The new Dr Who logo. Not sure about it

So over Christmas David Tennant stepped down as the doctor, and marked the end of a remarkable period in the Dr Who series. Let me just say that David Tennant is responsible for everyone in my house loving Dr Who. From my wife to my children they all think it is a great show, and it is mostly down to him. Billy Piper and Catherine Tate have been stand out assistants who have has astounded me with their ability to take on the role and make more than just a side kick.

So it is unfortunate that David Tennant’s final show is also the weakest of all the episodes he has done.

How can you end it?

I suppose one of the real problems for the show has been how do you kill off the doctor. It has become so popular that no matter what you do you are not going to satisfy everyone. But it seemed to me I wanted something much more intimate from the final show than what we got. It is something Tennant can do and has done amazingly well and their was a brief flicker of it right before the end that made me smile. But as far as I was concerned the rest was a complete shambles.

John Simm is another talented actor, and while I thought he hammed The Master up a little more than he needed, he was still a convincing villain. But the villain turned psychotic was a step just a little too far, and one of many plot points that I didn’t think the episode needed.

This one was a story I just didn’t connect with in any way. Most of the others I have enjoyed and they have been surprisingly moving at times. Showing the frailty of the human condition with the death and destruction the doctor brings in his wake. Thought provoking at times, and even genuinely frightening in my favourite episode “Blink” . That one also stands out for me as a brave choice as the doctor is hardly in it at all and you seeing from another perspective.

Christmas Specials

For some reason the Christmas specials have never quiet worked. The format doesn’t seem to work well at the longer running time, and I always got the feeling the writers were trying to hard to make those stories bigger than they needed to be. The “Star Ship Titanic” episode (Douglas Adams reference in there for anyone who didn’t know) was a good story but didn’t hit the mark. The “Spider Queen” episode was fun but flat.

But I am not complaining, any Dr Who is better than no Dr Who. But they don’t need to make Christmas specials, Dr Who just doesn’t need it.

Long time fan

I have loved Dr Who for a long time. It seems to be becoming a theme of mine my obsession with British Sci-fi (maybe there is another blog in that). But there is nothing better than watching an entire story of Dr Who on a Sunday morning. That style of story telling is something I am surprised has not crept back into Dr Who. It used to be that a story was played out of about six episodes, so you had the first one where most things seemed normal. All the way through the middle as it became creepy, then the final pay off when the doctor normally saved the day. I enjoy this style because it slows the story and usually makes you engage your brain a little. While the current style is single story episodes, they work just fine. I do sometimes wish they would spend a little more time on some of them.

Who was your doctor?

My doctor (the one I can actually remember sitting down to watch was Silvester McCoy (1987 – 1989). I do remember a little of Colin Baker, and a little more Peter Davidson. But McCoy was the one when I was just the right age, and if I am honest I really like him as the doctor. He is a little hammy and whimsical, and his question mark umbrella is a little over the top. There are moments when this fades away and you are left with a much more sinister character, one of the key marks of the doctor.

McCoy always seems to be dismissed as the doctor, and that is a shame because not only was he fun to watch he also had the best companion. Ace (Sophie Aldred) the loud, rude, obnoxious and clever one who could easily keep pace with the scenes and developed her own character into something that was just as much fun to watch.

A wimper, not a bang!

So Tennant’s stint as the doctor ends not on the high note I would have liked, but well enough. Now is the time of the new doctor and I am afraid to say I don’t have much hope for him. Like all actors following the previous one it hard to see how they will take over. There will only be one way to find out and that is to see how he does in the new series starting in just a few months.

The day of the Triffids makes its return

Some time ago I wrote about one of my favourite Sci-Fi TV Series “Day of the Triffids“. Made in 1981, much like “Blakes 7” it is a little known British gem of a show that never really seemed to get the regard it should have got. Over Christmas the BBC have finally shown the new version. With some excellent actors, and a more grown up feel it is an excellent addition to the growing catalogue of remakes of this classic story.

I have to confess I have not read the book, and now I am starting to think I should. Every remake of this story has something new, while the core story still remains as chilling as ever.

What’s new?

