the best assembled, from writing to direction, and thus has some of the more memoriable stories, and just so happened that Tom Baker was the Doctor at that time. But I know more DW fans that appreciate Patrick Trougton, Jon Pewtree, and Peter Davidson as the Doctor, given some of the intensity of acting which they supplied to the roles, while Tom Baker's was more a jovial approach - there's also the change in approach from more cerebrial stories to more action-oriented ones as the sfx budget increased.

      The question here, is, is this going to be the 9th Doctor (as the BBC canon (which includes the made-for-tv movie) has McGann as the 8th, or are they planning on retcon?

      --
      "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
      "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
    4. Re:Lets face it though.... by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1
      Lets read the article shall we :)

      Eccleston, who starred alongside Nicole Kidman in the horror movie The Others, will be the ninth TV Time Lord to control the Tardis in a 13-part series.

      Now, does that clear that up?
    5. Re:Lets face it though.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wonder what Patrick Stewart would be like as Dr. Who?

      It might be a bit odd, but it could be interesting...

    6. Re:Lets face it though.... by Masem · · Score: 3, Informative

      I read that as "9th actor to play the Doctor" , not necessarily the 9th Doctor (aka 8th regeneration), only because, again, the question of the movie-as-canon is still in question, plus it certainly is possible to say the movie was canon, they could pull an actor change at this point without upsetting too much.

      --
      "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
      "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
    7. Re:Lets face it though.... by Richard_at_work · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Since they killed off the previous actor within the movie, and the creators have previously said that the movie was to be included, I would say that the BBC article is correctly worded as the 9th Time Lord. Its possible we wont see McGann being killed off, but we will pick back up with the Dr after a undetermined period of time in his life.

      On a similiar note, can anyone tell me the title and writer of the book where the Dr met Hitler? From what I recall, it was written for an older audience than the normal books, and was very good.

    8. Re:Lets face it though.... by gilesjuk · · Score: 3, Informative

      Tom Baker also played the doctor for the longest period from 1974 to 1981. Most of the others did a stretch of about 3-4 years.

    9. Re:Lets face it though.... by STrinity · · Score: 1

      The reason that many people like Tom Baker is that during that time, the complete DW production staff was one of the best assembled, from writing to direction, and thus has some of the more memoriable stories, and just so happened that Tom Baker was the Doctor at that time.

      Also, people usually imprint on the first Doctor they're exposed to (same applies with James Bond), and since Tom Baker did more episodes than anyone else, most people see his episodes first.

      --
      Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
    10. Re:Lets face it though.... by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      Well, if we have to limit it to Star Dreck actors, Brent Spiner would do a pretty decent job. Doesn't have the accent for it though :-)

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    11. Re:Lets face it though.... by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      Slashdot needs an "Edit this post" feature that can only be used for good. Anyway, how about Patrick Stewart as the Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart? :-)

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    12. Re:Lets face it though.... by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 2, Informative

      I read that as "9th actor to play the Doctor" , not necessarily the 9th Doctor (aka 8th regeneration), only because, again, the question of the movie-as-canon is still in question, plus it certainly is possible to say the movie was canon, they could pull an actor change at this point without upsetting too much.

      I believe the BBC considers the movie canon, as they themselves publish a line of Eighth Doctor books, not to mention had Paul McGann play the Doctor in a new version of Shada. Shada is currently published by Big Finish, who have the license for Doctor Who audio adventures and themselves have a line of Eighth Doctor stories starring McGann. I think it's not like Star Wars or Star Trek where even the sanctioned books and audios are considered canon.

      Hope this helps...

    13. Re:Lets face it though.... by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 2, Informative

      There were two.

      The Shadow in the Glass with the Sixth Doctor.

      Timewyrm: Exodus with the Seventh Doctor.

      Hope this helps...

    14. Re:Lets face it though.... by TDScott · · Score: 1

      There are some quite entertaining expletive-ridden audio outtakes from Tom Baker doing a voiceover for a company called Symphony...

    15. Re:Lets face it though.... by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

      --I agree; but since he's apparently not open to doing anything related to WHO anymore (I sent him an email asking if he would consider trying out for the role of The Master in the new series) it would have been nice to see what Sean Bean might have done with the role:

      http://imdb.com/name/nm0000293/

      --
      .
      == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
    16. Re:Lets face it though.... by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

      --Sorry; if that post wasn't clear, I meant Sean Bean should try out for the role of the DOCTOR...

      --
      .
      == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
    17. Re:Lets face it though.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I went to the same college at the same time as Jon Culshaw (St. John Rigby Sixth Form, Orrell, Wigan, England, head at the time was the petit-mals-afflicted "Custard" Jim Haines, 1985-1988, but I digress).

      Jon came across as an absolute cunt back then, but hats off to the guy - he's pretty cool now. Back in college he used to have long, blonde, permed hair and ponce around in a long, dark trenchcoat and try to sound all theatrical.

      </rant>

    18. Re:Lets face it though.... by Basehart · · Score: 1

      Saying Tom Baker is the best Dr. Who is like saying Roger Moore was the best James Bond.

      There's only one Dr. Who and that's Jon Pertwee, although this new bloke looks like one of the best Dr. Who's since Pertwee!!!

    19. Re:Lets face it though.... by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      Indeed, I get the feeling that Ecclestone is a Bean substitute. Still a solid choice though, and better than that RADA luvvie plonker everyone was jabbering about.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    20. Re:Lets face it though.... by SofaMan · · Score: 1

      Tom Baker also played the doctor for the longest period from 1974 to 1981. Most of the others did a stretch of about 3-4 years.


      If you want to be really anal, technically Sylvester McCoy is the longest serving Doctor, from 1987 to the TV movie in 1996. If Paul McGann films a regeneration scene, that should make him equal first, from 1996 to 2005.

      Tom Baker is, of course, the longest continually-serving Doctor.

      --

      SofaMan -- Occasionally Battling Evil With His Mighty Powers Of Indolence.

    21. Re:Lets face it though.... by alexpage · · Score: 1

      And where does Richard E Grant's voice acting as the Doctor fit into the canon? Is it ignored?

  3. Samuel L Jackson as Dr Who by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Get the F*ck off my TARDIS ya punk ass bitch!!"

    1. Re:Samuel L Jackson as Dr Who by bfg9000 · · Score: 1

      In France, they call it the La Tard with Cheese

      --

      I'm not normally an irrational zealous dickhead, but I figure "When in Rome..."

    2. Re:Samuel L Jackson as Dr Who by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Let me guess - because of the metric system, right?

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    3. Re:Samuel L Jackson as Dr Who by G-funk · · Score: 1

      /me pictures a little disabled kid who's been let loose with a squirt bottle of grilla-dog liquid cheese from erindale servo.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  4. Re:speaking of actors... by after · · Score: 0, Troll

    ... and they should force Sadam to play Jesus in the next The Passion 2: Reloaded.

  5. Paul McGann by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It should have been Paul McGann. He did such a great job in the 1996 movie.

    --
    M

    1. Re:Paul McGann by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      That movie never happened.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    2. Re:Paul McGann by That_Dan_Guy · · Score: 1

      I too liked him as the Doctor. I thought he was the best Doctor since Tom Baker. But he did some interviews where he basicly said he just wasn't into it anymore and didn't care. Kind of hard to (re)hire someone who doesn't feel like doing the job. Pitty though.

    3. Re:Paul McGann by D'Arque+Bishop · · Score: 3, Informative

      He actually said himself that while he would have accepted the role if it had been offered to him, he would prefer to see someone with more drive and desire to play it, as he had already been there and done that, so to speak. However, he has said that he would love to come back and film the regeneration sequence.

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/drwho/2004/01/22/ 90 05.shtml

    4. Re:Paul McGann by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're f'kin kidding, right?

      Doctor Who and his Foppish Motorbike Adventures?

      What little plot there was consisted of more hair tossing than your average shampoo commercial.

    5. Re:Paul McGann by Trejkaz · · Score: 1

      LOL... well I guess since it never went to the cinemas, some might see it like that...

