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247 reviews in total

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248 out of 324 people found the following review useful:
My Ten Cents on my best friend, 26 March 2005
Author: Lonniemackfan from United States

It seems that there is a huge diversity in the reaction to this show. Fortunately for the IL' Doc, I think this means he will be around for awhile again. I have seen "Rose," The first episode in the revamped BBC series, and I have to say I am thrilled. The majority of the negative reviews seem to be coming from ultra-die hard Whovians. I myself was a giant DR.Who nerd in my younger years. I had a subscription to Dr.Who magazine, I sent Tom Baker a letter when I was 10 years old, (I still have the autograph he sent me back, thank you Tom!)My grandmother knitted me an eight foot long scarf etc..etc..

I could tell you who Roger Delgado is and why when he looked like Geoffery Beevers he really wanted to go on Holiday to Traken.

In early 1984 when I was 8 years old, I met the Doctor and his friends Sarah and Harry. It was at midnight in Arizona on a black in white television that was barely 10 inches wide. I was transported to somewhere I had never been and have never been since. It was like Peter Pan taking you to Neverland. Anyone who met Doctor Who at such an early age will agree with me that the magic was that vivid and so real that you felt you were right there side by side with those characters.

As I grew up, I grew out of it. Real life takes a hold, and while Perpugilliam Brown was amazing to stare at, it became a lot more important to go talk to a girl in person on a Saturday night than stay home by the time 16 years old came around.

A passing interest in Sylv and Sophie was there, but ultimately, Puff the magic dragon let out a mighty roar because this Jackie Paper had grown up.

Having said that, I watched "Rose" with two hats. The former obsessive fan with the critical eye, and the adult who wanted to be whisked away by Pan again.

I feel the show succeeds in the latter department. I had a huge smile on my face the entire 45 minutes, and if I had to guess, this show is going to capture the fancy of a lot of young ones, and even though Doctor Who was always my best friend, I'm ready to share him with the people who he was made for in the first place. Thank you Russell and welcome back Doc!

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215 out of 298 people found the following review useful:
Excellent, 26 March 2005
Author: Edzunca from UK

I just cant understand why people are saying 'Rose' was just OK. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think that the new series excels itself compared to previous series e.g 6th doctor stories. I commend Russel T Davies for doing a fantastic job of propelling doctor who into the 21st century.

I pity the old doctor who fans who say 'oh its just not the same'and Eccleston is 'too different to be the doctor'. They are right! its not the same! Neither are we! We are living in a different century to the old episodes and many things have changed. Set in modern day I think the episode was more realistic and 10 times more enjoyable. So boo to the criticisms

Everyone I have spoken to had a whale of a time even many children cant wait for next week.Lets hope the rest of the series fails to disappoint us!

Congratulations BBC!!

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165 out of 201 people found the following review useful:
A slow-runner to a fantastic finish of a race!, 24 October 2005
Author: pete_da_slag from United Kingdom

Make what you will of the pilot episode of the new Doctor Who. I myself was fairly dubious upon first viewing, yet by the second episode, Russell T Davies had established a mark that makes this series his own! Gone are the wobbly sets and loose plots without continuity. Despite the episodes being manned by several writers, Davies manages to ingeniously weave them together. From the very first episode, he leaves the slight inkling of an epic subplot; the Doctor's heartfelt, almost-apologetic excuse to the Nestene Consciousness ("I couldn't save your world - I couldn't save ANY of them) is incredibly engaging and it was this very line that drew me in to offer the series a second chance.

And I'm incredibly glad I did. The series takes everything that made the original series popular and updates it for a new generation. The villains, the ideals and the themes all reflect a world that people are living in today. And then Davies also adds something new to the character of the Doctor - a REAL mythology. He no longer has that familiar skip in his step that he was famous for - he's running on low battery power - and he has something no other Doctor had; a survivor's guilt. A man left homeless by an epic war between an ancient and familiar enemy. He carries both the burden of the loss of his home and people, but also the guilt that he somehow had a hand in it.

