BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Doctor Who

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 9:49 am

I've never watched Dr. Who but I've been thinking about it for a year since everybody seems to talk about the show everywhere. A few days ago I happened to see in TV parts of a show where there was the guy from BAND OF BROTHERS who suddenly goes blind and back and there was this greenish blobby monster who devoured humans and you could see their faces in his body. I thought "who the hell would ever want to watch a show like this". Then I noticed a phone booth on the street and David Tennant and the cute blone girl, Piper or something.

So if Dr.Who is like Farscape or Babylon 5 on Earth with british accents, I think I'll skip it for now.

hepzibah · June 27, 2012 10:05 am

No, no, Drama, it is so much better than that. Give the first of the new series from 2005 a go. I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it.

Davina · June 27, 2012 12:23 pm

Yep. Definitely start with the Christopher Ecclestone Doctor Who.

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 1:40 pm

The thing is, I could never start watching a series from the middle. I know when the doctor changes the show starts from the beginning in a way, but I to me all the seasons with different doctors are the same show. So if I some day start watching it, I'm going to start from the sixties one.

hepzibah · June 27, 2012 1:50 pm

oh, boy, that is a really big commitment, make sure you have plenty of snacks

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 2:01 pm

Well I have other sixties shows going on at the moment, so I won't be watching Doctor Who in a while, but it's possible some day. At the moment I'm watching Star Trek and The Prisoner. Like 'em both.

Anyways, be seeing you.

hypergreenfrog · June 27, 2012 2:03 pm

Dramagod,
The Classic series and the so call "Nu Who" are really two quite different shows. Not that I would want to deter you from watching it all, by all means, I'm sure you would enjoy them. Just be prepared that the original show was written for a 60s audience, and if such things as bad effects and cheap sets bother you, then you are definitely better off starting from 2005 rather than 1963.

The reason I am saying this is because you mention Farscape as a show you dislike, altough in my own opinion, it was an amazing and completely underrated show. But yes, the sets were cheap and colourful and they used virtually no CGI in the beginning, and that put a lot of people off watching it. The same is probably true for Classic Dr.Who from a 21st century perspective.

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 2:28 pm

I have no problem with cheap sets and campy feel. Like I said I'm watching Star Trek at the moment and I'm enjoying it, even if the fake rocks move when it winds. I don't dislike Farscape. To be honest, I've only seen the pilot episode of it and it was years ago. I only mentioned it because that green blob in the Who episode reminded me of Farscape for some reason. And it was not at all what I imagined Doctor Who would be like. I enjoyed EARTH 2 and that wasn't a big budget sci-fi show.

All in all I AM intrigued about Doctor Who but I'll wait a while longer before considering watching it, cause I know there's a lot of episodes and it's not an over-night thing exactly.

Last edited by Dramagod (June 27, 2012 2:30 pm)

Davina · June 27, 2012 3:03 pm

The Prisoner. Patrick McGoohan (I think) weird but wonderful programme.

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 3:11 pm

@Davina - I've had the boxset for 6 years now and I'm still at episode 7 or so. I should just do it and watch it. Don't know what I'm waiting for. It's clear as day that the creators of LOST were fans of THE PRISONER.

Last edited by Dramagod (June 27, 2012 3:12 pm)

hypergreenfrog · June 27, 2012 3:56 pm

@dramagod
Well, in this case, I really did misunderstand your post, I get it now.
You could always start with one doctor, and then take a break before the next, like watching it on TV?

Maybe you could try watching Farscape ?
I will be the first to admit that Season 1 starts off a bit slow and MOTW, but the character development, lack of cliches and the issues it deals with are virtually unsurpassed in sci-fi. It is also the only sci-fi show I know that is non-military, which I personally find very appealing.

Dramagod · June 27, 2012 4:45 pm

hypergreenfrog wrote:
@dramagod
Well, in this case, I really did misunderstand your post, I get it now.
You could always start with one doctor, and then take a break before the next, like watching it on TV?

Maybe you could try watching Farscape ?
I will be the first to admit that Season 1 starts off a bit slow and MOTW, but the character development, lack of cliches and the issues it deals with are virtually unsurpassed in sci-fi. It is also the only sci-fi show I know that is non-military, which I personally find very appealing.

