I've really been enjoying the new BBC series of Doctor Who. Frankly, I was more familiar with the show from the spinoff novels, some of which you can now read for free just like I did at the Grove City public library. The 21st century Doctor is a whole lot of fun, and very much in the ongoing tradition, although it's a bit faster-paced. I'm really growing to like Christopher Eccleston in the role and already know I'll miss him a lot when his series ends. Still, it'll be interesting to see how David Tennant plays the next Doctor.

Possibly because I came to it through the books, I never really considered Doctor Who at all scary, and was always slightly amused to hear so many Brits talk about "hiding behind the sofa" during their childhood viewings of Doctor Who. Well, a friend of mine brought her 10.5-year-old son over and we all watched the latest episode, and at the climax... yep, behind the couch he went! I just had to chuckle: the Doctor's still got it.

Re: Doctor Who

There are 6 messages in this thread, displayed in the order they were posted.

Martin 5/21/2005 4:03:24 AM Pacific

I'm curious Jerry.... how are you watching Doctor Who in the USA?

Jerry Kindall

5/21/2005 8:51:38 AM Pacific

I'm going to have to plead the Fifth on that one. :)
I sure wish BBC America would carry it. I can't really imagine why they aren't; the older series have quite a cult following over here, and BBCA's ratings are low enough that it would surely be an improvement to run it. Maybe they're planning to run it after a six month or year's delay, or something. Or maybe they just have a fundamental lack of confidence in the show? I have no idea whether it's considered a bonafide hit. But of course, one of the benefits of the BBC is that the spectre of ratings doesn't loom quite so large.
I will almost certainly buy DVDs of this series if they're made available in the US. Heck, I might buy a region-free DVD player if they're made available only in Region 2 encoding.

Martin

5/24/2005 2:45:26 PM Pacific

Oddly enough, BBC America aren't really much to do with the BBC in the UK - they rely on advertising to sustain their output, and not all programmes shown on the BBCA network are derived from BBC UK content.
I seem to remember that the new Doctor Who series was offered out to Sci-Fi.com, but they turned it down, saying they felt it was weak.
Here in the UK, it's attracting regular weekly audiences of around 7-9million viewers - around 44% of the domestic share - it airs at 1900 on a Saturday, traditionally the toughest slot to fill in recent years on terrestrial TV in the UK - and is trouncing the competition on the domestic rival commercial channel, ITV. (One recent episode netted 10.5million viewers). An audience of around 5-7million on a Saturday night is considered good, so it's a roaring success for the BBC here in the UK.
Personally, speaking, I think it's been pretty good - it's managed to take the fanboys with it, whilst remoulding itself into something more akin to a top-rated US sci-fi show like Buffy, Enterprise or the X-Files - with ongoing plot threads, recurring themes and superb writing.
It can only get better in season two.
If you need a hand getting a hold of the DVDs when they come out, give me a shout.

Jerry Kindall

5/24/2005 2:56:11 PM Pacific

I think the bigger problem with the Sci-Fi channel was that they had just committed the bulk of their budget for Battlestar Galactica. Which is also a fine show, so I don't begrudge them that at all.
Part of the difficulty in bringing British shows to American TV, I think, is that British TV series typically have 13 episodes while American seasons have 22, which leaves a shortfall of 9 episodes for a normal schedule. (Galactica was kind of a misfit in that regard, but they've ordered a full season for next year.)

Jerry Kindall

7/7/2005 5:52:03 PM Pacific

The series came to an end a couple of weeks ago. It was excellent, excellent, and I can't wait for the next series next year.

Simon Kindall

6/26/2006 11:21:06 AM Pacific

Hi Jerry I'm glad you have enjoyed Dr Who we have certainly enjoyed it over here in the England, the latest series is very good.
And yes we do have the same surname, but I'm sure we are not related. Feel free to e mail me. Simon

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Re: Doctor Who