1:2: THE END OF THE WORLD

Where as the first episode sourced from the three big TV introductions of Doctor Who (pre-2005), END OF THE WORLD takes its major conceit from Douglas Adams RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE. Adams history with the show as script editor, and the pen behind one of the most highly regarded stories CITY OF DEATH, makes it clear that Davis is laying out both direction posts for fans who would argue the emphasis he places on humour, and sign posting a more personal influence.

Yet Davis' title reflects his dis-interest in the universal scope that the genre offers him, as the episode's focus is planet earth (albeit from space). Aliens with the exceptions of Yasmin Bannerman Jabe's and the cameo character Raffalo (Beccy Armory), are pure primary colour novelty. Yet the effect is muddled, a cartoonish live-action reality shot through with poinent ideas and dialogue, makes for bizarre but engaging and fun viewing.

Into this Davis adds some pointed observations from Roses' argument with Cassandra over her hypocritical pure-human stance in the face of her endless cosmetic surgeries, to the presentation of The Doctor as humorously but persistently critical of the context, such as his correction of "the great and the good" as "the rich" to questioning Jabe's motives for attending the event.

The real purpose of "The end of the world" is revealed, as a parallel to the revelation that The Timelords, tThe Doctor's own people, have died. What makes this interesting is that bringing Rose to this point in her planets own time-line serves as The Doctor's catharsis, and allows his companion to understand him more. This almost makes the episode an inverted point to the 7th Doctor story, Ghostlight, where he forces his companion though catharsis, by misleading her into confronting her fears.

Effects laden with CGI and a variety of alien prosthetics, the episode is reinforcing both the high production values and defining this against the classic series wobbly-set reputation. Grand, glossy and impressive, the only down fall is that in avoiding the potential creatively of future set designs (presumably because it does not want to take the risk and wind up looking tacky and naive), the sets conform to a modern minimalist look, and are bland as a result, or it may just be that since the station is meant to be an empty vessel moved to and serving for different functions, that's the point.

Less disjointed and jarring than ROSE, END OF THE WORLD serves the new single episode story no better. The hyperbolic editing and pace facilitated by Davis' world of broad strokes makes for an entertaining giddy passage through a slender plot, which is serviceable but predictable. The effect is that although the episode is not disposable, for the larger exposition it provides, it leaves little impression.

1:1 (ROSE) Doctor Who for DUMMIES

While fan's count it as series 27 (as opposed to those that consider the New Adventures books as S27 or those that count McGann's first series on Big Finish as 27) the best way to consider the new series is as a sequel series. Although 1996 show cased an Americanized pilot, the gap between 1989 and 2005 meant that a generation of TV SF fans grew up without Doctor who, likely watching Red Dwarf, X Files, Babalon 5, and Farscape instead.

It also meant that fans had time to delve into various forms of franchise material to sustain interest, and also take up places within the the TV industry. Writers such as Steven Moffat or Mark Gatiss and Mark Wallims lampooned the shows conventions, contradictions or even their fan base.

That the series eventually found success in the hands of an industry fan is of no surprise then. That it also restructured itself as a revisionist piece, is also no surprise. Unfortunately this was also true with regards to it being disconnected from its SF source, coming to fruition in the centre of a decade focused on fantasy, and from a creator who was desperate to convince casual viewers and TV bosses that his was not rubber monsters and wobbly walls show of old, or the ailing joke that the show had become known as, through the mid 80's. This is ultimately what Rose is as an episode, and a manifesto: a very knowing revisionist piece, which wrong foots itself by the negation of its own components.

Russell T Davis (RTD), the writer and executive producer, takes the three iconic introduction stories: The original series' pilot and first episode THE UNEARTHLY CHILD; The first story of the 70's, the first story in colour, and the Third Doctor's (Jon Pertwee) introductory story SPEARHEAD FROM SPACE; and the 1996 TV movie, and melds the three under his own contribution.

While a clever idea, the effect is muddled. The idea from AN UNEARTHLY CHILD of Earthlings being removed from their daily life by the Doctor took 20 minutes, Davis aptly handles it in the first 5, and then back peddles in order to re-introduce his companion and family even though a montage at the beginning of the episode did this. It is this inspection of a companions life outside of the Doctor which is Davis' revision, fleshing out the character. Unfortunately Rose has already been introduced to the Doctor's world, and rather than a steady and well delivered transition from one world to the other, the two generic identities of Domestic Melodrama and Science Fiction, contest for position rather than work in conjunction.

