A Stitch in Haste

I guess this isn't a joke:

Actor Christopher Eccleston has quit as Doctor Who after just one episode of the new series has been screened, the BBC has confirmed. Eccleston, whose first appearance as the ninth Time Lord attracted around 10 million viewers, feared being typecast. Talks are taking place to replace him with Casanova star David Tennant. A second series of the new Doctor Who, which will again be written by Russell T Davies and produced by BBC Wales, has already been commissioned. ... Eccleston - whose last appearance is expected to be in a Christmas special - said he was also planning new projects and that he found filming the series gruelling.

Americans haven't even had a chance to check him out yet. Go figure. Speaking of which, does anyone have any ideas on that subject? Are any copies making their way across the pond? Legal methods are preferable but not mandatory.

Ever since I culled my BBC feeds I've been remiss in my Doctor Who blogging.

When we last left our hero, he had, um, quit. Bummer.

But now he's back, in his tenth and possibly most eye-pleasing form, celebrated U.K. actor David Tennant, previously of "Casanova."

Apparently there is much hype about his new garb, which is being dubbed "geek chic" --



Works for me, except the cheesy sneakers. Real men, and Time Lords, wear real shoes.

In other developments, K-9 and Sarah Jane Smith are returning for cameo appearances. I was never particularly fond of either. My favorite Doctor Who companion was Leela.

Anyway, the first revived season with Christopher Eccleston still isn't on BBC-America or DVD yet, though I'm told it does run in Canada. Can any of my Great White Northern neighbors help a fan out?

Hat tip to Arkanssouri.

"A man is nothing more than the sum of his memories."
--The Fifth Doctor

Well, that took a little too long, but the new BBC Doctor Who series will air on SciFi on Friday nights. The series will be available on DVD in July.

I wonder how many of the "I love Jamie Bamber Battlestar Galactica" and "I love Nathan Gillion Firefly" types will give Christopher Eccleston David Tennant Doctor Who" a chance. The show -- in its previous regenerations at least -- is a vital part of the science fiction universe.

More thoughts at PoliBlog.

Inside the Vault = An intermittent string of weekend posts detailing aspects of my personal life.

Larry reminds me that it's time for a Doctor Who update.


The second season (or "series," as they say in Britain) was recently released, and while Christopher Eccleston deserves thanks and praise for successfully resuscitating the hibernating Time Lord, and while all tastes and preference are subjective, one simply cannot deny that David Tennant rocks!


Kip's favorite Doctors, in order:

1. David Tennant
2. Tom Baker
3. Peter Davison
4. Christopher Eccleston
5. William Hartnell
6. Jon Pertwee
7. Patrick Troughton
8. Sylvester McCoy
9. Colin Baker

Not Rated: Paul McGann, Richard Hurndall, Peter Cushing.

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Diamond, meanwhile, was all giddy over the return of K-9 (a/k/a "the shooty dog-thing"):


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Meanwhile:

TV shows like Doctor Who are expected to be available for download later this year after the BBC Trust gave initial approval to the BBC's on-demand plans.

Under the proposals, viewers will be able to watch popular programmes online or download them to a home computer up to a week after they are broadcast.
...
Full approval of the on-demand plans will follow a two month consultation. After that, the BBC will be able to launch its long-awaited iPlayer, a computer application which allows audiences to watch or download any programme from the last seven days.

You now have no excuse: Netflix, SciFi, Amazon or the BBC "iPlayer" ("iWho"?). So just watch it already!





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They're sold out!

The Doctor Who Tardis USB Hub boasts four ports in which to plug your various gizmos. Simply plug in and you’re away. But here’s the good bit: every time you connect or disconnect a device, the blue light on the top of the Tardis flashes and that unmistakable de-materialisation ‘vworp, vworp’ sound starts sawing away at your lugholes. Thankfully it doesn’t actually vanish into the time vortex, so you can enjoy the classic grating din again and again by plugging in more devices or pressing the demo button.

Eh, it was an obsolete Type 40 model anyway.

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LATE ADDITION: Courtesy of Boing Boing —