How fun to share your squee about upcoming Sherlock, and also to hear your Paul McGann love! I'm also a fan of his from his Hornblower days, and I thought he was just terrific in the mini-episode. In fact it was extra fun for me because I'm a fan of Tom Baker as well (Doctor #4) and the group of priestesses that use the elixir of life to save/change McGann's Doctor are directly from a Tom Baker episode called Brain of Morbius -- I got such geeky glee from seeing them turn up 35 years later!
I have enjoyed the New Who series very much and consider myself a continuing fan. It's not for everyone, though; you do have to have a pretty high tolerance for silliness.
Since you enjoyed the other anniversary specials, I bet you would also like "An Adventure in Space and Time," the Mark Gatiss episode about the real people who created Doctor Who in 1963. It focuses especially on Verity Lambert, the show's first producer, Waris Hussein its first director, and William Hartnell, the first actor to play the doctor. I found it both inspiring and moving.
If you have any interest in taking a look just at a few individual episodes that are less silly and more emotionally powerful, I would recommend "Blink." It has a strong female lead, haunting images and a clever puzzlebox of a plot -- one of the most popular things Moffat has ever written, I think. If you like "Blink," you might also try "Midnight" for Tennant at his most serious. I admire it for using a no-tech, very simple story idea to create something deeply creepy. And to wind things back a few decades, I liked "The Aztecs" for Doctor #1 (especially impressed by how smart and BAMF the adult female companion, Barbara, turned out to be. She has to pretend to be a goddess, and at one point a suspicious character makes a threat and claims that if she is really a goddess she should use her powers to stop him. At which point she grabs a nearby knife, holds it to his throat, and freaking uses her power to stop him). For Tom Baker (Doctor 4), you will hear a lot of good recommendations for famous episodes, but my personal favorite is not that well known. It's called Seeds of Doom, and I like it because I think both Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen give wonderful, intense performances in and amongst the appropriate silliness and over-the-top camp. It's a story about a monstrous space plant that wants to eat people and a Bond-villain-esque millionaire who wants to let it, so be prepared for that going in. But what can I say, I think it's great fun.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-12-06 04:35 am (UTC)I have enjoyed the New Who series very much and consider myself a continuing fan. It's not for everyone, though; you do have to have a pretty high tolerance for silliness.
Since you enjoyed the other anniversary specials, I bet you would also like "An Adventure in Space and Time," the Mark Gatiss episode about the real people who created Doctor Who in 1963. It focuses especially on Verity Lambert, the show's first producer, Waris Hussein its first director, and William Hartnell, the first actor to play the doctor. I found it both inspiring and moving.
If you have any interest in taking a look just at a few individual episodes that are less silly and more emotionally powerful, I would recommend "Blink." It has a strong female lead, haunting images and a clever puzzlebox of a plot -- one of the most popular things Moffat has ever written, I think. If you like "Blink," you might also try "Midnight" for Tennant at his most serious. I admire it for using a no-tech, very simple story idea to create something deeply creepy. And to wind things back a few decades, I liked "The Aztecs" for Doctor #1 (especially impressed by how smart and BAMF the adult female companion, Barbara, turned out to be. She has to pretend to be a goddess, and at one point a suspicious character makes a threat and claims that if she is really a goddess she should use her powers to stop him. At which point she grabs a nearby knife, holds it to his throat, and freaking uses her power to stop him). For Tom Baker (Doctor 4), you will hear a lot of good recommendations for famous episodes, but my personal favorite is not that well known. It's called Seeds of Doom, and I like it because I think both Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen give wonderful, intense performances in and amongst the appropriate silliness and over-the-top camp. It's a story about a monstrous space plant that wants to eat people and a Bond-villain-esque millionaire who wants to let it, so be prepared for that going in. But what can I say, I think it's great fun.
All best wishes!