      --
      Karma: It's all a bunch of tree-huggin' hippy crap!
    6. Re:Paul McGann by AndroidCat · · Score: 1

      No--it just didn't really fit properly with everything else. In much the same way, Dr. Who and the Daleks with Peter Cushing really isn't part of the canon. No fault of the actors, of course.

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  6. Interesting, yet disappointing by Chalybeous · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I was holding out to see Richard E. Grant in the role, as he did an excellent job during the recent BBC/Cosgrove Hall co-produced web animation, "Scream of the Shalka".
    That said, I'm more interested than disappointed, because I've seen some of Ecclestone's other work and I think he could bring a new perspective to the role.
    (And I'm also very grateful that the role didn't go to Joanna Lumley. That joke's been done to death since the mid-1980s, and the Comic Relief episode a few years back is as close to that prediction as I want to get!!)

    All we need to know now is, who are his new companions?

    --

    "It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue." -- Zork

    1. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by kamawell · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Richard E Grant would have done a fine job but he would have been almost too good a fit for the part - you get the impression he could do haughty but eccentric without having to think about about it.
      Same with one of the other hotly tipped actors - Alan Davies - who could easily have done slightly shambolic and eccentric as he has done in several series of 'Jonathan Creek.'
      And much as I love Eddie Izzard I'm kind of relieved it wasn't him in the end.

    2. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      Idiot. It should have been Alan Davies of the BBC series Jonathan Creek. He would have been perfect for the role. Jonathan Creek was a lot like the Doctor:

      1. He used his brain to solve mysteries/crimes instead of being an "ass kicking" idiot.
      2. He lived in an unusual structure (windmill)
      3. He had a mop of curly hair (a la Tom Baker)
      4. He wore a long coat (a la Tom Baker)
      5. He had companions who changed over time (OK, only two, but who knows if the series would continue?)
      6. His companion Maddie carried around Jelly Babies
      7. The show was written by a former Doctor Who writer

      Need I say more?

    3. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by fermion · · Score: 1
      suggestions:
      Jane Horrocks
      Emma Chambers
      Danny John-Jules

      And I would have loved a Lenny Henry/Dawn French situation. Either one could have been an awesome doctor.

      Nightmare scenario 1: Jane Leeves anywhere in the show.

      Nightmare scenario 2: The New Adventures of The Young Dr. Who with Daniel Radcliffe.

      --
      "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    4. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by Trolling4Dollars · · Score: 1

      What's wrong with Jane Leeves?

    5. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "All we need to know now is, who are his new companions?"

      please please please be drew barrymore.

      keira knightly would be ok too.

      i think the only crieteria is that his companion is 1) a girl and 2) british.

    6. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      oh man all those actresses are old and ugly, and one of them is even a guy! Jane Leeves is a GREAT idea.

    7. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 1

      Couldn't agree more about Richard E. Grant, I am disappointed that he won't be taking on the role again though. I don't think Christopher Ecclestone will be able to carry it off, but I guess time will too.
      As for companions, I wouldn't mind seeing:
      -Lucy Davis (The Office)
      -Daniela Denby-Ashe(My Family)
      -Lauren Laverne?

    8. Re:Interesting, yet disappointing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Idiot. It should have been Alan Davies of the BBC series Jonathan Creek. He would have been perfect for the role. Jonathan Creek was a lot like the Doctor:

      You don't know a lot about marketing do you? The similarity between series is probably the main reason he didn't get it.

  7. MOD PARENT UP - FUNNY!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mod up!! Was I the only one who got this joke?

  8. One question.... by sh0dan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Christopher who?

    1. Re:One question.... by wolverine1999 · · Score: 1

      Nice to see you here sh0dan..

      I thought Christopher Who too..

      I had hoped either Paul McGann or Peter Davison would be in the role again (both were mentioned at some point somewhere)...

    2. Re:One question.... by kamawell · · Score: 5, Informative

      Eccleston. In the UK he's a well repected TV actor but he was in '28 Days Later' and 'Elizabeth' too. He's an interesting choice and over here at least he's certainly going to lend a bit of adult credibilty to the new version of the show.
      http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001172/

    3. Re:One question.... by alib001 · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure how well he'll be able to handle the eccentricity of Doctor Who. Whilst his IMDB listing details some solid performances ('Clocking Off' was good too), it also reminded me of the terrible, camp villain he played in 'Gone in 60 Seconds'.

      Here's hoping he's developed his range to include a performance somewhere between credibly gritty and the ridiculous.

    4. Re:One question.... by ader · · Score: 2, Informative

      Before anyone else does that joke, please get thee to a vid store and rent (or buy, it's worth it) "Elizabeth" and note his performance as the papal assassin (although in the end, Geoffrey Rush's Walsingham is the more ruthless and effective).

      Ade_
      /

      --
      Big Bubbles (no troubles) - what sucks, who sucks and you suck
    5. Re:One question.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Having a well respected serious actor in the film is a large part of what ruined it!

      Our hearts sank when we heard the news this afternoon, not one of our visitors could see this as a good move. Without the tongue in cheek quirkiness it simply won't be Dr Who and no part Ecclestone has played suggests he's capable of bringing the right feel to the part.

      This is the end of Dr Who, it won't make it past the 1st series for fans. A second will probably be made to save face at the BBC then it will be buried forever.

    6. Re:One question.... by Onan · · Score: 1

      ...note his performance as the papal assassin...


      I'm ashamed that, even having seen Elizabeth, I first read this as "the paypal assassin".
  9. A good Docotor does not a good show make... by eweu · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Paul McGann was a fabulous Doctor in the 1996 movie, but the writing was terrible. That's why it flopped.

    I only hope the BBC holds back on budget just like the old days so the storytelling has to bear the weight, not the effects.

    1. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by Felinoid · · Score: 2, Informative

      Based on the flash movies already on the BBC website I'd say they plan to use a great deal of specal effects BUT the writers will not be permitted to let the effects tell the story.

      I won't speak for the quality of the writing. However every TV executive will tell you if you just toss a TV show on the air and tell nobody you will get no viewers. That is exactly what Fox pulled with the 1996 movie.

      --
      I don't actually exist.
    2. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by That_Dan_Guy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes he was a fabulous Doctor. Wish he had been interested in staying.

      I can remember being so stunned the movie even existed (I was in Taiwan at the time I saw it, which was the first I had heard of it) that I never noticed how awful story was. For me, the fabulous job by Paul McGann made up for it all.

      Ahh well, least we got a Flash Movie with his voice that was pretty good.

      And yes, I secretly hope they make the Special Effects especially cheesey to make it funnier to watch. I doubt they will though. it is cheap enough to grab some Computer Graphics animators and make it all look super modern...

    3. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I won't speak for the quality of the writing. However every TV executive will tell you if you just toss a TV show on the air and tell nobody you will get no viewers.

      It was awful as an example of Doctor Who. If they wanted to start over from scratch then they should have started over from scratch, not pretend to be writing a Doctor Who movie. If they wanted to continue a tradition then they needed to stay more in that tradition. The movie they made just didn't work as Doctor Who.

      If they wanted to take the series in a new direction then they had to first show that they could cope with the existing material.

      A one off episode after a long break is not the time to decide that the Doctor is half human, bring in all that weird power source of the tardis that can only be opened by humans (why?) stuff, have the Doctor falling in love with some girl he's just met etc. etc. Work with the material you've got or don't bother, but reinventing like that was never going to work. Revelations like that need to be fitted in to the direction of the story line over time. Maybe a Doctor falling in love or whatever can work, but not out of the blue like that.

      If they'd created it as a standalone without the Doctor Who references maybe it could work. If it'd been the culmination of a series that led up to it, maybe it could have worked. As an attempt at a new Doctor Who, it was terrible.

    4. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The main problem with the pilot was that it assumed that you knew who Doctor Who was and that you should care, while at the sametime trying to explain this overly complicated backstory. Plus the movie was just plain boring.

