Saturday, April 3, 2010

New Who



You'll have to indulge me with this video. The new season of Doctor Who has begun and the first episode aired in the UK earlier today. Doctor Who is one of the longest running shows in history. The first episode aired in 1963, the day after JFK was assassinated and I've been watching since I discovered it on PBS when I was 12 or 13. This is not just a new season, but a new era for the show. A new lead actor (the 11th to play the Doctor) and cast, a new head writer, a new production team and a new direction. The show has always been meant as a story for the whole family, the rare program that parents can watch with their children. The new head writer turned down a contract with Steven Speilberg and Peter Jackson to take it over and he is stripping the show back to what it essentially is. It's not science fiction, it's a fairy tale. The mysterious prince arrives to save the world from the monsters, and to make those around him better, in all of time and space.

As the episode begins the Doctor has just saved the world and died in the process of saving the life of a friend. His body has regenerated and his ship is crash landing. He doesn't know who he is or even what he looks like, and he lands in the middle of trouble. The episode won't air in the US for another two weeks, but if you'd like you can watch it here. Even if you don't watch check out the season's trailer. He's still the same man with curly hair and a long scarf, but it's a whole new show.

No comments:

Post a Comment