So my wishlist for series 8 of Doctor Who

I summed this up with this tweet.

Ok Moff can we have a female doctor please? And some writers who are women too, while you're at it? Ta!
— Dalek Jane (@pipsytip) June 1, 2013

Let me break things down further.

1. A female Doctor would be a nice change.  There is now a precedent thanks to Neil Gaiman's Episode the Doctor's Wife.  And if Moff is up to the challenge of writing the Doctor as a woman then I have a list of women who would make awesome Doctors.  Sophie Okonedo, Julia Davis, Olivia Coleman. I don't think it will happen because I don't think anyone is brave enough to do this.  When I mentioned the possibility of a female Doctor for the first time ever, I got a bit of abuse.
2. Writers who are women writing Who.  Since 2005 there has only been one writer who was also a woman. Helen Raynor wrote the two parter Daleks in Manhattan and since then there has been no other women writers.  I would love someone like Sarah Pinborough to tackle an episode.

I don't think that Doctor Who is intentionally a boys club with a young pretty female companion but it really is beginning to look that way.  

Would love to see some changes for the future.

In Moff I trust - yes still.

I'm writing this because I'm really uncomfortable with the level of hate being slung at Doctor Who at the moment.  I'm seeing a lot of negative stuff surrounding Eleven, Clara and indeed the writers. Especially towards Steven Moffat.

So here is my theory behind series 7b of Doctor Who.

I saw a lot of people complain about how Clara felt repetitive.  We had seen her ilk before, more than once. Not least I suppose because we met Clara twice before we meet her properly.  In addition to this in her first outing we find out that the Doctor stalked her as a child which echoed strongly of young Amelia Pond.

Ok I can see what that seems uninspired and a little bit dull but what if this was deliberate? What do I mean? Well This year is the 50th anniversary of the show and maybe all these nods which are being dismissed as being done before or lazy writing are in fact deliberately harking back to earlier stories and familiar tropes to culminate in the 50th anniversary special.

And why do I think this? I agree that this series has felt lacklustre but lest we forget, when Russell T Davies was show runner we were subject to a number of below par episodes.  I am still believing in Steven Moffat delivering an exciting 50th special because I still think he's one of the best writers working in British TV at the moment.

In series 5 many people picked up on inconsistencies and 'plot holes' which were finally resolved in The Big Bang.  I think we might all be underestimating The Moff and his command of all things TImey Wimey and he's going to blow us all away with something brilliant.

If I'm wrong I will eat my dalek dress.

Doctor Who Convention - Cardiff 24th March 2012

Well I'm back home after an incredible whirlwind weekend down in Cardiff at the first official Doctor Who convention.

This was the first convention arranged by the BBC for the show and from end to end one of the best and most slick conventions I've ever attended and this is why.  At the time you bought your tickets you had to choose your programme for the day Ood or Silurian.  Each programme was exactly the same all that was different was the timings of certain events.  This meant that queues were short, no one was ever too far away and it ran like a well oiled machine. Detractors were that you had to follow the plan.  The plan was all but I found it gave time to everything I wanted and a fab lunch at wagamamas. 

The big exciting panels were Meet the stars: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill with Steven Moffat and Caro Skinner answering questions and they did get through a lot.  The second panel was Creators and Directors which was Gary Russell, Marcus Wilson, Nick Hurran, Tom McCrae and Neil Gorton.  The final panel was Doctor Who Uncut which was hosted by Barnaby Edwards - Everyone's favourite DALEK with Steven Moffat and Caro Skinner again with some other people who I can't remember and the series 7 trailer. ZOMG squee



I got to meet Matt Smith briefly for an autograph and told him I had adored Christopher and his Kind which I hope came out of the Blue with all the screaming whogasms going on.  I also got to meet Arthur and he's utterly lovely.

Gossip wise, it's all out there, the Daleks are coming back, as are the weeping angels and the Ponds final adventures are happening in New York.  Steven Moffat says a Dr Who Sherlock xover wouldn't work because they wouldn't get anything done.  However, I think a sketch for comic relief or Children in Need would allow the two to meet.  

Steven Moffat was asked about whether he thought Doctor who was too complicated, he answered with no aren't we supposed to not be dumbing down TV - I started the applause for that ;)

We also saw make up/prosthetics/sfx demos which were amazing and well worth going to see.

I have a smile on my face several days later and I needed a little lie down afterwards. 

The convention was very family friendly and a lot of questions were asked by children so nothing big was asked.  I can't wait for November now.

Fandom Twitter and writers...

