3 Doctor Panel from Chicago Tardis 2013

I just got done putting this together. This is the 3 Doctor panel from Chicago Tardis 2013 featuring, Peter Davison, Colin Baker & Paul McGann. It is pretty funny.

Brand New, Gospel of Gallifrey Posted

We just posted the newest article of Gospel of Gallifrey written by TJ Tunnington. This month he examines people's hatred of Dr Who because of visual effects. Enjoy

Frazer Hines Q & A at Chicago Tardis 2013

Frazer Hines Question & Answer session at Chicago Tardis 2013. Frazer played Jamie, a companion of the 2nd Doctor.

Review Chicago Tardis 2013

Chicago Tardis 2013 is now over and I thought I would give you a review of the convention.

Guest line-up was awesome. Paul McGann, Peter Davison & Colin Baker. 3 Doctors at one convention is very hard to do. Not only having 3 Doctors, but bringing in classic companions, Louise Jameson, Frazer Hines, Sarah Sutton, Nicola Bryant & Daphne Ashbrook put it over the top. Then add some current Dr Who actors like Dan Starkey, Richard Hope & Nina Toussaint-White. Then the line-up from Big Finish and throw in some writers like Tony Lee makes this guest line-up epic. Then to top it off, they bring in Freema Agyeman! Wow, is all I can say.

Now the drawback to having such great guests is that it can create lots of problems for attendees to get photos and autographs. This is where Chicago Tardis did not do well. I think they should have allowed less people to attend the convention or find a bigger space. This would have made for a better experience for the fans. I think they tried their best and the actors actually went out of their way to make sure all the fans who wanted photos and autographs were seen. If you are going to have a superstar line-up, like they did, then you need a bigger space.

The main stage panels were great. The actors did a fantastic job telling stories and jokes and even doing a Christmas carol. There is so much going on though, that it's hard to see all the panels or one had to leave during it to make sure one got their photo/autograph that they wanted. My favorite main stage panel was the Q&A with Dan Starkey who plays Strax. He was very funny and you can tel
l he's a big fan of Dr Who before he was even on the show. He actually did some of the Q&A using Strax's voice. Hilarious. One of my other favorite panels was Frazer Hines. He has some of the best stories and does an awesome job of impersonating Patrick Troughton. Just watching him, you can tell that he loves what he did on the show and loves what the show has become.

I did not get to see much of the side panels because of everything that is going on the convention. What I saw was kinda lacking in substance and guests. There were very few panels, I wanted to see. The one I did go to it was hard to hear them because there was no microphone in the room.

Cosplay was great. You can see some of the pictures we took in our costume play section. The Chicago's costume contest is called the Masquerade Ball. The place was packed for this competition. I was surprised that some of the great costumes I saw earlier in the day were not on stage. I'm not sure if they didn't sign up or didn't meet the requirements for the competition. The overall winner was a couple dressed as Matt Smith and Jenna Louise Coleman in "The Snowmen". Pretty decent costume.

During the halftime portion of the Masquerade Ball was the Dr Who improv group WHOPROV who acted out a story with suggestions from an audience member. This was better then the actual contest, I thought. The actors did a fantastic job.

Lastly, Chicago Tardis raised $2900 for the Illinois Food Bank with their silent auction and their live auction. Your's truly spent almost $600 on a poster signed by 17 people from the show including Patrick Troughton Jon Petrwee Elisabeth Sladen & many others. I have pictures of the poster on our Facebook page.

Overall, I give the Chicago Tardis a 3.5 Tardis's out of 5. It was a solid convention. The highlight for us was having Louise Jameson insist that we be allowed to interview her for our site. She ushered us back to the green room for the interview even though we knew Chicago Tardis did not want us there. While backstage we saw Freema Agyeman walk in and hug Peter Davison. Sarah Sutton and Frazer Hines were hanging out. I will always remember how Louise went out of her way to help us. She is a class act. The other highlight was seeing Frazer Hines wearing our logo pin on stage for the closing ceremonies.

Big Finish Panel at Chicago Tardis 2013

This was the Big Finish panel at Chicago Tardis 2013, featuring Jason Haigh-Ellery, Ken Bentley, Tracey Childs, Amy Pemberton & Paul Spragg.

Interview with Louise Jameson

We were able to sit down and interview Louise Jameson at Chicago Tardis 2013. Louise played "Leela", the companion for the 4th Doctor (Tom Baker) from 1977-78. A big thanks to Louise for doing this for us.

Here we come Chicago

We are heading out to Chicago Tardis, very soon. The convention runs Nov 29 - Dec 1st. We will be out there for the whole weekend and will be tweeting all day long with the happenings and photos of the convention. If you are going to be at the show and spot us, come over and say hi. We will have a limited number of Freebies to give out. Follow us on Twitter for all the happenings of the show. http://twitter.com/eastcoastdrwho

Day of the Doctor Review

This was the episode 50 years in the making and did it ever deliver. This was probably the first in the new series that very little information about the episode hadn't leaked. It was kinda like the classic series, before the internet and you had no idea what was to come.

