Sunday, April 11, 2010

The new Doctor: OK, but not really the point

Watching Matt Smith Geronimo-ing around the sinister Starship UK on yesterday’s episode, I suddenly realised something: I like the programme Doctor Who much more than I like the character of the Doctor. And that’s always been true. The programme, the settings, the mysteries, the baddies – that’s why I watch it. The Doctor, as much as the TARDIS, is a plot device for bringing us these glimpses of other worlds and dark secrets.

I’ve never quite understood why a lot of people are so scornful of Sylvester McCoy and/or Colin Baker and/or Peter Davison. Sure, they were hardly Tom Baker (whom I barely even remember other than from repeats), but I was perfectly happy with the programme when they were in it. And the reason, all of a sudden, is clear to me: the Doctor – for me, at least – isn’t the point of the programme.
Posted by at

2 comments:

Chris said...

Well there has been a ridiculous fetishisation of the Doctor in the New Era, but that isn't necessarily the same thing as thinking the point of watching the programme is for the character.

However, I also think that New Era is much more about the baddies, plots, savings of the world and the Old Era ever was, that it was more about what happens in between those things, if only because they had so much more space to fill and so much less CGI. Not the characters per se as the interactions between them (which in this case doesn't automatically mean battles of willpower that the Doctor wins).

12:41 pm, April 11, 2010
Eunoia said...

Exterminate! Annihilate!!
Vote UKIP!!!! ;-)

7:39 pm, April 12, 2010

Post a Comment