The End of an Era

Christmas Day used to revolve around a near crapulent family gathered in front of the TV at 3pm to hear what platitudes about the Commonwealth the Queen would come out with but, every year since 2005, my family gathers around the TV in the early evening to catch the latest adventure of Doctor Who. This year was special – a regeneration episode with two Doctors for the price of one which was rather fitting as it was very much an end of an era for the show.

I enjoyed the episode and found David Bradley’s First Doctor to be almost spookily like William Hartnell. Really it was an episode where nothing much in particular happened but this was just as well. Matt Smith’s last episode spent so long trying to tie up loose ends that we didn’t have a particularly great chance to enjoy Matt’s Doctor for one last time. With Twice Upon a Time we not only got to enjoy saying farewell to Peter Capaldi but had an excellent character led story with two of the best character actors out there. Mark Gatiss’s Captain was a nice touch as well. I had predicted that he would turn out to be a Lethbridge-Stewart but I thought it was going to be the Brigadier. The fact that it was actually his grandfather was both less fanboyish and added a nice little bit of background to the Brigadier’s story.

As it is Peter Capaldi’s last episode it is worth looking back over his tenure as the Doctor. Given the nature of the show there will always be some episodes that are better than others but the one thing that has remained exceptional throughout was his performance. The subtleties  of his acting are worth watching again but keep an eye out for his face: William Hartnell’s approach to television was that it was small and the acting should be kept small and around the face. Television is now large and expansive but Capaldi can do more with his eyes in a single frame than many actors could do with an entire script. If Hartnell was making the most of a small screen then Capaldi is making the most of high definition detail. It is well documented that everyone’s favourite Doctor should be their first so mine is, and always will be, Jon Pertwee. Peter Capaldi, though, runs him a very close second.

Even aside from Capaldi’s performances, there are very few episodes during his tenure that I wouldn’t happily watch again. In fact the only one I still feel was a bit of a stinker was Kill The Moon, and even then I think it would have only taken a few storyline tweaks to turn it into something exceptional. Capaldi, for me, has really captured the quintessential characteristics of what the Doctor is to me: a grumpy but kind old soul trying, in whatever way possible, to make the universe a better place. Of course this is also showrunner Steven Moffat’s last show so it is worth assessing his run.

The Moffat era of Doctor Who is a very long one. He has written for every series since its return in 2005 and has been the showrunner and lead writer since 2010 for a whole 6 series along with a smattering of specials along the way. That is a very long time to keep up a high pressure job and an astonishing period to keep thinking up new ideas. I started writing this blog at the same time that he took over the show and I am really running out of things to write about (an end to my era?) To keep up the high standard for so long is remarkable and I feel that his period in charge will in the long term be hailed as a golden era. There have been ups and downs, of course, and I think the time around the 50th anniversary episode (and hence the 7th series) was affected both by his workload and unsympathetic scheduling by the BBC but the fact that the anniversary was a triumph and that successive series have gone from strength to strength are a mark of what a great writer he is. I hope he enjoys going back to being a mere fan and I am looking forward to his new take on the Dracula story.

So that leaves us to look forward to the next series. Like many fans, I think my reaction to Jodie Whittaker’s casting went from initial shock, to apprehension, through acceptance and on to really, really looking forward to her in the role. This was partly reinforced by watching the Shada DVD that I got for Christmas: what struck me with that is how good Romana, the female Time Lord, was – she just needed that little edge to the character: that indefinable “Doctorishness”.  We didn’t really see that much of Jodie last night but I suspect that the next series, with Chris Chibnall in charge, will be the great rollercoaster that Doctor Who has always been. Doctor Who is all about change but, given the Thirteenth Doctor’s reaction to her new appearance, Jodie is just what the Doctor ordered.

We do NOT Burn Books

My mother-in-law has recently been decluttering her house. Being German she is a great stickler for keeping paperwork. Some of this is fair enough but there comes a point where there is no point in keeping 20+ years’ worth of fuel and telephone bills. Being security minded, she didn’t just want to throw the excess paperwork straight into the recycling bin. To properly dispose of this paperwork she borrowed our paper shredder which did an admirable job of obfuscating personal data until a combination of the recycling bin being full to overflowing and the shedder having a nervous breakdown put a halt to the process.

Her alternative disposal method was to ask me to burn the old paperwork. This, in part, was because it was far cheaper than buying a new shredder and also because she thinks I am some sort of wanton pyromaniac. I think this is rather unfair although I was able to spend an evening merrily throwing old phone bills into a flaming metal bucket whilst cackling uncontrollably and listening to Rammstein records at full blast.

The other thing which she has been clearing out is her enormous collection of books. She is very much one of those people who never throws a book out although some of them have not been touched for years: old novels, out of date reference books and even the set of “English for Foreign Students” books that she bought in London in the 1950’s after fleeing East Germany. Some of these books have found a willing home in our local library who find it hard to justify their meagre budget on foreign language books but many are just too difficult to find a willing home.

Raymond suggested that one solution would be to have another bonfire for the old books but he was told, very firmly, that “We do NOT burn books in this family.” Aside from missing a rather important piece of European history I also think he is missing a trick. I looked up the most unlikely of titles on eBay, the “Learn English” books from 1959 and there is a surprising market for them. I suspect that some of the other titles would be lucky to cover their postage costs but it does seem like a reasonable method of finding good homes for the items. Aside from anything else, I’m sure there are cheaper sources of firewood.

Flog It On Fleabay

I have come to the conclusion that I’m a bit of a hoarder. I have a garage full of boxes of things that “may come in handy” filled with items that I can barely remember what they are used for. I daren’t throw them out because I will inevitably find a use for that RS232 interface lead – or whatever it was.

I have been trying to clear the house up recently. Some things can go to charity shops and I’ve found homes for others via Freegle and the like. However, I had two sets of perfectly serviceable Winter wheel sets that needed to find new homes. I had asked at our local garage whether any of their mechanics could make use of them but, as I discovered, the wheel specifications can be quite specific and as it was none of them had a car that would match the Toyota and Volkswagen wheel sets. However, one of the guys did suggest that I “Flog it on ebay”.

I’ve occasionally bought things on eBay. In particular they are very good for second hand car parts but I have never actually tried to sell on there. I think what put me off is the whole shady character thing but the system is quite well protected. What I wasn’t sure of was the whole protocol of selling and its associated etiquette. For the most part I just ran with the suggestions of the site although I did lower my initial asking price as I definitely wanted to get rid of the things.

As it was, both items sold and the first set was picked up by a chap in Fife who was very prompt in paying and picking the wheels up. The other buyer also paid straight away but didn’t pick up until Friday as he was working in Aberdeen (although actually just lives around the corner from me.)

I think I have learned a couple of lessons, though. First of all, it is worth having a “Buy Now” price as this enables anyone who just wants the thing to buy it there and then. Secondly, there are quite a few chancers out there. After one of my items sold I was contacted with an offer to pay double what the eventual selling price was. I’m pretty sure that this is completely against the rules of the site and it is also very unfair on those that had put genuine offers in (if he really wanted it for that price he could have put an offer in to start with). I suspect the other thing is that having the option to deliver by post would increase the potential top price but for the wheels this would be a fair whack as they weighed in at 70Kg in total.

I do have a few other things to get rid of so it may be worth giving this another go. If nothing else, I actually have a bit of extra Christmas cash in return for some things that I was actually quite happy just to give away.