Doctor Who Sucks
I’d really like to know who decided that Doctor Who is supposed to be campy. Doctor Who is not campy. At least, it never was. I’ve been watching some of the classics and they are never campy. Cheesy, sure. It’s low-budget 1970’s production style all the way. But they take it seriously. They try their best to create real drama. They didn’t always succeed, but they always tried. But the new Doctor Who is abysmal. Season one was a waste. Season two was a big improvement, but still way off the mark. Now we’re three episodes into season three and it looks like they’re trying to recapture the lost magic of season one. It’s just dumb. Awful. The only thing that makes less sense is why I’m still watching it…
Update:
I did in fact stop watching shortly after I wrote this post.
April 16th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
I agree. I watched a couple of seasons of the old Doctor Who when I was in middle school, and I don’t remember them being campy. Humerous at times, but not campy. I’ve watched a grand total of 1.5 episodes of the new one, and that’s all I can stand. It reminds me more of Lexx than the old Dr. Who.
April 16th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Yeah, that’s a great comparison. It really does have the same feel as Lexx (though with significantly less nudity). It’s the “sci-fi/fantasy isn’t real, therefore we shouldn’t take it seriously” mindset combined with the “dumb is funny” mindset. Pathetic.
May 9th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
EXACTLY. I wish you 2 would go to IMDB and post this. I mean, those idiots are practically soiling themselves over this new shit.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:00 am
The only thing that’s “good” about the New Who is the effects. It feels like they’re overcompensating for the budget they never had in the first run by blowing it all on pretty, and they’ve forgotten about what made Who good in the process. The only episode that holds even a glimmer of a candle to the Good Old Days (Baker, Pertwee, etc) is the New Series s1 two-parter set in the second world war.
The rest of it is hyperkinetic supercamp with ADD. It doesn’t help that the show seems to now be aimed at ten year olds. I kept holding out a smidge of hope until this week’s episode introduced “universal roaming” to the companion’s phone. Zero to “what’s next on the tivo?” in under a minute - no good.
Fire Davies (or take away his teddy bear and happy helmet), cut the budget, maybe go back to the serialized format… and then maybe it’ll get interesting. Right now it’s just filler I can’t even bring myself to pay attention to.
May 28th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Solios made a GREAT posting
June 11th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Oh come now, I grew up on the old Who and it was campy beyond belief! Cheesy, goofy, stupid at times, nonsensical, fantastic, unscientific…
…excellent…
…just like the new one.
June 14th, 2007 at 4:42 am
David Tennant cannot act at all. all he does is run around shouting at people.
I can’t believe how everyone keeps harping on about how he’s the best doctor.
the stories are absolute bilge.
I only watched and partially enjoyed last saturday’s episode Blink, because I had heard there was a lot less doctor and Martha in it.
perhaps that’s what they should do. cut him out of every episode until nobody watches it and finally we’ll be rid of the stupid gurning arrogant git.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:12 am
I actually like David Tennant pretty well. There were a few moments in season 2 where the writers slipped up and gave him some legitimate drama, and I think he did quite well with it. I also like his basic take on the Doctor’s personality. Put him with an entirely different set of writers and producers and I think he could make a fine choice. However, as it is, he all too gleefully embraces the excrement they give him (of course, that’s his job).
June 28th, 2007 at 1:19 am
I don’t even call the new series Doctor Who. It’s the Russell T. Davies Show. Not much more than Benny Hill with a police box in it. Sorry, Benny. You deserve better than to be associated with that.
And what’s with the Doctor kissing everyone on the mouth all of a sudden? He’s like a Warner Brothers cartoon character.
Fascinating that a 60’s sitcom intended for children became a cult hit for adults. Now the new series is aimed at adults but is hardly suitable for children…..what a pile of kack.
September 8th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Either they kill off Tennant’s doctor and make him regenerate into a better actor, or I seriously hope that they cancel this crap-fest.
Everything about it just screams “waste of time”.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Anyone ever watch “The Happiness Patrol” with Sylvester McCoy (Doctor 7)? If you did, do you remember the “Kandy Man”? I will take any episode of Tennant or Eccelston’s over that mess. Campy dosen’t begin to describe it (Godawful comes close). And Colin Baker? - in a phrase; “Don’t get me started. As for Tennant’s acting. Here in the States we just saw “Family of Blood”. The “human” doctor afraid to “die”; those were some excellent sceanes. OK it is not the same as the old Doctor(s). So what. The Doctor constantly changed and not always for the better. The series was always a series of ups and downs at best. These new ones have some good solid episodes. There is a lot to be enjoyed here. But if I was going to complain - and at the risk of a lynching - Enough with the Daleks! Move on!
September 11th, 2007 at 5:23 pm
Jeffery makes an important point about my comments. Of the classics, I’ve only really ever seen the Tom Baker stuff. So when I say the classics were never campy, I’m really saying the Tom Baker years were never campy. Yeah, I know that makes me a very superficial Doctor Who fan. But I can live with it.
And yeah, they had already ruined the Daleks before I gave up a few eps into season three. I can’t imagine what garbage they’ve done with them since.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
PS.
Matt:
60s sit-com??? I’ll swear the first ever episode “Unearthly Child” had exactly zero (intentional) laughs. Dr. Who was never a sit-com.
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:13 pm
It sucks, indeed. The first new season was OK, if mediocre, and the second went downhill fast with all the romance (Ecck!–if you’re looking for one thing past Who NEVER was, it’s romantic) and David Tennant, who brings no “alienness” to the role at all, but constantly screams, “I’m a normal, likable guy.” The “plots” consist solely of 3-4 chase scenes held together by chunks of babbled exposition, all resolved happily by a deus ex machina. This is mindless drivel, and I only hope the rumors are true that the show may continue in Series 5 without the talentless Russell T Davies, who doesn’t understand the genre, much less this show. It’s a genuine mystery to me why so many fans of classic Who (like myself) actually love this unrecognizable piece of fan fiction.
To the comment that the show is similar to Lexx: Lexx is an example of exactly how humorous SF should be done. There’s no camp in Lexx at all, just dark humor that never moralizes at the viewer like all the Star Trek inspired, holier-than-thou SF shows. If Lexx resembles Doctor Who, it’s the classic series–which is a favorable comparison I’ve seen made many times.
September 27th, 2007 at 2:08 am
Jeff:
Thanks - I thought ’sci-fi’ and typed ’sitcom’. Stupid mistake.
January 15th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I can’t stress at how much the new Doctor Who’s Suck!! Ok let’s face it, the originals were never shakespeare but the new ones are so incredibly bad!!
The casting, the score, the script, the acting - it’s just one huge mess and then to make things worse and to cash in on the franchise they decided to do a really crap spin off. The tragic thing is many people don’t know the difference between quality programmes and true S**T nowadays.
February 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Horrid.
I watched up through #7 of series 3, and then saw this Christmas episode with the gratuitous Titanic. What a mess. If the writing was corrected I believe the actors could rise to the occasion. The film and effects are good. But due to the writing it is absolute crap.
Well noticed: old series was cheezy, not camp.
This new series just throws items together with little logic or reason, and live on dumb cliches from action films and bad tv dramas. People mostly want to merely see some effects, and regurgitated scenarios, I think. Doctor Who now lives on that alone.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:29 am
Seriously. Americans know nothing. Doctor Who is one of the most watched shows. Its more famous than “American” Idol.
Of course, Americans don’t know good television. Thats why they have reality shows.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 am
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June 14th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I cannot stand the new Doctor Who. There is never any sense of danger because the characters are always saying one liners and cracking jokes.
Why does almost every show take place on earth? What a difference the first doctor (Hartnell) was. Yeah, it may have been cheesy, but the actors always played it straight. Are there any actual villains in the new Who? It seems like every villain is just misunderstood. They even ruined the Daleks trying to make them sympathetic. No villains, no danger, no alien planets, what’s the point?
July 19th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Some Americans are dumb, yes. However, those decrying the new series as rubbish.campy/soap opera/devoid of intellect/etc are 100% correct.
Not to mention NuWHO’s characters could be replaced with Buffy and her gang and everybody would think it’s a new season of that vampire slaying show (equally dumb, soapy, corny, horny, and campy).
I will give the show some credit - after the first year’s (2005) farting aliens, belching aliens, vomit jokes, and such, it’s nice to see those family un-friendly moments removed from a show people want to think is family-friendly.
Though to those who say it’s aimed at 10 year olds, try mentally deficient 14 year olds who are addicted to MTV and Nickelodeon…
July 26th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
“I cannot stand the new Doctor Who. There is never any sense of danger because the characters are always saying one liners and cracking jokes.”
Thank you! I thought I was the only one who hated the new production. The stories are weak, and David Tennant is about as welcome as a rash on the ass. He is so annoying! I stopped watching the new ones. They have ruined this classic show.
Is it my imagination, or is the Doctor getting younger and dumber? It seems each new Doctor is fresher faced and a little more clueless, and lacking the one thing that kept me watching it, namely a persona that isn’t a blank dvd.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I watch a lot of british shows and more often than not they are better than the yanks crap. this new dr who is better than the yank’s sci fi and if it’s just the the british accent that makes the it better so be it.
Now as far as the org dr who and this one i like the fact that they have money to spend on the new one. jelly baby anyone?
January 4th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Leave it to the brittish to fuck a good thing up. Matt Smith is terrible. I thought chris was irreplaceable but the bbc got lucky with david. oh well maybe i can watch it again in another twenty years if it’s good again, if i’m still alive,
January 21st, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I was curious what, if anything “Doctor Who sucks” would bring up in a search engine, and this was definitely one of the more lively posts/responses. I tried to get into new Who and it just never worked for me. None of the charm of the series is there that was so powerful up until the 7th Doctor.
Apparently it’s a hit in the UK. I really don’t know why.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Oh I love you all so much right now. I’m a British Doctor Who fan since I was about 9 and to have to constantly hear all this crap about how amazing the new Dr Who is. It isn’t amazing, it isn’t groundbraking its a bloody Soap Opera.
The only episodes that were even remotely redeemable were the Human Nature/Family of Blood ones and that was only due to the fact they were once upon a time a DoctorWho Novel.
Doctor Who now seems to be nothing more than a britsh attempt at American Sci-fi with paper thin charactersand plots backed up by shiney explosions and terrible dialogue.
