Doctor Who: 5 Things To Learn From Classic Series & 5 Things That Are Better

2. It Knows Its Limits

So yes, i stand by my point earlier that with all of time and space to show us, the New Series often plumps for going.....to Cardiff. Or London. Or London, but really, it's actually Cardiff. Probably at the Millenium Centre no less. However, the New Series IS doing something right among these frequent earth stops. And no, I don't mean getting Rose Tyler home in time for her mother to natter on about which mechanic she's banging now. They're avoiding looking cheap. The late 70's of Doctor Who often DID try to show us the whole of time and space - on a budget that was probably less than Matt Smith's hairdresser. Many times they succeeded, more or less. But when they failed.... The 4th Doctor at this point had a Savage from Earth's future (Leela), a Time Lady (Romana) and/or K-9 as companions. There was only reason to go to Earth if he felt like it, and justly so. So to the Universe they went....and sometimes it looked TV Centre Studio #4. Because it was. Worse, it could look like a car park rooftop, the filming studio gantry, a cigarette factory, or an abandoned hospital. Because they were, sometimes not even with the benefit of SOME set dressing to make it appear they were elsewhere.

This sort of thing showed up in Colin Baker's time too, and embarrasingly so - In his first story ("The Twin Dilemma"), we cut to the interior of a "Space Police Station". It is a regular 20th Century Earth Police Station set, with sparkly bits and foil to make it look futuristic. I'd show a picture, but I already used the "Blue Peter" joke with the 6th Doctor's era earlier. The thing is, it didn't have to be this way. Classic Who had previously balanced fantastic alien worlds with science fantasy or historical stories that allowed the BBC's period costumes and sets to pick up the slack of having to build Skaro, Telos, or Zeta Minor. Historic locales and castles allowed for one outside broadcast day to cover the scope of a story, rather than having to go and build 15th century France or something. But sadly, for all their resources, they often overshot these ambitions with the monetary reality. The New Series RARELY appears to be wobbly in this regard. And often when it does, it's because we're at the Millenium Centre AGAIN - but at least it looks good, and not like a cardboard set. Through a careful balance of locations, resources, and story choices, New Who often paints a convincing picture. And sometimes it even reuses the knack the Classic Series had to make one resource make up for another. Let's look at "The God Complex"...

Yes, it's a frankly moneysaving decision to set this at what seems to be a hotel (Even moreso an obviously earth-based, present day one). You can claim it's just an illusion, it's still visually a hotel. Blatantly, even. But everything else is running at such a high standard you can let it go: The stakes are high for all characters, the TARDIS has been removed (So the Doctor doesn't even have a CHOICE, he has to solve the puzzle or everyone could die), the monster looks top-notch (Even though it's only gradually revealed), the "fears" shown are shot in a haunting way (and are justly terrifying in relatable ways) and the supporting cast is up to the challenge too. Add some brilliant direction and claustrophobic camerawork, and the LAST thing you're focusing on is the hotel. In fact, it may become so disquieting that even IT seems alien. "The God Complex" could've been set in a "spaceship" set - one that was basically reused or, y'know, the Millenium Centre. It could've looked cheap or, worse, looked like it was blandly set in a hotel. But it didn't, and since the New Series started it's only tended to be smart about using its resources to show only its visual strengths.