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Nonsuch · Jul 10, 2003, 04:30 PM

I know there are a few of us out there for whom this is gasp-inducing news. Anyhow, here's the scoop from Outpost Gallifrey:

Doctor Who is indeed returning for the show's 40th anniversary, in a special new six-part audio webcast on BBCi. Following in the footsteps of the earlier animated webcasts "Death Comes to Time," "Real Time" and "Shada," the fourth webcast (still untitled) is written by Paul Cornell ("The Shadows of Avalon") and will star none other than popular British actor Richard E. Grant (who also played one of the future Doctors in the charity special "The Curse of Fatal Death"). Grant describes his interpretation as "something of a 'Sherlock Holmes in Space.'"

Cornell, posting on the Outpost Gallifrey forum, had this to say about the project: "This is the start of everything again, not the end. Don't be scared. The Ninth Doctor is Richard E. Grant, fully animated... fully animated, not Shada animated... Batmanlike rather than Shadalike. With a new companion, a new military liaison, new monsters, and a vastly starry cast!" Cornell says that "if the response is good enough, then there'll be more. (And listen: you *never know* where this could end up.)" Cornell goes on to confirm that this is indeed the official, BBC made and sanctioned Ninth Doctor, approved by all the requisite parts of the BBC that needed input on this. "Traditional but original is what we're going for," says Cornell. "Very Hinchcliffe/Dicks, but with no previously used elements and only a tiny smidge of continuity. This story starts after the Ninth Doctor's been in the job for several years. And quite a lot has happened to him. So there's room for all continuities to resolve themselves. And BBC Books has made a positive response, and are talking about stuff."

Apparently the story will completely disregard "Curse of Fatal Death" (this Ninth Doctor isn't Grant's Doctor in that charity satire.) Cornell says he is "honoured to have the chance to set the Doctor off on another forty years of adventures," said Paul. "Just wait until you hear Richard! He is the Doctor!" The story is set to debut in mid-November, in time to celebrate the show's 40th anniversary.

Here's the new Doctor's IMDb page. He's been in a few things I've seen, but I don't recall his performances.

I wonder how this will turn out. I'm not sure how you can claim to strive for originality while at the same time emulating the Hinchcliffe/Holmes (or did he mean Letts/Dicks?) era. And of course, a Webcast is a long, long ways off from a new television series. Still, here's hoping!

andi*pandi · Jul 10, 2003, 04:43 PM

well, by pictures, he could fit the job. Reminds me a bit of peter davison though.

Are we talking CARTOON? ugh. Only livecast will do. Very odd.

There's been so many offshoots of who (further adventures, radio, etc) that continuity is already shot, so why not. Just up the production values to at least an Enterprise level so it's not laughable, and keep clever scripts.

Mixed thoughts.

nonhuman · Jul 10, 2003, 04:49 PM

What's the point, no one will ever be better than William Hartnell.

nredman · Jul 10, 2003, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by nonhuman:
What's the point, no one will ever be better than William Hartnell.

Tom Baker was better...imho

nonhuman · Jul 10, 2003, 04:54 PM

Originally posted by nredman:
Tom Baker was better...imho

Bah, what do you know. You... you... Minnesotan!

Nonsuch · Jul 10, 2003, 05:22 PM

Wow, a Hartnell fan ... usually the grumblers claim no one was ever better than Troughton.

It makes me wonder if the proper way to bring the Doctor back to TV is animation, not live action. HBO's Spawn series managed to bring to life a reasonable facsimile of Todd MacFarlane's drawing style (the show sucked otherwise), so maybe the Beeb could pull it off. There would need to be a really strong producer at the helm to insure that Doctor Who's traditional strengths -- mainly, the well-developed characters that populated each story and gave it an engrossing backdrop -- didn't get thrown out; it would be easy to go for cheap spectacle where the old show would've gone for strong dialogue and characterization.

nonhuman · Jul 10, 2003, 05:23 PM

Hartnell wore a top hat and coattails. 'nuff said.

nredman · Jul 10, 2003, 05:25 PM

Originally posted by nonhuman:
Bah, what do you know. You... you... Minnesotan!

i know that you need a sugarbaby

nonhuman · Jul 10, 2003, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by nredman:
i know that you need a sugarbaby

Shows what you know!

nredman · Jul 10, 2003, 06:14 PM

Originally posted by nonhuman:
Shows what you know!

tom baker says "talk to the hand"

andi*pandi · Jul 10, 2003, 06:17 PM

lalla ward says "what am I doing with this goofy git?"

nonhuman · Jul 10, 2003, 06:21 PM

"Back in my day we didn't need brightly coloured scarves for screen presence. We didn't need colour at all!"

daimoni · 01:56 PM

.

