Doctor Doom and Gloom

I'm actually starting to feel disillusioned with the new series. For me, it has 'lost' something.

On Saturday, I suddenly realised that I wouldn't be too bothered if I missed it. For the first time in over 25 years of viewing and loving the show!

Somehow, part of the enjoyment is watching it 'live' at the time of transmission. I suppose nowadays, knowing we have the iPlayer and BBC Three repeat, it's not the end of the world if I happen to miss it. But it was the fact that a certain feeling was gone that alarmed me.

And as such a dedicated and passionate fan, this is a very sorry thing to be saying.

I didn't dislike Saturday's episode, although it did remind me of the "Nannageddon" episode of The Mighty Boosh!!

Over the last 2 days I've spoken to 3 friends who watch the show. One hates it completely; can't stand Matt Smith. The other said he hasn't been as bothered about it and it isn't as good as it was, and the third echoes my own thoughts and feelings, in that the only good thing about the current series (and contrary to his initial misgivings), is Matt Smith.

Matt Smith IS the best thing about the show (luckily!). He is a superb Doctor. He manages to bring together aspects of previous Doctors, such as Tennant, Troughton and Davison yet make it his own. It's amazing how somebody of Matt's age can be both so old and so young at the same time!

I like Karen Gillan but somehow, Amy just isn't doing it for me. But the big disappointment I'm afraid, is Steven Moffat. And it is with huge irony I say this, as when I think about many of my favourite episodes from 2005 onwards - they're his. Some of the most original stories - again, the Moff. A self-confessed lifelong fan too - which in my book made him the perfect and ideal person to take over from RTD, who for me started off good, but slowly let things fall apart.

Now, The Eleventh Hour was brilliant. That really got the new season off to a good start, and The Beast Below, while a little odd, still worked; feeling new and original. But it's been a rapid downhill journey since then, with the utterly dreadful Gatiss travesty and horrendous new Dalek design. That as for me, the first warning sign.

I guess I'm disappointed in the decisions and choices the production team have made. For me it's stopped 'feeling' like Doctor Who, and that's what concerns me.

And I never thought I'd say that, but I am. Looking back, Series 1 with Christopher Eccleston was, for me personally (aside from the farting Slitheen), the best season of the revived show and most true to the spirit of the original show. I thought that was just how modern Doctor Who needed to be. Then he went and left...

So back to the present; and we're about half way through the season. I really hope that soon something is going to come along and change my state of mind.

Vampires of Venice

In short, boring and unoriginal. The same old kind of alien re-colonisation story that we've seen a thousand times over.

And aliens. Why not a genuine vampire story?

And Murray Gold's score - it's crap! In fact it's the same every week.

Shame really, since Matt Smith was again superb, and the episode looked fantastic... brilliant location work, great lighting, excellent costumes... and CGI monsters.

Sorry, it just didn't work.

Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone

It has to be said that the Weeping Angels, first seen in 2007's Blink are without doubt, one of the most scary and original enemies in Doctor Who's long history. So it was with great anticipation that we awaited their return. And they're back. Yet somehow for me, they just were not as effective a second time around. There's only so many times you can say "don't blink" for it to still have an air of tension about it. Time of the Angels was a superb first episode of the current series' first two-parter. It allowed tension to slowly build, and the story to be told at a steady pace. And the scene where the Angel suddenly appears from out of the screen was quite chilling, though highly predictable! However I found the plot and dialogue hard to follow, and I don't even remember what the cliffhanger was - all I do remember is the notorious Graham Norton animation that popped up at a crucial moment in the closing minutes of the episode! Cue 5,000 angry fans... Flesh and Stone proved to be an anticlimax. We still don't know who River Song is, or who she killed. I'd hedge my bets on her being a regenerated Rani. Or at least a Time Lady, given her understanding of ye olde Gallifreyan scripture. Overall I felt neutral about this episode. There was nothing exciting or original enough to make it memorable, although I found Matt Smith to be consistently good, and it's interesting to note, that this was the first story he filmed too. However, after the insult to my intelligence (and 29 years of being a fan) that was Victory of the Daleks, I found this two-parter relatively harmless, extremely well made, and it took itself seriously enough to be pleasantly enjoyable. And then... Amy Pond turns into a nymphomaniac! I'm sorry, am I still watching Doctor Who?!