Doctor Who 50th Anniversary

[DrFrankensteinsGirl]

I haven't watched as much Classic Who as I would like. I started watching Doctor Who 5 years ago and of the classic doctor's the 4th doctor is the one that I've watched the most although I have a love of Patrick Troughton too even though I've only seen like 2 of his episodes so far lol.

[ferretchucker]

I'm a lover of both, with the classic Who introducing me long before the revived series. I think the originality of the show is absolutely staggering. So many shows/films will either have one iconic aspect, or they will develop over time, and yet this show has a plethora that were in it from the start; the TARDIS's design and sound, the opening credits style and music, the enigmatic Doctor (despite his many changes since then), the companion concept - they were all in it in the first bloody episode! Within the season we'd been given the Daleks and before long the concept of regeneration (how else could such a show survive so long?)

For those interested, I cannot recommend Mark Gatiss' An Adventure in Space and Time, starring David Bradley, more. A beautiful docu-drama telling the tale of the creation of Doctor Who. Bradley in particular makes me love Hartnell more than I thought possible. Granted, it IS a docu-drama and must be taken with a pinch of salt, but still! And knowing how close we came to it never picking up is staggering.




And now on to my views on the 50th Anniversary special. Hold tight, there are some spoilers ahead.

Incredible. Just absolutely incredible. 76 minutes of utter genius, pleasing for fans and first-timers alike. Yes it was cheesy, yes it had a few plot holes and yes, Joanna Page was pretty poor as Queen Elizabeth (sorry Gavin and Stacey fans). But this truly was the best way to honour such an iconic show's almost unheard of 50th Anniversary. Still, I won't just hash out the plot for you - watch it and see for yourself - but I'll try and pick out on some of its shining moments.

Firstly some context - I watched it at one of my boyfriend's friend's flat. There were about a dozen of us there, of which maybe 8 were fans (although I was the only one with more than a basic knowledge of classic who), 2 were casual viewers and 2 had never seen it before. All were transfixed throughout - myself gurning like a fool - and, whilst the newbies left it somewhat baffled, they had at least enjoyed the ride.

If I'm honest, it started a little weak. Clara's still so new it's tough to care much about her, and the TARDIS being helicoptered over London felt like another of Moffat's irritating attempts to spawn a Buzzfeed article and Tumblr GIFs. out of "iconic" images. But when it got going, it got going well.

David Tennant's return was marvellous - despite 4 years out of the role, he still knows how to play his Doctor perfectly. The wide eyed, slightly cheeky, witty and altogether more human than Smith (something I prefer) was a joy to see again. His energy is palpable, his grin is infectious and yet his dark moments are nonetheless chilling and intense. As he angrily confronts Eleventh's forgetting of casualities you sense a dark judgement within.

Besides this, however, I thought his and Matt Smith's on screen chemistry was fabulous. How rare an occurence in any media that two actors can play the exact same person meeting each other! Well...barring previous Who's that is. Their teasing was hilarious, a self-referential wink to many of the comments that viewers and the media have made about each Doctor. Combined with John Hurt's "am I having a mid-life crisis?!" I was in stitches of laughter.

And now we get to Hurt. I was VERY weary about his "War Doctor" characters introduction to the show. The retroactive fitting of a new incarnation seemed sloppy and causes all sorts of complications (more on this later). I also wondered how I was meant to care about this man. This weird new unheard of man. But hell, did that Thespian prove me wrong! For a frail old man his character exuded a great strength that suited his purpose tremendously. And yet, the vulnerability was there and important. His voice cracking "thank you" to the other Doctors as they prepare to join him in the deed made a lump in my throat.

Before getting to the BIG revelation, I'll just run through some more of my favourite moments. Piper was fantastic as the Bad Wolf Moment Persona, and I thought it was a wise move to not have her replaying Rose herself. It was nice to see the Zygons back, and I thought their classic, rubbery, cheap look was a nice nod to the show's roots. Why bother with fancy CGI mo-cap monsters when you can have some drama school drop-outs in red latex?! Tom Baker's cameo, though perplexing, was also wonderful. Knowing he's regretted not coming back to Who for a long time made it seem very fitting, especially as it doesn't seem the old man has too much left in him. And of course, Capaldi's eyebrow-cameo was a great touch.

Now on to the BIG one. The one I called, in fact. For a while now I've felt as though the whole "Last of the Time Lords" thing was running thin. It was a brilliant new layer to the show in 2005 and it had a profound effect on both Eccleston and Tennant's performances. But since Smith took hold it's had little effect - his guilt has faded, his mentions of the Time Lords are less frequent and the moral absolution that the ordeal seemed to give 9 and 10 had sort of just become part of the character. This was nicely addressed in the episode as "the one who regrets...and the one who forgets." So...why not bring them back?

Well, it seems that's what's happening! It'll be great to see the show with some direction again, a fresh injection of momentum to propel the narrative and reinstate a glimmer of hope. And there are a good few seasons that can be extracted from this (provided Moffat's heavy-handed, rushed story resolutions don't take over). The time lords were always an interesting presence in Classic Who, their strained relationship with The Doctor offering some great interactions. Of course, what's also lovely is that this new development DOESN'T effect anything we've seen thus far. The Doctor forgets his deed, must live with the guilt and as a result, allow himself to go back and change it.

Of course, it couldn't all be great. Eccleston's absence was felt throughout, although I think they handled this well with the brief moment of his face in the regeneration. And then there's the confusion of numbering. Before it seemed obvious - Hurt didn't mess the numbers because, technically, he wasn't the Doctor. But then we're assured he's proved himself as The Doctor, AND when Capaldi is brought in we're told "all 13". So hmm...how will they handle this. The implications of "all 13" are also interesting.

So what more is there to say? Honestly...loads. But my fingers are going numb from furious typing. Nonetheless, it was the perfect special for both old and new fans. Great storytelling, stellar performances. And then we're given this beautiful image.