The Doctor In The TARDIS
March 29, 2024, 12:31:13 pm
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Follow our Facebook group, or check out the Doctor Who News site by hitting the links below
 
  Home Help Gallery Doctor Who News Facebook Group FAQ's Staff List Calendar Members Login Register  

DW Spin-offs - the extended Whoniverse

Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: DW Spin-offs - the extended Whoniverse  (Read 101 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Jamdog
Earthling
**
Favourite Doctor: Richard E Grant
Favourite Companion: Astrid Peth
Posts: 287



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 4 Poll Voter Level 3
« on: April 26, 2012, 01:51:53 am »

I've sat up half the night just to ensure I bagged a couple of eBay bargains.

Signed copies of the following two books!  Cheesy
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

Neither of these could be called Doctor Who books, but I still think of them as part of the extended Whoniverse.  I was just wondering what other people thought of these spin-offs.  Has anyone read them?  What are your thoughts on the Iris Wildthyme and Bernice Summerfield series, are they really Doctor Who, or do they share the same bus (the number 22 to Putney Common), and try to ride along with the Doctor's success?  What about other spin-offs? (Graceless, Jago and Litefoot, K-9, Companion Chronicles, Short Trips, etc...)

Personally, I think all these spin-offs are great, and help fill the gaps between Doctor Who series.  I collected all the DW New Series Adventures books, so have started on the Bernice Summerfield ones (I have the first 3 from Big Finish sat on my bookshelf, the new one above will be my 4th).
Report Spam   Logged

Twisted-Sister
Faithful Companion
***
Posts: 1786



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Super Poster 50 Posts in one day Super Poster 25 Posts in one day Poll Voter
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2012, 09:07:19 pm »

I don't think there is any question really about them being part of the wider DW universe. They may not be as connected as the televised spinoffs but they are all part of the Whoniverse.

As for reading the books, I've not, but I have listened to some of the audios and they are pretty good.
Report Spam   Logged

Jamdog
Earthling
**
Favourite Doctor: Richard E Grant
Favourite Companion: Astrid Peth
Posts: 287



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 4 Poll Voter Level 3
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2012, 12:05:41 pm »

I have spoken to other fans who disregard all the spin-offs, stating that "if they don't have Doctor Who in them, then they aren't Doctor Who!". 

Sarah-Jane Adventures was an excellent series, and I loved sitting with my kids to watch them. Some of the episodes were even scarier than many Doctor Who ones.  My kids loved SJA, but their favourite episodes were the ones in which the Doctor appeared.  It seemed to them that as part of the whoniverse, the Doctor should be in it more often.

Torchwood on the other hand had no Doctor (I think we heard the TARDIS once?), and as a series, I found it far less like Doctor Who, and more like a separate entity that happened to have the same actor with the same neverending life.

Of course, as a fan, I have to watch every spin-off, read every book, listen to every audio, etc... but I do feel that some of the spin-offs aren't really Doctor Who at all.

Bernice Summerfield was a character that only appeared in the Virgin NA books, but then went on to have her own audio series and books - I'm reading the Benny books, yet I'm finding that I don't think of them as Who-related at all, but like Torchwood, just good stories about an exciting character that happens to have been in the TARDIS in their past.

I'm working my way through all the Bernice Summerfield stuff at the moment (still waiting for those 2 books above, and have ordered a couple more since then) - the rarer ones (that are £70-£100 on eBay!), I just download the PDF version to read them.  My DW eBook collection is virtually complete (over 900 books on my hard-drive, including SJA, Torchwood and Benny!), and although I'm still a long way off, I'm trying to get paper copies of all of these, preferable hardback, starting with the rarer ones, as their prices go up faster.  I figure it's gonna cost me between £5,000 and £10,000 to do it, but will be something my kids could sell after I'm gone...

I do enjoy the spin-offs, but they don't seem to give me the same enjoyment that Doctor Who does.
Report Spam   Logged

Aneurin
Guardian Of Gallifrey
****
Favourite Doctor: Eleven
Favourite Companion: River
Posts: 5764


Formally River Song


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 6 Fourth year Anniversary Third year Anniversary
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2012, 04:03:16 pm »

but I do feel that some of the spin-offs aren't really Doctor Who at all.

That's the point though. They aren't meant to. The point of a spin-off is to give something a life away from the main source material. They share the same universe and have connecting ties but are their own entity. Think of things like Angel or Caprica or Frasier and numerous other spin off shows and books and other media. All linked to their source in some way and all sharing the same universe, but all their own entity as well. I've never watched Torchwood or SJA expecting DW, but I do love the references and in jokes and ties that they have. Same goes for the audios and books.
Report Spam   Logged

Blazin Goliath
Faithful Companion
***
Favourite Doctor: 12
Favourite Companion: Rory Williams
Posts: 1530


"Where I stand is where I fall.”


View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 6 Tenth year Anniversary Nineth year Anniversary
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2012, 06:27:31 am »

Let's use Torchwood for an example here. I think it's wonderful whenever anything Doctor-related is thrown around in the show. And I feel great whenever there's a crossover and the spin-off is suddenly part of the original show. However, it seems to me that the best way to solidify that connection, and make sure it's not lost, is to bring the original show into the spin-off... Let's say, the Torchwood team has to deal with the Doctor. I think it'd just be better all around, but maybe that's just my opinion Smiley
Report Spam   Logged


"Wonderful chap, all of them"
Jamdog
Earthling
**
Favourite Doctor: Richard E Grant
Favourite Companion: Astrid Peth
Posts: 287



View Profile
Badges: (View All)
Level 4 Poll Voter Level 3
« Reply #5 on: April 30, 2012, 06:33:25 pm »

Let's use Torchwood for an example here. I think it's wonderful whenever anything Doctor-related is thrown around in the show. And I feel great whenever there's a crossover and the spin-off is suddenly part of the original show. However, it seems to me that the best way to solidify that connection, and make sure it's not lost, is to bring the original show into the spin-off... Let's say, the Torchwood team has to deal with the Doctor. I think it'd just be better all around, but maybe that's just my opinion Smiley
I completely agree with this.  The Doctor appeared in SJA twice, and really made the episode great.  I love crossovers, and feel there should be more, (although I reserve judgement on the upcoming Star Trek: The Next Generation / Doctor Who crossover comic until after I've read it).
Report Spam   Logged

Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Administrator | Global Moderator | RP Moderator | Role Player
| Member Of The Month
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
Free SMF Hosting - Create your own Forum

Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy