Doctor Who ? (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan Kaye]

Quote:

Having bought and listened to all 35 or so, I have to say I disagree (but, hey, everyone's opinion is valid!). Sure, you get the occasional story that fails to hit the spot as much as others, but the same could be said of televised Doctor Who. The two McGann seasons in particular are excellent, and IMO the cliffhanger at the end of 'Neverland', the most recent McGann story, does for Doctor Who what 'The Best of Both Worlds' did for Star Trek: TNG.
As for the stories with past Doctors, it's interesting to hear Colin Baker take the character forward in the way he would have done had he not been sacked by the BBC. In particular, the pairing of him and the new audio companion Evelyn Smythe (who is older than the average Doctor Who assistant) has changed a number of fans' views about Colin Baker as the Doctor (for the better!).
Incidentally, the BBC's own website chose Big Finish to produce their second online story, Real Time, which just goes to show that Big Finish can't be going too far wrong! They certainly feel right to me, much more than any of the books did.

 

[Ric Easton]

I'd be interested in listening to a few of the McGann releases. Do I need to hear them in order of release? What are the best ones, and where can I go to get a listing of all of them?

Is there any continuity between these stories and the ones released in paperback? I heard that the Eighth Doctor loses his memory? Is that also the case in the audio dramas?

Ric

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

Is there any continuity between these stories and the ones released in paperback? I heard that the Eighth Doctor loses his memory? Is that also the case in the audio dramas?

As I don't read the books, I can't really say. The Doctor does lose his memory in 'Minuet in Hell', but it is self-contained within that story.

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

The books (Eighth Doctor Adventures, AKA EDA's) are separated from the Big Finish Audios. Some *Drastic and Raw* stuff has happened in the books which just take it to new levels.
Including the destruction of Gallifrey, the loss of the Timelords to history, the origins of the Doctor and his subsequest loss of himself so to speak in the aftermath of Gallifrey's loss.

The book series is very adult with a lot of violence, some sex, adult language (compared to the TV show anyhow) and a complete rethink of the series. It's so un-Doctor Who that it could survive on it's own without the name. But, it's pretty awesome and the character of the Doctor and the Doctors character remains the same.
If they took the EDA's and made them into a new TV show, I think it would be huge. It's just what the series needed since most of it's fans are the adults who watched it as kids. I also think that it's raw nature would pull a lot of B5 viewers into the fold, if they weren't in it beforehand.
Also, on Colin Baker getting fired. I can sum it up in 2 words. "Michael Grade" who was the head of the Beeb at the time. He pretty much hated Doctor Who and wanted it gone. He started with the hiatus, then wanting Baker gone and eventually the show. He might have been gone by the time the show had the plug pulled, but his finger prints were all over it so to speak. Needless to say, he is not a well liked man in Who circles.

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

The book series is very adult with a lot of violence, some sex, adult language (compared to the TV show anyhow) and a complete rethink of the series. It's so un-Doctor Who that it could survive on it's own without the name.

Ugh, I shall continue to steer well clear of them, then. What I like about the Big Finish CDs is that they feel like 'proper' Doctor Who. As they put it themselves on their website:
"We do believe that if the odd experiment isn't made once in a blue moon, the audios could become a bit repetitive and predictable. Although we can't further the Doctor Who mythos with a new incarnation, we feel it would be remiss of us not to add a bit of colour now and again where we can. And remember, we cannot do anything that BBC Worldwide don't approve of first, so you're unlikely to find a rampaging, gun-totting, sex-maniac, swearing Doctor all of a sudden. We'll leave that unimaginative route to the movie producers of the future."

 

[Tom Boucher]

Personally, Colin Baker's Doctor drove me insane, i was happy to see him go.

I watched most of the Davidson episodes and liked him a lot. That was what was on the most when I was allowed to watch them (10:30pm on public TV) when I was younger.

Sylvester McCoy was a bit iffy to me, but I enjoyed them.

Can't wait to get them all. Hope they keep coming. Should have the Key of Time series by this weekend.

 

[Mark_Wilson]

I felt the same way about Davison after coming off the Tom Baker years. But he grew on me.

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

I felt the same way about Davison after coming off the Tom Baker years. But he grew on me.

Same here. Tom Baker was the Doctor for so many, given his seven-year period in the role, and in the public sub-conscious (cetainly here in the UK) the Doctor is that tall chap with the mop of curly hair and a ridiculously long scarf.
His departure also coincided with the drop in viewing ratings that ultimately marked the programme's cancellation. Although, that was more to do with the knee-jerk reaction the BBC had of rescheduling 'Who' away from its traditional Saturday teatime slot when ITV (the only rival channel to BBC1 at the time) put 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' up against Tom Baker's final season and split the audience in two.

