The 50th anniversary of the first episode of Doctor Who, BBC’s quirky Science Fiction series whose main character can regenerate with new actors, was celebrated with a special episode simulcast around the world, which came on here in the colonies at 2:50 ET. The episode was quite ingenious. See outtakes from reviews after the jump.
Surely there are lots of readers of this blog who are also Doctor who fans. What’s your take on the special? the series after 50 years? Who is your favorite Doctor? (The definitive Doctor for me was Tom Baker, who had an important cameo at the end–as the Curator–but who, I suspect, was not even recognized by younger fans. Or are fans so fanatical that they know all of the doctors? If you are young, did you know who the Curator is?)
Digital Spy (Morgan Jeffery )
“The past, the present and the future – ‘The Day of The Doctor’ had it all. For any fan of the new series, Steven Moffat’s 75-minute epic – which takes in old faces, multiple time zones, one flirty monarch, weapons of mass destruction on Earth and scenes of mass destruction on Gallifrey – is pretty much everything you could wish for.”
HitFix (Liane Bonin Starr)
“I’m looking forward to watching this episode again from the beginning, as every time I looked down to scrawl a detail I missed something. Steven Moffat gave fans of the show a truly amazing gift by loading the episode full of ‘remember that?’ moments, and that was even before we got to the meat of the matter, a mind-bending, time-jumping extravaganza that had embedded in it a directive from the show’s earliest episodes – real history.”
The Daily Telegraph (Ben Lawrence )
“The main strength of the episode was the way in which the Time Lords had to navigate difficult moral issues – their contemplation of the possibility of genocide was heartrending and the idea that they could save Gallifrey by freezing it in time was breathlessly thrilling.
“Tantalisingly, we were also given a surprise debut from new Doctor Peter Capaldi, his eyes flashing before us, that hinted at trouble to come.”
The Mirror (Jon Cooper)
“There were superb performances all round. Current incumbent Matt Smith did his much-loved wacky schtick, while perennial favorite David Tennant brought back all the quips and mannerisms that made us love his Doctor so much. Added into the mix is the legendary John Hurt, whose new take on one of the true stalwarts of television brings class, intelligence and a whole new A-List dimension to the world of Doctor Who – a world that surely feels a bit more blessed after today.”
Den of Geek (Simon Brew)
“‘The Day Of The Doctor’ had a lot of fun with the past, and left quite a lot to explore for the future. And, as always, the show goes on: we’ve got just over a month until Doctor Who delivers yet another massive episode. If it lives up to the quality of this one? We might just be in for another treat, because ‘The Day Of The Doctor’ really was, even with one or two really minor quibbles, terrific. Really great fun, its own Five Doctors in its own way, and pulsating with comedy, ambition, and top to bottom entertainment. Happy birthday, Doctor…”
Mashable (Chris Taylor)
“For the first 50 years we knew him, the Doctor was running away from his home planet — first as a TARDIS-stealing criminal, then in exile, then running from his responsibilities to help govern there, and finally running away from the memory of having destroyed it. Now, at last, he’s running home.
“For all we know, it may take him another 50 years to find it. Even so, this towering achievement of an episode — one designed to please fans and newcomers alike — shows why the Doctor is finding his way into ever more homes and hearts.”
via ‘Doctor Who’ 50th anniversary reviews: What the critics say – Doctor Who News – TV – Digital Spy.
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