Doctor Who review: Ncuti Gatwa has regenerated the TV series and this latest ... trends now
Spoiler alert! The Beeb has comprehensively spoiled all the surprises in its own flagship family show, releasing both debut episodes of the new Doctor Who series online, 18 hours before transmission.
Fans who have waited agog with excitement since Christmas were given a cruel choice, between watching the shows in the small hours or spending all day today avoiding any glimpse of other fans' reactions on social media.
The episodes, called Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, began streaming on iPlayer at midnight last night, and were simultaneously aired in the U.S. – where it was a much more civilised 7pm or earlier. If you want to see them on telly here, you'll have to wait till 6.20pm, after the teatime edition of The Weakest Link.
The episodes, called Space Babies and The Devil's Chord, began streaming on iPlayer at midnight last night
Next week's episode also lands on iPlayer at midnight. In households across the country, parents will be fighting battles with young Whovians intent on staying awake till 1am because otherwise 'all my friends will have seen it and I won't!'
Madder still, these are the most family-friendly adventures the Doctor has enjoyed in years. The first features talking babies on a spaceship, a Mary Poppins-ish nanny and a storybook monster. The other is set in Abbey Road studios, where the Beatles are recording their first album in 1963, with dance spectaculars and an uproarious panto turn from a villainous drag queen.
These are stories that small children can thoroughly enjoy with their older siblings and parents, featuring just the right amount of scariness. Broadcasting them at midnight was worse than stupid – it was sticking up two fingers to the whole of Britain.
We have loved, supported and nurtured Doctor Who for more than six decades, revelling in its best eras and pretending to forget its worst. Now we can count ourselves lucky to see it at all, apparently. BBC bosses clearly care only about the American market... which is why the first ten minutes of Episode One consist of explanations for viewers who have never heard of the Doctor before.
This isn't a one-off. Next week's episode also lands on iPlayer at midnight. In households across the country, parents will be fighting battles with young Whovians intent on staying awake till 1am because otherwise 'all my friends will