The Best point in Doctor who history was the Hammer Horror 70’s ones like The Robots of Death, The Talons of Weng Chiang. Hell even some of the 7th Doctor ones were better (Curse of Fenric, Survival). The point was you have a great plot, a decent script, okay not the best effects (though some at the time were good) and it was the story telling what made it. Not any more the problem now is they seem tothink throwing money and star names at it will make it work.
And the worst thing is there are some truely great moments (really small ones) at times in the new Dr Who. The Robots in the Titanic Christmas Episode were a homage to the Robots in the Robots of Death the evolution of the Cybermen etc
Oh i’m just rambling but the point is what was once a great device for story telling and even educating has become a tripe americanised sc-fi show written by a 14yr old. (Don’t get me started on Torchwood it’s Buffy in Wales).
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I think the Dr. Who episode when he morphed into a wind-up music box was cool. I distinctly remember watching, my eyes agape, thinking how cool that was. I think the episode was penned by Harold Snoad.
February 28th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I hate the new show and after four seasons I am giving up.
With yet another chance to change the Doctor, what have they done?
A young, foppish idiotic yuppie white male.
YUCK!
So I give up, if the stories are going to be crap and the episodes so short you cant actually have any suspense then what is the point, this is not Doctor Who this is the Americanisation of Dr Who, like the writers all watched to much Star Trek and then tried to write it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Trek, but it is the wrong concept for Dr Who.
Goodbye Dr Who I shall return to the old version.
April 22nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
I don’t despise the new Doctor Who, but I have some big problems with it:
–the character has become a narcissistic ass. And this distorted sense of self makes for dull t.v. And the writers have given him far too much power. How can you take any villain seriously when all the Doctor has to do is say “I’m the Doctor” and they cower.
–far too much running around and yelling, but no story development.
–the character has become an emotional wreck. Peter Davison’s Doctor on Oprah is the only way i can think to describe it.
–SICK of all the american-tv-esque-kissing-the female-lead crap. absolute cow dung. The old Doctor was a bit too emotionally detached at times but this has become ridiculous.
–lack of reference or continuity to the original series. I’m not asking for them to reference jelly babies, Morbius or the Kinda every thirty seconds but they go out of there way to avoid the rich history of the original show.
–loose the sonic screwdriver. Tom Baker over used that damn thing but nothing compared to Eccleston and Tennant .
–can the Doctor be over 50 again? PLEASE!?! Even Eccleston seemed young compared to every Doctor but Davison (still can’t see McGann as a true Doctor). I loved Hartnell’s Doctor, why does every new version have to be young,plucky and vivacious?
–can there be a scene of the TARDIS interior where everyone isn’t flying around like the crew of the USS Enterprise during a dog fight with the Klingons? And how about toning down the console so it doesn’t look like an underwater breathing apparatus? Just senselessly over the top.
–get the heck off planet earth
–the incidental music is relentless. Not bad so much bad as just never shuts up!
other than that it’s better than season 3 off Tom Baker’s era
June 8th, 2009 at 3:50 am
Speaking as a brit who doesn’t much like the new Doctor Who, it’s a pleasure - not to mention somewhat unusual - to come across a group of people who don’t think that Tennant is the best doctor ever etc.
I think the major problem I have with the new series is that it increasingly violates the “show don’t tell” principle. Everyone is always going on about how great the doctor is - e.g. he picks up the olympic torch in “Fear Her”, frightens the Vashta Narada into backing down in the Forests of the Dead (which was otherwise quite good), gets to be the subject of an admiring crowd in the Cybermen Christmas episode etc. He’s practically a Mary Sue - handsome, loved, admired, feared, always right, always successful…
I’d much rather he be a misunderstood, disliked, eerie stranger - Gandalf the Grey, if you will, rather than this hyper-active twit…
June 15th, 2009 at 11:26 am
what doctor who r u guys talkin about?
July 15th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
TV Doctor Who has been awful ever since 1982. They should have ended Doctor Who with Peter’s first story, Castrovalva and not bothered bringing it back. There’s been some good stories like Dalek, Human Nature and Silence in the Library but given the poor quality of the show in the main you’d almost think those stories came about by accident. One of the worst things about the revival is its fans. I don’t mean the young children who are new to the show and love it, i mean those older fans, the sychophantic vermin who were so traumatised by the cancellation and are so grateful to have it back that they would browntongue and kiss the feet of Russell T. Davies and have a go at anyone who dared to criticise it.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
I agree with most everyone here. There are actually only a few things wrong with the New Doctor Who. The stories aren’t edited enough and Russel T. Davies is (or seems to be) more interested in the emotional lives of the characters than in what they’re actually doing.
Russel T. Davies can write. He can write magnificently. He can ever write sci-fi magnificently (I really enjoyed Torchwood: Children of Earth) but that is when he is allowed to write to his strengths. Unfortunately, his particular strengths are a bit of a mis-match for Doctor Who.
The Doctor is a very old alien, a member of one of the most high tech civilizations in the universe. He lives in a time machine. Yet RTD doesn’t seem to have any concept of technology. All the technology in Doctor Who has been reduced to the big button or lever. Even the Tardis is now run by a bicycle pump and a hand brake. Virtually every technological problem is solved by the push of a button or the wave of a wand, or simply by unplugging it. Yet we’re supposed to believe it took a genius to figure that out?
