tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post1852186726765508269..comments2024-03-27T16:39:43.522+00:00Comments on Liberal England: Doctor Who: Is that it?Jonathan Calderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00730157683743989696noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-17683682704685496682008-05-26T10:17:00.000+01:002008-05-26T10:17:00.000+01:00I suspect you're suffering a bit from a case of No...I suspect you're suffering a bit from a case of <A HREF="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NostalgiaFilter" REL="nofollow">Nostalgia Filter</A>: Everything always looks better in hindsight, because you only remember the good bits. <BR/><BR/>I recently re-watched "The Talons of Weng-Chiang", one of my favorites of the old classics, and while I do think it stands up well, it is almost appallingly slow-paced by modern standards (as is virtually anything produced in the '70s and '80s, up to and including the original <I>Star Wars</I>). As Richard said, modern audiences are capable of processing more information more quickly, so the running times can safely be shorter.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06789206585068954575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-85782075826263444742008-05-21T23:22:00.000+01:002008-05-21T23:22:00.000+01:00I'm no particular fan of Doctor Who, but I'm thoro...I'm no particular fan of Doctor Who, but I'm thoroughly unconvinced by this. Granted, 45 minutes can be limiting. But stretching a whodunnit over multiple weeks is surely heresy - how is one supposed to remember all the intricate clues which lead up to the conclusion?<BR/><BR/>And while Doctor Who tends towards single episode stories (although it does not lack for two-parters), the immensely popular 'Heroes' is serialised and does not suffer for it. I think you generalise too far.Pejarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11396736251336284413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-65629697632614255202008-05-21T17:46:00.000+01:002008-05-21T17:46:00.000+01:00The Agatha Christie story was a bit weak, but thin...The Agatha Christie story was a bit weak, but things must progress and harking back nostalgically to wobbly scenery, even wobblier plots and Daleks made out of egg trays smacks of closet NIMBYism to me.<BR/><BR/>The old Dr. Who would never have given us Billie Piper or Freema Agyeman and my wife and daughter say David Tennant is very acceptable eye candy for them.<BR/><BR/>We Lib Dems and Greens should be the first to embrace change if we want people to believe we represent the politics of the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-87148779919864410282008-05-21T08:06:00.000+01:002008-05-21T08:06:00.000+01:00I think M'Lord Bonkers is slightly generalising fr...I think M'Lord Bonkers is slightly generalising from a single instance.<BR/><BR/>I would agree that <I>this</I> story could have done with longer, but equally the feature length "Poirot" are generally better than the older 50-minute episodes.<BR/><BR/>"The Doctor's Daughter", "Planet of the Ood" and "Fires of Pompeii" all very successfully drew an "alien" world and told a story within their running time because the modern TV audience doesn't need spoon feeding every moment of exposition.<BR/><BR/>In contrast, the Sontaran two-parter felt bloated and hollow, for all its spectacle, without enough plot to justify 90 minutes and a week’s wait between.<BR/><BR/>Besides, if you’re hankering for a cliffhanger, that’s why the production team have included those pre-title teasers and next time trailers<BR/><BR/>:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6606798.post-65896420959458516562008-05-21T00:07:00.000+01:002008-05-21T00:07:00.000+01:00Actually, I completely agree with you. 45 minutes...Actually, I completely agree with you. 45 minutes is simply not enough time to really paint a picture of a complete world, certainly not to build up any sense of mystery or "what the hell's going on?" about a story - which in the olden days was what part 1 was all about.<BR/><BR/>I can remember the gut-feeling of relief and satisfaction I got last series when Human Nature rolled around and finally we had a story prepared to move at its own pace and not assume the audience was going to get bored and wander off.<BR/><BR/>Well, we can but wait for this season's surefire treat, The Moffatt Two Parter (the week after Eurovision).Andyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15432543456476489561noreply@blogger.com