I would hate to be a TV writer.

That's not true, I would love to be a TV writer but there is a huge element that would put me off and I'm sorry to say it's the part of fandom that disappears up its own ding dong, because it makes me uncomfortable.

Vast majority of fan out there are lovely, insane, enthusiastic, creative and have cracking sense of humour. This is  the good part, this has value. But there's a dark side, those who seem to revel in complaining and have no compunction in using twitter to harangue the writer.

I follow a number of writers on twitter and they have all felt the force of an irate corner of fandom. Curiously enough, the writer only has to be one of a team for the vitriol to flow in their direction and that makes me sad.  For one thing, if you call yourself a fan, then really you should know who is writing what and adjust your views accordingly.

For instance, Torchwood Children of Earth, was written by three people Russell T Davies, John Fay and James Moran. RTD wrote eps 1 and 5, James Fay 2 and 4, and James Moran co-wrote ep 3 with RTD.  Now episode 4, was a game changer for Torchwood as a beloved character was killed off in the most incredible way.  In my opinion a good death utterly compelling as part of the arc of Children of earth and afterwards a sizable section of the fandom went off the deep end.  James Moran was the only writer of the three and he got bombarded with abuse, how dare he kill off said character, so much so he had to leave twitter for a week.  But can you spot the deliberate mistake? James Moran didn't write the episode. On twitter he wrote about the process of writing COE to be a team effort so in a way all three were responsible in a way, but he didn't pull the trigger. But it is not right to ever harass anyone to the point of leaving a social networking site.

 Likewise, Steven Moffat can't seem to say anything without offending some corner of either  the Doctor Who or Sherlock fandoms. I've read a number of articles and blog posts which all seem to be picking up on things he's said in interviews that I just don't see.  There are those who seem determined to paint him as a  misogynist, which I've written about before and still don't get.

The other thing I fail to understand is why Steven Moffat is picked out for the Sherlock vitriol? Mark Gatiss as co-creator doesn't seem to get the same amount of flack and Steve Thompson who adapted the Blind Banker as well as The Reichenbach Fall is not attacked in the same way. Is it because Moffat is more visible? He get's interviewed more often and is therefore more open to being misrepresented by the press in the first instance and then misinterpreted by people reading the interview in the first place.

I also struggle to get my head round is the idea that some people in fandom seem to think that they can produce better work than the people writing and making the show in the first place.  Deep breath is required here.  Really, fandom? Take a look at yourself here and answer honestly, could you really write something better than an experienced writer has already done? For the vast majority it's a definite no. There is a lot of terrible fic out there, where plots are hackneyed and writing is cliché ridden.  There is also good fic, but I'd argue there is a huge canyon between decent fic and writing for tv.

It is arrogant for anyone to suppose they could do a better job than a particular writer who is getting paid to do the job, because it kind of begs the question: then why aren't they?

It's also not a question of just accepting, I criticise a lot of writing, there are many things which don't quite work for me, but I don't make an assumption that I can write something better than a paid writer of a TV series.

So to sum up. Fandom is good, fandom wank bad. Be nice to writers on twitter or they will pack up and leave. I love interacting with writers on twitter, they can be funny, engaging and you can pick up tips about their craft. Don't chase them off...

The Woman and me

It is been a long wait, it has been a very long wait for the return of Sherlock to the BBC. August 2010 until January 2012 but the fast has been broken with something so amazing I could scarcely believe it.

A Scandal in Belgravia was an incredible tour de force and I am a little bit more in awe of Steven Moffat and just how he writes.

At the end of the first series we were left with snipers and bombs and swimming pools and me in a weeping pile of goo on the floor wondering how and why they were going to resolve it? Resolve it they did, in a way I'm  sure took big brass cahonies to pull off so nonchalantly.  I was impressed, then hints at Irene Adler and I was hooked and sat mouth open like a slack jawed yokel as the story unfurled before me in ninety glorious minutes of television…

… I know, I'm being hyperbolic, but that's how Sherlock makes me feel.  It is just that good….

… As you know I'm not into spoilers and have lived more or less like a hermit studiously avoiding anything that could be a spoiler as I wanted to see this with new eyes.  I loved every moment, the art direction is exquisite and the way scenes changed and the way that bodies were used as a wipe and as a storytelling device was just awesome, and again I loved the way that Sherlock's thoughts were displayed on screen, likewise the blogs and text messages.  The relationship between Sherlock and John is fantastic I love the characters so much.

Lara Pulver was immense, I loved the character and her interaction with Sherlock, there was lots to think about and lots to enjoy.

