New Vs Classic Who.

Because There Is Life After Doctor Who On Twitch

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After compulsive nights-in at home literally glued to the TV, Doctor Who season on Twitch has finally come to an end. When I say finally, I mean with mixed feelings. Things have changed a little since the last episode of Classic Who was aired in its original era. We weren't so spoilt then, having to settle for clunky VHS tapes to record those moments ever so cringy they were scary. Hence being glued uncomfortably to the TV linked to Twitch until the wee hours of the morning, amidst the repeated trivia questions I began to learn the answers to and the hilarious chat going on in the background from other fellow Whovians.

Naturally my Doctor is the one who introduced me to the show, therefore I was biased enough to tune in more faithfully to the Baker era. Such a legend, with plenty of gusto as much as that perm. I also managed to see what all the fuss was about on the other Mr. Baker, two incarnations before Colin. Needless to say I am still quite gutted about that farewell trailer which refused to acknowledge the vagabond sixth while displaying the other incarnations.

So as we return back to our normal evenings, here are a few comparative musings between Classic and New Who before catching the ultra cool Jodie Whittaker when she takes over the Tardis.

1. The Doctor

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The Classic Doctor, although vocal against violence, was badass. Even Sylvester McCoy's expressions were pretty fierce in their own rubber faced way. You couldn't help but respect the Classic Doctor, he was more like your uncle that you had no choice to follow. That pretty much meant that he could be irrational and just make things worse. This was something that Capaldi managed to revive in comparison to his main predecessors Smith and Tennant, who were more like eclectic and super intelligent pals saved for camping trips. Depending on whether you wanted a buddy Doc or an Uncle one is a pretty subjective question. But there's a reason why the Doctors of old still leave their mark on the show so let's doff our Fezzes to them.

Winner : Classic Doctor Who

2. The outfit

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There's been more classic doctors than new ones so needless to say you’ve got quite a Mishmash, as Peri calls it, of wardrobe winners and disasters here between Hartnell and McCoy. New Doctor Who costumes are comparatively easier on the eye. However, that’s not the point of being the Doctor who is only wearing clothes in the era of their regeneration simply out of attempted assimilation. Aside from that, Gallifreyen robes aren't the most practical to run around the galaxy to save planets in. From the combinations of ruffled shirts, pocket celery and Christmas jumpers so awful they're retro cool, Classic Who wins this one though Jodie’s outfit might just change that. And those weird outfits still would rock on the new Doctors.

Winner : Classic Who

3. Appearance

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We have had a few lookers of late but of course the show isn’t about going gaga over Tennant or Whittaker now is it?

Nope not at all.

However despite bringing a lot more viewers in the new era, it’s difficult to take the Doctor seriously if they’re using their Jessica Rabbit side to get people to listen to them. Tom Baker, who played the Doctor longer than Heart throb Tennant, used his humour and wit to save planets and actually did marry an assistant to top it off.

Oh go on, then, the pretty ones win this one.

Winner : New Doctor, because death threats are not nice.

4. Companions

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Companions in Classic Doctor Who were just that. They were brainy, screamy, insecure, smart, daring, cunning, ultra cool, irritating but they were companions. They weren’t fawning teenagers cheating on their boyfriends for a nomadic spaceman centuries older than them. They weren’t heartbroken professionals chasing for a rebound relationship. They weren't stalkerish immortals either. The closest to a daughter the Doctor ever had was Susan, not a dalek/teacher/reversed zombie babe.

Although in the new series the status of the companion was given more of a boost by literally saving galaxies singlehandedly no one could ever beat Ace, Leela or K9 at their game. A majority of the classic companions left when they wanted to and got on with their lives save for the sweet Victoria and annoying Adric Crusher.

Winner : Classic Who

5. Storyline

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Classic Who shows were kept short and sweet traditionally ending on a cliffhanger during their 25minute run. It was supposed to keep the viewer coming back for more. Nowadays with Netflix and the like viewers don’t particularly care and do prefer a one off story.

That aside, the stories of the TV episodes of old had too many plot holes and were often poorly produced depending on the budget. It was a breath of fresh air not to have kept on guessing why everything was related to a crack in the wall or a bunch of knocks but the Classic Who stories sometimes got away with plot murder and were at their worst in the 80s. Thank the cosmos for the general rule of thumb that the books were always better.

Winner : New Who

6. The Baddies

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A combination of bad costumes and choreography did not do the Cybermen any favours. How two people dressed in a pantomime horse dyed green got away with playing a two metre Loch Ness monster is still a mystery. These were the baddies that sent people hiding behind the sofa during Classic Who.

The characters of the bad guys in New Who are more in depth compared to the two dimensional characters on Classic Who and the worst they've ever looked is a combination of bad CGI and awful makeup.

There's a reason why the Daleks have stood the test of time. They've always looked cute.

Winner: New Who

7. Acting

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The series started off well in the 60s with some good acting considering the era. Moving onto the 70s and it got even better with Jon and Tom leading an equally fab cast.

However without a doubt New Doctor Who wins on this one. Not because the actors in the classics had no skill but in a particular decade (not saying which) the cues were so obvious. All that was missing was the Talking Stick. What's more, acting in the old days of the Doc was very much middle class and rather poised. Fast forward to post Eccleston era and it's far more diverse and relatable. Granted sometimes there is a tendency to overact in the current episodes but hey, for some reason the rest of the galaxy doesn't like Earth.

Winner : New Who

8. Action scenes

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Ah, the days of special effects using a Kinder Egg monster enlarged on film and a giant laser pointer to kill the innocents. Sometimes the action scenes in Classic Who with the bad guys are so laughable. Where are you going Doctor? Stop running to the broken window to hug the Haemovores, they're evil!

Face it, there's nothing scarier than Jackie Tyler with a giant space rifle.

Winner : New Who

9. Opening credits

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No Doctor Who episode would be the same without the Row Na Row Woo Dee Woo. Personally my favourite score is the seventh, which keeps it crisp and timeless on behalf of most of it's unfortunate era. We don’t need anything too glossy like the latest clash of all the orchestras in the universe.

Classic wins this one.

Thank you for the music, Delia and Ron.

Winner : Classic Who

10. Music

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While the theme tune was always faithfully iconic, the background music during the show was a separate case altogether. There is a reason why we have the equivalent of the BBC Proms with the New Who tunes. They are that good and with Segun taking over it looks like we'll be filling even more theatre seats to listen to companion ditties and operatic aliens.

Classic Who's background music, on the other hand, was made to match its decade and was often over dramatic to a point that it was a case of Brass Synth and guitars trying to compete with Colin Baker's coat.

New Who wins this one.

Winner : New Who

11. The Tardis

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Classic Who of old's Tardis was always a bare white room with giant polka dots embedded into the wall. It was simplicity in beauty and we got to see more of our favourite little ship including the bedrooms, changing room and a zero gravity chillout space.

In the New Tardis with it's darker, organic type interior housing a mezzanine solely useful for Capaldi on a sashay spree we have seen a library and lots of corridors.

At least the console has been constant and eco friendly, upcycling a shiny microwave meal tray, a dodgy monitor and shaving mirror to name a few.

We have still yet to see the swimming pool.

However both classic and new Tardises have an overlooked competitor. Because despite it's metallic grey 80's interior, the Rani's Tardis will always be the coolest.

Winner : The Rani