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@phaseshift – Oooh I’ve never seen a Lucas-a-like CGI replacement of a monster done on Doctor Who before.  I don’t know if it is heresy or not.  As @craig mentioned in the intro for the first episode of ‘Caves…’, the rubbish monster is part of the charm of BG Doctor Who.  Having said that, when you are enjoying a nicely atmospheric episode and a guy in a rubber costume turns up it does rather spoil the tension some what.

I watched the ‘Stone Tape’ for the first time following @wolfweed‘s link on the TV forum and very fine it was too – shows you what can do with a limited budget and minimal visual effects.

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I’m enjoying this story more than the McCoy one.  However all the atmosphere which had built up in the episode was ruined by the rubber monster at the end – I’d actually forgotten about it so it was jarring when it made a reappearance.

Rubbish monster aside, the ‘faces’ of Jek’s androids were very reminiscent of the TGWW handbots.

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I’ve gone from avoiding the spoilers thread like the plague at the end of series 7, to it being like catnip (due to the lack of much happening).

Anyway, @wolfweed the above was a bit cryptic but I think I found what you were pointing at (a bit like a ‘skiffy’ in Eye Spy).  The viewpoint reminded me of a show I went to see at the Edinburgh Festival last week – someone rather tall sat right in front of me.  To add insult to injury he even had a hat on to cut down my view even more.

 

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Aaah, back to watching classic episodes.  I just caught up with the last episode of  ‘Ghost Light’ and hadn’t got a clue what was going on.  I don’t think the two week break in between helped, but then again having read some of the comments underneath perhaps it wouldn’t have made any difference.

Anyway, in regards to this episode I really enjoyed it.  The better quality direction (rubber monster aside) along with the not so cluttered storyline is certainly a factor, but I’ve got to say that I think Davison is the better Doctor for my money.  As I mentioned in another post, after Tom I hadn’t rated Davison at all but watching this story I’m beginning to change my mind.  Then again, as @craig describes the episode as ‘Davison’s swansong’ I’m in for a rude awakening at the end.

 

 

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I’m currently holidaying away from keyboard based computers (ie expect predictive text gibberish) but would like to add my support for the forum and for the lovely shazzbot to make a return.  She could come back as a mortal like me perhaps? I’m glad I don’t have the responsibility of modding or indeed running the site like the wonderful @craig.

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Yes @pedant, Moff has clearly known for ages if scripts have been written already.  As we’ve all said before (and he says himself) the Moff lies.

However the most exciting comment, in respect to our site, is that the Moff mentioned an ‘arc’.  Oooh hoo bonkers speculation (well in 2014) ahoy.

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Another video link, this time to Moff talking about casting Capaldi:

http://bcove.me/xkik0u6a

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If it’s not been posted above, here is Sophie Aldred (and another bloke) on BBC breakfast, talking about the news…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23572529

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Re: focus on Capaldi’s wedding band.  I don’t think we should read anything into this, especially when you consider what a slap dash programme it appeared in.  Instead the hand shot was elbowed in with the idea of giving it tension.  You couldn’t show the back of his head as it would be really obvious who it was.

Ironically, when I saw said hand, I knew it was Capaldi as it was clearly belonged to an older gentleman who was married – both of which fitted in with my leap of logic (helped along in no small part by the leaks during the weekend).

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…and back straight onto the forums.

Like all good Who fans, on waking up I thought to myself ‘what happened yesterday?’  ‘Ah, we’ve got the magnificent Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.’

I’ve read above that one of Capaldi’s main motivations for taking Who might be to banish the memory of Malcolm Tucker.  From what I know of his career to date, I’m not so sure he’d think of it quite that way.  I’ve heard him getting interviewed about going up for the Tucker role and it seems at that point his career was in the doldrums.  The role gave it a much needed boost.  So much so that all the roles he’s had in the last couple of years have likely to have been because of the Thick of It – when he could show people exactly what he could do.

I do love him as Malcolm Tucker, and used to look forward to all his appearances in the show.  Thinking back, the BBC light entertainment put me in mind of an episode in the third series when Malcolm’s been sacked and he goes to see a tv production company who have all kind of interesting suggestions for his future career in reality television.  The discomfort on Malcolm’s face was echoed last night, although Capaldi missed a trick by not pretending his phone was ringing.

Oh and a link to some Steven Moffat thoughts from the Radio Times:

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-08-04/steven-moffat-on-peter-capaldi-the-doctors-in-the-room-malcolm-tucker-is-knocked-out-of-the-way

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@wolfweed nooooo!!!!

I raise you that and give you this which is more horrific:

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If the short intro filmed by Capaldi is anything to go by, he’s going for the sinister angle.  Still very pleased with the casting, dreadful BBC show aside.  Glad to see you suffering like us after the event @Shazzbot.  Least you know who it is beforehand.

