Tag Archives: Classic Who

Opinion: Why the Doctor is not the core of Doctor Who

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William HartnellWith Doctor Who returning to our screens shortly and the question “Doctor Who?” hanging over current storylines, Swithun Dobson considers Time Lords, TARDISes, and Time Travel to ask: what is the essence of the show?

Contrary to popular conceptions, at its core it’s not even about the Doctor. If we travel back to 1963 we do of course meet the TARDIS and the Doctor but we soon realise that they are the frame in which the story is hanged. Ostensibly most of the first two seasons revolve around the TARDIS team trying to get Ian and Barbara home to 1960s London after being kidnapped by the Doctor for rumbling his affairs, so why take a roundabout route visiting Kublai Khan, Robespierre and the Sensorites?

Interestingly, from the modern Who perspective, none of the early serials focus on the character of the Doctor. The earliest story is The Tenth Planet but that just establishes that he can rejuvenate; the whole mythos of regeneration comes a lot later. Even The Deadly Assassin which establishes the 12 regeneration limit really focuses on the Master trying to cheat death.
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Sylvester McCoy Q&A – SFX Weekender 2012

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“They went and cast a 12 year old as the Doctor…”

It’s time for some words of wisdom from the Seventh Doctor himself, Sylvester McCoy – recorded live at last February’s SFX Weekender. Sylvester was on typically lively form, swapping the safety of the stage for a roving microphone and getting up close and personal with his public.

And what a show he gave us. Not content with revealing a few secrets of his time in the TARDIS, he explained the origins of his stage name (be warned: it involves a rather naughty joke), why he used to set fire to his own head for money and what he really thinks of Matt Smith’s performance as the Doctor. Even more excitingly, he revealed how he won the role of Rrrrrrrrradagast the Brrrrrrrown in Peter Jackson’s forthcoming Hobbit movies. This one’s not to be missed!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:02 — 48.6MB)

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Article: Doctor Who’s Story Arc of Infinity (and Beyond?)

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Are you a fan of Doctor Who‘s new format? Podcast commentator Swithun Dobson (a.k.a. “The Great Intelligence”, a.k.a. “The Beast”) certainly isn’t and turns his critical eye on the past to suggest how the show might evolve in future.

Deafening Silence, River Melodies and “shenanigans”. Are story-arcs the future of Doctor Who? Since Steven Moffat acceded to the showrunner’s throne, the series has tended toward more heavily-arced narratives. Last year it was the Crack, this year it’s the not-so-silent Silence.

For the purpose of this article a story-arc will be defined as a continuing narrative which is directly related to each individual episode over a significant period of time, normally a single series. This definition should be treated as the gold standard against which other series can be compared, to determine their arcedness. (Bad Wolf, for instance, wasn’t an arc – it was an afterthought).

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Doctor Who Commentary – ‘The Aztecs 4: The Day of Darkness’

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The fourth and final episode of ‘The Aztecs’. Join us to find out what James made of his first classic series story, and hear us discuss pulleys, endings, engagements and much more besides!

This edition’s commentators: Caleb, James, Peter and Swithun.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:22 — 10.1MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – The Aztecs 3: The Bride of Sacrifice

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‘The Aztecs’ continues, with part three of this historical adventure of the First Doctor (William Hartnell), along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and companions Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), as Barbara gets mistaken for the reincarnation of an Aztec god. Join us as we discuss human villains, arranged marriages, abolishing slavery, and solar eclipses!

This edition’s commentators: Caleb, James, Peter and Swithun.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:42 — 7.3MB)

Doctor Who Commentary – The Aztecs 2: The Warriors of Death

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‘The Aztecs’ continues, with part two of this historical adventure of the First Doctor (William Hartnell), along with his granddaughter Susan (Carole Ann Ford), and companions Ian Chesterton (William Russell) and Barbara Wright (Jacqueline Hill), as Barbara gets mistaken for the reincarnation of an Aztec god. Join us as we discuss knife-crime, cliffhangers, trips to America, and time tourism!

This edition’s commentators: Caleb, James, Peter and Swithun.

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:53 — 7.1MB)