Martin Belam remembers the good and bad times of the classic sci-fi series ahead of its Christmas special
It's that time of year when minds turn to Christmas TV ? and few shows come bigger than the Doctor Who Christmas special. It's such a monster success for the BBC, both critically and commercially that it's sometimes difficult to remember that reviving Doctor Who was once considered a gamble for the BBC ? and one that looked unlikely to pay off.
"One newspaper said Paul Daniels might play the Doctor. Paul Daniels! How low was this programme in people's minds?" recalled Russell T Davies in an interview for MediaGuardian. News just a couple of days after the first episode that Christopher Eccleston ? the newly unveiled ninth doctor ? would be leaving the show, didn't really help much either. (Along with some rather lukewarm reviews). Rather than a flagship family drama on the cusp of being a roaring success, Doctor Who looked like a show in an immediate existential crisis.
But reviews weren't immediately positive for William Hartnell's opening episodes in 1963, either ? with Guardian TV critic Mary Crozier rather unimpressed. I've been reminded of this over the past couple of months as I've untangled the River Song/ Amy Pond "shape-shifting, time-traveling robot crewed by tiny cross people" plotline of the latest series, but also editing an ebook for the Guardian, looking at our coverage of Doctor Who since it was resurrected in 2005. (It is available for Kindle and iBooks for �2.99.)
And we now know that Christopher Eccleston paved the way for the pomp of David Tennant's doctor.
My own first memory of Doctor Who is the giant insect Wirrn Queen falling out a cupboard during the Tom Baker story The Ark in Space. I've often wondered what possessed my parents to let me watch it at such a young age, but now I've watched my own daughter's face when a television programme has captured her attention, I'm rather more understanding. As executive producer Steven Moffat says: "Although it is watched by far more adults than children, there's something fundamental in its DNA that makes it a children's programme and it makes children of everyone who watches it. If you're still a grownup by the end of that opening music, you've not been paying attention."
I was one of those fans who stuck with Doctor Who through the lean years, reading the novels and comic strips, and listening to the audio CDs, hoping rather than expecting that it would ever come back to TV. So when I started editing the book, I assumed I was going to be editing a book about "the show". And there's plenty to read on that ? from Neil Gaiman's live Q&A session to Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy reviewing Eccleston's opening episode.
But articles and features about the people behind the show have proved just as compelling. The book contains lengthy interviews with Eccleston, Tennant and Matt Smith, as well as Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat. John Barrowman's thoughts on being a role model for his sexuality, or Billie Piper's on the misery of her pop career provide an insight into their personalities and they way they had played their roles.
But having overcome low expectations when the show relaunched in 2005, the complete change of cast and production team following Tennant's departure has also drawn criticism, while uncertain scheduling have helped resurgent rumours of a conflicting big-screen outing and accusations that plots have become too complex haven't helped.
So far, the new series has had its highs and lows. As Andrew Harrison put it: "Following Doctor Who is a bit like following your football team: some Saturdays you get beaten 3-0. Some Saturdays it's a boring story about a girl whose drawings come to life. It doesn't mean that next week won't be amazing."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/dec/20/doctor-who-ebook
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