Only thing good about watching this week's DW was my struggle and eventual triumph in remembering where I'd seen the actress playing Kane before (Lydia from Breaking Bad but also the blacksmith in A Knight's Tale).
Certainly agree they should stop box-ticking ‘social issues’.
Whilst agreeing with you I thought the Rosa Parkes and the Punjab episodes were superbly done. Suppose it is difficult to balance fact with fiction within a 40 minute show.
Certainly agree they should stop box-ticking ‘social issues’.
Whilst agreeing with you I thought the Rosa Parkes and the Punjab episodes were superbly done. Suppose it is difficult to balance fact with fiction within a 40 minute show.
What annoyed me? They put a woman as Dr & then put far more sidekicks than normal, one being a high profile man. And again, another high profile man with the scouse comedian.
Jodie is a class actor, what does that say about how they felt about a female Dr?
Either do it or don’t.
It failed.
Start again with better writers and a Dr & one sidekick. It’s always worked, why change it?
After reading that article went onto iplayer and watched "Heaven Sent"" again. Brilliant episode, though probably not one to show someone who hadn't seen Dr Who before. Or, maybe, it would be.
Reckon they've hit the nail on the head there. The move to Sundays was indicative of the lack of confidence the BBC has in it.
It's an institution. Get a showrunner who gets it but can take it forward at the same time, like Davies and to a degree Moffat. Chibnell's era seems to have been largely one of apologising it wasn't more woke in the past. As if a 1000 year old alien needs to be 'woke' - just needs to be wise and avoid misogyny and racism etc. (although never going to like them Daleks - they come down to our planet, fail to assimilate, can barely speak the language, etc...).
I liked someone's previous suggestion of Miriam Margolyes, she'd be amazing, but it just needs someone who recognises each doctor is both different and the same.
That, and the Beeb to believe in it a little. If they don't think it's up to scratch, work on it until it is.
Edit: loved Sacha Dhawan's Master incidentally - that was a casting they got absolutely right.
Reckon they've hit the nail on the head there. The move to Sundays was indicative of the lack of confidence the BBC has in it.
It's an institution. Get a showrunner who gets it but can take it forward at the same time, like Davies and to a degree Moffat. Chibnell's era seems to have been largely one of apologising it wasn't more woke in the past. As if a 1000 year old alien needs to be 'woke' - just needs to be wise and avoid misogyny and racism etc. (although never going to like them Daleks - they come down to our planet, fail to assimilate, can barely speak the language, etc...).
I liked someone's previous suggestion of Miriam Margolyes, she'd be amazing, but it just needs someone who recognises each doctor is both different and the same.
That, and the Beeb to believe in it a little. If they don't think it's up to scratch, work on it until it is.
Edit: loved Sacha Dhawan's Master incidentally - that was a casting they got absolutely right.
I have been educated by the last couple of Doctors, (okay, the writing of....), including the Brothers Grimm and the "Bird/Shepherd" story, Rosa, Punjab, etc. Personally I have no idea where the show should go next, whilst loving the program since the reboot with Christopher Eccleston, I have enjoyed all the episodes since. Alot of people apparently didn't like the fact the Doctor became a woman, I'm of the opinion that that doesn't matter, the Doctor is an alien. Although I wasn't to keen on Danny Pink, although that may be my fault, I thought he wasn't good enough for Clara......
Couldn’t give a toss if it’s a woman but do care about boring preachy storylines or stories where the Doctor has to basically explain what is going on to her sidekicks.
Jodie Whitaker is a great actress being wasted in a role that could be so good.
I completely disagree that the show lacks decent promotion from the BBC. The last 2 series have had plenty of publicity and a prime slot on Sunday, the biggest night of the week for drama, but ratings have dropped off because the show in its current format isn’t interesting viewers.
Couldn’t give a toss if it’s a woman but do care about boring preachy storylines or stories where the Doctor has to basically explain what is going on to her sidekicks.
Jodie Whitaker is a great actress being wasted in a role that could be so good.
Personally didn’t like Rosa Parks episode.
Just get back to exciting stories fighting aliens
To me the Rosa episode was a potentially excellent drama documentary shoehorned into a Doctor Who episode, and as a result a bit of a hotchpotch
I know I am getting rather old and out of touch, but what the fuck is woke? Also, in what world can the BBC be described as left-wing?
Back on topic, Capaldi was crap and so is JW. If Dr.Who has to be a woman ( which it doesn't, stop pissing about for pc sake) offer the role to Emma Thompson, she'd be dynamite
Dr Who doesn't have to be played by a woman but an alien that regenerates a different body every few years doesn't have to be played by a man either.
The problem is the writing, which is of the "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" variety, and having three assistants which instantly says "we have no faith in the person playing our lead character".
I know I am getting rather old and out of touch, but what the fuck is woke? Also, in what world can the BBC be described as left-wing?
Back on topic, Capaldi was crap and so is JW. If Dr.Who has to be a woman ( which it doesn't, stop pissing about for pc sake) offer the role to Emma Thompson, she'd be dynamite
Dr Who doesn't have to be played by a woman but an alien that regenerates a different body every few years doesn't have to be played by a man either.
The problem is the writing, which is of the "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" variety, and having three assistants which instantly says "we have no faith in the person playing our lead character".
Yeh, I'm sure you're right. I remember thinking Peter Capaldi was an inspired choice, but when I watched him in the role I thought he was rubbish. Similarly, I had always been impressed by Jodie Whittaker in other roles. On the admittedly few occasions I have watched her as the Doctor, I agree it has been top heavy with assistants. But what struck me was she didn't in any way stand out from them. Maybe as you say that is down to the writing, but she just seemed to me to lack charisma or gravitas in the role.
I know I am getting rather old and out of touch, but what the fuck is woke? Also, in what world can the BBC be described as left-wing?
Back on topic, Capaldi was crap and so is JW. If Dr.Who has to be a woman ( which it doesn't, stop pissing about for pc sake) offer the role to Emma Thompson, she'd be dynamite
Dr Who doesn't have to be played by a woman but an alien that regenerates a different body every few years doesn't have to be played by a man either.
The problem is the writing, which is of the "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" variety, and having three assistants which instantly says "we have no faith in the person playing our lead character".
Yeh, I'm sure you're right. I remember thinking Peter Capaldi was an inspired choice, but when I watched him in the role I thought he was rubbish. Similarly, I had always been impressed by Jodie Whittaker in other roles. On the admittedly few occasions I have watched her as the Doctor, I agree it has been top heavy with assistants. But what struck me was she didn't in any way stand out from them. Maybe as you say that is down to the writing, but she just seemed to me to lack charisma or gravitas in the role.
She's actually done better in this regard in the latest series, probably not coincidentally the plot has had her separate from the companions quite a lot.
I don't think she was done any favours by the overall plot being about finding out mysteries and things as it means this Doctor comes across as much less knowledgeable/inspiring than previous ones - which isn't actually because now the Doctor is female but seems to accidentally imply it.
I’m a massive fan. But since Matt Smith, this new lot has gone down hill dramatically & it’s definitely imho down to the writing. I’m literally only watching so I can understand it all again when Russell T Davies comes back.
Jodie Whitaker's a terrific actor and on the vanishingly small number of occasions she's had any material as The Doctor, she's been excellent. She's gently referenced a couple of her predecessors while establishing a distinct take on the character. Her first two series drowned under the slew of infantile preachy pseudo-liberal "this is the only way to think/behave and nothing else is acceptable" from Chibnall The budgets were clearly significant, the shows often looked fabulous but the content was risible. Preach, preach, preach - few Northern clichés - more preaching - high tempo incoherent jibber jabber, some running around, bang crash flashy SFX, more preaching and 5 minutes of impenetrable exposition in place of anything like plot. Two of the 3 'assistants' were gossamer thin non-entities (neither of whom can act one jot) plus Yaz who was allowed to find something like an identity midway thru her 2nd series. It must have been tough for JW - she and Chibnall had worked very successfully together in acclaimed and popular drama. Apparently they made a deal to leave together, whenever that time came. JW can't have been unaware just how poor the material has been nor how poorly it was received. I'm astonished she stuck it out, into a 2nd series. This third "series" is much much less bad. Dead wood was cut out - Walsh & Cole - and thus far there has been noticeably less of the infantile pseudo-liberal dogma, there's still nothing like plot, it's all still running around, jibber-jabber, SFX*, with lengthy exposition in place of direction. The love story of the 2 characters combing the galaxy for each other is clearly just a bit of filler. Resolving The Doctor's supposed gap in her memory, the recurring embodiments she doesn't recognise and what she's supposed to have done in that gap is going to require some very lengthy soliloquys in Chibnall's remaining episodes.
*The SFX have been sketchy and look properly low-rent as if the budget's been slashed.
Show-runner Chibnall has been the equal worst thing to ever happen to Dr Who right down there with Michael Grade cancelling it when he was head of BBC1.
The Beeb reappointing Russell T Davies is fantastic news and the clearest indication they know they dropped a bollock with Chibnall. Davies is the man for the job but he has a monumental task returning the brand to the heights he previously scaled. I'm not at all sure anything will come of it but JW softened her position on leaving after RTD was announced and RTD has been glowing in his appraisal of JW. He knows she could be brilliant, she knows he is brilliant. Now if RTD could get Billy Piper to return for a spell as Rose Tyler, he'd be cooking on gas...
Comments
https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-changes-cancellation-comment/
Suppose it is difficult to balance fact with fiction within a 40 minute show.
They put a woman as Dr & then put far more sidekicks than normal, one being a high profile man.
And again, another high profile man with the scouse comedian.
Jodie is a class actor, what does that say about how they felt about a female Dr?
Either do it or don’t.
It failed.
Start again with better writers and a Dr & one sidekick. It’s always worked, why change it?
Brilliant episode, though probably not one to show someone who hadn't seen Dr Who before.
Or, maybe, it would be.
It's an institution. Get a showrunner who gets it but can take it forward at the same time, like Davies and to a degree Moffat. Chibnell's era seems to have been largely one of apologising it wasn't more woke in the past. As if a 1000 year old alien needs to be 'woke' - just needs to be wise and avoid misogyny and racism etc. (although never going to like them Daleks - they come down to our planet, fail to assimilate, can barely speak the language, etc...).
I liked someone's previous suggestion of Miriam Margolyes, she'd be amazing, but it just needs someone who recognises each doctor is both different and the same.
That, and the Beeb to believe in it a little. If they don't think it's up to scratch, work on it until it is.
Edit: loved Sacha Dhawan's Master incidentally - that was a casting they got absolutely right.
I would love to see that 😍
Personally I have no idea where the show should go next, whilst loving the program since the reboot with Christopher Eccleston, I have enjoyed all the episodes since. Alot of people apparently didn't like the fact the Doctor became a woman, I'm of the opinion that that doesn't matter, the Doctor is an alien.
Although I wasn't to keen on Danny Pink, although that may be my fault, I thought he wasn't good enough for Clara......
😉
The problem is the writing, which is of the "let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks" variety, and having three assistants which instantly says "we have no faith in the person playing our lead character".
I remember thinking Peter Capaldi was an inspired choice, but when I watched him in the role I thought he was rubbish.
Similarly, I had always been impressed by Jodie Whittaker in other roles.
On the admittedly few occasions I have watched her as the Doctor, I agree it has been top heavy with assistants. But what struck me was she didn't in any way stand out from them.
Maybe as you say that is down to the writing, but she just seemed to me to lack charisma or gravitas in the role.
I don't think she was done any favours by the overall plot being about finding out mysteries and things as it means this Doctor comes across as much less knowledgeable/inspiring than previous ones - which isn't actually because now the Doctor is female but seems to accidentally imply it.
But since Matt Smith, this new lot has gone down hill dramatically & it’s definitely imho down to the writing.
I’m literally only watching so I can understand it all again when Russell T Davies comes back.
Her first two series drowned under the slew of infantile preachy pseudo-liberal "this is the only way to think/behave and nothing else is acceptable" from Chibnall
The budgets were clearly significant, the shows often looked fabulous but the content was risible.
Preach, preach, preach - few Northern clichés - more preaching - high tempo incoherent jibber jabber, some running around, bang crash flashy SFX, more preaching and 5 minutes of impenetrable exposition in place of anything like plot. Two of the 3 'assistants' were gossamer thin non-entities (neither of whom can act one jot) plus Yaz who was allowed to find something like an identity midway thru her 2nd series.
It must have been tough for JW - she and Chibnall had worked very successfully together in acclaimed and popular drama.
Apparently they made a deal to leave together, whenever that time came. JW can't have been unaware just how poor the material has been nor how poorly it was received. I'm astonished she stuck it out, into a 2nd series.
This third "series" is much much less bad. Dead wood was cut out - Walsh & Cole - and thus far there has been noticeably less of the infantile pseudo-liberal dogma, there's still nothing like plot, it's all still running around, jibber-jabber, SFX*, with lengthy exposition in place of direction. The love story of the 2 characters combing the galaxy for each other is clearly just a bit of filler. Resolving The Doctor's supposed gap in her memory, the recurring embodiments she doesn't recognise and what she's supposed to have done in that gap is going to require some very lengthy soliloquys in Chibnall's remaining episodes.
*The SFX have been sketchy and look properly low-rent as if the budget's been slashed.
Show-runner Chibnall has been the equal worst thing to ever happen to Dr Who right down there with Michael Grade cancelling it when he was head of BBC1.
The Beeb reappointing Russell T Davies is fantastic news and the clearest indication they know they dropped a bollock with Chibnall. Davies is the man for the job but he has a monumental task returning the brand to the heights he previously scaled. I'm not at all sure anything will come of it but JW softened her position on leaving after RTD was announced and RTD has been glowing in his appraisal of JW. He knows she could be brilliant, she knows he is brilliant. Now if RTD could get Billy Piper to return for a spell as Rose Tyler, he'd be cooking on gas...