Redwall Abbey

A place for us to talk about our love of Doctor Who and anything else about it.
Who's everyone's favorites doctor? Mine is 12

I love how they handled Clara and the doctor's relationship since it started with her being romantically interested in him but when he regenerated from 11 to 12 how she viewed him changed and it become something more than just attraction it became a real friendship.

Lol I came on and saw this right after I finished season 2!!! Lol!!!

Ahaha. So you just finished up the first season with ten right?

Ya!! I watched a few ones with Matt Smith a few years ago with one of my friends!! My fav so far is Matt Smith or David Tennant... I was crying when the ninth regened

I love going back and rewatching each regeneration. Probably my favorite regeneration is 11's because of how they did it cinematically but my 2nd fav is 10 because of the emotion you feel watching it. In fact I'm going to rewatching them right now  :D

Lol, I cried at the ninth's, I'd probably go nuts when the tenth regens!!!

It was sad and it was beautiful. Yeah when I watched ten's it was so emotional but I loved it.

I would start the third season but it is 2:00 in the morning here!!! Lol!!

So who's excited for Class? I know I'm definitely more interested in that than this weird looking Christmas special.

The trailer for it looked very interesting. It looked like a major movie trailer. BBC did a great job with the limited resources they have.

Can't wait for the Christmas special!

Currently rewatching all of my DW DVDs...just watched Twin Dilemma, which is the first story with the Sixth Doctor...talk about a troublesome regeneration!

Just finished episode 3 of season 3!!!!

Ah, that's when 10 is with Martha, right? It's been a while since I've watched Doctor Who. David Tennant is the best. ;D His regeneration was so sad though....agh, it's making me emotional just thinking about it!

Not Exactly Doctor Who Related

Speaking of Tennant, has anyone seen him in Broadchurch? Amazing show, though much much darker than Doctor Who--David Tennant plays an extremely grumpy Scottish detective. With scruff.
(http://i2.cdnds.net/13/12/300x225/uktv-broadchurch-ep3-4.jpg)

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I have seen him in broadchurch, we was really good in it. I had started season 2, I don't remember if I finished it though.

If you finished it, chances are you would remember (I think). The end of season 2 was excellent. They actually filmed a few different endings so that even the actors wouldn't know what was really going to happen.

oh man i was happy with the season 1 ending of broadchurch so i never watched the second. i didnt understand why thered be a second season if the mystert had been solved, amd i thought itd ended rather nicely on the season 1 finale.
But if you say its good, then ill have to go back and watch it!!

In the second season they introduced some new plot but it still ties in with the first season. It was seat gripping kind of stuff (not in the thriller sense, but more like you were dying to know what happened, like the first season.)

Haven't watched Broadchurch.

Continued my epic DW marathon...watched Vengeance on Varos...didn't quite make it to the end (that's what happens when I put a DVD on right before bed!).  Next up, Timelash and then Trial of a Time Lord (note...I'm sure that there are episodes in between all of these...but, while I have a decent sized collection, it's no where near complete!  NuWho, on the other hand, is complete, minus a couple of minisodes and the two animated stories).

Anyone else looking forward to Power of the Daleks next month?!?!?

@Aimless Gallivanter Yes, season 1 was the investigation, while season 2 is the court case (and the revisiting of an old case of DI Hardy's). Even more secrets are outed. Poor Rory--I mean, Reverend Coates--is my favorite. :D

Power of the Daleks? Sounds most intriguing! Though I must admit, I still dislike Capaldi as the Doctor. He's too...acerbic. I like him as an actor, but not as the Doctor. He does have his moments occasionally, but still...

He harkens back to the classic Doctors, who were all very acerbic and arrogant. Except Tom Baker and Peter Davison, I guess. I don't exactly know, I've only watched one story from each of those two.

Anyway, I love Capaldi's Doctor, he's a breath of fresh air from the typical young, funny emotional guys.

LOVE the fact that he is more like the Classic Doctors!

I'm hoping that Power of the Daleks is the start of the other lost episodes being....reinvented isn't the right word.  Brought back to the screen???  That's a better description, I think.

Continued on my epic marathon....three stories into Trial of a Time Lord.

Update on my Eleventh Doctor Stained Glass cross stitch!

(http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq229/Firehawke1/Crafting/20161017_224306_zpsthmn7noj.jpg) (http://s450.photobucket.com/user/Firehawke1/media/Crafting/20161017_224306_zpsthmn7noj.jpg.html)

I actually found Capaldi to be very sweet at times, when he first started as the Doctor he was cross and fierce but I think as the season progressed and especially in his second season he softened quite a bit. You see that he is a hurt man that doesn't want others to experience the pain he went through. I like having a doctor that's not nice right off the bat because it allows for the development of his sweeter side and showing that he is very caring in reality but he expresses it differently. Capaldi also brings something new I think to it with his acting, I love watching him as the Doctor because the amount of emotion he conveys is amazing.

If you haven't seen eleven's seasons then it's a bit of a spoiler.

Spoiler

I love the parallels that are made.
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/48/ea/ea/48eaea1ff6ff966bccf639d54bf1d1bf.jpg)

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I totally agree!!!  I can't wait to see what he does in series 10!

Love that summary!

There's a new trailer for Power of the Daleks!

Need a DW fix???  Check out the videos on this channel!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9axQz-0AaUdWVzzSjX0Xiw

Sample!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! CLASS DEBUTS TOMORROW! I AM HYPED!

I subscribed to the channel! Oh my gosh I went through and watched them and I'm tearing up, I absolutely love their videos!

AAAAAAAAAAAH CLASS WAS SO GOOD! WATCHING THE SECOND EPISODE IN A MINUTE.

Its soooo funny how it makes so much sense, but no sense at all!!!

Out of the doctor who videos on that channel my favorite are The Lonely God, Lovely Dark, and Punishment.

Those are so great videos!   I subscribed to them, too!

My family is making our way through the vids.  We had to stop...so we could continue our epic marathon  :P We finished up classic and watched Day of the Doctor last night.  Probably going to start Series 1 tonight!

I was talking with someone about Doctor Who. They had only watched one episode and it was the one with ten where on an alien planet there's that demon chained up below the surface. Anyway the person was saying that they didn't really like ten because he seemed goofy and over the top. At first glance ten does seem bubbly and a goofball but once you've watched his arc you realize he carries around a lot of pain with him and that the goofiness was all a cover up to disguise the pain. I would say that 11 is much less haunted by his past then 10 was. I think their difference in that regard is summed up perfectly in the line, "the man who regrets, and the man who forgets."

My favorite part of that episode (which I will admit upfront isn't one of my favs) is the fact that the Ood were introduced!

I agree...10 has SO much that he is carrying around and you see it weigh on him the later into his regeneration you get, especially in Water of Mars and End of Time.  11, while he does still have pain, he very much is back to looking for joy in the everyday things of life, even after very dramatic episodes.  Reminds me a lot of 4 and how he could go from being SO serious (the scene is Genesis of the Daleks where he debated what to do is primo!) to just moving on and giving people a big toothy grin and offering whomever came up next a Jelly Baby.

Update on my marathon...just started Series 2, ready for Tooth and Claw, followed by my all time fav ep of the series, School Reunion (Sarah Jane has always been one of my favorite companions).  May not watch any tonight, epic marathon wise...going to be watching "Blink"...a perfect episode for Halloween, while playing Doctor Who Legacy on my phone and Kindle to get the newly released costume for 12...Davros's chair!

Another update in case anyone is interested (and if not, please let me know!!!)...finished the blackwork on pages 3 and 4 of my 11 Stained Glass cross stitch project!

Spoiler

(http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq229/Firehawke1/Crafting/20161030_161009_zpsnotpabgz.jpg) (http://s450.photobucket.com/user/Firehawke1/media/Crafting/20161030_161009_zpsnotpabgz.jpg.html)

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Interesting. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit is generally regarded as one of the strongest stories in New Who, and I very much agree with that. If I were to make a top ten it'd probably be:

10. The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion
9. Under the Lake/Before the Flood
8. The Fires of Pompeii
7. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
6. Dalek
5. Blink
4. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
3. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
2. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
1. Midnight

Honourable mentions

In order of appearance:
Father's Day
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
Tooth and Claw
School Reunion
The Girl in the Fireplace
The Runaway Bride
Smith and Jones
The Shakespeare Code
Gridlock
Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
Planet of the Ood
The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
The Doctor's Daughter
The Unicorn and the Wasp
The Eleventh Hour
Amy's Choice
Vincent and the Doctor
The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
The Doctor's Wife
A Good Man Goes to War
The Girl Who Waited
The Rings of Akhaten
Cold War
The Day of the Doctor
Into the Dalek
Listen
Mummy on the Orient Express
Dark Water/Death in Heaven
Face the Raven/Heaven Sent/Hell Bent

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Quote from: Firehawke on October 13, 2016, 07:03:43 PM
Haven't watched Broadchurch.

Continued my epic DW marathon...watched Vengeance on Varos...didn't quite make it to the end (that's what happens when I put a DVD on right before bed!).  Next up, Timelash and then Trial of a Time Lord (note...I'm sure that there are episodes in between all of these...but, while I have a decent sized collection, it's no where near complete!  NuWho, on the other hand, is complete, minus a couple of minisodes and the two animated stories).

Anyone else looking forward to Power of the Daleks next month?!?!?

