# Doctor Who Season 4 thread



## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

So, I'm watching the premiere episode of Doctor Who, Season 4, thinking... blah! This is a pretty lacklustre episode (critics are right - they have got to get off-planet once in awhile).

It comes to the predictable end, the Tardis is ready for takeoff, and then.... I won't spoil it. Suffice it to say, the last 20 seconds were worth the previous 42+ minutes of "blah".

This could be a wicked season....

M


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## SilverMaple (Apr 22, 2006)

I'm just wondering on what station you are watching the program on? I know you are in Mexico.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

My guess would be BBC...CBC stopped broadcasting half way through season 3...


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Can you provide us the link, I need to complete Season 3 and this weeks train ride would do perfectly...


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

He bittorrented this. That's the only way to watch a UK TV episode that premiered last night in Canada today.

I may surprise some people, but I see nothing wrong with this *provided* you then buy the boxset when it comes out (which any real fan would)._ Doctor Who_ is paid for by the BBC, not advertisers, so buying the box set constitutes paying all due fees for enjoying the content (and you WILL enjoy the content!).

Does anyone know when CBC will start broadcasting the fourth series? I was planning to wait, but if it will be a while I may just have to get a bt client and start downloading.

RuntheWorld: here's a link for Series (not Season) Three boxset: Amazon.ca: Doctor Who: The Complete Third Series (6DVD): David Tennant,Freema Agyeman: DVD
Cheap!


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Chas_M, funny you provided the link; I checked it out after my earlier post. I am not sure Canada will pick up season 4; they never finished showing season 3 as far as I know...they started showing Dragaon's Den...am I wrong?


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## i4detail (Mar 11, 2008)

You are wrong; I watched the last few episodes on CBC, though I watched a bunch online, too. By online, though, I mean the CBC website, not bit torrent. 

It'd be cool if Hotspot shield allowed you to localize your country, so I could pick England, and watch Dr. Who off the BBC website....


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

For the record, I do buy the box sets.  

M


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## i4detail (Mar 11, 2008)

I missed the Christmas special with the Bride from Hell, but just the preview for it got my hackles up. I'm not looking forward to this season. And Martha Jones was super uber cute....


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Oh, don't get me started on Martha's absence... having her in Torchwood for the odd episode is no substitute. Whenever Martha's on screen, it's like, "Billie who?"

Now - if rumour is to be believed, we may be graced with both Freema and Billie together by the end of the season - apparently David Tennant's last - so the last half of Series 4 could really be something to see...


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

CubaMark said:


> So, I'm watching the premiere episode of Doctor Who, Season 4, thinking... blah! This is a pretty lacklustre episode (critics are right - they have got to get off-planet once in awhile).


I hate to be pedantic, but it's right there in the fanboy contract that I have to be. 

Though you're certainly right that a heck of a lot of stories are set wholly or partially on Earth, and I agree that they should go offworld more often, they do actually get off-planet more and more with each passing series:

In Series One:
End of the World (looking at Earth, but wholly set on Platform One with loads of aliens)
The Long Game (near Earth, but actually set on Satellite Five)
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways (same station, now called the Gamestation, a great long while later, Dalek Spaceship and just a little bit of Earth)

So we get off-Earth, but only just. 

Series Two:
New Earth (a completely different planet, but ... oh damn ...)
Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel (alternate Earth ... oh fer the lubba pete ...)
Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit - totally different planet entirely! At last!!)

Series Three:
Smith & Jones (mostly set on the moon, again just barely off-Earth)
Gridlock (New Earth again?!)
Utopia (actually they never get to Utopia, but the story is set on the entirely different planet of Malcassairo)

Series Four:
At least two stories are said to be set on alien planets.

Still, this is nothing compared to the Jon Pertwee series in the 70s, where no less than 67 of the 128 episodes were set on Earth, the entire first two years were set on Earth in the 70s (except for one story), and the entire eighth season had only one villain - the Master!


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

CubaMark said:


> Now - if rumour is to be believed, we may be graced with both Freema and Billie together by the end of the season - apparently David Tennant's last - so the last half of Series 4 could really be something to see...


I'm sure I read somewhere that Tennant is doing three "special" Doctor Who TVMs in 2009, so he does indeed go beyond Series Four. That said, maybe he'll retire before the next full series, which is in 2010.

Yeah, here we go. Tennant is definitely doing three specials beyond the end of Series Four.

Oh I envy whoever is playing the role on November 23rd, 2013 ... the 50th anniversary of _Doctor Who_! Think of it!


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Are you sure you watched episode 10-13 on tv only? I know they were showing Dragon's Den in it's slot Monday nights and checked back for months and never found it pick up again. Perhaps they moved timeslots? The BBC's website with archives is not up right now but will catch up with that.


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## i4detail (Mar 11, 2008)

I *might* have watched them at cbc.ca. I don't recall now. I know I didn't download them or watch them on DVD, so my watching of them was tied to CBC somehow. And if they were on the website, they were on TV. That was the deal with the website; they'd show up there after they were on TV...


