Who is watching Doctor Who tonight

[Firefly2009]

And if you've now seen it, what are your thoughts?

I'm predicting I will love it no matter what. But look forward to discussing it.

Sarah Jane Adventures fans... apparently Rani and Clyde have an audio spin off.

I'd love then two to turn up at UNIT. Or Luke!

Did anyone see what Christopher Eccleston said about RTD last week. What did they do to him...

I think it didn't like how some staff were treated and higher up show politics and BBC politics so he decided to leave then got shafted by some of their subsequent announcements about him doing so and his reasons for leaving - not what they'd agreed.

Also some suggestions that some high up people tied to show tried to scupper his career subsequently with industry rumours and have seen some articles suggesting he had mental health and personal problems during his run - and some wild theories that Harriet Jones don't you look tired downfall was a dig at him.

Initially Eccleston said little and then Dr Who had scandals around Noel Clarke and John Barrowman came out and everyone thought it was that - then he said a few other things getting more outspoken over the years with various articles with slightly different slants - so nothing clear but that there's bad blood.

My understanding is that RTD basically said he would do as many episodes with Tennant and Noble as they wanted to do. Rather than calling all 3 the specials, though, would probably have been better just to say the last one was and made it a bit longer. Though presumably there was Wilf stuff cut from the final episode 😢

It was the working practices that were part of Eccleston's decision from what I read. Expectations of working very long days, not taking breaks, or rest days, not having a proper number of hours between "shifts", and really pushing how much the actors did.

I think this is the isdye with having a show with such an old format. One or two actors have to almost do every scene so have to work very hard, then new people come snd go all the time. Ibthink Eccleston was suffering with anorexia at the time too and other mental health issues, which must have been awful.

Is anyone else watching the episodes on Iplayer

I'm watching the very early ones

Shame the very first ones are not available or the regeneration of WH

I've started from 2005...I lost interest when Tennant took over but I'm planning to give them another go as I really liked his Doctor in the recent ones.

I’m introducing the DC to Doctor Who via the old (reboot) episodes, we’re starting with DT though as they recognise him from the specials (and DD keeps referring to him as Barth Crouch Jr!). We’ll circle back to CE at a later date, and I can’t wait to introduce them to MS!

I'm watching the 60s ones but the plots are quite drawn out

Total contrast to todays ones

People have shorter attention spans these days. Too many distractions. Competing channels and the web
Back then there were only three channels and very little else to to do TV was a big focus.

So true

I've got official dvds that have the first episodes?

Anyone watched the Imagine :RTD programme tonight? Was excellent

I did. And overall very interesting. I met him years back when a friend was dating a producer he worked with - it had just been announced he was doing Dr Who and he forbid asking him any questions but in a nice way.
Not exactly convinced about the Christmas special having a song and dance routine.....
Also noted that three of the big ups who have been involved in the reboot are now the Bad Wolf production company. Kerching!!

I enjoyed it too.

o hadn’t realised straightaway that Jill was Jill in it’s a sin.

I also didn’t know kylie was in dr who! I’ll have to catch that. Was it voyage of the dammed or have I completely misheard.

They completely shafted him.
They announced his departure only four days after episode 1 aired, when series two had been recommissioned.

Head of drama and commissioning Jane Tranter said: "The BBC regrets not speaking to Christopher before it responded to the press questions on Wednesday 30 March.
"The BBC further regrets that it falsely attributed a statement to Christopher and apologises to him."

He had to deal with vitriol from the press and was effectively blacklisted for four years.

"I had taken quite a lot of abuse in my own country when I left. As the show was being celebrated, I was being abused in the press, and that was hard to take. And very confusing."

There were creative differences.

"I left only because of [RTD - showrunner/Phil Collinson - exec producer/Julie Gardner - exec producer] and the way they were running the show... I felt, 'I'm going to play the Doctor my way and I'm not going to get involved in these politics."

"I felt Moffatt really understood what he wanted from the Doctor,” said Eccleston. “I was never as sure what Russell wanted."

“I always look to the director and the producer… and if the director, for instance, treats a member of the crew badly and then comes to speak to me about my performance, I have no respect for them and I don’t listen to them and that’s difficult.

The shoot itself was brutal

“There were certain things that went on. As an actor, you’re working with a crew and you get very close to that crew, so there were things that I saw that I didn’t like. The crew, I felt, could’ve been treated better. But I often feel that – it’s a ruthless business.”

I also read that Eccleston was unable to get any work in the UK for years after they claimed he was leaving because he was tired, which they put out contradicting agreed statements around his leaving

Don't think I'd be forgiving easily after that

It's such a shame because he was a wonderful Doctor and I'd been a fan of his for years. His death in Cracker is still the most harrowing TV death I've ever seen. I can't watch it now.

Yes, Voyage of the Damned

Eccleston was amazing.

I've just heard RTD on the R1 breakfast show saying that the script was written before Ncuti was cast. It just said that one doctor ended up with X clothes and the other with Y.

He then went on to say that it was pure chance that the one in pants was "rippling" and he makes no apologies for anything.

Oh, sure - I accept that the script already existed, and watched NG on Graham Norton giving the explanation of DT getting to the costumes first.

But still … They both had shoes on - so it wasn’t entirely random!

<Rushes to switch from R4 Today prog to R1.>

Does that imply that they were always going to cast another male Doctor then? Can't see a female Doctor running around in her knickers

I'm sure I saw one of them was barefoot, on the Unit tower, when 14/15/ The Toy maker were playing Catch?

DT is barefoot in the scene....