What's it like watching Dr. Who?

[DrFaroohk]

For people who are british that is.

I've never seen the show, except a brief part of an episode when I was very young that creeped me out, and I just watched one today that was actually pretty cool, if not confusing.

But it occurred to me part of the entertainment is just the fact that many of us americans can listen to a british accent all day and it's just the awesomest thing ever. But if you're already british and don't hear the accent...what's it like?

[Gravekeeper]

Whilst I don't claim to be much of a Dr Who watcher, I would say "Depends on the season". As I think the show has straight up changed genres at least 6 times depending on the current actor playing the Doctor, and the show's budget at any given time.

[Kheldarson]

But it occurred to me part of the entertainment is just the fact that many of us americans can listen to a british accent all day and it's just the awesomest thing ever. But if you're already british and don't hear the accent...what's it like?

I'm American and I'm just going to say that's not the reason why I watch Dr. Who. It's good Sci-fi/Fantasy. Yes, the accent's a bonus, but not the entirety of why I watch. Otherwise I'd be able to have BBCA on all day and not care what's playing.

[Ginger Tea]

If the confusing episode was from the Matt Smith current season, then yes confusion abound if you haven't seen his first or the rest of this season, there is alot of ongoing story arcs in this one that could play out for some time, as well as encapsulated episodes like last weeks.

Regarding the accent, Ecclestons northern accent wasn't watered down, yet Tennant poshed his Scottish accent out of the way (save for that one episode with Queen Victoria and the werewolf, no idea if thats Smith's normal voice or not.
AFAIK all previous doctors had Queens English upperclass hues to their voices (even if they them selves might not have been) half due to writing and half being more acceptable to the ears, what if he had regenerated into an actor with a full on Geordie accent, I don't think it would survive stateside without subtitles.

Even local news reporters tend to subdue the regional accent in preference to a more national BBC way of talking.

[DrFaroohk]

The one I saw was like a christmas one with the spider queen and stuff. it made more sense after I read a little bit about it. Overall it's quite enjoyable. But I can't tell if it's meant to be funny or not. I find it funny, but that might just be me.

[Andara Bledin]

The accent's a bonus, definitely, but I watch for the stories and the acting.

I actually watched the spider queen one recently. Even if you were a regular watcher, that one could have been a little confusing as it was a mostly one-off with references to an earlier episode.

^-.-^

[Ginger Tea]

been years since I watched that one.

Yes it can be funny at times, either the Doctor saying/doing something or something else, least its not like the old days where it was piss funny just cos of the 'monsters', just watch Radio dead air's Nash's videos of classic who to see those in action.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I have to admit, I don't like the most recent Dr. Not a patch on the others. I prefer the old series, with the plastic wasps and men in bacofoil. XD

[Ginger Tea]

I treat the Eccleston Dr as a reboot not a continuation of the old run, even if I'm the only one doing so.

Special FX by blue peter "and here's one I made earlier"

[smileyeagle1021]

I'm American and I'm just going to say that's not the reason why I watch Dr. Who. It's good Sci-fi/Fantasy. Yes, the accent's a bonus, but not the entirety of why I watch. Otherwise I'd be able to have BBCA on all day and not care what's playing.

Yeah, I could watch David Tennant's seasons just to listen to that man speak (God how I have a love affair with his voice)... but even without that it's a good sci-fi show... better than anything American television has come up with since Battlestar Galactica went off the air.

[Ginger Tea]

God how I have a love affair with his voice.

Same here with me and Pam Ayres, if she's still alive, even when she was young, she might be 70ish by now, she wasnt a looker, but her voice ...
To a lesser extent the same with the original Cadburys Caramel Bunnies voice.

[Rapscallion]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Ayres

Still going, apparently. About mid sixties, if my maths is correct.

Rapscallion

[Nyoibo]

Yeah, I could watch David Tennant's seasons just to listen to that man speak (God how I have a love affair with his voice)

And yet he only uses his real accent in one episode.

[smileyeagle1021]

And yet he only uses his real accent in one episode.

not his accent, his voice... I don't care what accent he is using, it always sounds incredibly good :)

Matt Smith's voice is growing on me.
Eccleston didn't leave fast enough.
Of course, George Takei also has an amazing voice, as does Leonard Nemoy, and Sean Connery and Andrew Lee Potts.

