RSS Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 In the early 1960s, the BBC was waging a ratings war against upstart ITV. Sydney Newman, the newly installed Head of Drama, was tasked with completely overhauling the Beeb's schedule. One particular timeslot he devoted his energies to was Saturdays at teatime; he had hit upon the idea of a children's adventure serial, one which would theoretically appeal to teenagers and adults as well. Ideally, it would contain some educational content. Newman, a lifelong science fiction fan with a particular affection for HG Wells, settled upon the idea of time travel. He gave these points to his team of producers, who went off and gave him the basis for the show that would follow: a team of time traveling scientists who would solve mysteries, called The Troubleshooters. The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/articles/inside-the-tardis-01 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 I have to say this come the end of the year I'm almost certainly putting my vote in for this excellent background to Dr Who. I instantly wanted to go out and find some 2nd Doctor to enjoy just from reading your description Dan, you're really capturing the characters of each incarnation and giving us all a great deal of information we didn't have to hand before. Top notch job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Thanks. I do have to admit that the Troughton era hold one of my all time favorite exchanges. The Doctor: [Klieg is holding The Doctor and Jamie] Yes. As you say, such a combination between intelligence and... *power* would make you formidable indeed. Why, you would be... Commander of the *Universe* with your brilliance! It... It makes the imagination reel with the possibilities! Eric Klieg: Why, Doctor, if I had only known you shared my imagination, you might even have worked for me. The Doctor: Perhaps it's not too late. Jamie: Doctor! The Doctor: No, Jamie. Don't you see? Don't you see what this is going to mean to all the people who come to serve... Klieg - the All-Powerful? Why, no country, no person, would dare to have a single thought that was not your own! - Eric Klieg's own conception of the... *Of the way of life!* Eric Klieg: Brilliant! Yes. Yes, you're right! Master of the world! The Doctor: Well, now I know you're mad. I just wanted to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 18, 2008 Report Share Posted November 18, 2008 Something tells me I'll be saying this all week. Great job, Dan. Very informative, but didn't drag at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothian Posted November 19, 2008 Report Share Posted November 19, 2008 Something tells me I'll be saying this all week. Great job, Dan. Very informative, but didn't drag at all. This. I know a bit about the original Dr Who from my best friend from school, who was a big fan of the franchise before the BBC decided to bring it back (that's not to say he dislikes the modern series though, it's just that we left school 5 years ago and I don't see him as often). I'll send him a link to the mainpage, as he'll probably get a kick out of this week. Also, any reference to the Carry On film series is great to see! Hartnell was only in the first one whilst Pertwee appeared in a handful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 This is kinda interesting. The BBC website opened an archive of pictures and documents about the creation of the show and the making of the first episode, "An Unearthly Child". I tell you, this would have shaved about a day or two off my research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 I was reading earlier about all the trashed episodes. The Second Doctor got royally screwed on that deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Like you wouldn't believe. The six stories that made it this far are pretty good, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 And that pisses me off so much! The first two Doctors are the ones I wanted to see the most, but most of Troughton's stories are audio-only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Do the scripts still exist? I know they've made some animated recoveries. I wonder if they'd be up to do full on remakes of the lost episodes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 The audio still exists, so the lost episodes can be heard. That said, if someone wanted to remake them, they could use the audio to re-script the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Someone with more money and talent than I possess should get on that at some point. I imagine they've thought of it, but will probably wait until after the 13th Doctor has left and they have no where left to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 As Dan has written before, we could see Doctors beyond the 13th: Tennant is 10 out of 13, but it'll take a half decent writer about two minutes to come up with a way around that. One theory that's been floating around is that since the 12 regeneration limit is an arbitratry one enforced by the Time Lords to prevent anyone from living forever and becoming too powerful, or some such, the fact that there are no Time Lords to enforce this means that the Doctor is free to do what he needs to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 There is a worrisome amount of fandom that is truly upset by the idea that we have three more actors to go, and then the show ends forever. Which is ridiculous. If the series is still a success by that point, the BBC is not going to cancel a moneymaking series just because Doctor Thirteen decides it's time to move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 I don't know. I kinda like the idea of a definite ending point. I mean, I know it's fandom nature to want the things we love to go on forever, but by the time the 13th Doctor is done, the character will have existed for over 50 years. The character is already beyond Erica Kane levels of tenure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 I'm not anxious for the show to be over, but I can't honestly say I totally disagree with you. That last season would have to be pretty fucking epic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missy Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 I was just watching the last few minutes of the Troughton-era episode The Dominators, and it gave me a good chuckle: Jamie: Come on, will you! The whole place is gonna blow up! Doctor: No, it's quite alright, Jamie. The planet is quite safe. There's just going to be a localized volcanic eruption. It will only effect the island. Jamie: Maybe so, but we happen to be on the island. Doctor: Oh my word! (runs into the TARDIS) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 The Doctor/Jamie dynamic was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stavros Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 There is a worrisome amount of fandom that is truly upset by the idea that we have three more actors to go, and then the show ends forever. Which is ridiculous. If the series is still a success by that point, the BBC is not going to cancel a moneymaking series just because Doctor Thirteen decides it's time to move on. Theres already a precedent for more than 13 lives. The Master already used all his up and thats before we even get to the two versions we see in the modern show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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