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Post by kurumais on Jan 13, 2018 6:25:54 GMT
when i first started getting into big finish, and checking out all the different ranges, it seemed they were committed to using only the original actresses and actors. the companion chronicles, was probably the the range that gave me that
impression the most. big finish did stories for doctors one thru three but starring their companions and not some actors recast as them. also there were original castmates that had chosen not to work for big finish so their characters were
sidelined. adric and stories with the 4 and 5th doctors set during his era come to mind. i also got the impression that the big finish fans wanted it that way. unfortunately with a pool of ever aging actors how long could this last?
but the recasting ice has been broken, and now how far would you accept recasting? i think the recasting started with ben jackson, and his part was smaller than polly or jamie's, so it didnt seem like a major move. but later on big finish got
themselves a new third doctor with tim treloar. of course now we have a whole new set of actors playing the original tardis team. all and all the taboo, if it ever there was one, has been smashed. so is there recasting you wouldn't accept ? or
one you are looking forward to ? could they recast the brigadier? or sarah jane?
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Post by icecreamdf on Jan 13, 2018 6:34:23 GMT
I wish they would stick with just recasting the dead actors. I loved the new First Doctor boxset, but I didn’t think it was necessary to recast Susan. Ian, I can understand, since Russell is about a million years old, but there was no reason they couldn’t bring in Carole Ann Ford. I also don’t get why they’re recasting Ten and Eleven. Tennant has already done two boxsets for BF, and it is always possible that he will do more in the future. Smith hasn’t done any yet, but he may do more someday. I would rather wait for the real Doctors, when possible, then go with a cheap knock off.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2018 10:38:29 GMT
I wish they would stick with just recasting the dead actors. I loved the new First Doctor boxset, but I didn’t think it was necessary to recast Susan. Ian, I can understand, since Russell is about a million years old, but there was no reason they couldn’t bring in Carole Ann Ford. I also don’t get why they’re recasting Ten and Eleven. Tennant has already done two boxsets for BF, and it is always possible that he will do more in the future. Smith hasn’t done any yet, but he may do more someday. I would rather wait for the real Doctors, when possible, then go with a cheap knock off. Regarding Carole Ann Ford, I think including her as Susan amidst three other new castings would have sounded odd, and gone against BF's 'reimagining' of that era. I don't see Claudia Grant 'replacing' Carole, rather offering an alternative take on the character in a kind of alternative take on the First Doctor's era. BF's promise of having 'great plans for Susan' seems to indicate Carole will be working with them again. I absolutely agree with what you say about recasting David Tennant and Matt Smith. That just seems very odd to me. Recasting will always be a delicate issue, I think. People will have loyalty to the original actors - and quite understandably.
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Post by smith11 on Jan 13, 2018 10:49:27 GMT
I wish they would stick with just recasting the dead actors. I loved the new First Doctor boxset, but I didn’t think it was necessary to recast Susan. Ian, I can understand, since Russell is about a million years old, but there was no reason they couldn’t bring in Carole Ann Ford. I also don’t get why they’re recasting Ten and Eleven. Tennant has already done two boxsets for BF, and it is always possible that he will do more in the future. Smith hasn’t done any yet, but he may do more someday. I would rather wait for the real Doctors, when possible, then go with a cheap knock off. But they aren’t recasting Ten and Eleven, they are doing narrated stories which feature the doctor being read by someone else along with all the other characters, bar one, in the story. They aren’t just doing specifically a performance of Ten or Eleven. Nick Briggs did the Ninth Doctor chronicles, and the Destiny of the Doctor story for Nine years ago, and at no point when he read the Doctor, or Rose for that matter, did I think that he was recast.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Jan 13, 2018 11:05:40 GMT
I think the recast ship has sailed. There was wiggle room with the CCs. But now, now we have “Early Years Adventures” with specifically cast actors as the Doctor (Bradley, Purves, Hines and Treloar). We have stories with the entire cast recast.
In a few years, we will hear a recast Lethbridge-Stewart, a new Harry Sullivan and a new Sarah-Jane Smith. Which right now seems like Heresy, but cast the right person hire the right writer and it’ll be 1975 all over again.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2018 13:14:34 GMT
Go for it. I have no qualms at all about recasting & don't see anything wrong with it. Don't understand why people are so precious about it.
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Post by Whovitt on Jan 13, 2018 13:32:02 GMT
I have no issue recasting characters who have never appeared in a main Doctor Who Big Finish release (Barbara, Dodo, Ben, (arguably) Sarah Jane, and Harry). Doctors 1-3 would also be on the cards for me, though with David Bradley, Frazer Hines and Tim Treloar, I think we're already sorted in that department. But recasting roles of actors/actresses Big Finish have already worked with - the Brig, Liz, Romana I - would feel a bit weird for me as their characters have already been very much defined within the Big Finish world, and to replace them would feel... I don't know, just kind of wrong to me.
