Recommended Television Programmes

[Serial_Apologist]

But did you like the previous series ... couldn't abide either Tennant, or the other bloke after that, or Capaldi, and the flip, gurning style of the whole thing. Is this any better? (Oh, other bloke = Matt Smith)

I gave up at the Tennant relaunch - much preferring the shaky scenery and props of earlier times. That gap of however many years proved the undoing, for me, and I've not watched since.

[LMcD]

Tennant didn't do it for me, Cal, even though he's a fellow Buddy. I liked 'the other bloke' and he had some good sidekicks. Pete Capaldi started off well, I thought, but either he or the previous administration started to run out of a bit of steam. I liked John Hurt as the Doctor...that would have been good to see more of...and, of course, the ever excellent David Bradley reprising his role as William Hartnell playing the Doc was terrific. I suppose I'm looking forward to what the new folk in charge will do with the errant Time Lord and her TARDIS, and it looked like there are some interesting guests coming up in the episodes ahead.

James Bond - Sean Connery
Sherlock Holmes - Jeremy Brett
and
Doctor Who - Tom Baker!

[teamsaint]

James Bond - Sean Connery
Sherlock Holmes - Jeremy Brett
and
Doctor Who - Tom Baker!

Full house there, L.

Although for work reasons I am a big fan of Roger Moore this year.
I once sat opposite Tom Baker on the tube, which was a bit surreal.

Although on second thoughts, Patrick Troughton , probably.
Not that I have seen any new ones for decades.

[johncorrigan]

.

Although on second thoughts, Patrick Troughton , probably.
Not that I have seen any new ones for decades.

I think that was one of the reasons I liked Matt Smith as the Doctor because he recalled Troughton, probably my favourite Doc - I liked Patrick Troughton in other things too as I was growing. One of the things that Doc Who has done is have some very fine female roles...in recent years the previously mentioned and all too briefly present, Bill Potts; River Song, who I imagine will make a reappearance at some time, or maybe I missed something; Missy, the female version of the Master played madly by Michelle Gomez. I also liked Catherine Tate as the Doc's buddy early on after Rose Tyler exited the Tardis.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... and, of course, Matt Smith's first agent was Wendy Padbury - Zoe Heriot in the (fabulous) Troughton years.

[Richard Tarleton]

James Bond - Sean Connery

There's an important difference between the best James Bond, and the best James Bond film, IMVHO .

Sherlock Holmes - Jeremy Brett

and
Doctor Who - Tom Baker!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I always (and still do) think that a lot of the special quality of the programme was lost when the Doctor regained control of the TARDIS steering - that extra frisson of the early days, when he had no idea where he was going to end up next. I'm rather hoping that the "lost" TARDIS idea of this first Jodie Whitaker series will become a feature - the Doctor trying to catch up with wherever it's got to.

But then, I'd rather like it if she encountered Susan again, several centuries on from his abandoning her on Earth at the end of the second Dalek story, still played by Carol Ann Ford, and really annoying her by keep calling her "Grandfather".


I really should get on with the ironing.

[Nick Armstrong]

Sherlock Holmes - Jeremy Brett

Yeah loved his performances ... got the whole box set of DVDs... but I have to say recently, Brett does seem to me a bit too o.t.t. and mannered/actory...

[DublinJimbo]

:… the new series of the rather marvellous No Offence took priority since ….

Oh yes! I'm delighted that I set this to record. I missed the first series, but I'm really impressed with the new series and will save these recordings to return to. There's much to admire (script, characters, acting …), but it's the sheer pace of the whole thing which stands out for me. Terrific stuff.

[Lat-Literal]

Sherlock Holmes has been mentioned. I have been listening to a fair bit of him on BBC R4 Extra recently. It's now the only mainly talk station I can cope with. But is he a bit too smug?



This is not at all bad for a Channel 5 TV effort. Tonight it featured the lost Somerset and Dorset Railway via a walk and it included a section on Glastonbury. He is ok. I wasn't at all sure at first - he seemed to be another in the too modern mould - but he did grow on me slightly as it all kicked in. He is obviously coming from my sort of angle in some ways so it chimed.

Channel 5 : Walking Britain's Lost Railways:

http://www.channel5.com/show/walking-britains-lost-railways/

[Nick Armstrong]

Sherlock Holmes has been mentioned. I have been listening to a fair bit of him on BBC R4 Extra recently. It's now the only mainly talk station I can cope with. But is he a bit too smug?

Yeah was listening to one of those Carleton Hobbs versions earlier - he does play him rather smug, that's a good word. But I enjoy them (the early 60s station announcer reading the title - twice - and the credits is fun too!)

[Lat-Literal]

Yeah was listening to one of those Carleton Hobbs versions earlier - he does play him rather smug, that's a good word. But I enjoy them (the early 60s station announcer reading the title - twice - and the credits is fun too!)

Yes, thank you Caliban - they are very good fun.

I thought the one set in Reigate had a beginning and an end and absolutely no middle which was extraordinary in its way.

I listened to it twice.

[oddoneout]

I have been enjoying Rob Bell's walks on lost railways as well. Relaxed, informative, plenty of scenery, and largely free from the kind of contrivance that tends to ruin so many programmes for me these days - silly reconstructions/"can I have a go?"/ 'background' music that drowns out both nature and the presenter, etc.

[Lat-Literal]

I have been enjoying Rob Bell's walks on lost railways as well. Relaxed, informative, plenty of scenery, and largely free from the kind of contrivance that tends to ruin so many programmes for me these days - silly reconstructions/"can I have a go?"/ 'background' music that drowns out both nature and the presenter, etc.

….and thank you for having the courtesy of mentioning him by name which I didn't. If you Google him, you will find that he is a combination of academic (University of Bath etc) and wild international adventurer (whitewater rapids etc), so he is a bit modern and I am not surprised. But both of are not hugely indicated in this series which may or may not be a plus.

[LMcD]

Recommended viewing: '54 Hours - The Gladbeck Hostage Crisis'. Top-rate 2-part German production based on a real-life incident (mind you, 'incident' scarcely does justice to what happened). Part 1 2100-2230 on BBC 4 last night with Part 2 next Saturday.