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Just watched it... I thought it was pretty fun. My wife thought it was cheesy. It was a big geeky weekend; new seasons of Dr Who and BSG and the season finale of Torchwood.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

The season openers (under the current stewardship) are always fairly weak plot-wise, but all the RTD-written episodes have some fun dialogue, and I expect this one is no exception.

(I have to look at the wiki entry to find the memorable quotes cuz I haven't seen it yet!)

Oh, the miming thing looks fun. Anyway, for whatever reason RTD always likes the first ep to be kind of lightweight, maybe that's smart, not throwing the best stuff out till a bit later, saving the continuity-heavy crap for further down the line, sounding out a few themes but heavy on the fun so that you* will be back when it starts to go all pear-shaped ...

*"you" in this sense meaning the casual viewer rather than the hardened fanboy.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Adding: I'm embarrassed to say I haven't seen a minute of Torchwood Season Two yet. Still working my way (slowly) through the S1 boxset. Really good show, which surprised me because I don't normally like X-Files-ian type stuff.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

Kudos to the effects team for Pompeii.... nicely done. 

...and I loved the _Fawlty Towers_ in-joke! ("Barcelona!") 

M


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

"Barcelona!" actually started off as a joke on the last episode of Chris Eccleston's series ... he regenerates, and one of the first things the new Doctor says is "oh yes, that's right ... Barcelona!" Of course, he's referring to the _planet_ Barcelona ...

As for _Partners in Crime_, I finally saw it last night. A friend in England posted an AVI to spare me the trouble of downloading. It was enjoyable, but I couldn't help thinking that Sarah Jane could have done that entire plotline all by herself. 

Nice to see Catherine Tate extending the character's range -- Donna in a perpetually excited state would have been too much way too quickly. Loved Bernard Cribbins as gramps, it's a pity he was replacing Howard Attfield, the actor who originally played Donna's dad (as seen in _The Runaway Bride_) who was going to be brought back for this but was too ill to continue in the part (you can see him in the readthrough on the Confidential).

Perfectly adequate series opener, clearly they don't want to show their full hand too early, but that ending ... well, it's nice they can still pull a genuine surprise out of their hats, innit? That'll set cat amongst pigeons! 

Anyway, roll on Series Four!


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Just saw Pompeii... incredible production values and a fun story, although the plot could have used a bit more polishing. (Why the coda?) Intrigued as to what was on Donna's back... I guess we find out later.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

You don't even want to know how much Doctor Who crap is in my personal possession (though the bulk of it is still in Florida at the moment). But from the new series I have all three of the existing box sets (the first series I got both the PAL *and* NTSC boxsets because the PAL one came out first and I couldn't wait!).

I'm looking forward to seeing how this series progresses, but actually I'm enjoying my "old" Doctor who DVDs all the more these days. Not every episode is a classic, mind, but more than their share were really good stories told well.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

I may have figured out the missing episode mystery. I rented Disc 4/5/6 from Zip. Having my memory jogged, I think CBC did play the Season 3 as far as the DVD is concerned. If you look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/episodes/2007/index.shtml ; there are 2 episodes listed, that aren't on the DVD. Time Crash and Voyage of the Damned. Does anyone know what this is about? What further adds confusin is that the TARDIS runs inot the Titanic at the end of Last of the Timelords, yet that episode appears last from the BBC, Time Crash should have been in between....


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## John Pryor (Feb 13, 2008)

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> I may have figured out the missing episode mystery. I rented Disc 4/5/6 from Zip. Having my memory jogged, I think CBC did play the Season 3 as far as the DVD is concerned. If you look at BBC - Doctor Who - Episodes - 2007 ; there are 2 episodes listed, that aren't on the DVD. Time Crash and Voyage of the Damned. Does anyone know what this is about?


"Time Crash" is a clip from a charity special 7 min. 42 sec. long that is an alternate ending to "Last of the Time Lords" it brings the 5th & 10th Doctors together. The 10th Doctor had dropped the shields and that caused the Impact with the "Titanic."

"Voyage of the Damned" Is the Christmas special from 2007. It is not part of season 3. CBC should play it just before season 4.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Thanks to you and YouTube...now, if CBC's "Bold" line-up will start Season 4 I'll be all set...


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## John Pryor (Feb 13, 2008)

Outpost Gallifrey says season Four will be coming to CBC in September.

The Doctor Who News Page

May 28, 2008 • Posted By Mike Doran
The Doctor Who Information Network has reported that Series Four of Doctor Who will debut on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on September 19th, 2008. The information comes from sources at the CBC.

Doctor Who will air on Friday evenings at 9pm. This was previously the time slot for Torchwood during the Autumn of 2007. The last two series of Doctor Who have aired on Monday nights at 8pm.


Also note that season one is playing on BOLD channel 641 on Bell express view. It is run by CBC. I catch it late on Wednesdays.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

Update: thanks to my mates in England (which include a couple of the writers of the show!), I've seen several of the first few stories of Season Four. Spoiler-free reviews below:

*Partners in Crime*: Lightweight. Enjoyable. Average.