MacGorilla · Jul 10, 2003, 08:23 PM

Originally posted by nredman:
tom baker says "talk to the hand"

LOL

maxelson · Jul 11, 2003, 08:53 AM

Richard Grant is a fine choice.
Last thing I saw him do... hm. Besides Gosford park, it was a BBC Scarlet Pimpernel.
Can't Forget Withnail and I (though no, Phil, I STILL have not seen it). Lots of stage. Like his work.

Hello. My name is Max. And I.... I was a Dr.Who junkie. And I hope to be again.

andi*pandi · Jul 11, 2003, 12:10 PM

raise your hand if you had your grandmother knit you a 17-foot scarf.

then you can call yourself junkie!

Skywalkers new Hand · Jul 11, 2003, 12:15 PM

I watch the old one every night on BBC Kids. LOVE IT!

Nonsuch · Jul 11, 2003, 12:23 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
raise your hand if you had your grandmother knit you a 17-foot scarf.

then you can call yourself junkie!

What if you have two? (Not that I wear them really, but they look great on a coat stand.)

maxelson · Jul 11, 2003, 01:47 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
raise your hand if you had your grandmother knit you a 17-foot scarf.

then you can call yourself junkie!

Ahem. Mom did. Multicolored. Grade school.
:raises hand:

andi*pandi · Jul 11, 2003, 01:47 PM

If you have two, well then you are extra special!

They do look great on a coat rack. In college, I also used mine to weatherstrip my window.

Useful things, scarves.

christ · Jul 11, 2003, 02:53 PM

Not quite Hartnell, but I remember the best Doctor as Peter Cushing in the movie (or maybe movies, I don't really recall). The unfortunate thing was that everything about the movie (or movies...) except for the Doctor didn't really capture the spirit of the TV series.

andi*pandi · Jul 11, 2003, 03:08 PM

In order:

Baker T--wonderful. Liked all his companions too. Got a bit jaded at the end, looked tired.

Troughton--Liked what I saw.

Davison - Just darn likeable. The most "normal" doctor.

Hartnell - Classic.

Pertwee - Pretty good, but sometimes boring. Earth got a little boring and so did all the military stuff.

Baker C - I liked that he was crazy, but he went over the top. Some good companions.

Stupid Sylvester McCoy (although I suppose the scripts weren't his fault)

and whoever that poor guy was who did the Dr 8 tv movie a few years back. Had some nice innocence, but the Americanized it too much. The Doctor? Kissing? Gah.

Never saw the Cushing movies. They were good? I thought the fans hated them.

maxelson · Jul 11, 2003, 03:23 PM

Got the Cushing movies on VHS!
You may see for yourself!

Smashing Dalek ammo. Smoke machine on a stick!

nredman · Jul 11, 2003, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
In order:

Baker T--wonderful. Liked all his companions too. Got a bit jaded at the end, looked tired.

Troughton--Liked what I saw.

Davison - Just darn likeable. The most "normal" doctor.

Hartnell - Classic.

Pertwee - Pretty good, but sometimes boring. Earth got a little boring and so did all the military stuff.

Baker C - I liked that he was crazy, but he went over the top. Some good companions.

Stupid Sylvester McCoy (although I suppose the scripts weren't his fault)

and whoever that poor guy was who did the Dr 8 tv movie a few years back. Had some nice innocence, but the Americanized it too much. The Doctor? Kissing? Gah.

Never saw the Cushing movies. They were good? I thought the fans hated them.

I haven't watched enough of the early years of doctor who to make a really good judgement on my favorite doctor but this is my list anyhow...

1)Tom Baker
2)Colin Baker
3)Davison
4)Pertwee
5)Troughton
6)Hartnell
7)McCoy

maxelson · Jul 11, 2003, 03:32 PM

Geez. YOu know, I'm not even kidding when I say this:
I never realized how much Davros looks like my mother in law.

Nonsuch · Jul 11, 2003, 03:40 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
In order:

Baker T--wonderful. Liked all his companions too. Got a bit jaded at the end, looked tired.

