The Classic Series vs The New Series

[carmen_lj]

There's a curious discussion going on at teh OG just now (worry not, kids, this is nought to do with shipping or beloved companions) that's a general back and forth snarkorama over whether Classic or New Who is better. The answer, course, is that both are rather smashing and 'betterness' is so ridiculously subjective (and, indeed, Lambert is as different from Letts as Adams is from RTD, that viewing the whole Classic series as single entity is silly anyway) that it's an almost meaningless discussion.

Anyway point is that someone said that no-one who's got into Who through the New Series and then gone onto Classic will prefer the Classic one. So I was curious (and I'm pretty sure at least one person on teh flist has pretty explicitly stated that they do) and will thus discover truth by means of that Ultimate Skientific Test, the LJ poll.

[Poll #1041361]

I have reluctantly provided a cop-out choice. I will Totally Judge You for picking it.

Comments

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Your lack of shame is WIN!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

The nice thing about the sexism is that when it explicitly turns up, it's challenged by the female character, who either snarks, forces them to give in, or shrugs then sneaks off and does the dangerous thing anyway.

And Barry Letts, at least, was genuinely trying for a more liberal PC tone when he was producer, so I've read, anyway/

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Omg! Eight/Grace love FTW! Dude! :D

[tellitslant]

Excuse me, the Classic series has TWO Romanas and the New series has none. Debate settled.

(Actually it's a tough, tough call, but yeah, New is too painfully earnest for me to love it quite as much.)

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

That's Hinchcliffe's damned problem, he ain't as pretty.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I do quite like his voice though.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

some of us actually like rubber monsters and cardboard sets for their own sake

Yep - when I say Invasion of the Dinosaurs is in my top 5 stories, people invariably bring up the fact that it has rubbish plastic dinosaurs. To which I say "but on the plus side, IT HAS RUBBISH PLASTIC DINOSAURS!!"

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I think ma big thing is that I find the old series a lot more rewatchable than New. New's so slick, so quick that I don't feel like I really miss anything whereas there's always an Exciting New Harnell Fluff waiting to be discovered.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

The Gel Guards wibble-wobble and make wibble-wobble noises and look more than a little ridiculous and OMG it's the best invasion force ever, yes.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I'll happily take rubber monsters over CGI any day. Throw in some Ray Harryhausen stop-motion and a good plot-intensive script and you can't ask for more.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

A Shameful Fact: I have watched The Three Doctors more than any other Doctor Who story, bar The Five Doctors. And it is mostly for the Gel Guards. I love them like I love the Kandyman.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, I remember watching The Mind Robber for the first time and getting very excited at the Medusa because it was JUST LIKE JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS SPECIAL EFFECTS.

[evil_plotbunny]

I LOVE THEM ALL AND WILL NOT APOLOGISE FOR IT!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Mine's The Time Monster; I don't know how many times I've seen it, but the tape's starting to go with the fuzzy lines turning up all over it

[calapine.livejournal.com]

I HATE ALL NEUTRALS, OMG!!

[evil_plotbunny]

*CRIES TEARS OF WOE*

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

I am filthy and must be hosed down. I love both.

I think Pertwee was my first, but I do not love him, for he had giant green monsters which scared me away. But I did love Baker - of the Tom variety.

But then my great Love! was Seven. And now it's Seven through Ten. Which I believe adds up to 17. Seventeen for win!

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

It's funny. Back in '96, McGann seemed new, fresh, like nothing we'd ever had before. That he is now considered the last gasp of the original show is amusing in a bewildering sort of way. And a bit sad. Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the new stuff (apart from Rose and Martha swooning over the Doctor like he was Elvis or something because Sam Jones and Charley Pollard did it first and did it better, dammit. Oh, and anything to do with a paving slab and/or Dobby the House Elf), but I much prefer the classic era to the nouvelle cuisine which has penetrated the establishment.

Ideally, I'd like a mix of old and new, but for preference, I'm an Old Skool fanboy. :)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

TRICKSY NEUTRAL TRICKERY!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

You can love both and have a preference! Curse this neutrality!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

No self-respecting Old Skool fanboy would declare PT his favourite story, surely? :p

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

Point of Clarification: I like both Rose and Martha. I don't mind romance for the Doctor. I just don't think they're executing it particularly well. And I don't think that "Whoopsies, I lurve the Doctor!" should be the new "Whoopsies, I sprained my ankle!"...

[pextheunalive.livejournal.com]

Respect myself? Woman, I'm a writer now, the last person I would respect is myself! :D

[evil_plotbunny]

SUBVERSIVE ICONING

[arefadedaway.livejournal.com]

One has Patrick Troughton and Romana. The other doesn't.

someone said that no-one who's got into Who through the New Series and then gone onto Classic will prefer the Classic one.

*raises hand* Yes, they do! This silly American never paid attention when it ran when I was little, and as a twenty-something I dig the nifty plasticine dinosaurs.