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Socially Awkward Solo · Mar 31, 2005, 02:45 AM

"Actor Christopher Eccleston has quit as Doctor Who after just one episode of the new series has been screened, the BBC has confirmed.

Eccleston, whose first appearance as the ninth Time Lord attracted around 10 million viewers, feared being typecast."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4395849.stm

:XI: · Mar 31, 2005, 04:06 AM

I'm sure the show being utter garbage had no inluence on his decision.

nredman · Mar 31, 2005, 06:27 AM

DOH!!!

that sucks...

Socially Awkward Solo · Mar 31, 2005, 09:54 AM

Originally posted by :XI::
I'm sure the show being utter garbage had no inluence on his decision.

It had a really high viewership and got mostly positive reviews.

andi*pandi · Mar 31, 2005, 09:56 AM

Damn it! They guy went from courting the director BEGGING to be in the role, and then quits because he doesn't want to get TYPECAST?

Why didn't the BBC book him into a 3 year contract at the least?

budster101 · Mar 31, 2005, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
Damn it! They guy went from courting the director BEGGING to be in the role, and then quits because he doesn't want to get TYPECAST?

Why didn't the BBC book him into a 3 year contract at the least?

It's the BBC.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Mar 31, 2005, 11:06 AM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
Why didn't the BBC book him into a 3 year contract at the least?

Most shows only run 3 years over there. At any rate it is totally stupid of them.

I mean people will watch the premiere, get to know the new doctor and then have him gone for the next episode??

Anyone see that last bad Dr. Who in the TV special in the early 90's?

AB^2=BCxAC · Mar 31, 2005, 11:18 AM

It's Doctor Who. It wouldn't be the same if it weren't a revolving cast of Whos. Besides, is it really that traumatic to lose a Who after one season? It's not like Frasier being recast after 11 years, replacing Kelsey Grammar with Tom Welling or some nonsense.

nath · Mar 31, 2005, 11:33 AM

Originally posted by budster101:
It's the BBC.

It was probably necessary in order to get a good actor. There's no way they would have got anyone of Ecclestone's calibre to sign a three year contract, especially when there was (and still is) a fairly high chance that the first season might stiff once the initial hype has worn off.

Personally I don't think it's too much of a problem. The unique thing about the original Dr Who was that you could completely reinvigorate the show every few years by changing the lead actor as part of the story. Would have been good if he'd done 2 seasons though.

He is signed up for the Xmas special, which I assume will now be a regeneration story.

nredman · Mar 31, 2005, 06:21 PM

Originally posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker:
Most shows only run 3 years over there. At any rate it is totally stupid of them.

I mean people will watch the premiere, get to know the new doctor and then have him gone for the next episode??

Anyone see that last bad Dr. Who in the TV special in the early 90's?

anything after the 5th doctor was crap - imho (although i do enjoy some of the 6th doctor episodes)

ajprice · Apr 1, 2005, 04:25 AM

SWG, the series showing now has all been filmed with Christopher Eccleston as Dr Who. BBC announced a 2nd series after the ratings of the first show, and Eccleston then said he wouldn't be in the 2nd series because he 'didn't want to be typecast'. I think this is the way Ecleston works, he tends to do different things and doesn't stay with one role for a long time, and tends to keep to one off shows, mini-series and being in a regular show for one series or so. I'm not really surprised at him leaving myself. Anyway, as long as Billie Piper stays, I'll still have a reason to watch

!

andi*pandi · Apr 1, 2005, 09:32 AM

the rumor mill consensus now is that Eccleston was never going to be in it for more than a year, good ratings or no, and he'd just be an intro to a lesser known actor.

nredman · Apr 1, 2005, 08:08 PM

who will be the next Who???

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 02:21 AM

Ok I watched the premiere tonight.

I liked it but I have one main question. Is the show supposed to be campy and cheesy on purpose? I don't mean that in a bad way, I just couldn't tell.

I mean garbage cans eating boyfriends and plastic monsters?

Other than that it was fun to watch. The special effects are absolutely horrible, looks like it was made by students.

The Dr. is played wonderfully, too bad he quit.

The girl in it looks like 7 of 9 but with a ugly mouth.

Best line: "If you are an alien how come you sound like you are from the North"
"lots of planets have a north"

Jim Paradise · Apr 6, 2005, 03:20 AM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Ok I watched the premiere tonight.

I liked it but I have one main question. Is the show supposed to be campy and cheesy on purpose? I don't mean that in a bad way, I just couldn't tell.

