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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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 Monday, December 05 2005 @ 07:59 PM EST |
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Hey Abersoch !
You are absolutely correct Chistopher Lee was in Space 1999 ( I have both seasons on dvd ).
I'm with you. I don't think I could sell Peter Cushing as my favourite Doctor either and to be honest the only thing I remember seeing David Tennant in was the First Episode of the Randall and Hopkirk Deceased remake from a few years ago - and it was an interesting role he played in that, I've heard a couple of the Big Finish things he's done.
They did recently screen Casanova here ( in Australia ), but I haven't watched the tape yet so I can't even say I like his work as an actor, though I did enjoy the Children in Need special, oh and I hate his costume for Doctor Who but I suppose I'll get over it eventually !
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Monday, December 05 2005 @ 11:54 PM EST |
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Yeah, Christopher Lee was in Space 1999. What wasn't he in? Hey, he was even in "The Second Key", my own Doctor Who photo story! 
Makes me think I should have used a Grand Moff Tarkin figure in there somewhere... just to put the Cushing and Lee team together again.
As for Peter Cushing, I thought he did a great job in "Top Secret" too.
When I wrote my "Favorite Doctor" piece, I mentioned the first Doctor I ever saw was Tom Baker. But I now recall that a few years before I ever saw Tom Baker in the TV series Who, I happened to catch one of the Cushing Who films, which was the first time I ever saw a Dalek.
But I can't choose him as my favorite, partly because I don't consider him canon. I can't accept as the Doctor anyone who says "Hello, I'm Doctor Who."
Still, his mannerisms and carriage was pretty good. I think he was a good film version of Hartnell, and in fact I like him better than Hartnell.
This thread makes me want to rate the Whos from fave to worst:
Davison
Baker (Tom)
Eccleston (If he had gone two or three seasons, I'm sure he'd take the lead)
McCoy
Pertwee
McGann
Troughton
Baker (Colin)
Cushing (based on his mannerisms and character, not the inconsistency of the writing and characterizations in the films, which were obviously written by someone who completely ignored the show it was based on... like most movies based on TV shows.)
Hartnell
Tennant (Hey, what can I say? I haven't seen him play the Doctor yet, so I can't judge. And one six-minute piece is not enough. I'd hate to have judged Tom Baker based on his first six minutes.)
Sean. |
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 12:58 AM EST |
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Hmmm....some interesting choices, my list from fave to worst is as follows:
Tom Baker
Peter Davidson
Jon Pertwee / Christopher Eccleston
Patrick Troughton
Colin Baker
Paul McGann ( I think he could've been great if he got a decent run )
William Hartnell
Sylverster McCoy
David Tennant ( haven't seen enough of him to form an opinion )
Peter Cushing
And with all his digital toys at his disposal I think George Lucas should have reunited Christioher Lee and Peter Cushing in Revenge of the Sith !
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Dangermouse
Registered: 12/01/05
Posts: 229
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 04:38 AM EST |
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| [Quote ...given the type of roles he usually played I wonder who it was that thought "I know we'll get Peter Cushing to play Doctor Who |
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I reckon it was the Grandad-esque quality he put across!
I could imaging Cushing and Lee in Star Wars, Cushing could hammer a light saber through Lee's heart!
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He's the strongest, he's the quickest, he's the best.....
"Yorkshire is a state of mind"
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 04:52 AM EST |
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Yes, but my point was that as far as I know he hadn't really done anything like that before, so I didn't see why someone would've thought of Cushing for the role, he pulled the role off quite well, I just wouldn't have thought of Cushing for that role based on the work of his that I'm aware of.
Loved your idea about Cushing hammering a lightsaber through Lee's heart. |
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 01:04 PM EST |
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Guys,
What about Richard Hurndall and Richard E. Grant? OK, so REG was audio only...
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 02:06 PM EST |
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Oh, and what about Joanna Lumley, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent and Rowan Atkinson?
