You know why - $$$$
So. Last week, the BBC held a low-key celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Doctor Who tv series.
Like, really low-key. A couple of programmes on BBC4!
I recorded 'Talking Doctor Who', a clips show hosted by David Tennant, but only got round to watching it this morning. It was... fine. Some interesting archive footage, a focus on Pertwee and Baker... but nothing special.
The show ends, and the announcer mentions that all the episodes of classic and modern Doctor Who are available on the iPlayer. Now I know this isn't right, because - whenever I've checked - it's just the new Who.... which I've always regarded as a travesty.
So, I check... And I'm wrong. They are ALL there! From Hartnell's first episode onwards!
My plans for the rest of the year have now changed. I'm going to start with Tom Baker's best 10 episodes, then go back to start from Hartnell.
TLDR? Every single episode of classic and new Who is now on iPlayer!!!
it's a complete clusterf*ck outside the UK, where BBC has every episode.
I said that the other day. 
So, Doctor Who Magazine did an all time list of favourite Doctor Who episodes list again for the 60th anniversary. I‘m a bit surprised by number one and two being Capaldi episodes. It’s nice to be surprised for once, as these lists are usually very similar, but personally I‘m having a hard time remembering the first two stories, where I could tell you beat for beat what happens in almost all of the other stories.
What about your personal top 10? I need a couple of hours to think about mine.
Doctor Who Magazine’s top ten list in full:
1. Heaven Sent (2015) – Peter Capaldi
2. World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls (2017) – Peter Capaldi
3. Genesis of the Daleks (1975) – Tom Baker
4. The Caves of Androzani (1984) – Peter Davison
5. The Day of the Doctor (2013) – Matt Smith / David Tennant / John Hurt
6. Blink (2007) – David Tennant
7. Human Nature / Family of Blood (2007) – David Tenannt
8. City of Death (1979) – Tom Baker
9. Remembrance of the Daleks (1988) – Sylvester McCoy
10. Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (2008) – David Tennant
Lost Doctor Who episodes found – but owner is reluctant to hand them to BBC
tl,dr: Several episodes long thought to be lost are now known to exist in private hands, but the people who have them won't hand them over because the BBC won't promise not to prosecute them for "stealing" the episodes.
The episodes, one featuring the Daleks, would offer viewers a chance to travel back in time without the use of a Tardis. But the Observer has learned that the owners of the rare, rediscovered footage are not prepared to hand it over to the BBC, even as the clock ticks down to the 60th anniversary of the show’s launch this month.Veteran film collector John Franklin believes the answer is for the BBC to announce an immediate general amnesty on missing film footage.
This would reassure British amateur collectors that their private archives will not be confiscated if they come forward and that they will be safe from prosecution for having stored stolen BBC property, something several fear.
Stele wrote:it's a complete clusterf*ck outside the UK, where BBC has every episode.
I said that the other day. ;)
Indeed, you did. And I'm incredibly impressed by you knowing that all the way from North Carolina. 
I thought you meant all of 'new Who', as that was all that was available until very recently. The BBC seems to have sneaked out the 'classic Who' library secretly, like someone sneaking out a fart in an elevator. It wasn't trailed particularly heavily in the UK. The episodes just appeared, really.
Of course, this is one my long-standing issues with the BBC iPlayer streaming service. The BBC has a massive library of content, there doesn't seem to be any timetable or strategy for adding content to it. Things just 'pop up', unannounced.
So, as part of the centenary celebrations, the BBC recently re-showw classics from its archive: 'I, Claudius', 'Elizabeth R', 'Edge of Darkness', 'The Singing Detective', 'House of Cards'. Only 'I, Claudius' and 'House of Cards' are currently on the iPlayer! I expect that rights are the issue, but it's still quite frustrating.
Top 10 Doctor Who episodes? That's a difficult question. My viewership began with the tail end of Pertwee, but - in truth - I have no strong and clear memories of individual stories until Peter Davidson and I've never seen anything starring Troughton and Harntell.
