Day of the Doctor - A review

Dear Reader

Day of the Doctor - A review

On November 23rd 1963 a television program began. 50 years later that same programme celebrated its anniversary. Doctor Who a British institution that started with an old man in a police box. Running away from authority, looking for peace and quiet when he is discovered and adventures begin.

The episode on November 23rd 2013, The Day of the Doctor, brought together a number of threads of past story lines. As with other anniversary shows, other incarnations of the Doctor appeared. The story itself was very cleverly woven with another. The Earth is in trouble, again, aliens are threatening and the Doctor gets called in by UNIT. It is baffling at first and very straight forward. The story moves from one incarnation of the Doctor to another through a painting, introducing us to a lot more of his hidden past. Moving back and forth in time and places creating its own paradox and presenting the Doctor with a chance to change his own time.

The aliens are just right, not under played and not over the top. The focus is on the Doctor and his actions. There is so much here that gives more than a nod to the past 50 years. Rumours went slightly wild around the various Whovian sites, groups, clubs you name it they wanted it.  It was mentioned that this person was back and this person wasn’t and so on. As the story opened, it was clear who was back. Surprises were in store but you had to wait.

The actors clearly worked well together here, you can tell as they interact. There are some delightful moments both comic and dramatic as the story progresses. The three main actors Matt Smith, David Tenant and John Hurt clearly enjoyed their roles. It has to be a difficult role to undertake, becoming a British icon keeping a little of the actor before and then creating the role as your own.

Along the way, there were good supporting roles ensuring the episode had a very good cast. They did not take anything away from the main four characters, you have to include Billie Piper as well as the Doctors in the four, the story just flowed timelessly around everyone. There is no point explaining the story here as I don’t wish to give spoilers. Enough trailers and of course the episode has been shown a few times. There will be many fans who will argue various points about Doctor Who but in truth there are only two points to consider. So here is my taken on how to settle all arguments.

In my view, to deal with many important points and arguments raised by this show, you have to realise two important things. Firstly, the person who created the whole show made the ground rules, Sydney Newman. He said who the Doctor was, a man travelling in time and space in an old box. Secondly a word that takes care of it all the rest. That word is, fiction. Fiction makes Doctor Who travel in time and space. Fiction makes the Tardis. Fiction will allow the BBC to have as many incarnations of the Doctor as it wishes. Fiction. That word cuts across all, since Doctor Who is science fiction. Each further producer, writer, director and actor takes their steer from what Newman started and the word fiction. So, for me, no matter what anyone else says there are answers and solutions.  If in doubt refer to rule one.

As for the Curator? Again simple. My view here is that each incarnation of the Doctor has a timeline, when they regenerate they start another incarnation and another timeline. The old incarnation continues in a sense, allowed to grow old properly and age maybe pass away, unlike the ‘living’ incarnation until they regenerate. Hence a well-known incarnation becoming a Curator. There were even a few roundels in the background. Was that the Tardis living out its life? Who knows.That in itself gives nothing much away of the story.

So, what did the Day of the Doctor mean to me. A brilliant story, a link to all I enjoyed. To see it with friends was very good it made it more of an experience. It was a 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 or whatever. Was there the possibility of adding more? Maybe they could have but would that have worked? Maybe not. I am sure some will not like it because of X. As it was the episode beat everything else except one other BBC show. 10 million viewers in the UK alone watched it. Over 70 countries showed it at the same time. According to figures, over 100 million world wide. Not many television shows can warrant that audience, not many need to reach some many in one go. That is the appeal of a 50 year old show. One Saturday, November 23rd 2013 at 7.50pm the world watched.

Tagline; ‘Doctor Who?’

My reason for writing

Well dear reader
the time has come.
To publish something
I have been working on.

Many many years ago,
I started to write on something I know.
Now I feel it is right
For my great work to see the light.

Ok dear reader well you may be asking what is he going on about. Well here is the story.

In 1989 there started a void in television. There was a rumour of a come back just before a 30th anniversary way back in the 90's. At that time I was talking to a good friend about Doctor Who and the rumoured come back it was about to make. This was before the new series and the film.
Well I made this rash comment that I could write something better than what was planned.  I wrote the outline of a story really an outline about 12 lines long.

Well cutting a very long story (over 15years worth) into bits, my friend passed it on to one of his friends, who passed it on to one his and it came back to me.

This friend of a friend had told one of the actors who played the Doctor that I was writing this story and this actor was really interested in re-playing his role. So I was faced with an issue, don't write and look daft or suddenly learn how to write a book.

15 years have passed and with much reviewing by family and friends I can no longer hide.

