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dr.who

Well, I finally saw the first ep, and I thought it wasn't bad, and quite in keeping with Whovian traditions. It could become rather good... or not. I'll keep watching. The one thing that really threw me was the Dr.'s apparent racism. At one point he refered to Rose's black boy friend as a "domestic," and later made it painfully clear that he wasn't wanted. What is up with that? I know they were showing the Dr. as a bit arrogant, and certainly eccentric, but why the racism?
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Well, the UK isn't exactly one big happy family at the moment, and although I'm probably deluding myself I'd still like to believe these things play a little differently over here. I think many British viewers, myself included, probably didn't consciously register that the character was black, so didn't automatically view the incredibly negative portrayal as being racist.. It probably didn't occur to the producers either.. However, now that you've pointed it out, I think you're right, and I have yet another reason for loathing the first episode, and a lot more understanding of why the US Sci Fi channel turned it down..

btw, it looks like the character may be back in Episode 4, so maybe we'll get another chance to judge..
 
They can't play too differently if AMS said casually "Normally for that sort role they would have made the character gay. "

That sentence speaks volumes, actually.
 
i doubt that it intent was racist hyp , i watched that episode and i dont recall that , but did he refer to him as a domestic or could he have said "dont have a domestic" wich can mean in the UK an argument between boyfriend and girlfriend
 
I suspect the comment wasn't racist, actually, just delivered to a character who happened to be black.

Actually, I've heard very mixed reviews but definitely would like to check this series out. I hope it does come out on DVD in region 1 sometime.
 
the new series is imho very good . While there may be some bad points to it , the good ones outweigh the bad . You allways take the rough with the smooth anyway ..
 
I could be wrong (only having seen the first episode once as it aired), but didn't the doctor say to Rose that she and her boyfriend should keep the domestics outside? Or something to that effect.

I certainly took whatever he said as a comment on their slight boyfriend/girlfriend disagreement, and certainly not as to even slightly imply that he considered him only some kind of servant because he was black.

I think many British viewers, myself included, probably didn't consciously register that the character was black, so didn't automatically view the incredibly negative portrayal as being racist.
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That's grossly unfair ... I have seen plenty of "dense bloke" bit parts played by white guys too over the years. So are we now saying that those parts have to go to white people, because it's racist to give them to a black actors.

For goodness sake.

Rose's boyfriend, whoever played him, had to be such that the audience could legitimately react by saying "Ditch this guy and go with The Doctor" at the end of the episode. His skin colour didn't matter, he just had to be a bit of a dork. Perhaps when he auditioned, he was ... oh, I don't know ... just the best actor for the job?
 
Rose's boyfriend, whoever played him, had to be such that the audience could legitimately react by saying "Ditch this guy and go with The Doctor" at the end of the episode. His skin colour didn't matter, he just had to be a bit of a dork. Perhaps when he auditioned, he was ... oh, I don't know ... just the best actor for the job?
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Yeah, on reflection I'm sure you're right.. I suppose ironically the reason the episode could be misconstrued as racist is precisely because the casting was colourblind..
 
In England servants are white, when mentioning "domestic" the Doctor definitely did not mean servant.

Cowards and camp characters are normally only played by white actors. Male actors traditionally also play the heroes.

Thinking about it, the black actor played the traditional girlfriend's role and Rose played the hero.
 
i doubt that it intent was racist hyp , i watched that episode and i dont recall that , but did he refer to him as a domestic or could he have said "dont have a domestic" wich can mean in the UK an argument between boyfriend and girlfriend
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Perhaps you're right, and I didn't understand some UK slang. I deleted that ep from my DVR, so I can't check it. I believe the Dr. did say something about like 'keep the domestic outside,' which I took to imply that he was calling the boyfriend a servant, which he clearly wasn't. His handling of his exclusion of the boyfriend from his invite to Rose could have been gentler, but I didn't see that, by itself, as racist. And, apart from the possibly misunderstood comment, I wouldn't take portraying the black BF as a bit of an oaf as racist, since that is done to white guys all of the time. So, unless I see further evidence, I take back my accusations of racism.
 
Racism accusations on this one were way off the mark, its just good old British slang again :LOL:

I thought Mickey was hilariously stupid, especially when he became an Auton!!! He was supposed to look dumb and stupid, espceially for a younger audience (this goes out at 7pm on Saturday, after tea!!) so they'd know she should stick with the Dr. Andrew was spot on about the role reversal.


Episode 3 was great, I loved some of the throwaway lines (Charles Dickens saying: what the Shakespeare is going on ??) and enjoyed the creepy period feel.

Episode four, with UFO's demolishing Big Ben just looks too cool.

As for Eccleston leaving, its a shame, but if any show can cope with it's lead role chnaing it's Dr Who..
 
Now you are all in Dr Who mode, how about looking like a timelord?

I have a Dr Who scarf for sale here.

