It might be the change in expectations, used to younger actors? For me, my Doctor was John Pertwee,
John Pertwee in his "whomobile" with Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen) - in an episode where it showed its fictional capability to fly.
John Pertwee's doctor facing the Sea Devils
and before him, Patrick Troughton
and William Hartnell.
I was 9 years old when the first ever episode of Doctor Who aired. An Unearthly Child Wish I could say I remember watching it but I don't. I do have a vivid memory of watching the title sequence with the wonderful Doctor Who theme music every week.
Here are all the title sequences (up to 2014) played simultaneously :).
So, for me an older doctor feels right.
He just captures the doctor to a T, I think.
But some of the episodes he had to play I think weren't as good as they could be. There were a few duff episodes, still are a few from time to time but getting much better in my view. I'm no film maker or reviewer so can't say what the reason is, they just didn't quite work for me. But I've enjoyed watching Peter Capaldi as an actor a lot.
After the younger actors with their perpetual on / off almost romances with the companions, which you never had in the earlier shows, it's nice to go back to something that is more like the original show in that respect.
I did enjoy those episodes a lot too, the reboot starting with Rose was excellent, I just mean, after so many years and the increasing focus on these almost romances involving the doctor, it's about time for a change I think.
It was getting kind of tedious for me, yes got it, he's the doctor can't enter into a romance with an Earthly woman, except River Song in some mysterious way, who he connects with in reverse time order, can we move on? It's not like a great love story to my mind, it just seems to kind of jar with the whole thing, though there were some fun humorous takes on it all that were very ingenious. Probably because of my previous expectations of course :).
And he is supposedly 900 years old after all too. Though no human actor can be 900 years old, an older actor seems kind of appropriate from time to time.
And there was very little of the running in corridors any more :). Now there is somewhat more.
And the episodes nowadays are often a bit rushed because they have to fit so much into so little time, they rush over some of the interesting points.
And spend ages with the camera focused close on characters agonizing over decisions they have just made, which again didn't happen in the old doctor Who, he wasn't much of a one for agonizing over what he has just done, except a bit when he decided not to destroy the entire race of Daleks at their conception, and that was agonizing before rather than after which makes more sense for his character I think.
For me, agonizing before you act is okay up to a point, but agonizing afterwards, especially if drawn out to several minutes, slows it down (there is no suspense as you know what happened already and they don't have any new decisions to make, just to find their way through to a resolution of their agony about what happened). For me, this doesn't add much to it, though I understand again it appeals to others :).
Indeed the modern Doctor in the fictional universe is in one long agonization over his actions in the time War. Again I can't imagine William Hartnell or Jon Pertwee's Doctor doing that at all. They just did things, found themselves in all sorts of situations as a result and then moved on dealing with the situations they found themselves in as best they could. And made mistakes but then recovered and never just sat or stood around agonizing over past mistakes at all as far as I remember.
I think it is very much a matter of built up expectations as a result of watching many previous episodes.
I'm fine with the same kinds of things in other movies :).
I think it might also potentially diminish its appeal to young children a bit who won't understand some of the point in what those scenes are about. A few seconds is okay but a minute or two of this must seem dull to a young child I'd have thought (would be interested to know their reactions to these kinds of scenes, if anyone has watched the latest Dr Who with young children - aged say 8 or 9 or such like).
I'm not suggesting though that they attempt to roll back to the early doctor Who type episodes. Just really saying this to show how much this sort of thing can depend on the viewer and their expectations.
But whatever they throw at him by way of scripts, Peter Capaldi rises to it, bringing a distinctive Doctor Who type take to it - he is an excellent Doctor Who in my view :).
Also I think it helps a lot that he is such a Doctor Who fan himself, really knows where it is at.
Do give it a go again, some of the recent episodes have been very good and you may find you like it better than you expect. And the new doctor may grow on you.
John Pertwee's doctor facing the Sea Devils
and before him, Patrick Troughton
Here are all the title sequences (up to 2014) played simultaneously :).
So, for me an older doctor feels right.
He just captures the doctor to a T, I think.
But some of the episodes he had to play I think weren't as good as they could be. There were a few duff episodes, still are a few from time to time but getting much better in my view. I'm no film maker or reviewer so can't say what the reason is, they just didn't quite work for me. But I've enjoyed watching Peter Capaldi as an actor a lot.
After the younger actors with their perpetual on / off almost romances with the companions, which you never had in the earlier shows, it's nice to go back to something that is more like the original show in that respect.
I did enjoy those episodes a lot too, the reboot starting with Rose was excellent, I just mean, after so many years and the increasing focus on these almost romances involving the doctor, it's about time for a change I think.
It was getting kind of tedious for me, yes got it, he's the doctor can't enter into a romance with an Earthly woman, except River Song in some mysterious way, who he connects with in reverse time order, can we move on? It's not like a great love story to my mind, it just seems to kind of jar with the whole thing, though there were some fun humorous takes on it all that were very ingenious. Probably because of my previous expectations of course :).
And he is supposedly 900 years old after all too. Though no human actor can be 900 years old, an older actor seems kind of appropriate from time to time.
And there was very little of the running in corridors any more :). Now there is somewhat more.
And the episodes nowadays are often a bit rushed because they have to fit so much into so little time, they rush over some of the interesting points.
And spend ages with the camera focused close on characters agonizing over decisions they have just made, which again didn't happen in the old doctor Who, he wasn't much of a one for agonizing over what he has just done, except a bit when he decided not to destroy the entire race of Daleks at their conception, and that was agonizing before rather than after which makes more sense for his character I think.
For me, agonizing before you act is okay up to a point, but agonizing afterwards, especially if drawn out to several minutes, slows it down (there is no suspense as you know what happened already and they don't have any new decisions to make, just to find their way through to a resolution of their agony about what happened). For me, this doesn't add much to it, though I understand again it appeals to others :).
Indeed the modern Doctor in the fictional universe is in one long agonization over his actions in the time War. Again I can't imagine William Hartnell or Jon Pertwee's Doctor doing that at all. They just did things, found themselves in all sorts of situations as a result and then moved on dealing with the situations they found themselves in as best they could. And made mistakes but then recovered and never just sat or stood around agonizing over past mistakes at all as far as I remember.
I think it is very much a matter of built up expectations as a result of watching many previous episodes.
I'm fine with the same kinds of things in other movies :).
I think it might also potentially diminish its appeal to young children a bit who won't understand some of the point in what those scenes are about. A few seconds is okay but a minute or two of this must seem dull to a young child I'd have thought (would be interested to know their reactions to these kinds of scenes, if anyone has watched the latest Dr Who with young children - aged say 8 or 9 or such like).
I'm not suggesting though that they attempt to roll back to the early doctor Who type episodes. Just really saying this to show how much this sort of thing can depend on the viewer and their expectations.
But whatever they throw at him by way of scripts, Peter Capaldi rises to it, bringing a distinctive Doctor Who type take to it - he is an excellent Doctor Who in my view :).
Also I think it helps a lot that he is such a Doctor Who fan himself, really knows where it is at.
Do give it a go again, some of the recent episodes have been very good and you may find you like it better than you expect. And the new doctor may grow on you.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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