And everything, especially anything “sciency” is explained either in excruciatingly simple terms, or spoken so fast we can’t even hear it much less understand it. As if they think “Oh no, here comes the technobabble bit, let’s get through it as fast as possible,” rather than thinking, “You know, we can make this sound really smart and clever, yet make it clear enough to understand.”
And it seems like they’ve deliberately gotten rid of many of the things that made Doctor Who unique and different than other shows. And replaced it with bog standard TV fare -
He’s a rebel, an outcast, and unorthodox, not agreeing with his society’s belief in non-involvement, so he’s stolen a ship and run off to explore the universe, always knowing his people are still out there, able to stop him so he has to fly under their radar, and bend the rules just enough to get things done, but not so much that it will draw their attention.
That’s a complex character, a complex life, with an underlying tension that adds all sorts of potentials for stories.
And they replace it with - “I’m an alien, the last of my kind. Boo hoo.” as if that isn’t the oldest sci-fi cliche in the book. Why must every alien be half-human or the last of his kind?
Then there’s the wonderfully original, (and wonderful relief - considering the usual “sex sells” TV standard) idea of a man and a woman travelling around and having adventures together as friends . Seeing each other as people first, and all the wonderfully different relationships that created.
And they replaced that wonderful variety, with the bog standard of the leads being “in love.” As if it was so wonderfully original that no other TV show out there ever thought of having a romance between their lead characters before .
I miss having a show where I can see a man and a woman in a good, loving relationship, yet where they’re not always wondering when they’re going to shag.
And there’s no tension. Other than romantic tension or angst or emotional issues, there’s virtually no adventure tension at all. There’s never any doubt that the Doctor will win. There’s virtually no feeling of “OMG, how is he going to get out of this!” because we know he’ll just wave the screwdriver, or press the button and everything will magically be resolved. And that doesn’t even count the endless number of times when things actually were magically resolved.
And any menace the aliens or monsters might have is usually immediately undercut by some lame joke or embarrassing bodily noise. As if to assure the audience not to worry that these guys are pushovers. The Doctor himself once commented that a man is measured by the quality of his enemies. Which says a lot right there. How impressive is the Doctor if all his enemies are so brain dead that they can only communicate by repeating the same phrase, over and over. “Feed Me!”
And the formula. The same things happen over and over again. EXACTLY the same things. Giving the companion a key as a ritual. The superphone. The deliberate asking of each of them to come along (which he never did before). The Companion’s family. The mom slapping the Doctor. The mom protesting, “It’s not safe!” Not to mention that they’re all controlling, bitchy moms. And all of the companions seem to be controlled by their families. As if they have no right to make decisions for their lives on their own. Even though all the companions are legal adults. And the inclusion of the families, ad nauseum, even when they have nothing whatsoever to do with the story. Doesn’t it ever occur to the writers that there does come a time in people’s lives when they are supposed to leave their families and make a life of their own? It’s not like they’re going to be gone forever anyway, but now they apparently can’t even be gone for a few days, (except by accident?)
What ever happened to the spirit of adventure?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:32 am
Finally I’ve found more people that reckon doctor who sucks like me! I think the acting is really bad and the whole show is overated. If anyone reading this has facebook look up I hate Doctor who in groups.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Actually, I think the show is pretty good. Reasons why.
1. The aim of the show is more family based. Adults and children can enjoy it. The fast past action and the funny dialog are well worth it.
2. David is an excellent actor. He’s funny, serious and show depths of emotion for the character. He brings a youthfulness and wit to the show.
3. The scripts are fun and have multiple layers to them. They bring in elements and are smart enough to string them in the shows. Some shows are absolutely a treat and are fun, while others take on a serious nature, and they always manage to tie up loose ends; the face of Boe for example.
4. I always end up smiling and really enjoying the show. I love the edits and the camera work. Plus, i love shows that end with a light ending and they finish all the stories up. No cliff hangers. I hate cliff hangers unless there is for sure going to be another episode. Other shows get canceled with no ending, it’s a real bummer when shows get canceled with out an ending.
5. They give options for spin offs and it’s a treat to see multiple actors in different episodes. I love how they bring people back. Rose is one of my favorites, but i love all the people on the show.
6. I think most of these post are to harsh on the show. Remember it take a lot of time and work to make a show. And not everyone has the same taste. I personally adore the show and all the characters. I’ve seen US tv and its
mostly reality shows. No script and those show are boring to me.
I love a script and the stories of BBC doctor who.
I’m looking forward to the next seasons. I’ll miss the actors but i know that the new characters will be wonderful and exciting.
December 7th, 2009 at 6:02 am
I am a longtime Doctor Who fan. Looking at the entire series, I have to say that the true essence of the time traveler concept were best captured in doctors 1 (Hartnell), 2 (Troughton) and 3 (Pertwee). Passable seconds are 4 (Baker1) and 5 (Davidson). The first three doctors were solid actors (mostly comedians) and Baker’s first season was enjoyable. After that I think it went downhill. Doctors 6 (Baker2) and 7 (McCoy) were decent actors but most of their shows were ridiculous in some way or another. The misnamed (in my opinion) Doctor 8 (McGann) was a mediocre impersonation of a combination of doctors 4 and 5, but that production showed what the new Doctor Who would be like… lighter entertainment.
