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

[codenamecarrot.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

The only problem with Inferno was that there was a lovely shot very near the beginning and then we got evil!Brig in his nasty, baggy evil!pants.

It made me sad.

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

I think quite a few of them came over due to exasperation over the ongoing Rose Woes. (And quarries. Who doesn't love a good quarry?)

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I'd like our fandom to avoid being wanky for, ooh, at least a week. That's be nice. I did like the whole ninja thing though, that was neat.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh, I LOVE IT WHEN PEOPLE SEE OLD STUFF FOR THE FIRST TIME AND LIKE IT; it is maybe my favourite thing about the whole New Old Skool fandom thing, which obv needs a better name, but yes.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

My favourite quarry is the one in Terror of the Autons, where it is actually being a quarry.

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

Such clever use of available geography. I don't think the New Series has managed to work one in yet, unless Utopia's Malcassario or the outdoor confrontation between the Doctor and the Master at the end of S3 count.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Oh, they count. I totally cheered when they arrived on Malcassario and, lo, it was a quarry! :D

[iko.livejournal.com]

I think this is a really tricky question.
As a whole, I like the New Series to the old one even though I am an Old Who fan and watched it first because, frankly, there isn't as much New Who to be not-so-great compared to the Old Who. There are bits in Old Who I don't care for, but there are parts of Old Who that I love more than the best moments in New Who (I have a deep love for "Earthshock" and "Logopolis" (Five doing One through Four is hilarious) and "Caves of Androzani").

[calapine.livejournal.com]

You're another sodding neutral aren't you? :p

(Five doing One through Four is hilarious)

Bless PD! He was worried no-one would pick up on what he was doing with his wee acting skills!

[iko.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was VERY GOOD and opted for "Watched the classic series first but prefer New Who". As I said, as a whole, New Who is better and stronger than Classic Who... which isn't hard to achieve since you're comparing 26 seasons of mixed quality with three very good seasons. I managed to get the husband to admit that some episodes (see: "Blink") are very very good (he's one of those science fiction lovers who dislikes most of the stuff out there was meaningless or repetitive dreck... getting him to say "that was good" is a minor miracle). However, deep in my heart, there are parts of Classic Who that top New Who.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

Hee! Oh, well done!

/patronising

Blink's one of those stories where I can get who people hate Doctor Who to sit down, watch it and admit It Wasn't That Bad.

[immelmanturn.livejournal.com]

Albeit a quarry bedecked with professional-type looking Ancient Ruins, but it's the thought that counts!

[trinalin.livejournal.com]

Just like my politics, I'm a mugwump in my DW love. I will admit that I love the McCoy years more than the new seasons, but I like the new seasons over much of the old seasons.

I CANNOT CHOOSE! I MUST HAVE THEE BOTH!!!

[biichan.livejournal.com]

*raises hand* Judge away. I got into via New Who and am currently watching all the Old Who I can get from the public library. I'll be very happy when somebody returns the tapes with Barbara and Ian on it, because I've heard such good things about them from lurking about your lj.

Anyhow, I like the faster pace of New Who an awful lot, plus pretty much most of my favourite individual episodes so far are New Who. Also, New Who has Martha and Ten/Master and much prettier special effects.

On the other hand, Old Who has Ace and Sara Jane and Jo and Three/Delgado!Master and the Rani and Romana and so much history to it. So, yeah. Hard to choose. It's probably why I like multi-era fics so much.

Re: I CANNOT CHOOSE! I MUST HAVE THEE BOTH!!!

[calapine.livejournal.com]

For Babs and Ian, ye must be prepared for slow, slow sixties pacing. Mostly the first episode is spent doing nought but walking around and chatting.

[calapine.livejournal.com]

He! Mugwump! :D

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

I was a big fan of the New Series and hadn't really seen enough of the Classic series to make a judgment about it (lots of Five with Tegan and Adric). Then I met Seven and Ace and Romana. They win.

Epic Bubble Wrap

[hercircumstance.livejournal.com]

I grew up watching DW on PBS in the '80s (mostly four, five, and some three though I've seen more now) so I am very attached to the classic series. If I had to have only one or the other I'd have the classic series, no questions asked. I like the new series well enough, but old school strikes an epic note for me that the new series can't seem to strike, as enjoyable as it often is. Epic bubble wrap. *glomps*

Re: I CANNOT CHOOSE! I MUST HAVE THEE BOTH!!!

[biichan.livejournal.com]

*nods* Rather like with the Tenth Planet, yes? (They had that one at the library at least. It was interesting, but dragging in places and I kept looking at it and going 'dude, this isn't the 1986 I vaguely remember.' I rather like One, though he's not my favourite Doctor. That would be Seven right now.)

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

The new Who is good and glossy and well-made and utterly utterly admirable TV... but neither it - nor the two Doctors so far, both of whom are fine actors, but who aren't the Doctor - have had that touch of something very different and special...

Which, to be fair, is probably simply because it's no longer unique. And there's far less OTT, but then the OTT was for glorying in :)

All JMO, of course. I'll watch new Who, but only if there's nothing else to do...

[callmeromana.livejournal.com]

I've got complete First season on dvds; BUT after watching Old skool I can't watch New! I've got 3rd Season (.torrent), and I even don't want to download 2nd. I like New Series (only don't like Rose), but they've got a lot of disadvantages: they are short, melodramatic and aren't so interesting as Old!

[meddow.livejournal.com]

I’m a New Series convert to the Classic Series and though I’ve only seen about 15 serials so far, I’m leaning towards the classic series at the moment. There’s something so incredibly endearing about it, they tried so hard and made do so well with what they had available. And I’m another who enjoys slightly crap monsters and special effects.

But the real selling point is the variety. With classic show if I get bored of the same old I can hunt something from a completely different era and it will be different show. Though really it’s something of unfair advantage since new Who’s just not old enough to have reinvented itself a couple of time over yet.

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

Great idea! I like that term.

Eight, for me, was totally seperate from the Doctors I'd grown up with as a small child.

[bramblyhedge.livejournal.com]

I picked the cop-out. But! I am not a neutral. I'm a h0r and will take Doctor Who any way I can get it. ;)

[order_of_chaos]

I'm a FILTHY, FILTHY NEUTRAL.

Sorry.

In other words, I watched the New Series first, have not yet seen every single episode of the Classic Series, and am therefore incapable of making an informed decision. But I filthily, neutrally, fanatically worship everything I've seen so far (and some of what I haven't).