Eh? Zey're 'avin' Pover O' Ze Dalekz! Finally! Ah dinnae vatch nevz zin'z or check ze vebzoitez much zat thankee koindly fer postin' zat. Ah 'ave been vaitin' fer zem tae 'ave zat available! Major! Ah 'ave Ze Undervater Menace (Ah zink zat iz ze vone i' tiz...ze vone at Atlantiz) but ah 'ave nae been able tae vatch it yet becauze o' zchool.

Und fer zoze zat 'ave nae zeen any o' ze Matt Smith vonez yet...Ze follovin' video clip iz a good tazte o' 'iz era:

Matt Smith - Nev Mouth

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Hope you get to watch Underwater Menace soon...it's fun!

Can't wait for Power of the Daleks to air here in the US...it's getting closer!

Marathon wise...just watch Lazarus experiment (thanks to my head cold (and deciding to skip the rest of series 2...just not in the mood  :P) I've had a lot more time to watch).

Ah vaz actually nae az much originally likin' Zeriez 9 az ze previouz zeriez. Zere are taae many 2+ Epizode ztoriez in it. Ah appreciate it more na', but..Ze concept o' Hybridz 'az become intereztin' tae me.

I love Series 9. I find long-running stories more interesting than self-contained forty minute episodes. The only episodes I didn't like were The Girl Who Died and Sleep No More.

Speaking of Power of the Daleks, I'm very angry that the BBC has decided not to release the colour version in Britain when we're obligated to pay for them (through tax), whether we watch them or not. For those who don't know, the BBC is a state-funded channel, their objective is meant to be to serve the needs of the British public and they should not be acting like any other corporation.

Matt Smith is my third favourite Doctor after Capaldi and Pertwee (not necessarily in that order). I just love his speeches so much.

slight Series 4: Specials spoilers

I do enjoy David's Doctor, but his regeneration scene prevents me from loving him as much. All other Doctors except Troughton, the Second (who was forced to do it) have faced their regenerations with acceptance and optimism. Not Tennant though. He has to have a long melodramatic goodbye and say "I don't want to go." Ugh. No issue with David, just with the writing. I think Russel got too caught up in Ten and Rose, treating them like the perfect Doctor/companion duo. Well they weren't.

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I know this is probably like nerd blasphemy, but Class is better than Doctor Who. Actually allow me to rephrase that, the last episode was better than any single episode of Doctor Who. The whole show probably outranks Class, but the last episode of Class was, I think, the single best episode of any TV show I've ever seen. Plus I've had my love for Charlie's character reaffirmed, whereas the last one made it waver.

The last two episodes have been insane and the next one looks like it will be as well.

Speaking of episodes, anyone want to share their favourites?

Favorite episode of Class or Doctor Who?

I can honestly say that I don't have a favorite episode of Class...I haven't seen any :P

As for favorite Doctor Who...Classic would have to be Genesis of the Daleks hands down...with a number of close seconds.  NuWho would have to be...Blink, or Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead, or Robots of Sherwood...and Heaven Sent.  Okay...also basically any from 11 and 12 that have the really great speeches.

O' ze originalz- Ze Var Gamez, Ze Toime Meddler, Terror O' Ze Zygonz, Ze Zree Doctorz, Ze Foive Doctorz, Ze E-Zpace Trilogy, Tomb O' Ze Cybermen, Ze Green Deaz, Ze Original Dalekz ztory, Ze Chaze (ezpecially zat vone part in it vhere ze Dalek(z) iz beaten by ze Gorilla), Ze Zpace Muzeum becauze i' tiz a good ztory-  und funny, Ze Tenz Planet, Robot, Planet O' Ze Zpiderz, Zpearhead From Zpace, etc.

O' ze nev vonez- Lizten, Ze Day O' Ze Doctor, Ze End O' Toime, Deep Breath, Ze 'uzbandz O' River Song, Ze Veddin' O' River Song, Partnerz In Croime, Voyage O' Ze Dead (Changin' zat lazt vord o' zat toitle becauze ah dinnae curze), Planet O' Ze Ood, etc.

EDIT: Ach ah forgot tae put me very firzt Doctor Vho ztory!

Those are all great choices!!!  And I'm with you on changing that title for the very same reason!

Has everyone seen the sneak peek???

I am finding it very hard to be optimistic about the Christmas special.

When it comes to classics, I haven't seen many, only Pertwee's first four seasons (up 'til Jo's departure), Pyramids of Mars, Warriors of the Deep, Trial of a Time Lord and parts of City of Death and The Deadly Assassin. Out of the ones I've seen, I really like Inferno, Colony in Space, The Mind of Evil, The Curse of Peladon, The Three Doctors, The Frontier in Space, Planet of the Daleks and Mindwarp.

You've seen some good ones, then!!!

Is anyone else watching Power of the Daleks???

And is anyone else planning on a Thanksgiving weekend binge watch of Doctor Who???

Ah forgot tae put me firzt ztory on zere. Me firzt Doctor Vho ztory vaz Zpearhead From Zpace. Vaz vaz everybeazt elze'z firzt ztoriez?

EDIT: Ah juzt found oot ze ozer day: David Tenant vaz in 'arry Potter Und Ze Goblet O' Fire!

Rose. Spearhead was my first classic.

Happy Doctor Who Day everyone!!!

This video was released to celebrate (haven't gotten a chance to watch it...it's on my to do list for today  :D )


Spearhead from Space is a fun episode!  Love the Brigadier! 

It's so weird watching David Tennant in Goblet of Fire after watching him as the Doctor  :P

My first DW was actual the very last of classic...Survival, featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, and Anthony Ainley as the Master.

Tom Baker und John Hurt vere boz very major Doctorz! Tvid be major if zey did viz more o' Ze Var Doctor.

I'm really worried that Matteusz (Class) is going to die. He's had a major role in every episode except the second, but he doesn't have a title credit, and the only reason not to give him a title credit is that he doesn't stick around. If he dies I'm going to be so angry I'm not even going to watch season two, if there is one.

The ending of Class was insane. If they don't get a season two I'm going to be so angry.

Glad it was good!

SO looking forward to the Christmas special...and have to get used to the time change on BBCA for Power of the Daleks.

Just finished series 5 on the epic family marathon

The Christmas special was a lot better than I expected. And Matt Lucas wasn't very annoying, which is a plus.

The glasses scene at the end was the cutest thing in Doctor Who, I think.

Oh man, I loved this show. I thorough enjoyed Nine and Ten, and Eleven basically consumed my life. I couldn't bring myself to keep watching after Eleven left, so I haven't :P

Bad move, Capaldi is amazing.

I agree...Capaldi does a GREAT job!!!

For my birthday, we watched all of the episodes we have that feature Sarah Jane...well, all but the last season of SJA.  Binge watching Clone Wars kind of got in the way :P  Regular DW watching has me in the middle of Series 8.

LOVE the Christmas special!

Just finished Season 801. Clara and Danny's story had me in tears. :'( :P

I know!!!  SO sad!!!

Wish we would get a concrete start date for Series 10...and the Series 9 soundtrack!

New video from The Garo Studios!

SO much going on!

John Hurt passed  :'(

Peter Capaldi announced the 2017 Christmas special will be his last :(

Power of the Daleks comes out on DVD in the States tomorrow.

And we have a premiere date!!!  April 15 can't come soon enough!

(personal note...epic binge watch status...ready to start the Series 9 Zygon 2 parter and family is bingewatching the vids from TheGaroStudio!)

Just finished Series 9. The ending was so good! Unfortunately, even though Series 10 is coming soon, I probably won't be able to watch it anytime soon because it probably won't be available on Amazon Prime for a while.

Now that I've finished I have several options. I could: 1) Rewatch the ones I've already seen; 2) Watch the original seasons, if I can find them; and 3) Watch one of the spin-offs, like Torchwood or the Sarah Jane Adventures.

Watch The Sarah Jane Adventures, it's excellent.

I agree...LOVE SJA!!!

Hopefully it pops up on Amazon Prime quickly!

Ooooh...this should be fun!

So I've compiled a list of actors (and a few actresses) who I think could play the Doctor. I've divided them into three categories:
"Could"
"Could but shouldn't"
"Couldn't but should"
The last category is for those who have had a recent or prominent role in Doctor Who already.

These are in no particular order.

Could but shouldn't

Tom Hiddleston
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c2/9d/e3/c29de3f8f4cb9f73d3bec90e3133e2cd.jpg)
Why not? As much as it would be amazing to see Hiddleston in the role, his attachment to the Marvel franchise is too prominent, and too time-consuming for him to take the role.
Liam Neeson
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjA1MTQ3NzU1MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDE3Mjg0MzE@._V1_UY317_CR52,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Why not? I think we all already know why not. Liam Neeson absolutely has the gravitas needed for the role, and he's one of my all-time favourite actors. However, seeing a star of such history and magnitude as Neeson in the role would be far too strange. Plus they're not going to bring back Jenny, so they can't have a Taken reference.
Ewan McGregor
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1e/74/08/1e740811dd7dacd708046d87044ce19a.jpg)
Why not? Obi Wan Kenobi cannot be in Doctor Who. Whenever you see Ewan McGregor's face, you immediately think of Star Wars, and you just can't have that for a Doctor.
James McAvoy
(http://www.picz.ge/img/s4/1505/19/5/592bba7fa14e.jpg)
Why not? Because he's Professor Xavier.
Bill Nighy
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjI0NzYwMDAxM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzg2ODg2MjE@._V1_UY317_CR17,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Why not? He's WAY too famous. He's also far too old for some of the action scenes. (As much as I love Capaldi's Doctor, he can't run properly. You need a Doctor who can run, and I seriously doubt Bill Nighy can.)
Ralph Fiennes
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzc5MjE1NDgyN15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzg2ODgwNA@@._V1_UY317_CR14,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Why not? Too famous. Plus he's Voldemort.
Jude Law
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTMwOTg5NTQ3NV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzM3MDAzNQ@@._V1_UY317_CR6,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Why not? Too famous. Also he's Doctor Watson.
Benedict Cumberbatch
(http://static.celebuzz.com/uploads/2014/11/18/benedict-cumberbatch-sophie-hunter-111714-1.jpg)
Why not? You know exactly why not, let's not waste each other's time.
Rupert Grint
(http://www.celebritysizes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Rupert-Grint.jpg)
Why not? What did I say about not wasting time?