This episode could be broken down into two stories, the Zygons and the Time War. The Zygons looked great. Dr Who production has done such a great job of creating new looks for old villains. Just like the Ice Warriors early this year, the Zygons looked awesome. The story itself felt like it wasn't complete. It seemed like they just dropped the Zygon story all together. We needed to know what was in the treaty and do the humans and Zygons get their memory back after the treaty is signed? Hopefully, the Zygons will return soon to answer our questions.

The other story in this episode dealt with the decision of John Hurt to wipe out the Time Lords and the Daleks. Throughout the whole story, I just kept saying to myself "Don't do it, John". I think everyone was surprised how they used Billie Piper. Her playing the "Bad Wolf" Rose would not have been my first choice. Wouldn't it had been cool to see the conscience of the weapon change during the episode of older companions? Yes they wouldn't have looked the same, but it still would have been cool to see everyone. In the end the Doctors came up with their own plan to end the Time War. A little far fetched if you ask me. So the Daleks are destroyed with crossfire. Yea, not the greatest idea Moffat ever had. I think he got stuck and couldn't find a way to destroy the Daleks. The best thing to happen with this story arc is that Gallifery is out there and the Doctor will try and find it. I love Gallifrey stories, whether it be from the classic series or Big Finish stories, you know when Gallifrey shows up the story will be a classic.

Lastly, I could not end this without talking about the appearance of Tom Baker. This was a well kept secret by Moffat and it was well done. Tom Baker finally returns to Dr Who after so so many years. Yes, he has done Big Finish stories, but seeing him on TV brought a tear to my eye. His voice was exactly like it was back in the late 70's. I could close my eyes and hear that voice and see my favorite Doctor reliving my favorite adventures. It will be interesting to see if the Curator will ever be brought back and if they explain who he really is. Is he the Doctor or is he not? If not he seems to know a lot about the Doctor's past and his future.

Overall, Day of the Doctor gets a 4.5 Tardis's out of 5. Great episode.

New Column, "Gospel of Gallifrey"

We would like to introduce, TJ Tunnington to all of our fans here at East Coast Who. TJ will be doing a monthly or bi-monthly column  called "Gospel of Gallifrey". Which he will give his own opinions and insights into anything Dr Who. Please check out his first column.

Dr Who 50th Anniversary Poll Results

For the past month, we have asked our fans for their opinions about the past 50 years.

First up. "Greatest Episode" and the winner was Blink. Blink scared the pants off us and everyone else.I was a little surprised an episode with such little on-screen Doctor and companion made #1.

Next was "Greatest Companion". No surprise it was Sarah Jane Smith. She is the iconic Dr Who companion and is the person that all companions are compared to.


Lastly, was the "Greatest Moment". The winner was David Tennant regenerating into Matt Smith. Lots of our fans were sad when Tennant left the show.

Here's hoping for 50 more years of Dr Who.

New Logo

Announcing our new Logo, created by James Irvine.

Happy Birthday Paul McGann

Night of The Doctor

BBC Release "Night of the Doctor" which is a prequel to "Day of the Doctor".  Great performance by Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor and is the first time we have seen him playing the Doctor on TV since the Doctor Who Movie. What's really big is that McGann mentions his former companions from the Big Finish Audio Stories, which now makes them part of Dr Who cannon. After watching this many times, one has to wonder what a McGann Doctor Series would have been like. His performance is flawless and makes me hunger to see him again on TV playing the Doctor.

Day of the Doctor Trailers

If this doesn't get you excited, nothing will.

Review Dr Who: Besieged

So you never heard of Dr Who Besieged? Well, that because it's a fan film. I was searching the net for a good Dr Who Fan Film and came across Ryan Hendrick's Besieged. I have to admit I was impressed. This is basically Dr Who meets Aliens.  Interesting concept. Not my first choice for a cross-over for Dr Who, but not a bad one.

I wasn't expecting much, since this was a fan film but I was pleasantly surprised. The acting was good. No great, but it didn't feel like a novice saying the lines. The Doctor is played by Ryan Hendrick and his Doctor is kinda like David Tennant, but not as whimsical. The special effects were not too bad. Yes they are some cheesy special effects, but we are Dr Who fans. We love cheesy special effects. Now this is kinda on the long side. Part 1 is like 43 mins and part 2 is 54 mins.

Overall, I give it a 2 out of 5 Tardis's if being compared to other Dr Who episodes. Rated as a Fan Film, I give it a 5 out 5 Tardis's. This is better then some real Dr Who episodes, which is pretty amazing for a fan film to do. I can't wait to see what else Ryan will be doing.

Happy Birthday Matt Smith

The Light at the End

Big Finish will be releasing their 50th anniversary episode, too called "The Light at the End". I absolutely love the Big Finish productions of Dr Who. If you have never tried them, you should and what better way with this release. It can be ordered here.

