It's traditional. It's been eagerly awaited. Yes, it's the return of Matt Smith in Doctor Who "The Doctor, The Widow And The Wardrobe".
By now, I think it's safe to say, we know that Steven Moffat has a very different approach to Christmas Specials than Russell T Davies had. Whereas RTD saw the Christmas Specials as huge, action packed, bursts of energy, Moffat sees them as smaller, more romantic stories. Last year it was the simple story of teaching a man to love again, while this year it is the Doctor returning a favour and showing new friends a new world. It's hard to be miserable about it (though if you go to the Gallifrey Base forums, I'm sure that you'll find enough people who can prove me wrong).
I'd like to kick off by noting one thing that strikes me time and time again whenever this happens, and that is that Matt Smith's Doctor works extremely well with young children. I often felt that the eleventh Doctor seemed to work better with the young Amelia Pond, rather than the older Amy, and once more, with a younger girl by his side, the eleventh Doctor seems to be in his element. Oddly enough, more than other Doctors, the eleventh Doctor has a very paternal side to him, and I felt he was at his most interesting when exploring with Lily Arwell (played with precision by Holly Earl - who I note is 19, but the character isn't so I stand by what I said).
Meanwhile, nominal new companion (or at least acting companion) is Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell. Skinner is best known for Outnumbered, and is also married to regular Who director Charles Palmer, and she plays her part quite well, giving a nice earthiness to the woman who has just lost her husband (The Sarah Jane Adventures's Alexander Armstrong), and doesn't really know how to break it to her children. She is a kindly soul, and it's her decision to help the Doctor when he falls to Earth is what inspires him to return the favour. I have to admit that my only problem with Claire is that she just seemed to be there. She didn't grab me in a way that other one-off companions have, and as she didn't actually spend a lot of time opposite the Doctor (that was Lily), she made less of an impression. Maurice Cole as Cyril had a similar problem - he was effective in his role, but didn't have enough interaction with the Doctor, or enough screen time in general to really bring his character home.
Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir, on the other hand, were immediately endearing as their characters, and despite a relatively small appearance and not getting to meet the Doctor at all, there was such character in them that you immediately knew who they were. Perhaps my biggest complaint about these two was indeed the fact that there wasn't enough screen time given over to them - but in context of the story it's hard to see how they could be given any more, anyway. In this case, it's like wishing there were just a few more Picnic's in the Flavours box.
Ultimately I did enjoy this story, but not as much as the previous year's Christmas special, mainly because it felt a little too fluffy this time round (and also the fact that at the end, Reg Arwell's fighter was flying through the time vortex - how could that happen?). The final scene with the Doctor visiting Amy and Rory for Christmas was superb and brought a little tear to my eye, but when I leave the episode being struck the most by this small scene, it makes me realise how little the preceding fifty minutes meant to me. A lovely story, but merely a stocking filler this year, rather than an out and out gift.
By now, I think it's safe to say, we know that Steven Moffat has a very different approach to Christmas Specials than Russell T Davies had. Whereas RTD saw the Christmas Specials as huge, action packed, bursts of energy, Moffat sees them as smaller, more romantic stories. Last year it was the simple story of teaching a man to love again, while this year it is the Doctor returning a favour and showing new friends a new world. It's hard to be miserable about it (though if you go to the Gallifrey Base forums, I'm sure that you'll find enough people who can prove me wrong).
I'd like to kick off by noting one thing that strikes me time and time again whenever this happens, and that is that Matt Smith's Doctor works extremely well with young children. I often felt that the eleventh Doctor seemed to work better with the young Amelia Pond, rather than the older Amy, and once more, with a younger girl by his side, the eleventh Doctor seems to be in his element. Oddly enough, more than other Doctors, the eleventh Doctor has a very paternal side to him, and I felt he was at his most interesting when exploring with Lily Arwell (played with precision by Holly Earl - who I note is 19, but the character isn't so I stand by what I said).
Meanwhile, nominal new companion (or at least acting companion) is Claire Skinner as Madge Arwell. Skinner is best known for Outnumbered, and is also married to regular Who director Charles Palmer, and she plays her part quite well, giving a nice earthiness to the woman who has just lost her husband (The Sarah Jane Adventures's Alexander Armstrong), and doesn't really know how to break it to her children. She is a kindly soul, and it's her decision to help the Doctor when he falls to Earth is what inspires him to return the favour. I have to admit that my only problem with Claire is that she just seemed to be there. She didn't grab me in a way that other one-off companions have, and as she didn't actually spend a lot of time opposite the Doctor (that was Lily), she made less of an impression. Maurice Cole as Cyril had a similar problem - he was effective in his role, but didn't have enough interaction with the Doctor, or enough screen time in general to really bring his character home.
Bill Bailey and Arabella Weir, on the other hand, were immediately endearing as their characters, and despite a relatively small appearance and not getting to meet the Doctor at all, there was such character in them that you immediately knew who they were. Perhaps my biggest complaint about these two was indeed the fact that there wasn't enough screen time given over to them - but in context of the story it's hard to see how they could be given any more, anyway. In this case, it's like wishing there were just a few more Picnic's in the Flavours box.
Ultimately I did enjoy this story, but not as much as the previous year's Christmas special, mainly because it felt a little too fluffy this time round (and also the fact that at the end, Reg Arwell's fighter was flying through the time vortex - how could that happen?). The final scene with the Doctor visiting Amy and Rory for Christmas was superb and brought a little tear to my eye, but when I leave the episode being struck the most by this small scene, it makes me realise how little the preceding fifty minutes meant to me. A lovely story, but merely a stocking filler this year, rather than an out and out gift.
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