Naturally, if in character is recast I'll give them a chance (anything to hear from some of these characters), but it will depend on who they recast on how excited I am by the prospect (though I'm sure if they do do recasts, Big Finish will certainly choose the best).
I will not, however, ever accept recasts of Doctors 4-7/8, nor the Main Range companions. They've put too many years of work into Big Finish that I don't think there will ever come a time where replacing them would be the right thing to do.
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Post by Digi on Jan 13, 2018 13:48:48 GMT
My natural inclination is a hard no to any recasting. I would even have serious doubts about buying a still-living-Doctor (ie 4/5/6/7/8) story that also features Tim Treloar's take on Three. All due respect to Treloar--he's an actor doing a job, with big shoes to fill, and it seems people enjoy what he's doing--but it's not for me. Likewise I will never financially support recasts of Tom Baker, Nick Courtney, Lis Sladen, Trevor Baxter, etc etc etc. It feels/would feel vaguely insulting, in some intangible way that I can't quite put my finger on.
That said, I enjoyed the heck out of the First Doctor Adventures set a few weeks ago, so maybe I'm just a hypocrite?
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 13, 2018 13:50:01 GMT
Specifically about recasting the Brig, Harry & Sarah Jane, I have to wonder how Tom would react to that and would that affect using those recast actors in the 4DAs. Obviously if we are talking 3DAs and a recast 3rd Doctor, then having a different actor as the Brig and SJ isn't a big deal. As for should they, again I think you have to look at track record and Big Finish has done a really good job thus far of those recasts which they have initiated. My personal view has always been if you are going to recast the Doctor, then companions are fair game as well. If they were to recast the Brig and SJ, then all of a sudden the 3DA range opens up to a lot more stories.
Non Doctor Who related, I really wish they would recast Julia Hoffman in their Dark Shadows range.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2018 13:53:36 GMT
Specifically about recasting the Brig, Harry & Sarah Jane, I have to wonder how Tom would react to that and would that affect using those recast actors in the 4DAs. Katy Manning seems fine with Tim replacing Jon
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 13, 2018 13:56:02 GMT
Specifically about recasting the Brig, Harry & Sarah Jane, I have to wonder how Tom would react to that and would that affect using those recast actors in the 4DAs. Katy Manning seems fine with Tim replacing Jon True but Katy isn't Tom Baker. I don't know the answer about Tom but it is clear he is treated with a great deal of deference and I would imagine his feelings on the matter would carry a lot of weight.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2018 13:57:16 GMT
Katy Manning seems fine with Tim replacing Jon True but Katy isn't Tom Baker. I don't know the answer about Tom but it is clear he is treated with a great deal of deference and I would imagine his feelings on the matter would carry a lot of weight. Yes. I think that is where the decision will lie. Regardless of what fans think if the actor is comfortable with working alongside a recast then it will happen.
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Post by Digi on Jan 13, 2018 13:58:40 GMT
I wish they would stick with just recasting the dead actors. I loved the new First Doctor boxset, but I didn’t think it was necessary to recast Susan. Ian, I can understand, since Russell is about a million years old, but there was no reason they couldn’t bring in Carole Ann Ford. I also don’t get why they’re recasting Ten and Eleven. Tennant has already done two boxsets for BF, and it is always possible that he will do more in the future. Smith hasn’t done any yet, but he may do more someday. I would rather wait for the real Doctors, when possible, then go with a cheap knock off. Nick Briggs did the Ninth Doctor chronicles, and the Destiny of the Doctor story for Nine years ago, and at no point when he read the Doctor, or Rose for that matter, did I think that he was recast. Chris Eccleston, though, is a bit of a unique case. Where other actors have made the characters theirs over years and decades of performances, returning to the role in things like Dimensions in Time and Big Finish, doing the convention circuit (etc), Eccleston, by all appearances, seems to want nothing to do with it ever again. It's been 13 years since his single season aired (probably 14 since he finished filming), and to see him so much as talk about it is rare enough that it makes the geek news feeds. I think that makes us, collectively, more receptive someone else doing the job.