Baker is the definitive Doctor--until Liz Sladen leaves. Then, almost immediately, he starts pitching more and more to the kiddies, and by the time Lalla Ward comes along I almost can't stand the sight of him. He redeemed himself in his last year somewhat; tired he may have been, but at least he's not mugging like Bill Cosby on a sugar high.

Troughton--Liked what I saw.

Davison - Just darn likeable. The most "normal" doctor.

Again,

. Some of his stories were pretty hit and miss, sadly. ("Time-Flight," anyone?) Also stuck with the most consistently disliked companions, except for adorable, wishy-washy Nyssa.

Hartnell - Classic.

Just now getting around to picking up Hartnell's stories. They are quite good and so was he. I also enjoy the occasional fluffs that got in.

Pertwee - Pretty good, but sometimes boring. Earth got a little boring and so did all the military stuff.

Boring and surprisingly self-righteous. Still, some great Letts/Dicks/Holmes classics from this era.

Baker C - I liked that he was crazy, but he went over the top. Some good companions.

If you mean Mel, shame on you. Peri was cool though. As for Colin himself, well ... everyone makes mistakes. Especially John Nathan-Turner.

Stupid Sylvester McCoy (although I suppose the scripts weren't his fault)

No, he did the best he could. I think another year of him and Ace could've turned the show around.

and whoever that poor guy was who did the Dr 8 tv movie a few years back. Had some nice innocence, but the Americanized it too much. The Doctor? Kissing? Gah.

Paul McGann. By far the best thing in that movie. The scene where he steals the cop's gun and threatens to shoot himself with it was vintage Who. Unfortunately, that was the only such scene in the movie.

My ranking, purely on individual merits (not stories, companions etc):

- Fourth
- Second
- Fifth
- Third
- First
- Seventh
- Eighth
- Sixth

maxelson · Jul 11, 2003, 03:46 PM

OK. Just got done with a couple of interviews with Tom Baker.
Well. He's a vulgar old fvck, isn't he?
Like him.
He's got that kind of "aging queen" thing going on. Whether or not he is an aging queen, I don't know... but he sure gives that off.

Nonsuch · Jul 11, 2003, 03:50 PM

Originally posted by maxelson:
OK. Just got done with a couple of interviews with Tom Baker.
Well. He's a vulgar old fvck, isn't he?
Like him.

Ever hear the "Symphony" outtakes?

andi*pandi · Jul 11, 2003, 04:10 PM

Originally posted by maxelson:
Geez. YOu know, I'm not even kidding when I say this:
I never realized how much Davros looks like my mother in law.

andi*pandi · Jul 11, 2003, 04:21 PM

Originally posted by Nonsuch:
[B]Also stuck with the most consistently disliked companions, except for adorable, wishy-washy Nyssa.[b]

I liked Tegan. Nyssa was ok, but bland. Adric and his math badge could go jump in a lake, and I wasn't sad when he kicked.

If you mean Mel, shame on you. Peri was cool though.

I liked Peri. I liked her shorts. She seemed to not take guff. Once it got to Mel, well.... I knew we were going downhill. Trying to make the doctor drink carrot juice and exercise... I mean... I mean... yikes.

My favorite scene in the dr 8 movie, is actually Mccoy having tea in the tardis, and then at the end McGann goes and sits down and finishes. That was a righteous version of the tardis.

We are all geeks you know. But the best kind of geek.

Nonsuch · Jul 11, 2003, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
I liked Tegan. Nyssa was ok, but bland. Adric and his math badge could go jump in a lake, and I wasn't sad when he kicked.

I like Tegan too, actually, though it's my impression we're kind of a minority. Should be interesting to hear her commentary on the Resurrection and Earthshock DVDs.

vmarks · 04:34 PM

Originally posted by nonhuman:
What's the point, no one will ever be better than William Hartnell.

You got that right.

Baker was fun, and I have a 20ft long scarf, but Bill Hartnell set the standard.

EDIT: my aunt made the scarf, it isn't multi-colored, $40 worth of yarn. I don't care, I got to see the Tardis (blue police box) and Daleks at the British Film Museum in London.

nredman · Jul 12, 2003, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by maxelson:
Geez. YOu know, I'm not even kidding when I say this:
I never realized how much Davros looks like my mother in law.

EXTERMINATE!!!!! EXTERMINATE!!!!!

Link · Jul 12, 2003, 10:05 AM

^_^ my fav thing uh... *this is stupid* was k-9 ^_^

daimoni · 01:56 PM

.