As far as other users comments go, I would agree that they need to serialize the show, with four 25 minutes episodes with cliffhangers the preferred format. Also, they need a good solid actor to play the doctor, maybe someone like Hugh Laurie (House, Blackadder, Stuart Little). In fact Laurie’s character on House is indicative of what would make the new show better. He is slightly abrasive like Doctor 1, comically eccentric like Doctor 2, and a little nerdy/whitty/pompous like Doctor 3.
I will admit that I watched the new show when it came on SciFi (Syfy) in America and made it through most of Season One before I gave up. Here and there I see a newer one, or 30 seconds of it while channel surfing. It was nice to see Peter Davidson’s daughter as the Tennant’s “daughter,” but they screwed up by having her blast out of the show.
Alas, the new “Doctor Who” is just not as entertaining and believable as the original series, just as the new “Prisoner” sucks compared to the old show. A sign of a true hack is one that takes a good concept that worked in the past, puts their mediocre “modern” drug-induced spin on it and royally falls flat on their face. But many things in the post Y2K culture tend to lack any real meaning or depth.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Remember when the old series episodes would end on cliffhangers and you’d rub your hands saying “oooh!” with a “can’t wait to see what happens next!” feeling? That’s gone. Now, it’s a “what happened?” feeling as you try and comprehend what just flew by on the screen. All the original Doctors up to McCoy, who was okay but that terrible cassio keyboard type techno music really ruined the suspense, had totally distinct characterizations which is why each of those Doctors has its loyal fans. I’d go so far as to say that the Tom Baker Doctor even managed to rise up into the ranks and become as recognizable an icon as Godzilla, Chaplin, and Captain Kirk as a worldwide icon. Show any of the other Doctors to non-Whovians and they probably won’t know who they are. But cases can be made for all of the 1st four Doctors as creating truly memorable characters that were unique in and of themselves. Peter, Colin, McCoy, and the rest kind of take bits and pieces of their predecessors and mix em up with a few new ideas here and there, but that’s why they don’t stick in the minds as much when you mention Doctor Who. Mention Doctor Who and I might think about any one of the first 4 Doctors, the Tardis, the Daleks, and the fun eerie suspense of watching them in the dark as a kid, but I’d never think of the new series unless it was a…”oh, that show” feeling of ba hum bug. Every once in a while a new show is okay, but they’rs so fast, loud, and goofy that most are forgotten the next day. Maybe I just like my sci-fi to slow things down a bit as I prefer the “what’s going to happen” moments much better that the “oh, that’s happening now” moments. No matter which old Who you like, at least you can always re-watch them and think back to the good old days. Definitely not going to do that in 10 years with this new series.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I wouldn’t say I’m a Dr Who fan as such - like a few of the posters here, “MY” Who is late Pertwee/early Baker. I didn’t see a lot of Who pre-Pertwee, and though I watched until the early days of Colin Baker I didn’t think much of it. For me, the trouble with Davidson and Colin Baker was that they spent much of their storylines over-emoting and underperforming. Pertwee and Baker brought a much needed snese of charm and humour to the role - a bit like the favourite uncle: intelligent and funny, but with the gravitas that commanded respect. In this new version, both Eccleston and Tennant have gone back to Davidson and Colin Baker’s portrayal and drawn deep from that shallow well. Every line now has to delivered with either a breathless, manic grin to show how much of a danger-loving, devil-may-care character he is, or yelled at the top of his lungs to show how much of leader he is. Both are sincerely rubbish.
But the blame doesn’t stop squarely at the actors - the writing is horrendous. I agree that the show is being made more like a US “sci-fi” bit, but it’s not exactly the best way to go. Every episode I’ve seen - not many, but I did watch Waters of Mars last night here in the US - involves way too many scenes of people running around, accompanied by frenzied “dramatic” action scene music, and then ultimately the plot is resolved by the villains’ complete lack of any real, tangible threat being defeated by the push of a button or throw of a lever. Absolutely awful.
I’m not sure who this show is aimed for, but it does seem to me that the people who love it are the same people who like their telly sci-fi mild and harmless. I imagine a big chunk of them are also fans of the weaker Star Trek spinoffs like DS9, and lugubrious nonsense like the old Beauty and the Beast.
Can’t imagine I’ll ever come back to it. Russell T is too entrenched in the “success” of the revitalized show for anyone to try to care about strengthening the multitude of weaknesses it suffers from. This isn’t Dr. Who at all. I agree wholeheartedly with the poster who likened it to “the Russel T. Davis Show”.
December 27th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Thank goodness! I type in “doctor who sucks” in Google and find a small band of people who think much the same as I do! Hooray! I’m not the only one in the world who refuses to hail Russell T. Davies as God’s gift to scriptwriting and Tennant as the Best Doctor Ever.
I’m from the Pertwee/Baker era (as a child), although I’ve seen many other episodes through the years. The sets moved, the monster makeup was as good as low-budget gets, and the SFXs were even worse BUT what made the show was the (mostly) excellent scripts and actors who took the thing seriously.