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Couldn't but should

CHRIS ADDISON
(http://images.zap2it.com/assets/p303594_n560512_cc_v4_aa/the-thick-of-it.jpg)
Chris Addison would be absolutely perfect for the role of the Doctor, which is why it annoys me that he had such a big role in the show so recently. Hopefully we'll have forgotten about his previous role a couple of regenerations down the road. But he can't come so soon after his role as... Sebastian? Was that his name?
Colin Morgan
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/merlin1/images/5/5d/Colin_Morgan-9.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130120181726)
His role as Jethro is still too recent in my opinion, but he can be Doctor no. 14.

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Could

PATERSON JOSEPH
(http://keyassets-p2.timeincuk.net/wp/prod/wp-content/uploads/sites/42/2013/07/LAW_AND_ORDER_UK_03.jpg)
THE MAN PRACTICALLY OOZES DOCTORNESS. I WANT TO SEE HIM IN THE ROLE LIKE NOW.
Richard Ayoade
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjE0MDIzMDM4Nl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwODc4MzczNA@@._V1_UX214_CR0,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
He also has the perfect character for the role, but in a completely different way to Joseph. He's got the awkward geek personality, the goofy hairstyle and the striking fashion sense.
Robert Carlye
(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/onceuponatime8042/images/a/ac/InfoboxRC.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120208033257)
Wait a second Jet, why isn't he too famous? Because you don't immediately place him when you see him. You think "that guy looks familiar" but you don't immediately attach him to a role you've previously seen. He's one of those actors you know, but don't know.
Tilda Swinton
(http://celebs-place.com/gallery/tilda-swinton/Victoria.jpg)
But Jet, she's Tilda Swinton! DO YOU THINK I CARE? Look, yeah, she's Tilda Swinton, and her fame should immediately disqualify her. However, if anyone were to play a female Doctor, it would be Tilda Swinton. She's played with gender roles before, she's played androgynous and unspecified characters. And besides, she can do no wrong. And there's no role you immediately attach her to, because she's Tilda Swinton.
Rowan Atkinson
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTg3NDUzOTc3MV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjcxMDkxNw@@._V1_UY317_CR0,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Jet, your fame rules are totally arbitrary aren't they? Yup.
Hugh Laurie
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/54/60/46/546046c8577ce456ee16d6cbb3bf5ef6.jpg)
Dominic Monaghan
(http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/marvelmovies/images/9/96/Dominic_Monaghan.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090606183508)
Alan Davies
(http://www.buzzmag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Alan-Davies-credit-Tony-Briggs-270112-3.jpg)
Eddie Redmayne
(http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Premiere+Warner+Bros+Pictures+Jupiter+Ascending+DheK3ev0lvMl.jpg)
Amanda Abbington
(http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/2015/10/22/amanda-abbington.jpg)
John Hannah
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTk4Nzk0NjA5OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNjM2NDA4MQ@@._V1_UY317_CR10,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Idris Elba
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzEzMTI2NjEyNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTA0OTE4OA@@._V1_UX214_CR0,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Jamie Campbell Bower
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/89/3e/56/893e564034d0ae53d0051689deabf681.jpg)
Jet, you're insane and I'm never going to take any of your opinions seriously again. That's fair enough, but in my opinion if they were to go for a younger Doctor, then Bower would be the perfect choice. He has a tremendous screen presence, and he pulls off wit and sarcasm amazingly well.
Richard Armitage
(http://www.theonering.net/torwp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/RA-BW.jpg)
Aidan Gillen
(http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Aidan+Gillen+Beneath+Harvest+Sky+Portraits+l0vDbTpLxpDl.jpg)
Tom Felton
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzY5ODgxOTQyMl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNjM5Njc4NTE@._V1_UY317_CR30,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
Ben Whishaw
(https://www.bifa.film/img/persons/91/rekwdhnrhh/cbbd02897ac98bd6dad0269b25a11d03.jpg?w=300&h=300&mode=crop)
Sacha Dhawan
(http://m.troikatalent.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/bioimg/clients-photos/leigh-keily-sacha-dhawan-10016-crop.jpg)
Chiwetel Ejiofor
(http://i.imgur.com/a5ano.jpg)
Hayley Atwell
(http://cdn.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/agent-carter-season-2-hayley-atwell-01.jpg)
Olivia Colman
(https://www.david-tennant-news.com/wp-content/uploads/images/easyblog_shared/Photos/TV/Broadchurch/Ep2/Photo-05-03-2013-12-25-34.jpg)
Andrew Scott
(https://acrossthepondtv.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/ascott_moriarty.jpg)
BUT HE'S MORIARTY!!! I KNOW, THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I WANT HIM TO PLAY THE DOCTOR! I want to see Andrew Scott in a hero role, and what better role than the morally questionable, eccentric Doctor for that? He could be Machiavellian and manipulative like McCoy.
Eddie Izzard
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkxMTIxNzM0OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTMwMzcwMg@@._V1_UY317_CR10,0,214,317_AL_.jpg)
... Jet... are you on drugs? No. Eddie Izzard is a fantastic comedian, but he can be intimidating as all hell. He's perfect.
Simon Pegg
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ba/71/5a/ba715a9a8637f1159698281cb96597d2.jpg)
Jet. I know your rules are arbitrary, but Pegg is immensely famous, has been in the show before and has repeatedly said he doesn't want the role. Why? BECAUSE HE'S SIMON PEGG! I mean come on, he's perfect for the role. And as for his previous appearance, it was long enough ago that it doesn't matter. I notice you didn't point that out with Olivia Colman. She played Prisoner Zero in that one episode, so hah! Joke's on you!

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Any opinions not expressed in this post? Just want to comment on my list? I'd love to hear it.

Any thoughts of your own? I'd love to hear those too.

Loved looking at the list you compiled!

Haven't given it much thought myself.

SO can't wait for April!

So I just finished rewatching the first series of SJA.

Series 1 finale

It's only now occurred to me how questionable what she did to Mr. Smith was. I mean, sure he was evil, but he is a fully-sapient lifeform, surely forcibly rewriting his thoughts is quite wrong? Honestly wouldn't it be kinder to kill him than to essentially enslave him?

Obviously this is a moral greyzone. What do you guys think?

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I'm a Whovian, too!

I agree...it is a bit of a grey area!

Did you guys see the news that John Simms is back?!?!?!?  Wonder how that's going to happen!  Maybe we will see the Master regenerate into Missy?

I hope it's more like a multi-Master story like they've done multi-Doctor stories. But it occurs to me Simm's Master didn't really have time to have his own adventures. Maybe they'll have a multi-Master story then at the end Simm will regenerate into Michelle. Does it occur to anyone else that Matt Smith would have made a fantastic Master if he hadn't been the Doctor?

Also have you seen this great trailer for all of Capaldi's era?

I think it's a good watch for anyone who was on the fence about him.

Ah'm 'appy zey're gaein' tae have Matt Lucas'z character back fer vot it lookz from ze trailer ze entire Zeriez 10. Ah loike it vhen zey 'ave more zan vone Companion fer ze Doctor!

So did you guys watch The Pilot? If so, what'd you think? I adored it, and I'm already in love with Bill as a companion. All the little easter eggs were great too. Is it just me or was the dalek design updated to be slightly more gold?

LOVE all of the Easter Eggs!  I wonder what's in the vault...I have an idea, but it's probably not it.

Was rather disappointed by Smile. It seems Frank Cottrell-Boyce and I are destined to never see eye to eye.

It certainly didn't turn out the way I expected.

I have to admit...I did do a fangirl squee when I saw Mina Anwar and the fact that she was playing a gardener.  Between this role and her role on SJA, I think it would be TOO funny if in RL she didn't like/get along with plants :P

Speaking of SJA, who wants characters to appear in the main show? Tommy Knight has said that he wants to appear in some future episodes, so hopefully we'll see Luke at some point. I also want Captain Jack and Jenny back. And when I say Jenny, I mean Georgia Moffet's character, not Vastra's wife.

Absolutely adored Thin Ice. Didn't expect the BBC to go so far out with the racism, but that was certainly a convincing aspect of the story,

Spoiler

and I absolutely love that that's why the Doctor punched Sutcliffe.

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Speaking of Sutcliffe, Nathan Barley was fantastic. Not all monsters come from space.

So the question of the day is... what exactly is in the Vault? It could be Missy or the other Master, but I feel like that's way too predictable and that that's a red herring, but that being said, I've no idea what else it could be. Something/someone from the classic series?

