E Y E W E A R, THE BLOG - FREEDOM MEANS BEING UNAFRAID TO WRITE WHAT YOU THINK

The news that the 12th incarnation of Doctor Who - the BBC's flagship sci-fi series, and a sacred pop culture cow to some - has been announced, and it is Peter Capaldi , that sweary Scot from that poli-sci show - is a bit of a let down.  If one considers that Britain's leading TV/film icons of serial success - James Bond, the Doctor, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, Robin Hood - are white males - it might have been hoped that, this not being 1963, but rather fifty years later, the Beeb might have actually made the good Doctor a woman, or someone of Black, or Asian - or Other - descent.  It might have actually been thrilling to ask that chap from The Marigold Hotel , for instance - or Gillian Anderson .  Of course, Idris Elba would have been great - but he was likely busy, given he will win the Oscar this year for playing Mandela .  Capaldi is a brilliant comedic actor of extraordinary timing and energy.  His Doctor Who will be fun and thrilling.  Wha...

The Monsters Under The Bed: Doctor Who Series Five So Far by Patrick Chapman According to Steven Moffat , its new showrunner, Doctor Who isn’t set in outer space, it’s set under your bed. That’s where the monsters are. At least it is if you’re eight. And that age group has always been the show’s core audience. The difference is now that the core audience includes girls. Moffat’s earlier episodes for the show always had a young girl at the heart of the mystery, except Blink, which was adapted from a short story which had. Back in the mists of time, one reviewer called Doctor Who ‘the children’s own programme which adults adore.’ There’s probably never been a truer description of the show, and never has that description been truer than today, as the series, now established in its fifth run of the revival, or the thirty-first overall, shows itself to be a true modern fairytale. In Moffat, it has a lead writer who knows about children and how to deliver the safe scares for which the...

This was billed as the "first classic episode" of the new Doctor Who series.  It wasn't quite.  I am not sure the jazzed up logo and modified theme make the show more, or less, contemporary - something about the colours and tone sound too of the moment.  Sometimes retro is actually cooler, and more classic.  The new Doctor is an improvement on the last one, frankly, who I found a little insufferable.  This time around his manic eccentricity has an edge of uncertainty, bordering on insanity, that is fun.  The new assistant is even odder.  Unfeasibly tall, with a curious open face and big eyes, this pale Scottish lass is quirky, spaced out, and sometimes compellingly smart, all at once, while also looking like she's just bonked for an hour (or is that wishful thinking?).  I think she's a good character twist. Tonight's episode was classic BBC twaddle, that convinces itself it is genius - remember the hype when they put Titanic in space?  So,...