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Learn Who Plays The Latest DR. WHO!!

Published at:  Mar 19, 2004 9:12:35 PM CST

SPOILER ALERT !!

I am – Hercules!!

It’s Christopher Eccleston. He’s that guy who wasn’t Ewan McGregor in “Shallow Grave.”

The 13-part BBC miniseries will air sometime next year. It's based on a really old, really inexpensive Brit sci-fi show about a helpful extraterrestrial.

Take up valuable bandwidth with your predictions and reactions!









Watch “Wonderfalls”!! Herc says it’s the season’s best new show!! 9 p.m. Fridays!! Fox!!

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    Readers Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 9:27:30 PM CST

    I'm Rick James, Bitch!

    by theboomcamel

  • Mar 19, 2004 9:30:19 PM CST

    Jellybaby?

    by regicidal_maniac

    The BBC is also in negotiations with the Nation estate to use the famous Daleks in this new series. I guess I'm the only one who cares.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 9:57:24 PM CST

    Daleks....

    by 4815162342

    It was cool to see the Daleks back in action in Back In Action!

    EXTERMINATE THEM!

    Go Dr. Who!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 10:11:06 PM CST

    Is this for real

    by lennard

    I dont think this is offcial is it?? otherwise it would have been on the Offcial site yes ?

    and No richard E grant is just the animated Dr

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 10:28:00 PM CST

    It's official!

    by urbankan

    Christopher Eccleston is the Ninth Doctor, officially.

    The BBC have said so on BBCi. Look on the front page.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 10:36:51 PM CST

    I can beat the Daleks !!!

    by big andy

    How scary can they be? Just find a set of stairs and you're home free! Hello! Is it that hard to figure out?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 10:45:25 PM CST

    Sorry but....

    by urbankan

    Regarding the Daleks, they can get upstairs.

    Yes, Paul Cornell is writing the 2 parter I believe.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 10:52:36 PM CST

    I live only to see this show.

    by fantomex

    Dr. Who done right would be truly amazing.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 11:16:02 PM CST

    Grand Moff Tarkin

    by danewf

    This is Making me all gooey :)

    http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=16132

    I was just at the offical site today I was going to watch the first Flash Toon again. I was hoping it would be Richard E Grant.

    But Mr Eccleston looks dreamy check'em out in a trench coat

    http://www.kinoweb.de/film2002/Others/pix/to03_L.jpg

    I hope the Good Doctor is a little more butch this time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 19, 2004 11:48:48 PM CST

    Wait a minute, I don't live in England!!!

    by rein

    I can't bring myself to care about a crappy series I'll never get to see. This was a series I never understood. Didn't like it before, probably won't like this new one. but who knows, it might surprise me. Although, again, I won't be seeing it cause I live in the U.S.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Although I'm not sure if this is Season 27, Season 30 after the Eighth Doctor Big Finish CDs, or a new Season 1. If Eccleston is the Ninth Doctor, then I say we refer to it as Season 27. All I need now is the David Arnold version of the Ron Grainer DOCTOR WHO theme, some BABYLON 5-style special effects, a hot babe companion that doesn't scream, and some Borg-like Cybermen and I'm set! Oh, yeah...Simultaneous transmission of the new episodes here in the States on A&E or HBO would be brilliant. And BBC Worldwide definitely needs to step up the DVD releases...6-8 stories a year is absolutely ridiculous in this age of complete season box sets. C'mon, where's Castrovalva? The Deadly Assassin? The Time Meddler? Planet of the Spiders? The War Games? The Trial of a Time Lord? Battlefield? Not to mention the Region 1 Paul McGann TV Movie...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 12:33:54 AM CST

    Companions

    by treadhead

    "All I need now is the David Arnold version of the Ron Grainer DOCTOR WHO theme, some BABYLON 5-style special effects, a hot babe companion that doesn't scream, and some Borg-like Cybermen and I'm set!"

    I concur, Spyguy.

    What's Elizabeth Sladen doing nowadays? (I know, she's got to be like 60 or so, but can true perfection ever age?).

    Unless the people at the helm are complete idiots, this should rock.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 12:35:44 AM CST

    Who ruled.

    by jfmenna

    Once upon a time, British sci fi ruled...Dr.Who, Space 1999, Blake's 7 ,Hitch-hiker's Guide, Tripods, Red Dwarf, etc. For what these shows lacked (according to some) in terms of special effects, they more than made up for with superior content, vision, and storytelling. Dr. Who is perhaps one of the only science fiction shows that actually dealt with science fiction rather than space opera or cosmic morality plays. Space 1999 kicked ass all over Star Trek. Of course some might think we had it all over these guys in the 80's with great sci fi shows like Gil Gerard's Buck Rogers or Jason of Star Command in the 70's. Me, I'm happy with Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker, Davison, Baker, McCoy, etc!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 1:41:30 AM CST

    DOCTOR WHOOOO! HEY! DOCTOR WHOO! DOCTOR WHOOOOO!! HEY, HEY, THE

    by burnhollywood

    DOCTOR WHO, DOC, DOCTOR WHO, DOCTOR WHO, DOC, DOCTOR WHO *** Bout time the Burning Bastard Crotch settled on some talented soul...I completely and utterly hated this miserable SOB in 28 DAYS - that means he's a good actor! First job: Mo' Daleks, mo' Cyberman, mo' Sontarans! Don't be a puss (like the Star Trek guys), LET'S GIT THIS PARTY STARTED OFF *RIGHT*!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 2:29:45 AM CST

    They should have used Paul McGann...

    by blok narpin

    ...now they have to use another regeneration. Better to use Paul McGann again then waste a regeneration.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 2:58:00 AM CST

    Dr Who Sucks Ass

    by catman

    Biggest nerd-fest of a show, EVER. That is all.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 3:09:19 AM CST

    Miniseries?

    by badboymason

    Herc, FYI in Britain 13 episodes is not a "miniseries", in fact a lot of regular series only consist of 6/8 episodes, so its getting a pretty decent run.

    Reply to Talkback

  • "Are you local?" "You're my wife now!" "You may give a toad a wart but a toad may not give a wart to you!" "You know I've got this gun, don't ya?" "I can't have babies! My insides are all wrong!" "Yeah, I'm looking forward to some 'eavy focking." etc. etc. etc. Did anyone in the states see this? Way better than the office!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 4:58:33 AM CST

    At least theirs a thread now

    by inferno133

    At least theirs a thread now, I did put this up just under an hour before this thread started but on the wonderfalls talk back as cudnt see anywhere else. IMO good choice.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 5:45:34 AM CST

    Im looking forward to this one.

    by wingnut1a

    I do hope that they will have the Tardis as the red telephone booth, and not some silly overblown prop with lights and pyrotechnics and stuff. Sometimes it is best to be subtle. I always loved it how the Chamelion Circuit would choose the most inopportune times to short out. =) And I hope that the Sonic Screwdriver will be reborn I always loved that too.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 6:17:54 AM CST

    shudda bin

    by grfrog

    Roger Daltrey

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 7:01:35 AM CST

    Daily Mail

    by supertoyslast

    The BBC officially confirming that Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor makes it so much more hilarious to read today's Daily Mail. They have the exclusive that Bill Nighy *IS* the new Doctor. Not only that but Alfred Molina will be in it with Audrey Tatou as Joan of Arc! They even claim that the BBC got it down to a shortlist of 3 - Bill Nighy, Richard E Grant and Alan Davies. I wonder what else the Daily Mail make up/don't check their sources on? All it would have taken to confirm or deny this scoop was one phone call, guys. Nice fact-checking. Or did the Daily Mirror (who got it right) send them a spoof email to throw them off the scent? God I love our fine British tabloids.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 7:39:23 AM CST

    Really?

    by silver_joo

    Christopher Eccleston, what a great choice. Hopefully the BBC mean business this time. There is not a child in England that has not been scared shitless by Dr. Who at some point. Classic.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 7:55:40 AM CST

    Leapin Lizards Batm

    by skyway moaters

    Holy Shit! Is this for real?! How long has this been in the works? Where the hell have I been? Can anyone corroborate (sp?) Herc's "scoop"? Is this old news? Rumor? Help?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 8:29:32 AM CST

    what needs to be done and why it won't be good...