I mean garbage cans eating boyfriends and plastic monsters?

Other than that it was fun to watch. The special effects are absolutely horrible, looks like it was made by students.

The Dr. is played wonderfully, too bad he quit.

The girl in it looks like 7 of 9 but with a ugly mouth.

Best line: "If you are an alien how come you sound like you are from the North"
"lots of planets have a north"

It is supposed to be campy, but it was originally conceived as a kids' show.

I'm quite happy with the new series.

The quote you selected was my fav line also. A friend of mine stepped out of the room just at that moment, thus missing one of the best parts of the show.

nath · Apr 6, 2005, 03:24 AM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Ok I watched the premiere tonight.

I liked it but I have one main question. Is the show supposed to be campy and cheesy on purpose? I don't mean that in a bad way, I just couldn't tell.

I mean garbage cans eating boyfriends and plastic monsters?

Other than that it was fun to watch. The special effects are absolutely horrible, looks like it was made by students.

The Dr. is played wonderfully, too bad he quit.

The girl in it looks like 7 of 9 but with a ugly mouth.

Best line: "If you are an alien how come you sound like you are from the North"
"lots of planets have a north"

It is meant to be camp. Not just because of the historic dandy-ish style of the show, but also because Russell T. Davies (Producer/lead writer) is best known for the groundbreaking gay series 'Queer As Folk'. First British TV programme to show uncensored gay sex, folks!

There are definitely cheesy elements, but in all good Who stories that should be tempered with a hint of darkness. This was quite restrained in Ep1 (The 'I can feel the Earth spinning' monologue was the main example) but gets a bit more exposure in Ep2, where the Doctor talks about the death of his planet and goes into a bit more detail about 'the war' mentioned in Ep1, which was apparently responsible. Could it have been the Daleks? Clearly this is going to be a recurring theme.

WRT the plastic monsters, this was a tribute/throwback to a classic 70s episode (Attack of the Autons). It seemed to me that the 'bad guy of the week' in this episode was almost an afterthought, as the main intention was to introduce the new Doctor and sidekick. In the end I thought their characterisations were strong enough to have held the viewer's attention without the 'saving the Earth' sideshow, but I understand why they put it in, if only for pacing.

I'm not sure what you mean about the special effects. I didn't really think the first episode had enough CGI to make a call on that, although the Nesting Consciousness looked pretty good. They were undertaken by The Mill, the London effects house that won an Oscar for their work on Gladiator. Where did you feel they were lacking?

Episode 2, 'The End of the World' is much more effects-intensive and (IMO) much more impressive. You can download it here if you're not in the UK.

I actually re-watched the first two episodes today, followed by a fairly recent episode of Stargate. Whilst Stargate was certainly more ambitious, the effects were still patchy in places; Doctor Who certainly stood up to it.

nredman · Apr 6, 2005, 05:51 AM

it was cool how they mentioned the iPod in the latest episode.

Krypton · Apr 6, 2005, 07:50 AM

Originally posted by nredman:
it was cool how they mentioned the iPod in the latest episode.

Yes made me smile too. The second episode was much better, special effects and jokes included.

TheBadgerHunter · Apr 6, 2005, 10:57 AM

Overall I really liked it, and thats not easy considering its in the same slot as House and Scrubs.

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by nath:

I'm not sure what you mean about the special effects. I didn't really think the first episode had enough CGI to make a call on that, although the Nesting Consciousness looked pretty good. They were undertaken by The Mill, the London effects house that won an Oscar for their work on Gladiator. Where did you feel they were lacking?

The garbage can eating the guy was awful, so was the opening title and goo monster.

Anywho, something I don't get. The doctor always gets new forms right? Based on all the old photos of him it seems he has had the current form for 100 years or so. How come when he looks into the mirror at the girls house he acts like he is seeing his new face for the first time (and comments on the ears)?

ReggieX · Apr 6, 2005, 11:21 AM

Only managed to catch the first half on CBC last night, so I'll have to get it by some other means

I was a big Tom Baker era Dr. Who fan, so it's good to see a similar vibe on the show, yet it looks so much better than the standard "film outside, video inside" BBC productions.

andi*pandi · Apr 6, 2005, 11:25 AM

I wished in the old photos they would have shown the other drs... would have been nice...

but the simple fact is, SWG, he hasn't been there yet. He's got a time machine. Maybe we'll see him nip off to Texas in a few episodes.

oh, and nath? I LOVE YOU. will check out link when not at work.

nath · Apr 6, 2005, 11:40 AM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
The garbage can eating the guy was awful, so was the opening title and goo monster.

