# ...the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2013, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485 "2013-02-16T08:55:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2013, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/1 "2013-02-16T08:55:21Z")
…this year marks the 50th anniversary since the first broadcast of Doctor Who, and there are all sorts of things that the BBC have planned for this year! So I thought I’d start a thread so we can keep track of things… Big Finnish have just released a trailer for their new audio book: “The Light at the End.” For those who don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read on. The new audio book features the voices of the five surviving doctors of old who: Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann, as well as the companions Leela, Nyssa, Peri, Ace and Charley Pollard. [The teaser trailer is here:](http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/50th-multi-doctor-teaser-the-light-at-the-end-45432.htm) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/2 "2013-02-17T00:31:56Z")
BBCA is running monthly specials each focusing on one of the Doctors, in order. So far they’ve only run the first Doctor, but assuming the format stays the same there was about half an hour to 45mins of various people yakking about the first Doctor and his era of the show, then they ran one of the first Doctor stories (the Aztecs, I think it was called). I thought it was pretty cool, but does make me wonder why the frick they don’t air original Doctor Who reruns regularly. I know some of the early eps are lost because the BBC erased the tapes or threw them out, but I wish they’d at least show what exists. It’s nice that I’ll get to see at least one story each for the older Doctors, but why limit it to that? (And no, I’m not getting the DVD releases, which seem to be an expensive and possibly confusing proposition trying to track everything down) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/3 "2013-02-18T06:50:36Z")
Daleks crossing Westminster Bridge - that’s pretty cool. I’m impressed that they did it for real and didn’t use green screen. > **[Somebody call the Doctor! Daleks invade Westminster for BBC's 50th...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280201/Doctor-Who-Daleks-invade-Westminster-BBCs-50th-anniversary-cult-show.html)** > > The iconic villains of the BBC's cult sci-fi show Doctor Who could be seen invading Westminster Bridge earlier today as part of filming for a one-off drama. > [@](#): > > Londoners were in for a surprise this morning when Doctor Who daleks invaded Westminster Bridge. > > The sci-fi cyborgs were in the capital for business, rather than pleasure, as BBC crews filmed scenes for a one-off special to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. > > The programme, called An Adventure in Time And Space, is a dramatisation of the how the cult series was created. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/4 "2013-02-18T16:27:12Z")
On the one hand, I really want to see an “The Eleven Doctors.” On the other hand, I know that it would be a muddled, confusing mess it could be. Also - the Old Whos have gotten, well, old. It would look disjarring for them to play them selves, and it would be wrong for someone else to play them. Perhaps an Animated Special? ---
**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:** [February 18, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/5 "2013-02-18T16:28:38Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > BBCA is running monthly specials each focusing on one of the Doctors, in order. So far they’ve only run the first Doctor, but assuming the format stays the same there was about half an hour to 45mins of various people yakking about the first Doctor and his era of the show, then they ran one of the first Doctor stories (the Aztecs, I think it was called). Thanks for alerting me to this, I had not heard about it and need to get it on my DVR. > [@](#): > > I thought it was pretty cool, but does make me wonder why the frick they don’t air original Doctor Who reruns regularly. They don’t own the rights. Also, my girlfriend proposed that the 50th anniversary documentary they are working on be referred to as _The Doctormentary_. I like it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/6 "2013-02-18T21:01:33Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Also - the Old Whos have gotten, well, old. It would look disjarring for them to play them selves, and it would be wrong for someone else to play them. Perhaps an Animated Special? If they have the budget, there is a technology to make them appear younger. [It was used to de-age Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in _X-Men: First Class_](http://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2006/Volume-29-Issue-6-June-2006-/Face-Off.aspx#.USKWAWcuflk). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/7 "2013-02-19T00:40:06Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > They don’t own the rights. So why don’t they get them? Clearly they can, or they couldn’t air them as part of these specials. I can’t imagine it would be too expensive for them since they’re old as hell and not running anywhere else here. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/8 "2013-02-24T01:57:28Z")
All sorts of new information is coming out for the 50th Anniversary. I wish that I knew of some local place that sold the Doctor Who magazine. They’d be worth buying this year. > **[Double-O-Who? Jon Pertwee's secret life as a wartime agent... years before he...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2283542/Double-O-Who-Jon-Pertwees-secret-life-wartime-agent--years-did-battle-Daleks.html)** > > The actor, who died in 1996 aged 76, was a senior intelligence agent during the Second World War and reported directly to Winston Churchill. > [@](#): > > He gave the interview in 1994 to two young reporters, Matt Adams and David Southwell. They are lifelong Doctor Who fans – and decided this year’s 50th anniversary of the show was the ideal time to publish his revelations in Doctor Who Magazine. > [@](#): > > Jon Pertwee’s secret life as a wartime agent. > > He was best known for battling the Daleks as one of the best-loved Doctor Whos. > > But now it has been revealed that Jon Pertwee was a real-life secret agent years before he donned the Time Lord’s cape. > > The actor, who died in 1996 aged 76, was a senior intelligence agent during the Second World War and reported directly to Winston Churchill. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/9 "2013-02-24T04:22:12Z")
I saw the first episode when it first aired. I wonder how many other Dopers can say that? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/10 "2013-02-24T21:28:44Z")
The 2nd Doctor special airs tonight on BBCA, heads up. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/11 "2013-02-25T03:34:00Z")
They didn’t interview Deborah Watling? She’s still alive and healthy AFAIK. Oddly enough they glossed over why Victoria was replaced by the other lady. I’m liking the Cyberman much better than the Aztec episode. Cyberman is more like classic Who that I’m accustomed to watching. Patrick Troughton did a great job. It’s a shame most of his episodes are lost. Is it me or does Patrick Troughton’s Doctor look a lot like Moe from the Three Stooges? Same hair and baggy clothes. Even the lined face reminds me of Moe. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/12 "2013-02-25T04:10:38Z")
I stand corrected. Tomb of the Cyberman is an excellent example of classic Doctor Who. If you ignore the props and the actor playing the Captain (doing his best John Wayne impression) this episode is better than some of the new Who I’ve seen. Shirley Cooklin did an excellent job playing the female villain. She had such a nasty irritating look on her face that I disliked her from the beginning. Then it became obvious she was the female villain. The Cyberman costumes were really cool. Reminded me of some of the better Sci Fi from the 1950’s. Like the _Day the Earth Stood Still_. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/13 "2013-02-25T05:31:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Is it me or does Patrick Troughton’s Doctor look a lot like Moe from the Three Stooges? Same hair and baggy clothes. Even the lined face reminds me of Moe. I wouldn’t doubt that the similarity was intentional. Troughton always played the Doctor like a genius masquerading as a buffoon…or a Stooge if you like. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/14 "2013-02-25T08:34:57Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > I wouldn’t doubt that the similarity was intentional. Troughton always played the Doctor like a genius masquerading as a buffoon…or a Stooge if you like. I’d think you could doubt it a _bit_. The only person I’ve ever seen mentioned as an influence on Troughton’s appearance and performance is Charlie Chaplin, and his haircut very obviously comes directly from the Beatles (because it was 1966). The Stooges have never been anywhere near as popular in the UK as they are in the US – almost to the point of being obscure. It might seem odd, but there’s a chance Troughton had never heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/15 "2013-02-25T13:32:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I stand corrected. Tomb of the Cyberman is an excellent example of classic Doctor Who. If you ignore the props and the actor playing the Captain (doing his best John Wayne impression) this episode is better than some of the new Who I’ve seen. I’m glad they picked that one. I was afraid they would pick The Mind Robber, which could get rather dull and meandering. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/16 "2013-02-25T15:29:41Z")
