British Comedy Guide

Doctor Who... Page 880

Quantum Leap was aces and never succumbed to easy outs

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 24 2012, 4:53 PM BST

With an emphasis on the few.

Nah, he's prob closing in on double figures for really good episodes.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2012, 4:48 PM BST

WRONG!!!!

The formula is the same. A bunch of sailors in a boat land on differing islands each week and each week face the monsters on said island.

One boat is the HMS TARDIS the other the USS Enterprise.

No. Star Trek was always first and foremost about the crew of the enterprise, and the relationships between the crew did not evolve, so it was about how the crew reacted to the situation in which they found themselves in, which gave the show structure.

Old Who was not about the crew of the Tardis, and the relationship between the Doctor and assistant did not significantly contribute to the structure. The only time Who came close to being an ensemble piece with defined relationships was during the UNIT years.

Buffy is a better comparison to New Who because the relationships do evolve, but they did so in relation to a story arc that runs through the series, provided by a consistent threat and a claustrophobic setting.

New Who attempts evolving relationships, but this needs an over-arching story arc, and the absence of structure that is absolutely inherent in a show set across the whole of space and time does not lend itself to this.

You never saw the crew relationship develop?

Go and do some homework you sluggard!

STOS is currently on CBS Action.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2012, 4:48 PM BST

WRONG!!!!

The formula is the same. A bunch of sailors in a boat land on differing islands each week and each week face the monsters on said island.

One boat is the HMS TARDIS the other the USS Enterprise.

If you want to superficially boil it down, then you could say that. But as has been pointed out, there are big differences in the broader picture.

Quote: Renegade Carpark @ September 24 2012, 4:53 PM BST

I think if you want to compare Doctor Who to any other sci-fi show, then Quantum Leap seems to be the most similar.

Or Glitterball from the Childrens Film Foundation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7d4HOHOQc8&feature=relmfu

The diferences are superficial.

The enterprise crew was only ever truly 4 with about 4 other regulars.

Quote: sootyj @ September 24 2012, 5:38 PM BST

The diferences are superficial.

The enterprise crew was only ever truly 4 with about 4 other regulars.

Okay.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ September 24 2012, 5:35 PM BST

If you want to superficially boil it down, then you could say that. But as has been pointed out, there are big differences in the broader picture.

This is a good point. Nail WHO with a sentence or premise. How would you do it Matthew or do you feel it shifts its parameters from series to series, maybe even from episode to episode. Not sure myself but I think it would be a good exercise. There is something that should be essentially Doctor WHo and if that is defined it helps everyone to go creative but bring it back home as it were.

Quote: Marc P @ September 25 2012, 12:34 AM BST

This is a good point. Nail WHO with a sentence or premise.

Some gayers have a cry and in between, science fiction happens?

Whatever you do, don't watch any trailers online for Saturday's episode.

I just did, and there's a MASSIVE spoiler in there.

Quote: Kevin Murphy @ September 26 2012, 3:37 PM BST

Whatever you do, don't watch any trailers online for Saturday's episode.

I just did, and there's a MASSIVE spoiler in there.

That's why I always turn off an episode before it gets to the "next week" bit, they always give away loads.

I think the spoiler in this case was only in the US trailers.

Am I right in thinking this Saturday's is the last in the series?
Wow, that was an impressive five episode run.

It's a mid-series finale, like they did last year.

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