The garbage can was funny, stupid, camp. Yeah, it looked pretty silly. I'm pretty sure it would still look silly even if ILM spent a year working on it! It is, after all, a carnivorous dustbin.

I thought the titles were OK (if obviously a slightly retro tribute to the 70s version). I thought the goo monster (I guess you mean the Nesting Consciousness from the end) was fine, a big plasma style blob in the finest CGI tradition.

I guess what I'm saying is that my expectations for this show are for it to look as good as, say, the last season of Voyager (which I thought was a benchmark in terms of TV FX). No-one expects it to take on the Matrix.

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Anywho, something I don't get. The doctor always gets new forms right? Based on all the old photos of him it seems he has had the current form for 100 years or so. How come when he looks into the mirror at the girls house he acts like he is seeing his new face for the first time (and comments on the ears)?

Remember he's a time traveller. He could well have appeared in all three places the previous day.

The mirror reaction was a little silly, but came amongst a series of one-liners intended to introduce the audience to the 'new' Doctor. Me and my family found it all hysterical, and I think there's something in that - I really can't see this taking off in a big way with completely new viewers, particularly in the US. Every scene raises more questions about the obviously extensive in-jokes the viewer is supposed to be getting.

The Beeb have mocked-up a website for the conspiracy theory guy. Check it out - first link at the top, just like in the show!

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...ue+box&spell=1

nath · Apr 6, 2005, 11:42 AM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
oh, and nath? I LOVE YOU. will check out link when not at work.

No worries, they seem to get the new episodes by Sunday lunchtime each week. You have to register, but it seems totally spam-free.

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 11:57 AM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
I wished in the old photos they would have shown the other drs... would have been nice...

That wouldn't make much sense, why would the nut collect pictures of different looking people and think it was the same person. Also new viewers wouldn't get it.

nredman · Apr 6, 2005, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
The garbage can eating the guy was awful, so was the opening title and goo monster.

Anywho, something I don't get. The doctor always gets new forms right? Based on all the old photos of him it seems he has had the current form for 100 years or so. How come when he looks into the mirror at the girls house he acts like he is seeing his new face for the first time (and comments on the ears)?

good question, and also in the last episode i didn't like the fact that he said all the other timelords are dead....they better bring back The Master or i will be pissed

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 04:28 PM

Dr. Who ain't Dr. Who without the dalek so they had better be in it ASAP.

Deimos · Apr 6, 2005, 04:34 PM

It's the music that spoils it for me, makes the show feel too "cheap".

Hope Alan Davies is the next Dr. Who.

nredman · Apr 6, 2005, 04:36 PM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Dr. Who ain't Dr. Who without the dalek so they had better be in it ASAP.

yes they need the daleks (davros too) - the master - the sontarans - cybermen.

the master is still my favorite bad guy/alien

nredman · Apr 6, 2005, 04:38 PM

Originally posted by Deimos:
It's the music that spoils it for me, makes the show feel too "cheap".

Hope Alan Davies is the next Dr. Who.

i am glad the music is the same as the old music...brings me back to watching it as a kid on pbs friday nights or was it saturday night..either way i wish it was still on pbs...guess i should have donated back then.

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by nredman:
i am glad the music is the same as the old music...brings me back to watching it as a kid on pbs friday nights or was it saturday night..either way i wish it was still on pbs...guess i should have donated back then.

Actually the music sounded worse to me, it is not as intense.

On another note the show was in HD, but it was the most ghetto looking HD I have ever seen.

Deimos · Apr 6, 2005, 04:46 PM

Originally posted by nredman:
i am glad the music is the same as the old music...brings me back to watching it as a kid on pbs friday nights or was it saturday night..either way i wish it was still on pbs...guess i should have donated back then.

Yeah, the main theme is fine (always loved that tune), but it's the kiddie-pop music they have running through the show that gets me annoyed.

andi*pandi · Apr 6, 2005, 09:48 PM

regards pix: well, not all of the pix of old drs, but here and there in the same pic with the new... that would be a quandry...

thought the dustbin itself was ok, but the burp was cheesy/hilarious/saw it coming. glob monster, eh. When the boyfriend turned plastic he looked abit like the guy from red dwarf--a bit too much plastic.

I heard the music was going to be retooled in future eps? I didn't mind it though.

