Doctor Who Marathons

[Rob McCow]

No, I'm not talking about running 26 miles dressed as a Kroton...

What's the most Doctor Who you've sat down to watch in one sitting? Does watching a whole four parter in one go seem like a lot to you, or would you quite happily go through a whole Tom Baker season without breaks?

Theoretically, it's still possible to watch the whole of the new series in a weekend, but eating and sleeping would have to be shunted to one side.

To be honest I've very rarely done more than one adventure at a time, despite watching a whole season of Buffy over one weekend, I don't seem to have the stamina for it. I nearly made Si watch the whole of 'Trial of A Time Lord' in one go, but the tape recorder got all funny over Mindwarp and we had to abandon it.

How much Who can you take?

[Pip Madeley]

I've never done a whole series/season in one go, that'd be mental, but I have sat down to all ten episodes of The War Games back to back.

[Wayne]

I've did 'The War Games' in one sitting when the BBC vid first came out.
I've done 'The Silurians' in one go more than once. (though not in the same day)

[WhiteCrow]

I remember in 2005 me and Cameron went on a bender and watched all of Chris Ecclestones season in one weekend. Collette was not impressed.

[Simon R]

Christmas Day 1993 - I did all of "The Two Doctors" and the first eight episodes of "Trial", both of which I'd got that day as festive gifts. There was dinner and supper and family things in between though so it was in one day but not one sitting.

It stretched me and I screamed but I loved it.

[Dirk Gently]

I went through The War Games in one sitting, like Wayne, when the videos came out. I've done all stories at one time or another in one sitting, including ToaTL recently...when checking the tapes that I was passing on to someone.
Does anyone want ToaTL on VHS for free? I even did Marco Polo Recon' in one sitting, I'm not doing that again!

[Captain Tancredi]

Strangely enough, six episodes seems to be a psychological barrier with me- heaven knows, when I first had a copy of 'Inferno' I tried often enough but never quite made it. I know I once watched 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' on UK Gold once, but I'm not sure I started at the beginning, but then again a friend did make me sit all the way through 'The Ambassadors of Death' once so I must have done it.

Back in the late 80s I used to go to a local group in Liverpool and spend most of the day just watching Who on a pub-style big screen- I occasionally try and recreate that feel, but there's invariably something else I feel I should be doing.

The nearest thing I've done which would qualify as a marathon would be watching season 1 of 'Angel' a couple of years ago in the space of 48 hours.

[Lissa]

Balls. I read the opening post and thought "The War Games" would stand me in some awe but it turns out to be commonplace. I might as well have boasted about having watched "Gridlock" from end to end without sleep. I wasn't strictly speaking watching The War Games though - it was on while I copied it to DVD and tidied up.

The worst one was getting up at 7 in the morning to watch "The Sensorites" omnibus on UKGold. I don't think there is a person in the world who likes The Sensorites as much as I do (nowadays) but on that day it was torture.

I can boast of having watched 13 episodes of QI in one day. If boast be the word.

[Pip Madeley]

The worst one was getting up at 7 in the morning to watch "The Sensorites" omnibus on UKGold. I don't think there is a person in the world who likes The Sensorites as much as I do (nowadays) but on that day it was torture.

I feel your pain I remember having to get up for "The Mutants" at 6.30am once... and another time having to endure The Web Planet (in the old UKGold craptastic video quality) till 3am - I didn't make it past episode three.

[Wayne]

Well if were talking non-Who marathons i must be in the running with Lissa's QI. The main contender would probably be the addictive powers of '24', which has seen me polish almost each season in about a day & a half. We're talking only stopping to make a quick sarnie or put an appropriately named 'tv' dinner in the microwave.
The runner up would be virtually continuous all day marathons of 'Prisoner:Cell Block' each time a new volume is released.
Probably even less to 'boast' about.
In fact the amount of horror films i've got through in the last year is scarier than any of the films themselves. I'm a viewing junkie. Stuff yer heroin & give me more shiny yellow discs!

Thinking about it. I hardly watch any Dr.Who at all. I need to watch mostly stuff i've never seen before tp keep it interesting. And well, Who is great, but i've seen it all now.

[Ralph]

I'd never watch Who as a marathon as I like to view it in the way intended but clearly not a week at a time. I would maybe watch two eps back to back but I like to keep it fresh and special so I don't overindulge.

For example my fave story "The Sea Devils" I've still only watched 4 times, two viewings of which were back in 1972, the episodic screenings and then an omnibus version that Christmas. Then I watched it twice in 2004. There's lots of Pertwee I've only watched twice ever eg Planet Of The Spiders in '74 and '04.

[Wayne]

2004 was obviously when you re-discovered Who then?

Still not watched Sea Devils on DVD then?

[Rob McCow]

We haven't watched the Sea Devils DVD either! Just seems a bit much after getting through The Silurians.

It seems the longest that people are prepared to watch is for 10 episodes of The War Games. What about the big old Doctor Who nights they had on BBC2 and BSB? They would have a pretty long run time.

Thinking about this has made me want to top my total - perhaps a whole season of McCoy, or three Tom Bakers in a row? If I got home early, I could do that in an evening... maybe when I come back from holiday

[SiHart]

Can I suggest an Evening in E-Space?

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Only if you've finished the Charged Emboidment Vacuuming, dear.

[SiHart]

I was thinking about the most I'd done in a day before. Like everyone else The War Games counts as probably the most I've done. I know I watched The BSB weekend back in 1990, but I wasn't allowed to watch it all (family complaints you know) so i caught up with much of that later on, and the same happened with the UK Gold DW weekend in 1993. I did watch the Doctor Who night in 1999 all the way through, but does that count, as there were only two episodes on that night?

Otherwise i have been knwon to watch a couple of 4 parters in a day at times...

Si xx

[Larry]

I did many years ago to celerbrate Doctor Who's birthday watched about half a dozen stories one after the other in one day and I have oin the odd occasion watched a couple of 4 parters back to back. Generaly 4 parters I will always watch in one sitting ,the 6 to 7 parters I have on many occasions watched in one sitting but usualy more often then not with the 6 parters i'll watch it 3 episodes at a time. I have on my days off some times watched 2 or 3 stories in one day but that will usualy be spread through out the day .

[Larry]

is there any body brave enough or should that be mad enough to watch The Sensorites, followed by The Web Planet followed by The Dominators in one sitting..

[Dirk Gently]

Sounds like a challenge!

[Wayne]

I'd do it. (for money)

Seriously though, i don't mind any of those stories at all. In fact i really like 'The Sensorites'. It's one of the most atmospheric Hartnell stories of all. I don't know why people dis it so much.

[SiHart]

We thoughly enjoyed it, we liked The Web Planet and I finally enjoyed The Dominators this year, so that's not a problem.

A problem marathon would be The Sun Makers, Underworld and Invasion of Time in a row!

Si xx

[Pip Madeley]

Season 24 would kill me off.

[Si Hunt]

*makes note for potential viewing at next audio recording...*

Si.

[Antony Cox]

@ Si!



Mind you - it'd be better than Daemos Rising!

[Si Hunt]

You better pray "Zygon" hasn't come out by April, with its fan-nudity and Zygon sex and all. Yee-hah!

Si.