Series 4

My pc blew up a fortnight ago. Literally. One minute I was downloading the Collins and Herring podcast, next thing, acrid smell, unusual grinding noise and the whisp of smoke and my connection with the developed world was gone.
Which is my excuse for not having bored you all rigid with my opinion about this series of Doctor Who.

However, gentle reader, thanks to a very reliable courier service and my shiny new laptop, say goodbye to that hollow feeling of Lack of Half Arsed TV Review misery.

I would be lying if I said there wasn't a point near the beginning of the series I was ever so slightly concerned where the show was heading.

Maybe it was me, my high expectations after so many high points, maybe I was all too ready to be disappointed in Catherine Tate, the fear of another Bonnie Langford, I don't know.

What I do know is that on initial viewing I felt a flatness to the series.

But I have to be honest, I have since gone back and started watching them all again and have found them to be fresh and highly enjoyable. For the most part.

First things first. The incidental music was a bit loud in the early episodes. As it was in the 2007 Christmas Special. And some of the very minor supporting actors were a bit rubbish, and some of the scenes featuring them can only be described as hammy and twee. But then again, I'm looking at it from the perspective of a, let's be blunt, middle aged man. And the show is aimed squarely not at me, but is part of BBC Ones's Saturday night Family entertainment package. So has to appeal to a rather broad audience.

So after a bumpy, and slightly noisy start, the series settled down, David Tennant and Catherine Tate formed a great double act. There was a good chemistry there, and it's sad to think that it will never be seen again. Incidentally, there is an episode of Radio 4's Chain Reaction out there with Catherine Tate interviewing David Tennant which is highly entertaining, and quite at odds with much of the comedy on Radio 4 these days, in that it's actually funny. God I miss And Now In Colour. And Bodgers Banks and Sparkes.

Sorry distracted again, I think it's the fact that the Spell Check on Safari seems to think that I want everything in American English.

And can I just say, Bernard Cribbens, how lovely was he? He was just wonderful as Wilf. Like a proper Grandad. Bless him and his wooly hat. Mind you, Donna's mum...what a bitch!

The monsters/aliens were pretty good too. Glad to see the Sontarans and The Ood back. And for once, the Daleks didn't get on my nerves, I suspect this had a lot to do with Julian Bleach's Davros. Dark, brooding, ever so bonkers, a pitch perfect portrayal. Maybe that's the problem with the minor actors. The series was filled with terrific actors. If they'd employed less talented "proper" actors, maybe the hammy ones wouldn't have been so obvious.

Oh, and I didn't think the Adipose were cute. I thought they were shit. And I'm not 100% convinced about the Beetle on Donna's back either. I take it that the props department were watching their Planet of the Spiders DVDs when they made that.

But these are minor quibbles. The Wasp was good. It was nice to see Martha back, and Mickey. Now that's one character who has been allowed to develop nicely. Way back in 2005, in Rose, he was just bobbins. Comedy Crap Boyfriend. I'm hoping there's a place for him in Torchwood now.

But one thing I did enjoy about this series was the fact that so much of it remained under wraps. Looking back, very few spoilers made it out. We had Rose's cameo in the first episode, the "Regeneration" and I watched the climax convinced that James Nesbitt or David Morrissey would be donning the Converse boots before the end of the 13th episode. But Tennant remains. For the time being, anyway. I quite like the idea of David Morrissey though. Maybe later.

Highlight, again, was the Steven Moffat episodes. In fact, the real highlight was the Episode Commentary Podcast with Moffat, Tennant and RTD. If it's not still on i-Tunes, I think you can still get it from the BBC Website, and it'll definitely be on the Boxset. But this series did have a higher percentage of good stories than in previous years. My other favourites included The Fires of Pompeii, the Sontaran double header and for just trying something different, The Unicorn and The Wasp and the slightly creepy Midnight.

So pretty much a big thumbs up of Uma Thurman/Even Cowgirls Get The Blues proportions all round. I may repost all of this in a couple of weeks once I've watched it all again. Re-writing history again as I change my mind. And rediscover favourite bits.

I'm just glad the series has remained so popular. The series climax attracted over 10 million viewers, which made it the most watched programme that week, and just goes to show that even with several hundred different channels out there, there is still an audience for good,high quality family entertainment on a Saturday night. Even if Last Choir Standing might make you think otherwise.

Still, it'll soon be Christmas.

David Tennant, David Morrissey, Cybermen and Victorian funerals. Hurrah!!!!