Doctor Who: Series 1 - Volume 4

Starring: Billie Piper, Christopher Eccleston Original UK Premiere: 2005 Dvd Release: 5th September, 2005 Number Of Discs: 1 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Doctor Who spin-offs refers to material created outside of, but related to, the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Both during the main run of the series from 1963 to 1989 & after its cancellation, numerous novels, comic strips, comic books & other material were generated based on the characters & situations introduced the show. These spin-offs continued to be produced even without a television series to support them & helped keep the show alive in the minds of its fans & the public. The programme is being revived in 2005. One aspect of Doctor Who spin-offs which makes them different from spin-offs from other science fictions franchises was that many of the television stars & writers have been directly involved in the production of the spinoffs & it has become very common for a former television character to reprise their characters in audio. The degree to which the spin-offs are canon is a topic of much discussion by Doctor Who fans.

It was always going to be a risk for the BBC to revamp Doctor Who, few television programmes inspire as much rabid & cultish adoration. With the 2005 series, however, the BBC have really outdone themselves. Their updated Doctor Who is a revelation: a cult science fiction series that has real mass appeal, & works for both children & their parents. Christopher Eccleston is an inspired & charismatic Doctor, he leaps around the sets with an unrestrained glee, like he’s a child running amok in a toy shop. His enthusiasm in downright infectious. His sidekick Rose adds a real human touch, particularly as she gradually & believably matures from in-over-her-head city kid to tough-minded interplanetary hero. Much of the credit must go to writer Russell Davies, who has a much-practiced knack for finding popular appeal without dumbing-down his ideas, & who appears to have let his imagination run riot. Even the special effects, whilst not of a big-budget cinematic quality, still manage to strike a balance between cheesiness & realism. Thrilling, funny & thoroughly entertaining, this Doctor Who is a hero for the new millennium.

Billie Piper is a British actress who started her career as a pop singer in her teens. After being spotted in a television advert while still at stage school, she was offered a record deal at the age of just fifteen & in 1998 became the youngest ever female solo artist to top the UK singles chart with Because We Want To. Several other successful singles & two albums followed. She switched back to her original ambition of acting in 2003 after the self-made decision to end her pop career. Still a high-profile figure, she quickly earned roles in the BBC Television series The Canterbury Tales & the one-off drama Bella & the Boys. Despite the negative reaction usually given to singers who attempt to act, Piper gained very positive reviews for these appearances, critics seemingly feeling that she was a far better actress than she was a singer. In 2004 she appeared in the films The Calcium Kid, as the girlfriend of Orlando Bloom s character & Things to do Before Youre Thirty. Posters Of Canterbury Tales

Editors Choice: Doctor Who, Volume 1, Canterbury Tales, Spirit Trap, Vol 4, View DVDology

Christopher Eccleston is a British stage, television & film actor, best known for his roles in several high profile prestige films & television series. As a child his ambition was to play football for his beloved Manchester United, but he found himself to be a much better actor than he was a footballer & inspired by television dramas such as Boys from the Blackstuff, he took to acting as his profession. He trained at the Central School of Speech & Drama & first came to public attention as Derek Bentley in the 1991 film Let Him Have It, based on true events. However, it was a regular role in the TV series Cracker – culminating in his characters dramatic death in the second series – that made him a recognisable figure in the UK. He appeared in the low-budget Danny Boyle film Shallow Grave in 1994, in which he co-starred with another up-and-coming young British actor by the name of Ewan McGregor.

Editors Choice: Doctor Who, Revengers Tragedy, Volume 1, The Second Coming, Shallow Grave, With Or Without You, Cracker, Death And The Compass, View DVDology

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