[janetteB @replies]

I have scanned twice now and both times has come up clean though I was certainly on the forum during those hours. I’m also using Firefox.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@craig. Will do. No need to apologise. Certainly not your fault. You are doing sterling work on this site.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@craig, would the “Hack” be responsible for the odd snatches of music that my laptop has been playing to me throughout the day? Maybe part of @thekrynoidman‘s collection?

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I back up all my photos in at least three locations and the family videos are supposed to be on every hard drive in the house. We once lost two hard drives in the space of a week which was very costly. Right now a lot of our older, and un backed up, TV stuff is on a computer which has died. We are presuming that the hard drives will be fine but have yet to move to them to another machine. As all the the Tennant series are on one of those drives we are going to have to do something about it very soon.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@stormy72 Welcome. Agreed you have a very cool username.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Excellent recommendation @blenkinsopthebrave.

@whisht My advice to you is the same that I am continually giving my sons, back -up back-up and then back-up some more. I hope you are able to restore your music collection ASAP and maybe find some new favourites in the process.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Yes that that. It has been a while since I last watched HHGttG.  Must not forget that the Doctor’s mother-in-law also features so more Who crossovers than one can shake a stick at. 🙂

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

The tragedy of Donna’s character is that we get to w itness her “being magnificent”. She develops so much as a character only to be  dumped back to the limited, frustrated, R.B. Donna. I could almost hate RTD for what he does to her.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Apart from the claim that this is “the best Christmas special”  I agree with everything @The Krynoid Man said. I only dispute that this is the best Christmas Special because I am rather partial to the Christmas specials. It is certainly “one of the best”. There are some wonderful, though mostly silly, moments in it. I enjoy the sheer absurdity of the Tardis on the motorway scene and unlike those familair with the Catherine Tate Show, I quite liked Donna. She was a refreshing chance to love lorn Rose. I agree though that the shouty Donna of RB would have quickly become tiresome as a long term companion. She moderated that abrasiveness perfectly when she returned as companion.

I also agree re’ Lance’s rant. His character was too inconsistent to be credible. The “monster of the week” story line was the weakest part, a shaky frame upon which to hang the narrative. As usual RTD makes excellent use of contemporary locations, one of his strengths as a writer. Another of his great strengths, the creation of characters with in depth backgrounds, also features. We not only get Donna but also her social life and family, (minus her wonderful grandfather who came in later following the death of the actor playing her father and how fortunate that they didn’t simply choose to replace the actor and gave us Bernard Cribbons as ‘Gramps” instead.)

My partner’s comment on this was “a bit of overacting from the spider.”

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I salute you too Sir Rob (@rob)  What you are doing is noble.

I hope the sun shines upon you and the foot gives you no pain.

Will follow your progress

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I would nominate either Pyramids of Mars or City of Death, or Genesis of the Daleks or.. (ok I could go on though as I have yet to comment on the current Day of the Daleks threads perhaps I should not be nominating anything.)

Cheers

(a rather guilty) Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Molly Hooper. I was expecting that..

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Not being familair with most of the actor’s doing cameos is often an advantage. I had not seen James Corden or Catherine Tate before their Who roles so accepted them as they were. The only comedian I was famliar with pre” Who was Bill Bailey aka Manny in uniform and much though I like Bill Bailey I found his role to be distracting. Actors should be cast for their ability to portray the character not the star kudos.

Chuckled at @phaseshift‘s remark,  “The other comment trope seemed to be “you wouldn’t find the old series indulging in stunt casting like this”, Whoever posts that clearly is not in posession of the “Doctor Who; 25 Glorious Years” handbook which devotes several pages to “Intergalactic Guest Stars”.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I like the idea of having UNIT pop up occasionally as an extension of the Who canvas however I agree that too much UNIT would not be a good thing. (I think the same is true of The Paternoster Gang) In The Day of the Doctor it was made clear that UNIT’s methods are often questionable at best. I do not think the Doctor will ever be “their man” again as he was in the Pertwee years.

I agree with the above statements re’ Mike Yates. He always seemed rather pointless having been deprived of his original purpose, as as love interest for Jo.

I still have not had time to re-watch this one though I did watch it only a few weeks ago so my memory of it is quite fresh. This was probably my favourite of the Pertwee stories which were oft repeated when I was a kid. (I have not seen them all.)

Will try and catch on Who viewing up this week.

