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TV Doctor Who ST | This Thread Is Bigger On The Inside

For UK people it looks like the recent concert plus an hour documentary about classic Who will be on BBC Four on the 1st November.

Assuming this is what was meant by one of the dates to look out for, I'm still interested to find out what Russell is teasing about the 17th and 23rd November, given he's confirmed they're not related to the three 60th specials
 
doodlewhizz said:
For UK people it looks like the recent concert plus an hour documentary about classic Who will be on BBC Four on the 1st November.

Assuming this is what was meant by one of the dates to look out for, I'm still interested to find out what Russell is teasing about the 17th and 23rd November, given he's confirmed they're not related to the three 60th specials
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I think RTD recently mentioned (probably in Doctor Who Magazine?) that they filmed something for the anniversary behind closed doors last month, as he felt there wasn't enough done for it. So I assume there's gonna be some sort of mini-episode being broadcasted at the 23rd. The 17th is Children in Need, which also had a short DW-thing last year, so I could see them doing something this year too.
 
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For everyone not in the UK: Disney Plus also airs the specials starting Novemebr 25th.

(Also nice new teaser)
 
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I still want to know if you can buy a season pass on Amazon/Apple or if Disney+ is literally the only way to watch Doctor Who in the States from now on.
 
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Shadow said:
The Chimes of Midnight! 🥰

Edit: Checked the rest Shearman has done: The Holy Terror, Jubilee and Scherzo are all goddamn godtier!
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He also wrote Dalek for TV (which is, albeit loosely, based on Jubilee)! He's definitely produced some of the finest Stories for the franchise.
 
Shadow said:
The Chimes of Midnight! 🥰

Edit: Checked the rest Shearman has done: The Holy Terror, Jubilee and Scherzo are all goddamn godtier!
Click to expand...
Deadline is also very good. It was part of the "Doctor Who Unbound" line, where every story had a "What If..." premise. Deadline brought the idea to its extreme, What If... the adventures of the Doctor were just a TV show?.

The Maltese Penguin and My Own Private Wolfgang are charming too, though they are definitely "minor" works.
oomoepoo said:
He also wrote Dalek for TV (which is, albeit loosely, based on Jubilee)! He's definitely produced some of the finest Stories for the franchise.
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Still the best Dalek story of the new series!
 
While we're on the subject of Shearman: his short story anthologies are absolutely incredible. We All Hear Stories in the Dark -- a three-volume choose-your-own-adventure collection -- is probably his most accomplished, but for those who (understandably) might not want to plunge in that deep, Everyone's Just So So Special and Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical are worth getting your mitts on.
 
Nice to see the 6th Doctor in a less... blinding costume. :p

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Gingerbread Man said:
Deadline is also very good. It was part of the "Doctor Who Unbound" line, where every story had a "What If..." premise. Deadline brought the idea to its extreme, What If... the adventures of the Doctor were just a TV show?.

Still the best Dalek story of the new series!
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That story genuinely broke me with confusion, had to listen to it two or three times before it finally clicked.
And I'm unsure if I think it's the best Dalek story, because the series 4 finale by including Davros is damn amazing.
But is is absolutely the only Dalek episode, and I seriously mean the only episode, that shows how terrifying Dalek can (and should) be.
Because lord, most of the stuff that came afterward is just whatever.

EvilChameleon said:
Hello hello!

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www.doctorwho.tv
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They announced a what now?!
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So, given Spooky Season... what are some scary episodes you people like? Can be either Classic/New Show or even other media like Big Finish :D

Blink is kind of an obvious one, Midnight too. Curse of Fenric is also a good creepy episode 👀
 
Today's the big iPlayer content dump day

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Nice to have the three Doctor Who Proms included here, wasn't really expecting those (if they had been announced I must have skimmed over their mention)

The iPlayer exclusive Tales of the Tardis are what I was expecting - some new stuff at the beginning and end but otherwise just a package for feature length versions of select episodes. Which is fine, but might not be what some people had hoped for.

