The Witchfinders

From the very beginning, I've loved Whitakers take on the doctor. The episodes were a bit weak to begin with, felt flat, but this one is one of the better ones and it does feel like doctor who to me. I'm especially happy with the villain, although they were defeated quite quickly. This might had worked better as a twoparter. But in general I'd say it's a good, basic episode. Don't know why people hate it. The comedy wasn't a 10/10, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

I still can't decide whether it's Jodie Whittaker's CBeebies take on the character or the excruciating dialogue she has to recite which makes this season so bad. Either way, this is now painful TV. Add that to the relentless 101 lessons in racism and sexism "women really did have it tough in the middle ages!" and my embarrassment in being a Doctor Who fan is now complete.

This episode is actually a pretty good story, set in the superstitious middle ages where witch-hunts clash with mud-aliens of genuinely interesting genesis. Alan Cumming's light-hearted take on an improbably hands-on witch-finding King James I is fun and engaging and as you'd expect from a classy actor, Bradley Walsh's understated Graham is as ever watchable, and guest star Siobhan Finnerhan does a good job as the paranoid antagonist. And that's it. Characters Ryan and Jasmin are dull but fine I guess, but I'm afraid Whittaker, who has the unenviable task of carrying the show, simply doesn't deliver the nuances required of her character. Authority, light and dark, exceptional knowing and occasional arrogance - virtually none of these traits come through in her performance. All we get are over-exaggerated movements, facial expressions and verbal intonations that make Horrible Histories look subtle.

I've had enough.

Season 11 stoops to a new low. This episode is full of terrible dialogue, cringeworthy acting and simplistic moral signalling, and the only reason anyone could defend it is because it's Doctor Who, and Doctor Who *used* to be good.

Compare the dialogue to the episodes of the RTD era or early Moffat era. It was sharp, to the point, intelligent and witty, whereas the jokes here just aren't funny. Its attempts at humour involving King James are pathetic. It's as if the BBC have aimed it at preschool kids. That's the level of sophistication we're talking about here. The funny thing is Doctor Who used to be intelligent enough to appeal to kids and adults at the same time. I think that if I was still a kid, I'd be equally furious to see it dumbed down like this.

Look at the portrayal of historical characters we see here. I don't know much about King James I but I couldn't believe what I was seeing when he came onscreen. Is that accent supposed to be funny? Is this the level Doctor Who's "humour" has stooped to, overexaggerating accents? Not to mention the completely unfunny lines given to King James to make him seem like an utter twit. There is no comparison between this and NuWho's portrayal of Queen Victoria. She was realistic but also the source of jokes. But those jokes were actually funny, in keeping with her character, and not totally stupid. Plus, the acting used to be good. Alan Cumming goes out of his way to look idiotic, but I don't much blame him in a way because what else can you do with such an atrocious script?

As if this episode wasn't bad already, it throws in countless PC comments about how bad life was for women in those days. The duck stool was for shutting women up, apparently. Good job we have the Doctor here, battling for social justice across time... oh, what was that she said a few minutes ago about not interfering in history? Oh, I get it. What she meant was don't interfere unless you see a woman being harmed, in which case it's absolutely fine to break the Gallifreyan law of non-interference!

I could go on, but what's the point? Chris Chibnall has decided what direction he wants to take Doctor Who and there's nothing we can do about it now.

Good things about this episode.Alan Cumming as King James hamming it up gloriously and upstaging everyone else every time he came on (That wouldn't be hard with Tosin Cole who is truly awful).The "witches" were unsettling and scary like the best Doctor Who monsters should be.Some gags to lighten the mood.Bad things about this episode.The Doctor just doesn't have the same weight or depth of previous Doctors, it's too light,too jokey in all honesty she could be another companion.This is highlighted in the scenes with Alan Cumming who basically acts her off the screen.The "Message" I'm getting sick and tired of the message of the week being shoved in the episode and shoved down my throat.This week it was 'women were treated like second class citizens back in the day actually' Really? Duh! I think we knew that. I've got news for you there are certain parts of the world today where they still are. I watch Doctor Who to be entertained, not lectured, just entertain us and stop the man bashing.

Doctor Who has always been a very specific show, but this new series isn't and it almost doesn't feel like the same show anymore, which is probably a bad thing since most people watching are used to something else. In a way I think Doctor Who is alienating it's longtime fans.