♥ I'm now a humanities student in Bristol and almost a doctor. Yay! Esther x ♥
♥ I'm now a humanities student in Bristol and almost a doctor. Yay! Esther x ♥
Member since:05.05.2005
Reviews:42
Members who trust:42
The Doctor Has Landed! ******************************* I've been waiting ages for the box-set of the new Doctor Who series to arrive. I very nearly bought the episodes separately, but resisted the temptation knowing the extra features (like in the Lord of the Rings extended DVDs) would make it much more worthwhile! I found it the other day on Amazon priced at £45 which is the cheapest I've seen since its release on November 21st 2005. Some shops are selling it for nearly £60, and wandering through Birmingham yesterday I didn't spot it in any of the DVD shops, so Amazon is probably your best bet at the moment, also qualifying for free postage and packaging.
TARDIS of Treasures ************************** The box-set isn't like your typical set of DVDs for a TV series. They normally come in a sort of flat, rectangular box, making it easy to store on the shelf. Instead the box is square, navy blue and TARDIS-shaped. It even says 'Police Public Call Box' on the outside and has windows! On the front of the box is a freeze of the stars of Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor and Billie Piper as his companion Rose Tyler. As with the majority of action poses of the two, The Doctor is protectively blocking a bemused-looking Rose from harm, wielding his trusty Sonic Screwdriver. The box opens up by pulling on this panel; it is resealable due to a clever hidden magnetic strip.
The first time I opened it up I got a pleasant surprise that inspired the title of my review. The TARDIS box is actually larger on the inside than it looks on the outside! True to the real TARDIS ("Time And Relative Dimension In Space"), the inside is a replica of the interior of The Doctor's new-look Time Machine. The four discs containing the series's 13 episodes are camouflaged into the walls of the box, blending into its metallic panels and organic-looking columns.
To give the illusion of extra space there is an central flap with the console that The Doctor uses to drive the TARDIS through time and space. This is also an ingenius place to hold on one side the 'Collector's Edition Booklet' that contains an episode guide, chapter titles, and list of extra features with an introduction from series writer Russell T Davis. On the other side is a 5th disc containing the 13 episodes of Doctor Who Confidential, a sort of behind the scenes showing filming in Cardiff and in London, how the special effects were done etc. and also a 14th Confidential going behind the scenes of the 2005 Christmas Special: "The Christmas Invasion" with new Doctor, David Tennant.
Police Box, People and Plot ********************************* I've seen a few of the different Doctor Who's in the past and so was very excited when the 9th incarnation of the Time Lord returned to our screens after an absence of about 15 years. Unlike the low budget special effects and shoddy sets of the previous series', Doctor Who bursts into a new century with a bigger budget, fantastic effects and the remnants of cheesy-ness that makes the show so recognisable. I wasn't around to see the other Doctors when they originally aired so it's wonderful that there's another Doctor for a new generation.
The target audience of the New Series seems to be family viewing, although some parts may be unsuitable for younger children. The box-set has a rating of 12 and several people have complained to the BBC about their young children getting scared; this got into the papers and probably generated more publicity and interest about the series!
The Doctor ************** Christopher Eccleston's version of The Doctor is full of energy in an almost manic way. In the TV interview with Eccleston (an extra on disc 1) he says how he wants to get through to 8 to 12 year olds, to be their first Doctor, and what a challenge it would be to be charming and funny... qualities needed in this role that he wants to prove he can do. I think he succeeds in capturing a bit of The Doctor's quirkyness, especially in his wild grin (reminiscent of Tom Baker's 4th Doctor) stretching from ear to ear. He retains The Doctor's dry sense of humour and love of fun, showing off wherever possible to his new companion, Rose. Eccleston says the message behind Doctor Who is to "love life in all its forms" and The Doctor seems to dive into life head first. He is the first Doctor with a Northern accent, breaking the mold as Eccleston wanted to do away with received pronounciation.
