Dr Who Season-1 The Eccleston year

[Mikey]

Been watching Doctor Who ... Season-1 the Christopher Eccleston year...

When I watched them new (back in the day), they seemed very NEW and almost radical ...

Today, after watching Tennant's Who, Torchwood etc.......

The Eccleston year almost seems tame ........

A perfect transition from Classic Who into New Who.

Anyone ever notice how perfect the Christopher Eccleston season was for bringing Doctor Who back to life ?

BTW,
Thanks to a good buddy of mine--- when it was first broadcast...
I'm watching the season with the proper Eccleston Canadian promo bumpers...
Is everyone sitting comfortably ? ...

m

[EMCE Hammer]

I find it so perfect that I still can't get used to Tennant. Stupid humans........

I'll probably hurt myself if they ever do a Tennant/Eccleston Two Doctors. Throw in Baker or Davison and I'd probably keel over.

[Bo8a_Fett]

What I found rewatching season 1 (or 27), was that now we know so much more of what the Doctor has lost in the time war, how great Eccleston's performance was. I mean his characterisation is spot on...someone who's lost everything and just wants to roam the galaxy putting things right unnoticed ...until he meets Rose and everything is "Fantastic" again...he's rediscovered his zest for life and adventure. His moments of letting his mask slip when he remembers stuff and his absolute joy when things go perfectly right at the end of "The Doctor dances". Compare the 2 scenes with the Daleks....his tyranical rant when face to face with a single Dalek and his murderous diatribe at the climax of that episode to the final 2 parter when he almost mocks the Daleks and tells them exactly what he's going to do....the first is emotional as the memories haunt him from the time war.....the last episodes see him back in control and at his brilliant best.

[Mikey]

Yep...
Big difference between Dalek and Parting of the Ways.....

BTW,
I know it's been said many times, but i'd love to see a Time War Flashback sequence staring Paul MaGann...

I just can't picture Paul MaGann "ending it"

He seems too goodie-goodie

Sly, now HE would end it all

[Bo8a_Fett]

Sly would end it all even if it sacrificed everyone-everywhere....so annoyed that they halted Who prior to season 28 just as the Doctor was getting dark, mysterious and nasty.

[Mikey]

Not being up on audio novels and books........

Question:

When was the Time War officially introduced in Doctor Who mythology ?

Was it before or after the 1996 MaGann film ?

It was definitely before the 2005 series, correct ?

[ctc]

>annoyed that they halted Who prior to season 28 just as the Doctor was getting dark, mysterious and nasty.

Y'know... I don't think the McCoy Doctor was particularly nasty (at least not compared to his predecessor) but he seemed to have a stronger sense of urgency. I think a lot of his harsher actions (such as using Ace as bait) come from more of a "big picture" view than the other Doctors. (Who'd typically put a lot at risk to save one life... except the first guy.) Probably why he enjoyed so many of the simpler things in life.

But Eccleston did a good job with the new Doctor. Hell; EVERYONE on the show did. It's different, but (to me anyhoo) it follows a logical progression. Even Tennant seems to compliment this. He's a sillier Doctor, because after meeting Rose the Doc learned how to relax again.

Don C.

[palitoy]

I wouldn't use nasty to describe McCoy, just more calculating, all of the Doctors would destroy their enemies, McCoy just seemed to be better at it. Not only would he kill the Daleks, he's destroy their home planet too. He was efficient at it. I'd view the 6th Doctor as dark and nasty, the 7th as mysterious and crafty.

As for Eccleston, he was brilliant as the half crazed bitter loner, Rose softened him but I think we like him so much because his run was finite. He left us wanting more.

[misterdroid]

Eccleston was the perfect segue into modern Dr. Who... he feels like a classic "Dr."... Tennant is great but it feels like an intentional "edgy" departure from the canon.

I miss Rose.

[Bo8a_Fett]

Not being up on audio novels and books........

Question:

When was the Time War officially introduced in Doctor Who mythology ?

Was it before or after the 1996 MaGann film ?

It was definitely before the 2005 series, correct ?

One was mentioned in "Sky Pirates" by Dave Stone...but this wasn't the one mentioned in the new series as Eccleston mentions it as the LAST great Time War.
The War against the vampires mentioned in State of Decay and Brain of Morbius also appears to have been a time war. Genisis of the daleks could be constrewed as a time war as the Time Lords themselves sent the Doctor back in the Daleks history to change their developement.
Russel T Davies has stated that mention of the Time war in novels and audio stories are not connected to the one mentioned in current tv Doctor Who, but has written some background (not a lot actually) in the Dr Who annaul 2006.
However there is an early skirmish in the time war mentioned in the audio adventure The Apocalypse Element .

[Bo8a_Fett]

Examples of the 7th Doctor's nastiness:
Destroying Skaro...no other Doctor even tried this directly
Destroying the cyber fleet....again very heavy handed compared to other Doctors
Destroyed the gods of ragnaroc....and calmly walks away
Taunts the remaining Dalek in Remembrance into killing itself
Would often use friends and foes as pawns in his plans, no matter the danger and was more concerned with the bigger picture than people
Talks Light into his own death
Exposes Ace to her own greatest fears (yes he does it for her but in quite a nasty way)
In the new adventures books he demolishes planets for the greater good of things (not canon I know but certainly the way the series was going)

for a Doctor that had many things to say against violence on a personal level e.g. the happiness patrol, battlefield and survival he certainly ends any threat in a ruthless, destructive and final manner.
Yes I know he did care about the little people (remembrance cafe owner amongst others), but far more times people died just so his plans could reach fruition and he could have his revenge on all his enemies. Apart from the Daleks and Cybermen it is mentioned that the gods of ragnoroc and Fenric were old adversaries from unscreened adventures as well as Morgaine... and it just seemed to me he was hell bent and nasty enough to actually have planned their destruction long in advance often using pawns to this end.

[ctc]

>and it just seemed to me he was hell bent and nasty enough to actually have planned their destruction long in advance often using pawns to this end.

Y'know.... I could see this being the case but the Doctor NOT being aware of it... sorta how a lot of folks practice the "do as I say, not as I do" thing. Which could also be a holdover from the 6th Doctor's crazy days.....

'Course, McCoy is STILL my fave Doctor.

Nyah!

Don C.

[Mikey]

Pertwee is still my fav Doctor ... but McCoy is a lot higher on my list then he was when the McCoy years first aired.
It took me 20 years, but i'm slowly coming around.

I think because the production during the McCoy years was so lousy.
Instead of watching him, all I watched was a lousy title sequence and really horrible video (I mean the actual video the McCoy years were filmed on were lousy)

Today though,
Because of nostalgia, I guess....
I'm starting to rediscover and like that time.
For me,
It's like a lost era of Who (because I avoided it in the past)
There's still a good 6-ish McCoy stories i've still never seen.
I wish my bootleg DW DVD-R guy was still around

McCoy stories I still haven't seen ......

Time and the Rani
Paradise Towers
Delta and the Bannermen
Dragonfire
The Happiness Patrol
The Greatest Show in the Galaxy