The Torchwood Institute

Doctor Who Theme on Player Piano

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:48:00 +0000

I'm constantly amused by different versions of the Doctor Who theme.

Chicks Dig Time Lords (among others!)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:18:00 +0000

One of the more interesting Doctor Who non-fiction books to come out in a long time is Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It.

What makes this book very exciting is not just a book that proves that Doctor Who has female fans -- this has always been true in my experience -- but that it proves how varied Doctor Who fandom really is. It is especially nice to see stories about American fandom -- my Doctor Who story sits right besides Kathy Sullivan's and Jennifer Adams Kelley's. But there are also stories about UK fandom, Canadian fandom, and Australian fandom.

This book also isn't just covering Doctor Who fans that have discovered Doctor Who in its latest incarnation, but fans from the "Wilderness Years" and during the original run.

This is a book that feels free to be critical about Doctor Who, but in the way that only fans can be.

I like this book not just for Doctor Who fans, but anyone interested in understanding fandom in all of its complexity and diversity. Definitely recommended!

New Doctor Who Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:51:00 +0000

Kind of obviously designed for 3D!

Caught in a Bad Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:24:00 +0000

Writer with Minnesota connections writing for Doctor Who

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:27:00 +0000

Ok, obvious he grew up in the UK, and he's pretty much everywhere at this point in his career, but we still will claim him as a local to the Twin Cities area.

And as someone who has been a fan since Sandman originally came out two decades (eeeek!) ago, I'm very excited to see that it is extremely likely that in 2011, we will have a Doctor Who story by Neil Gaiman.

One of the most exciting things about Doctor Who at the moment isn't just that it is getting guest star actors like Timothy Dalton or Bill Nighy, but guest star writers like Richard Curtis, Simon Nye, and now Neil Gaiman. That is something that I really like that is in the show's DNA, that the writer is one of the key 'stars' of the show.

David Tennant Says Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:57:00 +0000

The final David Tennant Doctor Who box set is out, and with that we have a couple of clips from the set from BBC America.

Doctor Who Fan Music (Chameleon Circuit)

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:17:00 +0000

I think one of the more amusing things about the internet era is that music like Chameleon Circuit has more of an opportunity than ever to get out into the public. In the past, at best, this would be a novelty single or something that you'd end up getting a scratchy, tenth generation tape copy of. Now, you can go right to Amazon.com and pick it up.

Or you can find a video on YouTube:

American Torchwood

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:38:00 +0000

I can see how Torchwood could possibly get American treatment, especially with Julie Gardner, Russell T Davies and Jane Tranter all based in California now.

And honestly, I'd so much rather have an American Torchwood than an American Doctor Who remake. Which is something that really does scare me, after all. Especially if it is one not also trying to serve the UK market, which the 1996 TV movie did.

I really don't have a massive opinion about it. After all, it's a genre show on FOX -- it will get canceled after at most a dozen episodes anyways.

Doctor Who success on BBC America

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:07:00 +0000

According to the Doctor Who News page The End of Time Part 2 set another record for BBC America, with about 1.47 million viewers across the three showings.

We've also seen The End of Time do well on iTunes, with both parts being in the top ten for the last day or two.

Even more promising than all of this is seeing that they're promoting the future of Doctor Who as well -- with the new series trailer prominently displayed promising new Doctor Who for us this spring, with the pages already getting updated with the new look.

I'll miss David Tennant as the Doctor -- but, well, Geronimo!

About The Weeping Angels

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:18:00 +0000

This is a short little clip about the Weeping Angels. Interesting!

The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Our first look at the start of the next era of Doctor Who.

It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:37:00 +0000

Just reading the BBC Doctor Who website thank you to the outgoing Doctor Who team made me think about the change of era that we're about to have, and what has happened with my favorite creative franchise over the last five years.

It's been incredible. Doctor Who managed to come back, be successful, and still fundamentally be the same show. My TV moment of the decade was when we saw Christopher Eccleston stand in front of the TARDIS in Rose for the first time, because it was clear that this was the same show, but one willing to take risks as well, and truly be a Doctor Who of the first decade of the 21st century.

Thank You David, for portraying the Doctor so brilliantly for the last few years.

Thank You Julie, for helping make Doctor Who not just for those of us that waited years for it to come back, but for those people that didn't even know that they missed it.

Thank You Russell. For everything. When Doctor Who came back in 2005, I'm sure that some thought that this may be it for Doctor Who, especially after the false start in the 1990s. And the best part of your legacy with the show is that you've given Doctor Who one thing that I'm especially thankful for.

A future.

Happy Holidays from Doctor Who!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:30:00 +0000

And the wait for The End of Time is almost over!

BBC America Success!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:40:00 +0000

It's good to see that BBC America has had success with Waters of Mars.

And here are some clips from them in support of The End of Time which are coming the next two Saturdays on BBC America. I'm quite excited at this point!