    by mansep

    i hope they update the look of all the monsters. the cybermen really need an overhaul. that style of effect really belongs back in the 60s and 70s. we need a modern look and feel to these characters in every department. even the daleks. the only thing that is classic in terms of style is the tardis itself. that can stay as it is. also they really ought to bring back the original theme tune. it still sounds scary and futuristic. every other theme since was ropey and inneffective, and there aren't any good theme tune writers working in the uk at present, just listene to the wasted opportunity that is the theme for Hustle. also, i'm seriously worried about the bbc being behind the making of this. bbc drama has seriously gone down hill in the past decade. anyone watching crap like spooks, bugs, that alan davies shit or that crap with smantha janus in it will fear what the bbc will turn doctor who into. this needs to be made by a team that have real creative and artistic talent and know how to make REAL SCIENCE FICTION. i really, badly hope this will be good. but every fibre of my body fears it will suck. getting The League of Gentleman writers on board is NOT a good move. they may be fans of the series, and TLOG may be an excellent comedy show, but they are wrong for this. aaargh, the frustration of it all... and to whoever said David Arnold? Babylon 5?! what the f$@!?. that would be the worst!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 8:53:39 AM CST

    Not a bad choice.

    by darksider

    I was still praying for Eddie Izzard though.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 11:07:45 AM CST

    What's he doing for transportation?

    by chickengeorgevii

    As I recall, England has done away with all of the old style phone booths due to a more efficient style like we have here in the USA. As well, most Britians, like Americans, are carrying around cell phones. So...what gives? How the hell is the good Doctor gonna get around? Is he gonna surf around on a Nokia GSM band phone with text messaging and web service? I ask this of course, only remembering what little I had seen of the show when I was a kid and on a black and white TV....And thus, I asked! - - - George, The 7th Chicken!!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 11:20:03 AM CST

    Point of Order

    by chickengeorgevii

    I should note: When I caught Doctor Who as a kid, it was in my basement when my brother had his "Circle of Friends" over....These guys were watching Doctor Who while playing Dungeons and Dragons modified with language found in the glossaries of "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Trilogy, complete with all the little pewter statuettes, all from the program they had custom written to conduct all of the game play and episode status, and proper language on a Tandy Model 4 computer with the green screen.....Now THOSE, MY FELLOW TBers, ARE SOME CLASS "A" NERDS!!!!!! You can get upset all you want...but when the group is spending Saturday night reading their biorythyms from a Radio Shack computer....even Ray Bradbury would be calling them geeks....And thus, I have spoken! - - - George, The 7th Chicken!!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 12:29:34 PM CST

    Good choice?

    by badboymason

    I think as an actor, Eccleston has the chops to do a decent enough performance. However, to me he at the momentseems too much of an "ordinary joe"-type to play the Doctor. I haven't seen him in anything where hes played particularly quirky or enigmatic characters, maybe he will pull it off, but I fear his performance will be more "Peter Davison" than "Tom Baker", but then, as with all things, we must wait and see.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 12:43:47 PM CST

    Eccleston

    by johnny smith

    Good on him; I've always liked his stuff, from THE OTHERS to 28 DAYS LATER. He's good with otherworldly material, and he's as good a choice as any. Best of luck to him.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 1:48:28 PM CST

    chickengeorge

    by mansep

    i realise you were making a joke, but actually the blue police box that the Doctor travels in was never for public use (only the police, hence the name). the public used the smaller, red phone booths which you are no doubt familiar with from films. these indeed have been done away with (except in the most touristy areas). i've lived in england for 30 years and not once did i ever see a blue police box.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 2:52:34 PM CST

    what?

    by holly golightly

    no mcgann? no grant? bah, I have nothing against eccleston, but...there goes a regeneration...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 2:55:51 PM CST

    DR who/ Brit scifi.

    by mark d

    For those in the Us who have never, never seen Dr. Who or Brit scifi, let me explain what all the fuss is about.

    Brit tv had no money. Sci fi tv began in the uk with a Show called Quatermass and the pit.

    It was all about this guy called dr.Quatermass. He worked for the british govt, stiff upper lip and all that. This space craft has crahlanded in an abandoned power station in the UK. Quatermass and his team has to investigate, what is going on and when they get down into the pit and inside the space craft they find not alien creatures but dark radioactive alien slime and it is growing, this show terrified anyone who watched it at the time. It was cold war after all Sci-fi aliens were meant to represent communism

    Next Up is Doctor Who. The Daleks werer not the best villains ever created on this show. They were the Cybermen. The cybermen did not speak, they cackled and there were lots of them. They were unrelenting. All of them had laser guns.

