Kevin Stokes

The Star Beast - Doctor Who is back! A life-long Who fan here, but that experience is definitely a tale of two halves. As a very young child I have vague memories of William Hartnell, but my first tangible experiences started with Patrick Troughton. From there I was hooked through to my mid-teens to the end of Tom Bakers tenure in the role. Most episodes were watched with friends from behind the sofa and, being kids, we didn't really notice or care about the poor production standards or wobbly sets. We just wanted to be terrified and aghast and in awe of the enigmatic Timelord and the other, much scarier, aliens. Adult life takes over - work, bands, bikes and girls - and childhood things are put aside. Then came Russell T Davies with his brilliant vision, writing, casting and directing, resurrecting my childhood memories to a new level of adult enjoyment. From Christopher Eccleston through to (in my eyes) the pinnacle of Who'dom, David Tennant. Davies' departure from the production team only went to prove what a monumental talent he was, the following series' with Peter Capaldi and Jodie Whittaker declining (despite their brilliant talents) to become an indecipherable quagmire of nonsense that even a sci-fi tech-head like me found virtually impossible to fathom or follow. Despite a few lighter moments with the aid of some fantastic supporting cast, the storyline and production generally managed to steer into a complete dead end. Imagine then my delight at the magic last night of seeing Davies back at the helm, with his witty, fast-paced and joyful writing; Tennant back as the slightly manic epitome of The Doctor, reunited with the force of nature that is Catherine Tate as Donna Noble; new TARDIS; introduction of two new alien species; fantastic score from Murray Gold, with orchestrations from Alistair King and played by the BBC Wales Orchestra; great new additions to the cast, including Donna's transgender daughter.. Everything came together in a brilliantly unapologetic and glorious romp to reestablish Doctor Who as a show and franchise of international (intergalactic?) stature. I'm now on tenterhooks waiting for the next two specials and the transition to the 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa.