Ten years of New Who

[SiHart]

Ten years and still going strong!

What ahve been the highlights of the past ten years of Doctor Who? What have you loved? What have you loathed? What have been your favourite and least favourite stories?

[Richard Brinck-Johnsen]

So many great moments.
"You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic, and you know what, so was I!"
"I don't want to go!"
"I will always remember when the Doctor was me!"
"Listen!"

[Andrew Curnow]

One of the best things was the buzz around the 50th anniversary - we hadn't really seen anything like it since the 20th in 1983, and for a brand new multi-Doctor special to air to rave reviews not just on TV but in cinemas, it was just such an exciting, high-profile time.

[MacNimon]

I think that the best thing about the new series was the sense of excitement and anticipation in the build-up to the broadcast of Rose (hard to believe that was 10 years ago! )

After 10 years, looking back at what I consider to be the highs and lows, it really isn't that much different to the original series, is it? Of course the production values are that much better and more thought has been put into character development than we generally saw back in the day, but just like the original series there has been a good mix of good times and bad times. And no matter how bad those bad times are, we just keep coming back with each new season hoping for something a bit better than last year...

High points for me...the successful reintroduction of the Daleks back in Eccleston's season, with minimal tinkering and maximum effect...sadly it has been a case of diminishing returns for them in later stories; the introduction of stories like Fathers Day which gave the series more emotional depth than was ever thought possible years ago; the way the first few episodes showed the series scope to new viewers with stories set in the past, present and future, and the Doctor's tendency to land the TARDIS in the wrong place or time (ie a year late in AOL ) Other highlights for me include the return of Lis Sladen as Sarah Jane, Paul McGann's 8th Doctor, the redesign of the Cybermen (although not quite so keen on the other dimension/universe stuff), the castings of Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, Derek Jacobi, Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbens in particular; and most promising for the future is the way that the series is proving that it can still freshen itself up a bit when it seems to becoming stuck in a rut, such as after Tennant and Smith's departures. Of course such change isn't always to everyones taste, but the simple fact that the series is proving capable of it is good.

Things I'm not so keen on: the flipside to that character development thing, ie that often more time and effort seems to be spent on the companion and her family than the Doctor himself, to the detriment of the series at times. It sometimes feels like the Doctor is a supporting character in the companion's story, rather than the other way round. Disappointed that Eccleston only spent one season in the role, never to return (yet!!!). David Tennant maybe had the looks and charm to woo the women, young and old, and was a great ambassador for the series at the time, but his Doctor was sadly lacking depth imo. John Simm's Master, so quickly following Derek Jacobi. The way the series structure became a bit predictable after 4 seasons. Moffat's seemingly endless River Song arc. Inconsistent story quality...rushed episodes, trying to cram too much into a single unsatisfying episode when two would be better. The feeling of putting style over substance, at times. The big disappointment is the proportion of stories which have a great rewatch value for me...many of them are pretty disposable, good to watch at the time but unlikely to be watched again.

Favourite stories include Fathers Day, Bad Wolf/TPOTW, School Reunion, Human Nature, Amy's Choice, Day Of The Doctor, Mummy On The Orient Express...at the other end of the scale, stories such as The Sound Of Drums/TLOTTL and large chunks of S6 & 7 which I don't anticipate ever wanting to watch again...

All in all, a pretty enjoyable 10 years, some of which I've loved, others not so much. But I still keep coming back for more, so it must be doing something right!