Really? I found that first season basically unwatchable. It took me like a year to finally summon up the will to watch through it all. I was genuinely going to check out of Who for good after that. I’m so happy they turned it around for this season.
I thought the second series was a big step up and had some of the magic that was missing from the first. Was it perfect? No. But it was enjoyable. However, I found the recent episode a bit flat.
I agree that the NYD episode was meh. I watch a lot of TV when I care for our newborn daughter. So I might do a rewatch from Matt on. So, I apologize if I spam this thread lol
My word. I do love Matt Smith’s Doctor. I remember how ridiculously apprehensive I was when he was cast. And like 30 seconds into the eleventh hour I was sold.
no worries, I'm loving how active this thread is recently! Matt Smith will always be "my Doctor" - the one I really started with and who made me fall in love with the show - even though I don't think he's in my top 3 objectively anymore. god what a talented actor though
I remember being at C2E2 in Chicago and the night before Eleventh Hour premiered, they screened it and the beast below. It was so awesome. Watching the first two episodes with like a couple thousand huge doctor who fans.
One of these days I really need to invest in watching, to the extent possible, the classic episodes in chronological order. I’ve seen soooo many of them randomly. I really should have undertaken that endeavor when they were all on Netflix.
Matt Smith is for sure “my doctor” too, although I think Capaldi may have beat him out for my favorite Doctor. I remember seeing the previews for season 6 on BBCA and The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon were my first two Doctor Who episodes I ever watched. I was hooked instantly. I would definitely recommend watching all of Classic Who chronologically if you can! Brit Box has basically all the episodes and most of the reconstructions, I believe, if you need somewhere to watch them all. I think I spent 2 years going through all of it lol, it can be quite an undertaking.
My fiancé was very adamant that she didn’t like Doctor Who, but I started her with Matt Smith and The Eleventh Hour and she fell in love with it right away. I think he’s the best starting point for new fans because of how fun and charismatic he is and it provides a solid foundation to go back and understand the previous Doctors.
Not to mention the production value went up drastically with Matt. The music especially. And there aren’t any fart jokes, which you can’t say about the Russel T Davies era.
yeah Britbox seems like the best place to watch Classic Who in more or less completion (although here in Australia it doesn't have The Tenth Planet which is... an important episode to be missing lmao) I remember watching The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon at a friend's house and our jaws were on the floor multiple times; namely when The Doctor died ten minutes into the opening episode and when the Silence finally said its name in the second episode. S6 was a mess but man those two episodes are just an absolute white-knuckle ride
also yeah, gonna shill for Capaldi as my favourite Doctor too. imo the best actor to play the role, with the most beautiful and solid character arc, with a middle season that's the peak of the entire show and a healthy selection of some of its best ever episodes too... that era was just an absolute goldmine for me ranking because it's that kind of day (not including War because he was only in one episode and it feels a bit unfair to judge): Capaldi Eccleston McCoy (not the goofy clown he starts as, but the genuinely scary Cartmel version of Seven) Smith (on my nostalgic days he could easily go up two spots though) Troughton Baker (Tom edition) Davison McGann Tennant (a great actor saddled with one of my least favourite incarnations of The Doctor, unfortunately, but he's still great) Whitaker (much like Tennant, a fantastic actor often let down by the writing) Hartnell Baker (Colin edition) Pertwee (sorry Jon, someone has to be last and I just have never cared for the Third Doctor era)
It pains me to even think of attempting to choose between David, Matt, or Peter. Of the classic doctors, from what I’ve seen, it’s probably between 2, 4, and 7.
Season 6 is 100% a mess but I still love it lol. Ahh I don’t even know if I could rank all the Doctors but I’ll try Capaldi Smith McGann Tom Baker Troughton Pertwee Colin Baker (Thx Big Finish) McCoy Hartnell Eccleston Tennant Whittaker Davison That list will probably change in the next 10 minutes lol. Big Finish has really made me love McGann, it’s a shame he never got more than the movie and the Night of the Doctor. I also agree with the writing letting down Tennant and Whittaker :/ I just did not dig what RTD was trying to do with 10 during his run
fully agree about Big Finish totally changing my feelings on Six and Eight, actually I'm pretty sure I'd have totally different rankings for the show and audio versions of Doctor Who at this point because they're such different beasts lol justice for Seven though!! his last two seasons were some top-tier stuff, I want an alternate universe where the show didn't get cancelled right as he was picking up steam
Wow all this Capaldi love is making my heart so warm! He's my Doctor for sure. My quick off the top of my head ranking - Capaldi Smith Mccoy T. Baker Hartnell Troughton Mcgann Pertwee C. Baker Eccleston Tennant Whittaker Davison
love seeing the diversity of opinions for this show, there's no other quite like that where it's so divided into eras with their own sensibilities and styles (poor Davison is going through the wringer on this page though!)
Well, if you insist on wearing a celery stalk on your lapel, you should be prepared to deal with the consequences.
I’ve only really watched modern Who, but it’s hard to rank them. Between Tennant, Smith, and Capaldi there’s probably an equal amount I love and hate about each of their eras. Fell in love with the show with Tennant, Smith was probably my peak fandom, and Capaldi is where it started to taper off, despite greatly enjoying him as the Doctor. Eccleston is whatever, and unfortunately I have not really enjoyed any of the Whittaker episodes I’ve caught.
three seasons of the celery was worth it for the payoff in The Caves of Androzani though (this goes for Davison's era in general, a bit limp but goes out with an absolute firecracker of a story)
Watching classic who on Britbox. The animated episodes seem to have the same animation style as Archer and I find it very distracting lol
yeah the quality of the animation really varies because there's a different team for each one lol I could swear The Faceless Ones was done by the team who design Rick & Morty
watched Robots of Death and Image of the Fendahl tonight, was my first time seeing either of them Robots is genuinely fantastic and I can see why it's considered one of Baker's best. great writing, great design, great and/or despicable characters. the episodes just fly by as for Fendahl... I don't know if it was actually good, but credit for being one of the weirdest, creepiest, most outright bizarre episodes of Classic I've ever seen. I kind of can't believe they aired that in the 70s lol. what a bizarre little rollercoaster that was
I preordered the New Years ep on DVD, just watched it today. Thought it served as a good farewell to Ryan and Graham, and it was nice to see Jack with the Doctor again. Yeah it could've been more focused thematically, but Daleks shooting each other was really fun. Really hoping Jodie and Mandip get at least a couple of episodes to themselves before the new companion joins in. I can't say I particularly disliked any of S11-12. Chibnall has his strengths and weaknesses, but so did Davies and Moffat. Also, I think after Tennant, every Doctor's performances have grown stronger as their material grew weaker. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm just gonna try to enjoy the show for whatever it decides to be at any given moment, its constant reinvention is part of the fun.