However, to start I'll offer:
Blink (2007) - David Tennant
Human Nature / Family of Blood (2007) – David Tennant
Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (2008) – David Tennant
City of Death (1979) - Tom Baker
Robots of Death (1977) - Tom Baker
The Deadly Assassin (1977) - Tom Baker
Horror of Fang Rock (1977) - Tom Baker
Genesis of the Daleks (1975) - Tom Baker
The Caves of Androzani (1984) - Peter Davison
This may change as I work my way through the classic Who library.
I'll say that one thing that stands out about the Tom Baker era is just how fantastic and committed the acting is. It is almost too good for a kids' show.
Yep, it was given pretty low key publicity.
I'm confident that I ordered this on the basis of how often I rewatched the episodes:
1. Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead, David Tennant (2008)
2. The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, Christopher Eccleston (2005)
3. The Eleventh Hour, Matt Smith (2010)
4. The Doctor’s Wife, Matt Smith (2011)
5. Blink, David Tennant (2007)
6. Human Nature / Family of Blood, David Tennant (2007)
7. The Unicorn and the Wasp, David Tennant (2008)
8. School Reunion, David Tennant (2006)
9. The Girl in the Fireplace, David Tennant (2006)
10. Genesis of the Daleks, Tom Baker (1975)
Technically, I'd say that Matt Smith is my favourite Doctor, but David Tennant had just more memorable and better stories.
Yep, it was given pretty low key publicity.
I only found it when searching for Doctor Who on Disney+ articles. Trying to figure out the date and back catalog and several of them mentioned how every single episode is now on BBC but Disney+ is not getting the same and Max is keeping what it has and oof.
Perhaps it was talked about earlier but I find it very odd that Tenent will be coming back as the Doctor. I wonder how strong the story will be that makes that make any sense.
from Doctor Who: All Doctors in order & the actors that played them
Fourteenth Doctor: David Tennant (2023)In May 2022 it was announced that David Tennant would be returning to Doctor Who for the show’s 60th-anniversary celebrations.
This was initially met with confusion from fans as the actor who was going to be taking over from Jodie Whittaker had already been revealed – so there was a lot of speculation as to how Tennant’s reprisal and the anniversary would be structured.
In the final moments of ‘The Power of the Doctor,’ Whittaker regenerated into a familiar face and Russell T. Davies quickly confirmed that David Tennant would be playing the Fourteenth Doctor in three special episodes set to air in November 2023.
We don’t know much about the Fourteenth Doctor (aside from the fact he shares a face with the Tenth) but the numbering indicates that he will differ from his predecessor. The anniversary episodes will also feature Catherine Tate reprising her role as Donna Noble.
Fifteenth Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa (2024 -)
Ncuti Gatwa will play the Fifteenth Doctor and will begin leading the show in series 14 which is due to air in 2024. He does briefly appear in the 60th-anniversary teaser trailer which suggests he may debut before series 14.
Perhaps it was talked about earlier but I find it very odd that Tenent will be coming back as the Doctor. I wonder how strong the story will be that makes that make any sense.
To be fair, Doctor Who hasn't always made sense, as this Radio Times article notes.
I think the real answer to Tennant's return is ratings. These have been in gentle - and then precipitous - decline for a number of years. I have enjoyed 'New Who' since it's return, but for me the star of Doctor Who's second act has been David Tennant. He is the 'Tom Baker' of New Who.
Bringing him back - even for 3 episodes - is going to draw in viewers in a way that - I'm sure the BBC hopes - will give Ncuti Gatwa a better platform to build on.
Doctor Who is always science fiction nonsense. It is often best when it establishes impossible rules and finds fun ways to break them.
Having cherry-picked a few of the best Tom Baker episodes, I've now committed myself to a proper watch of classic Who starting from Jon Pertwee. I saw the tail end of his stint when I was very young.
I began with his first episode, 'Spearhead from Space', and was delighted to discover that much of the denouement was shot on Ealing High Street, my local high street! Given that Who was based at the BBC's North Acton studio at the time, I'm looking forward to seeing many more local landmarks. There nostalgia is extra strong with this one...
