Not excited, but is that so bad?

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I have to admit that for the first time since it came back, perhaps the first time in living memory, I'm not at all excited by the imminent return of Doctor Who to our screens. I was, of course, very excited about its return in 2005 and, despite quite a few niggles, I largely enjoyed the series. I then absolutely loved the Christmas Invasion and was looking forward to series 2.

I got seriously disillusioned during series 2 as I only really liked 2 or 3 episodes and hated many more than that. The recent christmas special totally failed to grab me in any way and in fact I found the Sarah Jane pilot much more engaging. I am seriously considering giving up on the series altogether if I don't like the first few episodes of series 3.

But I'm not actually wanting to have a whinge today I was just wondering, is this necessarily a bad thing? Is it reasonable to expect that a show made over 40+ years by many and varied people with totally different approaches should appeal equally across the whole run? There seems to be an attitude that if you moan about the new series then you're just being a killjoy or highly strung fanboy, but is it really any different to, for example, loving the new series but not liking the Pertwee era? Indeed, doesn't the fact that I enjoy the whole 26 years of the original run (give or take a few stinkers) put me above many fans in the tolerance department? Maybe it's about time I found a particular production team's approach to be not at all to my taste as this actually seems to be the norm.

Hmm, not sure what point I'm trying to make here. It was just another way of looking at moaning about RTD I suppose

[Raston]

I'm intrested that you liked Season 27(1) more than 28(2).

I am the exact opposite.

I though that for the most part the Eccleston series was very weak indeed. I would go so far in stating that if Aliens of London had followed 'The end of the world' then would certainly have given up on it altogether. There were just so many weak style over substance and plot-light gag heavy episodes in the first half of the season that it felt all wrong. However i did begin to improve significantly towards the end.

Where the first Tennant season had stories with far more emotional depth, tighter writing and actual plots that were engaging and depended less of effects and gags to carry the stories. It was a much more mature and grown up series altogether. Sure there were some elements that were stronger than others, but over all it was a much better written and constructed series. It certainly made me look forward to this coming series than i was the second one. Plus the main weak element (the character of rose and her assorted baggage) has gone so it feels like a fresh start with a lot of scope for it to be better than ever.

[Rob McCow]

Doctor Who always changes. Perhaps Season 3 will be right up your street - perhaps you might feel like dipping in again should David Tennant relinquish the role. If you're not enjoying it, give it up.

Or at least wait until the DVD's get cheap

[Larry]

Hmm, not sure what point I'm trying to make here. It was just another way of looking at moaning about RTD I suppose

think I can understand the point your trying to make I greatly enjoyed the ist series and was so impatient with excitment in the weeks leeding up to the series launch. Although I enjoyed series 2 i'll have to admitt my excitement waned and I found my self not looking forward to the next episode as much as I had in series 1.

Yes I am looking forward to series 3 and I'm sure that i'm going to enjoy it but I have also kind of attitude saying oh it's another series of Doctor Who.

[Jonno]

At this moment in time, I'm less excited about S3 than either of its predecessors. S1 because it was all new and exciting of course - the first series for 16 years - plus all the media attention, which was a novelty to me in all my viewing years.

S2 because the trailer at the end of TCI was exciting and really whetted my appetite.

However, the trailer at the end of Bride hasn't engaged me to the same extent, and I know that I'm going to miss the Tylers and Mickey, so I'm a little concerned as to how they're going to follow that. Added to which, from the rumours that I've become aware of, I'm a little concerned that the production team might be pitching this more at the fan market, which would be a big mistake IMO. I hope I'm wrong, and seeing patterns in things that aren't there!

Possibly also it's the fact that it doesn't feel like it's just weeks away - we still haven't had confirmation of the start date, but once we get this week's DWM with its preview of the first episode, and Radio Times will soon be cranking it up, and I'll get all excited again!

[Mike Saville]

My interest fall away throughout Series 2, and I didn't lose too much sleep when I missed them. As a series it had some absolutely fantastic episodes, such as Girl in the Fireplace, School Reunion... all from episode 2 through to the end of the first Cybermen tale... but then if seemed to just bubble under for me.

