And so the new Doctor has been announced. I don’t know: doctors just seem to get younger and younger these days.

Seriously, I haven’t seen any of Matt Smith’s work and so I’m not going to rip him or praise him. Yes, he seems to have the hair down and yes, he seems to be a little ditzy and strange like the Doctor but ultimately they’re not hiring him to be Matt Smith as Doctor Matt Smith but as The Doctor – he’s going to have to act. I’m reserving judgment until the show goes back to regular viewing in 2010.

However, it is worth bearing in mind that people seem to be glossing over the part the entire production crew (NOT just Russell T. Davies or David Tennant) play in putting together the show and indeed the crucial need for an injection of new creative juices. Some of the most embarrassing offerings from the show in recent years have been from the old guard  failing to put enough new thinking into the show and some of the best have been when they’ve departed a bit (including the excellent Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead). That Moffat is behind the helm is a good thing (probably) but have no doubt: if they repeat the format of years gone by (and thus the mistakes of the eighties) they’re doomed to go back on the shelf.

I’m hopeful though: Moffat’s good, there’s a good team behind him who aren’t afraid to take risks.

And naturally I’m available should they be a writer down. *coughs*. 🙂