RTDs idea of “action” is to have people running around screaming and a Doctor who just utters garbage most of the time. His idea of suspense is to have things appear to happen in “after the nick of time” (witness the ridiculous Waters of Mars where none of the characters are near the TARDIS in the last 4 seconds yet somehow all get inside it before the place explodes). His idea of a good script is to write himself into a corner and then in the last few seconds magically fix it all a la Deus ex Machina. His idea of a “plot twist” is to keep a new actor or some “dramatic” event (like characters kissing) under wraps until the episode is broadcast. His idea of something “novel” is to throw away something from the old series and replace it with his own tired out Hollywood style device (eg: replacing the Master’s “tissue compression eliminator” with a (yawn) “laser screwdriver” - i.e.: a laser gun). His idea of “humour” is fart jokes and blatantly obvious humour rather than anything subtle. His idea of writing a script suitable at different levels for adults and children (the mark of a truly great writer) is to write it for children and dumb it down even more. And WHY would you ever introduce sex into this show?! It did fine without it and I’m sure we don’t need it. After all, so many other things in it don’t follow reality… But then, Russell T. Davies seems to be pre-occupied with sex. He goes on about it so much you have to wonder whether he has a problem with his own sexuality.
I expect sci-fi to have a level of suspension-of-disbelief but this new version of Doctor Who requires your brain to have been removed. Why can’t writers write characterisations that make sense and situations that actually reflect what would actually happen? And the plot holes - they make any Bruce Willis vehicle look like a carefully crafted script!
As for the actors - well, what can they do with this pile of drivel except go along with it. Tennant is purely awful. Does he actually do any acting? Maybe he does in his West End theatrical shows but not in this production! A gurning idiot who has verbal diarrhea.
So many people are against this new Doctor, Matt Smith. I’m hoping that he might portray something better than we’ve seen so far. Maybe the scripts might now be better seeing that Davies is no longer writing or fiddling with them. I hold him fully responsible for the pile of horse dung that this show has become. I imagine he was like Irwin Allen and Lost in Space; whenever a writer came to him with an intelligent script he’d scream “Don’t get logical with me!”. Davies obviously never had a schooling in science which is why he can’t even present simple scientific principles in his script. He represents all that is dumbed down in Britain’s schooling of today and is the antithesis of what Doctor Who started out as being.
And what is so frustrating is you can see how GOOD it COULD be! The special effects are very good (and seem now to have replaced the decent scripts this show demands). I mean, look at Julian Bleach’s Davros - an excellent and chilling portrayal but stymied by a weak and ludicrous script. There are numerous other hints at intelligent script writing and brilliant characterisation, but they are so swamped by illogical cack-handedness that it’s like searching for diamonds in a sewage farm.
Lastly I end by telling you how “The End of the World” part II ends. Isn’t it obvious? Having written himself into a corner (yet again) by making every human on Earth a copy of the Master, RTD will easily fix it all by getting the Doctor to “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow” of the machine and then flick a switch to change everyone back again to how they were (how that could possibly happen is, of course, exactly the illogical dung that RTD is famous for). Either that or he’ll get the Timelords to do a Star Trek Voyager and set the time back to the day before, thus neatly erasing everything that happened.
See - even I could write these scripts!
January 6th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I’ve watched all the Doctors. Like Tennant as much as T. Baker. Plot writing got much better towards the end. Will hold my opinion on the new Doctor. Hopefully I’ll like him better than Colin Baker’s take on the character. Hold on for the ride of your life.
*spoiler if you have not seen EOFW II*…
Why does the TARDIS endure such internal destruction and mayhem during Tennant’s regen when the same did not occur in the reg episode when Doctor Donna came into being? No other regens have had this. Seemed such, o, so much “teatro” to throw into it.
January 16th, 2010 at 9:55 am
its true the writeing in the new doctor who is really poor i did like some of the old doctor who but i can’t stand the new ones in one show he had a key that he could call the tardis with so he could never lose it but since then i cant think how meny times he is cut of from it because it feel in a hole or because the master got it or some other thing like that if you want to see some good sc fi watch babylon 5 or star trek t’n'g don’t watch doctor who it sucks
February 20th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
You have no idea ewhat the hell you’re talking about. David tennant and Christopher eccalson were brilliant, and I adore their acting. The storylines are incredible, thoughtful and creative. Rose was the perfect companion, and all the enemies are insanely brilliant. I can’t believe any of you, you obviously have a lack of perception. I love doctor who, and take pity on those who can’t see it’s current genius.
March 1st, 2010 at 6:38 am
I’m sorry, but Dr. Who has ALWAYS sucked.
April 1st, 2010 at 9:27 am
Rather than list the myriad ways in which Dr Who is a terrible television programme, I’ll just throw this out as food for thought:
Buffy
Firefly
Battlestar Galactica
Take a look at the overall quality of these shows and compare them to Dr Who. There are others, I’m sure.
How can anyone find any value in Dr Who when they’ve also seen sci-fi/fantasy shows of this calibre? It’s embarrassing. I could accept it if Dr Who was still surviving on the ’so crap it’s cute’ vibe of the 1970s, but people are sincerely vowing that it’s the best show on TV.
There’s just nothing good about it. But I guess it’s ok for kids.
April 4th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I must agree, It is good to fuind like minded souls. I wont repeat what has already been so well put that I totaly agree with but I will add the thing which has upset me the most.
