That's just the way to Who it
- Publication: The Independent
- Date: 2005-03-28
- Author: Thomas Sutcliffe
- Page: Review, p. 21
- Language: English
CHRISTOPER ECCLESTONE'S last role for Russell T Davies was as the returning Christ in the writer's controversial theological drama, The Second Coming. This weekend, Ecclestone took the central role in another feverishly anticipated return, one that will also expose Davies to the beady invigilation of zealots and fundamentalists. And, frankly, I wonder whether even the reapparance of Christ would get more publicity than the all-fronts barrage that the BBC has rolled out for the return of Doctor Who: fold-out Radio Times front covers, a curtain-raising evening of nostalgia programmes, three-line whips on all the main chat shows and special screenings for MPs. All this for a tea-time serial that had the production values of a wonky supermarket trolley and won't raise a flicker of recognition from anyone under the age of 35. Could it all possibly be worth it?
You may have gathered from this that I do not figure among the true believers. I could no more debate the finer distinctions of the Doctor's various avatars than describe the bogie arrangement of a Deltic locomotive. In fact, I feel I bring an indifference of an almost crystalline purity to the whole matter, so when I say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, the more devout among you will just have to aim off for the agnosticism.
The trick of it is that it has reverence but lacks sanctimony. I have a vague memory that this was true of earlier incarnations of Doctor Who as well, the successive series of which involve an ever-deeper penetration of tongue into cheek. But I can't recall they ever had jokes as good as these ones. Acknowledging that the alien monsters in the series rarely looked much more threatening than a reconditioned shop dummy, Davies cut to the heart of the matter and built his first episode round an alien presence that had co-opted every plastic object on earth, including breast implants and wheelie-bins, as part of its invasion
Spelling correction: Christopher Eccleston
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- APA 6th ed.: Sutcliffe, Thomas (2005-03-28). That's just the way to Who it. The Independent p. Review, p. 21.
- MLA 7th ed.: Sutcliffe, Thomas. "That's just the way to Who it." The Independent [add city] 2005-03-28, Review, p. 21. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Sutcliffe, Thomas. "That's just the way to Who it." The Independent, edition, sec., 2005-03-28
- Turabian: Sutcliffe, Thomas. "That's just the way to Who it." The Independent, 2005-03-28, section, Review, p. 21 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=That's just the way to Who it | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/That%27s_just_the_way_to_Who_it | work=The Independent | pages=Review, p. 21 | date=2005-03-28 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=That's just the way to Who it | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/That%27s_just_the_way_to_Who_it | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 May 2025}}</ref>