Although I like old Who and Tom Baker in particular, I find it very hard to watch most of the old stories nowadays.
Regarding the new specials: Up until now I was a bit meh about Tennant's return, and mostly considered it a stunt to get old viewers back, but I just came across an Empire article that quotes Tennant saying:
"That was the first exciting piece of mischief that Russell created. That I was going to be Doctor No. 14 rather than Doctor No. 10 again. You’ll just have to wait and see why the 14th Doctor is so much like the 10th."
Hopefully this is not just a tease and they really do something unique with this.
Although I like old Who and Tom Baker in particular, I find it very hard to watch most of the old stories nowadays.
I get this. The cheapness of many of the sets and costumes makes them hard on the eye. And the stories - so far, at least - are significantly less complex and nuanced than modern audiences are used to... particularly if you've watched modern sci-fi (stuff like Star Trek: Voyager, The Expanse, etc). And, of course, the casts significantly less diverse.
But the stories still give the chills. I am not ashamed to say that I have had to turn the sound down on a couple of occasions already, and peek from behind my hands at least once! And the actors and the acting are great. Two Pertwee's in, and I've spotted Paul Darrow (who becomes Avon in the mighty Blake's 7 in a bout 6 years' time) and Geoffrey Palmer. I'm having as much fun spotting the thesps as I am following the stories.
This year’s Children in Need Special. The music and sound effects are a bit irritating, but the rest makes me excited for more Doctor Who and DT during the next weeks.
I continue to work my way through the Perwee's collection, and one thing that really surprises me is how bloody violent the first two season are. 'Spearhead from Space', 'Ambassadors of Death', and 'The Mind of Evil', for example, include body counts that would have made 1980s Stallone and Schwarzenegger blush. In particular, there are lots of shootings.
I can see there being a number of reasons for this. I'm guessing that a lot of the writers were children during the Second World War, and grew up watching the classic Westerns at the cinema and on TV (Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger, and the like). And British television has always been more prudish about sex than violence. Nonetheless, it is jarring to see so much murder on children's tv show.
I'm really interested to 'see-the-join' when this gets toned down.
And British television has always been more prudish about sex than violence.
Really? I always thought that was an American thing.
detroit20 wrote:And British television has always been more prudish about sex than violence.
Really? I always thought that was an American thing.
No, it's a British thing too! Or at least, it was.
Microsoft Bing confirms that Pertwee's 'Doctor Who' episodes were broadcast between 17.05 and 18.10 on a Saturday afternoon/evening. Anything vaguely raunchy had to wait until after the watershed - 21.00hrs. Bing tells me that 'The Borgias' (1981), for example, was screened at 21.25 hours.
Anyone else have Disney+ suggest Doctor Strange after watching Doctor Who?
Anyone else have Disney+ suggest Doctor Strange after watching Doctor Who?
Yes.
Ah, that RTD super-nonsensical technobabble. How I haven't missed it. The rest was good, though.
Anyone else have Disney+ suggest Doctor Strange after watching Doctor Who?
Yeah… The lengths they go to make us watch their bad movies…
Regarding The Star Beast:
First of all, I have to say how much I appreciate the Disney+ deal. Ever since I moved to Germany, I missed watching Doctor Who “live”. Watching it on Saturday evening is just different from Sunday mornings (and even that had only been possible since Peter Capaldi, before that you had to rely on rather dodgy sources).
I wouldn’t rank this as one of the best episodes ever, but it had a lot going for it. The villain is pretty iconic and I would be surprised if we have seen the last of it. The pacing was much better than in previous series - I only looked at the remaining time once, which is the best indicator for me. But, first and foremost, just watching Tennant and Tate acting together was such a delight. They have such good chemistry together that they easily outshine all other Doctor - Companion - “relationships” save for maybe Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen.