Another reason for finishing this (though I don't think it is finished) is that Shaun who was the friend of a friend passed away before he saw the 1st draft properly finished and the new film with the 8th Doctor and of course the new series.

Shaun worked briefly on Doctor Who and would have loved the series and my story I would have hoped.

So be ready my excited followers, the music is about to begin, the serial version of Doctor Who - The Virus in Time is about to start.

A little light reading before christmas (and maybe after) is coming your way.

Just for the record - Doctor Who is exclusive copyright of the BBC

So..... cue the music (watch for the posts)

A Sunday Post

Its been a few weeks since I last blogged, well wrote here at least.

What have I been doing one may wonder (and that maybe only one person who wonders) and I do wonder that myself. A couple of Saturday's ago I spent the day at the clubs first outdoor archery competition of the year. It was amazing fun watching 30 archers standing on the line loosing off arrows. My first time at this competition which is an American shooting 30 arrows at 60, 50 and 40 yards. I set myself a target (550) and after the first two rounds had reached about half way. The conditions were not bad, but the wind always seems to have a say where we are and a couple of 5's could have been 7's. (To those who have no idea what I am going on about here search for GNAS rounds outdoor) So the final round 40 yards and needing to up my scoring. Without making a motion picture here down to the last 6 arrows and needing 43 to make my target (adds tension here) I hit a blue (5 points) drama! Of course as I approached the target had I reached my required score? As the Hitch-Hikers guide said - Stress and tension is bad - so to ease the reader (if there are any) of course I reached my target and passed it.

So what else I have been doing. Watched Night at the Museum 2. Not bad film, nice gentle comedy well put together a good family view. Looking forward to a few films Transformers for one, maybe Public enemy , 2012 and The Last Airbender (looks interesting).

Now a few spoilers here so if you have not seen Torchwood Don't Read On!!!

This last week has seen Torchwood: Children of Earth shown everyday. Brave, bold, different or sadly lacking in a few places? It just did not have that all round grab for me. Some bits I found made no sense. Why try and kill Capt Jack with a bomb inside him when sending it by parcel post would have been easier. The timing of the explosion was just right - why not wait and remotely blow him up? OK so these are plot designs or holes - you choose.

It sort of worked and sort of did not. The last episode worked, but if the Doctor had been there would he have allowed Jack's son to die? OK that's the difference you are all shouting (the one of you is at least). Torchwood has grit, is different, hits hard(ish) and has adult themes. To me this was more an adult version of Quatermass which may have fitted its aims.

Well hopefully there will be another series, at least a new set for Torchwood or will we find that lost base. Who knows.

The Ashes has started - cricket to those who dont know - and the first test is almost complete. It could be a long hard summer , very very hard.

Off to watch the F1 now and see if Button can get another win.

Enjoy

Weekends are short for no reason

So another weekend ends just before it starts. How, why and who decided the weekend would only be two days.

Its a question I am sure Wiki will have an answer for, but not the one I want. So why do some weekends seems to go so quick when others just drag and drag.

The rain had a good go and putting paid to archery outdoors this weekend but so did a metal screw. Funny how things happen.

Another couple of minutes and I would have been out in the wet shooting arrows. I must admit archery is beginning to get under my skin, which is very good.

Its the relaxation, the fun, the clearing of your mind, concentrating on just that target, drawing back and letting go.

Amazing how much actually goes into shooting one arrow.

Also amazing what can go into a weekend including allotment work (rain permitting) and even euro-song thingy.

And some of the shows do seem OK to watch - Something for the weekend certainly is good and like the name says has bits of everything. A working live Sunday paper almost.

But of course the weekend goes so quick, you end up having fun, relaxing and then that point draws close when the weekend finishes and the week approaches.

Late night posts

Wondering what makes a blog these days since we now have twitter and facebook amongst other things. People have so many places to leave their mark or make a comment or just rant.

So many people now are authors without knowing it, poets without feeling it and journalists without a newspaper.

People use blogs for almost anything now, to rant on a football match, comment on a new film that raises its own issues and just to tell anyone who cares to listen just how they are.

And who gets to say whats in a blog or what can be written about.

Well that's just down to whoever writes it, however they write it. Problem is many will put their soul on the line (or blog) and then hope. Some use this as a way to start a debate they might not wanted to start. Others just ramble from time to time, I know I do. Its a way to empty my thoughts, make me see something, sometimes stop me from writing rubbish.

Still a blog is a web log so they say - which is odd as a log of the web is not what I write. I don't write a log of my web work else that would be very annoying. Went to the BBC, surfed the Apple site, listened to The Navy Lark while surfing the BBC site again etc.

So a post late night as you can see. Maybe this makes sense, maybe it don't.

Late night posts are they worth it?