TIME TEAM
Karen Gillan and Matt Smith make an arresting entrance as Amy Pond and the new Doctor
So, the new bloke. What's he like? Is he any good? Does he make a convincing successor to the much-loved David Tennant? That's what we all want to know, right?
Well, that's easy enough — Matt Smith is terrific. He's quirky without being irritating; he's likeable, witty and bursting with joie de vivre as his brand-new Doctor falls to earth in a back garden.
The Tardis is wrecked, the Doctor is still smarting from his regeneration and he is endearingly excited and uncoordinated. And he's ravenously hungry. "Can I have an apple?" he asks the saucer-eyed, lonely little girl who finds him. "All I can think of is apples.'
Steven Moffat's story pitches the Doctor straight into an eerie adventure centred on the girl, Amelia Pond, who is worried about the crack in her bedroom wall. Sometimes, she can hear a voice through it, too.
It's a comparatively low-key opening, but that feels only right and proper as we are all feeling our way here, including the Doctor's new companion (the winning Karen Gillan And it's nice to start what promises to be an exciting ride with a neophyte Time Lord who, as yet, isn't struggling with the weight of the world's woes.
Alison Graham TV editor
CHILDREN'S PICK OF THE DAY
K.9 4.00pm Disney XD
Not only is the regenerated Doctor Who returning today; on Disney XD (Sky channel 607; Virgin 707), so is his robot dog, K•9. In his new shape for a 26-part series, the metal mutt is entirely independent of the Doctor. Since previews weren't available, it's hard to judge but, from the evidence of a trailer, K•9's animated form doesn't sit easily within the live action drama. Made in Australia, K.9 is at least brought to life by the dog's long-time voice artist, John Leeson. But it's best to keep your expectations at the lower end of the scale.
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