# Tell me about Dr. Who **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635 "2010-08-18T16:58:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/81 "2010-08-21T01:41:09Z")
Just watched the “Family of Blood” two-parter followed by “Blink.” Carey Mulligan. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/82 "2010-08-21T01:54:57Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > > [@foolsguinea](#): > > > > hire new actors to act out the scripts of the lost episodes (which I think has actually been done). That’s hardcore. > > Something like that was done with some missing Douglas Adams segments, yes. If you mean **Shada** , no. What they – meaning the BBC – did was get Tom Baker to introduce the segments that weren’t filmed. He linked everything together. (I have the tape.) ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/83 "2010-08-21T02:24:42Z")
The [Big Finish](http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Shada) version of Shada. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/84 "2010-08-21T06:43:57Z")
[quote=“foolsguinea, post:58, topic:550635”] > [@Oregon\_sunshine](#): > > You have to watch out for the Bakerites. See, Tom Baker’s drug-addled, scenery-chewing portrayal was the first to be imported to the colonies, & so for many Yanks he was THE Doctor. They’re still around insisting he’s the best. Please. The man was NOT drug-addled. He was drunk off his ass. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/85 "2010-08-21T19:24:14Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > As an aside, is Dr Who as popular in the US as you lot make it seem, or does the SD have the monopoly on Who Love? Because, as a Brit, I understand the love - we all grew up with him - but I would’ve thought US viewers would find it all a bit cardboard low tech and annoyingly quirkily British. No? > > Don’t you all find it a bit daft that every alien invasion of earth starts in Cardiff? I watched it on PBS Saturday nights at a young adult in the 80’s (it was on after “Red Dwarf” - it was easier to watch it than get up and turn the tv off 😃 ). > [@vislor](#): > > \ > > What I do feel the need to say is that Supernatural is a great show. And they are professionals in that they have been doing it since they were kids. Further, this has had one of the strongest story arc I have seen in TV in a long time! This show started out well and only got better. Further, the creator of it got to tell his story in the first five seasons and told it well. It is coming back for a sixth but not sure that it is the same guy, so I will see how well it does but the first five seasons were excellent! > > vislor I’ll completely agree with your “Supernatural” hijack - one of the best shows on tv right now. Plus, two hot young men and a third hot guy who keeps popping in and out - what’s not to like? I liked Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, I’m liking David Tennant’s Doctor (watching re-runs on Space Channel every day), and I’m surprised by how much I’m liking Matt Smith’s Doctor - he came in quite innocent, and is developing into a very complex character. Plus, he’s really funny. 🙂 ETA: That reminds me, one of the reasons to watch the show - it’s surprisingly funny. The humour is low-key and if blink you might miss it (or if you can’t understand what they’re saying), but it’s definitely there. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/86 "2010-08-21T20:41:01Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I liked Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, I’m liking David Tennant’s Doctor (watching re-runs on Space Channel every day) Same. I saw the advertisements for Torchwood for the longest time (I guess Canada picked it up before?) but never felt inclined to watch it. Didn’t know they were related. The promos and the commercials looked terrible. But I vaguely recall watching the old Doctor Who as a child on YTV, so I was compelled to start watching this one. If what my Anglophile friend (who’s seen every episode of Doctor Who and Torchwood) told me about _Children of Earth_ is correct, then some evil space aliens are stealing human children to use them as narcotics. Upon which my immediate reaction was “Well then why the fuck don’t they just go to a third world country they already exploit, hand the aliens a few fully developed adults, and show them how they breed? Teach a man to fish, feed him for life, am I right?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/87 "2010-08-21T21:41:33Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > The [Big Finish](http://www.bigfinish.com/Doctor-Who-Shada) version of Shada. There’s also an [animated version](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shada/) online. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/88 "2010-08-21T22:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > You have to watch out for the Bakerites. See, Tom Baker’s drug-addled, scenery-chewing portrayal was the first to be imported to the colonies, & so for many Yanks he was THE Doctor. They’re still around insisting he’s the best. Pertwee was pretty good… and yes Baker was quite a ham… between the drunken, comedic acting style and the horrible special effects, Baker’s version made quite an impression on me. I do have a penchant for B-movie and pulp stuff like “Turkish Star Wars” so perhaps it’s just me. I noticed the “rebooted” Doctor Who makes a lot of reference to that era, again perhaps it’s just my perspective from watching the Tom Baker Doctor as a formative experience ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/89 "2010-08-21T23:44:26Z")
Slight sidetrack, since we have so many Who-vian Dopers here in one place… have any of you watched much of ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’? What can you tell me to give me an idea if I would like it or not? I never thought much of checking it out before, but the scenes with SJA characters crossing over in ‘The Stolen Earth’ were definitely fun. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/90 "2010-08-21T23:48:49Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > > > I’m too new to the Whoniverse to attempt to describe his place in the pantheon, but [his Companion](http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01446/smith_1446520c.jpg) is hands down the most gorgeous thing ever to travel through time. > > [Rose Tyler](http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/File:Rose_in_Series_4.png), baby. She floats my boat. On this , you are absolutely correct. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/91 "2010-08-22T03:08:15Z")
