It’s going to take me a while to tune in to Capaldi’s Dr.

Really? I thought he was spot on. Confused, quirky, funny – and not trying to be any previous Doctor.

Good episode to start the series too. I reckon the Victorian threesome deserve their own series.

Not seen it since Tom Baker but his assistant is rather pleasant as are lizard ,human lesbo scenes!

I was wondering where the thread was too.

Watched the first 30 mins then switched it off. Still as dull, pointless and self-Indulgent as ever.

I keep trying, I keep giving it a chance but other than that one episode with Sally sparrow, it’s not really grabbed me since Peter Davidson finish his stint.

Jenna Coleman does make it easier to endure though.

I loved it . I thought Capaldi was good very much his own man but with good echo’s of the last Dr to make it look like a transition liked the plot and supporting characters too I do think they deserve their own series.

Still as dull, pointless and self-Indulgent as ever.

As opposed to what exactly?, is there anything better on t’night?, perhaps you prefer tumble or dads army.

I made the effort to cycle a few miles to my parents house to watch it and i thought it was a pretty damn good opening and introduction to the new Doctor (Capaldi as the doctor eh?…still a touch of Malcolm Tucker in there i think) and the scene where Matt phoned Clara at the end was well thought out and scripted to perfection, but then again i remember hiding behind the sofa in the late 70’s as the daleks and cybermen scared me shiteless so perhaps i’ve got a soft spot for dull, pointless and self indulgent programming.

Can you explain to me what Still dull, pointless and self-Indulgent as ever. extrapolates to or did you just form a seemingly cohesive sentence in your head and regurgitate it on the screen in front of you.

Yeah good start
Capaldis gonna own the role IMHO

I tried cos I grew up with Daleks, switched channels cos I thought it was a drama.
Dull as dishwater.

It was great and really enjoyable.

Plus it’s fantastic that Dr Who is once again older than me.
Now if only James Bond could be 48+ I’d be over the moon

Did it get better after the bit in the alleyway with him in a nightie?

That’s when my patience, and my kids’, ran out and we turned over.

Just dreary, disjointed, not even slightly scary, and badly scripted. IMO of course. Obviously I apologise if it improved massively after that!

I thought it was supposed to be disjointed up until that point as that best reflected the Doctors state of being post-regeneration.

Hmmm… not sure. I wanted to like it but couldn’t.

Will give next week’s a go though.

I fell asleep

Where’s the Dr Who thread ?

It was here tomorrow

Watched the first 30 mins then switched it off. Still as dull, pointless and self-Indulgent as ever.

So if you never liked it why watch it other than to give yourself a reason to make a dull, pointless and self-indulgent post ?

or will be here yesterday

It peaked with the River Song series and hasn’t lived up to that standard since. The problems behind the scenes haven’t helped, nor has the inability to establish a truly threatening alien race – constantly bringing back the daleks is looking desperate.

…. I realise that I don’t get Dr Who but I do try. I thought Capaldi may just be what turns me on to it but nope, I just don’t get it. It still reminds me of a secondary school drama class GCSE production.

Maybe a diet of American Sci Fi has left me cold to british attempts at this sort of thing but it just makes me cringe to think we’re beaming this stuff around the world.

I’m not a Dr Who fan,i usually endure it while wifey watches it, got to admit last nights episode did grab me, got the making of the best Dr since Tom Baker.
Was confused when he declared he was 2000 years old, how can someone who travels through space and time have a chronological age?

being a massive Dr Who geek, i write this with love.

‘could do much better’

(needs more Brigadier Stewart for a start)

I gave it a go but it’s just not for me. I’ve enjoyed the odd episode in the past but I struggle to understand the whole buzz around it. Also, I don’t think last night’s programme had a single character who wouldn’t have benefited from a punch on the nose, though Capaldi’s Doctor was less irritating than the last couple of incarnations.

Was confused when he declared he was 2000 years old, how can someone who travels through space and time have a chronological age?

Relative innit – he’s travelling through time at his own speed, time is moving round relative to him, but his own clock keeps ticking.

And what we don’t know is whether that was a reference to Earth years or Gallifreyan years…

I thoroughly enjoyed it, more intrestingy, Stephen Moffat is a ‘long story@ writer and builds the themes through the series, BAD wolf and so on.

Chris Ecclestone was the best Doctor as he was the best actor, Tennant and Russel T Davies became too self indulgent and too nod nod wink ‘Carry on’ and Cathering Tate….ohhhhh bad , Tennant is a good actor too much eye widening and gurning. Smith was really really intresting as the Doctor BUT some duff story lines and I never really liked Pond and River Song……….or James Corden! More of Johm Hurt and Paul McGann would have been great

Capaldi was wonderful last night slightly dark and dangerous like Ecclestone, undertones of Smith and Tennant but very old school Troughton and Pertwee in there.
First stories are always hard, and need to be big.
Very good with the ‘scottish’theme, and wonderful phone call at the end.

Looking forward to the next. Jenna Coleman is far more than a Doctors assistant in the trad sense and had the best lines.

