igmu

Three episodes in to the 'new' Doctor Who (Jodie Whittaker) and each one worse than the last. The acting is ok-ish, although the new companions don't get a lot of chance to demonstrate it, but the show is let down by some terrible writing and the need to be so Politically Correct that it can't see beyond the end of its nose.

The show began it's latest decline after Jenna Coleman left Peter Capaldi. Bill and Nardol were very average companions to Capaldi's rather average Doctor - although admittedly Tennant and Smith were hard acts to follow. Then of course the Doctor became female. Absolutely no need for it at all, and no need for all the fuss about it either and it could have worked, but poor Jodie Whittaker has nothing to work with. They writers haven't actually given her a character.

Then there is today's Episode 3 - Rosa Parks. Why? Just make a documentary about her and the segregation issues in 1955 USA instead, not have a very boring episode with no jeopardy and a random unexplained bigoted time-travelling non-villain (oh how so very convenient). Then rub everyone's brains into the dust by ending with the Rosa Parks asteroid - was that all the woman was worth? A bloody asteroid! As a history lesson about Rosa Parks and segregation it didn't work. As an indication of the racism still prevalent in society today it didn't work. As an episode of what has been one of the most enduring and loved sci-fi series on British telly it didn't work. As an example of woolly thinking, abysmal characterisation, poor scriptwriting and bad TV it worked perfectly.

I saw this film a few times as a young boy forty-odd years ago and quite liked it, mainly because of the old cars, although it was a never a favourite. However, having watched it again today I am shocked at just how horrible it is. The two main characters are plain nasty. Even the supposedly 'nice' one, John Gregson. They are nasty to each other, nasty to their wives/girlfriends, nasty to other motorists, having no regard for anything or anyone outside of their own narrow little world. If this is an example of how England used to be, then it's as a warning of how the upper-middle class Hooray Henrys used to (still do?) behave. Leaving this aside, as a film it's pretty dull and very dated. Even the Oscar-winning harmonica score just keeps grating on and on.

Whimsy? Not a bit of it. Just another example of how bad some of Britain's filmmaking was. There are many better films from this period, so keep this one as a documentary - i.e. this is how Britain looked in the 50s before the car took over, and this is how NOT to behave.

Alternatively, forget all about it. It's really not worth watching.