 

[Ric Easton]

Now I am getting interested in both the Big Finish Audio series and the Novelizations of the 8th doctor. I found a website that lists all the books, but there are over 20 of them. Any suggestions on what the big books (or must reads)are? ie; The Doctor's memory loss the fall of Galifrey, etc...
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Ric

 

[Jonathan Kaye]

I can answer the question about the continuity between the books and the audios: there isn't any, at least not deliberately. Quoting from Big Finish producer Gary Russell, from a recent interview on BBC's official Doctor Who website:

Because, what's the point? Why should something I do in an audio constrain Justin [Richards] and Jac [Rayner], why should something they do in a book constrain me?
There's three Doctor Who universes, there's a book universe, a Big Finish universe and a Marvel Comics, Movie Comics universe, you know. Let's have fun with the three of those.
If you imagine they're like three little cars going down a three lane highway and every so often they do that [indicates convergence with his hands]. But that's all you want. I don't want to have a car smash, I don't want to have to tie my continuity into their continuity. If I can weave [my continuity] into a book that's great, if I can have a throw away reference to Sam in a McGann audio that's great.
But it would restrict what Justin can tell his authors to do and it would restrict what I can tell my authors to do and ditto with Doctor Who Magazine. It's much more fun to just go ahead and do what each of us individually believes is the right thing to do with Doctor Who, to push it forward. If occasionally those little cars bounce off each other and there's a connection that's great and then it's up to the continuity police to pull it all together if they so want.
My general philosophy on the thing is I will never contradict the TV series. For me, canon is Doctor Who 1963 to 1989 and then 1996 TV Movie. I'm happy to borrow elements from disparate other sources of Doctor Who but as far as the audio series is concerned, I don't contradict what was done on TV. If I do something in the audios that contradicts something that's been set up in a Virgin or a BBC book or a Marvel comic or a bit of fan fiction or Death Comes to Time or whatever, that's tough.
My bottom line is that the audios have to be good, I have to have a story I can believe in, and I don't set out to contradict what's happened in other mediums but I will not let those other mediums interfere with a good story. I know that is exactly true of Marvel and I know that's true of Justin. That's the philosophy all of us share.

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

Any suggestions on what the big books (or must reads)are? ie; The Doctor's memory loss the fall of Galifrey, etc...

I had, not that...had... A list that had the main books of the arc. Unfortunately, I don't have it anymore. If you check out www.gallifreyone.com anf hit their book forum, you should be able to find it easily with a quick search. I'll have a look and post a link later if I have a minute to peek.

 

[Michael Sliger]

Now I am getting interested in both the Big Finish Audio series and the Novelizations of the 8th doctor. I found a website that lists all the books, but there are over 20 of them. Any suggestions on what the big books (or must reads)are? ie; The Doctor's memory loss the fall of Gallifrey, etc...

Lawrence Miles setup most of the events you mention with his novels and others ran with his ideas. "Alien Bodies" (released in 1997) is where it all begins and is a great starting point (and a book so good, I am planning to start reading it again tomorrow). Other key books to the big early arc are "Unnatural History", "Interference, Books 1 and 2", and then "The Shadows of Avalon" through "The Ancestor Cell". The new direction of the series takes the next 5 or so books to set up and really didn't work for me (but many people enjoy them). You should look at Link Removed for poll results on the novels for other books to read.
If you want to buy them, I highly recommend http://www.whona.com for great prices, selection, and service. They are one of the few places to get the newest books as the normal distributor to USA bookstores folded earlier this year.

 

[Ric Easton]

Holy Moley!

Almost 60 books of the 8th Doctor?!! Thanks for the help and suggestions... I'd better get crackin'

Hmmm.... guess I won't have time to watch DVDs anymore...

Ric

 

[David Lambert]

Hmmm.... guess I won't have time to watch DVDs anymore...

Ric, that's okay. You go on and read. Just keep buying TNG season sets, and DS9 sets after that. Take a break now and then to design a new customer cover, and send the whole kit and kaboodle to me. I'll watch 'em for you, and let you know how they are. You let me know how good those books are, and we can just live vicariously off of each other. Fair deal?

 

[Ric Easton]

Sounds like a plan Dave. Should I start sending you the dozens of DVD's I haven't got around to watching yet?

Ric

 

[David Lambert]

Should I start sending you the dozens of DVD's I haven't got around to watching yet?

Absolutely, and I'll add them to the hundreds of DVDs that *I* haven't gotten around to watching yet!

 

[Tom Boucher]

What, you guys buy DVDs to watch? I thought you bought them to create big gigantic stacks of stuff in your room to look impressive?
You mean I have to *watch* all of them?

I've read a few of the eighth doctor books. They aren't all bad, but apparently I'm in the middle of the series because there are some weird things going on (like one of his companions is turned into a tardis, or something like that)
Need to check out the order so I can figure out what is goin on.