Firstly it is good that Dr Who is back on air but its is so so bad that it has been used by Russel T Davies to air his political and sexual hang ups to the world. I felt sick at constantly having exposure to Davies’ (I refuse to use RTD) soap box. I know more about him as an individual than I know about the adventures he has attempted to protray and it has made me rather quesy.
I Really cannot in any way classify Dr Who as Science fiction anymore, Its not even comic book, meerly purile masturbation. The old Doctors we in no way perfect but they were Sci-Fi and at least they didnt have the personality of a power mad narcisit running through them like a resort’s name through a stick of rock. Davies appears to me to be like a poorly protrayed Sci-Fi villan himself.
I look forward to the return of good writing without personal agenda. and please no more writing the Dr into a corner unable to fix it without the panacea of the reset switch or turning someone into a god etc etc, pathetic.
April 6th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Wins:
- Dr. WHO back on the air
- Eckleson and Tennant are great actors, brought a sense of darkness to The Doctor
- Budgets that allow for more special effects fitting the stories.
Losses:
- Writing almost never let the actors do the role justice.
- Despite a clear understanding that the Dr.WHO audience was twenty/thirtysomethings,… geared show to appeal to teen masses.
- Overall writing horrible
- Suddenly all sexuality of all characters is flaunted, Dr is not only a love interest but expresses interest in companions.
- At the same time overusing some pre-existing plot/story lines/devices and yet completely ignoring other fertile ground for stories..? Most action still taking place on earth despite large budget.
- Despite being “quirky” in the past, Tardis console is now a “activity toy” for a 4 year old complete with horns whistles and hammers.
But the single biggest thing that we should all thank our stars never happened is:
Dr.WHO stayed a product of the BBC and didn’t become an American Property. No matter how bad it is,..it could have been worse.
April 23rd, 2010 at 9:37 am
The decline of Doctor Who is a reflection of the
americanization of British television. The old program until the late 80s had an edge despite the poor special effects and whatnot. It looked like a simple stage play where making fun of the pretentions of science fiction and the authoritarianism therein was important. All these aliens with their neurosis and bossiness and the good Doctor would push them aside like they were undisciplined children. The newer versions of Who could have just as easily been made in Hollywood.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:14 pm
David Tennant and Christopher Eccalson had the feel the swagger and the persona, this Dr fits in like the wrong gig-saw puzzle piece.
it appears that this Dr Who series is creating a different time line for continuing episodes, but this Dr, who is supposed to have knowledge of what is needed in in the vital moment is lost.
Furthermore even though the Dr’s looks are not supposed to be important this one does not get my vote. In my humble opinion his face, actions, and behavior don’t quite fit; and his companion is upstaging him.
by the way, I have been watching Dr as long as I can remember and I am 56 and I have found a way to like him up until now.
Hopefully the shows writers fix this quickly or else the show is a bust.
May 9th, 2010 at 4:15 am
I thoroughly enjoy all of classic who, except for bumps like “The Twin Dilemma”. I dislike Peter Davison, but I still find him watchable. Basically, I’m a huge fan of Classic-Who.
Now moving onto New-Who. Season One was pretty good, RTD did actually have one shining moment with “The Long Game”. It was not bad, basically.
Then came Season Two, which was 50/50, then Season Three which was awful, then Season Four which made me fall into a coma. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??? I’m not bothering to watch New-Who anymore - I minght die!!!
May 16th, 2010 at 11:33 am
I previously wrote that I cannot stand the new Doctor Who. Well the Matt Smith Who came along and I am digging it. What a difference. Here is why…
No more hour long Russel T Davies political opinion editorials
No more one liners and cracking jokes to ruin the sense of danger.
Stories are taking place off earth
Matt Smith plays it straight
Before I wrote “No villains, no danger, no alien planets, what’s the point?”
It now has all of these elements and I am loving it! Good riddance to Davies
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:06 am
I hate the new Dr. Who series. Basically everything is killing it for me
1. Writing. I really don’t need to go into it as everyone seems to be fully aware of how bad it is.
2. Actors/character. Chris was okay as the doctor but nothing special. I couldn’t stand Tennant. It was like they turned PeeWee Herman into the Doctor. Seriously, this guy is awful. SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS DOES NOT MAKE YOU A GOOD ACTOR!!!!!! And it looks like Smith is following in David’s footsteps. And all of the companions are as annoying as hell (with the lone exception of Martha).
3. Sexualization of the Doctor: Seriously, at this rate they might as well sign up Jude Law to be the Doctor as he is well versed in hitting on everythign around him. Why is it that the Doctor has to have a relationship with nearly every one of his companions?!?!
4. Why is the Doctor now dumber than his companions?!?! The companions are solving most of the problems now with the Doctor looking like a moron.
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:51 pm
ok, let me give you all some dr who expert treatment, (sorry, not trying to sound like an ass). ive bin a who fan since 8 and i havent stopped loving it, however, here are some good points and bad points of the new and old series.
