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So after an absence that has seems like an age apart from a respite of a rather disappointing Christmas episode in December, Doctor Who is back!

Now I’m a HUGE Doctor Who nerd as is my daughter so our excitement was palpable with the launch on the 2017 season. My wife on the other hand has not been that impressed with the last few series going back to the departure of Russell T Davies. Now I do admit that a lot of Steven Moffat’s offerings have been a bit hit and miss but there have been some classics in there which I have enjoyed but my better half is still not convinced. So this weekend we sat down to watch the final series starring Peter Capaldi and writings by Moffat and I think that our views are coming closer back into line.

So the season premier entitled ‘The Pilot’ from the very start seemed like a bit of a soft reboot. A lot of the reviews I read prior to watching did say that this was a great episode for hardcore fans and even for those who have never seen Doctor Who before. It seemed to explain the theory behind the show in a very subtle way as we were introduced to his new companions Bill (Pearl Mackie) and the reintroduction of Nordole (Matt Lucus) who we last saw in the ‘Husbands of River Song’ where he was unfortunately beheaded but then reassembled by The Doctor as he feared being alone in the Tardis. Both companions suit the format well. Bill being intelligent and curious and Nardole providing the needed dry humour.

In case you haven’t seen the episode I won’t do spoilers but it’s well filmed and well written with plenty of jumpy moments that feel like the Doctor Who of old that I experienced as a child. The story as well as being action-packed and scary it also a heartfelt tale (you’ll have to watch to find out why).

Peter Capaldi really fits into the skin of The Doctor in this latest episode and his character harps back to the Doctors of old, I saw some Tom Baker and Sylvester McCoy in his performance, a bit like a crazy professor.

The special effects are pretty decent too considering the budget and what they were trying to achieve and by the end of it I was thoroughly entertained and guess what, so was my wife. Now I hope that this trend continues in future episodes and now we all know that Peter Capaldi is leaving at the end of this run let’s hope he goes out with a bang.

Doctor Who ‘The Pilot’ can be found on BBC iPlayer.

Author

Paul Wright

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