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 02:25 PM EST |
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I don't really count any of the others, but Richard Hurndall was good as the first doctor and I think Richard E Grant would be good if he was given a proper go at it instead of comedy skits or voice work for a very average cartoon.
Rowan Atkinson was better than I thought he'd be, he might actually be ok in a serious attempt at the role and I don't care for Joanna Lumley or Jim Broadbent and Hugh Grant only ever plays Hugh Grant. |
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seanhuxter
Registered: 08/27/05
Posts: 825
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 03:32 PM EST |
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Hey, if the Beeb puts out an episode with Richard E. Grant, that's official enough for me.
And if we're going to include non-canonical Doctors, what about:
Geoffrey Bayldon
David Warner
David Collings
Sir Derek Jacobi
Arabella Weir
And for that matter, some people may think Buzz Aldrin made a pretty good Doctor. :-)
Sean.
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One solid hope is worth a cartload of uncertainties.
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 03:55 PM EST |
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| Let me put it this way, of all the Unbound Doctors, Geoffrey Bayldon was excellent, David Warner was extremly disappointing ( as I usually enjoy his work ) and the rest were quite forgetable and I'm polite enough not to voice my opinion on Arabella Weir's effort ! |
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 03:56 PM EST |
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| Let me put it this way, of all the Unbound Doctors, Geoffrey Bayldon was excellent, David Warner was extremly disappointing ( as I usually enjoy his work ) and the rest were quite forgetable and I'm polite enough not to voice my opinion on Arabella Weir's effort ! |
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Shayne_A
Registered: 11/20/05
Posts: 79
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| Tuesday, December 06 2005 @ 03:58 PM EST |
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| Hmmmmm...... Is that an echo ? |
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Wednesday, December 07 2005 @ 12:16 AM EST |
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| I guess everybody is avoiding Michael Jayston... |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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rassilon
Registered: 11/28/05
Posts: 13
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| Tuesday, December 20 2005 @ 10:52 PM EST |
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I have only recently become aware of the Podcasts with my wife. I found a mention of it on one of the Torrent sites and figured it would be a fun thing to listen to while working on a puzzle with my wife. That said, we both fell in love with it. When I checked out the Podshock store and saw that the Rassilon seal was all over the place, we invested some money into the attire (I've been using that seal for so long now, it was impossible to turn down!) Then I thought long and hard about submitting my entry for the best Doctor. I almost declined on doing it in fact simply because I didn't think I had the time! Then, after hearing Abersoch's favorite, something occurred to me. I then thought... why not?
So without further ado, WHO is my favorite Doctor? The answer is...
THE DOCTOR.
This is not the cop-out I initially thought it would be. When I decided to jump in, I looked at my wife, announced that I had an idea and asked her: "what is your favorite food?" She replied exactly as I expected: "Depends what I am in the mood for!"
The Doctor is more than a person or character! The Doctor is an idea! To say I like one over the other is to say I like one personality trait of my daughter's more than another! It simply cannot be broken down that way.
Sure, I started with Tom Baker when I was 8 years old. I got so hooked on it... channel 9 was my only channel then. 10am, Saturday mornings, 2 episodes a week - WOW! I can still remember the first time I saw it: Noah's hand had been taken over by the Wirrn. Fantastic! A few weeks later, when Tom comes out of the Dalek incubation chamber with a embrionic Dalek attached to his throat... speechless!! And a few years after it was off the air and WOR decided Wrestling was a better Saturday morning show, I still remembered how great Doctor Who was... then the call came. A friend called to tell me Doctor Who was on Channel 50 in NJ but "the curly haired guy is not in it!" I tuned in to Peter Davison's Mawdryn Undead. Fascinating. The Time Travel elements were incredible. The whole regeneration thing was still an unknown to me! Weeks go by before Caves, Colin sits up at the end... and next week, due to licensing issues, we pick up with Jon Pertwee!?!?! I was confused! And then I started to explore the character, accumulate books, learn what I could about this phenomenon! What I learned is the core of this "favorite Doctor" jibber-jabber!