Also this episode gave me one of my favourite quotes from the series:
"Human progress isn't measured by industry. It's measured by the value you place on a life. An unimportant life. A life without privilege. The boy who died on the river, that boy's value is your value. That's what defines an age. That's...what defines a species."

I just had a thought, but it's probably wrong, so I'll just say this. If there was one character from the classic series I would like to see return, then it's Omega. Imagine how amazingly well Omega could be done with all of the effects and costuming of the modern day. I'd love to see a revamped version of his The Three Doctors outfit.

I would love to see Luke in DW!!!  (more than the little glimpses we've seen in the series 4 finale and End of time :P)

LOVED the episode!

The thought of Missy or the Master being in the vault did cross my mind.  Also the idea of it somehow leading to where Gallifrey is popped into my mind (after all...we see it at the end of the universe...but where is it until that point???)

I've also heard rumors that people are speculating that it's the First Doctor...but I'm not sure how that would work (not the two Doctors being in one place at one time...some of my favorite eps are multiple Doctor stories...but if that is who's in the vault, why would he be???)

So I just took a quiz to see if I could name all 131 episodes of New Who from series 1 to The Return of Doctor Mysterio. I was given fifteen minutes to do it, I finished with two minutes and eighteen seconds spare. Could've used those two minutes to do series ten, 'cause I also know all the titles for those episodes.
If you want to try it yourself, here's a link: https://www.sporcle.com/games/Corabal/doctorwho05

And here's proof I did it. I realise that probably no one doubted me, but I want to show off my nerdage.

WARNING: Contains answers for those who want to try themselves

(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/2a/87/a5/2a87a5e45dfab38490d0e82f6b760d5a.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/41/c0/d3/41c0d398d42dd71e8dc18797d804604a.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/6c/02/19/6c0219a24ce46a7f17cec97006e249a5.jpg)

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And just to prove I can do series 10 as well:

Spoiler

The Pilot
Smile
Thin Ice
Knock Knock
Oxygen
Extremis
The Pyramid at the end of the World
The Lie of the Land
The Empress of Mars
The Eaters of Light
World Enough and Time
The Doctor Falls

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BASK IN MY NERD GLORY!

Well Knock Knock was a supremely disturbing episode. I'm still shuddering.

So the question is now obviously not "what's in the vault?", but "who's in the vault?" Someone dark who enjoys hearing about death. Humanoid. Can play the piano. Friendly with the Doctor in some sense. Possibly related to Nardole, though perhaps not through anything we've already seen. But most likely not Missy or the Master? Or maybe it is one of those two and it's a double bluff? Another time lord? Davros? I have no idea.

So... Oxygen, eh? That was one hell of an ending.

But personally, I think that's one hell of a bird. ;)
(http://medialb.ultimedia.com/multi/35p5l/8r5srv-X.jpg)
I'm actually really proud of that. Think it's the first time I've ever made a Doctor Who joke.

So I've been rewatching series one recently and there's one thing I want to see but we'll probably never know about. The Time Agency. Who are they? All we know is they stole two years of Captain Jack's memories and they collect valuable artefacts. Oh and they time travel. But with Moffat leaving, I think that's one mystery that's never going to be addressed. Unless it's in Torchwood I suppose. (Haven't seen it.)

MOFFAT YOU GENIUS! He hasn't lost any of his stuff. Extremis was fantastic and I can't wait to see the other parts of this story.

I agree...very intense and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up...and figuring out what's actually happened and what's just been in the simulation!

So... who's hyped for the finale?
(https://68.media.tumblr.com/c29fb44199791880149726cf1ae36bac/tumblr_orqtpuvtkH1sw4g05o1_500.gif)

SO CAN'T WAIT!!!!!

Was thinking of doing a Master/Missy binge watch, along with Tenth Planet...but I started a Star Wars Rebels marathon instead (and those DVDs have a duedate...I got them from the library, since I don't have my own copies yet...Doctor Who on the other hand...let's just say that I'm fairly certain that I have the largest collection of DW DVDs in town!)

Speaking of DVDs...I added a new one to my collection...Monster of Peladon!  I don't know about anyone else, but I totally geeked out when Alpha Centauri had a cameo at the end of Empress of Mars...Alpha Centauri is my favorite character from the Peladon stories!!!  So, after Empress, I had to break out Curse of Peladon...and then my family was doing an Amazon order and it made it's way into the cart :P

I actually had someone ask me yesterday after seeing some other SciFi DVDs out "Have you ever heard of Doctor Who?"...quickly followed by them commenting "You sound like Wikipedia"...I almost responded with "Not Wikipedia...the TARDIS Data Core :P" and I had to show off some close at hand DW items...like my Kindle cover and a craft project I'm working on.

WORLD ENOUGH AND TIME WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!! Depending on how The Doctor Falls turns out, it might end up going on my top ten.

LOVED the episode!!!

Spoiler

(on a fun note...Friday morning, I was thinking about what was showing in the previews and trailers and what I knew about Mondasian Cybermen (especially thinking about Tenth Planet) and I was all like "I wonder if we're going to see the creation of the Cybermen, because we see this, and this, and this, and this, and there's this, and we know this, etc.  :P)

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And I think John Simm did an excellent job...and the makeup was great, too!  I was reminded a lot of the Delgado/Ainley Masters.

THE DOCTOR FALLS WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!

There could be no more fitting an end

Spoiler

for the Master than to be mutually killed by themselves

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Also loved all the references to past Doctors, especially the reference to Davison's regeneration and Tom Baker's definite article quote.

Truly an epic finale.

Spoiler

Didn't expect to see Heather again, though they did set it up beautifully.

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It was a great episode...and love the classic references!

I'm wondering...

Spoiler

If in the Christmas special we will see what causes the First Doctor to regenerate!  I obviously have Tenth Planet on the brain, which is understandable :P

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I forgot to mention that Capaldi completely knocked it out of the park with the Kindness Speech. For me, Twelve embodies everything the Doctor is supposed to be, and Capaldi sells him brilliantly. The Kindness Speech really defines the Doctor and Doctor Who as a show. I have absolutely no problems with how important Moffat has made Capaldi to the history of Doctor Who because honestly that man deserves it. I doubt that anyone will ever top his performance for me. He truly is the definite article.

I agree!!!

Capaldi has had some wonderful speeches that are truly iconic in the history of the show!

So I'm going to put this in spoilers because some of you may not have seen the announcement for the next Doctor yet.

Spoiler

What do you all think of Jodie Whittaker? I've never watched anything she's been in, but I have faith that she'll do brilliantly. I love her outfit, but I'm concerned that it's a bit too similar to Capaldi's.

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I think...

Spoiler

It could be an interesting next season! (but, personally, I'm hoping that there's less flirting, kissing, discussion of interpersonal relations, etc...but that's just me).  I haven't seen any of her work, either, so she's totally new to me!  And as for her outfit, I LOVE it...but I've heard that that's not her official outfit.  I'm really hoping that the companions will either be the kids from SJA, someone from the future (I loved Zoe!), or an alien...of course, I say that every time there's a new companion coming on :P)

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It's going to be really interesting, but I'm excited to see how it turns out.

I honestly can't wait to see the regeneration scene  :D

Right. I have finally finished my story ranking for each series of Doctor Who (modern era). They are as follows:

Series 1

10. The Long Game
9. Aliens of London/World War Three
8. Boom Town
7. The End of the World
6. Rose
5. Father's Day
4. The Unquiet Dead
3. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
2. Dalek
1. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

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Series 2

11. Love & Monsters
10. Fear Her
9. New Earth
8. Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel
7. The Idiot's Lantern
6. The Christmas Invasion
5. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
4. The Girl in the Fireplace
3. School Reunion
2. Tooth and Claw
1. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit

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Series 3

10. Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
9. The Lazarus Experiment
8. 42
7. The Runaway Bride
6. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
5. Smith and Jones
4. The Shakespeare Code
3. Gridlock
2. Blink
1. Human Nature/The Family of Blood

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Series 4

11. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
10. Turn Left
9. Partners in Crime
8. The Unicorn and the Wasp
7. The Doctor's Daughter
6. Planet of the Ood
5. Voyage of the Damned
4. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
3. The Fires of Pompeii
2. Silence in the Library/The Forest of the Dead
1. Midnight

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Specials

4. The End of Time
3. The Next Doctor
2. Planet of the Dead
1. The Waters of Mars

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Series 5

10. The Beast Below
9. The Vampires of Venice
8. Victory of the Daleks
7. Vincent and the Doctor
6. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
5. Amy's Choice
4. The Lodger
3. The Eleventh Hour
2. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
1. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang

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Series 6

12. The Wedding of River Song
11. Let's Kill Hitler
10. The Curse of the Black Spot
9. Night Terrors
8. A Christmas Carol
7. Closing Time
6. The Girl Who Waited
5. The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
4. The God Complex
3. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
2. The Doctor's Wife
1. A Good Man Goes to War

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Series 7

17. Asylum of the Daleks
16. The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
15. Nightmare in Silver
14. The Angels Take Manhattan
13. Hide
12. The Power of Three
11. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
10. The Bells of Saint John
9. The Crimson Horror
8. The Snowmen
7. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
6. The Rings of Akhaten
5. The Time of the Doctor
4. The Name of the Doctor
3. A Town Called Mercy
2. Cold War
1. The Day of the Doctor