    BBC Then Made something superior
    Blake 7 and if you havent seen it RENT IT NOW!!!!!!!!

    The First Dr. who was William Hartnell who was apparently an uptight old codger to work with.

    One of the talkbacker said why does it take so long for The Dr. Who Series to come out?

    The reason for this is because of a number of reasons, the Beebs lack of commitment in the past towards the series for budgetary reasons. When it came towards the end of the series proper with Slyvester McCoy. The cast and crew were kept in the dark over the series future and when they thought it would return in sept it didnt come back and the BBC never fully said what it's intention was with the Dr. Franchise. Then near the millenium BBC made what was for many one of the worst decisions ever it commisioned a 2 hr movie.

    Paul McGann, one of the hugely talented McGann Bros, was cast as dr. who and for the master it cast Eric Roberts, Who fans were scathing and then BBC decided to run away its best franchise and for a long time all was quite on the who front, rumours that the berg and strong armed the BBC into giving the series to his fledgling network came to naught.

    So the new dr is Chris Eccelstone and the exec. Prod. is Russell. T Davis,one of the UK's best actors and writers are bringing back the dr to prime time tv in the UK. But will the BBC loose its bottle again. Time will tell. meanwhile as the tagline for the previous dr. stated, the return of Dr. Who: It's about time.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 3:49:29 PM CST

    Really old? 1989?

    by thetardis

    i guess when you worship at the church of Buffy (I'm sorry the last two seasons were utter and complete crap) anything pre-1996 is "really old".

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 4:27:58 PM CST

    All-time Dr. Who babes...

    by darthcorleone

    1. Nicola Bryant as Perpugilliam "Peri" Brown
    2. Louise Jameson as Leela
    3. Lalla Ward as Romana II
    4. Sarah Sutton as Nyssa

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 4:37:58 PM CST

    Dr. Who IS really old

    by harvard-man

    The first episode came out in 1963, not 1989. I'd say that qualifies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 5:00:39 PM CST

    Chris Eccleston is a top quality actor...

    by coatsy uk

    ...that casting has got me interested now!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 6:45:28 PM CST

    no subject

    by cairo

    personally i had hoped they would cast richard coyle as the new doctor or even bring paul mcgann back ( he was quoted in SFX as saying he would do it if asked )

    as for the regenerations the master cheated them before the mmovie in the deadly assasin episodes he regained his regenerations

    what i want is a doctor whos all alien not half human "puhhleese" i want sonic screwdrivers daleks long scarves yrti police boxes UNIT bessie cybermen jelly babies ..... alouth i must confess i would love to see the gothic tardis interior from the TV Movie make a return

    to quote the film hes back and its about time

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 20, 2004 10:01:56 PM CST

    Strange choice for the doctor.

    by fitzcarraldo2

    Eccleston is a very good actor but I can't see him being right for the Doctor. He's just too gloomy and intense, look at him in Shallow Grave, Jude or 28 Days Later - no lightness of heart there at all. I hope I'm wrong. Richard E Grant or Eddie Izzard would have been my choice.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 12:49:55 AM CST

    Who Returns?

    by electric_monk

    Personally, I can't wait to see this new series. And it will air here in the States. Dr. Who still has a large following here and even if the stupid folks at SCI FI pick it up, I'll watch it. As for the length, what I've been reading is the show will run like The Shield here, 13 45 min. episodes (and tell me this show is not made for American TV. All our 1 hour drama's run 45 minutes without commericals. Dr. Who will easily fit in). I don't think they are connected by a theme, ala The Trail of a Time Lord or even the Key to Time. My guess is it will be arc based, but with many of the 13 episodes designed to be stand alones. As for the return of some old foes like the Daleks, it all depends on licensing. Unlike here in America, the original writers own the right to their creations. The Daleks are owned by the late Terry Nation's Estate, not the BBC. If the BBC wants to do an episode featuring the Daleks, they have to pay a fee. And right now, what seems to happening is Terry Nation's Estate appears to asking a heavy fee for their return to TV. And the BBC, who has a history of not really forking any extra money over, seems to be balking at the request. Still, even if the Daleks return, they'll have to be overhauled a bit. Stairs seem to have stumped them for decades -though in one the last few stories they did appear in before the show was canned in 1989, the Daleks could be seen "rocketing" up a set of steps. Russell T. Davies, who is notoriously known in the US as the creator of the BBC miniseries Queer as Folk (and who help launch the Showtime version) is one of the most resepected writer/producers working now. He'll write 8 of the 13 episodes, with the rest farmed out to writers who have written some of the best Who novels and Big Finish Radio Plays. I have faith that Davies will update the character and the show, while still keeping touch with the past. After all, he's not Rick Berman. At least, I hope not.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 1:40:19 AM CST

