I’m not a big fan of the Doctor Who franchise; sure, I’ve only really seen three or four whole episodes, one in black and white, one or two with the scarf guy, and one with another doctor who I remember nothing of. The whole thing was pretty boring science fiction with trash can monsters decorated with Christmas lights. The complete lack of production qualities wasn’t a good thing, and maybe I’m just not geeky enough to attend conventions and discuss the finer points of Star Trek, Babylon 5, or Doctor Who.

All that out there in the open, I’m fresh from watching the illicitly downloaded premiere episode of Dr. Who’s 27th series (and untold books, fan fiction novellas, fan scripts, radio shows, and so on). It’s not airing in the UK for another 16 days, and yet it’s spreading like crazy online. I don’t know exactly why I downloaded it; maybe I just clicked on the wrong link; I have no idea. Anyhow, it’s not bad. Production qualities are pretty decent, and the new Doctor; played by Christopher Eccleston (24 Hour Party People, 28 Days Later); would appear to be the most normal looking one that they’ve ever had. No technicolour cloak, no stupid scarf, and no gold lame to be seen on anyone in the first show. No annoying dog robot yet either, and a refreshingly ugly space ship interior.

I might even resort to downloading episode 2, but I’m out as soon as I hear “EX-TER-MI-NATE”. I’m not afraid to admit to downloading shows that I simply don’t have access to in my area; Dead Like Me started out like that for me, and Battlestar Galactica which finished airing the first series in the UK before ever showing here in Vancouver, where it was produced. If it’s not made available and I want to see it, I will download it. I also found HEX which was an odd series that I don’t know how I feel about it. I definitely can’t wait on PBS or BBC Canada to bring British TV to Canada; they’re years behind.

BBC Guide to Dr. Who