Overall thumbs up for me

Captjon – what were the problems behind the scenes?
Be interesting to know.

Relative innit – he’s travelling through time at his own speed, time is moving round relative to him, but his own clock keeps ticking.

That’s cleared that up then, silly me.

I think the scripts got leaked at one point.

Enjoyed watching it, Capaldi was coming over very Malcom Tucker at the start and I hope he keeps some of that going with a bit more grit and fight in the role. Looks like it was the chance for another click of the reset button (Matt Smith was the answer when Tennent became over indulgent – the good bye to the universe thing) and now kicking the age thing up it looks more like we are in for maybe a bit more of the Christopher Eccleston anger

Rusty Spanner – Member
Captjon – what were the problems behind the scenes?
Be interesting to know.

Budget issues post-2010 freeze in the license fee
Moffat being late with scripts
They lost two exec producers in 2011 when they left the BBC for other companies

vondally – Member
Looking forward to the next. Jenna Coleman is far more than a Doctors assistant in the trad sense and had the best lines.

You see, i think that’s the problem. The focus seems to be on Clara much more, but without a strong plot driving her character (plus i don’t think she’s that good an actress). Hopefully more will unfold, and story lines will be new, rather than repeatedly going back to old characters.

looks more like we are in for maybe a bit more of the Christopher Eccleston anger

I hope so. He was my favourite – and believe me I’ve seen a few, I’m almost as old as The Doctor.

and now kicking the age thing up it looks more like we are in for maybe a bit more of the Christopher Eccleston William Hartnell anger

He got there first.

Maybe a diet of American Sci Fi has left me cold to british attempts at this sort of thing but it just makes me cringe to think we’re beaming this stuff around the world.

Perhaps you should check out American SF/Genre TV prior to Babylon 5 before casting aspersions on Doctor Who, or even more recent stuff like Andromeda.
And there’s plenty more where that came from. American/Canadian genre TV is not universally excellent.
You seem to forget that Doctor Who is fifty years old; before it, there was no SF drama on TV, and little enough after it.
I’m actually old enough to have been there.

I’ve actually been racking my brains for good American SciFi shows. I seem to remember from a long time ago Babylon 5 took a VERY long time to emerge and anything other than a hotel in space.
Things like Battle Star Galactica did more but it certainly skipped the family audience part.
http://www.newsarama.com/15362-10-best-sci-fi-tv-shows-of-all-time.html
http://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=sci_fi&sort=moviemeter,asc&title_type=tv_series
Some of the stuff that gets onto the list is just good old action with some bits of tech too.

You see, i think that’s the problem. The focus seems to be on Clara much more, but without a strong plot driving her character

I sort of see that but disagree as she by stepping into the Dr’s timeline became a constant. Matt Smith Dr was driven bt curiosity and intrigue at first, this ‘new ‘ focus will be ontriguing, as much aabout loss and moving on, redefining relationships.

Hopefully more will unfold, and story lines will be new, rather than repeatedly going back to old characters.

agreed

mikewsmith – Member
I’ve actually been racking my brains for good American SciFi shows.

Heroes, Firefly, Star Trek, x-files

I thought it was ok.
The problem with Dr Who is it’s popularity. The BBC need it to continue, but it gets boring if Dr Who just fights (and beats) aliens every week, which was what it was a few years ago.
So there needs to be a longer running theme, but this also need to reach a conclusion at some point, which could be the death of the Dr, which isn’t going to happen.
So the stories need to be more than Dr vs alien, but without reaching a conclusion. Not easy.

Heroes lasted 1 1/2 series before losing the plot
Firefly is 14 episodes
Star Trek? Good in places absolute 90’s soap in space in others
X-Files good one but again had a big chunk of random in it.

It’s not the biggest or easiest genre to crack.

My favourite sci-fi show (mostly american)

Can’t get into Dr Who at all. Loved it as a kid but watching it recently it’s just weak stories and over acting to compensate. 50 years is a bit long for a tv show i think.

FWIW, IMHO, IGMC etc

I thought it was excellent, a few new themes being introduced, good humour, and Capaldi was superb. Deffo see the good Mr. Tucker shining through.

Agree with the need for a “killer” story line, but I am sure we will see one developing as Capaldi has the oomph to make it fly.

Can’t wait for the rest.

EDIT: I also love Sci-Fi, but B5, BSG, space above and beyond, farscape etc, but Dr. Who is the only one that has spousal approval and can be enjoyed by me and missus together (and almost by eldest son now)

I thought it was excellent. Very good base to build on, should be a cracker of a series.

Capaldi is a different Doctor to the previous three of the “new” era and I look forward to seeing how he develops the character.

Steven Moffat has a habit of disappearing up his own arse after writing for a show for a while, Dr Who is no different unfortunately. I tried watching the episode last night but couldn’t get more than half way through before the iPlayer app on the TiVo would start stuttering and crashing. Capalidi looked good but hard to judge on just 40 minutes of the episode.