Yeah, I've told my husband it's a good thing he has a good voice... if you haven't noticed, I have a thing for voices :angel:

[Nyoibo]

Oh, I could listen to George Takei talk forever. ;)

[Andara Bledin]

Oh, I could listen to George Takei talk forever. ;)
Oh, my (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ALsvU50wQ)!

^-.-^

[Racket_Man]

Oh, my (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ALsvU50wQ)!

^-.-^

George did at least one audio book for a Star Trek Novel. if you really want to hear him find the audio book for Strangers From The Sky. if memery serves he and Leonard Nimoy performed the book. yes it is abridged but keeps the essential elements from the actual novel.

http://www.theaudiobookstore.com/margaret-wander-bonanno/star-trek-strangers-from_bksans002193.aspx

http://www.weread4you.com/audiobook/17492/star-trek-strangers-from-the-sky-audio-book.html

real cheap cassette price
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780671647186

[smileyeagle1021]

Oh, my (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2ALsvU50wQ)!

^-.-^

Hell, even him insulting me is amazing
seriously
I have never heard someone say you are a douchebag (http://youtu.be/xeKfMNlQTho) with such elegance

[Bardmaiden]

Regarding the accent, Ecclestons northern accent wasn't watered down, yet Tennant poshed his Scottish accent out of the way (save for that one episode with Queen Victoria and the werewolf, no idea if thats Smith's normal voice or not.

Well my b/f comes from the same town as him (Northampton) but Matt Smith went to the Posh school, so may have had the accent elcuted out of him. From what I've heard in the bits outside of Doctor Who I'd say that his voice in the programme is pretty much his accent. He sure doens't sound like my b/f. :lol:

[smileyeagle1021]

speaking of accents and Dr. Who... you know you watch too much BBC when they have an American on the show and you think his accent is weird :p

[Ginger Tea]

I was helping my brother move over the last week (without a van :( ) and we have tonnes of VHS tapes, the blanks all got chucked as we don't have a tape player to find out what each unlabled 4 hour could have, damn near 200 of em.
But we were keeping the prerecorded ones for now, find em on DVD (worst case scenario pirate bay) and then ditching them.

In this we found Moll Flanders and asked my brother to pass it to me, it was one of Alex (River Song) Kingstons earliest work (without imdbing her) so that got put in the keep pile. One for the 4th wall thread from vague memory ...

She chats up some posh bloke in this field or rural road side, then runs up to the camera to say "Well in 20 minutes time hes going to find himself robbed." as I think she was a serial addulterer or something.

TL;DR
The point of this post?
I had forgotten about her by the point of her characters debut and they were bigging up her stint on ER, so I just assumed she was American, so did she do a Hugh Lorrie and put on an American accent for that and was it any good and to that extent was Hugh's and any other UK actor's?

[Ginger Tea]

When the mid season trailer came out, it had River Song with an eye patch very similar to the woman in the wall (or did I post this in another DR Who thread?) Part of me wondered if it was an older regenerated River Song after the silence in the Library, I originally thought she might regenerate like Genny from the Dr's Daughter and she regenerated off screen unbeknownst to Tennants Dr.
But we were told in lets kill hitler that she used up all her regenerations and were also shown that she did indeed change forms just as the doctor and other timelords did.

As she had no eye patch in her introduction story and has one in the trailer for the season finale, it's still making me go hmmmmm.
Oh well that might get answered next week, then again as there is another season in the works, who knows?
Myself I would leave the final days of the doctor for a few more years instead of wrapping it up in a 13 episode block.

[smileyeagle1021]

We know that no matter what there is a massive screw to the audience coming up with the season finale.
Either the season in the works is just there to get our hopes up and doesn't really exist because the Doctor really is going to die.
Or, all the talk about the Doctor's death being a fixed point in time that can't be avoided will turn out to be not quite so fixed.

[Kheldarson]

It's the latter, smiley. They've already flat out said that if anyone can change destiny, it's Amy. Guess who's going to save him? (probably)

[Ginger Tea]

Or he sent a flesh avatar with fireworks up his sleeves and thats why they cremated him :p