brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) (10/07/85)
A recent poster commented that to save the Doctor we should lose John Nathan-Turner and keep the current stars. I am all for nuking JNT. He should naver have been put in charge, and in my mind he's responsible for the Davison debacle. I like Colin Baker. He's a good, although not the best, Doctor. Perri (Nicola Bryant) is an average companion, and as such she should go. She's not *really* bad like Adric, but she doesn't shine either, and right now the show needs a bright new companion. Of course, I wouldn't object if the show came back brand new and with lots of money. Imagine what it would be like to get Peter O'Toole as the Doctor. He plays like the Doctor in his other movies, why net let him do it for real? Companions should have either likable or admirable traits. Peri doesn't do that well here. Companions like Romana and Sarah were high-status intelligent characters. They were good. Characters like Leela and Turlough were people of action - they *did* things. Jo was neither of these, but so friendly that you liked her too. -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473
percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (10/08/85)
> I like Colin Baker. He's a good, although not the best, Doctor. > . > . > . > Of course, I wouldn't object if the show came back brand new and with lots > of money. Imagine what it would be like to get Peter O'Toole as the Doctor. > He plays like the Doctor in his other movies, why net let him do it for > real? While we're on the subject of other doctors, my prime candidate for #7 is Jeremy Brett. Based on his acting as Sherlock Holmes, I can perfectly imagine him in the role. Especially, think of an absolutely ridiculous outfit he could have. (A screwed-up Edwardian gentleman -- loud checkered vest, hat with spring-attached cuckoo [I got this idea from the White and Black guardians], etc.) A. G. Percus (ARPA) percus@acf4 (NYU) percus.acf4 (UUCP) ...!ihnp4!cmcl2!acf4!percus "The Doctor is almost as intelligent as I am" [Name story and quotee]
nyssa@abnji.UUCP (nyssa of traken) (10/14/85)
> "The Doctor is almost as intelligent as I am" > [Name story and quotee] Zoe, "The Krotons", when the Doctor decides to try the teaching machine. Come on, think of a hard one! -- James C. Armstrong, Jnr. {ihnp4,cbosgd,akgua}!abnji!nyssa I'll keep an eye on the old man, he seems to have a knack for getting himself into trouble! -who said it, what story?
johnw@astroatc.UUCP (10/17/85)
In article <435@looking.UUCP> brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) writes: >A recent poster commented that to save the Doctor we should lose >John Nathan-Turner and keep the current stars. > >I am all for nuking JNT. He should naver have been put in charge, and >in my mind he's responsible for the Davison debacle. > I've never kept track of the production side. What did JNT do or not do? Why did Davison quit? Please include Latitude and Longitude for JNT...I will consider dropping one 300Ktonner if he deserves it. Also, can someone please post addresses to flame..a...er..write to in order to request 3 decades or more of the Doctor. >She's not *really* bad like Adric, but she doesn't shine either, What do you have aginst Adric??? I liked him. He was intellegent, and a doer. They *NEVER* should have killed him!!!!!!!!! (Its a mark against the Doctor!) >I like Colin Baker. He's a good, although not the best, Doctor. >now the show needs a bright new companion. > Unfortunately, We don't get any of the Colin Bakers in Madison; Which Who do you consider best? Why? (I prefer Tom Baker) John W {..allegra,siesmo,ihnp4...} !uwvax!astroatc!johnw To err is human, to really foul up world wide news, requires the net!
