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Amy Pond, there’s something you better understand about me because it’s important and one day your life may depend on it: I am definitely a mad man with a box.
Writing the first episode a new series of Doctor Who can be very tricky to get right. Writing the first episode of a new series when you’ve got introduce a new Doctor, a new TARDIS, a new companion and a new primary location can seem like an impossible task. However new series producer and head writer Steven Moffat ticks every single one of those boxes to set the standard for the rest of the series.
Like everyone else, I’ve been waiting for a new full series of Doctor Who for two years. So an awful lot was riding on Steven Moffat to make this episode perfect in order to keep both the media and public on his side like previous head writer Russell T Davis had done for four years. I’ve been reading some of the reviews that have been published on the Internet and there seems to be overall positive praise for Matt Smith; and that’s exactly how I feel too.
Although basically everything has changed such as a new Doctor, a new companion, a new opening sequence, a new theme tune, a new TARDIS, a new primary location, a new set of reoccurring characters, a new head writer, a new producer and a new show runner it still feels like the same show that has been building up its now-adored reputation after being trampled on by the media and viewers alike in the late 80’s.
Of course you’re still going to get the occasional David Tennant fan-boy who’s going to say Matt Smith has changed everything and that he’s changed it for the worse; but what they probably don’t understand is that Steven Moffat knew there would be some people expecting a Russell-David Doctor Who series, which is why I assume he decided to change everything, so people would now expect something different and this was a very smart move.
First episodes of a new series haven’t always been brilliant, such as the lack-lustering series two opener New Earth. However The Eleventh Hour was a brilliantly written and directed episode that has set the bar high for the next 12 episodes – and judging by the trailer we were treated two and the end of the episode it’s going to be fantastic.
The thing I liked about The Eleventh Hour is that it doesn’t heavily revolve around the enemy, because that isn’t the point of this episode, in fact I’d go as far as to say that the enemy is largely irrelevant and that the driving force of this episode is in fact the Doctor’s new body and his relationship with Amy Pond. So I’m glad it focused more on this aspect that the alien enemy. I’m also relieved to see an episode where destruction doesn’t happen in London or Cardiff, but in a quiet English country side because it was becoming very much of a cliché to always see the former two under attack from aliens – why didn’t everyone just move after series one?
Obviously this episode was Matt Smith’s first full one – so it was important he showed the audience that his Doctor is still in the making and that there may be more to his personality than we’ve already been shown. Any actor taking over BBC’s flag ship drama that was previously fronted by universally adored David Tennant would have felt incredibly nervous, not only for the media and fans to like them; but to think that they are a good enough successor. However I did not feel like Matt Smith was trying too hard to woo over the media and fans alike; I instead felt that he was playing as his character, not knowing of anything beyond the show itself and that he was just fitted into the roll easily, and I’m incredibly excited about what he’s got in store for us.
The new companion of this series is feisty red head Amy Pond, (Karen Gillan), who meets the Doctor when she’s 9 years old in her back garden but gets let down by him for 12 years until he turns back up again after what he thinks is a mere 5 minutes. There’s a lot less riding on Karen than there is on Matt because companions aren’t usually compared to the previous companion because they are completely different characters and therefore would be unfair to do so. I feel like Amy is the Doctor’s human equal who won’t swoon over him like Rose and Martha did – but that she’d happily slap the Doctor if he steps out of line which is what I think he needs; which is why I liked Donna so much because she was independent from him.
Last but not least: the new TARDIS. For young fans this was their first time seeing a completely new set take over what they wished their bedroom would look like; so it was important for the design department to get it right. I feel they have achieved this by still keeping the old basic structure of having the hexagon shaped consol in the middle, with the time rotor spiralling up towards the ceiling while at the same time introducing new changes such as the introduction of levels which led to the under side of the consol as well as stair cases leading to yet to be seen rooms. The TARDIS has no concept of design, so it was good for it to be made out of bits and bobs that I think the TARDIS would have lying around in its many attics – my favourite additions are the type writer and the old fashion flip down clock. It’s simply beautiful.
It’s unfair to judge what you think an entire series is going to be like based on one episode – even if you think it’s going to be brilliant because if you set your heights up high you may be let down. However I feel 100% that I won’t be let down and that this is going to be the most beautiful and adored series of Doctor Who to have been made. Change is certainly welcome.
Doctor Who, Saturdays at 6.15PM on BBC One.
Steven, Administrator.
Published on April 4th 2010 / Filed under Media
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The BBC is currently airing two fascinating science programs at the moment one talks about the creation of the universe and its natural wonders; while the one other one shows us things we can never see, even though we see them every day. Let’s begin.
