Day 256: Spearhead From Space Episode 3

One year ago today, I was quite tired. I'd gotten up at approximately 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning to watch a live simulcast of the revelation of the new actor to play the Doctor: Peter Capaldi. This was an interesting decision. Firstly, I knew that the majority of the piece that would be introducing him would be fair at best, aside from the brief interview with the new Doctor at the end. I also knew that I had a Chemistry laboratory later that day, and as we all know, drowsiness and acid go hand in hand. But I watched with anticipation, waiting to see who the new Doctor was, and wanting to speculate on what the new Doctor would be like.

Today, I watched Spearhead From Space Episode 3. After spending much of Episode 1 in a bed, Jon Pertwee is finally beginning to settle into the role of the Doctor (note that I use the word finally because Troughton managed to do it within seconds. But that's just the Power of The Power of the Daleks). His Doctor comes across as more of a charmer than Troughton, but also more serious. There's a distinct lack of playfulness with him, although he is able to give a look that can bring comfort to the most hardened viewer. And whilst he isn;t afraid to be serious, it isn't like the seriousness that plagued Hartnell occasionally, instead being a more warm scientist type, ready to go forth and science. In short, he's different from his predecessors, but the important thing is that he isn't too different. He's still recognisably the Doctor, and thus the audience can trust him. And so this early ability to trust means that we can thus be more willing to accept him in the future, when the Doctor changes a little bit from how we know him, such as fighting with alien monsters using martial arts, or arguing with pretty much everybody. Because at the heart of it, he's still the Doctor.

And in a roundabout way, this means that we can come back to Peter Capaldi. I'm intrigued to see the direction that he will go in, because he'll apparently bring with him so many things old and new to the role. But the important thing can be found in the writing, and in the fact that he's aware of what's come before. The writers are all able to write for the Doctor, and so they will make it recognisable to the viewer. This is why Doctor Who can be successful despite losing its lead actor every couple of years. Because it has the ability to remain constant in character, but building around the theme. This is why Capaldi will be interesting, as Pertwee is as well. Because it's interesting to see how the actors will interpret this theme of being the Doctor. And so when I get up ridiculously early in the morning to watch the simulcast of Deep Breath, I look forward to seeing what interpretation Peter Capaldi will bring to the role. And how he will build on his predecessors, including Jon Pertwee.