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Series 8

11. In the Forest of the Night
10. Robot of Sherwood
9. Kill the Moon
8. Time Heist
7. The Caretaker
6. Deep Breath
5. Listen
4. Flatline
3. Into the Dalek
2. Dark Water/Death in Heaven
1. Mummy on the Orient Express

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Series 9

8. Sleep No More
7. Last Christmas
6. The Girl Who Died/The Woman Who Lived
5. The Husbands of River Song
4. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar
3. Face the Raven/Heaven Sent/Hell Bent
2. The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion
1. Under the Lake/Before the Flood

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Series 10

11. Empress of Mars
10. Smile
9. The Eaters of Light
8. The Return of Doctor Mysterio
7. Twice Upon a Time
6. Knock Knock
5. The Pilot
4. Thin Ice
3. Extremis/The Pyramid at the End of the World/The Lie of the Land
2. Oxygen
1. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls

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Series ranking overall

11. Specials
10. Series 7
9. Series 2
8. Series 6
7. Series 4
6. Series 8
5. Series 3
4. Series 1
3. Series 9
2. Series 10
1. Series 5

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It's worth noting that I consider very few episodes of Doctor Who to actually be bad (I mean, I like Warriors of the Deep) so just because an episode is ranked low doesn't actually mean I think it's bad. If you want to know which episodes I think are bad, open this spoiler:

Bad episodes of New Who

New Earth
Age of Steel
Love & Monsters
Fear Her
The End of Time
Let's Kill Hitler
The Wedding of River Song
The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe
Asylum of the Daleks
The Angels Take Manhattan
Nightmare in Silver
Robot of Sherwood
In the Forest of the Night
The Girl Who Died
Sleep No More
Empress of Mars

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Love and Monsters was trash, yeah. . .

I'm currently on season three and addicted.
Does anyone else think Benedict Cumberbatch would make a good Doctor? It'd bee cool, but I think the role is very similar to his Sherlock.

He would, but I don't think he should do it. He's too famous to play the Doctor. You need someone who's a relatively small-time actor with no expectations.

Whose Doctor do you prefer, Chris or David?

I like David Tennant. Not sure exactly why, but he portrays the Doctor in a way I like compared to Christopher Eccleson.

I SO need a Doctor Who fix!

Family has been using this site to help decide what episodes to watch lately...it's fun!

http://www.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/timeline/on-this-day/

I love Doctor Who, such a great series.  My favorite Doctor has to be David Tennant. I haven't seen any Tom Baker one, but I hear he was good.

Quote from: Krantor the Brutal on October 06, 2017, 09:11:52 AM
I haven't seen any Tom Baker one, but I hear he was good.

Oh he's brilliant. :) It tends to be the little things with him rather than big explody setpieces. Like in City of Death when they're captured and pushed into a room by the baddie's butler: "What a wonderful butler, he's so violent!" said with a big grin as only Tom can do. :D

I don't mind Tennant and Ecclescake themselves, but I really didn't like the writing of the show at that time. It just wasn't really Doctor Who. Smith onward has been much closer to the source material and I've enjoyed! I honestly think Capaldi is my favourite Doctor. He seems to really get across that quiet respect for everything he sees on his adventures. Going to miss him!

Capaldi has been a fan since the very beginning, so it's no surprise he makes such a fantastic Doctor.

I like Capaldi, too bad he's regenerating.

Too bad all of them regenerate.

Aye.

Made a couple of minor edits to my episode rankings. In series 7 I put Asylum of the Daleks in last place where it belongs. I also moved A Town Called Mercy one place up. In series 10, I moved Thin Ice one place up.

Anyone seen the trailer for the Doctor Who holiday special?

Of course. Well I've seen the first trailer anyway, it dropped a while ago. If there's a new one, then no I haven't seen it. But I make it a policy to only watch one trailer for anything. Don't get spoiled too badly that way.

Looks interesting though. Doctor 12 meets Doctor 1. Looks like it's going to be pretty wild.

Yeah! Can't wait.

That'll be fun.

So where are you up to now @The Skarzs ?

Season three, still. Haven't gotten to watch any for over a month.

That's awful!!!  Hopefully you'll be able to watch some soon!

Anyone seen the news???  They just announced not 1, not 2, but three companions!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/entries/ff2d130a-e278-4978-bf22-48cba0a5c9da

Some of you might recognize Bradley Walsh...he was Odd Bob the Clown on SJA!

That's too many companions, imo. And if they're all 21st Century humans like they seem to be, then I don't understand why there are so many and I'll be incredibly disappointed.

I think it had some WWI soldiers in it. . . I will have to rewatch the preview.

You're probably thinking of the Christmas special, which has nothing to do with the new companions. The new companions will come in when Chris Chibnall takes over from Steven Moffat as head showrunner next year.

Ah, yes. Sorry.

It reminds me of other times when there's been 3 companions, especially Susan, Barbara, Ian and the First Doctor and Adric, Nyssa, Tegan and the Fourth and Fifth Doctors...could also through Turlough into that grouping, since he was with 5th, Nyssa, and Tegan for a short while.

Yes but that was when Doctor Who was split into multiple episodes. Having three companions stay relevant in ten 50 minute episodes sounds unwieldy.

Jodie Whittaker's costume has been revealed. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It reminds me of Bill in a way. I really do love her coat though. It's awesome.
(https://cnet2.cbsistatic.com/img/4FVr6fHMM9qS-bQiwztdo34YxUc=/fit-in/970x0/2017/11/09/5e1329c4-5132-473b-9d2a-8ac1ea09c625/whittakerdoc.jpg)
I don't know. I think it looks too casual and modern.

Like, here are some concepts that people made before her costume was revealed.

Spoiler

(https://78.media.tumblr.com/064565d7e6fd6dd5294c48af04ccf9c8/tumblr_ot7vm4FmNC1wuv6bco1_500.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DE9wpm3XcAUrvhn.jpg)
(https://t00.deviantart.net/77Yo4l7qfPIxW-PJwbrq4QWOy9k=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre00/74f0/th/pre/i/2017/198/5/a/the_13th_doctor___jodie_whittaker_by_jvtrevizan-dbgpp00.png)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/59/da/bb/59dabb5d2cda9ee781656a096a6e52c7.jpg)
(https://t00.deviantart.net/uwXo_NhV7uwE2VuIf2HRU9Ds8s0=/fit-in/700x350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre00/2988/th/pre/f/2017/242/3/b/doctor_who___13th_doctor_vs_the_cybermen_by_owenoak95-dblsk8r.png)

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I like most of those better.

I guess I'll reserve judgement until I can see it on screen, but at the moment I'm not a fan.

Double post, but I completed my full revived Doctor Who story ranking.

Spoiler

115. Asylum of the Daleks
114. The End of Time
113. Love & Monsters
112. In the Forest of the Night
111. The Wedding of River Song
110. Let's Kill Hitler
109. Sleep No More
108. The Next Doctor
107. Robot of Sherwood
106. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe
105. Empress of Mars
104. Kill the Moon
103. Nightmare in Silver
102. The Angels Take Manhattan
101. Fear Her
100. The Curse of the Black Spot
99. New Earth
98. Smile
97. Night Terrors
96. The Eaters of Light
95. A Christmas Carol
94. Closing Time
93. The Long Game
92. Time Heist
91. The Caretaker
90. Aliens of London/World War Three
89. Hide
88. Boom Town
87. The Power of Three
86. Last Christmas
85. The Return of Doctor Mysterio
84. The Beast Below
83. Twice Upon a Time
82. Knock Knock
81. The Girl Who Died/The Woman Who Lived
80. Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS
79. Planet of the Dead
78. Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel
77. The End of the World
76. Rose
75. The Stolen Earth/Journey's End
74. The Bells of Saint John
73. The Crimson Horror
72. The Snowmen
71. The Vampires of Venice
70. Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks
69. The Lazarus Experiment
68. The Pilot
67. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
66. Thin Ice
65. The Rings of Akhaten
64. The Time of the Doctor
63. The Idiot's Lantern
62. The Christmas Invasion
61. Father's Day
60. The Unquiet Dead
59. The Girl Who Waited
58. The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People
57. Victory of the Daleks
56. 42
55. The Runaway Bride
54. The Husbands of River Song
53. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
52. Turn Left
51. Partners in Crime
50. The Name of the Doctor
49. Vincent and the Doctor
48. The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood
47. Amy's Choice
46. Deep Breath
45. Listen
44. Flatline
43. The Unicorn and the Wasp
42. The Doctor's Daughter
41. Planet of the Ood
40. A Town Called Mercy
39. Cold War
38. The Lodger
37. Dark Water/Death in Heaven
36. Voyage of the Damned
35. The Girl in the Fireplace
34. School Reunion
33. Tooth and Claw
32. Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords
31. Smith and Jones
30. The Eleventh Hour
29. The Waters of Mars
28. The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon
27. The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar
26. The God Complex
25. The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone
24. The Day of the Doctor
23. Extremis/The Pyramid at the End of the World/The Lie of the Land
22. The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky
21. Oxygen
20. Into the Dalek
19. The Shakespeare Code
18. Face the Raven/Heaven Sent/Hell Bent
17. Mummy on the Orient Express
16. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways
15. Gridlock
14. The Doctor's Wife
13. The Fires of Pompeii
12. A Good Man Goes to War
11. The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang
10. The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion
9. Under the Lake/Before the Flood
8. The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit
7. Dalek
6. Blink
5. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
4. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
3. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
2. Midnight
1. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls

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Yeah, the fan art definitely is better. Makes her look more like a Time Lord than a . . . I don't even know what to describe the official outfit as.

