h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Revenge of the mannequins, shudder...

Can I just squash this myth about the Doctor's RP accent?
I think you'll find that Sylvester McCoy's accent is rather more northern than Ecclestone's.

RP is just an accent too really. Here's a thought - would anyone be concerned about the accent thing at all if the new Doctor had spoken with a London accent?

On female Time Lords/Ladies.

Tom Baker's companion Leela remained on Gallifrey with K-9 Mark 1 at the end of "Invasion of Time" in 1978. Up to that point, as far as I remember, no female Time Lords had been seen.

At the start of the next season, in episode 1 of "The Ribos Operation", he was joined by Romanadvoratrelundar, or Romana, played by Mary Tamm.

She *thought* she was put there by the Time Lord council to keep an eye on him, but in fact had been put there by the White Guardian to assist the Doctor in his search for the Key to Time. This she did over the next few stories, including "The Androids of Tara", "The Stones of Blood", "The Power of Kroll", "The Pirate Planet" and finally "The Armageddon Factor". In each story, an object was disguised as a segment of the Key to Time - a lump of Jethryk, the planet Calufrax, etc. In the final story Princess Astra (?) was the "object".

In the next season opener, "Destiny of the Daleks", Romana regenerated, and after a few false starts selected the form of Princess Astra (i.e. she ended up being played by Lalla Ward instead of Mary Tamm) and was generally referred to by fans as Romana II. This incarnation was significantly sassier and more streetwise than her predecessor. She also had more chemistry with Tom Baker, a fact probably related to their offscreen relationship and eventual marriage. Lalla Ward left in "Warrior's Gate", taking K-9 Mark 2 with her.

Other female Time Lords have been seen since, particularly the Rani and the President from "Trial of a Time Lord".

Hope that clears things up.

H.
Saddo and proud of it.

... Not just President Flavia, but also the Inquisitor as played by Lynda Bellingham.

Then of course there was Joanna Lumley - who was damned good even though it was a spoof!

Zantic

No pixel, you're not alone!

Billie Piper is the best yet. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/characters/


alji

Wallpaper;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/01.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/08.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/09.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/10.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/13.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/17.jpg
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/gallery/01gallery/1024/18.jpg



alji

Firstly, Hoo: you Geek.

I can see why you call yourself Hoo now. You just need to buy a PhD from a dodgy university in America and we will have our own Dr Hoo.

I also thing it would be the height or depths of PC-ness if the Dr regenerated into a woman in the same way that people go on about female or black James Bonds.

Billie Piper was on Parkinson last weekend and she said she trained as an actress before going into singing. I do not think it was a definite career choice or path she went for it just happened.

And a comment that should be on the other thread really. I did like it when Rose asked "Dr What?" Rather than the cliched "Dr Who?" when asking the Dr what his name was.

If she was trained as an actress before going into singing, she wasn't trained for very long. 'Because We Want To', her first single, hit the top of the charts when she was sixteen. Did she ever go to school?

B

I think she went to one of those drama colleges that people who want their kids to be actors go to, where they study acting an the national curriculum at the same time.

She was acting for 7 years prior to the singing stuff.

http://www.drwho.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=122

PC? Huh? It would either be a controversy intended to generate ratings, or because they decided that actress would make the best Doctor, or some combination.

Huh? You can't have a female or black James Bond - cos all the different Bond actors are playing the same man. Nowt to do with equal opportunities.

Zantic

There has been a black Henry VI in Stratford which was all about equal oppurtunities.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/931905.stm

As the producer said he was the best actor they auditioned. I am now waiting for the first white Malcolm X played by the best actor they auditioned. Jimmy Nail would have been great playing Mohammed Ali.

Yes, I am being slightly cynical and silly. It is great that Othello is not now played by blacked up white actors and it was interesting that there was a 'negative' version with Patrick Stewart playing Othello with the rest of the cast black but Henry VI is a historical character.

There are now a lot of black actors playing Shakespearean parts - of fictional characters where race is irrelevant - which is great as I think the deep accents of people of african/Jamaican origin really suit the prose and always sends a shiver down my back but it did smack a little of pc-ness having a black Henry VI.

Maybe Blicky can comment if he isn't to drunk on Sangria

It's a shame that race has to play such a part in this. Theatre is a representational art, even of the historic pieces, and the director's vision should be blind to physical appearance. If race were an issue, then all the leads in Midsummer Night's Dream should be Greek, which would challenge most theatre companies.

Yes, I have no doubt that blicky will have several opinions on the race issue, and I look forward to hearing them again.

B

I didn't think of Mickey being black as a race thing, although I'm sure his hair was easier to do a plastic version of (that was a joke! Okay, please don't send the boys 'round). It's hardly out the ordinary for a young white woman to have a young black boyfriend.

Anyway, we've already had a black companion- Sharon.

Hi, fairly new to Hootoo so looking for conversations I can tiptoe into. Just had to add my comment here about the new Dr. I have watched Dr Who since the very first episode both as a kid with a hidey cushion and as a Mum who has to to provide cushions for her kids!

I think Chris Eccleston has done a wonderful job in breathing new life into the Dr. and Billie definately shows promise as his new assistant.
Someone mentioned the tackiness factor. Yes, it's there!!! I hoped it would be actually. If they had made it too slick and clever it wouldn't be the same.

I knew they had a winner when the wheelie bin started trundling towards the boyfriend's car.

We watched it with a friend who had never been a fan and had sworn he wasn't going to start at the age of 50. He loved it!!!!

My favourite Doctor up to this point was always Tom Baker with Patrick Troughton as a close second. Couldn't stand Lalla but loved Ace. Favourite of all the foes.....The Zarbies.

spidey

It wouldn't have occured to me eithor ~ sometimes i think the pc thing makes us look for issues instead of just appreciating the show for what it is.race should be irrelevant