Doctor Who Fandom Challenge Days 13 and 14: Favourite theme tune and hated character I love

[miss_s_b]

(a list of the questions and links to all the answers can be found on this entry)

Favourite version of the theme tune

You can watch all of them here:



You have to give props to the original Delia Darbyshire arrangement. Nothing quite like it had ever been done before, and it's been steadily watered down ever since. I particularly detest the current series inability to have it without a full orchestra. The whole POINT was its electronic otherworldliness. Orchestras are bad and wrong for the Doctor Who theme.

That said, I do have a soft spot for the Peter Howell version that suffuses my childhood memories. That BOOOM at the end...

Character whom I love that everyone else hates



Lookit him, he's so lovely.

Comments

[magister]

Favourite version of the theme - the original Delia Derbyshire one. In 1963, there was nothing on elevision that sounded like it. In 2013, there's nothing on televisin that sounds like it. And there hasn't been anything in the interim either. When Doctor Who started out, it's remit was to sound like nothing on Earth. Sadly, that's changed.

Character I love who everyone else hates. Probably 6 as well. Although I met Bonnie Langford once and she was lovely - and Mel in the Big Finish stories is very good.

[miss_s_b]

Yes, Mel in Big Finish is very good. I particularly like her in The One Doctor and The Juggernauts.

[magister]

Just to add, of the new series theme arrangements, I quite like the Eccleston one. Parting of the Ways is currently on Watch and going from Eccleston's speech of "I'm coming to get you" into the more martial sounding theme does give a bit of a "war has been declared" vibe.

Also, just noticed that the Dalek blasts hitting the Tardis forcefield when the Doctor meets the Emperor play the opening notes of "Hey Big Spender". That's odd.

Plus there's the question of the title graphics. I'll go for the original howlround Hartnell sequence, the Troughton variation with Pat's face and the Baker Time Tommel. Again, the early title sequences looked like nothing else, really. The ones from late Tom Baker onwards are largely made up of stars going past and don't feel like anything unique. Of them, the McCoy and the new Smith sequences are better because of the feeling of greater freedom of movement in them, but I still prefer the Mad Tom slit scan version.

[miss_s_b]

Got Big Spender in my head now. Bugger.

[magister]

"Hey big Roxy, Stench a little time with me"

[miss_s_b]

The minute you walked in the joint, I could smell you were a dog of di-stink-tion... ;)

[hellokitsune]

The original version's my favourite too, I do wish they'd let Muse have a crack at it though but that might just be my inner(-ish) fangirl talking.

[magister]

I quite liked the Orbital version from about 10 years ago.

[miss_s_b]

I'd like to hear a really good rock/metal version of it too. I've heard a couple of not-so-good ones...

[andrewducker]

I liked Colin a lot. Rubbish stories, largely, but I still liked his take on the character.

[pmoodie]

I have to go with the 70s theme. It's the first one I heard and between the ages of 4 and 7-ish, the programme used to terrify me every week, so hearing the theme tune made me anticipate 25 minutes of delicious terror. :)

I'm not sure I love any characters that everyone else hates, unless maybe it's David Tennant's Doctor. We're re-watching him at the moment (just finished Martha's series and about to watch Voyage of the Damned) and I am enjoying him thoroughly again. Yes, he can take his gurning and his mockney sparra routine a bit far at times, but then there's Human Nature/The Family of Blood, so all is forgiven.