guadagna@daemen.UUCP (Dale K9 Guadagna) (10/23/85)
> A recent poster commented that to save the Doctor we should lose > John Nathan-Turner and keep the current stars. > > I am all for nuking JNT. He should naver have been put in charge, and > in my mind he's responsible for the Davison debacle. > (*FLAME ON*): J N-T is probably the best producer Doctor Who has had. If it wasn't for J N-T, Doctor Who might still be stuck in the rut of slap stick comedy. J N-T brought the level of Doctor Who up from a childrens show to a show worthy of Sci-Fi. Not only is he a great producer, but he is a great person too. Do you think Graham Williams or Pennant Roberts would come to a small-time convention just for the sake of the fans? Probably not. I know we are all entitled to our opinions, but out of curiosity, Brad, who is your favorite producer? (*FLAME OFF*) [for now anyway] > I like Colin Baker. He's a good, although not the best, Doctor. > I agree there. > Perri (Nicola Bryant) is an average companion, and as such she should go. > She's not *really* bad like Adric, but she doesn't shine either, and right > now the show needs a bright new companion. > Why does the Doctor always have to have an ABOVE average companion? Average is nice for a while. > Of course, I wouldn't object if the show came back brand new and with lots > of money. Imagine what it would be like to get Peter O'Toole as the Doctor. > He plays like the Doctor in his other movies, why net let him do it for > real? > One of the reasons why the show went on hiatus was because of money. Do you think a cheapskate like Grade would spend a bunch of money on a show he doesn't like. This is the guy that cancelled Star Trek, and didn't even cost the BBC anything to produce!!! > Companions should have either likable or admirable traits. Peri doesn't > do that well here. Companions like Romana and Sarah were high-status > intelligent characters. They were good. Characters like Leela and Turlough > were people of action - they *did* things. Jo was neither of these, but > so friendly that you liked her too. > > -- > Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473 OK folks, we now know what Brad looks for in a companion. What do the rest of you guys (and gals) look for in companions? You can mail your answers to me (preferably) or post to the net if you can't mail to me. And I'll then post an abridged version of all the answers. Also, what do you guys (& gals) look for in a producer? a director? a writer? and what is the story(s) that combines all these qualities you look for? I'll be looking forward to your answers. Brad: you can flame back at me if you want, we're all entitled to an opinion, just because I think yours is wrong doesn't change anything :-) PS: I promised all of you a Quiz back at the beginning of Oct. It will be a little late. Who knows, it could make a great Christmas gift!!!
guadagna@daemen.UUCP (Dale K9 Guadagna) (10/23/85)
*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR ADDRESS ***
Oh doppy me, my stupidity superseded my intelligence again and my
address was not included with my previous article. So send all
questions, answers, comments, or flames [YES I'M CRAZY] to the
following address. Thanks.
--
Dale K-9 Guadagna
UUCP : {decvax/dual/rocksanne/watmath/rocksvax} !sunybcs!daemen!guadagna
================================================================================
Doctor Who quote: "Doctor, sometimes I think your not quite right in the head."
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Musical quote: "Find her finer
See who designed her
Act like a dummy
'Til you finally grind her."
- Uncle Frank Zappa
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Misellaneous: Even Barbarians Like Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Cartoon Quote: "OOPS!! I DISTINCTLY HEARD AN OOPS!!!!"
-Opus
================================================================================percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (10/25/85)
> What do you have aginst Adric??? I liked him. He was intellegent, and > a doer. They *NEVER* should have killed him!!!!!!!!! > (Its a mark against the Doctor!) I don't want to start a large-scale Adric argument (although we haven't had one for a while, maybe it's time for another!), but my feeling is as follows: excellent companion, terrible scripting. A real shame -- he would have been one of my favorite companions, but as it turned out, he is my least favorite. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . ------- |-----| A. G. Percus |II II| (ARPA) percus@acf4 |II II| (NYU) percus.acf4 |II II| (UUCP) ...{allegra!ihnp4!seismo}!cmcl2!acf4!percus |II II| -------
percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (10/25/85)