Check it out. I am raising funds for my church's organ fund.


Now back to the new series. Was it my imagination, or did the metal spiders in the second episode actually bump into the camera?
 
I have a curiosity, I haven't seen any of the new Season yet, so forgive my ignorance.

On American TV, an episode has been 25 minutes long, and for a great number of seasons, 4 episodes made up 1 story (or a movie as I refer to them). Watching folks tak about the new season, it seems each episode is a self contained story (obviously within an arc, but the story of the episode seems to be concluded)

So, are these 13 episodes of this season, individual 25 minute long stories?
 
Dr who was the last BBC drama serial to have the half hour format.

For the new series, they have adopted the new standard 45 minutes an episode (so they can sell it to USA as one hour and leave time for the adverts :p). Each episode is self contained, although there are a couple of two parters, and there may be an arc of sorts with this time war that has been mentioned, but we shall have to wait and see.

I am enjoying it so far, but I am still getting used to only having 45 minutes for the story. When you had up to two hours broadcast time, you could spend time on characters and exploring the plot. The stories we have had so far are very much in the Who mould, but I do find my self wanting to spend more time with each adventure.

Been watching too much of my friend's collection I suppose.
 
Yeah, I'm hoping for more of an arc too; I guess they have to keep it self contained (at least at first) to draw in new viewers.

I believe this week's is the first part of the first two-part arc?

VB
 
Re: dr.who + new doctor confirmed !!!

David Tennant confirmed as the tenth Doctor Who

David Tennant is confirmed as the tenth Doctor Who, it was announced today by Jane Tranter, BBC Controller of Drama Commissioning, following the recommissioning of the second series.

Tennant, whose recent credits include BBC THREE's critically-acclaimed drama series Casanova, BBC ONE's Blackpool and He Knew He Was Right, will star alongside Billie Piper who returns as Rose Tyler.

Julie Gardner, BBC Head of Drama, Wales says: "Christopher Eccleston has given an exceptional performance as the ninth Doctor.

"David Tennant is a great actor who will build on the excellent work already done by Christopher in establishing Doctor Who for a new generation."

David Tennant says: "I am delighted, excited and honoured to be the tenth Doctor!

"I grew up loving Doctor Who and it has been a lifelong dream to get my very own TARDIS.

"Russell T Davies is one of the best writers television has ever had, and I'm chuffed to bits to get the opportunity to work with him again.

"I'm also really looking forward to working with Billie Piper who is so great as Rose.

"Taking over from Chris is a daunting prospect; he has done a fantastic job of reinventing the Doctor for a new generation and is a very tough act to follow."

Executive producer/writer Russell T Davies adds: "Christopher Eccelston's wonderful Doctor has reinvented the role, so that it now appeals to the best actors in the land.

"I'm already writing David's first new adventure on board the TARDIS!

"Regeneration is a huge part of the programme's mythology, and I'm delighted that new, young viewers can now have the complete Doctor Who experience, as they witness their hero change his face!"

A new 13-part adventure and Christmas special begins filming in Cardiff in the summer for transmission on BBC ONE.
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well the second scottish doctor arrives ...
 
Re: dr.who + new doctor confirmed !!!

The writer/producer has brought his favourite actor with him. The pair have just made Casanova without any nudity. There is something definitely missing.
 
Re: dr.who - SPOILERS

Have now seen the first 6 episodes of the new series .. am enjoying it a lot actually :D .. I had the bonus that I had NO expectancies, got to see it fairly randomly actually, and that I had never seen any old Doctor Who .. and thus I had no idea as of how it "should" be.

The first episode was the only one till now where the plot itself wasn't that cool for me .. seemed okay enough for me to want to see more though. Loved the Doctor :D .. all other episodes till now I've quite enjoyed .. definitely wanting to see more :D .. Kind of feeling sorry for Mickey and Rose's mom .. oh well, I'm expecting we'll find out a bit more about what happens to them eventually.

Quite interested in seeing some old Doctor Who now .. bugger is, getting the old series here is not that easy at all. amazon.de only has one-episode UK imports for 20 Euros each .. hmpf. Need to find out about the options of getting it from the UK once my sister has a credit card .. or can hope for something to come up on ebay. Whatever :D .. damn there for being so many episodes of the old series .. would have *no* idea as of where to start :eek:
 
Re: dr.who - SPOILERS

Quite interested in seeing some old Doctor Who now .. bugger is, getting the old series here is not that easy at all. amazon.de only has one-episode UK imports for 20 Euros each .. hmpf. Need to find out about the options of getting it from the UK once my sister has a credit card .. or can hope for something to come up on ebay. Whatever :D .. damn there for being so many episodes of the old series .. would have *no* idea as of where to start :eek:
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Try looking at these pages
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/classic.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/broadband/mediawrapper/consoles/drwho/bb_rm_console.shtml?pack4

Do any of the postal DVD rental companies carry Dr Who?
 
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