Doctor Who: The Curse of Fatal Death (1999)

A Masterpiece!

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

I've watched Dr. Who ever since 1974 and have seen virtually every Who ever made... including several of the off shoots of Who... Frankly... This is one of the best bits of Comic Relief I've encountered so far... I mean!... Absolutely Everyone in the short film spots is very famous and talented... Seeing Saffron after all these years is a real pleasure and Jim Broadbent was a real surprise.. Frankly... I'd like to see many more of these sorts of Truly entertaining comedies based on one of the founding stones of my entertainment life... Rowen as the " Good Doctor " is just tooooooooooooooooo much... Capricornian sarcastic wit is really a hoot. Thanks to everyone who participated... Thanks so much.. Blessed Be.Q.

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...)

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.

Curse of Fatal Death is one of the best produced Doctor Who parodies I've ever seen. It has jokes not only poking fun at the show but jokes genuinely meant to appeal to fans of the series. Rowan Atkinson makes an excellent choice as the comic Doctor along with the various other surprising guest stars to play the role in this rapid regeneration riot.Produced originally for Red Nose Day this will no doubt be a favorite of fans for years to come. Highly recommended to all Doctor Who fans!