      Had they just introduced the Dr Who character to the American audience and left it at that, it might have worked. Nothing more than "He's a timelord, he has a time machine, he solves people's problems" was really needed. They could explain the baloney about the Tardis powersource in later epidsodes if they really needed to.

      I got the feeling that the script was written by fanboys and then glossed over by professional hollywood types that didn't know anything about Dr Who.

    5. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      Yeah, Fox is good at failing to promote good shows. They must have some really pathological office politics. Remember Firefly? No? Guess why. :-)

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    6. Re:A good Docotor does not a good show make... by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

      --Here's something to think about - how about this guy as a potential Doctor? ;-)

      --
      .
      == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
  10. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How many times can one not sleep nights before it becomes dangerous to his health?

    Do you have to drive? One night is enough.

  11. Re:speaking of actors... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    No, you are thinking of "The Shit-Kicking of the Christ, Part 2"

  12. I wanted it to be by Dr.Knackerator · · Score: 1

    David Thewlis, playing it in the style of 'Johnny' from Mike Leigh's 'Naked'. Now *that* would be fun to watch :) But Tom Baker was the best though. His autobiog is a fun read.

    1. Re:I wanted it to be by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a delightful film, that puts a spring in my step every time i watch it. ahem.

      (oh, and i live a stone's throw away from where it was filmed).

    2. Re:I wanted it to be by Dr.Knackerator · · Score: 1

      cool!

      Yeah its a damn miserable film but it would be ace to have Johnny as Dr Who. a Miserable Mysogenistic Mancunian wandering through the galaxy beating up his assistants and arguing with the natives...

  13. Bill Nighy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You mean the Bill Nighy the Science Guihy?

    1. Re:Bill Nighy? by I+Be+Hatin' · · Score: 1
      You mean the Bill Nighy the Science Guihy?

      Yup... the British non-union equivalent of Bill Nye.

      --
      I know god exists. I read it on the internet, so it must be true.
    2. Re:Bill Nighy? by Chalybeous · · Score: 1

      I thought that was Johnny Ball...
      (Come to think of it, how come Johnny Ball Reveals All* got cancelled, and that piece of drivel they call How 2 stays on the air?)

      *No, Mr. Smartass. Johnny Ball Reveals All wasn't about a male stripper...

      --

      "It is dark. You are likely to be eaten by a grue." -- Zork

  14. Re:One question, rephrased... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


    Parent was posted by Ralph Wiggum, so a little resect for a real celebrity, please.

  15. Travesty! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It should have been Simon from American Idol.

  16. Cool by pcmanjon · · Score: 1

    28 days later was a really good movie, I enjoyed it a lot.

    Not the best scientific plot, but a good movie non the less...

    Was about these monkeys infected with rage, and it was the end of the world, but they found out it was isolated to england, watch it, it's neat

    1. Re:Cool by tommy_teardrop · · Score: 1

      Sounds like The Crying Game, where at the end, it was a man. :)

      --
      -- IANAL, BIPOOTV
    2. Re:Cool by ozric99 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Or that one where Bruce Willis played a ghost...

    3. Re:Cool by The+Desert+Palooka · · Score: 1

      You're all bastards...

  17. Ninghy? by LooseChanj · · Score: 1

    Isn't that a triangular rubber coin several thousand miles long?

    --
    Mix the failings of Usenet with the shortcomings of the World Wide Web and the result is slashdot.
    1. Re:Ninghy? by PatrickThomson · · Score: 0

      Close.

      In fact there are three freely convertible currencies in the Galaxy, but none of them count. The Altarian Dollar has recently collapsed, the Flainian Pobble Bead is only exchangeable for other Flainian Pobble Beads, and the Triganic Pu has its own very special problems. Its exchange rate of eight Ningis to one Pu is simple enough, but since a Ningi is a triangular rubber coin six thousand hundred miles along each side, no one has ever collected enough to own one Pu. Ningis are not negotiable currency, because the Galactibanks refuse to deal in fiddling small change. From this basic premise it is very simple to prove that the Galactibanks are also a product of a deranged imagination.

      --
      I am one of many. My idea is not unique, nor do I expect my voice alone to sway you. I speak in a chorus of opinion.
  18. Second doctor Patrick Troughton by BigHungryJoe · · Score: 1

    Best. Doctor. EVAR.

    1. Re:Second doctor Patrick Troughton by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hear Hear!

      You Tom Baker fans -- rent TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN or the recently-released (in the UK) SEEDS OF DEATH and watch a REAL actor play the Doctor.

      I love Tom Baker's Doctor, I really really do, but he was NOT the finest actor ever to take the role. PT was.

  19. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    You complain about Slashdot rejecting your story (Maybe it was poorly written?) then you winge about being modded down. Do you have nothing better to do than complain about Slashdot in relation your own life?

  20. Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    How many times can one not sleep nights before it becomes dangerous to his health?

    I just asked Tyler and he said three.

  21. Am I the only one? by JoshRoss · · Score: 2, Informative

    The only place that I have ever seen the name Dr. who has been on slashdot.
    Are any of these posters from America?
    When is the last time any of these shows aired?
    Or, if they are any good, is there a Dr. who bittorrent site, since the BBC open-sourced their content.

    1. Re:Am I the only one? by Mongo222 · · Score: 1
      Yes, you are the only one. :)

      Most of the 30 something geeks have seen Dr. Who on American broadcast television.

      I know that episodes of Dr. Who have been shown as recently as two years ago on SciFi, but I haven't looked lately.

      I envy your harddrive space. There are hundreds of episodes.

    2. Re:Am I the only one? by Strenoth · · Score: 1

      last time I saw Doctor Who broadcast was just a couple of years ago... hmm... well, it's not listed anywhere on my TiVo right now. my local PBS station used to play it all the time on sci-fi night, but that night seems to have been dropped. they even did anime occasionally on sci-fi night (sunday evenings)

      --

      "It takes a very long time to count to 2 in binary." ~'Fourlegged'

    3. Re:Am I the only one? by slasher999 · · Score: 1

      I'm in my 30's, in the US, and recall Dr. Who being extremely popular with the "geeks" when I was in high school (84-87). The fans were as into Dr. Who as Star Trek and Star Wars fans are into those shows, but there was somewhat fewer Dr. Who fans. Dr. Who has never really found it's way into the mainstream - at least not in the US. Dr. Who episodes were shown on PBS stations then. At the time I wasn't really interested, but I've since taken quite a liking to them.

    4. Re:Am I the only one? by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 5, Informative

      Are any of these posters from America?
      Quite a few I would guess. Not me though.

      When is the last time any of these shows aired?
      Last new episode was broadcast 06/12/89 (DD/MM/YY dates), a TV Movie coproduced by the BBC and Universal was broadcast 27/05/96 in the UK (earlier in the US). Repeats continue on UKTV Gold in the UK (early weekend mornings, set a video / PVR unless you want to get up a 7:30am on a Saturday), and some US PBS stations (but not many). Various other channels show it, like BBC Kids in Canada, UK TV and ABC[1] in Australia.)

      Or, if they are any good, is there a Dr. who bittorrent site, since the BBC open-sourced their content.
      Note "announced plans" and "in the future" etc. in that news article. It doesn't mean you can just share BBC material freely, it's still copyright and so on. Plus Drama series are probably going to be the last stuff the BBC will make available online, I think the early stuff they're going to have available is stuff like documentaries. You can get DVDs, audio CDs and VHSs of stories.

      Now I'll just do a quick "WTF is Doctor Who" bit...

      Doctor Who was a Sci-Fi series predominately aimed at children (although it's exact target audience varied over the course of the series, it gradually shifted to older audiences as time went on) that ran between 1963 and 1989 on BBC TV. It concerned the adventures of a mysterious time traveller called The Doctor (not Doctor Who), with the ability to regenerate and change his body to cheat death, and who travel through time and space in a Police Box[1]. The Police Box is actually called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space), and a broken chameleon circuit (which should make the ship blend in with any environment, not just 1950/60's British city streets[2]) was not it's only problem, as the ship appeared to be very unpredictable, often catapulting the Doctor and his travelling companions[3] into dangerous situations, often against evil aliens like the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors, or The Doctor's nemesis The Master. The series was at it's most popular during the mid-late 1970's, when Tom Baker took the lead role.

      [1] Basically a big blue phone box so police officers could contact their station before the advent of portable radios, they also had a phone on the outside for the use of the public in emergencies (behind the panel with text on it.)

      [2] Naturally the TARDIS was first seen in a junkyard, not exactly a common location for Police Boxes at the time. A junkyard did become common in the 1970's, as police forces began scrapping the boxes in there numbers, only a handful of real boxes still exist.

      [3] Quite often young women.

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    5. Re:Am I the only one? by SnakeNuts · · Score: 1

      "[1] Basically a big blue phone..."

      Don't ask me to prove this (I'm searching for it now, but can't find it) but I heard that when the UK police force stopped using the blue phoneboxes, the BBC 'bought' the rights to the design. Pretty nifty idea, with a lot of forethought in my opinion.

      --
      Trainee BOFH -- Just give me your username & password
    6. Re:Am I the only one? by TomV · · Score: 1

      Coverage in the US is pretty patchy these days, but the This Week guide at the excellent Outpost Gallifrey site is a good place to look for TV listings. For any other background information about the show, the Outpost's Guides section is as good as you'll find anywhere.

    7. Re:Am I the only one? by TomV · · Score: 2, Informative

      There's slightly more to it than that the BBC trademarked the blue box as part of the preparations for the 1996 TV Movie, the Metropolitan Police appealed to get the Trademark back so they could charge the BBC for using the Box, and eventually (October 2002) the judgement fell in favour of the BBC. details

    8. Re:Am I the only one? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Only open sourced it to us British actually. Americans and others will be required to pay in cold hard cash.

    9. Re:Am I the only one? by cruachan · · Score: 1

      There's oodles of police boxes around the city of Edinburgh, Scotland. Slightly different design to the London one and many now used for other things (one on Rose Street that's been converted to a coffee bar).

    10. Re:Am I the only one? by Wolfrider · · Score: 1

      --Back in my day, Doctor Who used to be the ONLY reason to send money to PBS... :b

      --
      .
      == WolfriderV6 == I'm willing to admit that *I just might* be wrong... Are you??
    11. Re:Am I the only one? by Hitmouse · · Score: 1

      Australian Broadcasting Commission started repeating the entire series (at least extant episodes) last year at the traditional screening time of 6pm, M-Th. We've just gotten up to the first of the Jon Pertwee stories.

  22. EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Who gives a shit what actor they pick, just as long as the doctor gets laid and they lose K9.

  23. Last Dr. Who? by cpuffer_hammer · · Score: 1

    If I remember my Dr. Who rules (though since when have the rules been a problem for the Dr.) This will be the ninth and there for last Dr. Who.
    Of course they could go back and fill in the early life of the first Dr. or something like that.

    1. Re:Last Dr. Who? by Richard_at_work · · Score: 1

      No, according to the cannon books, its possible for the Gallifreyian Time Lord council to permit a second set of 9 regenerations, so its not fixed at 9. I cant remember from which set of books I got this from, but its definately main stream (It may have been the Master who had 18 regenerations, but Im not sure). God, Im so going to be labeled as a nerd for this.

    2. Re:Last Dr. Who? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      12 regenerations, therefore 13 doctors.

    3. Re:Last Dr. Who? by NulDevice · · Score: 4, Informative

      12. Gallifreyans get 12 regens by default. The master used up all his, did all sorts of mojo to stay alive on Gallifrey, stole Councillor Wossisname's body on Traken, and in the 5 docs was offered a full set of regens in exchange for help locating the Doctor.

      The Valeyard from Trial of a Time Lord was supposedly the doc's 12th regen. The eeeeeevil one.

      Oh my god. I'm a huge nerd.

      --

      ----
      "I used to listen to Null Device before they sold out."

    4. Re:Last Dr. Who? by STrinity · · Score: 1

      If I remember my Dr. Who rules (though since when have the rules been a problem for the Dr.) This will be the ninth and there for last Dr. Who.

      You misremember. It's thirteen lives; the Trial of a Time Lord story (which constituted the majority of Colin Baker's tenure aboard the Tardis) featured the Thirteenth Doctor, who'd turned rather nasty in his closing days.

      --
      Les Miserables Volume 1 now up with my reading of
    5. Re:Last Dr. Who? by whovian · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yep, 12. Before that he was able to siphon off some of the energy(?) from the Eye of Harmony in the Panoptican on Gallifrey in order to stay alive a bit longer, even in his vegetative form.

      That's Councillor Tremas you are thinking of.

      Then there's that pneumesmiton(sp?) gas stuff in that cave during Peter Davison's character. Can't recall any more than that.

      OMG! I'm a huge nerd, too. There's a pair of us!

      --
      To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
    6. Re:Last Dr. Who? by TomV · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Unless you buy the "Brain Of Morbius" version of Time Lord lifecycles, in which case there were eight other Doctors prior to William Hartnell (this was flatly contradicted in other scripts later in the series, but was very much the intention of the production team at the time) whose faces appear on the screen of the mind-wrestling machine.

      SO looking forward to this new series. We have another tall, intense, slightly alien-looking insanely charismatic actor in the role, the best Drama writer in the UK, a budget reported in today's press as around a million pounds per episode, scripts by not only Russell T Davis but also Paul Cornell, Mark Gatiss, Steve Moffat and Rob Shearman, each of whom has a fine professional track record, and the show still has the charisma to get immediate coverage across the UK national media.

    7. Re:Last Dr. Who? by crywolf · · Score: 1

      Numismaton. I wonder if you have to be a numismatist in order to use that.

      --
      CAUTION: Product may be hot after heating
    8. Re:Last Dr. Who? by mark-t · · Score: 2, Interesting
      For someone who has seen enough Doctor Who to have such an accurate count of the number of incarnations the Doctor has had so far, it is suprising that you don't know that the number of regenerations that a timelord has is twelve, not nine.

      Also, that's only by default... in "The 5 Doctors", it was alluded to that it was possible for a Timelord to get a completely new life cycle, which could apparently be granted by the high council. It wasn't explicitly stated in that story, but the implication was that this life cycle carried another 12 regenerations with it. What it would require for this to happen was not elaborated on either, but my guess was always that it requires some number of Timelords to voluntarily offer their final regeneration (twelve Timelords, in the case of a completely new life cycle).

    9. Re:Last Dr. Who? by Yrd · · Score: 1

      It does look interesting doesn't it?

      I am slightly worried that we're running out of regenerations, as one of the future ones has to be Merlin as well (Battlefield established that quite clearly).

      However, right near the end of the Slyvester McCoy era, in stories such as The Curse of Fenric, they started to hint that the Doctor might not be just a Time Lord after all. Maybe they'll expand on that a bit, but hopefully in a good, positive kind of way and not a 'change direction of the series' kind of way, because you don't need to change much whether the Doctor's a Time Lord or something else, because he doesn't behave like a normal Time Lord anyway.

      --
      Miri it is whil Linux ilast...
    10. Re:Last Dr. Who? by An.+(Coward) · · Score: 1

      The only thing scarier than a Doctor Who nerd is two Doctor Who nerds. :)

    11. Re:Last Dr. Who? by dorward · · Score: 1

      The master used up all his, did all sorts of mojo to stay alive on Gallifrey, stole Councillor Wossisname's body on Traken

      Its Tremas - easy to remember since its an anagram of Master

    12. Re:Last Dr. Who? by cpuffer_hammer · · Score: 1

      Bad memory, and just happy to be corrected without being skinned alive.

      Though a series on the early years of the first Dr. would be interesting.

    13. Re:Last Dr. Who? by MenTaLguY · · Score: 1

      Common fencepost error. Twelve regenerations means thirteen incarnations, as you correctly note.

