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Doctor Who Series Four Is A Go
netglen writes to mention that the fourth series of Doctor Who is a go. The BBC confirms that another season of the popular sci-fi series will be made, although the article is sketchy about the current doctor and his attachment to the next season. The third series starts at the end of this month in Britain with new companion Martha Jones, played by Freema Agyeman, replacing Billie Piper's Rose. "Tennant, who plays the time-travelling hero, would not talk to reporters about his role in future series. 'Do you know how many times I have been asked that question? Do you know how many times I have answered it?' said the actor. "
The first episode airs on my birthday! Too bad I'll have to wait a year or more to see it, since I'm not in the UK... NOT! starts up torrent client and waits patiently...
"The Doctor"
"Doctor who?"
"Precisely."
Something tells me there's an Abbot and Costello joke there to be found....
--
# Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
$Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
The most common rumor is that Billie Piper (--YUM See pic at link--) wants to play the doctor in the next season. The theory is that the doctor will regenerate as her because of his love for her and because he misses her. My opninion is that they could do this and make it an incredible season, or totally ruin it. we'll have to see.
Mike @ The Geek Pub. Let's Make Stuff!
For those who haven't checked it out recently, the new Dr. Who has been a wonderfully creepy, charming and clever British fantasy/"sci-fi" show. It constantly transcends the borders between being powerfully authentic in a moment, breaking/mocking convention (many that it invented), and being surprisingly authentic in its morality and complications. Not complicated in the usual soap-opera way either - but in the real sense of exploring the unknown in wild new ways. Sure - it bullshits on its way to tell a story, but even its bullshit is more authentic than most "sci-fi".
Check it out, if you have time for a new minor curiosity in your life.
Ryan Fenton
What's better...
:)
Don't you mean "Who's better?"
Although, I guess that's a bit of a presumptive question
Some people have a way with words, and some people, um, thingy.
I love David Tennant, but I'm hoping he gets encased in carbonite and Rose takes the Tardis back to grab Chris Eccleston.
Well, I expect to see William Hartnell will reprise his role for the first couple of stories, but I expect they'll recast. I'd say the actor Patrick Troughton, who played Phineas in the recent Jason and the Argonauts movie would be a good choice.
Hold on. It is 1966 isn't it? My TARDIS often gets the date wrong.
Surely seies 4 of Dr Who was around 40 years ago with Patrick Troughton.
There have been quite a few different Doctors since then.
In the U.S., the new Dr. Who is on both SciFi and BBC America.
In America, what the british call a 'series' we call a 'season'. So, to our ears, this is an announcement that yes, there will be a 4th season.
The first season is curently being played on BBC America (last time I checked).
The second season, with Tennant, is airing on the Sci Fi Channel.
The third season should be airing in England - almost immediately, if it isn't already.
actually a lot of the early Doctor Who was written by some very talented people (eg Terry_Nation) who often worked to incredibly short deadlines, and had crap all in the way of money to back of the special effects they wanted in.
:). The most I got out of Phantom Menace was an urge to make JarJar real so I could kill it oh so many times.
Bizarrely that produced some wonderful SF and social commentary that is still of interest to SF buffs old and new.
I don't like to say that I disapprove of special effects, I don't, and sometimes I even like the very latest thing. Let me say right off that my primary interest in SF is on the cheaper end of the scale. I'm a H2G2/pulp SF fan, I don't much go in for the extravagant approach currently being taken in SF drama (I don't want to talk about the H2G2 film, no really, I don't..).
'Star wars that was' rocked, but the new stuff is crap I feel. Not because of the special effects, but because they weren't the kind of thing you'd stick on after a night out to watch for the n'th time and quote your way through, they had no depth, you couldn't relate to the characters. That was what Star wars was about to me, pure, unadulterated escapism, masterfully done, You wanted to *be* Han Solo or Obiwan (or Luke, if you're some kinda pooftaah
Blade Runner was full of special effects, and that is an awesome film, so it can't be that all SFX are bad.
I think the problem isn't something you can lay at the feet of Electric Light and Magic and their ilk. Nope, the problem is that Film and television SF makers seem to have forgotten that SF is as much about social commentary as it is about lasers. My problem with adaption of old Pulp SF stories to multi million doller SFX orgies is not that they've changed the story as a rule, that can't be helped. It's that they have often removed the entire point of the story and extracted just the SF bits.
And yet I like Blade runner. Why is that? Because while they almost entirely changed the story, they left the underlying point, the way in which man might treat a self aware creation that does not do as it is told, intact, and expressed it using the same general idea but with some innovative alteration to the core story.
I'm not against all new SF. I liked Stargate, and I do enjoy a bit of star trek on the side from time to time. That said, my favorite Stargate Episode is 'Window of Opportunity', not some of the later SFX crazy episodes.
I wait hopefully for a new SF film that can be truly considered a classic, and has all the very latest SFX bells and whistles. I'm sure it will happen eventually.
In "The Five Doctors", the High Council offered the Master a full cycle of new regenerations in return for his help. Thus the canon has established the technology exists in the Whoverse to continue on beyond twelve regenerations (not that the Master was having that much trouble stretching out his regenerations anyway).
Can I get my geek card stamped please?
"Can I get my geek card stamped please?"
Sure thing...hey, that's 10! Here's your free Davros keychain.