Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

TV Review: Doctor Who + Imagine

Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who.
Jodie Whittaker in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who + Imagine… Hockney, The Queen and the Royal Peculiar

DOCTOR WHO: Sunday, BBC One

IMAGINEā€¦ HOCKNEY, THE QUEEN AND THE ROYAL PECULIAR: Tuesday, BBC One

ā€œHalf an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman.ā€

And there it was. Just one brief, throwaway line to acknowledge that the 13th Doctor is a woman. After months of hoopla surrounding the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the first female incarnation of the Time Lord, the latest series of DOCTOR WHO just got on with things. A smart move.

Drawing overt attention to the Doctorā€™s gender change wouldā€™ve reduced it to a self-conscious novelty as opposed to an entirely natural development. It wouldā€™ve unfairly undermined Whittakerā€™s performance. She is the Doctor and thatā€™s that.

She made a strong impression during her first full episode. The plot ā€“ a pleasingly dark affair involving a Predator-style alien hunting on Earth ā€“ was merely a framework to support her winning performance while introducing the show to new viewers. In that regard, it was an unqualified success.

So whatā€™s this Doctor like? At heart(s), of course, sheā€™s essentially like all the others: brave, eccentric and inquisitive. What Whittaker brings to the role are flashes of contagious childlike wonder, breathless energy, quiet moral certitude and smart comic timing. Her expressive face runs the gamut from goofiness to gravitas. Sheā€™s charming, funny and thoroughly commanding: everything you could want from a Doctor.

Doctor Who (Copyright BBC)

I personally never had any doubts about that, as Whittaker is a fine actor. She was always going to nail the part. My main concern with this new series is the arrival of Chris Chibnall as showrunner.

The brains behind BroadchurchĀ has five previous Doctor Who episodes to his name, the best of which were little more than above average. His writing lacks the flair and ingenuity of his predecessors Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies.

However, after watching this enjoyably straightforward episode – demonstrably his best effort so far – I began to think that maybe Chibnallā€™s approach might be just what Doctor Who needs right now. As much as I admire Moffat, his cerebral style of continuity-heavy storytelling alienated some viewers. My usual response to that would be ā€˜their lossā€™, but Iā€™d like to see Doctor Who become a national talking point again.

More than anything, of course, I want it to be good, but I get the impression that Chibnall and his team know what theyā€™re doing. Doctor Who has always thrived on change, while feeding off successful elements from its past, and I cautiously welcome Chibnallā€™s decision to reboot the show as an accessible piece of episodic family entertainment unburdened by prolonged story arcs.

Whittaker is an engaging Doctor, her relatable new friends seem promising (Bradley Walshā€™s understated performance is a standout), and Chibnall appears to have a distinct vision for the show. Production-wise, itā€™s blessed with sumptuous cinematography, vibrant direction, an effectively sparse, eerie score and impressive special effects. It feels confident and energised, a show reborn.

When the artist David Hockney was offered a knighthood, he turned it down. When asked to paintā€™s the Queenā€™s portrait, he replied: ā€œIā€™m very busy painting England actually, her country.ā€ So why did agree to create a spectacular stained-glass window in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 65th anniversary of her coronation?

In IMAGINEā€¦ HOCKNEY, THE QUEEN AND THE ROYAL PECULIAR, the sly contrarian and chain-smoking atheist more or less stated that, well, itā€™s something to do, isnā€™t? Furthermore, he wasnā€™t impressed by the pre-existing window designs: ā€œYou canā€™t really see whatā€™s going on.ā€ He felt he could do better.

The result is a beautiful work of art, but Iā€™m tickled by the thought of Hockney creating it as just a bit of fun.

 

 

TV HIGHLIGHTS of THE WEEK

FOR FACTS SAKE

Monday, BBC One, 9:30pm

Brendan Oā€™Carroll hosts this new quiz based around ordinary people and their ā€“ it says here ā€“ amazing facts. If that werenā€™t enticing enough, the teams are led by a rotating casts of Mrs Brownā€™s Boys regulars.

INFORMER

Tuesday, BBC One, 9pm

Paddy Considine stars in this sombre new drama about a police officer mired in the murky world of informants. It begins with one such informant being arrested and identified as of potential use to Londonā€™s Counter Terrorism Special Unit.

THERE SHE GOES

Tuesday, BBC Four, 10pm

This five-part comedy drama follows a learning disabled child and her family. We first meet them as they attempt to get to the park for some fresh air. Her parents are played by former Doctor Who co-stars David Tennant and Jessica Hynes.

CHILD OF MINE

Thursday, Channel 4, 10pm

One in two hundred babies are stillborn in the UK. Thatā€™s one of the highest rates in the developed world. Filmed over several months, this moving documentary follows the parents of a stillborn child as they attempt to raise awareness of a heartrending issue.

FILM of THE WEEK

SISTER ACT

Monday, Film4, 6:55pm

Sister Act (Copyright Touchstone Pictures)

This lightweight yet enjoyable comedy stars Whoopi Goldberg as a nightclub singer who is placed under witness protection when she testifies against her gangster boyfriend (Harvey Keitel). Her hiding place? Why, a convent of course. The flimsy plot is really just an excuse for a strong cast ā€“ which also includes Maggie Smith as a stern Mother Superior ā€“ to do their thing. The songs are pretty great too.