This article was originally published in The Courier on 13th October 2018.
DOCTOR WHO: Sunday, BBC One
“Half
an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman.”
And
there it was. Just one brief, throwaway line to acknowledge that the 13th
Doctor is a woman. After months of hoopla - and tedious whining from some quarters - surrounding the introduction of Jodie
Whittaker as the first female incarnation of the Time Lord, the latest series
of DOCTOR WHO just got on with
things. A smart move.
Drawing
overt attention to the Doctor’s gender change would’ve reduced it to a
self-conscious novelty as opposed to an entirely natural development. It
would’ve undermined the integrity of Whittaker’s performance. She is the Doctor and that’s that.
So
what’s 13 like? At heart(s), of course, she’s essentially like all the
others: brave, eccentric, inquisitive. What Whittaker brings to the role are
flashes of contagious childlike wonder, breathless energy, quiet compassion and smart comic
timing. Her expressive face runs the gamut from goofiness to gravitas. She’s
charming, funny and thoroughly commanding: everything you could want from a Doctor.
I
personally never had any doubts about that, as Whittaker is a fine actor. She
was always going to nail the part. My main concern with this new series is the
arrival of Chris Chibnall as showrunner.
The
brains behind Broadchurch and the
wildly uneven Who spin-off Torchwood has five previous Doctor Who episodes to his name, the
best of which were little more than adequate. His writing lacks the flair
and ingenuity of his predecessors Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies.
However,
after watching this rather elegantly plotted episode - demonstrably his best
effort so far - I began to think that maybe Chibnall’s relatively straightforward approach might be just
what Doctor Who needs right now. As
much as I admire Moffat for the most part, his cerebral style of continuity-heavy storytelling
alienated some viewers. My usual response to that would be ‘their loss’, but
I’d like to see Doctor Who become a
national talking point again.
More
than anything, of course, I want it to be good, but I get the impression that
Chibnall and his team know what they’re doing. Doctor Who has always thrived on change while feeding off successful
elements from its past, and I welcome the decision to reboot
the show as an accessible piece of blockbuster family entertainment unburdened by
prolonged story arcs.
The plot of this first episode – a satisfyingly dark affair involving a Predator-style alien hunting on Earth – was merely a framework to support Whittaker's debut while establishing a brand new era. Chibnall has stated that he wanted the episode to function as a jumping-on point for new viewers while assuring die-hards that it's the same old show they know and love. In that regard, it was an unqualified success.
Whittaker is an engaging Doctor, her new companions - sorry, 'friends' - seem promising, and the production team appear to have a
distinct vision for the show. Doctor Who always looked great during Moffat's tenure, but Chibnall's first episode established a new aesthetic. Set mostly at night on the mean streets of Sheffield, it was steeped in Nordic Noir-esque atmosphere. The cinematography, direction, visual effects and sparingly used score were very impressive.
It wasn't perfect - Chibnall's dialogue is occasionally quite clunky and rote - but overall this new era of Doctor Who feels confident and energised, a show reborn. The future looks rather bright.
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