Same with me! Took him to the Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff about ten years ago, that was a great day out.
He is happy today, he didn't have a problem with a female Dr Who, but he has told me the writing has been poor and one episode even managed to junk like 50 plus years of previous Dr Who history, which really annoyed him.
There was a discussion in the paper recently that maybe it was time to call it a day, again, like in the late-80s, but I hope it continues, with a new team behind it and a new Dr Who.
Went to Cardiff 3 time when holidaying in Bournemouth - I enjoyed Cardiff more lol - also went to the Life Centre in Newcastle up the road from us when it was there - it is all a bit Meh for me. Oh and I have taken him to a couple of conventions. And no he isn't "on the spectrum" he got a first at Uni and manages a superstore for Sainsbury's its just - to my eternal regret - Dr Who is his City
This is so weird!
That last thing you wrote, I could have typed it! but luckily my younger son does follow City and does enjoy football, when he is not on his computer games that is. We were discussing earlier that its now only 2 weeks till the season starts... Yey!
The other weird thing: my Dr Who obsessed son is on the spectrum! But not severely - he is still doing his education, but I hope he is successful too.
I totally agree. There were a couple of episodes in the Christopher Eccleston run (such a shame he only did the one series) set in World Way II called 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' which are not just my favourite Dr Who episodes, they are probably - for me - 90 minutes of the best TV ever (not including football, obviously)!
Perfect storyline, great acting, two-parts (so the story isn't rushed), very scary! but with a happy ending. Also introduced the Captain Jack character (you mentioned Eve Myles) which led to Torchwood and that had its moments too.
Just as some of my happiest childhood memories revolve around Saturday night TV with John Pertwee (whom I just remember) and then Tom Baker, I hope these shows are the same for my kids - when everything seemed a little better in the world (with the exception of Man City of course)!
Same with me! Took him to the Dr Who exhibition in Cardiff about ten years ago, that was a great day out.
He is happy today, he didn't have a problem with a female Dr Who, but he has told me the writing has been poor and one episode even managed to junk like 50 plus years of previous Dr Who history, which really annoyed him.
There was a discussion in the paper recently that maybe it was time to call it a day, again, like in the late-80s, but I hope it continues, with a new team behind it and a new Dr Who.
Love Doctor Who - username is a reference to it! - but happy to see this team moving on. It just never quite gelled, from the writing to the acting to the direction. And yeah, the less said about the Timeless Child plotline the better. For me the show peaked as a cultural entity under RTD, then peaked as a work of art under Moffat (who wrote The Empty Child, @patrickkinney) and then struggled to do either under Chibnall. Time for a big rethink for the next era.
I assume the Timeless Child thing works for the completists and maybe those new to it, but it seemed more than a bit jarring to me.
Whittaker has suffered from the writing being inconsistent, and too many companions - Capaldi also was hamstrung by the writing being shallow - his last episodes were excellent though as there was thought involved in them. I don't think Chibnall will be missed. I think they need to tone down the attempts at 'zany' which pepper episodes and detract from the story.
Davies had a huge benefit of being first in the restart, but I was largely unimpressed with the soap opera when it turned into the Rose Tyler Show, lost in a different dimension, brought back, etc. The better episodes were not of his making (cf the Empty Child you mention, Blink - both Moffat).
I don't think the Timeless Child works for anyone, to be honest. Just a bad idea on every level. I expect it to be filed immediately alongside "The Doctor is half-human" from the TV movie - just don't mention it again, and we'll be rite.
I agree on much of what you say, but HEAVILY disagree that the writing for Capaldi was shallow. In fact, I'd say it was the most thoughtful and complex writing the show has ever had. The way his character arc worked, not just as a simple progression from grumpy/less-grumpy/nice, but played out as a genuine search for his soul is beautiful to me. In S8, he doesn't know who he is, but at the end he thinks he finds out - the idiot with a box. But in S9, he over-corrects. He tries to be too nice, too open, and as Clara said - "this isn't you". S9 is all about the inner darkness of the Doctor being shown through grief. Think about how almost every episode that season has the theme of death and our reactions to it - Davros dying, the ghosts in the base, the immortal woman, and then obviously the finale. It's the only season of the show with a genuinely consistent literary theme to the writing. And in the end, it's only by letting go of his toxic bond with Clara that he can really find himself and become "The Doctor" again. It's two seasons of intricate character arcs, subtle self-discovery, all woven together into a final three-part finale that is, to me, the only time Doctor Who has been genuinely prestige television.
And then S10 was Moffat just chilling and making a simple series of telly for a change, which was nice. I do think the show needed a refresh after his intense vision but sadly Chibnall wasn't able to convincingly provide it. A lot of his era ended up feeling like diluted immitations of the RTD/Moffat years.
I think Chibnall was trying to extend the shows longevity and went the wrong way about it.I don't think the Timeless Child works for anyone, to be honest. Just a bad idea on every level. I expect it to be filed immediately alongside "The Doctor is half-human" from the TV movie - just don't mention it again, and we'll be rite.
I agree on much of what you say, but HEAVILY disagree that the writing for Capaldi was shallow. In fact, I'd say it was the most thoughtful and complex writing the show has ever had. The way his character arc worked, not just as a simple progression from grumpy/less-grumpy/nice, but played out as a genuine search for his soul is beautiful to me. In S8, he doesn't know who he is, but at the end he thinks he finds out - the idiot with a box. But in S9, he over-corrects. He tries to be too nice, too open, and as Clara said - "this isn't you". S9 is all about the inner darkness of the Doctor being shown through grief. Think about how almost every episode that season has the theme of death and our reactions to it - Davros dying, the ghosts in the base, the immortal woman, and then obviously the finale. It's the only season of the show with a genuinely consistent literary theme to the writing. And in the end, it's only by letting go of his toxic bond with Clara that he can really find himself and become "The Doctor" again. It's two seasons of intricate character arcs, subtle self-discovery, all woven together into a final three-part finale that is, to me, the only time Doctor Who has been genuinely prestige television.
And then S10 was Moffat just chilling and making a simple series of telly for a change, which was nice. I do think the show needed a refresh after his intense vision but sadly Chibnall wasn't able to convincingly provide it. A lot of his era ended up feeling like diluted immitations of the RTD/Moffat years.