Well, so long and farewell Russell T Davis. The man who brought Doctor Who back to our TV screens managed to pull one off one of the best televisual treats I have ever been able to witness - and I don't mean his last episodes of the series which were, in all fairness, not exactly his strongest.
Yesterday was my son's eighth birthday. There are a few days in the calendar which must rate as completely useless for having a birthday. Christmas Day is one of them - although those that have their birthdays on that day usually get a little sympathy from their parents as well as a bumper huge present. Hogmanay is a waste of time as well. A friend of mine found it so difficult to organise a decent 40th birthday party on that day that he held a 40.5th birthday party 6 months later (and a jolly fine do it was as well).
But New Years Day is rubbish. Any much wished for toys will have been received at Christmas and whilst the cheques and gift vouchers are most welcome they lack the wow factor of that brightly gift-wrapped new game - and even the postie won't be arriving for at least another day; Mum is tired from organising the previous nights' festivities; Dad has a stinking cold combined with the hangover from Hell; and, even though there is no school, there is also little chance of organising a party as most other families will be recovering from the previous night's hedonism as well.
So, out of the blue, I discovered that Russell T had arranged for a Doctor Who special to be shown on my son's eighth birthday. In fact, there was an episode on my eighth birthday as well - the long forgotten Seeds of Doom in which a giant tentacled beastie takes over a mansion - but yesterday was not just any old episode. No, it was a regeneration episode in which the Doctor, staring death in the face, changes into a new body. In this case, David Tennant changing into Matt Smith. That is the kind of birthday present that money can't buy and that one eight year old boy will never forget. So, thank you, Mr Davis; job well done.
But what of the new chap? When he was cast most people's reaction was "Never heard of him. Isn't he a bit young?" and, "He looks a bit odd, doesn't he?" I seem
to recall that many said that of Tom Baker when he was cast and he didn't fare too badly. I have actually seen Matt in a couple of other productions: a Philip Pullman adaptation and a cop drama which didn't really appeal to me. Matt didn't register with me in either - possibly a good sign as the last thing you want is a ham actor munching through the scenery - although for Doctor Who that can be an advantage. But I think Matt and Karen Gillan, as red-head assistant Amy Pond, look the part. I'm really looking forward to seeing them in the new series.
And I do think the show will go from strength to strength simply because of new show-runner Steven Moffat. He has already written some of the most memorable stories of the new series, such as The Empty Child and Blink; but he also has pedigree with shows such as Press Gang - one of the most intelligently written programmes for children's television - and Coupling - an adult sitcom featuring complex story lines and an unforeseen but satisfying plot twist. So, he can write for the full spectrum of viewers and hopefully this will play well with the family audience that Doctor Who commands.
Now, I'm just waiting for the episode entitled Revenge of the Lesbian Spank Inferno.
Yesterday was my son's eighth birthday. There are a few days in the calendar which must rate as completely useless for having a birthday. Christmas Day is one of them - although those that have their birthdays on that day usually get a little sympathy from their parents as well as a bumper huge present. Hogmanay is a waste of time as well. A friend of mine found it so difficult to organise a decent 40th birthday party on that day that he held a 40.5th birthday party 6 months later (and a jolly fine do it was as well).
But New Years Day is rubbish. Any much wished for toys will have been received at Christmas and whilst the cheques and gift vouchers are most welcome they lack the wow factor of that brightly gift-wrapped new game - and even the postie won't be arriving for at least another day; Mum is tired from organising the previous nights' festivities; Dad has a stinking cold combined with the hangover from Hell; and, even though there is no school, there is also little chance of organising a party as most other families will be recovering from the previous night's hedonism as well.
So, out of the blue, I discovered that Russell T had arranged for a Doctor Who special to be shown on my son's eighth birthday. In fact, there was an episode on my eighth birthday as well - the long forgotten Seeds of Doom in which a giant tentacled beastie takes over a mansion - but yesterday was not just any old episode. No, it was a regeneration episode in which the Doctor, staring death in the face, changes into a new body. In this case, David Tennant changing into Matt Smith. That is the kind of birthday present that money can't buy and that one eight year old boy will never forget. So, thank you, Mr Davis; job well done.
But what of the new chap? When he was cast most people's reaction was "Never heard of him. Isn't he a bit young?" and, "He looks a bit odd, doesn't he?" I seem
to recall that many said that of Tom Baker when he was cast and he didn't fare too badly. I have actually seen Matt in a couple of other productions: a Philip Pullman adaptation and a cop drama which didn't really appeal to me. Matt didn't register with me in either - possibly a good sign as the last thing you want is a ham actor munching through the scenery - although for Doctor Who that can be an advantage. But I think Matt and Karen Gillan, as red-head assistant Amy Pond, look the part. I'm really looking forward to seeing them in the new series.And I do think the show will go from strength to strength simply because of new show-runner Steven Moffat. He has already written some of the most memorable stories of the new series, such as The Empty Child and Blink; but he also has pedigree with shows such as Press Gang - one of the most intelligently written programmes for children's television - and Coupling - an adult sitcom featuring complex story lines and an unforeseen but satisfying plot twist. So, he can write for the full spectrum of viewers and hopefully this will play well with the family audience that Doctor Who commands.
Now, I'm just waiting for the episode entitled Revenge of the Lesbian Spank Inferno.
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