*Fires of Pompeii*: Donna is working out as a companion (?!). Love the production values (let's get DW on location more, please!). Much better story (not perfect, though). Very good.

*Planet of the Ood*: OFF-EARTH!! Excellent story all around, reminded me a lot of the early Tom Baker era in terms of acting, sets, story flow, etc. Very good. This'll give the kids some nightmares ...

*The Sontaran Strategem/Poison Sky*: a clear homage to the Pertwee era now?! Lots of military, an "old" face to enjoy, Christopher Ryan is just FANTASTIC in his role, great stunts, how I wish Pert could have lived to see this. Very good.

So far, the season's been a little light on "scary" and "creepy" and "what th--???" moments, but it's been solidly entertaining, expensive-looking and the cast seem to have taken any acting criticisms from last season to heart. I can't believe I'm liking Donna (I admire Catherine Tate but did not feel she could handle "second banana").

Roll on middle season please! I don't know if I can stand waiting much longer for Steven Moffat's story!!


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## John Pryor (Feb 13, 2008)

My Uncle just sent me the latest and I can say you will love at least 3 of the next 4. But I don't want to spoil them for you.

Steven Moffat's two part story is very good.


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

For the life of me I have no idea why the CBC -- a co-producer of this show -- sits on their hands till September on this. I guess they want to get a large audience and the fall is probably the time to do that, but they must know the fans will try anything to see these shows earlier. Maybe they should run them a week after UK transmission in a late-night slot, and then "premiere" them on CBC proper in Sept for the masses??


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## rgray (Feb 15, 2005)

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> Thanks to you and YouTube...now, if CBC's "Bold" line-up will start Season 4 I'll be all set...


CBC's "bold" new line-up includes Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune - I think I'm going to puke!!! - no mention that I can find of Dr. Who.....


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Can you download "legally" download the BBC broadcasts? What about with an iTunes UK account? (I don't have iTunes at work). The BBC site has that "Not available in your area" crap...perhaps I need a UK webhost and could create a proxy server...


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Just found this site; anyone know much about it?

FreeTVDown » Doctor Who


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## John Pryor (Feb 13, 2008)

WOW just saw season 4 episode 12. This has been a great season. Can't say more without spoiling it


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> Can you download "legally" download the BBC broadcasts?


No, but inasmuch as I am going to buy the boxset (my life would be incomplete without it), this is one case where I'd probably BT it if I didn't have friends posting the files for me (though they don't do them right away, which makes cliffhangers hard to bear!).



> What about with an iTunes UK account? (I don't have iTunes at work).


Nope. Bastiches.



> perhaps I need a UK webhost and could create a proxy server...


That might work, but I'm too lazy. Let me know if you succeed.

While I'm at it, here's my mini-reviews of the ones I've seen:

*The Doctor's Daughter*: I can't believe I used to babysit that girl while her dad and mum did convention appearances ...

*The Unicorn & the Wasp*: Let down a bit by subpar CGI and a bit of a silly ending, but overall very, very enjoyable.

*Silence in the Library*: All hail Steven Moffat. Good creepiness.

*Forest of the Dead*: A satisfying resolution and interesting subplot. Well done as always, but perhaps the weakest of his scripts so far (which is like saying that a million dollars is "lesser" than a million and one dollars).

Bit by bit getting better and better ...


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## chas_m (Dec 2, 2007)

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> Just found this site; anyone know much about it?
> 
> FreeTVDown » Doctor Who


It's certainly unauthorised, but see my comments above. I know I'm going to be buying the box set when it comes out, so when and how I actually view the episodes doesn't particularly bother me, because I'm paying my bill to the BBC.


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

I just caught the penultimate episode.... essentially, all build-up for the season finale next weekend, but still well worth viewing, and a heckuva cliffhanger.

But I think I missed an episode or two somewhere... need to go back into the Dr. Who universe and track down some info, to get my bearings....

M


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Just stumbled upon this by accident...anyone seen this yet?

Amazon.ca: Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest: Gary Russell, David Tennant, Freema Agyeman: DVD


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## John Pryor (Feb 13, 2008)

RunTheWorldOnMac said:


> Just stumbled upon this by accident...anyone seen this yet?
> 
> Amazon.ca: Doctor Who: The Infinite Quest: Gary Russell, David Tennant, Freema Agyeman: DVD


when this came out on the web it was in small episodes. It was quite good.


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## RunTheWorldOnMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Oddly enough, you can buy the Fourth season already...which is funny as the CBC has 3 episodes left to play. Lucky for me, I rent online using Zip and they sent it to me today. The last disc Should arrive by Monday...

One thing I also noticed on Amazon, there are a pile of books released this year, for episodes that do not exist, yet cannot find books for episodes that are released.

How do they work? The take X amount of story lines, then pick through the best and turnthem into tv episodes and the remainder that are better for print are turned into books?


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