This subplot runs through the course of the series and works incredibly well; that no matter how random the location or episode plot, beneath it lays that familiar drive that is guiding the audience toward the two-part finale. And what a finale! Not to spoil it for those who haven't seen the series, but everything regarding the Time War comes to an explosive crescendo and at long last the Doctor appears to be able to put his demons to rest.

And then there's Rose! Well, I thought she was amazing and such a well-rounded character. You can believe her and the fact that she is very much our eyes and ears on both the Doctor and the life he gives her makes her even more endearing. But what sets her out from her predecessors (as with the Doctor) is she has a mythology of her own. A life, a family, a home - and Davies taps into those unanswered questions from the old series excellently. What happens to her life away from the Doctor? Do her friends and family miss her? Will she come back? If anything, Rose is just as important as the Doctor. They have the electrifying chemistry that bristled with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Mulder and Scully and all the other great "Will-they/won't-they" characters. With some shows, pairing off the characters kills off a program, but with these - you almost feel that it would only take the future plots and scenes even further! This series is fantastic - despite its one of two slight hiccups (Episodes 4/5) - and it is clear that both Davies and the BBC have taken slight influences from popular sci-fi shows such as Buffy and Angel. Though, this is in no way a criticism. If you want to be the best, you have to study the best. Adapting the story arc (episode 6), placing a Big Bad to the forefront of the series and throwing in an enigmatic hook (Bad Wolf) gives the show an excellent feel of continuity and does not feel out of place in today's society.

The Doctor's back - and he's here to stay! (and PS - things, in my opinion, look VERY promising with Mr. Tennant.)

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124 out of 162 people found the following review useful:
Ace!, 26 March 2005
Author: cyberspice from Leeds, West Yorkshire

I eagerly awaited the new Dr Who, and I wasn't disappointed. My first memories of the Doctor are Jn Pertwee battling robots, giant maggots and giant spiders in the early seventies. Then Tom Baker took over and it was a must watch programme. Tonight I was transported back to those days, in so much as I felt just as I did back then. With one big difference, this is very much a programme for the twenty first century.

Christopher Eccleston was wonderful as the Doctor, combining the off the wall behaviour of Tom Baker's Doctor, with the mystery of Silvester McCoy's; the action of Jon Pertwee's and the hard edge of Colin Baker's; together with the wisdom of William Hartnell's Doctor and the tom-foolery of Patrick Troughton's. All wrapped together in an incarnation with the same physical appeal as Paul McGann's Doctor. I would quite happily travel through space and time with this Doctor.

The effects were the best we'd seen on the programme but I felt they didn't overwhelm it. But where they needed to be, the effects were 'crap'. The Autons always were faintly ridiculous back when Jon Pertwee fought them and they are still ridiculous, but just as deadly. The script was witty in the right places and serious where it needed to be.

I can't wait for next week!

PS. Billie Piper didn't suck!

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97 out of 126 people found the following review useful:
"Who" Does It Better!, 8 October 2006

Author: hassenpheffer from New York City

First off, I never got into Dr. Who until recently. Honestly, I never got the opportunity to watch any of the previous incarnations (pun intended) since it was never "big" here in the US as it is everywhere else.

That said, I must say (obviously) that after finishing the 2nd season, that this is one of the best sci-fi shows I've ever seen.

Now, I watch a lot of Sci-Fi shows from all over and this show stands out.

The first season was tops to begin with, with Christopher Eccleston in the title role and I thought he was terrific. Of course, so was the lovely Billie Piper who just adds such humanity and warmth to the character of Rose that no one could've done it better. Let's not forget Camile Coduri as Jackie and Noel Clarke as Mickey/Ricky who are just a blast to watch. Then there's David Tenannt. At first, I thought he was too gawky-looking to play the character (his ears!!), but after watching the 2nd season, he fits in just fine. His sharp acting and physical comedy is almost flawless. He's great with snappy dialog and can turn serious without batting an eye.

Aside from the great acting from the cast is the acting from most of the guest actors that have appeared. A lot of them are veteran actors but some are new to me and are damn fine.

The production and direction of the show is top notch. Occasionally, there'll be some cheesy effects here and there, but that's always been a factor in the original series and, like those episodes, is negligible.