The End of an Era

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:37:00 +0000

One thing that it just dawned on me is that this is the first time in a very long time that Doctor Who has had such a clear end of an era like the one that we're getting this New Years. And arguably, it is the most complete end-of-era ever where the show was still carrying on.

The Ninth Doctor to Tenth Doctor change wasn't really changing the era -- while when you look at the Christopher Eccleston year it's incredible to see how the production team has matured, it wasn't really a different era when David Tennant took over -- I look at it as the successful reestablishment of the series.

Doctors Six through Eight never really had that end-of-an-era element to it -- none of them can really be looked at as having successful complete runs.

While Caves of Androzani is one of the high water marks of the series -- and Doctor Who wouldn't be that good again until the 2005 revival -- it was really only the Doctor and companion that changed in that time. In fact, it could be argued that by not changing out the creative staff at this point, it was what led to the decline of the series.

I'm tempted to say that Logopolis was an end-of-an-era - and in many ways, if you look at Season 18 as a transition year, the series is radically different between the end of Season 17 and the start of Season 19. But it is difficult to say that Logopolis is as complete a change as we are going to be witnessing now with the show. After all, Logopolis was really the middle chapter of the three part reintroduction of the Master. I'm a big fan of Logopolis -- and you don't need to read any spoilers to feel comfortable in saying that it will be an influence on The End of Time.

The change between Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker is much more like this change is. Liz Sladen stays as Sarah Jane, but that is it. Barry Letts moves on and is replaced by Philip Hinchcliffe, and Terrance Dicks is replaced by Robert Homes.

The War Games shares some of this end-of-era feel; but it is really the rise of the Terrance Dicks era of Doctor Who -- the cast changes completely when Patrick Troughton and his companions depart; and the change to color is absolutely a major change. But it isn't until Doctor Who and the Silurians that Barry Letts is producer.

And while the change between the First and Second Doctors was the radical change that created a format that could last forever, the production staff didn't change at that time. One of the convincing parts of Lawrence Miles and Tat Wood's About Time 1 is that the story of the William Hartnell era is how the pieces of the Doctor Who concept really come together over that whole era; and in many ways, you don't get the definitive Doctor until Patrick Troughton takes over from William Hartnell.

One thing that I realized as I have been writing this all up is that the change of eras happen over a more extended period of time in the past -- a much more gradual change. That change happened over an extended time this time as well -- but there wasn't a full year of Doctor Who to see that change evolve on screen; instead we will see one series end and a completely new Doctor Who begin in 2010.

So it's going to be very exciting to see The End of Time -- and if stories like Logopolis, War Games, and Caves of Androzani can be taken as precedent, we should be in for some very good Doctor Who over the next two weeks.

New BBC America End of Time Trailer!

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:26:00 +0000

The Waters of Mars airs on BBC America tomorrow, and after that, one week later, we have The End of Time. Here is a new BBC America trailer.

And here is a really good clip about how David Tennant found playing the Doctor, given that he was a fan growing up.

David Tennant Discusses the Cybermen

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

More of BBC America's Doctor Who Mythology Videos

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Here are some more clips from BBC America promoting the final three David Tennant specials

Doctor Who 101: What is the TARDIS? And then the End of Time

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 23:50:00 +0000

David Tennant explains the TARDIS for a new American audience. I suppose those of us -- even Americans -- that have watched the show forever take it for granted. But not everyone.

If you're an old hand to the series, this trailer [thanks Blogtor Who] will be even more exciting, as we count the days until The Waters of Mars airs this week, and the first part of The End of Time next week!

Doctor Who Mythology: The Loneliness of a Timelord

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Our countdown to the Waters of Mars airing on BBC America on Saturday, December 18th continues.

David Tennant Discusses the Daleks

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:24:00 +0000

Merry Christmas from Doctor Who and BBC

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:05:00 +0000

David Tennant in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:57:00 +0000

Here we have a new clip from BBC America about David Tennant -- one thing that is especially clear after seeing something like this is how much Tennant has made this role his own over the last four years and has been quite an achievement. This might very well be the sort of ephemera that I would send back to the teenage David Tennant to see as a clip where it says that he'll be Doctor Who and Hamlet and work with Derek Jacobi would almost certainly be the sort of thing that would mess with young David McDonald

Inside the TARDIS

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:43:00 +0000

One of the things that I find interesting about this clip is that it's an introduction to the TARDIS for a "new" audience. One thing that the new series hasn't had a lot of is very good *specific* American marketing or materials in the past -- it has always been aired, but there hasn't been any solid attempt to expand the audience of the series besides the natural expansion that it would normally have.

EU incoming Foreign Minister's has connections with Skaro

noreply@blogger.com (Michael Lee) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:23:00 +0000

Paul Krugman's Blog points out that the new foreign minister of the EU has a Dalek.