Course my love of Sherlock is generated purely from the new series, I've never read any of the books so I can't get precious about canon,  but I'm going to read them have downloaded to the kindle.

There's been an article in the Guardian which gave me rage, again people seem to think that Steven Moffat is misogynistic. Excuse me while I headdesk.  Steven Moffat has been writing awesome female characters since Linda Day in Press Gang.  I'm not sure those who have that opinion are even watching the show that I was watching.  However, this thing seems to persist. But really Linda Day kicked ass, Sally Sparrow awesome, River Song incredible and Amy Pond fantastic.  

 

Great Expectations

I've just finished watching episode one of the new BBC adaptation of Great Expectations.

It's faithful to the novel and wonderful. I've never really got on with reading Charles Dickens but one thing is for certain it works fantastically on the TV.  Casting is pitched perfectly, Gillian Anderson, I thought was still too young and glamorous for Miss Havisham but it works, she steals all her scenes.

I'm looking forward to watching more.

I had a busy Christmas day, my chap and I were cooking a Christmas day feast for eleven and so missed out on watching the Doctor Who Christmas Day special.  I watched it this afternoon and it reduced me to tears. Well done Steven Moffatt, that doesn't happen all that often.

Other things I'm looking forward to is the return of Sherlock, I shall be squeeing like the insane woman I am come New Years Day.

In defence of Fangirls

All over the internet I see snide comments regarding fangirls and they are always excessively negative. That fangirls only like insert random writer/character/actor because they find them sexually attractive.  I've seen this opinion expressed over women who like Neil Gaiman or China Miéville but not just limited to authors.  And you know what? As someone who identifies as a fangirl I've got a two word response to that; the second of which is 'off'.

I read a lot of books and I watch a lot of shows and I feel passion or a large percentage of what I consume.  The passion that I feel for a piece of work can develop for many reasons its not limited to getting warm fuzzy feelings in my loins because someone is pretty. Not surprisingly I get pretty angry when male fans presume that's my sole reason for liking something. I'll write about why I think male fans need to do this at the end, but before that I want to explore why I fangirl things.

When I get excited about a book by a specific author it isn't because I fancy the author. I'm excited because it's new and I am desperate to know what is going to happen to the characters I'm invested in. I'm invested in the narrative and the characters not the author. Same with TV I'm invested in what's going to happen how the characters will deal with something. I might regularly tweet that I love Steven Moffat, but that's not because I think he's a sex god, its because I think he's a genius with plots and when he's pulled off a episode like Let's Kill Hitler I am genuinely thrilled.  

The other accusation which is basically the same is that fangirls only watch X Y Z because they fancy the actors.  Excuse me while I headdesk. Yes many actors are attractive and yes I've got a long list of actors I think are rather dishy, but by and large they still aren't the sole reason I'd watch a show (they might be the reason I stick with a show long after it's past it's best though). It's still all about the characters and how they react to a given situation.

I've asked my friends and the consenus was that they might watch shows for certain actors but to really stick with it the narrative has got to be good and the characters have got to draw you in.

So why do male fans feel the need to put down fangirls?  Is it because in the past scifi fanboys were seen as nerds and geeks and derided because of that fact? In some areas sci fi is still seen as the preserve of geeks and is still looked down on because it's a genre. Feel free to argue with me about this, but I think that with the advent of fangirls male fans feel that the way that women interact with a show and the way that men interact with a show are different and they feel that the way fangirls interact with a fandom is somehow less valid than their male ways.  I am aware that I'm making sweeping generalisations here and not every male fan feels this way but I believe that the ones moved to make disparaging comments are the ones who do.

One thing I'm certain of is that being a fan should be about celebrating that fandom and everyone should be able to express their love for a show or a character in a variety of different ways. I might not appreciate or agree with the way you celebrate that show or book but by golly it is certainly not my place to judge or to harsh your squee.  I guess negative opinions get thrown around for a variety of reasons, we all like to feel that our way is the best way of being a fan; but putting down someone else's work so you feel better about yourself is a poor choice.

All photos in this post are me expressing my fangirly squee.

My Doctor?

Not an easy question really is it? Well it used to be. I'd have said David Tennant without a second thought.  But now we've lived with a series of Matt Smith's Doctor with Steven Moffat at the helm I'm a little more conflicted. Towards the end of Russell T Davies' tenure I found myself more than a little frustrated with the way he finished things.  Not to say I could do any better, I couldn't but I felt there was an over reliance on things he's touched on before. I was ready for something new.

