FF:QLD Doctor Who

So the BBC's Doctor Who front page says, "prepare for Adventure 1/12/2007."

Can I safely assume that the Christmas Special is on this weekend then?

 

Must be a misprint; checking the BBC Schedule (I can check British Television Schedules in Australia...that boggles me) there's no listing for the Christmas Special.

Hmmm...

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

That's weird - although I would have thought the 1st of December a bit early for the Christmas Special anyway. Possibly the site is just referencing that it's the beginning of Advent. *shrug*

It's ambiguous as all hell though.

 

New Doctor Who Executive Producer announced.

 

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a time lord. I'm 903 years old and I'm the man who's going to save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below." (edit: Christmas Special trailer on BBC site under the Advent-ure calendar no. 14)

903? Doctor's lying about his age again, surely

 

Answer One:
The Doctor's claims about his age are like Bender's claims about his metallic percentages. A self-contradicting running joke.

Answer Two:
He's not lying or mistaken about his age. He's lying or mistaken about his incarnation. McGann comes later.

Answer Three:
903. Nine minus three is six. That's right: the precise number of members in the Village People. This is Russell T Davies pushing his gay agenda as usual. That HACK.

Answer Four:
Time War.

 

Touche. Good answers, all thereof.

 

Here's a comic involving a meeting between the ten canon incarnations of the Doctor, and its really quite cute. I love the concept of the Second Romana babysitting the companions while the Doctors try to work out what's going on.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Answer Three:
903. Nine minus three is six. That's right: the precise number of members in the Village People. This is Russell T Davies pushing his gay agenda as usual. That HACK.

Answer Four:
Time War.


Riotous laughter.

 

Well, huzzah, the classic series Sonic Screwdriver prop I eBay'd has finally arrived. It looks close enough, though I will need to glue parts of it back together again. It'll do though for now.

 

[image=http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d171/musicalbek/sonicscrewdriver.jpg]

Here we go.

 

AICN took the time to put it all up, but I'm only posting the links here rather than the AICN article due to the picture of Kylie Minogue which might be considered NSFW in draconian regimes:

Voyage of the Damned Teaser 1

Voyage of the Damned Teaser 2

Voyage of the Damned Teaser 3

A behind the scenes article from the Times, where everyone is fabulous...

The Advent Calendar Christmas Greeting from the Official Website

And finally, the Torchwood Season 2 trailer, now with 33.3% less suckage and James Marsters!

Oddly, still not confident.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Well, i just finished watching episode 2 of Torchwood season 2. I'm actually gonna say this, i seriously enjoyed the second episode. First episode was certainly enjoyable but the second just blew me away when it comes to watching Torchwood.

 

If you have a fundamental issue with the style of Torchwood, 201 will not under any circumstances win you over. Jack still flirts with every single character, Ianto is still glorified furniture, and the "adult" elements are as juvenile as they get. But if you can lock the Inner Critical Forumgoer outside for forty minutes, you just might find it good, dumb fun.

The pacing is good, I'll give them that, and it's nice to see them functioning so well as a team now. Parts seemed like a step backwards; others a step forward. I thought the second half of season one bordered on brilliant at times (or at least gratuitously flirted with it). I'll give the show every chance to live up to those better moments, but try to keep my expectations realistic.

 

So I succumbed and picked up The Complete Davros Collection; a major DVD double dip for me. What this gives me that's new storywise is Destiny of the Daleks; which despite Lalla Ward's instant cute presence, doesn't have a lot more going for it as I recall. A rewatch may either confirm or deny that viewpoint. There's also a cleaned up and beefed up edition of Remembrance of the Daleks in here, which is much appreciated as the original release was fairly bare. Everything else is the same as original releases.

What makes this worth the merry bushells of cash they want you to pay for it is a new documentary about the history of the character, and more importantly, eight Big Finish audio dramas starring Terry Molloy as Davros, with some of the stories starring Colin Baker and Paul McGann as the Doctor. What's sold me though is the small essay in the booklet that comes with it; it makes the point that Davros was the only Doctor Who villain that could shake the Doctor's morality. Something I knew, but didn't really click until it was spelt out for me. Given the moral conflicts in Dalek and Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, it makes me excited to think about what the New Series writers could do with the character of Davros if he should turn up again.

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Ooh is that out then? Sweet, I need Romana reference shots.



In other news: Kevin Stoney has passed away. Awww. I feel I should put on The Invasion when I get home.

