The Doctor Who Thread

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Keeley Hawes as you probably all now know has been cast as a villain in series 8.

Apparently playing a banker.

Cue the Who forums sinking under Keeley is The Rani rumours.

[Susan Foreman]

This could have gone in the 'random and funny rictures' thread, but I thought it was better here!

[Susan Foreman]

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but most of the 'production' side of the first block of Season 8 have been announced:

Episode 1 - Writer Steven Moffatt, Director Ben Wheatley ('A Field In England')
Episode 2 - Writer Phil Ford (head writer of 'The Sarah Jane Adventures), Director Ben Wheatley
Episode 3 - Writer TBA, Director Paul Murphy
Episode 4 - Writer Steven Moffatt, Director Douglas Mackinnon
Episode 5 - Writer Stephen Thompson, Director Douglas Mackonnon
Episode 6 - Writer TBA, Director Paul Murphy

[hivemind]

I sincerely hope that Phil Ford delivers a decent Dalek story for series 8. Asylum of the Daleks was such a disappointment for me. Never was there a better time to show the darker side of Sarko's finest than Asylum. Moffat just delivered a third rate story that didn't really achieve what I genuinely thought would be a dark, highly demented Dalek asylum. It seems that the Daleks have definitely lost that vital spark that other more classic Dr Who stories from the past like Genesis and Revelation delivered. I'm always hopeful that Julian Bleach will return as Davros in maybe this story written by Phil Ford or in the near future. We need the Daleks to be scary and menacing again. Terry Nation would be spinning in his grave if he knew what Moffat had done to his beloved Daleks in Victory of the Daleks. Those crap paradigm Daleks sure looked naff. I'm hopeful that maybe, just maybe, we will get a genuine Dalek story for season 8, but I won't hold my breathe.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by hivemind

Moffat had done to his beloved Daleks in Victory of the Daleks. Those crap paradigm Daleks sure looked naff.

Oddly enough i agree with you but they were fantastic when i saw the show at the MEN arena. It seemed as if they had been designed with this in mind rather than the series itself.

[hivemind]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Oddly enough i agree with you but they were fantastic when i saw the show at the MEN arena. It seemed as if they had been designed with this in mind rather than the series itself.

I agree with you. My cynicism towards the paradigm Daleks is certainly driven by what you have said above. Young children seemed to warm towards these tele-tubbie Daleks more for the promotional side than to effectively be threatning in a story like Victory. But just look at how meancing the Daleks looked in the grey and black colours during the 70's and 80's. Even that eye on the Dalek looked sinister. I'm certain that if the old colours were brought back to the improved gold Daleks, like we've seen in Doomsday with the Black Dalek, we would have the more sinister looking Daleks.

Too much reliance on bringing back the Daleks without thinking about writting a decent Dalek story that's truly memorable and one that will stand the test of time. Though I frown slightly on Remembrance of the Daleks from 1988. I still feel the Daleks had that malevolent touch that Moffat and to some degree Russell T. Davies didn't show in the more recent Dr Who/Dalek stories.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by hivemind

I agree with you. My cynicism towards the paradigm Daleks is certainly driven by what you have said above. Young children seemed to warm towards these tele-tubbie Daleks more for the promotional side than to effectively be threatning in a story like Victory. But just look at how meancing the Daleks looked in the grey and black colours during the 70's and 80's. Even that eye on the Dalek looked sinister. I'm certain that if the old colours were brought back to the improved gold Daleks, like we've seen in Doomsday with the Black Dalek, we would have the more sinister looking Daleks.

Too much reliance on bringing back the Daleks without thinking about writting a decent Dalek story that's truly memorable and one that will stand the test of time. Though I frown slightly on Remembrance of the Daleks from 1988. I still feel the Daleks had that malevolent touch that Moffat and to some degree Russell T. Davies didn't show in the more recent Dr Who/Dalek stories.

What you say is certainly true. I did think the Daleks in The Stolen Earth were scary. You can only base fear on a reaction, and the reaction of Sarah, Jack etc to the Dalek voices booming through the com systems brought with them great fear. I remember watching it with shivers running up my spine. Shame RT-D ballsed it all up with Journey's End.

[hivemind]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

What you say is certainly true. I did think the Daleks in The Stolen Earth were scary. You can only base fear on a reaction, and the reaction of Sarah, Jack etc to the Dalek voices booming through the com systems brought with them great fear. I remember watching it with shivers running up my spine. Shame RT-D ballsed it all up with Journey's End.

How I remember watching RTD's two-parter. The trailer's and general hype surrounding the return of Davros. Stolen Earth certainly was a fairly decent first part. The Dalek's looked and felt like an old enemy ready to lead the charge against the Doctor. But what was Russell thinking about when we had that rather stupid love fest in the TARDIS towards the end of the story. Davros, the ultimate creator of the Dalek's reduced to a whimpering lump of jelly, and the resolution to Journey's End certainly felt like a rush job. Julian Bleach gave us a truly generous performance as Davros, only to see it all destroyed in the final part. Yes. Russell just didn't have the balls of a true Welshman to see it through. Sorry Russell.

I will say that RTD did deliver some more intresting individual stories like Midnight and Gridlock. Gridlock felt more to me like a Slyvestor McCoy adventure story from the Virgin New Adventure range of books back in the 1990's. Fear I suppose is what you don't see, just like Midnight or the very first Dalek story, The Daleks. Just that lone sink plunger moving foward towards Barbara was perfect for it's time. Will Phil Ford with the aid of Steven Moffat deliver something as memorable in episode two, series 8???

[Mojo]

I thought Asylum Of The Daleks was pretty good, although I agree a few completely insane Daleks thrown into the mix would have been even better.

Julian Bleach was fantastic as Davros and would love to see him back again ( without the 'reality bomb' )

There are hints the Cybermen will be in the new series. Can we please have a decent story for them too? Nightmare In Silver was awful.

[Gothmogxx]

I actually didn't hate Nightmare in Silver as much as I did the first time I watched it after I gave it a re-run. But the episode suffers from one problem above all others...

THE KIDS!!!! ESPECIALLY THE GIRL OHH GODDDDD!!!!!

They built it up as a scary story. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt until I saw the end of The Crimson Horror where it shows the kids are going to be in next weeks episode. From that point, I knew they were screwed.