Matt Smith was mostly something new. He shared enough traits with David Tennant's Doctor for it not to feel quite so jarring but he was the new Doctor and like the hussy I am I loved him straight away.

Ten was amazing because a lot of the time with the coat and the energy he felt more like a superhero. Eleven, well he's kind of geeky all thinky and much more awkward. This doctor seems that little bit less human and more prone to disengage.

So when eleven turned up in the Sarah Jane Adventures I was joyful, because it was lovely to see him interact with the scooby gang.  I'm not old enough to remember Sarah Jane from the first time around, so I'm really not old enough to remember Jo Grant. I thought their interactions were very sweet, there was a very big sense of Mallory Towers between the two of them, they were altogether dotty but marvellous.

I loved the episode but I have some reservations to do with the idea that RTD was treading on an already well trodden path. I know SJA is a kids show. But in the past RTD has written some incredible things for children's TV. Century Falls anyone? This felt a little derivative for me. I  liked it but it felt like I'd eaten too many sweets after it was over.

Steven Moffat, Sue Vertue and Q&A at Kaleidoscopicfest.

Last Thursday I had a real treat. We, that is me and my chap went to see Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue at the Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndwr uni.

It was quite an intimate setting about 200 hundred people in the audience all there to listen to them speak about the process of adapting Sherlock in their recent adaptation with Mark Gatiss.

The first thing that struck me is just how dry Steven Moffat's wit is. He's also very playful and teasy with his wife which was lovely to see.

We were treated to some clips from the shows and questions were asked about casting Sherlocl (Benedict was the only person they asked to read.) Casting John (Matt Smith auditioned pre who but Martin Freeman twinkled).  They were also asked how they choose which parts of the story and he said that Mark Gatiss especially is like a magpie where SH is concerned and they use parts from everywhere in order to create the stories.  He also mentioned that MG and he both loved the 1940s Rathbone Holmes films.

It was definitely a fascinating insight into a process that fascinates me, I've always been interested in adaptations and I like to see where they go.

Steven Moffat really is my writing idol.

Waxing lyrical

I've been one of the many enrapt by Sherlock. It's a frighteningly good television show and last night was the climax of three ninety minute dramas and it blew me away. Well done Mr Mark Gatiss, you slugged it for six.

What can I say it ticked all my boxes for a good night's entertainment.  There was banter, there was guy love of the most epic variety, there was puzzles and action and 'splosions and and and a nemesis. I'm not the only one who saw shades of John Simm as the master am I? Surely not.

The relationship between Sherlock and John (I still kind of want to call them Holmes and Watson) is what makes this show for me. Benedict Cumberbatch is slightly unhinged as Sherlock and reminiscent of Richard E Grant in Withnail and I. Actually the relationship between S and J has echoes of the classic film without the demands for booze.  Cumberbatch is tall and elegant and dare I say it dashing but also wonderfully lacking in some basic social skills which again makes him not unlike Sheldon from the Big Bang theory. There are the inevitable comparisons to the Doctor and yes I agree with that too only Sherlock could be living in our universe though could you imagine the crossover potential...

I have to make a confession, I've got a soft spot for Martin Freeman. Ever since he played Tim in the Office. He get's a lot of goodwill from me in anything he's in, purely because it's him. I think he makes an awesome John Watson, but there's a small irk somewhere in the back of my brain.  He's supposed to have been an army doctor and that doesn't ring true for me so I push it to the back of my brain and enjoy the cantankerous sparkage between the two of them.

Inspector Lestrade is also a poppet I missed him in the second episode, he and his team adds a nice new dimension and relationship between the dynamic duo.  Also Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson the housekeeper is sheer joy and ruthlessly steals every scene she's in.

Then there are the other characters and if you've seen the eps, you'll know who i mean, if you haven't you might have a good idea. I adore them too so very much.

I love the audacity of the writing team to give us blue balls at the climax of the three episodes.

Dear BBC,

Please recommission a new series of Sherlock ASAP.

Yours J

In which I get a little over excited.

I've been a big fan of Sherlock these last couple of weeks. Benedict Cumberbatch and Marin Freeman are making me squee with the banter as they investigate and deduce things.

The things that made me most excited though was the fact that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss were writing it. I've been looking forward to this show ever since I heard it was being made about eighteen months ago.

The squeeful stuff is that there's going to be a conference in the beginning of of september where Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue (his Co-Executive Producer and wife) are doing a Q&A session on Sherlock.

Sherlock Q & A details.

So the question is: are you coming?