    Somebody mention Dr. Who babes?

    by treadhead

    In no particular order--

    Leela
    Nyssa
    Romana I (playboy version)
    Romana II (waif version)

    But the greatest, the most stupendous, the most utterly so-stunning-it-hurts-just-to-look-at-her Companion babe of all time:

    Sarah Jane Smith.

    You may disagree, but you'll never get my copy of "Pyramids of Mars" away from me unless you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.



    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 7:50:19 AM CST

    Top Who Babes

    by bart of darkness

    For my money, Sarah Jane Smith (predicable or what?), the incredibly cute Zoe (Wendy Padbury) and Nicola Bryant (Ms Purple bikini Brown herself). And Mark D, loved your potted history of British TV SF. A quality windup (that Quatermass story you cobbled together would probably make a good film!). For the record, the first British Telefantasy, or for that matter the first Telefantasy anywhere in the world began on the eleventh of February 1938 with a twenty-five minute live production by BBC Television Service of RUR.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 1:41:47 PM CST

    Too bad it isn't Timothy Spall

    by rinse

    I might even have bought the DVDs if it comes out..

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 6:41:46 PM CST

    I heard someone else

    by danger mouse

    I thought it was the big bad head vamp from underworld. Bill N???.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 7:05:18 PM CST

    Danger Mouse, Bill Nighy was one of the rumored names: "The sta

    by declan_swartz

  • Mar 21, 2004 7:12:16 PM CST

    what is the world comming to

    by danger mouse

    when you can't trust tabloid newspapers for accurate info??? I'm just shattered. This will make me very sceptical and bitter. Still, the guy they have chosen is a very good actor.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 8:05:30 PM CST

    Ilac, what the hell are you talking about?

    by harvard-man

    All I said was that the show was old, from 1963 and not 1989. Where the hell did I say anything about it not being good? Care to quote it for me, or will you simply apologize? Oh wait, civility on a AICN talkback: not bloody likely.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 8:51:10 PM CST

    Have Henson Studios provide the FX work and pic the Who babes fr

    by stonemonkey

    screw censorship and bring back my Farscape alot quicker.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 10:20:51 PM CST

    oh Come off it herc...

    by eliza_is_hot

    you a bitch and so is your Aunt

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 10:35:46 PM CST

    Wrong, Silver Joo

    by wild at heart

    The Doctor didn't just scare English kids shitless, but pretty much all those in the whole glorious Commonwealth. I'm from Oz and my schooldays orbited around Pertwee and Baker's triumphs and travails (which shows just how bloody old I am!) I remember seeing the Sea-Devils as a tyke and having the willies for weeks.

    Yet, I can't speak for Indian, Pakistani or Ugandan kiddies, nor French-Canadian rugrats for that matter.

    And Christopher Eccleston is a glorious choice - not just good, damned right on the button. I wanna see him play Wells in a rip-snorting version of 'The War of the Worlds'. One of the best British actors of his generation.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 11:00:55 PM CST

    IIlac, check it out...

    by harvard-man

    The message one post above mine questioned the headline's assertion that Dr. Who was "really old." I replied that it was in fact really old, since it was first made in 1963, not 1989 as the previous poster suggested. It's pretty clear that I'm only making a statement regarding the show's age, not its quality. It's a perfectly neutral statement; one might just as easily infer that I'm lauding the show for having been around for such a long time. Heck, I remember being devastated when I found out that the later William Hartnell and most of the Patrick Troughton episodes had been torched by the BBC - all the early appearances of the Cybermen gone!

