Comic Relief: Doctor Who - The Curse of Fatal Death

I read the reviews. Most say it's brilliant. Some say it's terrible. I think it's just what you could ask for a parody. It can stand up on it's own, but if you are familiar with the series, it can be a lot of fun. Take Dr. Who, Steal a bit from "Bill and Ted", and add a twist of Blackadder and you get a suprisingly good story that's easy to follow and fun to watch. The multiple regenerations are quite silly, but what do you expect. Jonathan Pryce adds a touch of class as the Master in spite of everything. If you know anything about Dr. Who, you will probably enjoy it if you remember not to take it too seriously.

This parody, originally aired on Red Nosed Day as a 4-part skit, is now available in the US as a two-part story on VHS, along with additional footage on the making of, and some interesting extras, and is well worth the purchase.

Rowan Atkinson is brilliant in his very Tom Baker-ish portrayal of the Doctor, although I do detect a hint of Sylvester McCoy. Jonathan Pryce is hilariously sinister as the Master, bringing much Roger Delgado to the role.

The show pokes good-natured fun at the original series, especially the infamous "I'll tell you later" asides that are never explained.

Worth a look by all Dr. Who fans.

Although not to be taken seriously, "Curse of the Fatal Death" is a labor of love. The script features a lot of fan-pleasing moments and references. Rowan Atkinson proves how good a Doctor he could've been by playing the character straight, and not primarily for laughs. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Jonathan Pryce, who is just as excellent as the Master, going waaaaaaaaay over the top. The best part of the sketch is the quick-change regenerations near the end where Richard E. Grant, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, and Joanna Lumley all play the Doctor in less than five minutes. Richard Grant is hilarious as the sex-fiend Doctor who has a good laugh over the Master's Dalek "bumps". Hugh Grant surprised me with his portrayal.

The video release also contains a "Making Of" special which may even be more funny than the sketch itself. Jonathan Pryce is the highlight of this section, proving how completely bonkers he really is. His interpretations of the Master's various laughs are hilarious.

Rowan Atkinson filled the role so well, there's some consideration that he will be picked for the new series... hey, he's got MY vote!

Excellent performances throughout - Jon Pryce was great as the pseudo-Master (and had a somewhat striking resemblance to Roger Delgado) - and it was a nice surprise to see Joanna Lumley again. (It's ALWAYS nice to see Joanna Lumley...)

If you got the video rather than just seeing it on the Beeb, you got to see the Lenny Henry sketch. I give that a thumbs-up as well, mainly because of Lenny Henry - his characterization reminded me of Gareth Blackstock (Chef!) and his delivery is flawless (of course, the parody script was quite goofy, but then it's supposed to be...)

I have seen every episode of the Doctor Who series, and so I felt obligated to watch this as well. I loved it. Rowan Atkins as the 9th Doctor is totally believable. You wonder why he never was picked as the Doctor in the tv series. Johnathan Pryce made the most hilarious Master, giving credibility to such lines as "The deadly vengeance of deadly revenge!". Long time Doctor Who fans should love this. In fact, anyone who never saw an episode of Doctor Who will find it funny as well.