Cheers

Janette

 

 

 

 

[janetteB @replies]

So now I know how to realise my youthful ambition of being a Dalek operator; set up camp in Moffat’s garden with a banner over the tent proclaiming, “I want to be a Dalek too.”

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@scaryb. I didn’t know there was to be a follow up to Adventure in Space and Time. I think I must have missed an announcement. I am thrilled to hear that though as I really enjoyed Part 1?

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I am not sure what I can add having just read through the above posts. @phaseshift and @bluesqueakpip have both covered much of what I wanted to say, (and a whole lot more), about this episode.  I too really liked the concept of an episode featuring the Doctor’s fans. The concept and depiction of LINDA had a lot of potential. I suspect this episode began with the setting and characterisations and the action/story was tacked on to make it interesting only unfortunately it failed utterly. The intention of the story, to show the impact the Doctor has on those lives he brushes against, is excellent and long overdue. It adds to the depth of the overall story. The LINDA scenes were touching and all credit to Marc Warren, (soon to be seen in Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell) and Shirley Henderson who certainly deserved a better ending. As for the Absorbalof, well until last year I simply thought he was crap but then I encountered his twin, or at least first cousin, an individual who joined social groups and tore them apart. Maybe RTD had a similar experience. I am certain that the “monster” looked fine on the page but simply did not work on screen. I think that was due to a number of things, the poor visualisation, the performance and perhaps in part the script too. Unfortunately I suspect it will be a long time before anyone dares to depict Dr Who fans in an episode again which is a shame.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@wolfweed. I didn’t need reminding of the last item in your list of links. We lost a key speaker from an event we are running this weekend to this one. Not that we minded. Presenting on “The Science of Dr Who” was deemed to be a very good excuse. I just hope this one comes down our way some time.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

Hi @leondevernier I grew up in Ballarat. I escaped long ago but still visit Melbourne about every other year. I don’t recall the Space Age bookshop but Mintaur is a favourite.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

A wave from over the border in S.A. I loved Melbourne’s bookshops when I was a kid but don’t think I ever stumbled across that one. I did however have a lot of the Target novels as back then it was the only way one could re-emerse in the stories.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I don’t have much to add to the above comments. This certainly was one of the better episodes from series 2. It is one of the few that we occasionally re-watch which may be colouring my impression of Rose somewhat. I do like “base under seige” stories and horror always works best in a closed atmosphere. It encapsulates much of what RTD does best.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@jimthefish I probably should have known that. (hangs head in shame at being found wanting in “Who lore”)  🙂

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Sad news indeed. I last saw him in “Made in Dagenham” just a few weeks ago so this really took me by surprise. Has been a very long time since I saw Mona Lisa and I have yet to watch “Pennies from Heaven.” It is on my list so maybe next week’s exercise entertainment.
Cheers
Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Thanks for the link @wolfweed. Glad  I didn’t make the mistake of reading the comments. I was having so much fun watching the fan vid’ which I hadn’t seen before. Let’s hope we can forever keep this wonderful site free of “illiterate, angry bunnies”  though I am not in a position to comment on the spelling bit. 🙂

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave Yes the same thought went through my mind too. Maybe J.P. had some influence in both cases over the costume and the car. He did always like to be behind a wheel and I suspect he was also rather fond of cloaks. (Well who wouldn’t be?)

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Urgh. I watched the Tim Riley interview and good fun it was but then Paul McGann came on screen and who can resist a little Paul. I love the way his eyes twinkle at the interviewer. When that finished however I noticed that I was on playlist at 2/21 with a Colin Baker interview up next. I think it is time to do the school run….

Thanks for yet another great link @wolfweed.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Not relevant at all to Dr Who but I simply couldn’t pass by the mention of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell!!! I have been intending to post the news of that adaptation on the books thread but like so many other things I intend to do… Needless to say I am excited about it and a little fairy tradition wouldn’t go astray in a Dr Who story either so I would be rather more excited by the news if it was Susanna Clarke rather than the script writer penning a Who story.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

There was a faded Picasso print on the wall above the sofa in our house in Sweden. I spent many hours looking at it when bedridden. It really came to life over that time. Cubism is meant to be looked at for a long time and from many angles so yes I agree there is something “Whoish” about it. Not bigger on the inside but many angles and facets are depicted in one flat 2d image.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I too binged on the Mind Robber but it was last year, in honour of @htpbdet. (I don’t think I could persuade the family to watch it again so soon) I don’t know if Dr Who was ever shown weekly in Aus. When I started watching it was screened nightly and when the new series finished they began repeating. Every year the same old repeats so I have never watched it “the British way”.

