Oh No! A Sci-Fi Post. UGH!

And what's worse...It's a Doctor Who post!

Ah get over it I've done it before. Anyway...

I've been watching the "new" Doctor Who episodes on SciFi every week and absolutely LOVING every minute. I was a huge Doctor Who fan in my youth and was very pleased to hear that the BBC was finally bringing back the classic series. However, when I heard that they were actually going to have a budget for effects I was almost afraid of the finished product. I mean, seeing an updated version of the show with some real backing behind the production seemed like an idea that has come and gone without any positive results.

There were two big screen versions of the show starring Peter Cushing that were somewhat regrettable and are not generally accepted at part of the Whoniverse.

FOX spent a few bucks some time ago on a TV movie starring Paul McGann. While McGann was actually a pretty good Doctor and did keep the franchise breathing with books on tape and audio sequels, the special made for us Yanks was anything but a stellar argument for bringing the series back to life.


Naturally I was eager to see the new shows starring Christopher Eccleston, but I reserved the right to dislike the finished product and decided I could be a "Classic" snob, much like the folks who think that Star Trek started and finished with Captain Kirk( and are so WRONG, by the way).

Man alive was I completely floored by how good the new shows actually were. This will surely sound like some sort of heresy, but about 3 or four episodes into the new series I found myself wondering why the hell I'd ever liked the old series in the first place. It isn't even like comparing apples and oranges. More like comparing apples and a Buick. Everything from the writing, the design, the adult feel of the show, to the effects, the humor, and the presence of a genuinely attractive companion (Billie Piper as Rose) was absolute excellence. It truly was a Doctor Who for grownups. A very mature, intelligent realization of a science fiction drama for the ages.

Friday night was the last episode of the Eccleston season. Sadly, the BBC was not sure if the show would be a hit or not and they chose not to offer him an extension on his contract. So, another regeneration for the Doctor and the David Tennant episodes are now running in England. One day soon I hope to see them here and if they're anything like the episodes I've been so happy to watch this year, I can't wait!

My lovely wife is getting me the DVDs of the Christopher Eccleston episodes on July 4th as a late birthday present. What a happy day that will be indeed!