Peter Cushing Doctor Who. Explain please.

[Brue]

I was several decades late getting into Doctor Who. I watch the 9th doctor over a ten year span, then binged watched the series a year ago. I started watching Classic Who. I have seen much of 1 and 2. I started 3 and saw a little of 4. I just watched the movie with 8.

Tonight I learned Peter Cushing played Who in 2 60's movies. What? It was not canon. Why?

I haven't seen the films. Should I? The second is sort of on Amazon Prime (MST2K style).

[Brue]

OK I am in the first few minutes of Daleks' Invasion Earth. It appears it is a version of the first doctor since susan is there calling him grandfather. I assume this is like other TV shows that were made into movies- essentially a redo higher budget version of the same thing. basically a parallel universe.

[Mikey]

Many fans view the Cushing movies as Barbara's attempts to tell the world about her Who adventures without giving too much information about the REAL man.

Of course this is a fairly recent theory but it sounds good enough for me

BTW, love the Cushing movies ---- If your watch Daleks Invade Earth watch for the 10th Doctor companion Wilf (Donnas father) --- he costars as the police officer

[Nostalgiabuff]

I have both of those movies, they are not bad. not much like the tv Who though, other than the name and some of the concepts. still, fun 60's era movies

[Mikey]

If I had any complaints about the movies is they turned the Doctor into a second fiddle.

He's basically the means to getting the cast where they are, think of a solution to the problem and then bring them home.

It never feels like he's the star

[palitoy]

The license for this movie is a bit weird.

Terry Nation owned the Daleks and the rights to his stories. So Amicus optioned them (and used a shell company) for theatrical release.

The Doctor was a property owned by the Beeb, so they quietly created "Dr. Who" and removed his alieness, gave him more kids etc. et all. At the time, the design of the Tardis wasn't a trademark, it was just a police call box. They weirdly make a point of just calling it "Tardis" in the movies. They don't try to emulate the interior of the Tardis either. However the Thals and Daleks are spot on because they're officially licensed.

These are Dalek movies, they are the stars.

The rights to these films are still kind of a mess these days, BBC famously now owns the Police Box and the Daleks. However, there are right holders to the films are out there trying to license "official" merchandise.

I was told by someone in the toy industry that they were approached by these people but they really worried about getting sued.

[ODBJBG]

Yeah those movies very much come across like how Hollywood would often take a property, not know too much about it and decide to change some things around to make it make more "sense". And even though, as Palitoy pointed out, that wasn't necessarily the case here, that's essentially what was done.

It's like how producers were trying to make a Superman movie where he didn't fly or have tights, etc.

They're decent Dalek movies and Cushing is fun for what bits he does, and that Daleks are colorful, but it's all just a bit bizarre and off the mark.

[Mikey]

Would have loved it if they made the third movie which was supposed to be based on the Chase.

A real movie budget could have made it really fun -- Doctor Who on the Empire State Building etc

[palitoy]

Would have loved it if they made the third movie which was supposed to be based on the Chase.

A real movie budget could have made it really fun -- Doctor Who on the Empire State Building etc

Amicus was a very low budget outfit, check out "The Terrornauts" on youtube, that's the level of quality you'd have gotten.

[PNGwynne]

I've seen the first movie, decades ago. My comparison would be the Gold Key Star Trek comics.

[Mikey]

Amicus was a very low budget outfit, check out "The Terrornauts" on youtube, that's the level of quality you'd have gotten.

Never seen or heard of Terrornauts before --- just youtube'd it.

I think you've given me my popcorn fun adventure for the weekend ...

Thank you, B

[Earth 2 Chris]

I enjoyed the first film, but I was a bit disappointed that Cushing was playing an "old man" and not a Van Helsing type of action hero. But I guess The Doctor was an old man for everyone at the time.

I caught the tale end of the second one. They both work fine as just odd sci-fi flicks from the 60s. Plus...Amicus!

Chris

[Boris71]

The films were remakes of the second Dr Who story, and a later one, a lot of British shows did this in the 70's but these were made much earlier still good to watch as I'm not sure if the invasion Dalek story still exists, also the Daleks are a slightly different design to the TV.

[Brue]

Now that I watched it, and have the expert mego explanations, I think it was decent. Peter Cushing + Daleks + Doctor Who + a bigger budget than the show. No complaints.

[Bruce Banner]

The films were remakes of the second Dr Who story, and a later one, a lot of British shows did this in the 70's but these were made much earlier still good to watch as I'm not sure if the invasion Dalek story still exists, also the Daleks are a slightly different design to the TV.

It does.