Mind Robber was the first and for many years only Troughton I saw. I love the claustophobic feel which is enhanced by the “staginess” of the sets. It is a story that takes all the limitations of budget and effects and utilises them to create a surreal atmosphere. Like so much good Brit suspense it also takes the familiar, the child’s story book character, the toys from the playroom and makes them dangerous.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

The first of the Christmas Specials and it’s little wonder that on the strength of this the BBC decided to make it a “tradition”. Keeping the Doctor stricken in bed for most of the episode was sheer genius. It left the viewer wondering just who this new Doctor was going to be and when Doctor 10 leaps out of the Tradis he more than compensates for his absence. In jsut a few minutes he has established himself as the Doctor and won our hearts.

In this household this is one of the most re-watched stories from the RTD years and certainly our favourite is his stories. It has all the best elements of his run, Micky and Jackie, Christmas, Harriot Jones, a moral dilemma, and that annoying damn Slade song. (I had to include it in my Christmas music mix after it become so reminiscent of Dr Who). The aliens are a little “kiddy” but then it is Christmas and they are only there for the main character drama to kick off from.

The Satsuma did cause some confusion here though. In Australia the fruit is called a mandarin. Took us several years to work out just what it was that he had in his pocket.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Yes the dress does have that cheap Costume hire look. Still this story does look as though it will be a lot of fun. I wonder how they will deal with the fact that Robin Hood is not a real historical figure.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave. I agree re’ Rose’s selfish behaviour in this story. During the RTD years everyday life was shown to be vapid, tedious, pointless. (We just eat chips). That is essentially the life we all live, (though maybe with a rather more varied and healthy diet). Moffat celebrates the “ordinary” everyday life and shows the conflict between the demands of that life, which has it virtues and the excitements of travelling with the Doctor. It is definitely preferable to not be told repeatedly that we the viewer are not living unbearably dull and meaningless lives because we can’t travel in the magic blue box. I am not sure however that that is what RTD intended to convey. Both Rose and Donna were leading very mundane lives when the Doctor met them though both were unable to translate their “growth” from their respective journeys into leading better lives back home as Amy and Rory did. (Though it did take Amy quite a while but that was more because her life had been messed with since childhood and the unsettling influence of travel with the Doctor is not always a positive in their lives.)

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

I agree that this is one of the highlights of the first season and like so many of the two parters better than the second part. Unfortunately RTD spent the remainder of his tenure trying to better these two stories and failing. One of the strenghts of RTD’s era is the play on modern culture.society and that comes into its own in this story. Unsubtle maybe but it gave the story a lightweight gloss with a dark message beneath it. There are some lovely character moments to though  I may be thinking of the next episode now so I will save those comments for now.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Hello and welcome to the forum. (I lived in Stockholm for 14 months. A most beautiful city in a wonderful country. It was there that we watched the first series of nu Who)

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Another Doctor with an April birthday. It must be catching.. or something.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@ScoutTheAirdale  Sorry that you have lost your brother. Give your Mum a hug from me.

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

OOh. Just re-read my last post and winced at all the typos. That is the danger of posting late at night.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@bluesqueakpip The “tin dog” moment is one of the highlights of School Reunion and an oft quoted line in this household. I agree re’ the different writing styles and in that respect I much prefer Moffat’s to RTD, (Though there are other aspects of RTD’s writing that I really liked) however I think that the difference in the ‘Doctor’s’ treatment of Mickey and Rory also has much to do with the actor. Had David Tennant delivered the “Mickey the Idiot” line it would have been soften by a smile or his characteristic quirkiness. Matt Smith, in his old young way seemed to be able to see people’s potential. If he had called Mickey an idiot it would have been in a “matey” way but when Chris Ecclestone says the words they have real bite because the actor brings an arrogance to the character and a disdain for others that is almost a personal trademark of his. (Not unfitting for the character in the circumstances and I am mindfull that it was Rose who brings him down a little from that pedestal.) I do not dislike Rose but on re-watching the character sometimes becomes grating and I the way Mickey was treated by the Doctor and Rose make me uncomfortable.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@Bluespeakpip, (apologies for the incorrect use of capitals last time. It was late.) I agree in that Amy is very certainly the “uni student” who has been away for a term, made new friends and returned to an old boyfriend. She did really love Rory but had found a new, amazing and intoxicating life that he wasn’t part of. Rose on the other hand had already been picking up men, Captain Jack, Adam, indicating that as soon as Mickey was out of the picture she forgot him. That happens. It’s life. She outgrew him. That was not my issue. What I objected to was that she and the doctor were essentially mocking him. If the Doctor had called Rory and idiot I think Amy would have decked him. She would certainly have had words.

