Are you excited about this year's Christmas Special?

I'm looking foreward to Bill Bailey, my most favoraitest comedian ever, being in it, but no not really looking foreward to it as such. I am concerned that the Christmas specials have just lost all meaning and are just one more of the "annual Christmas specials" like so many other shows...

stanmore wrote:It's a little sad that there isn't the same level of giddy excitement for a new episode that there has been for the rediscovery of old episodes, especially when the old episodes in question are known to be of... questionable... quality.

Well, that's prettty special. Even if the episodes in question aren't your cup of tea, it's cool to have some more of what was lost found again.

I find myself looking forward to the special more, it helps BBCA keeps advertizing it (along with ads for re-airings of Christmas specials past).

The old episodes have charm and nostalgia on their side, and a degree of comfort in that we know pretty much what sort of bad they're going to be. New episodes, on the other hand, are unknown and threatening - especially since we hope for so much and fear that they'll deliver so little.

Frankly if it avoids emotional torture and exploding babies, I'll be ... Well, not happy, necessarily, but profoundly relieved.

I'm looking forward to it - if only because it means I'll have done my duty as a daughter and popped over to hold the fort at Mum's between one brother staying on Christmas Eve and the other coming at 1:30 Christmas day afternoon, fed the family and be relaxing with wine and chocolate

Not in the way I used to, but that's generally the way I feel about the series now, though I am eagerly awaiting the start of the Whithouse Era when/if it comes about.

I was coming up with a metaphor for Moffat as the coalition - it seemed a good idea at the time, but now I just want it over with...

Blogtor Who is not over keen.

Zoltar wrote:

stanmore wrote:It's a little sad that there isn't the same level of giddy excitement for a new episode that there has been for the rediscovery of old episodes, especially when the old episodes in question are known to be of... questionable... quality.

Well, that's prettty special. Even if the episodes in question aren't your cup of tea, it's cool to have some more of what was lost found again.

Yes, I suppose that I must say that it is special that these episodes, missing after all these years have come back from the dead (and in fairness, the two clips were entertaining - far more so than when I heard them on audio). However, to me, it is far more special that the Doctor Who continues to grow. That we get to see new worlds, or new ways of looking at our one.

lucy_who wrote:The old episodes have charm and nostalgia on their side, and a degree of comfort in that we know pretty much what sort of bad they're going to be. New episodes, on the other hand, are unknown and threatening - especially since we hope for so much and fear that they'll deliver so little.

Frankly if it avoids emotional torture and exploding babies, I'll be ... Well, not happy, necessarily, but profoundly relieved.

Not all of the old episodes have charm.

I think the issue I have is that I'm seeing very little of the "hope for so much". Even to the point of not expecting it to be better than Galaxy 4.

Moffat does like to put his characters through the wringer, so emotional torture is a possibility, though I would guess is that it won't have exploding babies...

Nick Barlow wrote:I was coming up with a metaphor for Moffat as the coalition - it seemed a good idea at the time, but now I just want it over with...

Well, you could also make the argument that it was the only real solution at the time...

stanmore wrote:Yes, I suppose that I must say that it is special that these episodes, missing after all these years have come back from the dead (and in fairness, the two clips were entertaining - far more so than when I heard them on audio). However, to me, it is far more special that the Doctor Who continues to grow. That we get to see new worlds, or new ways of looking at our one.

Well, I certainly agree that DW's continuing growth is a fantastic thing, long may it continue. No doubt viewers have come to expect a Christmas special at this stage, whereas the recovered episodes were a surprise.

There's one comment on that Blogtor Who post that sums up a lot of my problems with the current approach:

In trying to put my finger on what simply doesn't gell for me. I think it is that the geist of the current series is smugness - look at how clever this bit is, isn't it clever how I just did this - see and if you can see how clever this is, you're clever too. Now just wait for the next clever bit and don't worry too much about the fact that it doesn't make sense in between, because we're both clever and anyone who wants to complain is not part of our clever gang.

I agreed with quite a lot in the Blogtor Who post and the comments. Moffat's Who is not sitting right with me but it's an overall feeling, so to speak, as a lot of the episodes are, taken individually, really good. However, I always felt that there was a joy in RTD's Who which is not now there. As with the Sarah Jane Adventures (yes, I loved them), I got an uplifting feeling of 'The universe is wonderful but occasionally awful things happen.' Moffat's universe just seems, as lucy_who said, much bleaker; almost like an awful place where occasionally good things happen. I miss that joy.

And yes, no more complicated arcs please.

Still, hoping for the best with the Christmas episode.

Christmas specials tend to be ruined for me by elderly relatives that keep asking what's going on and getting bored and deciding to talk very loudly over the TV. I'm looking forward to it, but not to watching it with family. At least this year I can threaten to talk all the way through Downton Abbey if they don't shut up.

Shrewd call.

Johnstone McGuckian wrote:Christmas specials tend to be ruined for me by elderly relatives that keep asking what's going on and getting bored and deciding to talk very loudly over the TV. I'm looking forward to it, but not to watching it with family. At least this year I can threaten to talk all the way through Downton Abbey if they don't shut up.

If said elderly relatives were children during the War, they will probably spend the entire special reminiscing about their childhood and moaning about all the factual inaccuracies in the production.
And don't even think of talking through Downton Abbey, said elderly relatives will skin you alive.

My nana always goes for her bath during the Chrustmas Special. Since she cant manage the stairs very well, she does her goodnights to everyone, individually, on the way.

This is why I spend Christmas Day wee, and watch the repeat.

Dear Profanity Filter Bot

"Wee" is not a grammatically appropriate replacement for the word I actually used, as it is a noun whereas I utilised an adjective.

Love and kisses

Lucy

Yeah, it's stupid. I just tried changing it but seem to have failed miserably.

wee.

Bugger.

Still, try typing d-e-u-s e-x m-a-c-h-i-n-a: without the dashes obviously. Nowt like a bit of humourous irony!

I'll be out most of the day on Christmas, won't be home till late. And I doubt BBCA is carried where I'll be. So I guess I'll either see the special sometime that night or in the early part of the next day.

lucy_who wrote:Dear Profanity Filter Bot

"Wee" is not a grammatically appropriate replacement for the word I actually used, as it is a noun whereas I utilised an adjective.

Love and kisses

Lucy

You'd have thought the little bugger might at least have changed it to we-ed

ending I didn\'t like

BRIAN BLESSED!

BRIAN BLESSED! is a wee ****

****. Just checking

Ginger Ninja wrote:I'm looking foreward to Bill Bailey, my most favoraitest comedian ever, being in it, but no not really looking foreward to it as such. I am concerned that the Christmas specials have just lost all meaning and are just one more of the "annual Christmas specials" like so many other shows...

The Co=Ordinator wrote:Blogtor Who is not over keen.

So it looks like Ninja may be disappointed:

Blogtor Who review wrote:Bailey especially is horrifically underutilised and someone as beloved as he is, someone who is on most fan lists to appear on the show (including mine) should have been gifted a larger part.

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lucy_who wrote:Dear Profanity Filter Bot

"Wee" is not a grammatically appropriate replacement for the word I actually used, as it is a noun whereas I utilised an adjective.

Love and kisses

Lucy

Seems like even this forum doesn't want to let you forget that whole "weeing mod" meme.