My favorite thing of all about the series: The stories. Writing folks, is always the key to great entertainment. Russell T. Davies has written many of the episodes along with a few other writers and they have done an excellent job. They've managed to bring excitement, ingenuity, intelligence and fun with clever concepts and great dialog. I also appreciate the fact that they can breach the older Doctors' past story lines and enemies well (my friend explains much of this to me while we watch the show) and respectfully.

I won't mention anything about the 2nd season and how it ends since the Sci-Fi channel just started airing the 2nd season.

I wouldn't want to spoil it. It's so much fun and excitement. You'll never want to take your eyes away nor miss a word of dialog.

It really is that good.

PS: Thanks to the producers for Nicholas Briggs back! **EXTERMINATE!**

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80 out of 103 people found the following review useful:
The Doctor is back, so are my childhood memories, 26 March 2005
Author: Neil from United Kingdom

As a child I used to love the Dr Who series and apparently I used to hide behind the sofa whenever the Daleks appeared. I think it must have been the voice. But over time the whole idea lost so much of its charm that it became a real pain to watch.

Well all that has changed, Every nostalgic moment I ever had about the doctor has come flooding back with this highly enjoyable reanimation of a childhood favourite, even though I am now well into my thirties.

Christopher Eccleston is great in the lead and Billy Piper makes the archetypal sidekick. This new incarnation is full of the humour and tongue in cheek appeal that I hoped it would be. I just hope it keeps going as it started.

I have to give this a ten even if it's just because it's filmed in my home town of Cardiff, If not for the fact that is gives me a glimmer of what I liked in this series from when I was a very small child.

Thanks to everyone involved and keep it coming.

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87 out of 120 people found the following review useful:
Love the New Dr. Who!, 5 May 2006

Author: marannsjunk from United States

I remember being so excited on Saturday nights when I was a kid, waiting for Dr. Who. I thought it was the best show ever made. Then, I grew up, Dr. Who went off the air, and no one I knew had ever heard of it. Then I found out there was going to be a new series. I was a little nervous about it. Was it going to live up to the expectations I had carried around since I was little? Would they screw it up? Would the Dr. suck? Would his assistant suck? Would they create a more intimate relationship with the Dr. and his assistant? YES, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! This show is wonderful!! I love the new Dr. I love his assistant. I love the show. And I find myself excited on Friday nights now, waiting for the "new" episode. I'm just now seeing 2005 episodes, as I live in the States, so I'm a little behind the rest of you. I hope the next Dr. is as great as this one!

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76 out of 100 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic, 25 April 2005
Author: MitchellXL5

I have now had the pleasure of watching through the fourth episode and can say that I think the new series is a delight - and no less a delight than the classic series. As with each Doctor, this is another take on the concept and it's a sharp one at that.

Eccleston's Doctor is the most alien Doctor of them all and his realization is a pleasure. Piper's Rose is the real surprise of the show, she's just very likable and has chutzpah.

This series seems to be less about the Doctor versus aliens than really examining the Doctor's relationship with his companions - why he does it, the psychology of a guy who would keep taking on these people and showing them the whole of the universe - and using the science fiction action as a backdrop. It's very Alan Moore actually. The Doctor comes off as a mix of over eager, kind, self-serving, egotistical, innocent, and many other traits. This is the most complex Doctor after Tom Baker.

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108 out of 170 people found the following review useful:
He's back, get over it., 22 May 2005
Author: redcustard from London

I saw the very first screening of the very first episode of Doctor Who as a very young child and have never forgotten it. Growing up in the 60s & 70s my friends and I witnessed every regeneration for the first time, followed by constant repeats which were standard after-school fodder for many years. Surprisingly, with each regeneration The Doctor was different!! And as the years progressed the series did too!! I don't need to attend sci-fi seminars to learn how to appreciate a television show, Doctor Who is a lifelong icon and watching it has always made me feel good. Watching the newest series makes me feel good too. It's different to when I was 3, but then so am I.