When I finish a few more shows I'll consider Doctor Who. If you read this, you'll understand why I'm not too keen on starting it just yet:

http://3sidestoeverystory.tumblr.com/post/25789043301/tv-shows-im-watching-at-the-moment

Sammy · June 28, 2012 12:35 pm

Oh, Dramagod, I just wanted to inform you... the episode you mentioned was quite unusual for Doctor Who so the other episodes might not make the same impression to you.
(Well, I thought the episode was more slapstick-y and silly than they normally are, but that made it very very funny!)
But I see you're very busy (as in with other shows)

Dramagod · June 28, 2012 12:56 pm

That's good to know, Sammy. It's like if one would randomly watch an episode of The X-Files that happened to be one of the spoof/goofy ones, he'd get the wrong impression of the show. So all hope is not gone for me watching Doctor Who some day.

Irene Adler · June 28, 2012 8:52 pm

Dramagod, if you want a good episode of Doctor Who, just to try and see one, you should go with "Blink" (series 3, don't remember which episode, but it is in Tennant's era). There are a lot of other good ones, but I think this is one of the best.

sherlockskitty · July 1, 2012 6:55 am

The first ep I watched with david tennant was VOYAGE OF THE DAMMNED which was christmas 2007 I was hooked then. especially since that ship was named after the one that sank in 1912...what was the name?

Drama, the trouble with starting at the beginning of dr who is this-- that series ended with the 8th dr NOT regenerating. I don't know what happened to him. And, not all of those eps are on dvd or online. the 2005 reboot, with the 9th dr chris Eccleston, was good, because they sort of explained what had happened before.
The show you saw was called LOVE & MOnsters...and THAT was a CREEEPY show to begin with. Even I don't have that on the tapes I've saved of dr who. And BLINK, for me, was very strange too, as Tennant and Freema Ageyman weren't in it very much.

I never liked Farscape, or Stargate atlantis either. I did like Babylon 5 a little bit, and battlestar galactica (the old one, not the new one) and of course Star trek, most of them. and I wasn't a big fan of dr who until david tennant came on board. But I understand what you're saying, because even I haven't started watching dr who from the very beginning. I just caught up with it by getting books from my library, and then I started over by watching on Netflix the 2005 shows.

time for bed for this who/lock/mer fan!! (mer is Merlin) goodnight!!

Irene Adler · July 1, 2012 9:33 am

I must say I have only watched a few random episodes from the previous series, and I have only seen in full the new series (from Eccleston onwards). Dramagod, it's more than enough to get a good view of Doctor Who. And I am a bit like you, I prefer watching series complete (I have been waiting to watch The Sopranos for three years because I didn't have the first season).

I know Blink is probably the episode with "less Doctor", but it is still great. There's another one I loved and I think may be good to get an idea of the series, "Midnight". Catherine Tate barely appears, but it is great. And of course, the two last episodes of series 3, with John Simm as the Master, could be good too.

Sherlock Holmes · July 3, 2012 8:48 pm

Well, I've just finished watching the whole series (all 6 of them). I thought it was going to take absolutely ages but it really didn't take as long as I thought. I was averaging about 3 episodes per day.

Some of them I'd seen when they were on the telly, but I have to say it was my first time watching a lot of them and OH MY GOD, I totally loved it....AHHH!!

Irene Adler · July 3, 2012 9:03 pm

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
Well, I've just finished watching the whole series (all 6 of them). I thought it was going to take absolutely ages but it really didn't take as long as I thought. I was averaging about 3 episodes per day.

Some of them I'd seen when they were on the telly, but I have to say it was my first time watching a lot of them and OH MY GOD, I totally loved it....AHHH!!

Oh, boss, I started with three episodes per day too, but from series 3 onwards I tried to control myself and watch... well, two per day
What have been your favourites?

kazza474 · July 14, 2012 10:33 am

For anyone interested :
https://twitter.com/BBCAMERICA

Get onto BBC America's twitter feed tomorrow (possibly today? Unsure of time zones on this)

Karen Gillan
Guess "who" is taking over @bbcamerica 's twitter for one day only starting tomorrow...

Karen Gillan
Clue number 1; its not me. @bbcamerica

Arthur Darvill @RattyBurvil
So someone 'snazzy' is going to be taking over @BBCAMERICA's twitter tomorrow. ‪#SDCC‬

Karen Gillan
Clue number 2; this person has never tweeted before...

Karen Gillan
And your third and final clue of the night; wide set feet. Goodnight!! X

Cumberbatchweb
Bit of a tangent but Matt Smith is taking over @BBCAMERICA's twitter today. Hi Matt! Hope you're enjoying #SDCC

So yes, apparently Matt Smith is 'taking over ' their Twitter, whatever that will entail!