 

Heeheheheee... For once the Lutwyche JB didn't fail me. Got the Davros box now, satisfying my need for screencaps of Destiny of the Daleks. Fortunately the only story I have so far is Genesis, so I've not overlapped too much.

Squee.

 

Torchwood 202: a massive step up. Forty minutes of emotional intensity and genuine maturity. Like season one's Out of Time, it's a story that's been explored before, but seldom better.

This time the rapid-fire filming style works in the show's favour. The damage caused and lives lost feel very real. Even Ianto shows an uncharacteristic (but not unwelcome) amount of personality and humour.

This is Torchwood living up to its potential: a proper, adult supernatural drama more in line with Spooks than Doctor Who. About time.

 

Dear fellow Whotopians,

I can happily recommend watching Martha's three Torchwood episodes (206-8). She only plays a supporting role in another character's story arc, but it is a very good one.

What's new in Jonestown?
Martha has a new man who once saved her life. (In an obsolete timeline, perhaps?)
Martha is now a fully qualified doctor.
And here, as a certain manic Welshman might say, is the excellent part:
Martha is a scientific advisor for UNIT.

 

Still not watched any season 2 Torchwood, though I hear from Torchwood fans (or Torcherinos, as they prefer to be called) tell me it's been pretty good. I bummed all the episodes so far off Zerebin at the LAN, so I'll have to check it out when I get the chance.

 

Well, given what HB has just hinted at (and how that's even remotely possible, I have no idea, but anyway), I guess I'm gonna have to get them off you BBN. I have many marvellous things for trade

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

"Series Four Trailer

Get ready - it's on its way!

After an exclusive cinema-only run, we're delighted to announce that the new Doctor Who Series Four trailer will make its official TV and web debut on Saturday 29 March 2008.

Tune in to BBC One or visit us here on the official website at around 7pm to see some spectacular action from the forthcoming series starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate."

 

...but they're SO CUTE!!!

 

After the less than stellar end to Season 3 and the last Christmas Special (which was so bad I didn't even consider recapping it), here we go again.

As an aside, while Russell T. Davies credit as writer of this first episode might put you off given the above mentioned episodes, it's not as bad as you think. In discussions during the downtime, it was concluded by a few friends that Russell T. Davies is a very good writer, but he's not great at ending things. Obviously a theory that's open to conjecture, but having reviewed some of his work outside of Doctor Who, it fits.

Anyway...

Doctor Who 30.01/4.01 - "Partners in Crime"

Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?

...No.

Nor me. Let's find out!

The revolutionary weightloss company Adipose is releasing their drug to the greater population of Britain after successful trials in London. A reporter is trying to get to the bottom of the scientific ramifications of the drug, while two other individuals mount their own seperate yet parallel investigations. One is Donna Noble, the other is the Doctor. Their seperate investigations have them crossing paths again, and they learn among other things that Adipose aren't actually lying with their slogan, "The fat just walks away".

This isn't the best season opener the new series has ever had, but I think it's the funniest. Catherine Tate is an acquired taste humour wise, but it's undeniable that she's got talent after watching this. The silent exchange between Donna and the Doctor when they first meet up again is priceless. And while she's still the Tegan for the new series (how she barges back onto the TARDIS is reminiscent of Tegan's own inviting herself back in Arc of Infinity), she isn't the shrieking horror she was in The Runaway Bride. If there's one fault in her portayal, it's the way she gushes about the Doctor to her grandad Wilfred on a hill under the stars. Ever seen Real Life vs. The Internet? It's like the bit with Sarge going on about Angelina Jolie. I half expected Sarge to jump up and yell "Do you like the Doctor? He's great!! He travels in time in a big blue box!!!"

The "monsters", as Goobs said, are just too cute. It kinda makes the whole story more in line with The Sarah Jane Adventures than what you'd expect from Doctor Who, but considering Donna's Sarah Jane style investigative bent, it fits.

I also like the fact that they're just going for a friend for a companion, not an adulating sap like the last two could be.

We also get one Hell of a surprise in the final scenes, something we were expecting much later in the series. Not exactly positive about it myself, but we don't know the full story yet.

Next week...The sets from the former series Rome! Pompei! Vesuvious! Togas! Sacrifices!

Be seeing you,

Magnus Darcrider

 

Richard Dawkins will be appearing as himself in Doctor Who. How strangely awesome.

Or to translate into Outpost Gallifrey language:
Not content with his letting his gay agenda influence Doctor Who, Russell T Davies is forcing his atheism on us as well. That HACK!