I’m looking forward to the next episode which looks like a classic horror episode. Although I had hoped for an episode completely set within the TARDIS based on the ending of the episode and “Wild Blue Yonder” being the title of the next one. I was so sure the blue referred to the police box. But that doesn’t seem to be the case? (It would have been a good way to smuggle in some old Doctors, as I still can’t believe that there is no multiple Doctors episode this anniversary)
Random thoughts:
- The Doctor standing around in space narrating the recap looked absolutely stupid and cheap. That exposition could have been handled so much better. Hell, he could have told the story to K9 for all I care with him delivering a snarky comment. But him just talking to the viewer and breaking the fourth wall felt unnatural.
- New TARDIS interior looks gorgeous, but the RGB keyboard features made it instantly look cheaper
- The rules what the sonic screwdriver can and cannot do have always been pretty murky, but in this episode it had some of the more “out there” features that didn’t need to be in there.
I always liked Capaldi and Mackey.
Loved the episode and happy to see Donna back. I do hope there is a bigger payoff for him taking the same face again instead of just saying goodbye to Donna. It was nice and all but she was fine and there are boatloads of companions he didn’t say goodbye too
Really liked the episode. The Meep kept reminding me of The Maxx comic just because it has the same name as creature from it. Interesting use of the sonic screwdriver.
He kept that wig for a long time.
Capaldi also benefited from having the absolute BEST version of the Master (Mistress) ever. Michelle Gomez transformed that character into someone you were reluctantly cheering for. Every Master before or since was basically a cardboard cutout of a bad guy.
Capaldi also benefited from having the absolute BEST version of the Master (Mistress) ever. Michelle Gomez transformed that character into someone you were reluctantly cheering for. Every Master before or since was basically a cardboard cutout of a bad guy.
I'm going to make the case for the first 'the Master', Roger Delgado (or - IMDB - the magnificently named Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto).
As I've posted upthread, I'm currently working my way through most of the Pertwee episodes and the Master features in a lot of them. And Roger Delgado's Master is a proper wrong 'un, sowing death and destruction wherever he goes. What's quite nice about this early version of the Master is the fact that so little about him is explained. The Doctor makes a few throwaway remarks about their shared history - "You could say that we went to school together." but there's no origin story, no real exposition.
Paleocon wrote:Capaldi also benefited from having the absolute BEST version of the Master (Mistress) ever. Michelle Gomez transformed that character into someone you were reluctantly cheering for. Every Master before or since was basically a cardboard cutout of a bad guy.
I'm going to make the case for the first 'the Master', Roger Delgado (or - IMDB - the magnificently named Roger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto).
As I've posted upthread, I'm currently working my way through most of the Pertwee episodes and the Master features in a lot of them. And Roger Delgado's Master is a proper wrong 'un, sowing death and destruction wherever he goes. What's quite nice about this early version of the Master is the fact that so little about him is explained. The Doctor makes a few throwaway remarks about their shared history - "You could say that we went to school together." but there's no origin story, no real exposition.
Meh. I felt Delgado's Master as a better performed version of the one dimensional Flash Gordon character Ming the Merciless. He could be menacing, charming, or entertaining, but in the end, his motivation was not particularly interesting or even scrutable. He existed purely to be the opposite of the Doctor's caring for caring's sake. He wasn't even particularly motivated by self interest. In fact, none of them with the exception of Gomez's seemed to be.
Gomez's Missy had an actual character arc and the relationship between her and Capaldi's Doctor often had you cheering for chaos just to see where it would end up. Her showing up of Clara Oswald as the "Doctor's best friend" was a payoff long in coming for some of us who felt that she was the wet puppy that lasted a bit too long.
This interaction remains one of my favorites to this day.
Gomez, btw, would be my first choice to play the Joker in a gender switching version of Batman.
I've made my case, Paleocon... and now I am abandoning it, because yours is far more persuasive.
In particularly, you are spot on about the first Master's inscrutable motivations. He exists solely to provide a Moriarty to the Doctor's Holmes. And I think that's very deliberate. Many of Pertwee's stories are 6 or 7 episodes long, and feel more like detective stories than science fiction.
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