::whistles a happy tune::

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 6, 2005, 09:50 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:
When the boyfriend turned plastic he looked abit like the guy from red dwarf--a bit too much plastic.

He looked more like a homosexual teenager experimenting with his moms makeup when she was at work.

nredman · Apr 11, 2005, 06:08 PM

what did everyone think of the last episode.(the unquiet dead) i liked it better then the previous weeks episode (the end of the world). i thought the charles dickens storyline was great - and billie was looking hot.

nforcer · Apr 11, 2005, 07:16 PM

The end of the world was a fun little ep. Not the best tv, I thought it was predictable, but seeing some of the things were interesting. I think the goofy music fits in well with the goofiness of the concept. This is coming from someone who has never seen any dr. who stuff before.

I deliberately skipped this week because I don't find the past or evil spirits or whatever the preview was supposed to be about very interesting,

nonhuman · Apr 11, 2005, 07:39 PM

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:
Dr. Who ain't Dr. Who without the dalek so they had better be in it ASAP.

Didn't BBC already confirm that the Daleks would be in the new series? I think they also said they'd be able to go up and down stairs.

blue storm 1337 · Apr 11, 2005, 07:48 PM

Originally posted by andi*pandi:

Why didn't the BBC book him into a 3 year contract at the least?

The point of Dr Who is that the Time Witch or whatever changes every series. It's a crap show, I watched an episode from the latest season, and it's just as crappy and budget as always.

Just because the BBC makes the show doesn't mean that it'll be good. The BBC is responsible for lame shows like the Office, and dozens of garbage reality "lifestyle" shows.

blue storm 1337 · Apr 11, 2005, 07:52 PM

Originally posted by Deimos:
Yeah, the main theme is fine (always loved that tune)

Yes, saddly, that is the only good part of the whole TV show.

goMac · Apr 11, 2005, 07:56 PM

Originally posted by blue storm 1337:
The point of Dr Who is that the Time Witch or whatever changes every series. It's a crap show, I watched an episode from the latest season, and it's just as crappy and budget as always.

Just because the BBC makes the show doesn't mean that it'll be good. The BBC is responsible for lame shows like the Office, and dozens of garbage reality "lifestyle" shows.

Can I just get an RSS feed of your posts?

blue storm 1337 · Apr 11, 2005, 08:50 PM

I'm too 1337 for RSS

Socially Awkward Solo · Apr 13, 2005, 11:51 AM

I really liked the second episode of "The end of the world".

That bitchy trampoline line was hilarious.

nath · Apr 13, 2005, 12:20 PM

Originally posted by nonhuman:
Didn't BBC already confirm that the Daleks would be in the new series? I think they also said they'd be able to go up and down stairs.

'Dalek War'. Supposed to be a two-parter that ends the series.

I've a suspicion that the 'Time War' which has been referenced in all episodes so far was against the Daleks, and the Daleks won. The Time Lords have been destroyed and the end of the series will see the war coming to Earth...

Originally posted by nedman:

what did everyone think of the last episode.(the unquiet dead) i liked it better then the previous weeks episode (the end of the world). i thought the charles dickens storyline was great - and billie was looking hot.

It was good, I've never been keen on the Victorian-style episodes though. However with period drama being the one thing that the BBC can do better than anyone, they had to do it really. Dickens was great.

Originally posted by Socially Awkward Solo:

I really liked the second episode of "The end of the world".

That bitchy trampoline line was hilarious

That was my favourite episode so far. The effects were the best I've ever seen on British TV. The underlying themes (particularly the stuff with Jabe about the war and the Doctor's loss) are teh coolness. The character was always so strong, but you get the feeling he's suffered a lot since we saw him last.

I didn't really dare to hope this might be even watchable after being completely spoilt last year by Galactica. But it looks like finally TV sci-fi might have broken away from the malign influence of Star Trek...

nonhuman · Apr 13, 2005, 01:12 PM

I'm still not sure how I feel about Rose. But then, I've never really been a big fan of any of the companions. She certainly does play the part, though.

Bring back K-9!

andi*pandi · Apr 13, 2005, 02:07 PM

I liked the end of the world, seemed like a logical next step.. Past companions seem to have adjusted really quickly to the Tardis once they get past the whole "bigger on the inside" concept it's all old hat. I believed Rose. My only problem s were a) a bit of predictability, and b) the looooong drawnout climax. If the dr had stopped pausing dramatically between each rotor blade to look back at treelady, he might have gotten to the switch sooner.

The treelady was cool.