Are fans of the good Doctor so desperate for new material they'll accept anything - even a pantomime take of their favourite show? It certainly seems so, judging by the reaction they gave to this extremely cheap, poorly-written slapdash spoof that aired on Children in Need night in 1999. It was never intended for fans, but for average viewers who remembered the TARDIS and the Daleks and the cheap sets. The show attempts to laugh with them at the conventions of the show, while obviously trying to distance the BBC from Doctor Who and delivering a stinging slap in the face to Whovians: "This is the show you love? It's silly garbage, of course we're not going to make it again." Some of the spoofing is not even accurate - the writer was obviously less than a fan of the show, and makes assumptions of it's content. He decides that the Doctor used to inform companions, "I'll tell you later," to avoid explaining his miraculous feats, which is quite the opposite in fact.
Rowan Atkinson admits playing the Doctor has always been an ambition of his, but surely one of the most talented comedy actors of the last twenty years should have known better. Although he immedietly works as the titluar Timelord, he continually reverts to a milder version of his beloved Blackadder character instead of grasping the opportunity with both hands. Julia Sawalha's character emphasizes the sarcastic nature of the production from the word go, while Jonathan Pryce embarrases himself, as do the rest of the cast, and special effects are recycled from the excellent 1996 movie (an infinetly better purchase). Don't be fooled by the stars on the cover (Hugh Grant, Richard E. Grant), they appear for less than a minute. It's sad to see the BBC ridiculing both it's most successful show and it's fans, yet this is what Curse of Fatal Death does. Sadder still, the BBC slap the official Doctor Who logo on this spoof and sell it across the world, even though it's only 30 minutes long (shorter than the Making Of documentary!) - if we can have this on video, why not the far superior Dimensions in Time from 1993? Saddest of all, the fans will go out and buy it.
Rowan Atkinson admits playing the Doctor has always been an ambition of his, but surely one of the most talented comedy actors of the last twenty years should have known better. Although he immedietly works as the titluar Timelord, he continually reverts to a milder version of his beloved Blackadder character instead of grasping the opportunity with both hands. Julia Sawalha's character emphasizes the sarcastic nature of the production from the word go, while Jonathan Pryce embarrases himself, as do the rest of the cast, and special effects are recycled from the excellent 1996 movie (an infinetly better purchase). Don't be fooled by the stars on the cover (Hugh Grant, Richard E. Grant), they appear for less than a minute. It's sad to see the BBC ridiculing both it's most successful show and it's fans, yet this is what Curse of Fatal Death does. Sadder still, the BBC slap the official Doctor Who logo on this spoof and sell it across the world, even though it's only 30 minutes long (shorter than the Making Of documentary!) - if we can have this on video, why not the far superior Dimensions in Time from 1993? Saddest of all, the fans will go out and buy it.