New Doctor Who? Oh dear

The return of Doctor Who on Saturday is one of the most anticipated events in the British TV calendar. I, however, have a feeling of trepidation thanks to a fifth series that was nothing short of disastrous, ruined by Steven Moffat, Matt Smith, and so many other things…

Let’s get one thing straight before we continue: I am not saying that the Russell T. Davies era was perfect. I loved his stint on the show, yes, but I also welcomed the news of his and David Tennant’s departures, especially when it was revealed that Steven Moffat had got Davies’ job. The writer of ‘Blink’, ‘Silence in the Library’, ‘The Empty Child’ and ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’ was going to be in charge! I couldn’t wait to find out what a whole series of this would be like. And I still can’t. Series 5 was nowhere near the standard of those classics. The chills of ‘Blink’, the emotion of ‘Fireplace’ … gone. Maybe they were lost in a crack in time. In their place, we had a wibbly wobbly timey wimey mess, and sorting out all the reasons why is certainly no mean feat, but: allons-y!

The most logical place to start is, of course, with Matt Smith. Despite having the necessary eccentricity, his Doctor just doesn’t convince. He’s too young and, as such, doesn’t have the necessary air, carried off perfectly by Tennant and Eccleston, that he has the world (/universe) on his shoulders. Instead, he’s like the annoying kid in the playground that has all the new toys but won’t let anyone else play with them. His performance is, put simply, all over the place. Sometimes, he seems to want to emulate Tennant; other times, he wants to be as different as he possibly can: madder, faster. But he’s too mad and too fast, and he lacks the emotional depth that is necessary to make the character, and the series, involving.

The misjudged changes to the character can’t all be blamed on Smith, though, as Moffat is the one in charge. He too seems a little uncomfortable in his new job, making changes to the Davies era, but not deviating from the formula too greatly, with lazy plot resolutions still all too present. One thing that wasn’t carried over was the heart; the relationship between the Doctor and Amy (much like the show itself) is hollow, and they don’t have the believability of The Doctor and Rose, for instance.

This leads nicely into the next major problem: Karen Gillan. She may have long legs, but her acting is well short of the mark. Her permanent pout is infuriating, and she possesses less emotion than the keyboard that I’m using to type these words. She also seems to be playing a game with herself to see how many times she can say ‘Doctor’. A lot of the time I think she’s trying to tell a joke: ‘Doctor, Doctor there’s something in my eye…’

The tone of the series was also completely wrong; it would have been much more at home on CBBC. Moreover, the special effects were ropey, the set design horrific (don’t get me started on the new TARDIS interior…), and the music was even worse, with very repetitive, uninspired themes being utilised. Let’s not talk about the theme tune.

All this taken into account, my anticipation levels for Series 6 are… small, let’s say. The trailers are, as ever, undoubtedly exciting, indicating bolder storytelling and (thank goodness) more scares. The changes to the structure of the series also indicate that Moffat is putting more of his own stamp on the series. But no matter how much they correct this time around, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan will still be there. Will the show be able to overcome the fact that it has, thus far, been impossible to feel anything for them?

I’m going to end on a positive note: could it get any worse?

Check back tomorrow, when Catherine Munn will tell us why she can't wait for the new series.

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