HELP ME.

WHY?!

BECAUSE IT'S TOO GOOD.

Which season are you on now?

Four.

I finally finished watching through the Pertwee years. He went out with a bang didn't he? Almost literally.

You know, after The Silurians, I don't think there was a single bad Pertwee story. Death to the Daleks was a bit iffy, but overall solid. I expected Invasion of the Dinosaurs and Planet of the Spiders to suffer because of the production quality, but the stories more than made up for it, bar some very poor acting from the villagers in Planet of the Spiders.

Now, a top ten, because I'm obsessed with ranking things:
10. Frontier in Space
9. The Mutants
8. The Green Death
7. Planet of the Daleks
6. The Sea Devils
5. The Ambassadors of Death
4. The Three Doctors
3. Inferno
2. The Time Warrior
1. The Curse of Peladon

The Liz and Jo episodes I watched ages ago, so these are my raw thoughts having only watched them once each. The Sarah Jane episodes are fresher in my mind.

Can't wait to dive into the Tom Baker years. I didn't really like Tom in Pyramids of Mars, but I've seen bits and pieces of other episodes that I liked, and I've heard that he had issues with the staff when filming that particular story, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

EDIT: Robot was a wonderful introduction to Tom's Doctor. He's so full of life and energy! I suppose Pyramids really was just a departure from the norm. And to think he was only a caretaker at the BBC before he got the role. It's amazing.

So I've finished Tom's first season and wow what a fantastic start for his Doctor. So I've decided I'll be doing mini reviews for each season of Doctor Who. I'll start with Season 12, and go all the way up to Season 26, then the TV movie. After that I'll probably rewatch Jon Pertwee's seasons (Thats Season 7 to Season 11), and after that the modern series. Not sure what I'll do about Hartnell and Troughton. I might just review individual stories if the season isn't completely recovered.

Without further ado, here is the review of Season 12.

Robot: An absolutely fantastic introduction to Tom's Doctor. He commands the role instantly, even in some of the more stupid scenes. The story itself is strong, with some great twists and great characters. Some of the acting is a little spotty and the conclusion to the story is fairly weak, but overall a strong start for the season.

The Ark in Space: A fairly interesting story which is unfortunately hampered by the production values and some rather strange bits of acting. A rather mixed bag. The main cast, that is to say, Tom, Ian and Lis, continue to give some absolutely stellar performances, and I much enjoyed getting to see the famous ventilation shaft scene (although it's actually just a conduit, not a ventilation shaft). It was also intriguing getting to see the similarities between the hypnotised Sarah and how Lis later acted when she was possessed by Androvax in The Sarah Jane Adventures. It really drove home that this was the same actor playing the same part, and I think that's wonderful.

The Sontaran Experiment: A perfect little story that really seems to be a prototype for the modern two-parter. A strong story with some good performances from the cast, and of course the main cast are as good as usual.

Genesis of the Daleks: What an episode! Just fantastic. Michael Wisher and Tom Baker give the stand out performances as the Doctor and Davros of course, but the rest of the cast also deliver fantastic performances, especially Nyder and Garman. The production values for this episode were also fantastic, and the daleks seemed to run smoothly for the first time ever. The sets were fantastic too. If I had one complaint, it would be the performances of Raven and the thal woman. Some of the scenes outside the domes also dragged on for a little too long for my liking as well. But this is definitely one of my favourite classic stories I've seen so far.

Revenge of the Cybermen: A very interesting case. On the one hand the story and production values were absolutely amazing, with fantastic sets and costumes. Unfortunately this episode is hampered by some rather diabolical acting, especially in the first two episodes, and some terrible lines. Even the main cast give a few dud performances in this story. There's also some obvious reuse of footage that aggravated me slightly. I'd love to read a novelisation of this story, just to see what it would be like if I could ignore the moments of terrible acting that plagued this otherwise fantastic script.

Overall, Season 12 was great. It was an incredibly strong start for both Tom's Doctor, as well as Harry Sullivan. The stories were mostly well-written and compelling, and the acting of the supporting cast was, for the most part, strong.

If I were to rank the stories, it would be:
5. The Ark in Space
4. Revenge of the Cybermen
3. The Sontaran Experiment
2. Robot
1. Genesis of the Daleks (was there ever any doubt?)

I look forward to diving into Season 13 with Terror of the Zygons.

Interesting.


Not to disrespect the originals, but would anyone like to see some of the old stories redone?

Not really. I'd only really want to see the special effects remastered, the acting and stories were generally superb, and the designs for the costumes were great.

I've finished my review of Season 13: https://verdes-random-reviews.tumblr.com/post/170236186921/doctor-who-review-season-13-1975-1976

And here's my season 14 review: https://verdes-random-reviews.tumblr.com/post/170542789376/doctor-who-review-season-14-1976-1977

And season 15: https://verdes-random-reviews.tumblr.com/post/170925922486/doctor-who-review-season-15-1977-1978

This review is the most angry so far.

Hey, Jet, I haven't really seen much of the classic Doctor Who. Is Peter Capaldi's character at all similar to any of the previous Doctors? And if not, what do you think has made him so different?

It may just be the actor, trying his best but still coming across as an angry cynical Scotsman, or it may be the Doctor reacting to his previous lives in a different way.

I think Capaldi really embodies the character of the Doctor. He was my favourite before I'd watched the classics, but now that I've seen some, I have a new appreciation for the layers in his performance. Capaldi certainly hearkens back to Tom Baker in particular in that he's unpredictable and ruthless when he needs to be. He's like the perfect blend of the classic and modern series. One of his quotes really sums it up. "Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones, but you still have to choose." The Doctor does what needs to be done because no one else will. It also needs to be understood that Capaldi has basically just relived the Time War and been forced to confront his actions during that period, hence his hatred of soldiers - because he was a soldier and did terrible things.

Something about Capaldi's portrayal of the Doctor is that he has a proper character arc in a way that Tennant and Smith, and perhaps even Eccleston, didn't, so I have the benefit of hindsight in that I can see how brilliantly his arc was done. Capaldi at the start of series 8 is not the same man at the end of series 8, and that man is not the same man at the end of series 10.

It helps that Capaldi is the most pedigreed actor to ever play the role, and can convey an amazing amount of emotion without saying a word. It's been said by someone, I can't remember who, that you can always tell what his Doctor is thinking just by his expressions. It might have been Moffat. And I definitely agree. Capaldi has several less than stellar episodes, but he's always the best thing in them. He steals every scene he's in.

Also I like the angry Scotsman bit anyway.

I loved Capaldi immediately, but there are some people who took a while to warm up to him. But nearly everyone is swayed to his side by Series 8, episode 8. It really encompasses what Moffat was trying to do with Capaldi's Doctor.

Very good points. He definitely does portray his emotions well, despite his eyebrows. ;D

There was that one (The Time of the Doctor?) where Tennant and Smith were described as the "man who regrets and the man who forgets" I think. In a way it's more of the Doctor acting like he is someone else to try to hide from himself.

Your post was very thought-stimulating. Thanks!

You mean he portrays his emotions well BECAUSE of his eyebrows.

Defense Exhibit A:

The Most Majestic of Eyebrows

(https://images04.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/media/people/2015/09/tomselleck.jpg?itok=przlKtQA)

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Tvaz Ze Day O' Ze Doctor vhere zey vere dezcribed az zat. After 'avin' zeen Zeriez 10 und zen finally Tvoice Upon A Toime, Ah really loike 'iz Doctor majorly. It alzae 'epz zat 'e vaz ze firzt bezoidez John Hurt'z tae nae 'ave characterz (Particularly ze companionz) favin' in love viz 'im. Very Major epizodez vere Lizten, Oxygen, Zleep No More, und Death In Heaven, along viz pretty muc ze rezt o' zem. Ah loiked Zeriez 8 a lot, Zeriez 9 viznae 'az good tae me az Zeriez 8 und Zeriez 10, but Ah dae agree zat tiz neccezzary fer ze entire ztory fer zat. Zeriez 10 iz by far my favourite o' ze nev zeriezez. (Ezpecially becauze o' Nardole'z character, und alzae becauze ze entire zin' viznae juzt zeveral tva-part ztoriez. Tvoice Upon A Toime vaz a good, major Doctor Vho zpecial tae bring ze ztory tae ze next vone. Ah viz zuggezt vatched William Hartnell'z ztory Ze Tenth Planet (Ze lazt o' 'iz ztoriez) afore vatchin' it zough zae ye can better underztand av o' it. Ah cannae vait fer Zeriez 11!

Reviews for Season 16 (The Key to Time) and 17:
https://verdes-random-reviews.tumblr.com/post/172016727416/doctor-who-review-season-16-the-key-to-time
https://verdes-random-reviews.tumblr.com/post/172807365016/doctor-who-review-season-17-1979-1980

Just to reiterate, there's no spoilers or NSFW stuff in any of my reviews.

Quote from: Delthion on April 06, 2018, 02:37:29 AM
You mean he portrays his emotions well BECAUSE of his eyebrows.

Might be a reason why I have trouble with that.

Hey. @Jetthebinturong
Season 9 of the new series now.
This is what happens when I'm ill.