Yeah, but Rose Tyler is chav. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/92 "2010-08-23T03:16:58Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Slight sidetrack, since we have so many Who-vian Dopers here in one place… have any of you watched much of ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’? What can you tell me to give me an idea if I would like it or not? I never thought much of checking it out before, but the scenes with SJA characters crossing over in ‘The Stolen Earth’ were definitely fun. SJA is basically a kids’ version of the Whoniverse, sort of a return to the original premise with modern FX and without The Doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/93 "2010-08-23T03:41:51Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > If one was to be truly committed they’d build a time machine to go back to the first broadcast of “An Unearthly Child” & record all the original serials as first broadcast, including those that have been lost, restoring them to the historical record. > > Or, if that’s impossible, to hire new actors to act out the scripts of the lost episodes (which I think has actually been done). That’s hardcore. If one was **truly** hardcore, one would have _memorized_ all the dialog from every episode since “An Unearthly Child”, and be able to reenact them on demand. hmmmmm hmmmm hmmmm… Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/94 "2010-08-23T03:59:50Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > Slight sidetrack, since we have so many Who-vian Dopers here in one place… have any of you watched much of ‘Sarah Jane Adventures’? What can you tell me to give me an idea if I would like it or not? I never thought much of checking it out before, but the scenes with SJA characters crossing over in ‘The Stolen Earth’ were definitely fun. SJA is a more kids-oriented version of DW - one of the main protagonists is a boy with a group of friends, K-9 (DW’s erstwhile companion), and some sort of computer that, when it boots, always plays a fanfare. It’s a pleasant way to spend an hour, but you won’t remember much of it later on. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/95 "2010-08-23T14:22:27Z")
I have totally lost the thread of conversation here, but I’ll just say they DO have the New Who, as you call it, on Instant Watch, so i will start watching that, most likely tonight. They do not have Supernatural on Instant Watch so that loses by default. I have seen a number of episodes of Supernatural, so I know the ‘feel’ of the show, and while it is interesting, it really isn’t as appealing. Most likely I will watch it some day, though. I’ll let you guys know how it goes, but thank you all! ---
**Author:** ![Bakhesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/96 "2010-08-24T11:47:02Z")
You are not a true who fan until you are half as cool as this guy… [http://www.whofix.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/img007.jpg](http://www.whofix.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/img007.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![wayward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wayward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wayward)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/97 "2010-08-24T15:17:56Z")
It’s great show and I hope you enjoy it but based on your OP I’m not totally sure if Doctor Who is the sort of thing you’re looking for. As others have mentioned The Doctor’s not a professional as such - in fact in the latest series (season) at one point he describes himself as “Less of a young professional. More of an ancient amateur.” which sums him up just perfectly. It can also get very silly indeed, with frequent convoluted plots to take over/destroy the planet/galaxy/universe, heaps of technology indistinguishable from magic, and as much respect for continuity as you would expect from a show about a meddling time-traveller. That’s all part of the fun though 😃 As another idea, have you tried Fringe? It’s quite close the X-files in content and tone, a big difference being that there is an overarching plot that it’s apparent the writers have put at least some thought into in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/98 "2010-08-24T15:18:52Z")
> [@wayward](#): > > It’s great show and I hope you enjoy it but based on your OP I’m not totally sure if Doctor Who is the sort of thing you’re looking for. As others have mentioned The Doctor’s not a professional as such - in fact in the latest series (season) at one point he describes himself as “Less of a young professional. More of an ancient amateur.” which sums him up just perfectly. It can also get very silly indeed, with frequent convoluted plots to take over/destroy the planet/galaxy/universe, heaps of technology indistinguishable from magic, and as much respect for continuity as you would expect from a show about a meddling time-traveller. That’s all part of the fun though 😃 > > As another idea, have you tried Fringe? It’s quite close the X-files in content and tone, a big difference being that there is an overarching plot that it’s apparent the writers have put at least some thought into in advance. It certainly is silly. 🙂 I watched the first episode last night, and started the second one this morning. But it seems like fun. I have heard about Fringe and had forgotten about it. Let me go look it up. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/99 "2010-08-24T15:24:00Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > > > I liked Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, I’m liking David Tennant’s Doctor (watching re-runs on Space Channel every day) > > Same. I saw the advertisements for Torchwood for the longest time (I guess Canada picked it up before?) but never felt inclined to watch it. Didn’t know they were related. The promos and the commercials looked terrible. But I vaguely recall watching the old Doctor Who as a child on YTV, so I was compelled to start watching this one. > > If what my Anglophile friend (who’s seen every episode of Doctor Who and Torchwood) told me about _Children of Earth_ is correct, then some evil space aliens are stealing human children to use them as narcotics. Upon which my immediate reaction was “Well then why the fuck don’t they just go to a third world country they already exploit, hand the aliens a few fully developed adults, and show them how they breed? Teach a man to fish, feed him for life, am I right?” 😃 That’s like telling a meth addict to open his own lab. How likely is a drugged out freak to have the patience to do that? The COE aliens want the “drug”, a lot of it, and they want it “now”. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635/100 "2010-08-24T15:57:07Z")
> [@chrisk](#): > > > [@Apollyon](#): > > > > I’m sure it’s been posted around the Dope before, but… > > > > [The Doctor’s Girls](http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs28/i/2008/066/4/a/Doctor__s_Girls_by_mimi_na.jpg). 😃 > > > > (Obviously now a little out of date). > > Cute, but I feel like I’m missing the joke because I can hardly pick anybody out of the lineup. Who are some of the more notable Companions in there? > > I presume it’s Rose, Ten, and K-9 over at the extreme right. 😉 I just remember the Tom Baker companions: Pantsuit is Sarah Jane Smith Jungle Girl is Leela Evening Gown is Romana I Dutch Boy is Romana II Puffy Shirt is Nyssa Stewardess is Tegan and of course the last one who looks like the universe’s oldest 19 year old is Rose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-dr-who/550635.md?page=6)