Re: Doctor Who
 

The difference between Hartnell and all the rest of the classic era was that there was still a cliffhanger between the stories. In fact the stories themselves weren’t given overall titles until years later. The first ‘story’, which spanned the original show’s first 4 episodes, is now known as ‘An Unearthly Child’, because that happens to be the title of the first episode. However the second, six-part story, now commonly called ‘The Daleks’, doesn’t have an episode title by that name. Part one of that story is called ‘The Dead Planet’, and it is set up by the cliffhanger at the end of an episode called ‘The Firemakers’, which is An Unearthly Child part 4. At the end of this episode, the Tardis travels from prehistoric earth to Skaro, and the closing shot is the TARDIS’ radiation detector beginning to register the dangerous environment outside.

I suspect that they really are now setting the show up to exist as a bingeable streaming series, internationally at least, and if they start going for cliffhangers in between stories, or anything remotely like that, then I think that would suggest I’m right. However we will just have to wait and see. Not long now!

Re: Doctor Who
 

As I recall, this happened in at least one of the Jon Pertwee stories as well.

Frontier in Space, which led onto Planet of the Daleks.

Re: Doctor Who
 

Each regeneration episode in the classic era (as well as the modern) was also a cliffhanger. There were also story arcs in the classic series, which didn’t always have overt cliffhangers between stories but would pick up where the previous one left off.

The whole of Tom Baker’s first series (season 12), with the exception of Robot (his very first story) is an arc that starts and finishes on the same space station at two different points in time, interrupted by the Time Lords kidnapping the Doctor and sending him to Skaro to prevent the Genesis of the Daleks.

Season 16 was the Key to Time story arc which ran for the whole season; season 18 has the E-space trilogy, then the return of the Master who gets a trilogy that continues into season 19 and Peter Davison’s first outing. Actually that trilogy has a genuine cliffhanger linking each story - the Master is revealed in his new body at the end of the Keeper of Traken, plus of course there’s the small matter of the Doctor being thrown from a radio telescope by the Master at the end of Logopolis.

I have to stop here, missus’ eye rolling is getting unbearable...

Re: Doctor Who
 

:rofl:

Re: Doctor Who
 

I think the Sunday will work better if on before strictly.

I do remember the McCoy (7th doctor)era and possibly Colin Baker(6th), was for a while, on a Wednesday evening after Wogan. It was eventually on a Saturday between big break and Noel's house party.

I can't wait for its return.

Re: Doctor Who
 

The whole Davison era was broadcast midweek, Mondays and Wednesdays IIRC. Early Colin was also, but then it reverted to Saturday in a new double length format. McCoy’s episodes were always midweek, one episode a week.

Also ... the Trial of a Time Lord was a single story for the whole season, with a cliffhanger at the end of every episode. The different segments of the trial were only given their own names later, for novelisation and VHS release. As originally broadcast the title card was Trial of a Time Lord, part 1-12.

Re: Doctor Who
 

As much as I love old Who stories, many of them with 4 or more parts were so full of filler that they did drag on a bit. I do miss the 2 part stories they had in previous recent series.

Some great episodes felt rushed trying to cram it all in to 40+ minutes.

Re: Doctor Who
 

RTD always used to boast that there was as much story in a 40-minute nu-Who episode as there had been in a typical 4-part, 80-85 minutes in the classic era. He may well have been right, but my only consistent complaint about the show since its revival has been that the pace is a little too fast at times.

Re: Doctor Who
 

new official trailer

https://youtu.be/XCt6f1Ttmy4

Re: Doctor Who
 

What a brilliant trailer.

I am actually rather excited now. It looks fantastic.

Re: Doctor Who
 

Weird aspect ratio on that, seems like almost 2.4:1

Re: Doctor Who
 

I think a lot of high-End productions are being made in anamorphic theatrical aspect ratio now. You will often see a hint of letterboxing at the top and bottom of BBC dramas.

Re: Doctor Who
 

It may have been done just for the trailer and will be 16:9 on broadcast.

Either way it looks stunning and the shots used and special effects look almost movie like.

Re: Doctor Who
 

No question it will be broadcast in 16:9, however it may well have been future-proofed by being shot in 2.39:1. An increasing number of the BBC’s prime dramas are showing a greater or lesser degree of letterboxing at the top and bottom of the screen, suggesting that they are being made in theatrical anamorphic and cropped for broadcast. It is of course entirely possible that they have cropped a 16:9 source to make the trailer look theatrical and impressive but given that the BBC seems to think theatrical aspect ratio for home viewing quality drama is where the industry will eventually go, its by no means certain.

Re: Doctor Who
 

Samsung did release such a cinema ratio TV a number of years ago but it never took off.

Still no confirmed broadcast time though. That may come next week.