Awesome!

What'd you think of series 8?

Capaldi definitely established himself in the Doctor's character at this point. I really liked the dynamic formed between Clara and him, as an older, different Doctor.
Also, the whole story with Ashildr is interesting.

Ach, Ah looked fer Doctor Vho Zeriez 11 on Amazon ze ozer day. Und Ah actually found it...Along viz zeveral ztupid und lov-ratin' revievz. Und ziz iz zummat zat iz nae e'en oot yet. Vhich meanz naybeazt 'az a copy o' it. Vhich zerefore meanz naybeazt 'az bought it und vatched it (Und it ztill bein' at Pre-Order), vhich meanz zere iz nayzin' tae rate yet. Jings, zey could at leazt vait fer a couple o' epizodez tae 'ave aired- or better yet, fer ze entire zin' tae 'ave aired firzt- afore vroitin' revievz fer ze entire zin'. Ach... *Zetz av o' ze ztupid revieverz' 'airz on fire*

Unfortunately it's something of a trend with popular things to bash it before it comes out. Like whenever Cassandra Clare announces a new book, people immediately go to the Goodreads page and leave loads of one-star reviews complaining about how she writes too much (???) and is milking the Shadowhunter world (????), even if the book isn't Shadowhunter related at all. I imagine the same principle applies here except the complaints are "#notmyDoctor, Doctor Who is dead, Chris Chibnall has ruined my childhood" and moronic things like that.

Just because of a female Doctor?
Can't say I'm too keen on it myself, but it's not like it could never happen, and it seems they were leading up to it for a while. Still, they could still make her very much "The Doctor." I certainly hope so.

Wait, Cassandra Clare gets complaints for writing too much? What? Compared to Stephen King?
It's probably because they are jealous of her accomplishment. It really isn't too hard to write a lot in a day. Stephen King writes/wrote for four hours right after he wakes up, I hear.

I mean, there's a female Master so it's really not that big of a jump to have a female Doctor. I don't really see why it's such a huge deal. :/ Silly stupid people.

It is kinda disappointing, the doctor (in my mind.) should always be wanting to be a girl and redheaded and never actually be. ;D

Lol.

The Doctor: "I always wanted to be a female. With hair. Not that I would be bald, but I want hair. Big and red and wonderful."
The Doctor's random regeneration genes: "Denied! You now have the body of a ten year old boy."


Heh. What if he regenerated into a very young person? Is that possible?
Also, the Master (Mistress) said the Doctor was a girl at one point in his childhood.

Nine said when he regenerated "I might have three heads, or no head." So I imagine turning into a child is not beyond the realms of possibility.

That could be interesting.

Guys.

It looks so good guys. Like dang that is some beautiful cinematography. And I'm glad that they didn't show too much. I like that they're keeping things close to the chest to compensate for the ridiculous amount of spoilers last series.

It looks really cool!

Nice.

I've watched the full Comic Con panel and I can say that I am absolutely confident that Jodie's Doctor and this series are going to be
(https://media.giphy.com/media/eiwhyYQxUR4hq/giphy.gif)

I mean I thought it would be before, but I was made slightly apprehensive by the teaser trailer, which was terrible (like honestly, who chose to centre a Doctor Who teaser around food?). But those fears have been completely allayed.

Maybe that'll be her quirk? Like Peter Capaldi's thing with guitars and sunglasses, or Matt Smith's bowties and hats.

Und Major! More zan one Companion! Und tiz nae juzt a young girl (Nay offence tae any), vhich Ah believe vaz a complaint ye made aboot ze previouz zeriez, Jet. Und viz a female Doctor, na' zey need tae bring Missy back und zhe und Ze Doctor can cackle togezer. Zad vid be a memorable zcene!

Multiple companions is a step in the right direction, but I'd still prefer an alien or a robot or something.

Ze firzt vone, Aye, ze zecond vone, Nyet.

I would also love to see a companion that isn't human. Anyone remember Handles, the cyber head 11 had for a hot second?

Handles is technically the longest-running companion the Doctor ever had. He was with him for three hundred years.

Very true, Mr. Technical. :P I did really like Handles, though.

We didn't get to see much of him, which is a shame.

How about a Zygon? ;D

I think if we have another zygon episode before series 12, they'll start to feel overused. I already have dalek and cybermen fatigue, I don't want to not want to see another alien.

Anyway, NEW TRAILER!

It looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm dreading the spider episode though.

The last shot of the trailer is my favourite though, and it speaks to me a lot. I feel like it's from the finale and she may be leaving someone to die, who she doesn't want to. Maybe a companion making a heroic sacrifice, or an enemy she admires. Either way I'm looking forward to it.

Ah 'adnae zeen ziz trailer. It lookz intereztin'! Ah preordered Zeriez 11 on Amazon a couple o' dayz agae. Na' ze infernal vait fer it tae come oot! (Und o' courze zey're gaein' tae come oot viz Partz 1 und 2 fer it vell afore ze complete zeriez comez oot...)

May'apz zey'll bring back ze Adipose...or ze Veepin' Angelz....or boz! Or Adipose Angelz, or Veepin' Adipose..Ach... Ze trailer fer epizode vone lookz major zough!

(https://i.4pcdn.org/tv/1505413236425.png)

I watched two episodes of Doctor Who last night.

The first two?

1963 or 2005 version?

Not the first two. They were David Tenant ones.

I loved the new episode. It was such a massive improvement over series 11. Jodie feels so much more natural in the role, the writing was brilliant, and the story is just so interesting.

MASSIVE SPOILER

No really, a massive spoiler

If you haven't seen the episode, you DO NOT want to read this

I really love Dhawan's Master already. He's psychotic, but suave at the same time, and he's so sinister, and the RAGE, UGH HE WAS GOOD. I knew O was the villain right from his introduction, but I never guessed he would be the Master. I hope he's not a post-Missy incarnation, 'cause as far as I'm concerned, Missy was the last ever Master, and her death there was permanent. It would be such a character regression if the Master's gone back to being totally immoral. I hope this Master is between Simm and Gomez. But honestly, between Roberts and Jacobi seems more likely. Which would also be fine.

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I can't wait to see where part 2 goes.

So I saw the latest episode.

WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT???

MASSIVE SPOILERS AGAIN

So Ruth is the Doctor? A previous version of the Doctor that we've never seen before. She was on the run and in hiding FROM THE TIME LORDS who were going to EXECUTE HER. WHAT IS GOING ON? She can't be pre-Hartnell, because the TARDIS is a police box, which only happened after An Unearthly Child. She could be between Troughton and Pertwee, as we never saw that regeneration, but that wouldn't explain why the Time Lords want to execute her. She could be an alternate universe version of the Doctor, but I don't feel that would fit with the series arc.
Obviously this Ruth-Doctor has to have something to do with the Timeless Child arc. Which deals with Gallifrey's ancient history. Are we doing something with Looms? I'm confused, and excited to see where this goes.
I honestly love Jo Martin as the Doctor though (especially her outfit, it's totally what Jodie's should've been), so I'll be a bit disappointed if they've just completely wasted her for this one series and then we'll never see her again.

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This season has been so refreshingly good after the nightmare that was Capaldi

Spoiler

It's crazy right Jett? I'm pretty certain that the Doctor is the Timeless Child. I have a feeling it's gonna have something to do with infinite regeneration or something similar that lets them keep the series going. It's an interesting story. Also curious to see what happens to Gallifrey now

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For me Capaldi was the best dream ever. Series 11 was the- not quite a nightmare... grey, boring dream. But this series is a marked improvement.

Spoiler

I think that's what it will be, but I hope it isn't.

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So I'm just dropping here that I've started to plan a Doctor Who fanfic series. This will be pretty new Who-ish in style, with around thirteen distinct "episodes" per series. It won't be following any already-existing characters, unless they appear as guest stars. It will follow a new Doctor with a new companion, new TARDIS, new sonic screwdriver, etc. I'm not sure how many series I will end up doing - I have ideas for multiple Doctors, but I don't even have enough ideas for one full series yet.

I have outlined the first chapter of the first "episode," if anyone's interested in reading it.

This sounds really cool! I'd definitely be interested in reading it. Will it be in script format, or just normal book style?

It would be in regular prose format. I guess they'd be about novella-length, since 45 minutes would seem to translate to about 80-100 A5 pages, judging by the classic Who books I have. Of course I'm not gonna limit or stretch the story to fit an arbitrary runtime, since it will never appear on TV and there's no point to that, but I think each story will generally follow the structure of a standard new Who episode.

I've actually come up with concepts for all 13 stories of my first "season" and just finished outlining the second chapter of the first "episode" so I'm making fast progress with the planning. Hopefully the writing itself will be just as fast.

Here are some tentative titles for the stories:
Episode 1: The Trade
Episode 2: The Red Viper
Episode 3: Pride
Episode 4: The Wreck
Episode 5: [Something] Pass
Episode 6: The Temple in the Lake
Episode 7: The Wrath of [Something]
Episode 8: Beneath the Surface
Episode 9: The Survivor
Episode 10: (Okay I lied, I don't have a name for this one yet)
Episode 11: To the Bone
Episode 12: Radiance
Episode 13: Barren

The reason episode 10 doesn't have a title yet is because To the Bone was originally a two-part story, with the first part being called Cold Comfort, but I felt like I needed more stories to make the development I intend to happen believable. I only just came up with the new episode 10 idea.

