Will the doctor bowl 'em over?
- Publication: The Age
- Date: 1982-04-22
- Author:
- Page:
- Language: English
WILL the Dr Who fans stand for it?
Each Dr Who is very different from the one before. That's what regeneration is all about, and that's what makes it possible for each new actor to play the role in his own way.
Peter Davison, who takes over as Dr Who in Castrovalva (6.30 pm Tuesday on Channel 2), is younger than Tom Baker's doctor, very appealing, very shaky (after all, he's only half-transformed).
But Davison's Dr Who carries a cricket bat. And his costume is cricket creams. He looks like a 1930s Oxford student preparing for a match at Lords. Or Great Gatsby, English style.
What will the non-cricketing fans think of that?
The doctor's assistants are looking younger too: Adric, Nyssa and Tegan, all recently arrived on board the Tardis, all designed to attract the 15-20-year-old fans.
There's Adric (strongly played by Matthew Waterhouse), Nyssa (Sarah Sutton, prettily dressed in interstellar gypsy gear) and Tegan, (Janet Fielding); a Jaunty little air hostess from Brisbane, Australia.
Calling all Brisbanites. Wince with me over Tegan's exaggerated "Australian" vowel sounds. When she says "strange", it sounds like "stra-wounge", as if her Concorde was about to land on the Black Stump, back o' Bourke. Janet Fielding must have been in London so long, she had to re-learn her accent, and she's gone too far.
The BBC producers may have made a mistake with Tegan, but then they're probably only trying to please she Aussie fans.
We asked three of our regular contributors to the C Page, Vicki Thieberger of South Yarra, Michael Kitson of Canterbury and Marla Laczynsiti of Essendob, to help preview the new series of Dr Who. Here's what they said:
Vicki Thieberger: "I like the way the doctor keeps referring back to his old assistants — Jamie, Vicki, Romana — to tie it all together. It's surprising at the beginning, when the assistants are struggling with the police. Dr Who hasn't been so violent for a long time."
Michael Kitson: "This Dr Who is getting closer to a superhero, which is spoiling it slightly. The special effects in the first episode are very good, but I'm not too keen on the doctor's new uniform. It's all going to become too crickety. Sooner or later they'll have Tegan introducing the doctor to Aussie Rules!"
Marla Laczynskl: "It's a bit funny picking a cricket suit, because the doctor's never had anything to do with cricket before. Peter Davison looks as if he might turn out to be like Tom Baker, not serious, more comic. I guess he's more childlike, by contrast to the first one, who was a cranky old. man."
Generally, Vicki, Michael and Maria loved the new Peter Davison Dr Who. They're all unshakeable fans.
Caption: Peter Davison a cricket-playing Dr Who. Will the fain stand for it?
Caption: Janet Fielding as Tegan, her vowel sounds are very "strawounge".
Disclaimer: These citations are created on-the-fly using primitive parsing techniques. You should double-check all citations. Send feedback to whovian@cuttingsarchive.org
- APA 6th ed.: (1982-04-22). Will the doctor bowl 'em over?. The Age .
- MLA 7th ed.: "Will the doctor bowl 'em over?." The Age [add city] 1982-04-22. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: "Will the doctor bowl 'em over?." The Age, edition, sec., 1982-04-22
- Turabian: "Will the doctor bowl 'em over?." The Age, 1982-04-22, section, edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Will the doctor bowl 'em over? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Will_the_doctor_bowl_%27em_over%3F | work=The Age | pages= | date=1982-04-22 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 November 2024 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Will the doctor bowl 'em over? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Will_the_doctor_bowl_%27em_over%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=23 November 2024}}</ref>
