This last weekend saw the debut of the newest version of that venerable classic of sci-fi Dr. Who. The band took a break from rehearsing to watch the return of the good Doctor. We then spent the rest of our breaks for the evening argueing about how good or bad it was. Billie Piper was completely miscast as his sidekick, but Christopher Eccleston makes a rather good doctor. He has a bit of the Tom Baker about him and a whole load of blase intensity. The rest of the central characters including Rose, her mother and Rose's boyfriend had me wanting them to die. There was nothing at all redeeming about the trio.
In the first episode, in which the pair meets, the two of them face off against plastic aliens who want to conquer earth. It was nothing really special to be honest. The plot was weak and wholely dependent on the special effects. There are lots of elements of PCism which were bleedingly obvious and rather mis-placed.
Of course, in the end, we will all watch it, no matter how rubbish it is. It just one of those things. It is to sad to see that BBC felt the need to produce such a poor imitation of what came before. But then again that is the modern Beeb isn't it?
Rating: 2/5
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Article comments
1 - jadester
I, too, was somewhat disappointed with this first episode. The new Doctor is pretty good, a fitting choice I think, and Billie wasn't as bad as I was expecting.
In the end, I found I wasn't paying full attention, it wasn't particularly gripping for most of its running time.
As for that plot, I feel sure that a few years ago, when I flicked over and there was an episode from a much earlier series, they had the exact same overall plot - plastic mannequins being sued to try and take over Earth. Maybe this new series is intended as more of a re-make than an actual new series?
2 - empath
The Autons and the Nestene Conciousness were indeed villains from the early Sixties when Jon Pertwee was The Doctor. It wasn't a remake though, just the same bad-guys. That was my favorite thing about the episode. The Doctor Who movie they made for TV a few years ago seemed to update the material without much real reference to the past. Picking a wacky and classic Sixties enemy like the Autons makes me think the current producers have the right idea about the show. We'll see how it goes.
3 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Yes, I think the less time they spend on normal earth the better. That mother and bf were just horrid.
4 - Scott Pepper
Marty, this post has been syndicated at the Advance.net family of sites, including sites such as the Cleveland.com TV weblog.
5 - Dave Nalle
But at least they have the comfort that it couldn't possibly be worse than the origina series and a whole generation of idiots will watch it regardless.
Dave
6 - HW Saxton
I think I'll wait until the Abbott And
Costello remake of the series:"Dr Who's
On First",is released on DVD.
7 - Andrew Ian Dodge
One thing that was desperately missing from this latest version of Dr. Who was the self-depricating humour that filled the older versions. It was rather po-faced and lacked any of the goofy charm of the traditional Dr Who.
8 - M Freedman
It wasnt as bad as you are saying and I think it will get better as the series progresses, now that the introductions are out of the way.
9 - John Latusek
Billie Piper will have replaced Kylie Minogue on a million bedroom walls already. Interesting to hear misogynists dismissing her performance, now that her character has been given so much more than just a tame sidekick role. The programme is as cartoonish as Batman at times - but that's OK for a 7pm weekend slot. Critics of course will still watch every minute of it. And Eccleston's early announcement of his departure will allow 6 months of speculation re his replacement.
10 - Andrew Ian Dodge
It strikes me as rather funny that they current Dr Who won't be doing a second series. He was the best thing about the new one; let us hope the Beeb can convince Richard E. Grant to pick up the baton. He would make an excellent doctor.
John...wtf are you talking about? Are you seriously suggesting that anyone who thinks Piper can't act for toffee is a misogynist? I happen to live with someone who in the movie business and he agreed with me that she was rubbish in the part. Having a strong engaged side-kick in fine (she is not the first one btw) but at least get someone who is not so wooden in her performance.
11 - John Latusek
Andrew - we'll have to agree to differ over BP. I thought she did rather well.
Tot up the minutes CE spent on screen in the trailers and it probably exceeds his time in the first episode. I certainly found them irksome (though presumably the beeb will argue that it did drum up an audience). Maybe all that repetition is what drove him to yell "Enough!" so soon.
12 - greg
I thought the opener and the second episode were atrocious. Eccleston was annoyingly frivolous and blithe, solving problems with a fatuous grin throughout. The plot itself was terrible (antiplastic? - for fucks sake) and the scene with the bin should have left for The Chuckle Brothers. The second episode - again trying to be all wry and 'knowing', was crap too. I'm sick of this post-modernist nonsense. They've looked at Dr Who retrospectively and imitated it as it appears today, making it a silly, farcical business. They've failed to see that the original was made earnestly as quality sci-fi drama (apart from McCoy's misadventures). I'm more annoyed by this barricade of yay-sayers who have purposely shut down their mental faculties because they are either patriotic fools or because they so want Who to be back. I want Who back but I don't want this shit. I want a professional, quality sci-fi drama.
13 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Greg, thanks for the back-up, I am assuming that you probably would like to see Richard E Grant in the next series. His acting in the animated series was far better than anything in the current RL one. I think CE is trying to channel Tom Baker and failing miserably.
I seem to find the new series lacking in the humour and self-depricating mockery of the original sets of series. It far too po-faced for its own good.
14 - John Latusek
Andrew - my reference to misogynists was related to early comment acrosss the media, not specifically to anyone here. I apologise for not making that clear.
15 - Andrew Ian Dodge
Apology accepted...these things happen.