—old seasons:
–good points:
-original sci-fi
-great writing
-amazing enemies(daleks no.1 obviously)
-great plot development
-fantastic character/actor choice
-great companions(sarah jane at best)
-acting 50/50
-nice cliffhangers(alghtough some were shit)
-great time slot
-good effects(for the low budget and time period)
-jon pertwee, tom baker, sylvester mccoy, patrick troughton
-good episode length(for type of programme)
–bad points:
-william hartnell, colin baker, peter davison(50/50), paul mcgann
-acting(50/50)
-effects(compared to todays)
-the way that the part one of each episode was boring and never had anything going on in it
-dalek voices from 64-66
—new series
–good points
-smith and tennant(what is peoples problems with tennannt? he was great!)
-plot twists
-acting
-characters
-cliffhangers
-storylines 50/50
-dialogue
-effects
-catchphrases
-rose, jack, donna
-enemies
–bad points
-series three(i hate it! and i hate martha!)
-martha jones
-now apparently the sonic screwdriver can do anything!, oh the doctors gonna die! oh, yay, sonic’ed it we all live i saved the earth woo! lose that thing!(have you seen where the doctor heals a cut with it in the new series?)
so there it is, look dr who is now completely different from the classics, but that doesnt make it an worse! exept series 3, i cant stand it!
i also think matt smth was way too underestimated, hes great! even the storyline are better, lets face it, who will never be the same again, but mabey its evolution will turn out, good! it has so far!
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:53 pm
oh and, i do think the classics are better,
July 6th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
My girlfriend just got me into Doctor Who this year, and together we have watched the entire ‘new’ incarnation of the series through to the end of season 5.
I can’t understand all the negative comments. The show isn’t perfect, but it is still HIGHLY enjoyable - at least as far as I am concerned. I started as someone who knew nothing about this saga, and since I have become a huge fan. Some here have bashed David Tennent’s acting abilities, but I personally stand in awe of what he has done - I most certainly couldn’t bring that much energy to the portrayel and so many subtle nuances. He clearly took the role very seriously.
Everyone has an oppinion, which is fine. But I am just shocked at how much flat-out hate I am seeing directed at new Who. I have started watching the classic episodes and I am equally impressed with those. And purists might dislike the new direction because it is something of a departure from the older episodes - but times change folks. So long as there is a fan base out there who are enjoying the new vision of this series (and there are MANY such people) it certainly can’t be said that it ’sucks.’
My two cents.
July 11th, 2010 at 4:09 am
Watch the surviving episodes of “The Daleks’ Master Plan”. It’s black and white, the effects are hopelessly dated, but… the Daleks. They are so menacing, they leave me in awe and are actually scary. New Daleks are just so done up and are not scary at all! And I 100% agree with the previous reviewer who asked how you can take a villian seriously when they cower at the words “I’m the Doctor.”
ARRRRRRRRGH! Must… kill… Davies…
July 19th, 2010 at 6:49 am
Matt Smith as Dr. Who SUCKS! He has no complex facial expressions, and a personality that is BLOODY BORING - His eyes always look flat and unappealing, has a vapid smile [when we see it!] and he has no chemistry with anyone whatsoever - Dr. Who is a witty genius and for some reason Matt Smith plays him as a mush mouthed mumbling grade schooler with an atrophied I.Q.!!! What the #%!! happened?! Karen Gillan & the always fascinating Alex Kingston are out-acting & out-classing him completely! He has no rapport with River Song at all! After watching all versions of Dr. Who, I am deeply dissappointed & thoroughly disgusted! Graham Norton who is animated and funny, could have done a better job! Matt Smith is not Dr. Who compatible!
July 20th, 2010 at 2:40 am
I honestly hate New Doctor Who. I was excited that it was back on air after so long and I tried to give it a shot. I tried so hard but it’s absolutely awful. I feel like I’m watching Charmed and not a sci-fi show.
Burning Questions
Why are all the new doctors trying to do their own version of Tom Baker? Well Matt smith is trying his hardest to be Colin baker.
Why is he so condescending?
Why does he get in people’s personal space and look down at them like an angry parent?
Who in their right mind would travel with this ugly pasty bony jerk?
Why do bad guys cower in fear at the Doctor essentially telling them “Google me bitch”?
Lingering issues
And can we retire the daleks please? if the timelords are wiped out then they should be too. The daleks haven’t been interesting since Genesis of the daleks.
Bring back the sci-fi element and stop with the “Friday the 13th the series” nonsense. Seriously how many stranded aliens are hiding out in semi abandoned flats on this show? Maybe if they googled the Doctor they would know to move into creepy sheds or the woods like proper stranded aliens should.
Get the writing back on track. No more nonsense football games and emasculating every man around. Top caliber writing only i.e. Logopolis, Genesis of the Daleks, Inferno, The horror of fang rock etc.
lastly, no more baby doctors. Men of a certain age only please.
August 1st, 2010 at 12:47 am
I have to agree i hate this show and I have no idea how anyone could watch it. Ever since the beginning of the first season, when the main character girl(don’t remember the name) went back to her time but the doctor actually brought her one year into the future. They didn’t have the good sense to go back in the time machine and go back a year. Ridiculous!
August 11th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
It’s been said over and over in the comments, but at last: like minded people who have been spared the zombie epidemic that has ensnared practically everyone into unconditionally loving new series!
I’m sincerely hoping this train wreck calling itself Doctor Who gets canceled soon. I can’t believe a show consisting of nothing but regurgitated filler is passing as award winning, popular entertainment.