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

Hmm. Wish I could disagree.

Sadly this is probably Colin Baker's best TV story, and he's hardly in it! Everyone (nearly) is unanimous that the coat was a horrible, horrible mistake. Since he started playing the character on audio CD his stock has risen tremendously. Funny, that...

Well if that was his highlight, I might be steering clear of him in the future...

Don't know how much you're avoiding spoilers and peeks at what's going to happen, but in case your 'source' didn't have it, here's the "Coming Up" for the second half of this series.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spwrBPXj9zQ

Some interesting things in there...

Yes Prime Minister!

(Avoiding spoilers would be more worthwhile if one of the upcoming stories wasn't based on a novel I bought in 1995... )

Apparently that tapping's in time to the theme tune. Which is amusing.

I spotted that. Either it's just a nice gag or the story could take a rather surreal turn.

In the wake of Saturday's episode and the revelation of the first name of ''Mr Saxon'' I'm wondering if he really is who everyone is assuming he must be... unless it's a typical RTD attempt at deliberately muddying the water...

I can't say I noticed that. Probably because my girlfriend spent the 45 minutes noticing how David Tennant's default expression consists mainly of teeth.

Hello again Awix! Driven partly by boredom, partly by the the fact I found it on YouTube and partly by inquisitiveness I've just watched the 1996 TV Movie.

Maybe it's because the 90s were my childhood and I put my rose-tinted specs on, but I absoloutley loved it. TARDIS as gothic/steampunk Cathedral? Excellent. McGann as Dr 8? Fantastic. Ok, the plot's not too great towards the end (then again, neither was last year's NuWho finale and I liked that) and the whole Master as quicksilvery-cobra thing wasn't my cup of tea, but it didn't stop me from liking it. From what I can tell on OG, most people dislike it as it's got kissing and two "half-human" lines that can be seen as unimportant/explaining the Doctor's fondness for humanity/lies. Is that really the only resason, or was it just built up and built up after that long gap to the point that it could never live up to expectations?

Oh, and how's Japan going?

Ehhh.

Months of therapy and still I find myself discussing the TVM!

Well, I tend to stick to the consensus that McGann is fantastic, Ashbrook is pretty good, the production values and direction are pleasing, but that the story is ill-conceived and incoherently written. Plus the Master is almost unrecognisable (in these post-John Simm days that may be less of an issue).

The superhardcore fans don't like the kissing (it reduces their ability to identify with the Doctor) and the half-human stuff (Mr Spock rip-off - and you'll notice the new show has completely ignored that particular revelation) but rather like Jar Jar Binks, they're not the worst problem, just the most egregiously obvious.

You make a good point in that until recently Dr Who was never any good at living up to expectations...

Japan is great! Spent last week touring round the south of Honsyu (Hiroshima, Miyajima, Nara, Kyoto) by bullet train and having a wonderful (and surprisingly inexpensive) time. I have the travel bug in a serious way now.

Lucky you! Some of us can't afford to get down the pub at present.

"The superhardcore fans don't like the kissing (it reduces their ability to identify with the Doctor)"
I've not laughed at a post on here so much in months. That one just got me.

Well, if you can't laugh at yourself...

Hey! I watch Doctor Who with my girlfriend! Who wasn't impressed with the series finale. I quite liked it, but then again I saw the eventual resoloution coming a mile off. As did everyone on Earth I think.

Yeah, sorry, that last post should've read "if you can't make jokes against yourself..." Apologies.

Mmm, it was pretty clear they'd be hitting some kind of reset button at some point, but... I suppose I'm one of those people who just doesn't try very hard to guess endings!

It wasn't the hitting the reset button that got me, it was the shooting the TARDIS part. Didn't seem like a great plan...

What do you think to the new companion?

I think the character was originally written as a one-off and the changes they'll need to make so she works over a full year of episodes may require gettin rid of all the element that made her popular in the first place.

Strong, if circumstantial evidence for the 'Tennant is leaving halfway through the next series' theory, though...

How do you work that one out then?

Having a big name in the show all the way through the year will help just in case the Next Guy (I have no predictions as to who it'll be this time, sorry) is a bit of an unknown as far as the family audience goes. (Not that Tennant was very distinguished, but the show still had Billie then.)

Also, bringing Freda back in halfway through the year will at least mean that the show will have two established characters who can react to/talk about the new Doctor (also be good for mid-year publicity which they've always very cleverly been able to generate).

Makes sense I suppose. Seeing as you've declined to make a prediction, who'd you want to take over from Tennant?

He wants Alan Davies.

Alan Davies??? As in Jonathon Creek?