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Yes @craig it looks to me there’s been a leak.  The letter he wrote to Radio Times as a 15 year old was talked about in the press in recent days too – how did they find that so quick?

 

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No trailer, booooh.

Oh well at least we got Capaldi.  I might just go and watch a couple of episodes of the Thick of It to celebrate.

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I’d have been disappointed if it wasn’t after all that build up.

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Hooray!!!!!!

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Bernard and Peter Davison apart, bargain basement ‘celebrities’ all round!

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@juniperfish wasn’t it Playschool he was in with Derek Griffiths, et al. *adjusts pedants’ wig*

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Is it wrong to be looking forward to this even though it is BBC light entertainment at its worst?

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The Grauniad are doing a rival live blog to @phaseshift.  I won’t link to it, otherwise @Shazzbot will move me to the spoiler section but there is another hint/gossip/misdirection on it if you want to go see…

Hooo hooo *rubs hands together* only ten mins to go – but we still have the trial by fire of Bonnie first.

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@danmartinuk appears to be attempting to get #twelfth night to trend on twitter…

Does this site get a copyright fee?

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Aaaa, back to the safety of laptop land and a proper keyboard with no predictive text.  I was going to add that when I tried to put the words ‘hint or misdirection’ in my original post, it came out ‘Hinton misdirection’ – presumably Apple commenting on David Cameron’s ex special advisor.

I do like the girl in the foreground’s Tardis dress and snazzy Tardis hat set at a jaunty angle inn @wolfweed‘s picture.

 

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My original post was supposed to contain the word hint in it. Alas predictive text combined with a tiny keyboard on my phone leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t know if Rankin is teasing or not.

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Bloody predictive text on my tiny phone!

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There’s a tiny possible misdirection in the latest BBC story on the website. Rankin the photographer’s tweet.

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Just caught up with episode two.  Glad to know even the most ardent BG Who fans are finding it difficult to understand what’s going on and not just me.  This might have been a story which could have benefited from a bit more exposition, possibly over another episode or so.

I picked up on the ‘Turn of the Screw’ reference last week but this episode has a few more.  Rocky Horror popped into my mind, as did a bit of Edgar Allen Poe.  You could also draw a comparison with the Crimson Horror and the Lazarus Experiment.

In terms of McCoy’s characterisation, I’m not sure – I’ve just not seen enough of him.  For the little he’s been in the episode, he’s shaping up well but I’ve still not got a handle on it yet.

 

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Ooooh oooh!

What’s Dr Watson doing with that dodgy moustache?

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I’ve just watched the first 30 minutes of the McGann movie.  Eee gads it’s dreadful, but oddly I’m enjoying its awfulness as we’ve got AG Who to cling to.  Both McCoy and McGann are the only good things in it so far.  Eric Roberts is, as rightly mentioned above, bloody terrible.

Observations though:

1) I’d totally forgotten how heavily influenced it was by Terminator 2.  For example: juvenile delinquent is on the run; the Tardis appearing in a back alley like Arnold Schwarzenegger; that metamorphic water effect (but on the cheap so it hasn’t aged well).

2) Well ahead of its time having a Chinese kid in it.  Nowadays Hollywood crowbar an Asian actor in stuff to appeal to the Chinese market.

Hang on, has the BBC got its eye on the Chinese market for Who.  Does this mean the next Doctor is going to be Ken Hom?

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Re: the live show and the ta dah moment to reveal – a nobody.

You know it might be possible it will be a nobody, if @htpbdet‘s  earlier rumour is correct and it is a relative of a previous incarnation.  It would fit in with the idea that the show is going to take us on a whistle stop tour of all the Doctors – and hence explain who said nobody is.

I’ve still got my heart set on Capaldi, and now that the Thick of It has ended he might have a bit of spare time on his hands.  It is also interesting that according to the papers that he would be the same age as Hartnell when he was cast.

Zoe Ball was filling in for Simon Mayo today on the Kermode film review show on Radio 5.  She was asked right at the beginning of the programme about the Doctor Who show but said she hadn’t a clue what would be happening.

 

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I usually avoid the spoiler page but in the last month or so, when there has been a dearth of anything happening, I’ve been drawn in.

Hmmm, @htpbdet‘s insider gossip.  You know, the first I knew that Harry Melling was Troughton’s relative was when I was reading a quick puff piece possibly on the Guardian a couple of weeks ago.

He’d fit into the profile a bit.  Not too famous but has been in Harry Potter.  However, whilst I thought he was a good child actor (better than some of the others certainly) I’ve never seen anything that he has done as an adult.  He’s also a bit young.  Not sure about Sam either.

Me, I’d rather have Peter Capaldi.

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@bluesqueakpip

I’m presuming you mean the masterpiece that is the movie.  Still not watched it yet.  I’ve already given it a try twice and was disappointed both times.  Third time lucky?

@phaseshift.  I managed to salvage most of the recordings but am missing about three from the last audio series.  What I did listen to I enjoyed but haven’t heard the last two episodes yet – however I do know what happens at the end of that double parter.  As there seemed to be some kind of running story throughout the series I have plans to get hold of the missing episodes first, then given them a proper listen.

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Hooray Paul McGann!  Now that I’ve caught up (sort of) with the retrospective [I’ve missed out the Beast Below as I really didn’t like that episode], I can finally get round to re-viewing the movie.  Mind you, the 41 second clip posted by @phaseshift is enough to put anyone off.  We’ll see.

@Shazzbot, it is interesting that McGann is wearing Nine’s jacket.  I remember the BBC Radio 7 (as it was) blurb when Eight’s audio series was relaunched to tie in with Ten’s tv series.  It said something along the lines of the series would take us up to the Time War where he will regenerate into Christopher Ecclestone’s Doctor.  Certainly the casting of Sheridan Smith (who was great) as a companion seemed to indicate this.  Didn’t RTD say that the regenerated Ten’s accent was influenced by Nine hanging around with Rose?  Ergo Eight hanging around with the ‘Northern’ Lucie Miller begat Nine’s accent.

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Just watched it at last.  First impressions:

1) The title sequence has really dated.  The sequence at the beginning of Talons has aged much better, possibly because they could afford more than a Casio keyboard for the theme tune.

2) There are hints to gothic stories such as ‘Turn of the Screw’.  The housekeeper who scarpers at the beginning I think is called Mrs Grose.

3) Not got much of a clue where the zombie maids fit in, but thought they were quite creepy and I could have done with seeing them float about a bit more.

4) The bit where the monster is getting his food pushed through the locked door (along with the Times), is echoed in the Crimson Horror.

5) It might be that I’ve watched too much tv over the years, but it is reminding me of a ‘Ripping Yarns’ type episode at the moment.  Must admit I chuckled when the ‘Mant’ like monsters were waving their hands about at Ace at the end.

Having said all of that, I’m enjoying this retrospective.  Roll on next week!

Actually, I just had to seek out the ‘Mant’ trailer and it still made me laugh:

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Like @blenkinsopthebrave I’ve been lurking for a few weeks as I’m a bit busy.  No Qantas Club lounge excuse alas, just snowed under at work.  Also I’m behind in my homework – still not watched the McCoy story *stay behind after school young chickenelly*.

To put my fourpenneth in re: @htpbdet‘s comments about initial/lasting impressions of the various Doctors, as I’ve mentioned ad infinitum, I only saw the original series once (minus the odd repeat on BBC4).   I have virtually no contemporary memory of Pertwee, however I certainly knew who he was when he popped up as Worzel Gummidge.

Tom Baker is the one I remembered the best, but his larger than life personality I’m afraid affected my impression of Davison.  Am I right in thinking in the first episode after regeneration he’s  meant to be a bit wan and weak?  Unfortunately that’s the lasting impression his whole era had on me, but perhaps I stopped watching it so often as Tom was no longer in it.

On the other hand, my lasting impression of Colin Baker’s era was of someone a bit superior, bossy and cold.  From what other posters have commented, this is probably quite accurate.

Perhaps a Davison story next for a rewatch?  Or a nice Douglas Adams’ story with Tom.

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Article on building your own Tardis on the BBC site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23363622

No sign of anything substantial from the BBC of course…

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@everyone

I’m all for watching Ghost Light.  Like others, I don’t think I ever saw it – or if I did it has been wiped from my brain.  As long as there is no Bonnie or singing moppets in it, I’ll be quite happy.

I’d still like to see the Paul McGann movie again, as I haven’t seen it since the AG episodes – and it would make sense to link it in with @phaseshift‘s next faces blog.  However, I remember giving it a second watch years ago, thinking that perhaps I’d misunderstood it the first time.  Unfortunately I hadn’t.

Perhaps time has been kind to it…

 

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Aaa just finished watching it on a 5 inch square on my computer.  I know there was a lot of comments on the previous episodes about filler, however curiously I thought most of this episode could be categorised as this.  I enjoyed Jago & Litefoot (I might check out those audio series) and Leela & the Doctor, but old bent face was a bit hammy – especially when compared to (as it turned out) the nuance of Chang.

Unfortunately during watching this episode, the thought popped into my head that Tom Baker reminded me of John McCririck….

…it rather ruined my viewing after that.

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Just finally caught up with the episode.  I forgot how old Who had the tendency to show you something horrific (ie Weng Chiang’s melted face) just before the end credits, leaving the viewers with a really disturbing image in their heads till next week.  That used to give me nightmares as a young’un.

What stood out for me in this episode were the Sherlock Holmes references:

1) Opium den – ‘Man with the twisted lip’

2) The Doctor getting the key out of the door by sliding a bit of paper under it and poking it out – Sign of Four (I think)

3) The Doctor solving all the crimes for Scotland Yard but letting them get the credit – virtually all the Sherlock Holmes stories.

4) Plus there is the giant rat of Sumatra which is alluded to in the Holmes stories.

Right off to Forest of the Dead….

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Here’s a call out for people who collected memorabilia: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23226255

Time to dust off those home made Tardises and scarves…

 

 

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Just rewatched it.  Donna is great in this episode, I do like the little throw away asides about her past life:

After kicking in the door of the Library.

D10: ‘Nice door skills Donna’

Donna: ‘Yeah, well you know, boyfriends.  Sometimes you need the element of surprise’

I too wasn’t keen when I heard Catherine Tate was going to be the new companion, she’d been a bit shrieky and one note in things I’d seen her in before.  However she grew on me and became one of my favourites.

A few things that stand out:

1) Doctor 10, as I think @jimthefish pointed out, was supposed to be in Time of Angels/Flesh & Stone.

2) Reuse of locations.  The stairs where Donna and the Doctor 10 are first discussing the lack of people in the Library is where Doctor 11 tumbles down in the Pandorica Opens.  Also the round reading room appears in Sherlock.

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Why did I get Spielberg in my head about the tv movie?  Wasn’t he involved in it at a very early stage?  Then probably thought better of it.

Anyway a re-evaluation or perhaps (more likely) a confirmation of our first opinions is a possibility for a future joint rewatch.

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Started this week, how I ended last time – laughing at the giant rat (well classic Doctor Who was notorious for some of its rubbery, unconvincing monsters which is part of the charm).

I’m finding Tom Baker quite sinister in this episode – ie the bit where Chang is going to shoot the ace of diamonds out of the pack and the Doctor moves the pack in front of his face.

My main observation this week is that it’s looking like half of the main characters in the story have been bumped off and we’ve still got two episodes to go.

@craig, your list of the contents of the dvd put in mind a possible suggestion for a future joint watch.  Dare I say it – the Spielberg movie?  Is it as bad as we all remembered?

 

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This looks fun – http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/a-curious-night-out-with-the-doctor-8680024.html

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Aaah, my favourite ever episode.  It may be Doctor-lite, however you don’t notice it as the Easter egg is scattered throughout the episode – plus Carey Mulligan is fantastic in her role.

Watching it again reminded me a bit of Walter de la Mare’s ‘The Listeners’ – especially the bit when Cathy’s grandson comes to the door.  That poem gave me the creeps as a child and some of the menace, I think, has seeped into this episode.

That particular series had three corker episodes in a row – Human Nature/Family of Blood & Blink, plus two guest stars who would go on to Hollywood stardom.

What’s lined up for next week?  Silence in the Library et al?

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‘The beasts of darkness……. larger and more savage than lions!’

I was wondering about the rats, as up until now they’ve not really had much to do.  It made me wonder if they were simply there to perhaps eat Wen Chiang  in the denouement.  Glad to see them gnawing at Leela’s leg.

Maybe it was a more innocent time, but there is something rather charming about Wen Chiang getting rid of Chang.  Instead of feeding him to the rats or bumping him off in a over the top evil manner, he just sacks him.

Roll on next week!

 

 

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Another corker…

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Here’s another one:

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I’ve just taken up crochet and was looking for some free patterns and came across this:

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@Shazzbot

I suspect those cupcakes might have artificial colouring in them.  With that level of food awareness, next stop Masterchef.

Oh, and those nails are disturbing, the nail with the Silent on it looks like it is has a severe fungal infection. [In a nice cheery way I might add.]

 

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Just caught up.  I think it’s testament to the nature of this particular story is that the three little segments [you tubed segments that is] zip along so quick that I’m always surprised when one runs out and I have to switch to the next one.

When the episode started, the giant rat did make me chuckle again.  @wolfweed‘s picture of the rubber rat is actually more realistic.  I must have watched these episodes the first time around, but have no memory of them at all which is good.  As a result I still have no idea who Weng Chiang is.  I thought the other bloke was him, but clearly not.  My thought at the moment is that he is going through a Voldemort stage a la Philosopher’s Stone, except sucking the life force of women instead of unicorns.

If we were speculating on this episode, I’d suggest he is the Master.

 

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