In my opinion Eccleston's greatest achievement is a sort of bipolarity where his manic positive energy drains away in an instant, and The Doctor becomes extremely serious or saddened... especially in situations of life or death, when emotionally hurt or offended, or when reminded of his past. In one interview Eccleston said he wanted to introduce a darker side to The Doctor. We slowly discover through the episodes the backstory of all the previous Doctors, that he is the last surviving Time Lord of the planet
Gallifrey after his race was wiped out in the great Time War. He enters the series with a deep unspoken loneliness and guilt which disappears as soon as he meets Rose.
Rose Tyler *************** I remember Billie Piper from her short pop career, marriage and separation from Chris Evans, but this was the first time I'd seen her act. Even if she isn't a brilliant actress (and she isn't too bad) this adds the right amount of 'cheesy-ness' that I believe the Doctor's companions should always have. She is introduced in the first episode entitled "Rose", a 19 year old shop assistant with no A-levels, no prospects, nothing on Earth to keep her back from exploring the universe with a dark mysterious stranger who brings death and destruction in his wake... or is that just the element of adventure she yearns for? She has a striking cockney accent, and a sort of dreamy look about her as she discovers the weird and wonderful things the universe is hiding.
Creators of the New Series have finally got rid of the sexism in the role of The Doctor's sidekick. She doesn't run around screaming but plays an active role in repeatedly saving the world. For the first time 'Doctor Who' is telling the story of the companion rather than The Doctor. We are interested in what she is feeling and thinking. She is much more of an equal to The Doctor even teaching him a few things, proving that even he doesn't know everything. And of course The Doctor's beautiful new sidekick adds an interesting dimension to their relationship. When 'Doctor Who' started The Doctor was grandfather to his companion, later becoming a more paternal role. The taboo was finally broken in the Doctor Who movie where The Doctor is seen kissing his companion. Which leaves the new Doctor in a very interesting position as he grows more and more attached to Rose... there is an awful lot of hand-holding in those early episodes.
Jackie Tyler **************** Writer Russell T Davis always intended for the New Series to be grounded back to our familiar earth by the people Rose has left behind. Jackie, played by Camille Coduri, is Rose's mother who has brought her up on her own since the death of Rose's father when she was a baby. Jackie adds colour and humour, a protective mother wondering where her daughter is travelling off to, and is duly supportive and worried. She is a highlight of the series and I'm glad she appears in so many episodes. She presents certain moral dilemmas especially when The Doctor is torn between saving the world and losing Rose. "Is my daughter safe?" is a question that constantly follows The Doctor and colours the decisions he makes.
Mickey ********* Mickey Smith is played by Noel Clark, Rose's boyfriend until she runs off with the Doctor in the first episode. He is another character that grounds the series to the people Rose affects in the present day, the victim in the emotional havock she creates, also providing a useful ally in future episodes. At first he seems a bit useless, being too cautious to explore the unknown universe unlike Rose, and not being a serious enough boyfriend to give Rose a reason to stay on Earth. However as the series goes on he gains confidence, his character gaining depth and becoming more 3-dimensional, learning from his experiences and obsessively looking out for the TARDIS signalling Rose's return.
Each episode is a story in itself ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Unlike the old series' of Doctor Who, shown in a serial format with the story dragged out over four or six episodes, the New Series has thirteen 45-minute self-contained episodes, including 3 two-part stories. The effect is a much more lively and fast moving zippy series, action packed, more structured, in essence more up to date and watchable. When asked if he would be doing a second series like the other Doctors who carried on for several years sometimes, Christopher Eccleston that he doesn't know. Since the other episodes were only 25 minutes long he felt as though he had done two and a half series. You can see from the behind-the-scenes extras just how strenuous filming is.
There is also a loose story arc that cleverly links all the episodes together using small hints throughout episodes concerning the words 'Bad Wolf'. Many fans have searched through the episodes looking for references to this, adding to the show's Cult status. This cryptic message doesn't become clear until the finale of the series. The effect is a greater feeling of the series as a complete story, something that previous Doctors may have lacked. Instead of a cliffhanger at the end of every episode there are cliffhangers at the end of each two-parter, and in the series as a whole.
The Episodes ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Disc 1: The first episode "Rose" introduces Rose Tyler to The Doctor, his first words to her being "Run!!". Rose's mum, boyfriend and the whole Earth is in danger from strange living plastic, and only The Doctor can save them. But once Rose has tasted the thrill and danger of The Doctor's life can she ever go back to her quiet world of eating, sleeping and blissful ignorance?