Similarly the Auton invasion, the plot taken from SPEARHEAD IN SPACE is played in very ethereal detail, it provides the backbone of the narrative, yet is so flimsy and dealt out so jokingly, that it actually challenges the audience to withhold their sense of disbelief. The symbolic idea that the Auton's equate a mechanised mindless way of living, which the Doctor opens Rose's eyes to (which she chooses to liberate herself from), is the most admirable part of this plot. That aside they are largely put on show for ignition sequences and acme style slap-stick gags. Also to play on the older audiences, casual or not, of iconic shop-window dummies.

The TV Movie's presence is applied more through aesthetics rather than narrative, from elements such as the TARDIS interior to homaged shots. It also utilises an American sense of dynamism, which makes it out of the three, the best utilized. Though Murray Gold's Music occasionally is over-baring and not as incidental as it should be.

Beyond this sourcing, Davis' revisionist eye gives a script and characters which are loaded in order to give his companion both the main role, and a largely favorable response from the audience, which is successfully handled thanks to Billie Piper's performance. Rose's mother (Jackie), and boyfriend (Mickey), are both presented as self involved and though Davis ads some texture to each through dialogue, neither become characters the audience cares for. So the three brides posturing to attack Jackie at the end have a diluted effect.

Mickey although initially depicted as opportunistic and unconcerned after Rose's traumatic involvement in an explosion, is then shown, supporting her through the episode in her investigation. That he is even abducted as a result, only to be ridiculed, when he turns up later unharmed, being left behind by Rose in favor of the Doctor, in a cruel and glib fashion, highlights the inconsistency of Davis' writing.

It is this solitary scene at the end which reveals Rose to be as selfish and opportunistic as the others, and also quite callous. Although ultimately this is a quick means to leave Mickey behind rather than have him join the TARDIS crew.

The final main guest character is Clive, who is a revisionist point on the archetypal Doctor Who or general Science Fiction fanatic. Again as with Mickey, he is ridiculed, although in this case uniformly by the other characters, Davis acknowledges that this is how fans appear to the rest of the world, although arguably he is just playing up type.

Interestingly RTD has Clive as the only main character to have no contact with the Doctor, illustrating the point, valid or not, that such a person has no place in the Doctor's world.

Clive's main function is both to inform Rose about the Doctor, and also to be the symbolic comparison between old fans and new fans which Rose represents. His death is the summery purpose of his character: the eradication of the old fan in the rise of the new one. Again Clive acts as a point of comparison by which to make Rose look favorable for the audience.

The final revision and one which is an umbrella for others, is that of the titular character The Doctor. The Doctor is another area in which the TV movie has had a great deal of influence, yet the 9th Doctor acts almost as a counter point to the 8th which was laden in foppish curls and frock coat, caricatured as an 'eccentric Brit' both by accent and conformation from other characters.

Davis has pulled in the opposite extreme by giving the Doctor a regional accent, (and presenting him in modern clothes and hair cut). The point of accent is a challenge to the received pronunciation of the old series, and tries to give the Doctor an air of classlessness, or more accurately working-class, since northern accents have been used down the ages (in TV/Film) to codify as such.

As the series progresses this classlessness is revealed as a symbolic gesture to the eradication of the Doctor's species, The Time Lords (who among other symbolic uses have represented English aristocracy). This is a well thought out idea and a good approach to have the Doctor stripped down and once again mysterious, though the 'All planets have a north' quip is unnecessarily blase.

Ecclstone's characterization for this episode is noticeably uneven, and messy, which is understandable since this is his first, but it is also possible to see his interpretation of a man putting a brave face and a forced bravado upon what is essentially war trauma.

The one down side to the Doctor's role though is that Davis alters his dynamic with the companion. Where as the Doctor picked up companions in the classic series either by chance or simply because they were thrown together, here The Doctor seems to be sizing Rose up for the role of companion and then quite desperate to have her join him.

While one could argue that after the Time War which receives only the ghost of a mention at this point, he is in need of company and the episode is the transition of him admitting that, ultimately from this point its angled that the Doctor is playing intergalactic Taxi Driver.

It also positions the Doctor as the worst exponent of this loaded reality. Since the show is written in Rose's PoV, short of the actual camera technique (which would have made a rather interesting variation on Channel 4's PEEP SHOW) the episode works as fantasy not only because of the intentional negation of sf structures, but because it equates to a vague day-dream, rather than a fully realized escapism.

This loaded reality and the sacrifice for narrative over pace, (the show starting with a montage literally bombarding the viewer with information), combine to create a bizarre viewing. One which is, with some nice dialogue in places, under-pinned by a partially successful revisionist approach, and superb actors which make this a charming mess rather than just a mess.

So long and thanks for all the animosity...

In writing my last blog I highlighted the division between Doctor Who and New Who in terms of product and retrospective or revisionist piece, while still a sequel series and/or the continuing saga.

The new series itself is nothing but divisions, those in fan base, those in the extreme divide between the quality of the episodes and stories being put out, and those in terms of the quality of the show itself. Since the show has been hailed in a volley of awards and plaudits as its success has avalanched, its Executive Producer (the Marmite love or loath figure) Russell T Davis intentionally negated genre, narrative, and not so intentionally, original direction after the initial start.

Ironically whereas originally Doctor Who (1963-89) stories were literally only made for one or two screenings, they were given more attention in the craft of writing than episodes which are not only aware of, but capitalize on almost ceaseless repeated viewings: Endless repeats on BBC3, a weeks opportunity to view episodes on iPlayer (even if those episodes are Beeb3 repeats and not BBC1 premiers), DVD's which are not only sold in vanilla copies and series box sets (and watch this space for era box sets, with new features) but also each story free with a magazine.

Intentional or not, Davis' 'present-tense" approach at the unessacery cost of many aspects of script-craft (narrative, genre and tone for example) may have only caused criticism, but his arrogant and sometimes aggressive affront at the criticism, which was related through interviews, and also through his episodes, has created a binary opposition of for and against the new series and Russell.

The earliest example of this opposition in his work was in the first episode itself ROSE, where the new companion Rose Tyler was used to symbolize the intended casual audience and Clive, who is not so subtly a Doctor Who fan, or in the context of the episode, a fan of The Doctor. The function of this opposition, is sealed with Clive’s death, is to assure the casual viewer that the show is not for Doctor Who fans but for them who, through Rose Tyler, are going on board the TARDIS with the Doctor.

Although it is a clever use of characters, it is unnecessary, and that Clive is figure of mockery for every character he has contact with, is a double edged sword, of an affectionate joke from fan (Russell) to fan (audience) or just fan as figure of mockery, the SF fan being such an easy stereotype of ridicule.

Ultimately in writing this opposition, Davis created it in the fan base. The use of Adam, a tech 'geek' who seemed to gain nothing but contempt from the Doctor, and was dropped after his first ride for almost changing time for self-gain (something which Rose did an episode later and was swiftly forgiven for). It was also a point of comparison that both Clive and Adam were deemed as inferior characters unable to cope with traveling with the Doctor, Davis specifying that the 'fan' or ‘geek’ was incompatible with the series. Aside from the rather new facet of the Doctor choosing who would ride with him (having since Troughton's Doctor just been thrown together with the people around him), it was very clear by the end of series one that Davis' attitude to SF fans of the show was quite arbitrary.

Two definite sides were formed: those fans that fell under Davis' examples, or new and bizarre type of fan that was purely interested in the attributes of the show intended for the casual viewer. The main place where this played out was in forums (though I witnessed it at Pubs, parties and a hoard of other social places or gatherings) where any criticism of the show divided a person into the former and praise into the latter. Even though this didn't cover whole strata of views and opinions, it was forked into one side being dubbed geeky nit-pickers and the other side brainless couch-potato chumps. What’s even more unfortunate is that people started to take on the role of this misnomer, and work in absolutes of love/hate, when in all honestly every series has been a mixed bag (not quite sure if the specials count in this or not).

Yet Davis was answering his critics within the show. In the series two story LOVE & MONSTERS, this time specifying a fan demographic as the actual villain, Davis extended both his view on the subject and the ammunition being fired in the forums on either side, and in series three's opener SMITH & JONES Davis not so much answered the criticisms on the over-use of the Sonic Screw-driver, much as flaunting his defiance at them, and reinforcing his want of Duex ex machina’s in the show.

While this divide has continued either on more understanding, polite or simply within isolated camps, when someone asks me to define Russell’s contribution to Doctor Who, out of the three pros and cons below it is shocking that someone should of intentionally sort to create a divided and a vitriolic fan base.

With the end of his era though, the change-over allows the show, to not only reinvent itself but also improve on its failings (writing being the most obvious. What is interesting though, is that as New Who enters its second ere (New New Who) there will be a new generation of fans hopefully creating a three tiered perspective, of those that start this year, those that started in 2005 and those with the old series before, as preferred to them being sucked into either side of the for or against, which has been so much of present and sore point of RTD’s era.