Wonders of the Solar System
Wonders of the Solar System is a fantastic five part series from the BBC where Professor Brian Cox, (who looks like a slightly older Alex James), teaches us about some of amazing, enchanting and scientifically amazing wonders of our solar system. The premise of the series is that Professor Cox is gleeful in the fact that the laws of physics are exactly the same throughout the universe as they are here on Earth; but that actions governed by these laws can have a different impact on different planets.
I must admit I didn’t know anything about the series until Professor Cox appeared on Friday Night With Jonathon Ross last week promoting this wonderful series; I then watched all of the latest four episodes on the BBC iPlayer while I eagerly await for the final episode this Sunday. The show is presented in a way that doesn’t get boring; it’s coupled with scenes with Professor Cox explaining the wonder he is talking about this week about along side amazing CGI examples of the the planets he’s talking about to help us out a little bit. For a BBC show the CGI is actually pretty good and I’ve been watching with open eyes while watching glorious shots of methane rain falling on Titan as it would appear on the planet itself.
Each episode sticks to a certain theme or subject; for example the first episode is about the Sun and its empire. This episode literally moved me to tears when Professor Cox gently explained to me what will be happen in five billion years: the Sun will expand to 2000 times its current size and it will eat up all the plants, moons, comets and satellites that it will ultimately pass; then it will explode and will destroy itself and everything in its empire, leaving nothing its hot core cooling until the end of time itself. It’s a realisation of just how little we humans are in the universe.
The other episodes have dealt with why planets rotate, what exactly the atmosphere does on Earth and other planets, how a size of a planet can make or break it, and how volcanoes can be described as the geological heart beat of planets and when they stop, the planet dies. The last episode of the series that will air next Monday will be about aliens and the possibility of their being life on other planets – I can’t wait.
There’s only one thing that annoys me about this series; sometimes the same things are described in more than one episode. For example, the magnetosphere has been explained in at least two episodes with no new information being added; in case your interested the magnetosphere is an invisible cocoon created by a planet’s magnetic polls which deflects, (most), of the solar winds floating away from the Sun from entering and endangering the atmosphere of a planet, our Earth for example.
Besides that one little niggle; Wonders of the Solar System is a beautifully narrated and designed series that will many times an episode make your brain stop as you try to comprehend our place in everything and that we know so little about the place we live: the universe.
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Wonders of The Solar System, Sundays at 9PM on BBC Two.
Invisible Worlds
Invisible Worlds is an extraordinary series that aims to show the viewer things they see every single day… but don’t actually see. It’s tricky to comprehend that we as human beings hardly see anything, we mill about the planet always looking but never actually see anything. This is what Invisible Worlds tries to put right. It’s presented by Richard Hammond who narrates the series as he shows us every day situations such as eating dinner and walking to work; but by using special high speed cameras and zoom technology he can show us what we in fact miss.
Initially you start to wonder what this series is actually about, because it doesn’t seem to have a compelling point to it other than using high speed cameras to slow situations down to show us things that we miss, (such as the visible blast bubble that is on the outside of an explosion). It also explores the micro world and how properties that are seen in nature such as animals and plants could in fact answer a lot of questions posed by science; such as why the Lotus leaf never gets wet when it rains and how this could be used to protect astronauts from getting covered in dust which threatens to ruins the mechanics of their space craft.
I think even the BBC knew that this would be a hard series to sell to viewers which is why they got Richard Hammond to present the show as opposed to a scientist. This isn’t the BBC just putting a famous face on something because they did let Professor Brian Cox present Wonders of the Solar System who is a relative unknown to mainstream audiences.
However once you watch an episode you feel like you understand the premise of the series a bit more and this in turn will make you want to watch further episodes. It is actually very interesting and to me it really showed how detailed nature is; an example that blew me away would be how a particular gecko that appears to defy gravity by walking up completely vertical surfaces by having feet which have got millions of hairs that literally stick it to the surface, and inside those hairs are a million other hairs, and so on and so fourth.
Another example that shows us how powerful science has become when dealing with the microscopic world would be when Richard Hammond was able to use a machine to engrave the title of series onto 1/6 a width of a human hair – each character being only 100 atoms thick.
Even though Invisible Worlds is a seemly odd show; it does in fact present to the viewer how beautiful yet complex nature is in its design of everything and everyone on this planet.
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Invisible Worlds has finished its three episode run, but you can watch it on the BBC iPlayer.
Steven, Administrator.
Published on April 1st 2010 / Filed under Internet