Now that The Doctor has got Rose as his companion part of his loneliness seems to have disappeared. He seems intent on showing off what he can do, and so in Episode 2 "The End of the World" he takes Rose to see what it is like the day the world finally blows up in the year Five Billion. But as so often happens death and destruction seem to follow The Doctor wherever he goes. A murderer is at work on board the space station and it is up to The Doctor to save them all yet again. This episode shows off the wonderful special effects and make-up available to the production team who create a dozen different alien races, including descendents of trees, the last human Cassandra... a stretched piece of skin voiced by Zoe Wannamaker, The Face of Bo, and the curious but deadly robotic spiders sabataging the station.
One of my favourite episodes is "The Unquiet Dead" where The Doctor gets to meet Charles Dickens in person. Simon Callow guest stars as Dickens which is wonderful casting as he plays Dickens on stage in real life! These first episodes involve The Doctor going into the future and the past, trying to impress Rose. But when he gets the flight path wrong they discover they aren't in Naples in 1860. Instead they are in the year 1869 in Cardiff. Strange aliens that live in gas are inhabiting the dead bodies of a local morgue, literally waking the dead. It's an atmospheric Christmas episode complete with snow and gas lights. The relationship between Rose and The Doctor seems to grow stronger each time they come face to face with death... which is, well, every episode so far!
Disc 2: The first two-parter of the series "Aliens of London" and "World War Three" introduces some important new characters, namely the Slitheen, a family of convicted criminals native to the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius. Having staged a fake UFO crash into the Thames, knocking a chunk out of Big Ben on the way, the Slitheen have hidden themselves inside the skins of humans. These episodes again show off amazing prosthetics to create eight-foot aliens. They also introduce an emotional element as Rose has been away from her mum for so long, even though it is only a few days to her. The tension between The Doctor and Rose's mother is built up as he can't promise that she'll be safe all the time.
Episode 6 is probably the best and most thought-provoking of the series. "Dalek" reunites The Doctor with his most deadly enemy, a lone surviving Dalek, left over from the Time War that devastated the Universe and destroyed the Time Lords and Daleks. The Doctor, the last Time Lord, faces the last Dalek in a final showdown. What he becomes is scarily like a Dalek himself and Rose is the one who helps him see compassion. This is a brilliant episode worth watching just to see how Daleks climb stairs. Adam Mitchell is played by Bruno Langley, a boy-genius who helps Rose and briefly becomes a companion.
Disc 3: "The Long Game" sees The Doctor, Rose and Adam arrive on Satellite 5 in the year 200,000, a space station in control of broadcasting the whole World's news. When The Doctor discovers that something is holding back the human race from becoming the 'Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire' he sticks around to find out just what has gone wrong. However, when those who are promoted to Floor 500 don't return he makes it his mission to go up there. The Editor is played by Simon Pegg (who also narrates the Doctor Who Confidentials) and plays a wonderful icy villain who has what must be the hardest line in the series. Try saying "The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe" several times quickly.
Episode 8 is entitled "Father's Day" and is another highly emotional episode. The Doctor's devotion to Rose slowly becomes apparent in the risk he takes in granting Rose's wish to see her Dad before he died. Pete Tyler is played by Shaun Dingwall. They arrive in 1987 when she is a one-year-old baby so she can be there when he is killed by a hit-and-run driver. However, when Rose saves his life The Doctor's worst fears are fulfilled. Creatures called 'Reapers' (that may have young kids hiding behind cushions) appear to heal the wound in time by killing everyone on the planet. Rose discovers that her Dad may not have been the attentive father she thought but he is still her hero.
A truly terrifying two-parter has the best cliff-hanger of the series. "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances" are set in London in 1941, during a World War II blitz. But the danger isn't the bombs. Instead a mysterious child with a gasmask for a face is looking for his "mummy", and it is the most powerful force on earth. A new and important character to the series is Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barrowman, a time-traveller from the 51st century who is looking for Time Agents to sell space junk to. There are constant hints that he is bisexual that I only noticed from watching the DVDs one after the other, while Barrowman is openly homosexual in real life.
