I’m the Doctor…
Can I write about Doctor Who now? Good. I’m utterly amazed at the first three episodes in Season 29, now running on the BBC. And I’m even more utterly amazed at the zeitgeist building up around a TV series that had it’s debut episode on the day after the shooting of JFK. What’s more amazing is that this is a genuine family program. It’s not out and out sci-Fi (such as Battlestar Galactica or Stargate), nor is it a program aimed for the children (ahem, A.L.F.) but this is a program that you can watch with the whole family. and even the writers of previous episodes have been heaping on the praise.
God, I wish I’d written that. I wish I had the ability to write that! Utterly cherishable – so clever, so funny, and a beautiful celebration of wordplay and imagination. One of my favourite Doctor Who stories ever.
Rob Sherman (writer of “Dalek”) discussing ‘The Shakespeare Code’
Yes, let’s discuss the second episode, where The Doctor takes his new companion (Martha Jones) back to see the performance of “Love’s Labout’s Won” at The Globe in 1599). Pop culture references are always interesting to throw in, but here not only were they balanced between ones for adults (Shakespeare, Dylan Thomas, Gale and Zemekis), sci-fi geeks (Bradbury, Grandfather Paradoxes_ but also for the kids in the And is there a final example of illustrating time travel to kids with The Doctor’s Harry Potter nod (”Wait till you read Book 7, oh I cried”).
And this was the second episode in a row we’ve seen a non linear time travel trick, with the resolution coming to the audience before the set up (the Tie last week, and yet another Queen chasing down Tennant’s Doctor). I can;t help feeling that this is setting up a plot point for later in the season, in a Murder She Wrote / Columbo style ‘to pull a gun in act three, you must show it inconsequentially in act one.’ I’m also pretty sure what combination of characters will be involved, but that’s later in the season, and I’m trying to be spoiler nice with Sci-Fi posts on this blog (cf Life on Mars and Galactica posts)
Doctor Who has, amazingly, managed to stand over pretty much every sci-fi genre, of ongoing threads, with Buffy Like Big Bads, to standalone Trek TOS style episodes. It’s trouncing every other Saturday night TV show, and it’s proving that a well crafted drama, even in the modern multi-channel environment, can become must see television and provide those water cooler moments every Program Director wants. It’s clear when you see the ‘reality’ shows that surround Who, and are programmed opposite Who getting half the audience numbers that people are rejecting the light and fluffy snacks of television and want somethign with substance.
As a final gem, when Gridlock’ airded, Doctor Who racked up 727 episodes. Star Trek only ever managed 726.
April 17, 2007; Doctor Who;
Possibly Related posts:
- Angela Lansbury IS Doctor Who (Spoiler Free)
- Little Doctor Who Casting Script
- Doctor Who and the Guest Writers of Speculative Fiction
- Picture of the Day – Doctor Who Muppets
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You do know that Act Three / Act One thing is Chekov, via JMS, right? :o)
That would be the same JMS who wrote seven episodes of “Murder, She Wrote,” yes?