Who would have thought it?
- Publication: OK!
- Date: 2005-04-05
- Author: Ruth Hilton
- Page:
- Language: English
'DAILY EXPRESS' SHOWBIZ EDITOR RUTH HILTON ON WHY THE DOCTOR WON'T NEED LIFE SUPPORT
Looking at the quagmire of recent remake disasters from The Italian Job and Alfie to The Stepford Wives and Thunderbirds, it's not surprising the BBC initially ran screaming when a Doctor Who comeback was first mooted. But luckily for British TV viewers and Whovians the world over, writer-director Russell T Davies put the thumbscrews on.
The Queer As Folk creator told BBC bosses that the only way they'd gain his skills was to give him the chance to reincarnate the Timelord - and what a job he was done. Thanks to him the show has created the biggest tug-of-war between BBC1 and ITV1 since Strictly Come Dancing and The X Factor clashed last year. Ratings winners Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were knocked off their perches with around ten million viewers tuning in to the Doctor, compared to Saturday Night Takeaway's 7.2 million.
The first two episodes of the returning sci-fi series have received an ecstatic reception. Internet sites lit up with messages from delighted aficionados and Billie Piper won rave reviews for her performance. As Daily Express TV columnist Charlie Catchpole wrote: Billie Piper is perfectly cast as the Doctor's assistant Rose, a lippy, streetwise South Londoner with oodles of attitude, a wardrobe from TopShop and enough cleavage on display to delight the dads without frightening the kids.' He adds: 'Christopher Eccleston makes a marvellous Doctor Who. With his leather jacket, bristling crew-cut and piercing gaze, he's brash, brusque, blokey and in your face. Like the best Doctors before him, he's also mischievous, charming, occasionally naive and a bit clumsy.'
What separates this remake from other TV turkeys - such as ITV1's Crossroads reincarnation or the BBC's Superstars - is that the BBC pushed the boat out, gambling $10 million of our licence fees to ensure the Doctor got the best money can buy.
Apart from hiring the finest writing team Britain currently has to offer (all fans of the series since childhood), the production team used the same firm as Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator to create its special effects. And old foes like the Daleks are back, ensuring that the original concept is retained. A stellar cast of guest stars including Bruno Langley, Simon Pegg, Penelope Wilton, Richard Wilson, Tamsin Greig, Simon Callow and Zoë Wanamaker are also helping to make this series stick in the mind.
For its diehard fans, the axing of Doctor Who in 1989 was a black event, so the comeback has been marked with much rejoicing - though it could have fallen flat on its face. The problem with the level hype given to remakes is that they rarely live up to expectations. Jude Law taking on the famous Michael Caine role in Alfie is a good example. It was the first film he has ever carried and it was supposed to break him into Hollywood's A-list. But the derisory response it received has done more harm than good to his career.
Nicole Kidman was unable to carry the dismal re-working of The Stepford Wives, while even with such box office success as the two Charlie's Angels films, armchair critics have been unimpressed. Nevertheless the remakes just keep on rolling. Movie versions of Miami Vice, starring Colin Farrell and Dallas, for which Brad Pitt is in negotiations, are already in the offing. It seems that the latest trend of the entertainment industry is to plunder old ideas.
There are lessons that even Hollywood execs can learn from the BBC's Doctor Who remake. While cash and big names help, an excellent script, clever casting and a team who all really believe in the project is what drives success. It seems that Doctor Who will again become a permanent fixture on our screens thanks to Mr Davies and his team's hard work.
Even though Christopher Eccleston will not return for the next series it's a testament to the production that it can already stand alone and does not just rest on its stars. Who knows, a movie version could be next...
Caption: Above: Billie Piper and Christopher Eccleston have set the screens alight in Doctor Who, overtaking Ant and Dec (left) in the ratings. Below left: Colin Farrell in Miami Vice. Hollywood's obsession with remakes continues
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- APA 6th ed.: Hilton, Ruth (2005-04-05). Who would have thought it?. OK! .
- MLA 7th ed.: Hilton, Ruth. "Who would have thought it?." OK! [add city] 2005-04-05. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Hilton, Ruth. "Who would have thought it?." OK!, edition, sec., 2005-04-05
- Turabian: Hilton, Ruth. "Who would have thought it?." OK!, 2005-04-05, section, edition.
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- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Who would have thought it? | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Who_would_have_thought_it%3F | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=10 April 2026}}</ref>