      --

      DNA just wants to be free...
  24. Izzard? by FalconZero · · Score: 1

    I think Eddie Izzard was also widely tipped as the new doctor, though I can't see it not turning into a comedy had he played the doctor. Incidentally for those of you who have no idea who Dr Who is, the BBC is probably a good place to start:
    www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/

    --
    Windows in 6 Bytes (IA-32) : 90 90 90 90 CD 19
    1. Re:Izzard? by slithytove · · Score: 1

      Possibly too comedic, its true, but Eddie Izzard is the funniest man alive. I'd have been happy with any direction the show went with him as the doc.

    2. Re:Izzard? by blowdart · · Score: 1
      But if Izzard had got it I can just see the script

      "Ah Davros you have captured me at last. If only my stilletto heels hadn't snapped as I was running up the stairs away from your Daleks".

    3. Re:Izzard? by spectecjr · · Score: 1

      I think Eddie Izzard was also widely tipped as the new doctor, though I can't see it not turning into a comedy had he played the doctor.

      A good rule of thumb:

      The best comedians make the best dramatic actors. People who know how to make you laugh, also know how to make you cry.

      --
      Coming soon - pyrogyra
    4. Re:Izzard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is hypothetical but I disagree. Izzard is actually a very cerebral chap as the content of his jokes should tell you. I see no particular reason he'd play it for laughs if it was inappropriate. He isn't a one trick pony like, say, Jim Carey. He has done some straight theatre in the past for example.

    5. Re:Izzard? by TomV · · Score: 1

      It's all hypothetical now, of course, but bear in mind that back in 1970, when they cast Jon Pertwee as the Doctor, he was a stalwart of light entertainment, working almost entirely in comedy in film, TV and radio. Jon lasted 5 years in the role and can easily give Tom Baker a serious run in the popularity stakes. In contrast, the first Doctor, William Hartnell was pretty much typecast as a thug or a tough Army sergeant before getting the role.

    6. Re:Izzard? by Zog+The+Undeniable · · Score: 1

      Eddie Izzard's father is a leading light in the UK Institute of Internal Auditors. Strange but true.

      --
      When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
    7. Re:Izzard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The best comedians make the best dramatic actors. People who know how to make
      > you laugh, also know how to make you cry.

      You have an example for that?

  25. Yank watching Dr. Who. by Hanzie · · Score: 1
    Are any of these posters from America?
    When is the last time any of these shows aired?

    I'm one.

    Tonight, and I hope it won't be the last!

    I love the picture. The caption says "The Previous Time Lords" and the picture is of three Daleks.

    --
    ********* sig: If you don't like the law, get filthy stinking rich, and buy a better one.
  26. If you're going to count movies... by dpilot · · Score: 3, Interesting

    What about Peter Cushing in "Day of the Daleks"?

    I suspect the can(n)on has to boom in a different direction for the movies, though I did like the touch of including Sylvester McCoy in the McGann movie, even if the movie itself wasn't generally well received. For all of the running through the Tardis in "Invasion of Time", we never saw such an essential and powerful piece of the Tardis as the Eye until 1996?

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
    1. Re:If you're going to count movies... by Fred+Or+Alive · · Score: 3, Informative

      Peter Cushing starred in the movies "Dr. Who and the Daleks" and "Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150AD", which were based on the original TV stores "The Daleks"[1] and "The Dalek Invasion of Earth". "Day of the Daleks" was a Jon Pertwee TV story.But those two 1960s movies don't fit in with the TV series at all, being remakes of TV stories, featuring a human Dr. Who (not The Doctor) in his space ship Tardis (not the TARDIS) and various other changes. You'd have to really twist the timeline to include them. I think the TV series will follow on after Paul McGann, as there are a large number of spin off books and audio plays set after the TV movie, and fans don't generally take kindly to having huge parts of a series wiped out usually. Although I somehow thing the amount of McGann stuff will be reduced (BBC Books are apparently going to phase out on the ongoing 8th Doctor series of books, although I think occasional books are going to be produced in the 'past doctor' line.) I do hope they ignore any of the really stupid bits in the TV Movie though (the half-human bit is the most obvious, that's ripped strait out of Star Trek (Spock et. all).) But I think the current production them is knowledgeable enough to know that getting too hung up on continuity etc. is a bad idea, just look what happened in the early-mid 80's, with loads of really pointless references abound. [1] This is sometimes know as "The Mutants", but that isn't used much as a Jon Pertwee serial also has that title.

      --
      10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
      20 GOTO 10
    2. Re:If you're going to count movies... by crywolf · · Score: 1

      We probably never saw the Eye because, until the supposed 8th Doctor, the Eye was on Gallifrey, powering the time travel facility. It's a good thing when Doctor 5 jettisoned 25% of the TARDIS, he didn't jettison the Time Lords' power source. Alas, he did jettison his Zero Room. Nifty place, that.

      I wonder why he couldn't just create new rooms.

      --
      CAUTION: Product may be hot after heating
    3. Re:If you're going to count movies... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do hope they make Eccleston the 8th Doctor and put the Fox movie aside. Whilst in a series like Doctor Who or Star Trek continutity isn't everything - there needs to be a stong plot too - the movie didn't just bend continuity a bit - it ripped it up. The lack of plot (and humour) resulted in poor audience figures in the States - the Brits were willing to give it a chance and I think it got over 10 million viewers when shown in 1996. The shreading of continuity e.g.: Daleks bit at the start executing the Master - why would the Doctor be involved with the Daleks?? Kissing his assistant - he didn't kiss Leela - a far more tempting prospect. Half-human? I think not disappointed me after waiting since 1989 for a new episode - it simply wasn't "Doctor Who". I was living in the States at the time and encouraging my American friends to watch it. Whoops! Let's just forget it and re-start where Sylvester McCoy left off.

    4. Re:If you're going to count movies... by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I never did quite understand that part. I thought the bit of the TARDIS that travels through space and time was just a tiny interface to the rest of it, which was a safe separate dimension and didn't exist in this universe at all. Guess not... :-)

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    5. Re:If you're going to count movies... by Lectrik · · Score: 1
      Yeah, I never did quite understand that part. I thought the bit of the TARDIS that travels through space and time was just a tiny interface to the rest of it, which was a safe separate dimension and didn't exist in this universe at all. Guess not... :-)


      I seem to recall in a episode, the doctor was explaining to his assistant (don't remember which, this was ages ago) that it was all a matter of (higher dimensional) perspective, that the inside of the TARDIS was further away than the outside and so it could be made to fit inside the smaller outside. Like i said though, that was ages ago, the local PBS hasn't carried Dr. Who for quite a while.

      disclaimer: The grammar is kinda odd, but i've slept about 4 hours in the past 8 days. I am trying though
      --
      --- As to make my comment seem, by comparison, more intelegent... doodie doodie doodie poop poop poop!
    6. Re:If you're going to count movies... by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      That was from the beginning of "Robots of Death", one of my favorite episodes. But I always ignore that bit, because it doesn't make any sense from a literal POV. Perhaps it's compatible with my conception of the TARDIS, but it's just how the Doctor chose to explain it to Leela who was fresh out of the jungle at that point. This was right after she wouldn't put stop playing with the yoyo because she was afraid of breaking the magic :-)

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
  27. He's got 'the look' by jarich · · Score: 2, Interesting
    check him out Google images

    http://images.google.com/images?q=%22Christopher+E ccleston%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en

    He just 'looks' like a Doctor Who to me.... maybe it's the nose?

  28. who will play the Master ? by snot.dotted · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Arch villans. The Dr must be pitted against a worthy advisory, the Master. He really was very evil, in fact the Master invented evil. The chaps in the shiny suits and trash cans on wheels never really scared me at all, the Master on the other hand was equipped with a TARDIS that actually worked and all the knowledge of a time lord. The Master was Moriarty to The Doctors Sherlock Holmes, and or course he wanted to rule the known universe.

    1. Re:who will play the Master ? by BasilBrush · · Score: 1

      The 1996 film fiasco was a Master story, so I'd expect them to steer clear of him, at least for the first series.

    2. Re:who will play the Master ? by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      I hope so. My favorites were always purely-human stories, or at least ones with new and unique villains. There's no need for a cosmic counterpart -- the Doctor is not a god or a superhero, just an influential and powerful guy doing good. "Face of Evil" comes to mind.

