The top 5 things I dislike about the new Doctor Who

Since an unearthly child first graced televisions during tea time in 1963, Doctor Who has become a touchtone for both British and sci fi geek culture. We all have our favorite doctor, remember some of our favorite moments, and most terrifying foes of the funny man in his magic blue box. The show is not only the longest running sci fi in history, but one of the most loved the world over (trekkies, you can't argue with this kind of logic, and Jedis search your feelings you know it to be true!) and with the big 50  here and the news of a new Doctor, and with 7 years of new episodes since Christopher Eccleston took over as the timelord, I think now is as good a time as any for a retrospective on the past 7 seasons. The start of the next chapter in the doctor's life, and while for the most part I like it ( Hey it's still Doctor Who damn it!) there are some elements that quite frankly annoy me to no end. and without further adeu,  here are my top 5 issues I take with the Davies/Moffat Years.

5 The Weeping Angels- Don't get me wrong, the first episode with the weeping angels was decent enough, but after a while I couldn't help feeling a bit too much "how much fear can we milk from statues? This is way cheaper than making up moving baddies!" vibe. It only got worse as they kept showing up like as if the producers thought 1 clever episode means we have found our new "daleks". The Judoon, and the Slitheen were also hardly replacements for the Daleks or Cybermen, but they feel like they can be interesting in subsiquent episodes more easily than these foes. I am sorry but each time I see the angels I am less scared or enthralled, kind of like with the Borg, the more we knew the less we cared, but on a much grander scale of apathy. at this point "DON'T BLINK!" is more internet meme than reason to fear.

4 Torchwood Could someone explain to me the point of an organization operating in the UK, with above the law clearance, dealing with alien threats when they already have U.N.I.T. for that? I liked Jack Harkness just fine, and have no issue with a spin off (Frankly I loved Sara Jane adventures!) but the whole point of this seems to be putting a more adult spin on the Doctor Who mythos, or at least more sex and swearing. As a show Torchwood didn't feel like Doctor Who to me, and as an organization it is simply redundant.

3 SUPERCOMPANIONS!! Speaking of Sarah Jane she is about the template of a good companion, a nice normal person to as an everyman type rudder for the doctor, who is far more out there in his endeavors. Sure there have been some pretty interesting and more fantastic companions (Romana for example) but they were more rare and far between. So far the new who has given us, Rose the Bad Wolf who had absorbed the whole memory of the Tardis and sruvived, Donna who is the also became part time lord and intertwined with the doctor, Amy Pond the mother of the most Mary Sue of the Lot River F@*#ing Song, and Lets not leave out the immortal Captain Jack or Rory the Auton bodied lovelorn legend of eternal love. Seriously other than Martha Jones most of his companions have either become or were destined for godlike connections to the doctor. Clara for example just quantum leaped herself into the doctor's entirety of reality, effectively deciding which TARDIS William Hartnel should steal, nudging Tom Baker in the right direction and so forth. enough of this what is wrong with a normal person huh?

2 Deus Ex Doctor And in someways this can be said of the doctor, sure he has always been a bit too powerful but now the tardis has a machine that can make any machine ever? He regenerates until he decides not to? whispering his name as legend makes him stronger? This is why so many people hate superman, too powerful is less interesting. and while he still isn't bullet proof of have heat vision the oncoming storm seems to be getting bigger every episode.

1 It's gone mainstream. Now this may just sound like the rantings of a geek who likes things only because they are not popular, but it reminds me of all those music fans who complain when a band has "sold out" a class mate of mine for example rued the release of Metalica's black album as he now saw freshman girls humming to enter sandman. but this in and of itself is more of a problem than I first thought. Why? you may ask, Who fans today are not thought of as as much of a stigma as they were in the 1980s, and now the show is more popular means it's fandom is more accepted. Perhaps, but it also means that the show now looks toward the new fanbase it created and will continue to push to cater to them, The Doctor can no longer afford to be a stodgy old grandfather, or a mass of curly hair and teeth, but now must look as much like a cast member of the WB type teen drama as possible. And the companions had better be popular or hot to get cast. Any chance of someone like Bill Nightly, Nick Frost, Stephen Fry, Rowan Atkinson, or even Helen Mirren becoming the next doctor, are slim and none, instead let's keep it fresh for the kids! And same with the stories, let's make sure they are safer and less controversial no need to rock the boat when at this point We have a product to sell.

That's not to say it's all bad but there are some cracks in the armor that need to be filled.  It's just not the doctor that I used to know, despite having better effects and more attractive actors.

