Doctor Who: Season 10 so far...
The new age of Dr Who, which was revived by Russel T Davis back in 2005, has managed to capture the hearts of so many children and adults alike. With a sense of adventure and wonder, the show has managed to prove itself as a ratings winner for the BBC (both home and abroad). So many fans are extremely loyal to the show, and prove this with their dedication to cosplay, collectables and other such practices that fans tend to engage in.
However, I felt there was a distinct change within the world of Dr Who when Russel T Davis stepped down as “Showrunner” (This is the combined roles of head-writer and executive producer). Steven Moffat had taken the reigns of leading the show from 2008 onwards. I will say, I am a fan of Steven’s work with the likes of Dr Who and Sherlock. However, for whatever reason, his shows have always taken a dip in ratings as the development of his work goes on. I feel that the reason behind this is that the shows become almost too ‘emotional’ for their own good.
The basic ingredients for Dr Who is time travel, monsters and a lot of running. At the end of the day Dr Who is a kids show which also appeals to older audiences. What the show shouldn’t do is trying to exclusively appeal to older audiences thereby losing its sense of adventure and in the process losing its younger audience. This was very noticeable when the love story of Rory and Amy had become the drive of the series during the Matt Smith era. The show focused too much on the emotions that bonded Amy and Rory rather than the raw sense of adventure that every Dr Who fan craves. Again, appealing to the emotions of adults instead of meeting the demands of what it should be.
As we get into the first few episodes of series 10, I do feel the sense of adventure has been renewed somewhat. Firstly, I would like to say that the inclusion of comedian Matt Lucas is a revelation and he has added an injection of new life into the show. I also feel that the storylines of the first few episodes have surpassed my expectations for the new series. I would argue that scaring children has always been a huge part of Dr Who, the weeping angels were hugely popular because of this. The first episode ‘The pilot’ does this to a reasonably good extent. I felt that the sense of tension between Bill and Heather was great, particularly in the scenes of them standing in the park at night and Bill staring into the puddle in all those years ahead. Pearl Mackie as an actress is good and offers a personality to the show that we’ve never seen before. The episodes have held a sense of wonder because of us, the audience, not knowing what is the vault.
Overall I feel that Dr Who is coming back to basics but I hope it doesn’t go off track as it has done in the past. The constant point I have made is that we want is a sense of adventure, not emotions. I have seen many criticise Peter Capaldi as an actor but personally I feel he suits the role. I don’t think he’s “too old” because he brings genuine energy to the role, as any doctor should do.