      I think there's a place for an impersonal force threatening the whole galaxy though, like the Daleks or the Cybermen. Of course, if they use the Cybermen, new viewers will assume they stole them from Star Trek. :-)

      I think they need a whole new set of villains. Keep the Time Lords, Gallifrey, Rassilon, the whole bit, the regenerations, the companions, etc. but please lose the Master. And get today's Douglas Adams or Harlan Ellison (whoever they may be) as a writer!

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    3. Re:who will play the Master ? by SmackCrackandPot · · Score: 1

      From watching the reruns of Dr Who on TV, the best actor for the Master would be Deacon in Waterworld (Dennis Hopper), who also played the bomber in Speed (that punchline "it's interactive TV, Jack") was the ultimate in evil.

    4. Re:who will play the Master ? by Mateito · · Score: 1

      > the Master on the other hand was equipped with a
      > TARDIS that actually worked.

      According to the "Doctor Who Technical Manual", which unsupringly is somewhere in a box under my mother's house and has been for the last 15 years, The Master owned a "SIDRAT", not a TARDIS.

      I don't remember what it stood for, but they had another clumsy acronym for it.

    5. Re:who will play the Master ? by TwistedSquare · · Score: 1

      Just as long as they don't make him put on an accent - in 24 he was terrible!

    6. Re:who will play the Master ? by Sabalon · · Score: 1

      I thought the SIDRAT's were just in "The War Games" as a name to the proto-tardis's in there. I can think of no place where the Masters TARDIS is refered to anything other than a TARDIS. It may not be an old type-40, but oh well.

    7. Re:who will play the Master ? by Mateito · · Score: 1

      You are right.

      In 'Terror Of the Autons'we learn that the Doctor?s TARDIS is a Type 40 MkI, and the Master?s a Type 40 MkII. The Master often refers to the Doctor's TARDIS as an "antiquated heap of junk"!

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/qa/mythology 2. shtml

  29. Dr. Who important social comment. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do not belittle Dr. Who, those that know not!!! We had K9 long before Sony made that calculater that passes for a mutt. One day the human race will reach the stars and will evolve to look like this:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/gallery/cyberm en/6b_4.shtml

  30. who da thunk it? by The+Desert+Palooka · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Susie Plukit.

    *duck*

  31. Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by fm6 · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Lame as it was, the movie doesn't begin to compare with most of the BBC scripts. Tom Baker once told an interviewer that his famous puzzled expression was not acting -- he often had no idea what was supposed to be going on, the script usually not being finished until shooting was well underway!

    I wonder if the Beeb will just pretend the movie never happened? They certainly can't afford to reproduce Hollywood's version of the Tardis.

    1. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by Aexia · · Score: 1

      I wonder if the Beeb will just pretend the movie never happened? They certainly can't afford to reproduce Hollywood's version of the Tardis.

      The console room could have simply been reconfigured since the movie... which it has in the BBC novels. Currently, I think it's something closer to what the original console room was.

    2. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by G-funk · · Score: 1

      They certainly can't afford to reproduce Hollywood's version of the Tardis.

      Thank christ. God that was the biggest insult of the whole movie. Personally I think McGann did a decent job, and Roberts could have made a great master if the movie had a script, and wasn't just standard hollywood drivel that you get when you let them make a movie of something classic and brittish they could never understand.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    3. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by fm6 · · Score: 1
      You obviously haven't seen most of the earlier episodes. The Tardis supposedly has hundreds, maybe thousands of rooms, most of which The Doctor has simply forgotten about. This includes multiple control rooms. Whenever they decided to totally redesign the set (minor redesigns did not require explanation), The Doctor would wander into an unfamiliar room and say, "Oh, here's a fine control room I forgot I had! I think I'll use it instead!"

      What's lame about this is that the Doctor is rarely shown in any room except the control room. There's always a door on the left that leads to the outside world, and a door on the right that leads to the rest of the Tardis. He often comes and goes through the right-hand door, where he presumably eats, sleeps, etc. But this is almost never shown.

      Obviously they don't have the budget for a lot of sets, but they could be more creative with the sets they have. One thing I liked about the movie was that it made the Tardis's expansiveness visisble. The set was a lot fancier than the BBC version, but there was more to it than that. The Hollywood set designers had more imagination.

      Of course, I just got through pointing out that non-lameness is not part of the Doctorverse. So I shouldn't carp.

    4. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by Sabalon · · Score: 1

      Well, look at the chase through the TARDIS in "The Invasion of Time". It looked like they just went to any room on the BBC lot, had Tom and Louise walk through it and called it part of the TARDIS.

      The one thing that I did like about the TV movie was not how they showed how much room could be in there, but the Doctor actually had a place to relax, kick back and read, listen to music, etc...

      As you said, in the original series, they rarely showed other rooms, and they all looked the same (for cost reasons). The room in the movie reminded me a lot of the wooden control room from Tom's era.

    5. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by fm6 · · Score: 1
      Hmm, I seem to recall the Fourth Doctor mostly worked in a space-ship-like control room, as did most of the other doctors. There was a period when he switched to the messy, wood-paneled room left over from the second Doctor, There was still a wooden flute lying around. I think that only lasted for a season or two. But it's been a very long time since I actually watched the show.

      It just occured to me that they never explained where the "Doctor" did his graduate work. The name is actually a leftover from the original premise, which was that the Doctor was a scientist from the future, who for some unstated reason thought his grandaughter (written out in ep 10) should go to school in the 20th century. Not terribly consistent with the "Time Lord" premise that evolved later, but fortunately most of the First Doctor eps have been lost.

    6. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by Sabalon · · Score: 1

      but fortunately most of the First Doctor eps have been lost

      You're kidding right? Yeah...a show that runs that long will have inconsitency, but some of the Hartnell episodes are pure classics. While there was some tripe and sillyness, there were some damned good stories in there as well.

      Keys of Marinus, The Chase, Space Museum, The Time Meddler. A lot of it is many times better than the stuff that made up the later seasons.

    7. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by fm6 · · Score: 1
      When I said "fortunately ... lost" I wasn't commenting on the quality of the Hartnell eps. (Though some of them are pretty ripe.) I was commenting on the fact that the missing eps weren't around to trouble us with their inconsistencies.

      But of course I place more emphasis on story consistency than most people, Makes me a lousy drama-lit critic.

    8. Re:Non-lameness does not a good Doctor make. by Cyberdyne · · Score: 1
      It just occured to me that they never explained where the "Doctor" did his graduate work.

      One early episode - can't remember which one - has him claiming to have become a (medical) doctor in Scotland, studying under someone famous. (Probably the third; he did tend to go in for a great deal of name-dropping - note his Napoleon reference in Day of the Daleks!) He's also a graduate of the Academy on Gallifrey, although this may not have included a postgraduate qualification - presumably Time Lords don't quite have the same degree structure as humans do...

  32. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    given quality of some of the accepted stories, if writing plays a major role in the selection process, I'd hate to see the rejected stories.

  33. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Poorly written compared to the one line write up in the article that was selected?

  34. Not forgetting his finest moment... by evil_one666 · · Score: 1



    ...which was of course alongside Ewan McGregor in Shallow Grave

  35. beg pardon? by mblase · · Score: 1

    the writing was terrible. That's why it flopped

    So how do you explain every other season of Doctor Who that got renewed?

    1. Re:beg pardon? by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

      Well, they had good writing on and off. Most of the really bad writing was toward the end of the series. Douglas Adams did a few episodes. "City of Death" is the only one I remember off the top of my head.

      --
      * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
    2. Re:beg pardon? by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      Because in Soviet UKistan, there were only another two, later three channels competing with Dr Who for most of its run. And you can knock one off of that because BBC 2 wouldn't compete with BBC 1 over such an expensive (in BBC terms) show.

      Now that even UKia has hundreds of cable and satellite channels, Dr Who will have to compete on its merits rather than win by default.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  36. Oblig. Simpsons... by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 1

    Chalmers: Doctor who?
    Skinner: Not the pronoun, but rather a doctor with the unlikely name of "Who".
    Chalmers: Well that's just great, Seymour. We've been out here six seconds and you've already managed to blow the routine.Sexless freak.