Day of the Doctor Trailer

Just in case you are living under a rock and have not seen the trailer for the 50th Anniversary episode, here it is. November 23rd, can not get here soon enough.

We're on Twitter

East Coast Dr Who has joined the Twitter Universe. Click here to follow us.

Terror of the Zygons Review

• Aired Aug-Sept 1975
• Last regular appearance of Ian Marter of Harry Sullivan
• First appearance of the Zygons

I figures this would be a great time to review, Terror of the Zygons, since they will be appearing in the 50th Anniversary episode of Dr Who coming up in November. Terror of the Zygons is a great episode in my opinion. Tom Baker is right in his stride of playing the Doctor. He shines in this episode.

The Zygons are an interesting villain who can take the shape of humans that they capture. The Zygons are stranded on earth and that got me to thinking that a lot of aliens get
stranded on Earth. It seems that any alien flying by Earth, will immediately have spaceship problems and have to land on Earth. It's like the Bermuda Triangle of space. Someone should look into this. The Zygons look kinda ridiculous and there plan to take over the Earth was not really thought out. It should be interesting how they update them in the 50th anniversary episode.

Overall, I give this a 4 out of 5 Tardis's. Solid story, great acting and just the right length makes this episode a must watch. I couldn't end this without talking about time spent in the Tardis by Harry Sullivan. Eventhough his time was short with the Doctor, his impact lasted a long time. Growing up as a kid, Harry was the male companion that I remember the most. He was smart and heroic and complemented Sarah and the Doctor perfectly.

Missing Episodes Found

It's official, the BBC announced that 9 missing episodes of  Dr Who were found in Africa. 5 episodes of Patrick Troughton's "The Enemy of the World" were found, which now the BBC has the complete serial. Should be great to watch Patrick Troughton play the Doctor and the villain in the episode. Also, 4 episodes of Troughton's "Web of Fear" were found which means they are only missing one epsiode of that serial. Web of Fear features the first appearance of Alistar Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart played by the late Nicholas Courtney. I can't wait to see these. I heard they should be out on DVD in November. Hopefully more episodes will be found. Come on everyone start looking. Maybe there's one under my bed.

Chicago Tardis 2013

The Chicago Tardis will be held this year Nov. 29th- Dec 1st at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, IL. Lots of guests have already been announced that will be there including, Peter Davison, Colin Baker & Paul McGann. 3 Doctors! We will be attending the show also. If you see us wearing East Coast Dr Who shirts, stop us and say "Hello". Tickets can be purchased at, Chicago Tardis.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Nicholas Briggs. 

Not only do you voice the Daleks, but you do a great job writing and overseeing Big finish Audio.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Bill Piper (Rose) and to Frazer Hines (Jamie). Wouldn't you love to see Rose & Jamie in the Tardis together? I think there would be a love connection.

Congratulations

We just hit 100 Likes on Facebook. 

50th Anniversary Episode

50th Anniversary Episode Poster

BBC announced the episode will be called "The  Day of the Doctor" and will be 75 mins long.

 Happy Birthday, Janet Fielding

 

The Keeper of Traken - Review

•  Aired in 1981
•  1st Appearance of Nyssa
•  1st Appearance of Anthony Ainley as the Master

The Keeper of Traken is a pretty solid Dr Who episode. The Master returns since the Deadly Assassin episode and we get to see the great Anthony Ainley start his run as the Master.  What's nice about this episode is that Anthony plays most of the episode as Tremas, an actual good guy instead of the evil Master. 
This is Tom Baker's 2nd to last episode and I feel that his performance is not his best. I think that his performance has a lot  to do to the fact that he has no one to banter with. The chemistry between Adric and the Doctor is just not there without Romania there.
The thing that jumps out to me during this episode is the amount of times that the leader of the guards gets knocked unconscious until he's finally killed. The Doctor actually gets him to fall for the huddle trick, where he bangs all of the heads of the guards together while they are huddled up. 
Overall, I give this episode a 3 out of 5 Tardis's. The length of the episode is just right and it's a pretty solid story.

The Invasion Review

•  First Aired in 1968
•  First Appearance of UNIT
•  First Appearance of Sgt Benton

The Invasion is a solid 2nd Doctor episode that sees the Cybermen invading Earth with the help of some humans. Two of the episodes are still missing, so the BBC had those episodes animated. Some people do not like the animated episodes, but I do. They were done very well and I hope to see more animated missing episodes. My only complaint of the Invasion, is that there is not a lot of Cybermen action until episode 5. I would love to see the Doctor arrive on Earth after the Cybermen have conquered Earth, kinda like the Dalek Invasion of Earth. Overall, I give it a 3 out of 5 Tardis's.

Welcome

Welcome to our new site for East Coast Dr Who. We have some new updates coming soon, including a Brand New Logo. We will be offering shirts with the new logo on it soon. Please join our forum at the top and start posting stuff about Dr Who.