I really do forget how many episodes there are of Classic Who, seriously overwhelming. I'd probably recommend any newcomers to try one story per Doctor to start with and then explore from there. For anyone versed in Classic Who, what do you think are the best stories for each Doctor to give an idea of the tone of the rest of their episodes?
 
doodlewhizz said:
I really do forget how many episodes there are of Classic Who, seriously overwhelming. I'd probably recommend any newcomers to try one story per Doctor to start with and then explore from there. For anyone versed in Classic Who, what do you think are the best stories for each Doctor to give an idea of the tone of the rest of their episodes?
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  • 1st Doctor: An Unearthly Child isn't available to stream but it is a good introduction, although I'd suggest to skip the caveman stuff and go right to The Daleks. The Time Meddler(S2E9) has also a lot going for it!
  • 2nd Doctor: Tricky, there's a lot of good stories but also a lot of missing ones. I'd say Enemy of the World(S5E4) is one of Troughton's finest hours. Or maybe Tomb of the Cybermen(S5E1)?
  • 3rd Doctor: Just start with Spearhead from Space (S7E1), it's one of the best "freshly regenerated Doctor"-episodes of the whole show. Mind of Evil (S8E2) is nice too.
  • 4th Doctor: If they don't like City of Death (S17E2), they might as well not bother with the Classic show, although it plays up Baker's more whimsical side. Anything from S14 is a good alternative too, imho.
  • 5th Doctor: I think Caves of Androzani(S21E6) is his best story, although it is also his last. I have a soft spot for Kinda(S19E3).
  • 6th Doctor: Tricky... not a lot of stuff on TV and what is there isn't super great. Twin Dilemma(S21E21) to brace them for what's to come? I quite like Trial of a Timelord, so maybe give Mysterious Planet (S23E1) a go.
  • 7th Doctor: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (S22E7) has a lot going for it (Edit: Although if you're queasy about clowns, do Paradise Towers(S24E2) instead), Curse of Fenric(S26E1) is also great, even though the stuff it sets up gets mostly followed up on only in the VNA Books.
 
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Someone on YouTube has uploaded a couple of clips of Tales of the Tardis, and I just have one thing to say after watching these clips...
Well fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you BBC for keepings this on your bloody Island and not making it available elsewhere! 😭
 
Considering those clips have been up for numerous hours now, I wonder if RTD is telling the BBC to look the other way, at least until they do get legal options to watch elsewhere.
 
Shadow said:
Someone on YouTube has uploaded a couple of clips of Tales of the Tardis, and I just have one thing to say after watching these clips...
Well fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you BBC for keepings this on your bloody Island and not making it available elsewhere! 😭
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My theory is that they're planning a big overseas rollout for Americans once all of the relevant rights expire. So once britbox loses classic who AND Max loses new who, you'll get a "Disney Plus is the home of the whoniverse" rollout like the one the iPlayer just got
 
I think the issue with licensing Tales from the TARDIS overseas is basically that Disney would have to license the whole episode the story is embedded in, which they might not be able or willing to do (yet).
 
oomoepoo said:
  • 1st Doctor: An Unearthly Child isn't available to stream but it is a good introduction, although I'd suggest to skip the caveman stuff and go right to The Daleks. The Time Meddler(S2E9) has also a lot going for it!
  • 2nd Doctor: Tricky, there's a lot of good stories but also a lot of missing ones. I'd say Enemy of the World(S5E4) is one of Troughton's finest hours. Or maybe Tomb of the Cybermen(S5E1)?
  • 3rd Doctor: Just start with Spearhead from Space (S7E1), it's one of the best "freshly regenerated Doctor"-episodes of the whole show. Mind of Evil (S8E2) is nice too.
  • 4th Doctor: If they don't like City of Death (S17E2), they might as well not bother with the Classic show, although it plays up Baker's more whimsical side. Anything from S14 is a good alternative too, imho.
  • 5th Doctor: I think Caves of Androzani(S21E6) is his best story, although it is also his last. I have a soft spot for Kinda(S19E3).
  • 6th Doctor: Tricky... not a lot of stuff on TV and what is there isn't super great. Twin Dilemma(S21E21) to brace them for what's to come? I quite like Trial of a Timelord, so maybe give Mysterious Planet (S23E1) a go.
  • 7th Doctor: The Greatest Show in the Galaxy (S22E7) has a lot going for it (Edit: Although if you're queasy about clowns, do Paradise Towers(S24E2) instead), Curse of Fenric(S26E1) is also great, even though the stuff it sets up gets mostly followed up on only in the VNA Books.
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I'd add The Mind Robber to the 2nd Doctor list. I heard great things about Enemy of the World, and at least the two final episodes of The War Games are great.
For 7, I plan to watch my partner all the episodes with Ace. Only heard great things about them, albeit with the occasional underwhelming episode (Silver Nemesis).
EvilChameleon said:
Considering those clips have been up for numerous hours now, I wonder if RTD is telling the BBC to look the other way, at least until they do get legal options to watch elsewhere.
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Uhhh.... VPN?

oomoepoo said:
I think the issue with licensing Tales from the TARDIS overseas is basically that Disney would have to license the whole episode the story is embedded in, which they might not be able or willing to do (yet).
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Davies said that the Disney push is also coming in 2024 with the new Series 1. Hopefully, by then they'll publish the back-catalogue too.
 
Gingerbread Man said:
I'd add The Mind Robber to the 2nd Doctor list. I heard great things about Enemy of the World, and at least the two final episodes of The War Games are great.
For 7, I plan to watch my partner all the episodes with Ace. Only heard great things about them, albeit with the occasional underwhelming episode (Silver Nemesis).
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Oh yes, Mind Robber is great! I love War Games to bits but it is a massive episode so I'd be hestitant to recommend it to newcomers :D
 
doodlewhizz said:
I really do forget how many episodes there are of Classic Who, seriously overwhelming. I'd probably recommend any newcomers to try one story per Doctor to start with and then explore from there. For anyone versed in Classic Who, what do you think are the best stories for each Doctor to give an idea of the tone of the rest of their episodes?
Click to expand...
  • First Doctor: The Aztecs: a great example of a "pure historical" (i.e. Doctor Who stories in which the only sci-fi elements are the pressence of the TARDIS and its crew), a format that almost completely disappeared after the end of the First Doctor's era.
  • Second Doctor: The Tomb of the Cybermen: while no longer seen as the Holy Grail of 60s Who it was once considered, it's a very accessible story for Classic Who newcomers for a variety of reasons: a popular enemy, quite a few iconic scenes and lines, and it's one of the few Second Doctor stories that has no missing episodes. It's also an example of the "base under siege" story, which was a very recurrent format during this era of the show.
  • Third Doctor: Spearhead from Space: the Third Doctor's era has plenty of great stories (such as Inferno or Doctor Who and the Silurians), but many of them are 6 or 7 episodes long, which can be a bit much for someone who isn't already invested. Spearhead from Space doesn't have that problem, and introduces a lot of recurring elements of the Third Doctor's era.
  • Fourth Doctor: City of Death: choosing just one story for each Doctor is no easy task but for the Fourth Doctor it's pretty much impossible; not only you have a lot to choose from, the tone changed wildly from season to season (and sometimes from story to story), from gothic horror to panto and everything in-between. Still, City of Death does a great job in showing some of the show's greatest strengths in a nice, little four episode package. Honorable mentions: Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars, Horror of Fang Rock (and many, many more...)
  • Fifth Doctor: Kinda: when thinking of this Doctor and his era, people usually recommend Earthshock or The Caves of Androzani, which are great choices, but I think they work much better if you've watched other Fifth Doctor stories first, so I went with Kinda instead, a story that showcases Doctor Who's ability to combine the serious, the weird and the downright trippy into something that, against all odds, still (mostly) works.
  • Sixth Doctor: Vengeance on Varos: for a variety of reasons, the show wasn't exactly in a good place during the Sixth Doctor's era. As a result, not a lot of stories were produced, and most of what's available is considered divisive at best. Personally, I found Vengeance on Varos to be the rare example of a Sixth Doctor story that actually works. Revelation of the Daleks is up there too.
  • Seventh Doctor: The Curse of Fenric: the Seventh Doctor era can be divided in two very distinct parts. On one hand, the stories with Mel as a companion feature a much lighter tone, with a Doctor that pratfalls, mixes up metaphors and almost bumbles his way through the stories. On the other hand, once Mel was replaced with Ace, the Doctor started becoming darker, wiser and more mysterious. This latter part was the more successful one with critics and fans alike and The Curse of Fenric is probably the finest example of these stories. If you want something from the "lighter" part, try Paradise Towers.
  • Eighth Doctor: The TV Movie: officially called simply Doctor Who and unofficially known as Enemy Within, it's literally the only "full" appearance of the Eighth Doctor on TV, so the choice is already made for you (convenient!). It's definitely not great (but certainly not the worst Eighth Doctor story ever, as some people would say; Minuet in Hell is a thing), but it's worth a watch if only for Paul McGann doing a bang-up job as Eight.
I entered this thread with the intention of writing something else, but after writing all this it completely slipped my mind. Oh, well.
 
Cucufate said:
  • Fifth Doctor: Kinda: when thinking of this Doctor and his era, people usually recommend Earthshock or The Caves of Androzani, which are great choices, but I think they work much better if you've watched other Fifth Doctor stories first, so I went with Kinda instead, a story that showcases Doctor Who's ability to combine the serious, the weird and the downright trippy into something that, against all odds, still (mostly) works.
  • Eighth Doctor: The TV Movie: officially called simply Doctor Who and unofficially known as Enemy Within, it's literally the only "full" appearance of the Eighth Doctor on TV, so the choice is already made for you (convenient!). It's definitely not great (but certainly not the worst Eighth Doctor story ever, as some people would say; Minuet in Hell is a thing), but it's worth a watch if only for Paul McGann doing a bang-up job as Eight.
I entered this thread with the intention of writing something else, but after writing all this it completely slipped my mind. Oh, well.
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Yay! Another vote for Kinda :D

Also I kinda like the TV-Movie more on every rewatch, though McGann's Doctor is definitely the highlight (but Roberts' Master is fantastically hammy too xD). Also I kinda like Minuet in Hell, there's worse stuff later on, like some of the Divergent Universe stuff :D
 
oomoepoo said:
Yay! Another vote for Kinda :D

Also I kinda like the TV-Movie more on every rewatch, though McGann's Doctor is definitely the highlight (but Roberts' Master is fantastically hammy too xD). Also I kinda like Minuet in Hell, there's worse stuff later on, like some of the Divergent Universe stuff :D
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I honestly think I wouldn't dislike Minuet in Hell as much as I do if it wasn't because of the expectations I had when I listened to it. Before getting into Big Finish, I had listened to those fan-made audio dramas starring Nicholas Briggs as the Doctor which had the original version of Minuet in Hell and I really liked that one.

So when I started listening to Big Finish and I saw Minuet in Hell, my hype went through the roof; "Hold on! A Minuet in Hell remake? Written by the author of the original? Starring the Eighth Doctor?! And featuring the Brigadier!!?? Oh. My. God! This is going to be amazing!!"

It wasn't 😅

So yeah, objectively speaking, it probably isn't the absolute worst out there, but it could have been so much more.
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The first "season" of McGann's audios wasn't that great.

I usually suggest going Storm Warning (not that good, but vital to the plot) -> Invaders from Mars.

The author of Tardis Eruditorum pointed out that the authors of the best early McGann audio episodes (Invaders from Mars, Chimes of Midnight, Season of Fear) were then invited to write for the TV revival. The others weren't... and she has a point.
 
I thought the first season was pretty good, actually?

Storm Warning is a great introduction to the "new" Doctor and his companion and sets up the season arc. Might be bias because it got me into BiFi and instantly made me a fan of McGann's Doctor though :D

Sword of Orion is a bit of a generic Cybermen story but makes excellent use of the medium, I'd even call this one underrated.
Stones of Venice and Minuet in Hell... yeah those are both a bit underwhelming (I think it took me three tries to get through the former).
Invaders of Mars is a very generic Gatiss episode, fun concept and I do like how much fun he clearly had with it but... it's a bit lacking in execution. (also I kinda doubt he got the writing job based on Big Finish)
Chimes of Midnight: Rob Shearman never misses, obviously.
Seasons of Fear is a really cool idea executed well that wouldn't look out of place as a big New Who season finale or even a movie.
I'll be honest, I don't remember anything of Embrace the Darkness :LOL:
Time of the Daleks is as fun as Dalek stories get.
Neverland is fantastic, too bad one of the meanest cliffhangers in the show's history gets kind of underwhelmingly resolved in whatever mess Zagreus was 👀

Yeah, there's some growing pains but I honestly think it's a great first season for a new Doctor.
 
soundchaser said:
I like Zagreus better than any other anniversary story Big Finish has done.
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I like it too. It's a bit of a mess but also kind of endearing. Helps that I didn't have to wait a year for the cliffhanger at the end of Neverland to resolve :D
 
oomoepoo said:
I thought the first season was pretty good, actually?

Storm Warning is a great introduction to the "new" Doctor and his companion and sets up the season arc. Might be bias because it got me into BiFi and instantly made me a fan of McGann's Doctor though :D

Sword of Orion is a bit of a generic Cybermen story but makes excellent use of the medium, I'd even call this one underrated.
Stones of Venice and Minuet in Hell... yeah those are both a bit underwhelming (I think it took me three tries to get through the former).
Invaders of Mars is a very generic Gatiss episode, fun concept and I do like how much fun he clearly had with it but... it's a bit lacking in execution. (also I kinda doubt he got the writing job based on Big Finish)
Chimes of Midnight: Rob Shearman never misses, obviously.
Seasons of Fear is a really cool idea executed well that wouldn't look out of place as a big New Who season finale or even a movie.
I'll be honest, I don't remember anything of Embrace the Darkness :LOL:
Time of the Daleks is as fun as Dalek stories get.
Neverland is fantastic, too bad one of the meanest cliffhangers in the show's history gets kind of underwhelmingly resolved in whatever mess Zagreus was 👀

Yeah, there's some growing pains but I honestly think it's a great first season for a new Doctor.
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Uhm, I think the first season starts with Storm Warning and ends with Minuet... at least it used to, maybe BF has retconned the "seasons" in the last few years. Among these episodes, Storm is the best, but it's a bit too long, and the Doctor talks to himself for half of the first episode. Still, it sells the audience to Charlie, and has some funny moments. The other three didn't really work for me, though I know that Venice and Onion have their fans.

The Invaders -> Neverland stretch of episodes (which, to me, is the second season) is a lot stronger and a "proto-modern series".

I think they didn't really know what to do with the Divergent Universe and C'rizz, but Scherzo and Natural History of Fear were GREAT, and Faith Stealer and The Last had their moments. Then I kinda lost interest when they returned to the main universe.
 
Gingerbread Man said:
Uhm, I think the first season starts with Storm Warning and ends with Minuet... at least it used to, maybe BF has retconned the "seasons" in the last few years. Among these episodes, Storm is the best, but it's a bit too long, and the Doctor talks to himself for half of the first episode. Still, it sells the audience to Charlie, and has some funny moments. The other three didn't really work for me, though I know that Venice and Onion have their fans.

The Invaders -> Neverland stretch of episodes (which, to me, is the second season) is a lot stronger and a "proto-modern series".

I think they didn't really know what to do with the Divergent Universe and C'rizz, but Scherzo and Natural History of Fear were GREAT, and Faith Stealer and The Last had their moments. Then I kinda lost interest when they returned to the main universe.
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Ah well, I've always thought it's a single season from Storm Warning to Neverland. I stand by my point that it's not that bad but the second one is much better :D
I think they originally planned to do more with the Divergent Universe but then had to cut things down due to the show returning on TV and plans changing?
 
EvilChameleon said:
Hmm...
www.mirror.co.uk

Paul McGann to return as the Eighth Doctor in new Doctor Who spin-off series

Doctor Who returns later this month with three specials celebrating the 60th anniversary with David Tennant back as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and now Paul McCann is set to make his comeback too
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
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On the one hand, I've always wanted more McGann on TV. On the other hand I feel like that ship sailed 10ish years ago. He really looked a bit old in PotD and he's not getting younger 😅
We'll see, I'd prefer this over a UNIT spin-off tbh
 
DW Magazine published the results of their readers poll for the overall top 10 stories.

azzancl7x6zb1.jpg


1. Heaven Sent
2. World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls
3. Genesis of the Daleks
4. The Caves of Androzani
5. The Day of the Doctor
6. Blink
7. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
8. City of Death
9. Remembrance of the Daleks
10. Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead
 
most of me knows better than to talk about Doctor Who on the internet

the part that doesn’t know better has come here to rave about the gravely-underappreciated Christopher Eccleston
 
oomoepoo said:
Capaldi's Doctor having so many episodes on there makes me happy.
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The respect World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls has got in the polls is really good to see - I just wish 12 has regenerated at the end of that episode rather than push through to the Christmas Special. I don't hate Twice Upon a Time but it feels a bit superfluous when it could have ended an episode earlier.

Suswave said:
most of me knows better than to talk about Doctor Who on the internet

the part that doesn’t know better has come here to rave about the gravely-underappreciated Christopher Eccleston
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Absolutely would have loved to see more of Eccleston as Who but I respect when he left and why. Great performances on his part.
 
doodlewhizz said:
I don't hate Twice Upon a Time but it feels a bit superfluous when it could have ended an episode earlier.
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The original plan was to have him regenerate at the end of Doctor Falls... but Chibnall didn't want to/wasn't able to start his run with the Christmas Special, so Moffat had to come up with something more or less on a whim :D

Suswave said:
most of me knows better than to talk about Doctor Who on the internet

the part that doesn’t know better has come here to rave about the gravely-underappreciated Christopher Eccleston
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The greatest crime about Eccleston's tenure for me is that it ended right when it got really good :/
Would've gladly traded one of Tennant's years for another one with Eccleston.
 
doodlewhizz said:
The respect World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls has got in the polls is really good to see - I just wish 12 has regenerated at the end of that episode rather than push through to the Christmas Special. I don't hate Twice Upon a Time but it feels a bit superfluous when it could have ended an episode earlier.
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Chibnall had no interest in doing Christmas episodes and Moffat refused to let that slot go, so the episode was written as a necessity to keep the slot. And then Chibnall killed the Christmas slot regardless afterwards, so... Yeah... Still, I enjoy the episode, it's not an amazing one, but it does make me feel good towards the end and it's a wonderful way to round of the era, even if it ultimately undoes the series 9 ending.
 
soundchaser said:
I like Zagreus better than any other anniversary story Big Finish has done.
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I like that they had the massive balls to do something so radically different for an anniversary special, especially at a time when the TV show was still cancelled on hiatus so there was no traditional TV multi-doctor story to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, I felt that they failed on the execution.
EvilChameleon said:
Hmm...
www.mirror.co.uk

Paul McGann to return as the Eighth Doctor in new Doctor Who spin-off series

Doctor Who returns later this month with three specials celebrating the 60th anniversary with David Tennant back as the Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble and now Paul McCann is set to make his comeback too
www.mirror.co.uk www.mirror.co.uk
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GIVE IT TO ME! NOW!
Suswave said:
most of me knows better than to talk about Doctor Who on the internet

the part that doesn’t know better has come here to rave about the gravely-underappreciated Christopher Eccleston
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Before Capaldi came along he was my favorite nuWho Doctor, so YANA.
 
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