Part of the reason though is perhaps that there's no necessity to rush and see it on a Saturday or miss it until it comes out on video 17 years later. It's repeated 14 squizzillion times in the following three months, so it'll never be more than a few weeks away.

I was so much more excited by with series 1.

[Zbigniev Hamson]

I'm intrested that you liked Season 27(1) more than 28(2).

I am the exact opposite.

It might have a lot to do with the fact that it was new and therefore more exciting. And there were certainly a lot of things I didn't like - the Slitheen (farting included), the totally nonsensical plot to Father's Day, The Long Game, the silly reality TV stuff etc. I didn't particularly like Ecclestone's performance either. But at least Rose was still a reasonably likeable character at this point and I thought Dalek was a great story and many of the others were at least decent.

Ironically I find Tennant's Doctor more to my tastes, but I found most of the stories in series 2 to be exactly what you accused the series before of - lacking in any kinds of decent plots and just being excuses for nice effects or events. Yes they hada lot of emotion in them, but ost of this was layed on with a trowel and didn't stem very naturally from the plots. I'd got as far as The Idiots Lantern, episode 7 no less, and I'd only enjoyed one story up to that point (The Girl in the Fireplace) and actively disliked all the others. School Reunion was enjoyable, but only because it was nice to see Sarah and K9 again; remove them and it was just another load of silly CGI monsters again. It picked up a bit towards the end of the run but not greatly. And Rose was just THE most obnoxious whiney companion ever by this point.

The Runaway Bride just crystallised all that was bad about series 2 to me - meaningless and confusing 'plot', lots of running around with no real engagement with anything, and a tacked-on emotional speech to try and trick you into thinking you'd just watched some good drama.

I know I am whingeing now despite what I said before but it got to the point where I was thinking "if this wasn't called Doctor Who there's no way I would bother watching this" and now I'm just thinking maybe I should let my taste dictate what I watch rather than have an unconditional devotion to things called Doctor Who.

[Paul Monk]

However, the trailer at the end of Bride hasn't engaged me to the same extent

I agree with this comment of Jonno's. There was something about the series trailer after Bride that didn't grab me much. Maybe they hadn't done any of the cool monsters yet or something but it just seemed a little flat.

[Martin Penny]

Strangely, I'm never excited until I actually watch the first episode of the New series, I was even the same with Rose.

[Larry]

I agree with this comment of Jonno's. There was something about the series trailer after Bride that didn't grab me much. Maybe they hadn't done any of the cool monsters yet or something but it just seemed a little flat.

though when you think about it the trailer was pretty much in keeping with the lack of news and info we have been generaly getting about series 3 and IMO it was just enough to whet the appitie with out giving any thing away.

[Si Hunt]

I think many people must be like me, and deliberately avoid anything to do with the new series until it comes on for fear of spoilers - which means it's a bit hard to get excited.

Also I now realise that the Rhinocesseros monsters/Judoon are in the first episode - which essentially means that what we were expecting to be a "new series trailer" (like last years) at the end of "The Runaway Bride" was really little more than a trail for "Smith & Jones" with a couple of bits from the Gatiss episode chucked in. Who knows why this was (they must have had more finished than that at Christmas) but it's no wonder it dissapointed when last year we got Werewolves, Cybermen etc.

The new DWM has really made me excited about the new series though.

Si.

[SiHart]

Also I now realise that the Rhinocesseros monsters/Judoon are in the first episode - which essentially means that what we were expecting to be a "new series trailer" (like last years) at the end of "The Runaway Bride" was really little more than a trail for "Smith & Jones" with a couple of bits from the Gatiss episode chucked in. Who knows why this was (they must have had more finished than that at Christmas) but it's no wonder it dissapointed when last year we got Werewolves, Cybermen etc.

I'm not sure that's necessarily true. Knowing a little about some of the other stories, I'm pretty sure we've got clips from The Shakespeare Code and the one after that one too, as well as the two you mentioned.

Si xx

[Si Hunt]

You might be right Si. It just seemed like an awful lot of the Doctor meeting Martha, which we knew was going to happen anyway. Perhaps it was because those things from the Shakespeare Story looked rubbish as well!

Si.