Once you have remade the same story a few times can you really bring something new to it this time round? Simply put yes! I personally find this a very strong story. It probably appeals to my love of zombie films. You have a very simple enemy, who is slow moving, unintelligent foes who can do very little. But their power is in their unrelenting progress . With no fear and lack of respect for the human race you have an unstoppable enemy that create a very tense and claustrophobic atmosphere.

This version is very much like the older series. The stories are surprisingly close, but I much preferred this version explanation of the event that blinds the majority of the population. I also enjoyed the more detailed look at the triffid farming and the explanation of why the male and female plants are kept separated.

Which do you prefer?

If I am honest I prefer the 1981 version. Not because I think it is a better telling of the story, but just because they had more time to go into the ideas. While the initial story is very straight forward, the stories that evolve from it are far more interesting. While the new version touched on these emerging stories, and even created a new one with the nuns sacrificing their useless residents. It never had the time to really explore any of these.

There is a whole six part series just in the idea of a safe haven the where the Triffids show no interest in attacking. Once you know the secret it makes perfect sense and that reveal could have been much more dramatic and thought provoking. Is it so wrong to sacrifice a dying old man to save a fifty more? Where do you draw the line? What if you could save a thousand for someone who would die anyway, or was no longer interested in helping the whole? This is actually something I miss from Dr Who.

British Sci-Fi Rant

You have to love David Tennant as the doctor, in fact you have to love the doctor in general, it is an amazingly clever and simple idea for a show. It exemplifies something I love about British Sci-Fi and Horror in general. In US shows you know the core people are safe. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are safe, they are definitely coming back. McGyver will get into a tough spot, but he will find away out of it (even if you do steal the whole ending to “The Italian Job”.. you bastard!).

But British work is not so simple (at least it never used to be.. but that’s a different story). You are totally entitled to kill your main hero and all his friends if you like. You can never be sure who is safe. “Blakes 7” has to be the epitome of that, your main hero doesn’t even appear in the last two series to the point you are sure he is dead. Only to have him pop up right at the end, only to be killed by his friend Avon (you Bastard!). If this is a spoiler to you… grow up! You should already know this stuff, there is no excuse, it was made in 1981 for god sake!

Dr Who is the pinnacle of that idea, you have a character that you can kill off at any point. There is no guarantee he will be about to help. Yes you know he can come back, but each iteration is a little different so you do lose one character and gain another.

This was the feel I got from the the old Triffid series, any one of them could go at any point. That unpredictability makes the show watch-able. With no clear villan you are never really sure who you should looking out for. Yes the acting is not the greatest, but I love that. Dr Who would be nothing without Tom Baker hamming it up for all he’s worth.

Failing

So this was the failing I felt in the show, Torrance was just there you make you dislike him, he didn’t serve much purpose apart from that. So there was no really need to spend as much time as they did on him.

Because of all the time lost to making you hate him, we lost a lot to Triffid time. Towards the end they talk about the Triffids using the sewers and over running the city. But we didn’t get to see any of that, and that was a real shame. It would have given a chance for Izzard to really make you dislike Torrance as he sacrificed his own men so he could make his escape.

Again this is something I miss from current Sci-Fi, Dr Who is the biggest culprit of this. It used to be that a single story would take six episodes to play out. It would start of all nice with some strange happenings, until the really weird stuff would come out, then the doctor would step in and save the day. Fairly standard stuff, but at least there was time to play with the ideas and come up with something with a little meaning. Admittedly not all the stories deserved all this attention but some of the classics are better for it. This is where I think Triffids could have done with being a few episodes longer. Rather than being a film cut in half they should have gone for more shorter episodes. But that is just my personal opinion.

My conclusion

This new version was excellent, the visuals were good, and the acting was excellent. But something was lost. There was too much time spent on the run, and not enough time to see the tragedy unfold. It is worth seeing, and I especially liked the new design for the Triffids.

Check out some other peoples thoughts on the new show:

• Den of Geek – A great in depth look. Points out some things I had not even considered.
• Dan’s Media Digest – Also talks about the rushed nature of the new series. But overall a good show.
• BCS – I think this sums up my thoughts.. it was good, but doesn’t quiet hit the mark.