In another time, another place.

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New Doctor ?

So they finally announced it. The new Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi. This guy that played the angry, sweary, spin doctor, Malcolm Tucker in the series 'The Thick Of It'. He's also made an appearance as the father of a Roman family who the Doctor spares from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the David Tennant story 'The Fires Of Pompeii' (ironically also the first appearance of Karen Gillan). He also appeared in Torchwood - Children Of Earth.

With a departure from the younger Doctors, Capaldi is 55 years old. The same age as William Hartnell when he was cast as the very first Doctor way back in 1963.

With much pomp, ceremony his appointment as the next man to control the Tardis was revealed to the nation on a live show on Sunday night.

Already the buzz on the internet of 'who is it' ?, or 'who can it be..I wish it was...' the endless speculation since Matt Smith revealed in June that he would be leaving the show has been replaced by two camps of viewer.

Either those that love the idea. Or those that hate it.

The internet isn't a place where people without an extreme opinion seem to get heard much.

Personally I think it's an interesting choice. It'll be good to see how he takes over, and develops the role, how the scripts change. What sort of Doctor will he be ? Will he be more like Hartnell and Eccelston, distant and authoritarian ?

Peter Capaldi. Older, not so sweet Doctor ? 

I'm sure that some of those saying they'll never watch the show again, may actually keep their word, and stop watching. The vast majority though will suck it up, and find themselves drawn in as the new Doctor takes his first strides about the console room in the Tardis. Soon forgotten their rejection of a man's performance without even seeing him in action.

The only slight disappointment for me was that I really wanted us to have a female doctor. It would be about bloody time. The doctors have all (so far) been a selection of white men.

In an interview in the show revealing the next doctor show head writer and executive producer, Steven Moffat went very clearly on record as saying that he felt strongly that it was about time for a female Doctor. After all, if we can have a female Prime-Minister, and the Americans can have a black president, it seems a bit unimaginative for us not to have either represented in the longest running science fiction show in the world.

There's also the whole argument about the Doctor only having 12 regenerations. Capaldi will be the 12th Doctor. Now, do you count the number of bodies as the regeneration, or do you count the number of times he's regenerated. Is it inclusive ?

I'm sure twisting our heads around one more regeneration isn't something we'll have to worry about, there'll be some clever way for the Doctor to 'refresh' the number of regenerations he has, or indeed for that limit to be explained away. It's all in the writing after all. Such is the nature of drama, let alone drama where you have the ability to break the laws of physics on a weekly basis. Other science fictions shows use reality breaking time paradoxes every now and then. Doctor Who eats, breathes and shits reality breaking time paradoxes.

Temporal schism ? Bring it the fuck on.

Dr Who... how long is it since fish custard ?

The crack in your wall... is ... a... crack.

It hasn't taken me four viewings of Matt Smith's first outing as Doctor Who to form an opinion about the return of everyone's favourite Doctor on April 3rd.

I'd barely got halfway through the first viewing when I had formed two very deep opinions about it.

1 That I don't like the new intro music. It's not loud, or beaty enough.

2 I love, love, love, love, Matt's interpretation of the Doctor.

The casting of him is an absolutely brilliant stroke of genius. The energy, quirkyness and well.. sheer madness and otherworldly quality he brings to the role are just.. er... what the Doctor ordered. David Tennant's first outing didn't actually involve him all that much, he spent most of 'The Christmas Invasion' recovering from his regeneration in Rose's bed. (a place lesser mortals have dreamt of being). It was essentially more of the same, but with someone younger, and sexier (sorry Chris) at the controls in the Tardis.

He just has SOMETHING about him that makes him the Doctor. Even his voice has different cadences to it that give an impression of youth, and wisdom, and age at the same time. The outfit does SO work for him. Having seen it in the pictures and the trailers, and thinking...'ooooookay.... going for the Cushing look are we...'.. and it is, a more 'mad professor, geeky genius' kind of look. But it suits the role. Work it work it !

You watch sales of braces and bow ties go through the roof now.

Steven Moffat's script is scorchingly brilliant. So tight, you couldn't get a sheet of paper between the pages. So many iconic lines from it. 'it's not my fault you can't give me any decent food, you're Scottish, fry something'.... 'I'm the Doctor, I'm worse than everyone's Aunt.. and that is not how I'm introducing myself'.... I could go on.. it's packed with beautifully crafted dialogue.

Wondered if we hadn't thrown a bit of Douglas Adams into the mix, with the Atraxi, and their great big eyes, and very, very deep voices telling us they are going to incinerate the planet. (not, as it seems for a hyperspace express-way). Nobody really does monsters like Moffat. He's a bloody genius. How can one man be so good at witty dialogue, sassy characterisations AND be good at coming up with new, but simple and ancient ways to scare the hell out of kids ? It's just not fair.

When I watched it for the 4th time with my friend Helen, I did spot two errors in the editing.. I'm not going to ruin it by telling you... but if it took me 4 viewings to pick them up... I would agree with her assessment that the camera work was entirely different and the show had a crisper feel, much, much more cinematic. (the words she used were 'last series looked amateur... this looks professional - ouch !)

I've seen it four times in three days, and I'm not tired of it. I was tempted to watch it again, and can't wait for this Saturday.

So there is life after David ? Yes, but I guess that's the point with such a wonderful plot device like regeneration... there always is life after... and it's always different from what came before.

I think in a very short space of time we'll be asking ourselves 'David who ?'. Poor Matt Smith though, go from being greeted with 'who is Matt Smith' from the press when it was announced that he had the role, to 'Matt Smith is the best Doctor we've ever had'... I mean, don't make it easy for the guy !

The key test, was that when I changed the poster over on the door to Chloe's room, from showing a picture of David Tennant, to the one of Matt Smith, she didn't say a word. When I suggested it a couple of months ago the response was 'no, don't turn it over.. he's weird'. We all know that weird is not a bad thing in this house.

I am surprised that the Daily Mail hasn't lead a campaign to assault the BBC for encouraging lonely orphaned girls to invite strange men into their bedrooms to help them with the strange cracks in their walls.... would it be too much to ask that they have realised that parents, and children do have the sense to know what's real and what's fantasy ? God no, they probably just figured that they'd be seen for the party poopers they are.

'There's one thing you should understand Amelia Pond, because one day your very life may depend upon it, I am most definitely a mad man with a box'.

And actually, yoghurt is just 'stuff with bits in' and I'm rather tempted by the idea of fish fingers in custard. A quick trip to Iceland in the morning will sort that...