Top Ten: British Comedies

When I was younger I used to live in the UK, more precisely Aberdeen, Scotland. I guess this is what really sparked my love affair with British TV.I've been a big Doctor Who fan since the early 1980s, and was enthralled by Blake's 7, and even got into some more obscure shows like Educating Marmalade, and such. But Britain has a ton of great comedies, so many classics that American audiences may have given a few of these a miss.  So I Decided I should make a list of my absolute favorites, my cream of the crop of British comedy.

10- Little Britian

This sketch comedy show is a great start to this list. Two guys, dozens of reoccuring characters, and tons of off color jokes make this show a riot to watch. It does have a few "miss" sketches but it has twice as much unforgettable lines. Uhm Yeah, but no, but yeah, but SHUT UP! 

9- the Young ones

A sitcom about 4 university students in a university housing, this show was a breeding ground for tallent. many of the guys on this show went on to a lot of things. This show is bizarre, surreal, and pretty damn funny. Also pointless piece of trivia, Rick Mayall, who played the much loathed sociology student of the same name was cast as peeves the poltergeist in Harry Potter, but his scenes lay on the cutting room floor, he was also a pitchman for Nintendo in the UK. 

8-  Father Ted

A show about a small group of Catholic priests, on a small island in Ireland, sounds like the kind of show your grandmother would love right? well it's a bit more subversive than that. these priests are stuck on the island due to their own fantastic shortcomings Ted is a pathological schemer, who may or may not have embezzled money from the church (It was just resting in his account, Honest!) Father Jack Hacket is an alcoholic, and pervert, and a clear fire and brimstone priest with no sense of reality, and speaking of no sense of reality leads us to Father Dougal, who is well, I guess special is the nicest word.  Though it is in the guise of religious humor, it is far more subversive than that and is just a ton of fun. 

7- Peep Show

It's a fresh take on a classic sit com trope, the roomies who are in effect the Odd Couple, one might even assume they had ripped off the Neil Simon play and t.v. show. But it is far more brilliant than that instead of just doing a modern nerdy anal guy living with a free spirited slob, might work but add internal monologues and P.O.V. shots to show what is going on in their heads makes this show 100 times better. I think the repressed grins and peek into the character's psyches make the show both more subtle and far more riotous!

6- the I.T. Crowd

From the guys who brought us Father Ted, comes a show about the I.T. department in a local corporation. As someone who works in tech myself I have been there brothers and sisters. an excellent show with lots of computer/geek references, and the Dungeons and Dragons Episode (Season 4 episode 1) is enough to make this hit the list. 

5-That Mitchell Webb Look

A Sketch comedy show from the guys from Peep Show, this is more about exploring their comic experiences, with some very cool characters such as Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, or the Helivets. Some incredible sketches and just damn fine bits above is the World War 2 sketch one of my all time favorites. well that and Sir Digby, cheezoid, Numberwang, etc.

4- The Goodies

A Show that can boast a man dying from laughter, the goodies stars 3 comedians who worked with many of the same people who would go on to be Monty Python. This long running sit com has all the wackiness of python, in a more structured, and family friendly environment. I am really surprised that this one isn't seen more often here in the states. Hell we have BBC America for a reason, but instead they show us X-files, and Star Trek TNG re-runs. The premise is 3 men who run a business doing anything any time. It is a classic of comedy in every sense of the word. above is the scene that supposedly killed a man via laughter, watch at your own peril. 

3- Black Adder

Rowan Atkinson, is best known world wide as Mr. Bean the slapstick chaplinesque character who fumbles his way through life but Atkinson really shines in his role as the sarcastic, vile and devious Edmond Blackadder a historical comedy that also stars Hugh Laurie (T.V.'s House) as a braying moron. It always makes me laugh when someone compares themselves to Dr. House, because this is what I see every time I see him. A true classic comedy I cannot recommend this one enough. 

2- Red Dwarf

It is quite probably the best science fiction comedy made (aside from Futurama) Red Dwarf is the story of the survivors of a ship lost 3,000,000 years from earth. and just as Star trek will take some new scientific theory and look to build a dramatic episode around it, Red Dwarf takes the comedic route from future echoes, to Backwards so many classic humor based on scientific theories. add the chemistry of the cast and riffs on so many sci fi tropes Dwarf is a great sci fi and a great comedy, well worth the number two position. 

1- Monty Python's flying Circus:

Is there doubt that this one takes the number 1 spot, they are the Beatles of comedy man. An incredible cast of comedians and writers. surreal sketches that defined comedy for so many. from the Gumbys to Spam, to the Lumberjack song so many classics, that stand the test of time. what else is there to say man?