Pros
* He brought the franchise back on to television.
* Made it as success as it has ever been.
* He cleared the slate, in terms of his characters and narrative arcs, by and large, before he left.

Cons
* He homogenized the format to the point of saturation, removing a lot of the elements which marked it as unique.
* Mistook world view for self indulgence, and became complacent in the success of the show, allowing them to escalate to almost an absolute.
* He leveled animosity at his critics through the show and divided up the fan base unnecessarily

The Project for the next Whovian Century

The beeb's recent decision to brand series 5 of New Who as series 1 (which presumably makes it New New Who), creates a clever system where by new viewers tuning in this March/April start with NNW-1, New Who fans will canon it as 5, and Who fans will dispense with series numbers and just add it to the long and multi formatted Who timeline stemming back to 1963.

It also outlines the true division between the original series and the new series' (The TV Movie, which although an interpretation of Doctor Who (1963-89), albeit an American based one rather than a fan based one, tends to drift about in limbo not really belonging to either). With the new series, its success and its succession into its second era, has shown itself to be a revisionist exercise, and also the product of industry Fan as Who creator.

The role of professional script writer or producer works alongside with fan knowledge and also the position acts as platform for their world view, their tastes and preferences, and also their conception of who the show should be for (outside of the largest demographics possible) and who the Doctor should be.

With the segregation of each New Who era, by starting from series 1 again, and one so closely governed over by one person, the show is set to become a series of interpretations of Doctor Who, as well as a continuation.

Ultimately for fans of the original series it also has the capacity to be (as with all the franchise material) a pick and mix of New Who. For example those fans that have disliked Russell T Davis' interpretation, can remove it from their canon and optionally start with Moffat's.

Eventually (presuming the New series gets that far) this should create an era of New Who which caters for most demographics of fandom, and different attributes of the original can be focused on in each. Davis' has focused very much on companions. Moffat's (from what can be gathered from his previous episodes, and his numerous comments and views of the show) will focus on scary monsters keeping children behind sofa's, and be heavly supplement by comedy as Davis' were on domestic melodrama.

It is with a note of bemused suprise, that I see the title of this blog taking on a new meaning. For while it was to indicate the way in which the new series has been constructed, much in the same way which a action figure is off a conveyor belt, or a colouring by numbers picture is approached, that it now applies to the era's as well, and while it is quiet sinister that any future the show has, has been calculated to the n'th degree, it is dishearteningly unsurprising.

The future shades of Who

So has begun the three/four month wait until Steven Moffat's interpretation of Doctor Who (which the BBC has interestingly decided will be sold as Series 1 under its new logo), will begin, and Matt Smith will start his tenure as the 11th Doctor in earnest.

For the first time since 2005 I am genuinely excited by a new series of Doctor Who, and while a large proportion of Internet Who fans are discussing or merely stating their views on The End of Time, others, possibly more seasoned fans, are ready for the change, simply embracing this part of the regenetive cycle.

Yet although from the Trailer (which previews Matt Smith's swift punching, gun shooting, Dalek thwacking 11th Doctor and Karen Gillan's 101 looks of surprise), there are the usual sense strangling hyperbole of Murry Gold's score, and junk food trailer spice which is companion/Doctor kiss. There is also an indication that Moffat may be using more than the sonic screw driver or psychic paper to shift his narratives along.

For a fan, that scans any bit of forum, or youtube spoiler, the contents of the trailer itself, shows nothing I hadn't already gleaned in terms of Daleks, Weeping Angels and reptilian bipeds which fans have been happy to brand Silurians. This together with a brief micro analysis on skim-setting, of the trailer sets out 4 stories.

Out of this though comes a group of solders hunting weeping angels, River song in solders garb, and River song and the Doctor in Sun glasses. The conclusion points to a rather nice conceit: How can a Weeping Angel know when you blink if they can't see your eyes.

While the weeping angels, are a bit iffy on the grounding, as a friend observed, "how does a species which can't look at each other evolve or pro-create" and No! Steven deeming them creatures of the abstract does not cut it. It is worth remembering that beyond his own brand of fan-led indulgences, Steven Moffat is a far more competent writer, than Russel T Davis, and also able to construct working plot arcs which can be sustained tot he very end: see Jekyll and Coupling series 4.

Ultimately we return to to my initial point of the three/four month wait, and until that is up, I'm sure that the Internet will be giving out many more tid bits to keep fans guessing.