I actually ended up with more ideas than I needed, so a few of them have been shunted into the second "season." I might have my big finale idea shunted into "season 3" though.

Sounds really cool.
I was once considering writing something similar, I had even started the first episode-y thing... But then I had an idea for an original novel and it all kinda got scrapped.

Haven't been online in a while, but I'm just dropping in to say I've started listening to the Big Finish audios. The first 50 (I think) stories are free on Spotify, so I've been listening to the main range. I've listened to two stories so far.

THE SIRENS OF TIME: A multi-Doctor story featuring Five, Six and Seven. ... It was okay? Sylvester McCoy's voice acting is a little off, the side-characters are uninteresting, and the ending is anticlimactic. I did love the interplay of the three Doctors, they bounce off each other quite well. The plot was fairly interesting, and they managed to create some tense and exciting scenes - mainly in the Fifth Doctor's strand of the story. It's also like really low on worldbuilding. Which is a problem because it attempts to introduce all these high concept elements, and also a side-character with loads of history, but we understand nothing about any of them. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't a strong first showing for BF. I'd give it maybe a 5.75/10?

PHANTASMAGORIA: A Five and Turlough story. Very interesting plot with some entertaining characters and interesting ideas. Some quite weird moments though, and a couple of unnecessary characters whose only purpose is to reveal a twist to the audience earlier than the later reveal to the main characters, which would have been more impactful. I also wasn't a great fan of Mark Strickson's voice acting, and Turlough's characterisation seemed a bit off to me. I did like the way they portrayed the relationship between him and the Doctor, as there's only really one story on TV with the two of them alone together, and this fleshes out their dynamic a bit more. It also provided me with some shipping fuel, but, you know, that's not a thing most people care about. I think I'd give it a 6.75/10

WHISPERS OF TERROR: This is a Six and Peri story, and though I'm aware that Big Finish tried to redeem Six in their later audios, in this he was as insufferable as he's ever been. Worse than he ever was on TV, imo. The story itself was quite interesting, but it was a simple story that was very dragged out. It had a couple of interesting characters, notably Visteen Krane, and some clever twists, but was mostly just okay. The main plot twist is super obvious but it takes the main characters so long to work out it's ridiculous. It tried to be the first audio story to play with the idea of audio as a medium, but I don't think it quite succeeded in doing that. Overall it was just okay. 6/10

Big Finish is not showing itself as a strong force yet. I hope it improves, given its awesome re##:1055tion in the fandom.

THE LAND OF THE DEAD: A Fifth Doctor and Nyssa story, which on the offset makes me apprehensive, because imo Nyssa is the least interesting companion in Doctor Who - a whole lot of wasted potential. But in this she was pretty good. In fact this was the best Big Finish story so far, imo. Still not great, which it honestly could have been, but good. The main problem with it is that towards the end it just becomes super dragged out and kind of boring. The first few parts are some tense, exciting horror with some really interesting and enjoyable side characters. And the Doctor was written brilliantly - I loved the dialogue in this story. But when the mystery starts to unravel I just find the explanation to be slightly ridiculous, and the writing gets a bit weird with Monica in the final part where instead of acting scared in this life or death situation which has been terrifying her up to this point, she starts quipping and acting kind of blase about it. There was a bit of poor voice acting too - namely Andrew Fettes as Gaborik. And then there was that random hint at a romance between two of the characters at the end, which hadn't been previously developed in the story at all. Overall it was just a good story, 7/10

THE FEARMONGER: A Seven and Ace story, which is automatically a good sign. Once again though, Sylvester McCoy had some moments of poor voice acting. The exploration of the relationship between Ace and the Doctor is brilliant, and goes some interesting places. The plot itself was interesting and unfolded very nicely with some interesting twists. The characters were well-drawn, and well-voiced. However it sort of stumbles with the themes. What it says about fear is very accurate. But what it says about racism is sort of undercut by the fact that we never actually hear a speech from Sherilyn Harper, the audio always fades out before she actually says anything specific. So the commentary on racism kinda just ends up being generic stuff like "racism is bad and is inspired by irrational fear." Though it has some nice commentary on the role reactionary politics has in stoking those fears. The worldbuilding is also pretty poor as a result. We can surmise this is a near-ish future Britain, but what's actually going on in regards to the sociopolitical atmosphere of the time is very unclear. There are some vague lines about anti-immigration policies, and more importantly, ethnic cleansing. The latter of which seems like a big deal the story should address and not just gloss over. The final scene is really weird too - it seems to completely undercut the story because Mick hasn't learnt anything. Maybe this is part of the pessimistic attitude towards the idea of change that Ace espouses. The story also feels like it starts in the middle - you're just sorta thrown into the action without understanding what's actually going on. It's pretty disorienting. Overall it's pretty good, probably the best story so far, but the flaws are pretty glaring. 7.5/10

THE MARIAN CONSPIRACY: A Sixth Doctor and... Evelyn story? Who the heck is Evelyn? Of course I'm being facetious, I knew about Evelyn a long time before ever starting Big Finish. For those not in the know, Doctor Evelyn Smythe is the first ever companion to be introduced in the audios. She's a 55 year-old History professor. So, you know, not the common companion template. And she's awesome. Her chemistry with the Sixth Doctor is incredible, and she's just such a fun character in general. Her excitement at being able to interact with the history she's dedicated her life to is just great. The Doctor himself was also very endearing and charming in this story. The plot was simple, but effective and well-written, and some of the side-characters were quite endearing. It was also an interesting look at Queen Mary, which portrayed her accurately without turning her into this complete monster. That said, I do think the Doctor was a bit too sympathetic to her. Overall I'd say that this is the first genuinely great Big Finish story, mostly because of Evelyn, and I'd give it an 8.5/10.

THE GENOCIDE MACHINE: Wow this story is really clever at subverting your expectations from the title and cover. I think I'm firmly into the era where Big Finish have hit their stride, and begun experimenting with the creative and brilliant ideas they're reputed for. And quite frankly, I'm shocked it happened so early. This is a Seven and Ace story, a point in its favour, and Sophie Aldred really gets a lot to do as Ace, for a variety of reasons. That said, the true stand out is Sylvester McCoy - he still has some moments of unconvincing acting but my god he brought his A-game to this performance. I really wasn't feeling this story for a long time - Elgin is an annoying character, the running joke of Prink not speaking was both painfully unfunny, and a lot of the time an inappropriate tone to take for the circumstances - but there's a shift partway through where this story just becomes brilliant. The ideas it plays with are incredibly imaginative, and Elgin proves his worth to the story eventually. It is a little difficult to follow though, and I did have to look at the wiki plot summary to clarify the things I didn't understand. That said, still an incredibly strong story, 8.5/10.

RED DAWN: Listened to the next Big Finish audio, Red Dawn. It's a Five and Peri story, which means I'm reluctant to consider it part of my own personal Doctor Who canon. For those not in the know, Five and Peri only had two stories together on-screen. The first was when they met, the second was Five's regeneration story. I find the latter much more impactful if Peri is some random person the Doctor has just met and barely knows, than if they've gone on hundreds of adventures together. It's a shame though, because this story is damn good. It's also an Ice Warrior story, and the Ice Warriors are one of my favourite Doctor Who species. This story definitely does not disappoint with their portrayal. Something I have to note immediately is that I absolutely love the music for this story. It's not something I've noticed in previous stories, but in this one it's great. The characters are pretty regular stock archetypes of a classic Doctor Who story, but one in particular is a very well-written version of his archetype, and a very compelling character in his own right. The voice acting was a little spotty in places, but the aforementioned character was always voiced perfectly. The story is tense and exciting with a brilliant climax. Something interesting is that the Doctor and Peri barely do anything in this story, for the most part they are carried by the movements of the side-characters. It's an interesting thing that rarely happens in Doctor Who. The story itself was basic, but tense and exciting, and the climax was absolutely brilliant. It has a couple of ideas that are just sort of tossed in there though. Overall this is a basic classic Doctor Who story, but it is a very strong execution of a basic classic Doctor Who story, and I loved it. 7.75/10

THE SPECTRE OF LANYON MOOR: It was a Six and Evelyn story, which was a nice surprise because they haven't put Evelyn on the cover art yet, but it also heavily features the Brigadier. Unfortunately, it was just an okay story. The plot was pretty decent, with some interesting characters and some bizarre ones. Most of the twists were predictable, but there was one that was really shocking. There were some really unnecessary bits of the plot that felt like they were just there to be a bit edgy, which I didn't like. Big Finish kind of has a problem with that, as well as with purely evil villains. I found a lot of the voice acting to be extremely annoying. I already love Six and Evelyn's relationship - the way she confronts him and grounds him is really interesting and it's just nice to hear about. The Brigadier was a fun presence, even if he didn't add too much to the story. And the finale was pretty anti-climactic as well as a bit dragged out. As a nice note, this story did teach me a lot I didn't know about aspects of British history and ancient structures I hadn't heard of. 6.5/10

WINTER FOR THE ADEPT: A Five and Nyssa story, which as I've said before is not my favourite combination. And this story was just boring. All of the side-characters were super annoying, the mystery wasn't intriguing, and the plot was dull and had way too many ideas that it didn't have time to explore properly. At least it was well acted and the plot was coherent, though it was basically an exposition relay race. 4/10.

'appy Doctor Vho Day, everybeazt! 60th anniverzary!

I'm watching season 2 right now. Awesome show