Certainly my view is almost certainly coloured by the fact that I am not a Rose fan and I thought Ricky was badly treated all round whereas Amy grew on me. In fact I liked Rose initially but less as the series progressed. I found the character began to grate. I did not initially warm but Amy but by the end was a teary mess when she left.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@alicerose Maybe just fast forward through and only show her the crucial scenes. After all that “hello sweetie” is too good to miss.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@arbutus. I agree with you re’ Rose and Mickey. I think her treatment of him is really why I never warmed to the character and I found it rather “unsuitable” for Dr Who. The Doctor kept telling her/us how wonderful she was but her actions towards Mickey did not bear that out.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I don’t think I have ever watched all of hte Daemons so I will put it second to Day of the Daleks. i think this time I might be able to watch it. A little bit of Dr Who is just what our family needs right now.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@nick From memory the daleks weren’t CGI’d in. There was also a description of how it was done. They weren’t adding inconsistent effects. I did not realise until someway through that I was watching a re-vamped version. The changes were mostly very minor and in keeping with the original. Admittedly it had been years since watching the original. The final scene in the original with the three daleks advancing on the house did not work ever. It was not well done at the time. There is discussion about this in the tape extras. So I don’t object to the touching up though it should never take the place of the original.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I’d second @bluesqueakpip‘s suggestion of Day of the Daleks. That was always one of my favourite Pertwee stories and also one of Moffat’s. I would recommend the remastered version but also interesting to discuss the merits of that. Should old stories be touched up or does that destroy their integrity. (Also I could actually participate a little as I only watching this a few months ago. I don’t seem to get round to doing the re watches. Not at this time anyway. )

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Sorry to hear that you have not been well @nick. Hope you will soon be all mended. Sorry also to hear about the ankle @blenkinsopthebrave

I have yet to catch up on Quatermass and the Pit. Watched the film years ago and plan to watch the TV series. Have the first episode but not had time to watch it but I really wanted to add my voice to those recommending the 1981 Day of the Triffids.  I remember it very fondly from my youth. We watched it again recently and it lost none of its’ appeal.

Cheers

Janette

 

[janetteB @replies]

Urgh. Forgot that I can’t copy paste from word.

My critique of this episode is rather coloured by the location. It always brings back good memories of visiting Cardiff with the boys in 2007. (One of the highlights for them was the Dr Who exhibition.) The story itself was not memorable and the moral comparison between the Annette Badland character and the Dr was simply unconvincing for the reasons outlined by @phaseshift. I don’t think the Doctor’s motivation has ever been selfish, her’s were never not so.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

Happy Birthday @craig.

cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

I am the fourth Doctor 🙂 Ah the danger of role models.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@blenkinsopthebrave I agree re’ replicating the Pertwee Doctor’s relationship with UNIT but I don’t see him working for UNIT in that way again. In Day of the Doctor UNIT was not exactly portrayed as a noble organisation. Their goals may be fine but their methods can be questionable. The Doctor may work with them but not for them and the relationship would not be an easy one. The relationship between the rebel Doctor and authoritarian UNIT would be potentially quite dynamic.

I doubt that we will see the full return of Gallifrey, just the knowledge that it is out there and from time to time something or someone might slip through from that universe into “ours”.

Would also like to see more “lessor” villians rather than endless daleks and cybermen. Some new baddies too would be welcome. It is time to indroduce a  new “big bad” as I assume we have witnessed the demise of the G.I.

I agree re’ the master though I suspect that a Moffat penned master would be different and more complex beasty than any of the previous incarnations.

Cheers

Janette

[janetteB @replies]

@thekrynoidman Agreed. Definitely more Unit Stories. I hope that Kate Lethbridge-Stewart will be another recurring character. I think that the odd recurring character gives weight and depth to the story, provided of course that they are well developed characters. I also like the “other worldly” stories.

Cheers

Janette

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