Since I am to be blamed for starting the commotion to begin with, I'll present some follow-up flames (careful -- I get very harsh sometimes): > (*FLAME ON*): J N-T is probably the best producer Doctor Who has had. If > it wasn't for J N-T, Doctor Who might still be stuck in the rut of slap > stick comedy. J N-T brought the level of Doctor Who up from a childrens > show to a show worthy of Sci-Fi. Not only is he a great producer, but he is > a great person too. Do you think Graham Williams or Pennant Roberts would > come to a small-time convention just for the sake of the fans? Probably not. > I know we are all entitled to our opinions, but out of curiosity, Brad, > who is your favorite producer? (*FLAME OFF*) [for now anyway] Why should Dr. Who come up to the level of standard Sci-Fi? The whole essence of the show is its offbeatness, and, yes, even occasional slapstick humor. As for JN-T as a person, I understand your feelings entirely -- not because you are right, though. Indeed, I find him to be one of the slimiest people existing in his ability to make all his decisions seem so great: almost immediately after becoming producer, he started pushing Tom Baker to the extent that Baker simply decided to leave (this is a less-known fact). Personally, my favorite producer, by far, is Barry Letts. He gave Jon Pertwee leave to do anything within reason, and provided assistance when it was necessary. For more praise, ask Pertwee himself. You would never get the same response from Tom Baker or Peter Davison when discussing JN-T. > One of the reasons why the show went on hiatus was because of money. Do > you think a cheapskate like Grade would spend a bunch of money on a show > he doesn't like. This is the guy that cancelled Star Trek, and didn't > even cost the BBC anything to produce!!! I'm afraid that your first statement simply will not hold water. Shortly after the cancellation news, Ron Katz (of DWFCA) offered to give to the BBC enough to film and broadcast another full 26 episode season. Grade said "Nyet." It was pointed out that BBC brings in from Dr. Who much more than it spends, from the States alone. Grade still said "Nyet." Money doesn't seem to be the crucial issue. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . ------- |-----| A. G. Percus |II II| (ARPA) percus@acf4 |II II| (NYU) percus.acf4 |II II| (UUCP) ...{allegra!ihnp4!seismo}!cmcl2!acf4!percus |II II| -------
percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) (10/30/85)
Since I am to be blamed for starting the commotion to begin with, I'll present some follow-up flames (careful -- I get very harsh sometimes): > (*FLAME ON*): J N-T is probably the best producer Doctor Who has had. If > it wasn't for J N-T, Doctor Who might still be stuck in the rut of slap > stick comedy. J N-T brought the level of Doctor Who up from a childrens > show to a show worthy of Sci-Fi. Not only is he a great producer, but he is > a great person too. Do you think Graham Williams or Pennant Roberts would > come to a small-time convention just for the sake of the fans? Probably not. > I know we are all entitled to our opinions, but out of curiosity, Brad, > who is your favorite producer? (*FLAME OFF*) [for now anyway] Why should Dr. Who come up to the level of standard Sci-Fi? The whole essence of the show is its offbeatness, and, yes, even occasional slapstick humor. As for JN-T as a person, I understand your feelings entirely -- not because you are right, though. Indeed, I find him to be one of the slimiest people existing in his ability to make all his decisions seem so great: almost immediately after becoming producer, he started pushing Tom Baker to the extent that Baker simply decided to leave (this is a less-known fact). Personally, my favorite producer, by far, is Barry Letts. He gave Jon Pertwee leave to do anything within reason, and provided assistance when it was necessary. For more praise, ask Pertwee himself. You would never get the same response from Tom Baker or Peter Davison when discussing JN-T. > One of the reasons why the show went on hiatus was because of money. Do > you think a cheapskate like Grade would spend a bunch of money on a show > he doesn't like. This is the guy that cancelled Star Trek, and didn't > even cost the BBC anything to produce!!! I'm afraid that your first statement simply will not hold water. Shortly after the cancellation news, Ron Katz (of DWFCA) offered to give to the BBC enough to film and broadcast another full 26 episode season. Grade said "Nyet." It was pointed out that BBC brings in from Dr. Who much more than it spends, from the States alone. Grade still said "Nyet." Money doesn't seem to be the crucial issue. . ------- |-----| A. G. Percus |II II| (ARPA) percus@acf4 |II II| (NYU) percus.acf4 |II II| (UUCP) ...{allegra!ihnp4!seismo}!cmcl2!acf4!percus |II II| -------
