Fear Factor Five

[barrington]

One of my favourite bits of the BBC's Doctor Who web site is Fear Factor, where four kids, aged 5, 7 9 and 13, get to watch the next episode before broadcast with their Mum and Dad and give a score out of five for how scary it is. I've noted that the recent Cybermen episodes scored scarier with the older kids than the younger, while the reverse was true of last week's episode, The Idiot's Lantern.

This week is the first of two parts, an episode titled The Impossible Planet. Five year old Amy wasn't too fussed, giving it a three, while only-just-a-teenager Adam gave it the full five. What has me really excited isn't the warning given on the site this week - "Children are warned that some adults have found this episode especially frightening. Get ready to hold your parents' hands if they get too scared..." - but the fact that the middle kids, Harry and Samuel, somehow got their hands on scorecards reading six...

Doctor Who is always best when it's scary. So I'm thrilled.

PS: Astute readers will have noted that I am procrastinating a lot at work today; I've been feeling a bit off today.

Comments

The Rose Tyler Show?

[droxina.livejournal.com]

Have to admit, I loooooved the Cybermen one in the new series. Made me jump a couple of times! I agree wholeheartedly that the scarier they are, the better.

When I was a lot younger, I used to hide out on the stairs with my sisters to watch Doctor Who. We weren't banned from watching it, but from the stairs it was only just possible to see the tv. Somehow the extra distance made the scary bits more bearable (it was either that, or hide behind a chair ;-) ).

What I'd like even better is for them to get rid of stupid whining Rose - she's getting really dull now and the repetitive family-related themes make it look like they're running out of plot ideas?

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How many more times is she going to run into her Dad again? That's a plot that's well and truly dead now, pardoning the pun. I was so pleased when they had Sarah-Jane on again, at least she added a touch of class to the assistant role. It was over too briefly, alas!

Any ideas on this Torchwood thing, yet? If Rose ends up as another superbeing because of it, I think I will definitely go psycho at the producers. Bring on the next assistant! They're not supposed to go on so long after a regeneration! Might as well rename it Rose Tyler, instead of Doctor Who. Okay, I'm finished ranting already.

Re: The Rose Tyler Show?

[barrington.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about Rose; it would make perfect sense for the character and the show for her to leave at the end of this season, but I don't think she will. Ah well.

As for the Cybermen episodes, the group I'm watching with found them a bit lackkustre. Sure, they looked great, but I think there were too many competing ideas and some of the dialogue was terrible. Still, I think one of the best moements of the new series is without doubt them smashing their way into that party...

[barrington.livejournal.com]

They have announced that they'll show it, just not when. Silly Auntie...

Would you like me to send you some episodes? Or maybe just the Christmas special, to keep you going?

[barrington.livejournal.com]

Not too long to wait...supposedly it'll start here on July 8th.

[vorex.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen any of the second series, but I loved reading the kid's responses to episodes after I'd watched them. I'm not entirely sure which episode it was (could have been Empty Child) but one of them prompted the kids to remark 'this is so scary, people shouldn't watch it after eating cheese'.

So we've all been warned ;)

[qamar.livejournal.com]

Doctor Who is always best when it's scary.

Here, Here!