Who History: The Eighth Doctor

eighthtardis

November 2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Doctor Who.  In the months leading up to the official anniversary, I'll be talking about various aspects of Who that I think (or hope) might be relevant to the Anniversary Special.  Even if it's ultimately just extra information, hopefully it will still add depth of knowledge and general appreciation to fifty years of sci-fi fun. This installment is all about the most controversial Doctor of the lot: the Eighth Doctor, played by Paul McGann. … [Read more...]

Doctor Who: Mid-Season Report

angelstakemanhattan

Warning: this is a discussion and review of this season of Doctor Who to date.  There will not be spoilers for future episodes.  There will, however, be mention of details from episodes that have already aired - so read at your own risk if you haven't seen them yet. So, the Angels took Manhattan, at least temporarily, and the Ponds' story is complete.  We're through with episodes until Christmas, and then we'll be introduced to a brand-new companion, a brand-new era.  So let's take this … [Read more...]

Love, Sex and Doctor Who

engage

The space-time continuum of the geek world may be collapsing: The Doctor is engaged to his daughter.   The joke about the engagement between David Tennant and Georgia Moffett is two-fold; Tennant played the Doctor and Moffett played his daughter in an episode, and Moffett is the real-life daughter of Peter Davison, who played the fifth incarnation of the Doctor.  Yes, it's kind of creepy, but only if you can't separate fiction from reality.   Thinking about "the Doctor's" engagement, … [Read more...]

Older Doctor Who: Where to Start?

So maybe you've watched all of the new series of Doctor Who, from Eccleston on, but the older Doctors are a mystery to you.  Maybe you want to see Sarah Jane Smith in all her young nubile glory.  Or maybe you've never seen any Doctor Who because you're a completist and want to do it "right."  Where's the best place to begin? Option One: Begin at the Beginning Well, you could start with the first Doctor... but it won't be easy.  For one thing, it's in black and white, and slower paced.  … [Read more...]

Wishes for a New Doctor Who

tombakerelisabethsladen

So this New Year's Day marked the final episode of Doctor Who with David Tennant as the Doctor, and with Russell T Davies at the helm as head writer and executive producer. Technically there was nothing remarkable about the death of Tennant's character; it was a bog-standard regeneration, as those things go.  And in the grand scheme of things, Davies was just another writer for the Doctor in a long, long line of them. But let's not kid ourselves here.  Davies essentially brought the … [Read more...]