[Perry Vale]

So, less than 4 weeks away, do we know when teasers/trailers might start?

[Si Hunt]

RTD said about 2 weeks before in the new DWM I think!

Si.

[Larry]

RTD said about 2 weeks before in the new DWM I think!

Si.

so assuming it is a 31st of March start the trailers/teasers should be starting any time now..

[Dirk Gently]

so assuming it is a 31st of March start the trailers/teasers should be starting any time now..

Well in ten days time would be 2 weeks before. The 17th.

[Avon]

Zbigniev Hamson

I have to admit that for the first time since it came back, perhaps the first time in living memory, I'm not at all excited by the imminent return of Doctor Who to our screens. I was, of course, very excited about its return in 2005 and, despite quite a few niggles, I largely enjoyed the series. I then absolutely loved the Christmas Invasion and was looking forward to series 2.

I got seriously disillusioned during series 2 as I only really liked 2 or 3 episodes and hated many more than that. The recent christmas special totally failed to grab me in any way and in fact I found the Sarah Jane pilot much more engaging. I am seriously considering giving up on the series altogether if I don't like the first few episodes of series 3.

But I'm not actually wanting to have a whinge today I was just wondering, is this necessarily a bad thing? Is it reasonable to expect that a show made over 40+ years by many and varied people with totally different approaches should appeal equally across the whole run? There seems to be an attitude that if you moan about the new series then you're just being a killjoy or highly strung fanboy, but is it really any different to, for example, loving the new series but not liking the Pertwee era? Indeed, doesn't the fact that I enjoy the whole 26 years of the original run (give or take a few stinkers) put me above many fans in the tolerance department? Maybe it's about time I found a particular production team's approach to be not at all to my taste as this actually seems to be the norm.

Hmm, not sure what point I'm trying to make here. It was just another way of looking at moaning about RTD I suppose

"Well now," - I sometimes wish we were in the days when little information was given to Fans about the fourth coming season of "DW" and, we found out when we actually saw it.

I was happy when the "NEW" version returned after 16 year's in 2005 and, apart from missing one episode I have continued to watch.

Most of the episode sadly, I can barely remember anything about them - probably as I hate the format of single episode stories in the main. I prefer the format of week to week over several episodes format!!!


Yet, I can remember loads of different "original" stories. Although, I like "DAVID's" version slight more than "CHRISTOPHER's" I am, in someway beginning to wish that "DW" had never returned, at all.

Coming from someone who watched from 23rd November, 1963 to the present day that's a hard fact to swallow.

Can't say I'm looking forward to the new season as it's mucked up certain events I had planned for Saturdays which, now have to be cancelled!!!

As, I can't record it SO, have to watch or, miss it

[Larry]

Zbigniev Hamson

Well now," - I sometimes wish we were in the days when little information was given to Fans about the fourth coming season of "DW" and, we found out when we actually saw it.

[/b]

that my friend is the curse of the inter net and mass media unlike back in the 70's & 80's when non of it existed to spoil our fun it's now almost impossible not to pick up a newspaper/magazine or go in to the net with out seeing some reference to Doctor Who.

[Simon R]

I've avoided most of the non-DWM featured new series stuff. Whether or not I can avoid any spoilers as the promo rounds kick in remains to be seen.

I can't wait for series 3. I agree that the trailer was a little flat and there's some truly awful possessed humans or something (possibly from the Shakespeare Code") that look like something from a bad episode of the original series. Overall though I can't wait. Doctor Who now means Summer is coming and light evenings and something to look forward to every saturday night, and friday's with "Totally Doctor Who" which though a little crap certainly helped fuel the flames.

[Milky Tears]

There were clips from the first five stories in the teaser at the end of The Runaway Bride. I read all the spoilers and can't be arsed with the new series. The ending is rubbish and Freema is the worst actress ever!!

[Dirk Gently]

... Freema is the worst actress ever!!

As bad as Billie?

[Dave Tudor]

If this doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will:

BOOOOOM!!!!!

[SiHart]

Oh, that's VERY exctiting!

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

If this doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will:

BOOOOOM!!!!!

Is it the return of Shal Yung from Battlefield? (spoiler-phobic not looking at photo)