    Anyhoo, you sound vaguely conciliatory in your last post, so I'll let it drop if you will :)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 21, 2004 11:11:57 PM CST

    Ilac, check it out...

    by harvard-man

    The message one post above mine questioned the headline's assertion that Dr. Who was "really old." I replied that it was in fact really old, since it was first made in 1963, not 1989 as the previous poster suggested. It's pretty clear that I'm only making a statement regarding the show's age, not its quality. It's a perfectly neutral statement; one might just as easily infer that I'm lauding the show for having been around for such a long time. Herc refers to the show as really old -why aren't you attacking him?

    Heck, I remember being devastated as a teen when I found out that the later William Hartnell and most of the Patrick Troughton episodes had been torched by the BBC - all the early appearances of the Cybermen gone!

    Anyhoo, you sound vaguely conciliatory in your last post, so I'll let it drop if you will :)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 22, 2004 7:14:34 AM CST

    Dr Who

    by samson_k

    You know, as a long standing Dr Who fan I have heard so many rumours and false starts that a big part of me doesn

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 22, 2004 9:02:18 AM CST

    Hey, who are you calling old?

    by atari

  • Mar 22, 2004 11:27:55 AM CST

    well, I was hoping for McGann or Grant...

    by mithril

    but Eccleston's a fine choice. A bit of a sombre version of the Doctor, methinks. I still think that for the serious/eccentric/occasionally funny mix, McGann (who was willing to do it) and Grant (who wasn't, he was worried about all the publicity) would've been better choices. Still, as long as it's well written, well acted, and there's some cool Cybermen and the original Daleks (please), I'm happy. ***As for the best of the companions, Leela, Peri and Romana II are right up there, with a couple of others. Mind you, Leela was cooler when she was still portrayed as curious and quite intelligent, not when some writers made her an idiot (though a damn fine looking one at that). *** And yes, Doctor Who has scared British kids sh*tless. But I still say "Children of the Stones" and the one with the berserk Russian pilot of the experimental sub on the Scottish island (was that "Nightmare Man"? damned if I remember) caused more pants-wetting among my friends. ***Which reminds me, now that "Children of the Stones" is out on DVD, when are they gonna release the other series from the same creators, the one with the little kid who gets caught in a lift in an abandoned building and starts hallucinating? Damn, those guys wrote some disturbing stuff for kids...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 22, 2004 10:24:15 PM CST

    Alfred Molina and Audrey Tautou ('Amelie') possibly in a Joan of

    by grillskill

    http://www.gallifreyone.com/newstv.php
    "Story, contract rumors begin flying
    March 20
    In the wake of the casting announcement, story rumors are already flying. Today's Daily Mail (which actually got the casting of the Doctor wrong, they said it was Bill Nighy) reports that one of the stories being done for the first season is a Joan of Arc story with guests stars possibly including Audrey Tautou ('Amelie') and Alfred Molina. It's been pointed out to Outpost Gallifrey that Tautou is currently filming a Joan of Arc movie in France so this is probably a case of wires crossed. Meanwhile, says the Express, Eccleston has signed 'a three year contract' (this could be speculation on their part). They mention that the official announcement of his signing is due "next week" and that the budget for each episode is '

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 23, 2004 2:47:23 AM CST

    Daleks in Loony Tunes Back in Action!

    by zerocorpse

    I geeked out when I watched Loony Tunes: Back in Action and saw daleks! Nothing like watching Daffy Duck get zapped by daleks yelling "EX-TER-MI-NATE!!!"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Mar 23, 2004 3:56:22 AM CST

    13 episodes...

    by piersb

    Is a standard order for a cable channel in the US (eg The Shield, Sex And The City). A standard series order in the UK is for 6 episodes, so this is a big commitment for the BBC.

    Also, 45-minute episodes are perfect for selling overseas, 'cos that equates to an hour with commercials.

    The writers are complete talents, and Christopher Eccleston (woefully underused in Gone in 60 seconds) has the potential to be Completely Fucking Brilliant in the role.

    Non-UK people - if you can find a copy, check him out as the new messiah in "The Second Coming", also written by Russell T Davies.

