This was going to be a thoughtful consideration of the effect of the new series of Doctor Who (3 days to go!) on fans’ views of the 1996 TV movie but Blogger ate that when my internet connection disconnected itself. I’ll briefly summarise what I wrote.

The basic premise was that the new series has inherited the goodwill directed towards the McGann TV movie. (New series trailer on BBC Four as I type.) I re-watched the TV movie last night and all the benefit of the doubt I had given it in the past melted away. Direction aside (it’s one of the better directed Who stories), it was rubbish. The plot in particular, constructed from technobabble about beryllium atomic clocks, alarm clocks and midnight was rubbish; it begins with the wrong character (the Doctor instead of Grace, the audience’s viewpoint character). The opening narration and squeaky Daleks are naff. McCoy and McGann both overact in places. The gloss production tries and fails to hide a seriously ropy story.

Where the TV movie felt written by a committee, the new series has a clear guiding concept from Russell Davies. Fans might hate it. We may convince ourselves we like it to hide our disappointment. But the trailers, magazine previews, newspaper articles and TV features suggest otherwise. This time Doctor Who is back, and it really is about time.

I like the word facetious. It contains all the vowels in alphabetical order.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queen’s Music, demonstrates the meaning of the word after being cautioned by the police who found a bird at his house.

(As I typed that the full Doctor Who trailer came on the TV in front of me and I got the shivers. Only 8 days to go!)

Just off to bed, but before I go here’s a quick post with a TV theme.

Scaryduck has a list of TV programmes that should be made

Either some Equity card holders have too much time or the BBC haven’t spotted the three commenters posing as Doctor Who actors in their favourite Doctor comments. My favourite is:

I always disliked Peter Davison’s Doctor. Nothing beat William Hartnell for me.
Sarah Sutton, Dagenham, Essex, UK

And finally, earlier on I watched The Gathering Place, the BBC’s controversial documentary about the construction of the Scottish Parliament building. While one might argue that the clips selected don’t show her in the best light, I have to ask: what planet does Margo MacDonald live on?

There are now less than two weeks to go.

The BBC regularly use a billboard by my nearest train station to promote new shows, most recently Casanova. On the way out of the station today, I was chuffed to see this:

The Beeb have also started running a new teaser trailer, with the TARDIS dematerialising in a tunnel full of flame. It’s not on the BBC Doctor Who website yet but I guess it’ll be up next week.

It occurs to me that fans can’t really refer to Hartnell as Billy any more lest hilarious misunderstandings arise. Especially when referring to Billy’s goat fluff.