William Hartnell was the founding father, the one who started it all! His fallibility made the show believable. He was that crotchety grandfather that you could not help but love. His forgetfulness made him endearing. His deeper love for life made him legendary. When he changed, Patrick Troughton gave us whimsicality. The love for life was still there in abundance, but he was no longer moody. Instead, he was a kind teacher. His relationship with Jamie was the quintessential best friend. Loyalty was always a characteristic of this man though and when Troughton's Doctor is regenerated into Pertwee it's easy to believe that somehow Jamie still remembered beyond the Time Lords mind wipe! Pertwee then comes in: the man of action. TV's 007. Fun, honorable, action-oriented. His reign is great, but who can expect that the next incarnation would be the highly energetic Tom Baker. A mix of all of his earlier selves, with an air of the Alien ("the earth isn't my home, Sarah"). Tom epitomized the Doctor but now an even greater sense of fun exists. He has that ability to always be surprised, to take joy in everything ("I say, what a wonderful butler, he's so violent!"). Davison brought a childlike wonder mostly because (possibly since the destruction of the Zero Room) he had a dangerously faulty regeneration. He seems far more fragile than his predecessors, but he is still The Doctor. He is still infinitely curious. He still loves all life. When Colin takes over, we have this presence, seemingly deranged (at this point, no doubt due to the lack of a Zero Room!) but he rapidly takes his place. Here we have the gusto and action that epitomized Pertwee's Era, the wisdom of Hartnell and frequently the kindness of Troughton. He maintained the alien-ness of the previous Baker, and taught us how great it is to be a sesquipidalian! Sylvester McCoy came in renewing all the wonder and mystery of the character, something long overdue in the series. He has a latent power, nearly a dark brooding thing, but never ever does his love for life, for his companions or the wonders of the universe waver. His malapropisms are a joy in the beginning that give way to a formidable mind. Someone who can be trusted, but who we know is not like us. Then the Americans get a hold of Doctor Who and we come up with the worst story in decades, but with McGann as the lead, we don't go too far off course. McGanns Doctor is an amalgam of all that has gone before. His dress sense is so perfectly suited for who the Doctor has always been too! In one episode, he demonstrated that he could pull it off (and I am thrilled that Big Finish has kept him as the Doctor whenever they could - he really has the presence and the personality... and a great voice!)
Finally we come to Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. This season proved that sometimes bringing something back is well worth the effort. Eccleston is ... FANTASTIC. Again, the most obvious element is the love for life, followed closely by his sense of wonder and an inate ability to have fun. He immediately immortalizes the character when in ROSE he tells Rose that "I didn't come to kill it." This is the foundation for who the Doctor is! He is a hero that tries not to fight if he can negotiate, but is willing to accept that sometimes, that's the only option. We also know that something devastating has happened in the Doctor's recent past and Eccleston conveys that time and again; we are no longer looking at the self-assured 6th Doctor here. We now have a hurt, lost man - his family, his people, his world are all gone and he wants... no, NEEDS someone to relate to, to cling onto. But at the core, he is still the Doctor!
How can anyone say there is a "best Doctor"? Who was the best dressed Doctor? Sure, I can see that. Who was the most comical? Who was the most energetic? Who was the oldest? Who was the grandfather and who the uncle... these are all opinions that work, but to say one Doctor was better than the other is to say you like your child's laughter more than her sense of wonder; your sons bravery more than his ability to be honorable. For me, it won't do.
The best Doctor is and will always be THE DOCTOR... Who else is there?
Rassilon |
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tarashnat
Registered: 08/17/05
Posts: 3062
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| Wednesday, December 21 2005 @ 01:48 AM EST |
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Rassilon,
I remember watching Tom Baker's Doctor on WOR Saturday mornings in NYC. I lost track of Docor Who after a while and then remember catching part 4 of Caves of Androzani. At the time, I did not know it was Doctor Who, until my "first" regeneration scene... Peter Davison changing into Colin Baker with Nicola Bryant in the background. That was the first of my many "fan" momments...
Taras |
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Daleks don't accept apologies! YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!
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