So, after that tumultuous Doctor Who finale (have you got your breath back yet?), Donna is back home, Captain Jack has rejoined the Torchwood crew (who are presumably spending the summer rebuilding the Hub – again!), Rose has returned to Bad Wolf Bay with Dark-Doctor – and The Doctor himself has headed to Stratford upon Avon to star in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet. And with Captain Jean-Luc Picard playing his villainous uncle and his dead dad, tickets are changing hands for suitably ridiculous sums.
Where can Doctor Who go now? That had to be one of the most brilliant season finales for a long, long time. Yes, they threw everything at it – a whole Tardis-full of companions, the most compelling villains, a heap of decades-long continuity – and while it wasn’t without plot-holes, it certainly felt satisfying, emotionally wrought and stuffed full of action. And K9! It’s not easy to write for that many characters and still allow them all to play a pivotal role, but RTD and crew managed it, and left us wanting more, more, more.
Now what? Well, Tennant is playing Hamlet to rave reviews and will only be returning as the Doctor in the Christmas special followed by three further specials to be broadcast in 2009. Meanwhile, the Sarah Jane Adventures will be back, as will Torchwood, which is moving to BBC1 and trying out a new format of five episodes to be shown over five consecutive nights in early 2009. The BBC debuted this format with the original series Criminal Justice; not entirely successfully it has to be said. But Torchwood has its own cult following who already know the characters and might not have as much difficulty holding onto its audience for the entire five-night run that Criminal Justice did. As always though, everything will hang on the writing, if Torchwood is to expand its audience.
What we’re left with for the rump of the summer is Bonekickers (terrible), Big Brother (gradually falling into the "Who cares?" category), soaps (rollercoaster of daft storylines, but the best remain compelling), and reality singing shows. I think I’ll turn off the TV, enjoy what we have left of the sunshine and work on trying to get my hands on one of those coveted Hamlet tickets!
© Carole Gordon 2008