  37. Steve Coogan! by what+the+dumple+is · · Score: 1

    ...would have been teriffic as a doctor!

  38. ack... by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 1

    "time will tell", oh...and no pun intended.

  39. Rats!! by ApewithGun · · Score: 1

    They blew it big-time.

    Anthony Stewart Head (the watcher from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) was the perfect choice.

    Bummer!

    1. Re:Rats!! by Winter+Lightning · · Score: 3, Informative

      No way! Head is a wooden ham who gets by in
      the U.S. because of his accent.

      Before joining Buffy he was best known in the
      UK for his role in a long running coffee
      commercial love story ("The Gold Blend couple").

      Simply NOT Time Lord material, but he might
      serve as an Ice Warrior with a bit of make-up.

    2. Re:Rats!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He actually played a Time Lord on a flash cartoon. It's on the BBC website. I can't remember the episode however.

    3. Re:Rats!! by RScarborough · · Score: 1

      I do think that Tony Head would also be a good choice. However, he did take himself out of the running fairly early on, saying that after doing "Buffy" it would be best for his career not to get tied into doing another cult classic (and let's face it, being in Doctor Who does affect casting directors' perceptions). If you would like to hear Head in Doctor Who, check out Big Finish's EXCELIS series, where Head plays the villian opposite Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy (www.doctorwho.co.uk).

      The BEST site to learn about what is happening with the new series is Outpost Gallifrey's new series site at www.doctorwhotv.com.

  40. Dude, way to miss a big one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    He was in Gone In Sixty Seconds

  41. Who. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doctor Neidhart?

  42. Re:Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, it's happened to all of us at one time or another. I just gave up trying. I figure, if they want news, they can get it themselves.

    I come here for the commentary about the news, not for the news itself. By the time /. gets it, it's history. Read Google news instead.

    If I had mod points, I'd mod you up. I encourage everybody has points to do so.

  43. Gotta have decent production values. by Moderation+abuser · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I remember hiding behind the sofa like thousands of other kids in the 70s but Dr. Who is no longer for children and the effects which in those days inflamed childhood imaginations will no longer cut the mustard.

    The production values now have to be good enough to compete with Babylon 5, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Farscape for the attention of the now thirtysomethings who want Who back. I'm not convinced the Beeb will give the show the budget it's going to need and disappointment is a powerful emotion.

    --
    Government of the people, by corporate executives, for corporate profits.
    1. Re:Gotta have decent production values. by zakezuke · · Score: 1

      The BBC's strength has always been in phonic production. Dr. who's video production was a touch B, but phonicly it was always first class... even in the William Hartnell era. This is part of what makes doctor who a cult classic, the fact that most of your budget can go into writers and sound production to create an enjoyable program, one which could be just as enjoyable as a radio show or a simple story board style web animation.

      Babylon 5 and even Stargate SG-1 I feel is in a very diffrent class then Andromeda. Andromeda presently is pretty much a vehicel for Kevin Sorbo to show off his big pecks. Special effects I class in the Battlestar Galactic class due to the massive amount of scene recycling. Babylon 5 stands alone because pre-determined story arch, and the fact that the use of raytraced computer graphics actually lowered their special effect budget rather then shows like Star Trek TNG who were still working with models.

      I'd be perfectly happy with doctor who if it were only a storyboard web cartoon as video was always secondary for the enjoyment of it.

      --
      There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
  44. What happens after the 13 episodes? by mark-t · · Score: 1

    If the 13 part series does well enough, will they make it into a regular TV show again?

    1. Re:What happens after the 13 episodes? by Wildfire+Darkstar · · Score: 2, Informative

      It is intended to be a regular TV show again. This is the new show: he BBC has previously said that they expect a minimum of five years from the show (Remember, "series" and "season" are basically interchangeable terms when it comes to British TV). Thirteen episodes is actually a more than reasonable number of episodes for a season, given British television, and, at 45 minutes to an hour each, means that the new season will run longer than the last four seasons of the original show (which were 14 episodes at 25 minutes each).

      --
      Sean Daugherty "I have walked in Eternity -- and Eternity weeps."
  45. I can't help but notice... by zackhugh · · Score: 1

    ...that for all of the quotes, none are from Mr. Eccleston himself.

    Honestly, he was creepy in "28 Days Later," creepy in "The Others," and he seems like a very strange choice for the Doctor.

    Has he ever been funny or even light-hearted in anything? I mean, there's a reason this guy specializes in movies involving murder and the undead...

    "Many men would sooner die than think; most do"

    1. Re:I can't help but notice... by Wildfire+Darkstar · · Score: 3, Informative

      Not surprising, then, as Russell T. Davies, the producer spearheading the new series, has gone on record saying he wanted to focus on the horror aspect of the series.

      To many people (and especially Americans) Doctor Who is thought of as a lighthearted series. But, really, throughout most of its run, it was not. The show was frequently chided by British "family advocates" for being too scary for the children's audience it was supposedly targetted at, and dabbled in all sorts of macabre ideas. It was only during the reign of producer Graham Williams in the late 1970s (the period in which Douglas Adams served as script editor) that the show gained its reputation for pure camp: Philip Hinchcliffe, the producer preceding Williams, was especially noted for his penchant for gothic horror, and John Nathan-Turner, who followed from Williams' tenure until the cancellation of the show in 1989, tended towards, at various different points, either action/suspense or psychological horror himself. Heck, even Williams/Adams, beneath the somewhat camp exterior, delved into some dark concepts.

      The Doctor, as a character, usually has an eccentric edge, but he's not always (or even predominately) a humorous character: even Tom Baker's performance, particularly towards the beginning and end of his seven year run with the role, had its sharper, and darker, edges.

      --
      Sean Daugherty "I have walked in Eternity -- and Eternity weeps."
    2. Re:I can't help but notice... by Hitmouse · · Score: 1

      He was in an episode of The League of Gentlemen, if that counts. Full listing here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001172/ Eccelston is 3 months younger than the actual show. Dr Who started 11/63, he's born 2/64.

    3. Re:I can't help but notice... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm still traumatised by the "Hand of Fear". I can remember hiding behing the sofa.

      My word that was good sci-fi. It leaves Star Trek for dead.

    4. Re:I can't help but notice... by Eviljay · · Score: 1

      Christopher Ecclestone is actually a very good actor, he can be both serious (as was seen in 28 Days Later) and slightly light-hearted when he played the son of God in the TV drama serial 'The Second Coming'.

      Which was, imho, absolutely fantastic and one of the best dramas ever shown on British TV (They're normally about relationships in middle-age...)

      I'm sure he will bring the much loved quirkiness that makes Doctor Who such an interesting character to watch. I, for one, am rather looking forward to it.

  46. Ummm... by Trolling4Dollars · · Score: 1

    Which doctor was Richard E. Grant? (ninth? tenth? ???) And this new guy... does he come before or after Richard E. Grant? Or... is Richard E. Grant's doctor from an alternate universe? Can Quinn Mallory (Sliders reference) explain? Which brings me to another point... how can you be a Doctor Who fan and NOT like Sliders?

    1. Re:Ummm... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sliders is to Dr Who as Battle Beyond The Stars was to Star Wars: A New Hope (...sad how you have to qualify that. once upon a time you could of just said "Star Wars" and it wouldn't of mattered. *sigh*)

  47. Why not Alan Davies? by Thedalek · · Score: 1

    Last time this discussion rolled around here on /., the article mentioned that Alan Davies of Johnathan Creek fame was the fan favorite. What happened?

    For those unlucky Americans who have never been exposed to Johnathan Creek, the show is a mystery series of sorts. Each mystery is, however, completely impossible. A wealthy author is impaled from behind by a samurai sword, whilst alone in his locked study. A musician is accused of kidnapping a girl who was seen entering his house, but all he saw entering his house was a small frog. An elderly woman dreams the death of a weathly businessman, who then dies exactly as she described.

    In the end, each of these has a reasonably plausable, or at the very least, possible explaination. It's a nice little chess game with the audience.

    --
    Happiness is relative, Based upon the way we live.
  48. Funny you should say that. by devphil · · Score: 1
    but Dr. Who is no longer for children

    The BBC disagrees with you, insanely enough. The line of New Adventures books was headed in a more adult direction, where "adult" usually meant the way !America means in, in the sense of sophisticated and not childish, but occasionally got into "adult" territory, in the American sense of "adult," meaning pr0n.

    I read a smattering of the NA books before their quality nosedived. When I read, for example, a scene in which one of the incidental extra characters, a part-time prostitute, was chewing pistachios "because they helped to take the semen taste out of her mouth," I was surprised, but not offended.

    Others were, and complained to the BBC, who pointed out to the series editors that after all this time, the show -- and its spinoff books -- was still technically categorized as a children's series, and there aren't any plans to change that, so kindly stop having Ace telling people to fuck off, and leave the more "adult" scenes on the drafting table, thanks.

    (By the way, the special effects weren't cheesy deliberately, "because the show was for children". The Beeb knew very well that grownups were a far larger percentage of its audience, even before Hartnell left the series. The effects were cheesy because that's all they had money for.)

    --
    You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
  49. Not just a phone box... by logpoacher · · Score: 2, Interesting

    > Basically a big blue phone box so police officers
    > could contact their station before the advent of
    > portable radios, they also had a phone on the
    > outside for the use of the public in emergencies
    >(behind the panel with text on it.)

    I made a discovery recently... I always thought that the real Police Boxes were rather like normal telephone boxes: simple, light, wooden.

    But most of them were actually serious concrete affairs, weighing over two tons (which became somewhat of a problem when they were decommissioned). They worked as miniature police stations, where an officer could imprison a suspect until help arrived. Here's a short history, and more details (PDF, sorry).

    Was I the only person not to know this? Oh, ok.

  50. Just one companion :) by wdavies · · Score: 1

    Morena Baccarin aka Inara from Firefly. Not sure the BBC could afford her, but she's currently out of a job I guess....

  51. Izzard and Eccleston by pnot · · Score: 1

    Interestingly, both Eccleston and Izzard starred in the recent Revengers Tragedy, a gory Elizabethan revenge drama transplanted to a sort of post-apocalyptic near-future northern England setting. It could almost have been a Dr Who practice run: low budget, silly costumes, slightly skewed English setting. Predictably, Eccleston got to be unhinged and menacing, and Izzard got to be camp and menacing.

  52. Eccleston. Not Ecclestone. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is is too much to ask that the submitter or perhaps an editor RTFA?

  53. These insults! by drwho · · Score: 1

    I am NOT eccentric! What you call eccentric is merely the results of having the viewpoint of several time streams to look at.

    Also, look for John Titor in the upcoming series.

  54. Christopher Ecclestone is my favourite actor by mapnjd · · Score: 1

    Christopher Ecclestone is the the best living British actor.

    After seeing him as The Second Coming as an unwilling messiah and in the powerful adoption-drama Flesh And Blood, you can not deny that this is the best actor of our generation.

    He's also had small parts in enjoyable crap like 24 Hour Party People and Existenz and was one of the main characters in Shallow Grave.

    We should be honoured to accept him as Dr Who - his talent and choice of roles is way beyond such enjoyable (Sci-fi) fluff.

    --
    Bus error in your favour. Collect 200kB
  55. Inspiration to Slashdotters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tom Baker was married to Romana IRL. And then she left him for a *rather famous* scientist. Leaving the actor for geek. ...Its so often the other way round 99% of the time.

  56. Heh! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm glad you mentioned that. It was on UK Gold this morning. Was it my imagination of was one of the reincarnations rather Jules Verne-esque?

  57. Dr. Who is CRAP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bring back RED DWARF! Now that was entertainment.

  58. Re:speaking of actors... by unitron · · Score: 1

    Now come on, you know it's strictly forbidden to ever cast anybody as Jesus if they look even vaguely like a 1st century Jew.

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  59. Budget by Aexia · · Score: 1

    It's 1 million pounds sterling per episode. That's roughly $1.8 million, which should prove to be MORE than adequete.

    1. Re:Budget by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      Source? And bear in mind that the BBC can chew through money fast when it gets some decent corporate intertia behind a project.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  60. Will they keep the Scream of the Shalka Master? by Aexia · · Score: 1

    Arch villans. The Dr must be pitted against a worthy advisory, the Master. He really was very evil, in fact the Master invented evil. The chaps in the shiny suits and trash cans on wheels never really scared me at all, the Master on the other hand was equipped with a TARDIS that actually worked and all the knowledge of a time lord. The Master was Moriarty to The Doctors Sherlock Holmes, and or course he wanted to rule the known universe.

    In Scream of the Shalka, the Master was a robot and the Doctor's travelling companion. He couldn't leave the TARDIS. The Doctor apparently gave him new life in gratitude for helping him through a difficult time...

  61. Dr. Who and Land of the Lost by Noginbump · · Score: 1

    I remember tuning into PBS and getting duped into watching Dr. Who, thinking it was going to be a British version of Star Trek or something. I tried to like it. The theme song was excellent and the premise was neat, but I just couldn't get into the Sid and Marty Kroft looking sets. Today though, I would proably think it is great television.

    FWIW, why doesn't /. have a Tardis icon they can use? They could swipe these guys' artwork for some Who game I've never played.

    Nog

    --
    He who questions training, only trains himself at asking questions. -- The Sphinx, Mystery Men
  62. At least now more people may get the reference by f1ipf10p · · Score: 1

    When I call my PC "My Tardis" so many might not look so puzzled...

    If you did not see the originals, and you are puzzled, you might google the terms Dr Who My Tardis... enjoy! Looking forward to the new show.

    --
    ~8^]
  63. Re:speaking of actors... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...dark skinned?

  64. I think it was Richard E. Grant... by SofaMan · · Score: 1

    or me, the fabulous job by Paul McGann made up for it all.

    Ahh well, least we got a Flash Movie with his voice that was pretty good.


    I'm pretty sure that it was Richard E. Grant who did the voice in the 40th Anniversary Flash movie - there may well have been another animation I missed, of course.

    Just a piece of trivia about Christopher Eccleston - he'll be the first actor to portray the Doctor born after the show commenced in November 1963.

    --

    SofaMan -- Occasionally Battling Evil With His Mighty Powers Of Indolence.

  65. Re: Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 1

    I think that Geoffrey Palmer (from "Butterflies" and "As Time Goes By") would make a great BLS.
    Alternatively, Prince Charles.

    And, of course, Rowan Atkinson (from "Black Adder"& "Mr. Bean") as The Master.
    Ooo! Ooo! And John Inman (from "Are You Being Served?") as K-9. ("Walkies!")

    They're all getting kind of old, though.

    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana
  66. Please learn how to use links. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Please learn how to use links.
    <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0000293/">Sean Bean</a>
    yields: Sean Bean
  67. Re: Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart by KnightStalker · · Score: 1

    I'll have to agree with Geoffrey Palmer as the Brigadier. But Rowan Atkinson from Mr. Bean would make a very very very bad Master. Rowan Atkinson from Blackadder would make a very good Master, though. I haven't quite been able to convince myself that they are the same person.

    --
    * And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
  68. Re:speaking of actors... by unitron · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't call Hussein especially dark-skinned but he looks a lot more like someone native to that time and place than does Mr. Gibson's casting choice. Of course in this case native doesn't necessarily mean the "original" original occupants of the area so much as "been there a few thousand years".

    --

    I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.

  69. Re: Brigadier Alastair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart by some+guy+I+know · · Score: 1

    Well, actually, everything from Prince Charles on was meant to be a joke.
    I don't think that Atkinson would be good as The Master because The Master is supposed to be "evil AH! AH!", not "evil HA! HA!", as Black Adder was.

    --
    Those who sacrifice security to condemn liberty deserve to repeat history or something. - Benjamin Santayana