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Post by iainmclaughlin on Jan 13, 2018 14:12:03 GMT
I really don't have a problem with recasting in most circumstances. If a performer is unavailable for any reason then I'm fine with recasting being done. I'm hugely fond of pretty much every member of cast that I've met and there are very few whose performances I haven't enjoyed so in a perfect, ideal world we'd always have the originals in the roles. The reality is different, though. If we want the characters from the early days we need recasting. The only grey area in my mind is recasting characters whose original performers are still available and active. That comes down to the story, really... if it's Ian Chesterton or Susan narrating a story then William Russell and Carole Ann Ford would be my port of call. However, although they still give terrific performances, they do sound older than they did and they just wouldn't have fit into the First Doctor box set. You can't have Ian sounding older than the Doctor or Susan sounding older than Babs. I think that Big Finish have been pretty smart by having the high profile recastings of Doctor appearing in box sets, which set them aside in unique ranges. Whether that changes in time... who knows? Ultimately, if we want stories featuring characters we love, we're going to have to accept recasting. I like to think that recasting will ultimately be seen as honouring those original performances and helping to keep their legacy alive.
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Post by Digi on Jan 13, 2018 14:40:21 GMT
I think that Big Finish have been pretty smart by having the high profile recastings of Doctor appearing in box sets, which set them aside in unique ranges. Right, I think this has been a really shrewd decision. Not only does it keep things separate for people, like myself, who are wary or uninterested, but it also gives BF a way of independently gauging interest without having to factor in the pull of other actors and characters. Very smart. I hope this doesn't change.
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shutupbanks
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There’s a horror movie called Alien? That’s really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you.
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Post by shutupbanks on Jan 13, 2018 14:56:30 GMT
I'm not a fan of recasting, especially of a Doctor: it's a bit like recasting Sean Connery's James Bond rather than just casting a new actor in the role of Bond. The actor has died or left the role and there are - now - over a dozen other actors who have played the part, so recasting a specific aspect of the character without the actor doing the portrayal seems a little cynical to me. I have no problem with Companion Chronicles or "enhanced" audiobooks or other formats where it's obvious that someone is retelling a story featuring the Doctor as a character but having a new actor take on the part when it could be just as easily played by ant of the half-dozen or so living Doctor's in BF's stables rests uneasily with me. I've loved the recasting of Dayna in Blakes 7 but that - to me - is similar to the Bond character rather than the Connery Bond situation. This is, of course, merely how I feel about it and I don't have a problem with people who have no worries about this issue.
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Post by Sir Wearer of Hats on Jan 13, 2018 23:11:13 GMT
Specifically about recasting the Brig, Harry & Sarah Jane, I have to wonder how Tom would react to that and would that affect using those recast actors in the 4DAs. Obviously if we are talking 3DAs and a recast 3rd Doctor, then having a different actor as the Brig and SJ isn't a big deal. As for should they, again I think you have to look at track record and Big Finish has done a really good job thus far of those recasts which they have initiated. My personal view has always been if you are going to recast the Doctor, then companions are fair game as well. If they were to recast the Brig and SJ, then all of a sudden the 3DA range opens up to a lot more stories. Non Doctor Who related, I really wish they would recast Julia Hoffman in their Dark Shadows range. I agree, it’ll be Tom’s call. Sound him out, if he’s okay, go ahead, if not then it’s a firm and unequivocal no.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Jan 13, 2018 23:36:00 GMT
Specifically about recasting the Brig, Harry & Sarah Jane, I have to wonder how Tom would react to that and would that affect using those recast actors in the 4DAs. Obviously if we are talking 3DAs and a recast 3rd Doctor, then having a different actor as the Brig and SJ isn't a big deal. As for should they, again I think you have to look at track record and Big Finish has done a really good job thus far of those recasts which they have initiated. My personal view has always been if you are going to recast the Doctor, then companions are fair game as well. If they were to recast the Brig and SJ, then all of a sudden the 3DA range opens up to a lot more stories. Non Doctor Who related, I really wish they would recast Julia Hoffman in their Dark Shadows range. I agree, it’ll be Tom’s call. Sound him out, if he’s okay, go ahead, if not then it’s a firm and unequivocal no. It would be a no for his range but not for the 3DAs. On that score, it would certainly open things ups pretty dramatically.
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Post by selimpensfiction on Jan 14, 2018 0:48:00 GMT
I’ve never had a problem with recasting. Look at live theatre where it happens all the time. I think it’s exciting to see what a fresh voice will bring to a part. In the case of Big Finish, the new First Doctor adventures with David Bradley et al are a wonderful example that work brilliantly. Personally, I think it’s time to recast the Brigadier. It would add so much to the third (and fourth) Doctor adventures.
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Post by constonks on Jan 14, 2018 1:26:25 GMT
I'm very pro-recasting myself, as long as the performance is good and as long as the new actor respects the initial one enough to do the homework.
Basically I'm saying everyone has to live up to the example set forth by Eliot Chapman and Tim Treloar.
As for the actors that have passed away more recently (Nick Courtney, Lis Sladen, Caroline John, Debbie Watling and John Hurt), I trust Big Finish's judgement. They worked with and admired these people enough to know when it's appropriate, I think.
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