Captain Jack adds a bit of sexual tension to the story, The Doctor now having a rival with Rose. Though there
Pictures of Doctor Who - Series 1 - Complete (Box Set) (DVD)
The TARDIS outside
is nothing official going on between them this is the first time that Rose meets someone with the same technology, knowledge and confidence in dangerous situations as the Doctor. There is a hilarious testosterone battle going on; it is funniest when Captain Jack's huge Sonic Blaster puts the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver to shame. Another famous face is Richard Wilson who plays Dr Constantine, the doctor who originally treated the boy with the gas mask. These are probably the scariest episodes of the series in that the danger is just a little boy looking for his mummy.Disc 4: At first I thought it was a weakness in the series that they felt it necessary to bring back the Slitheen for a third episode. Surely it was because they couldn't be bothered to think up another alien race for Eisode 11 "Boom Town". But the rift discovered in Cardiff in Episode 3 and Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen in the body of Margaret Blaine (played by Annette Badland) from Episodes 4 and 5 all make a comeback in this episode. The result is an ethical dilemma with some action thrown in. The Doctor, on capturing the scheming Margaret/Slitheen has the choice of killing her, letting her go, or returning her to her home planet where they torture any member of her convicted family. The episode is full of emotional and ethical tension, showing The Doctor with his power over life and death to be a parallel with the Daleks.
Episode 12 "Bad Wolf" is named after the words that have followed Rose and The Doctor throughout the series. The Badwolf Corporation has taken over Satellite 5, set 100 years after the events of Episode 7. Kidnapped from the TARDIS, The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack are put into our familiar reality TV shows. But in this nightmarish world they have taken on a deadly twist. Members of the Big Brother House are evicted... from life. Android Robinson is a laser-wielding robot who hosts The Weakest Link with a new vengence. Even robots of Trinny and Suzanna make a guest appearance with chainsaws. Once more this is NOT the 'Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire' and the Doctor soon discovers why.
The final episode "The Parting of the Ways" concludes the last two-parter of the series. The Doctor is face to face with an familiar and corrupted alien race, and once more is faced with a moral dilemma... to save Rose, to save the human race from slavery, or to destroy the human race and their enemies with them. Once more The Doctor is left to make the decision. It is a moving moment when the three travellers say their goodbyes, in the parting of the ways. The message of the series... to love life and make the most of our short time here... is summed up when The Doctor says to Rose "Have a wonderful life". We finally discover the meaning of Bad Wolf and I wasn't disappointed. This is also the point at which 9th Doctor Christopher Eccleston becomes 10th Doctor David Tennant.Special Features: ********************** Each of the above discs also has a few special features added. I won't go through these in detail, but will give you an overview. These start off very strong but get fewer in number with each disc. Disc 1, as mentioned earlier, contains an interview with Christopher Eccleston from BBC Breakfast in which he discusses why he wanted to get involved with Doctor Who, what he wants to achieve and what the role of his companion will be.
Each episode also has a commentary from a group of people, sometimes the writers or producers, sometimes an actor as well. You learn a lot about how the special effects were done, problems they faced, and some hints about what is to come in the next series. I've only listened to about three of these but found them interesting to listen to... they are just quite difficult to find on the DVD as you have to switch to the commentary version from the settings screen as opposed to the list of extras.
These discs also have examples of trailers shown for the episodes when they aired on the BBC. There are video diaries from the writers, special effects people, design teams and an entertaining one entitled "On Set with Billie Piper" where she goes behind the scenes of the episode "Dalek" and films her younger sisters drooling over Bruno Langley who plays Adam. A piece called "The Adventures of Captain Jack" has John Barrowman practically calling out for his own series, something that appears to have been noticed. It has been announced that a spin off series called Torchwood (an anagram of Doctor Who) will be shown in the summer of 2006.
Doctor Who Confidential ****************************** Disc 5 has the 13 episodes of 'Doctor Who Confidential' shown on BBC 3 airing after each episode of Doctor Who on BBC1. Although short, these are packed full of behind the scenes interviews and how the effects were achieved, usually by green screen. When watching the DVD episodes recently I'd then put in disc 5 to watch the corresponding Confidential. They have no spoilers of episodes that haven't happened yet and are extremely entertaining. So if you missed any of them the first time round as I did, you get a second chance to see them all again.