R.I.P. I’m hoping they’ll show one of the Dalek stories in one of the Doctor Revisited specials. > **[Dalek designer dies: Tributes to inventor who made history with ‘exterminate’...](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2284089/Dalek-designer-Raymond-Cusick-dies-Tributes-inventor-history-fleet-Dr-Who.html)** > > BBC designer Raymond Cusick, who created Dr Who's most famous nemeses the Daleks, has died aged 84. > [@](#): > > BBC designer Raymond Cusick, who created Dr Who’s most famous nemeses the Daleks, has died aged 84. > > \ > > Writer Terry Nation created the concept of the pepper pot-shaped villains and Mr Cusick designed them from a short description in his scripts. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/17 "2013-02-25T15:59:56Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > I saw the first episode when it first aired. I wonder how many other Dopers can say that? Not I - I have most of the Doctors on Video and DVD as I have been collecting them for years. I think the Classic Who are better than the NuWho stuff. Its just a pity the BBC in the UK are not doing what BBCA are doing and showing DW each month. Looking forward to the DOCumentary about the start of the show. I would like to see some of the children or grandchildren of the former doctors in the show. Anyone watched the Jon Pertwee’s “Cuese of Peladon” with Patrick Troughton son in it as King Peladon. or the David Tennent one with Peter Davison’s daughter in it - called the [Doctors Daughter](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1343909/David-Tennant-marry-Georgia-Moffett-daughter-ex-Doctor-Who-Peter-Davison.html). More like that would be good. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/18 "2013-02-25T16:25:19Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > They didn’t interview Deborah Watling? She’s still alive and healthy AFAIK. Oddly enough they glossed over why Victoria was replaced by the other lady. Why was she replaced? > [@](#): > > I’m liking the Cyberman much better than the Aztec episode. Cyberman is more like classic Who that I’m accustomed to watching. Patrick Troughton did a great job. It’s a shame most of his episodes are lost. I thought it was better than the Aztec episode too, though it was still way too slow and claustrophobic for my tastes. I imagine it would have been easier to watch as a weekly serial than as an interminably long movie. These two are the only classic Who episodes I’ve seen so far (I just became a fan a couple of months ago–started with the Tennant episodes, then backtracked to Eccleston and am now working my way through the Matt Smith era) but I really hope that as the years go on they actually get _out_ a bit more. Also, I thought they pushed the “he’s a _Scotsman!_” angle a bit too far with Jamie–we get it. He’s Scottish. But he looked silly in that kilt with the “normal” top and the anorak. Dude, Scots wear pants too. I love a guy in a kilt as much as the next person, but…yeah. > [@](#): > > Is it me or does Patrick Troughton’s Doctor look a lot like Moe from the Three Stooges? Same hair and baggy clothes. Even the lined face reminds me of Moe. From the first time I saw his picture I’ve been referring to him as “Doctor Moe,” so it’s not just you. Seeing him in action, though, I like him. He wasn’t very Moe-like in his behaviors, but I did think the hairstyle looked weird on him–Troughton was a bit old to try to pull off the “Beatle mop.” Jamie was a better choice for it, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/19 "2013-02-25T16:52:55Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Also, I thought they pushed the “he’s a _Scotsman!_” angle a bit too far with Jamie–we get it. He’s Scottish. But he looked silly in that kilt with the “normal” top and the anorak. Dude, Scots wear pants too. I love a guy in a kilt as much as the next person, but…yeah. Remember when Jamies is from - Yes we Scots don’t always wear a kilt now-a-days (although I do know a couple of guys who do). But at that time the Scots wore [Plaid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_kilt) rather than the Kilt as we know it. Jamies outfit would have been the norm for him rather than wearing [Trews](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trews) (not pants or troursers) ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485/20 "2013-02-26T23:12:25Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > I’d think you could doubt it a _bit_. The only person I’ve ever seen mentioned as an influence on Troughton’s appearance and performance is Charlie Chaplin, and his haircut very obviously comes directly from the Beatles (because it was 1966). > > The Stooges have never been anywhere near as popular in the UK as they are in the US – almost to the point of being obscure. It might seem odd, but there’s a chance Troughton had never heard of them. I have an early (1973) “Making of Doctor Who” book. It states that Troughton decided to play the Doctor as a “cosmic hobo.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-doctor-who-50th-anniversary-thread/650485.md?page=2)