    Piers

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  • Mar 23, 2004 8:22:45 AM CST

    Beat the Daleks...

    by kid z

    ... how hard is it? You don't even need stairs, just avoid the ray-shooting plumber's helper on the front, run up behind 'em (they aren't very fast) and push 'em over. It's like cow-tipping except they're lamer than cows because they can't even get up. It's like going to war with a bunch of turtles!

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  • Mar 23, 2004 8:26:02 AM CST

    Ex-ter-min-ate!

    by kid z

    What's really funny is going into a pub in the UK, getting into a conversation with the locals, mentioning Dr. Who, and watching as a at least several regulars raise their arms and shout, "Exterminate... E-TER-MIN-ATE!!!" Try it sometime.

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  • Mar 23, 2004 11:24:56 AM CST

    Paul McGann....

    by mistergrimloch

    should be cast. this idea blows dick. why waste using McGann? flawed though the television movie was, it demonstrated that McGann is definately the right casting choice. is there ANY legitimate reason why he was at least asked to take on the role?
    i'm very dissappointed.

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  • Mar 23, 2004 11:28:25 AM CST

    correction....

    by mistergrimloch

    i meant was there any reason McGann was NOT asked to be involved?
    DAMMIT! WHY IS PAUL MCGANN NOT THE DOCTOR IN THIS!?
    why does everything suck these days?

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  • Mar 23, 2004 11:31:42 AM CST

    Janet Fielding...

    by mistergrimloch

    did you guys know that there is an unbelievable porno of Janet Fielding doing a gang bang with 15 guys, that ends with every one of them unloading on either her face or tits?

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  • I would have preferred to keep Paul McGann as well, if only for one season, but Paul declined the full-time role. He is, however, willing to appear in a regeneration sequence, whether that takes place in the first episode of the new series or as a "flashback" later on...

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  • Mar 23, 2004 6:57:39 PM CST

    SpyGuy....

    by mistergrimloch

    thanks for the info. was McGann simply uninterested in doing a series? that is too bad. i thought McGann was quite good in the single Who vehicle he was involved with. Frankly, i also thought that Eric Roberts was good as The Master.
    i used to religiously record this series off PBS, and have videotape copies of every episode (not burned to ashes) from An Un-Earthly Child through the final episodes with Sylvester McCoy, and the single McGann film. i have invested ONLY in the remixed/re-edited version of The Five Doctors on DVD, as i think the price and rate of releases for this series is a ridiculous mess. admittedly, i have flirted often with the idea of wasting money on them all, but then i am snapped back into a brief state of consciousness, keeping my hands from retrieving a credit card, and thus throwing care to the wind.

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  • Mar 24, 2004 5:56:50 AM CST

    Dr Who Telephone box

    by phat man

    Guys

    a couple of my American cousins have said that the Dr Who TARDIS needs updating to the modern glass & Steel boxes. I used to live in South Wales - just around the cornier from Mum's house there is an original Blue Police Telephone box. It's been there for many years - the only Dr Who reference being that some charlie painted a Dr Who scarf around the bloody thing.

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  • Mar 25, 2004 8:27:36 AM CST

    Change my dear...and not a moment too soon

    by david frames

    If you're going to bring Doctor Who back (and it looks like you are) then it should retain the format that did it proud for 26 years, i.e. a serial. Each season (and it was one of the few UK shows that actually covered a season with 26 episodes) was divided into 5 0r 6 stories told in half hour chunks. The BBC should remember that half the fun of the show was the absurd cliffhanger at the end of each episode - you fuck with those good foundations at extreme risk. The show will benefit from a big budget certainly but its always the writing that made the programme, never the production values. There are a lot of great who writers out there who contributed to the post-series novels whom the beeb could do far worse than pull in for a few ideas. Davis as a writer is fine, but gatiss and moffat? These are comedy writers and worse yet, fanboys! For me this is a potential diaster. The show needs dramatic integrity to survive its revivial and that means serious sci-fi and absolutely no descent into self-parody. Its the difference between writing the show for a new audience and deliberately courting the old with in jokery, references to old stories and so on. You only need to watch alien resuurection to see what a fucking cataclysm can pan out when you hire a fan to write a script for a long running series, but one with no new ideas.
    Eccleson is a good choice for the role. Now, McGann don't be a bastard, show up to do your regeneration scene like a good doctor.

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