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Time Travel Television Series

Doctor Who (2005)

P r i n c i p a l   C a s t
  The Doctor
Rose Tyler
Christopher Eccleston (2005)
Billie Piper
S y n o p s i s

 
Some general background information: The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who upon death is able to "regenerate" into a new body with a new personality. At present there have been nine "official" Doctors. A renegade, the Doctor stole a time machine - the TARDIS - and fled through time on a mission to fight injustice and intervene where he sees fit. Usually the Doctor travels with a 'companion' someone he's met during his journey.
 

T r a v e l l i n g  B e t w e e n   D i m e n s i o n s

 

The classic T.A.R.D.I.S. - (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) has a chameleon circuit which is designed to allow it to camaflogue itself as an appropriate object to the time period it's travelling in. Unfortunately the Doctor's TARDIS malfunctioned while on a trip to 1960s England and has been stuck in the shape of the now familiar blue Police call box. The other unique feature of the TARDIS is that it's dimensionally transcendental, which essentially means that it can be bigger on the inside than it is on the out.
 

R e v i e w

 
The BBC has finally gotten around to resurrecting (or is it regenerating?) and updating Doctor Who for a new generation of fans. It's been almost 10 years since Paul McGann starred as the Eighth Doctor in the 1996 TV movie co-produced by the BBC and FOX Television and closer to 16 years since the show was a regular TV staple. The longest running science fiction series in the history of television, it's little wonder that a huge fan following has grown up around this show in the UK and through out the world.

As the ninth incarnation of the Doctor, Chris Eccleston makes a wonderful addition to the legacy of the series. As the Doctor, Chris is able to convey a broad range of emotions from the loneliness of being the last of his kind to the impish delight of crashing a party, its all there. His companion, Rose Tyler, played by actress/singer Billie Piper has a real screen presence about her that enables her to hold her own when playing scenes with Chris. With this being the 21st Century, Rose as a companion is no shrinking violet. She's equal partner in the adventure not merely along for the ride.

Early indications of the new series suggests the writers and directors of the show have remained faithful to the series legacy while forging ahead with modern special affects and storytelling techniques. Shot in lovely widescreen aspect ratio, the episodes feel and play like a movie. Getting away from the UK tradition of having stories serialized, this version of the series has wisely chosen to have each episode's story arc self contained. It makes for faster paced and tighter script and makes it more palatable to North American audiences viewing styles. On the negative side it doesn't give the viewer or writers as much time to deal with a given story or characters.

One of the fallouts from developing the new series is that the TV rights for older Doctor Who episodes are now tied up. In other words networks like PBS can't afford to purchase the rights to air the new series and as a result can't access the old series either. Ironically the PBS was home to early Doctor Who episodes in the 1970s and 1980s and largely responsible for introducing North American audiences to the series. At the time of this writing only Canada, Australia and Italy have picked up the rights to show the new Doctor Who outside of the United Kingdom.

  ©2005 - A. Taylor

Review Posted: 2005-04-16

R e l a t e d   L i n k s
 

Official Doctor Who website at the BBC

The BBC's official Doctor Who site this contains, episode guides, downloads, wallpapers, clips and trailers from the new series as well as links to classic Doctor Who series.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/


Doctor Who: A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME (TRAVEL)

This site maintained by Shannon Patrick Sullivan is a very good primer for those unfamiliar with the series and the premise. Contains an very detailed episode guide and excellent FAQ on the series.

http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/drwho.html


Outpost Gallifrey

The Doctor Who fansite. If it's related to Doctor Who in any way shape or form you'll find it here. From convention dates to the most comprehensive guide of other Dr. Who sites on the internet its all here in Outpost Gallifrey in a very nice and easy to navigate site.

http://www.gallifreyone.com/


 
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