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50 out of 80 people found the following review useful:
A Brilliant Return But Not A Flawless One, 21 June 2005

Author: Theo Robertson from Isle Of Bute, Scotland

It was September 2003 that I heard the BBC were going to resurrect DOCTOR WHO and make it " Bigger and better " but I'd heard these rumours in the press before and thought that's all they were - Rumours . But it was then mentioned that Russell T Davies was going to executively produce and write the show and then one Saturday afternoon in March 2004 Channel 4 news interviewed the actor cast in the title role - Christopher Eccleston . Yes that Christopher Eccleston an actor I've always been impressed by since watching his film debut in LET HIM HAVE IT and if he was getting interviewed on television it must have been true . As the months passed more and more information was leaked , Billie Piper was being cast , the Daleks would be returning and The Mill , the Hollywood effects company who had done the FX for GLADIATOR were contracted to do the special effects for the show . For several weeks before the first broadcast trailers galore heralded the return of the new series , massive billboards in London informed the public about the return of the show , tabloid newspapers carried massive photo spreads of the aliens appearing and Christopher Eccleston appeared on programmes as diverse as BLUE PETER , MASTERMIND ( Which had a special DOCTOR WHO night edition ) , THIS MORNING and Friday NIGHT WITH JOHNATHAN ROSS . In fact this new series of DOCTOR WHO must have been the most hyped programme in the history of British television , it had better be bloody good

So was it bloody good ? Undoubtedly it has been a major success with nearly every episode making the top ten shows in the TV charts . To give you clue of its rating success only one episode ( The Ark In Space episode two - Febuary 1975 ) from the old series had made it into the top five TV chart . The opening series episode made number three with two more episodes either beating or equalling the previous record and this is in an era where there's far more competition in terms of TV stations and choice . Let's laugh and cheer at the fact DOCTOR WHO stuffed HIT ME BABY ONE MORE TIME , CELEBRITY WRESTLING and mauled ANT AND DEC'S Saturday NIGHT TAKEAWAY . Of course much of the success is down to the breath taking visuals and the casting of a well known prestigious actor in the role . For the most part everything you see on screen here equals anything you'll see in a Spielberg / Hollywood movie . There's a Dalek invasion force numbering tens of thousands , exotic aliens , a 19th Century Cardiff that looks like a 19th Century Cardiff and night filming that is actually night filming and not done by sticking a dark filter over the screen . I promise you'll be hearing a lot more from the directors who worked on this series , Joe Ahearne especially will one day be in the Hollywood A list

There are some flaws to the new series of DOCTOR WHO and all of them should be laid at the door of Russell T Davies . It may be contentious whether the soap opera and post modernist elements are successful or not ( In my opinion they're not ) but what's not in dispute is that the weakest scripts are all written by RTD . As I mentioned in my review of CASANOVA he cheats the audience and he does the same thing here: when faced by armed soldiers pointing their guns at him The Doctor bellows " attack plan delta " which makes no sense to anyone in the audience but allows him to escape from a tight spot , a naked Captain Jack suddenly pulls out a laser he's been hiding and RTD scripts are full of these type of cheats and deus ex machina type endings . In fact the final episode is spoiled greatly by the ridiculous concept of what the " Bad Wolf " is which seems to have got RTD out of a tight spot more than The Doctor . And of the endings I'm trying to remember if any of them were actually down to The Doctor ? More often than it's a supporting character or the Doctor's companion who saves the day . The show is called DOCTOR WHO not ROSE TYLER so can we see the title character save the day please just like he did in the classic series ? One final point about the portrayal of the Doctor is the way he's written as a grinning loon . Eccleston is best known for his serious and gloomy roles and he's absolutely breath taking at scenes when he's showing grief , like the tear running down his face in the End Of The World but more often than not he's written as a " Tom Baker on speed " character . It's obvious why Eccleston hasn't done much comedy in his career - He's not very good at it

Am I starting to sound like I hate this show ? Sorry I didn't mean to but it's just that while some anticipations have been met or surpassed some others haven't and they're nearly all down to Russell T Davies who thankfully is contributing less in the way of scripts in the next series of DOCTOR WHO . Let's see more traditional stories of a human outpost being under threat from monsters like we saw in the 1960s and 70s , imagine a story like The Sea Devils with a massive budget directed by Joe Ahearne ! Oh and one last request - Can we see these " NEXT TIME " trailers scrapped ? They reveal all the best bits of next week's episode

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