They explain some of the techniques used in the series. Most of them are follow a certain theme. "I Get A Side-Kick Out Of You" is all about Rose's role at the beginning of the series, while "Why On Earth" explains the Doctor's fascination with the Earth and humans... from what I can tell we go through the whole series without seeing a single alien world! Some Confidentials are direct episode tie-in's such as the one entitled "Dalek" but the majority span several of the episodes previously shown. You really do learn loads in the brief time each Confidential is shown for, such as the fact that John Barrowman wished to show Captain Jack naked in Episode 12 but the scene where he is 'defabricated' and shows his behind was cut... they couldn't show it because of the rating. Shame because it was actually filmed.
It's Sci-Fi and it's British! ****************************** With so many American Sci-fi programs there is a new standard in special effects... now they have to look real and believable because it's expected. Doctor Who is truly British... filmed at BBC Cardiff, using locations in London, Cardiff, Swansea, the Vale of Glamorgan, Monmouth etc. The new series has already been shown in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France.
I've been a fan of American Sci-fi shows for a long time, everything from Star Trek to Buffy and The X-Files. But I lost interest in it a few years ago and just stopped watching. I'm so glad that Doctor Who came along and got me back into such a versatile and fun genre. I really missed all the space-hopping, flashy guns, and aliens. A revival of Doctor Who was long overdue and I'm so glad it's worked so well and that a second and third series are planned.
The stength of the New series is in its story writing. Russell T Davis and other script writers Mark Gatiss, Paul Cornell, Robert Shearman, and Steven Moffat have done an amazing job, creating emotionally charged scripts. They are true to the original Doctors, have exciting plots and plenty of room for action and special effects. The music also deserves a special mention, from the haunting melody that plays on the DVD when you are selecting episodes to the good old Theme Tune and TARDIS sound effect.
***************************************** I highly recommend this series. The extras are wonderful and very very informative otherwise I would never have had the information to go on writing for so long. If you are interested in looking into any of this in more detail Wikipedia.com is a great resource that has proved invaluable in writing this review. It has information on EVERYTHING and helped me spell all those alien names and planets. This is a great series, and definitely one I will watch again and again. The DVD is well presented and has hours of extras. As for the series itself, I can't fault it.
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Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
An amazing review! I have all the DVDs on their own, so there's no point in buying the boxset, but your review makes me want to buy it even more! I may just do that now! xx
amytheduck 25.06.2007 23:17
Fantastic review - definitely deserving of an E. I'm ever so slightly obsessed with Doctor Who, but have gone the cheats way and recorded all the episodes as they're shown!
PDS1 20.04.2007 18:37
Really well reviewed - thorough, perceptive and descriptive. I've been a DW fan all my life, and think the new episodes mostly keep the spirit of the original. Pete.
It was always going to be a risk for the BBC to revampDoctor Who--few television ... more
programmes inspire as much rabid and cultish adoration. With the 2005 series, however, the BBC have really outdone themselves. Their updatedDoctor Whois a revelation: a cu...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It was always going to be a risk for the BBC to revampDoctor Who--few television ... more
programmes inspire as much rabid and cultish adoration. With the 2005 series, however, the BBC have really outdone themselves. Their updatedDoctor Whois a revelation: a cu...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is wise and funny cheeky and brave. An alien and a loner ... more
(it's difficult keeping up with friends when your day job involves flitting through time and space) his detached logic gives him a vital edge when the world's in ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
A box set containing all 13 stories from the 2005 series of 'Doctor Who'. Christopher ... more
Ecclestone's Doctor is wise and funny, cheeky and brave. An alien and a loner (it's difficult keeping up with friends when your day job involves flitting through time...
Advantages: Fantastic bonus features, all series 1 episodes, full commentaries, fantastic price Disadvantages: More bonus features on disk 1 - less on the other disks
![Doctor Who - The Complete BBC Series 1 Box Set [2005] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78516798.jpg "Doctor Who - The Complete BBC Series 1 Box Set [2005] [DVD]")
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