Doctor Who

I resisted grabbing the leaked version off Bittorrent for a couple of weeks and waited patiently for the clock to strike 8 pm today (we’re an hour ahead of the Brits here). Expectations were high. Tom Baker, as the fourth doctor, was part of my childhood universe, his successors also making their mark as I grew up to become the mess I am today.

So it was with a mix of hope and anguish that I tuned into BBC One for the first in a brand new series of Doctor Who. And, I’ve got to say, it doesn’t dissapoint. It’s like watching a brand new show, not as theatrical, but with enough references to the classic series to make it feel like the real thing. The Tardis is still there, now exposed to a generation that grew up in a world without police boxes (unless they live in Scotland, in that case they’ve been buying their capuccinos out of them) and, in characteristic Doctor Who style, the London Eye has been repurposed as a giant evil thought transmitter capable of controlling plastic.

The acting is good. Christopher Eccleston, with his northern accent (when quizzed about this, he responds “lots of planets have a north"), is perfect as the doctor and the chemistry with Billie Piper really works.

The special effects are nowhere near as cheesy as they used to be although they remain quite obvious. The CGI looks on par with most current sci-fi series.

The theme tune has been updated but still pays homage to the great work of Delia Derbyshire and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. The incidental music on the other hand is absolutely awful. It sounds like they bought a bunch of old action sequences and car chases sound library CDs or set the synthesizer on demo.

Now just bring back the daleks and I’ll be a happy camper.