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (10/30/85)
In article <5020052@acf4.UUCP> percus@acf4.UUCP (Allon G. Percus) writes: >Why should Dr. Who come up to the level of standard Sci-Fi? ^^ Well, considering that the term "Sci-Fi" means media (TV, movies, etc.) and comic-book and suchlike versions of real "SF" (which means books and magazine stories), I would say that Dr. Who would have to come DOWN to reach "the level of standard Sci-Fi". It is *better* than most Sci-Fi, even considering the defects, inconsistencies, or errors I and others have flamed about. (We complain because we like it, and want it to be the best it can be -- in most cases, we aren't demanding expensive changes or massive alterations, but simply better knowledge and more involvement on the part of the writers/directors/producers/staff.) Will
mom@sfmag.UUCP (M.Modig) (11/01/85)
> (*FLAME ON*): J N-T is probably the best producer Doctor Who has had. If > it wasn't for J N-T, Doctor Who might still be stuck in the rut of slap > stick comedy. J N-T brought the level of Doctor Who up from a childrens > show to a show worthy of Sci-Fi. Not only is he a great producer, but he is > a great person too. Do you think Graham Williams or Pennant Roberts would > come to a small-time convention just for the sake of the fans? Probably not. I don't agree. J N-T has overstayed his welcome as far as I'm concerned. He provided a nice change of direction when he first took over, even though it seems he was partly responsible for Tom Baker's decision to leave. He gave more attention to good stories, writing, and continuity. The last season and a half (what I've seen of it) seems to represent a marked slippage from J N-T's earlier standards. The writing is much weaker-- it's becoming formula more than anything else. Continuity has suffered some, and a lot of gratuitous violence has crept in. > > One of the reasons why the show went on hiatus was because of money. Do > you think a cheapskate like Grade would spend a bunch of money on a show > he doesn't like. This is the guy that cancelled Star Trek, and didn't > even cost the BBC anything to produce!!! > Money was probably part of the reason, but I think politics also has a lot to do with it. The show has become somewhat of an embarrassment for the BBC, due to the constant harassment of pressure groups like the group headed by Mrs. Mary Whitehouse. The people doing the show haven't really helped their own cause too much, judging from what I've seen of the first Colin Baker season. There was also talk of the show being used as a political football to help the BBC get the TV license rate increase they wanted. Personally, I'm convinced that Mr. Grade simply doesn't like the show-- he's decided he wants to get rid of it come hell or high water. The rest is just smokescreen. At the moment, there's not much we can do except keep writing the BBC (I think they're tired of hearing from me by now, but at least I've given them a break and quit phoning them up to state my views-- too expensive). We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Mark Modig ihnp4!sfmag!mom
nyssa@abnji.UUCP (nyssa of traken) (11/05/85)
In a companion I look for a character that works well with the
Doctor, entertains the audience, and does not bring the show into
disrepute. Based on that, good companions have been:
Jamie
Jo Grant
Sarah Jane
Tegan
bad companions have been:
Liz Shaw (just didn't work out, in my opinion)
Susan Foreman (not very entertaining)
Adric (brings show into disrepute)
Peri (ditto)
Other can naturally fit in in one place or another.
--
James C. Armstrong, Jnr. {ihnp4,cbosgd,akgua}!abnji!nyssa
"All these corridors look the same to me!" Who said it, what story?jhs@hou2d.UUCP (J.SCHERER) (11/06/85)
> In a companion I look for a character that works well with the > Doctor, entertains the audience, and does not bring the show into > disrepute. Based on that, ... bad companions have been: > Adric (brings show into disrepute) Come now, what's wrong with poor Adric? Maybe you didn't like him but "disrepute"? He died bravely saving the prehistoric earth. Also, I liked him. John Scherer
nyssa@abnji.UUCP (nyssa of traken) (11/07/85)
>> In a companion I look for a character that works well with the >> Doctor, entertains the audience, and does not bring the show into >> disrepute. Based on that, ... bad companions have been: >> Adric (brings show into disrepute) >Come now, what's wrong with poor Adric? Maybe you didn't like him >but "disrepute"? He died bravely saving the prehistoric earth. Fine, but many times before that he worked to the detriment of the Doctor. Remember Castrovalva? Kinda? Four to Doomsday? -- James C. Armstrong, Jnr. {ihnp4,cbosgd,akgua}!abnji!nyssa "All these corridors look the same to me!" Who said it, what story?