Has Dr Who become too inaccessible?
What the hell is that thing?
It was Saturday, my boyfriend lay lazily on the sofa next to me, I flicked over to BBC one. It was Dr Who time. The second episode of the new series; awash with terrifying monsters, a mysterious child in a spacesuit and former US president Richard Nixon.
Halfway through, as the team investigated a extremely creepy orphanage overrun with the forgettable Silence, my boyfriend looked at me and said “Do you have any idea what is going on?”
The problem was, not an inability to comprehend basic plotlines on his part, but the fact he’d never seen an episode of Dr Who before. In fact the only reason he was being forced to sit through it was my insistence to see the next installment, and the second episode in a two part special was probably not the best introduction.
Fast forward to this week, I switch on BBC iplayer to catch up on the next episode. The name Neil Gaiman flashes up on the screen and as my boyfriend and I are both fans, I texted him to tell him of this. Then in reply I recieved ‘Tell if me if it is accessible to non Dr Who fans’.
As I watched the unfolding action, the doctor’s TARDIS is transferred into the soul of a woman, Rory nearly dies (again), Amy cries because Rory nearly died, an Ood who I was pretty sure was called Mathew until I realised halfway through they were calling him Nephew: it suddenly hit me, has Dr Who become completely inaccessible?
So he travels around space fighting Smeg fridges?
I didn’t begin my Who obsession until quite late, adamantly refusing to watch like a surly teenager. Then I caught some repeats, and luckily I landed on two of the best episodes in the first series ‘The Empty Child’.
The first outing for Stephen Moffat, who has taken over for the past two series, even in my cynical mindset I couldn’t turn it off. An adventure of mystery, fear, but with dabbles of humour sprinkled throughout. I quickly caught up on everything I’d missed, from Eccleston to Tennant, spending hours taking it in.
When I heard my favourite writer Moffat had taken the reigns, I was overjoyed, gleeful to know what he would do with the time travelling hero. The introduction of Amy Pond, who far outshines Martha and whatever Catherine Tate’s character was called, a new doctor, what could go wrong?
Well nothing went wrong; it was great, as it had always been. The only problem, would anyone who hadn’t spent hours tucked up in bed drenching themselves in Dr Who get it?
The buzz surrounding the Doctor’s return, all those years ago was huge. Russell T Davis did a stellar job, as a big fan himself he took all the old elements and weaved them into a new modern day Doctor, but what made it work so well was the stories remained separate. They required no prior knowledge, beyond what you have picked up over the years; he’s a time traveller and the big blue police box is the TARDIS (oh and it’s bigger on the inside).
Bigger on the inside. If you know what I mean. I mean it's actually bigger on the inside, what were you thinking?
Now it seems that there is less for the causal viewer and with this new series, people attempting to work out what the hell is going on are left at the wayside. If you haven’t watched it by now, then this is not for you.
This is a shame, I long for the days when an episode would be wrapped up in an hour, when the story arc was mentioned fleetingly per adventure.
I know many older Who fans will say that this is the norm, that stories would go on for weeks in the previous incarnation’s of the Doctor, but that isn’t my Doctor Who.
I just wonder, what has the Doctor got to offer to the newbies?
Top five standalone episodes:
For the newbies out there, here are my top five standalone episodes:
One: The Empty Child and the Doctor Dances – Series 1, episodes 9 and 10
Moffat’s first two part special and possibly my favourites of all time (sorry Blink). The story follows a strange boy in a gas mask who is terrifying the local neighbourhood during the WWII Blitz.
Genuinely unnerving in parts, Moffat shows he is one of the best writers out there.
Two: The School Reunion – Series 2, episode 3
Featuring previous sidekick’s Sarah Jayne and K9, even if you have no idea who they are it doesn’t matter.
Written by Being Human’s Toby Whitehouse, Giles from Buffy is head of a school which has some odd goings on. Despite that description, it is great and there is one line delivered by the headmaster which left me in stitches for days.
Technology apparently starts to look very 80s again in the future.
Three: The Girl in the Fireplace – Series 2 episode 4
Another Moffat episode (notice a pattern emerging?). I could go on about this episode for ages.
Forget Rose, Martha or Amy Pond, I truly never wanted the Doctor to be with anyone more than Madame de Pompadour.
Sexual tension and emotional insanity abound, also there’s some clockwork robots and the Doctor wandering around with his tie round his head.
As standalone episodes go, watch this. It doesn’t matter if you never see a Doctor Who episode again, just watch this. Watch it now!
Hey handsome.
Four: The Idiot’s Lantern Series 2 episode 7
There are two things I like about this episode; Mark Gatiss (League of Gentleman) wrote it and it’s about television.
Set before the Queen’s coronation, strange things are happening to people who’ve bought a bright shiny telly box to watch it on.
Nice, simple story, with enough scaremongering to stop children wiling their lives away on crap TV (for at least half an hour anyway).
Five: Blink – Series 3 episode 10
Dr who, terrifying children since 1963.
There are many things great about this episode, but one of them is that Martha isn’t in it too much and the Doctor doesn’t spend his time strutting around the place thinking he’s god’s gift to well time travel.
The episode which made a generation of children refuse to go near any statues for the next couple of months. If you haven’t heard of this episode then you truly have been hiding in a TARDIS shaped hole.
Just remember, don’t Blink.
I too am a late comer to Who, my first series was the 9th Doctor. and you know what? I thought the first few episodes were rubbish. I didn’t know who any of these people were, I had no idea Who the crazy man in the black leather jacket was, I couldn’t understand half the things that came out of Rose’s mouf, and I just plain didn’t get it.
my other half gave me a quickish intro “he’s a time traveler, last of his kind, lonely, bigger on the inside. . . “, and within a few more episodes I was HOOKED. and hooked turned into addicted, all from not liking the first episode I saw because I didn’t get it.
back to your question:
“I just wonder, what has the Doctor got to offer to the newbies?”
Everything. So long as newbies are willing to give it a couple hours.