DOCTOR WHO WORLD PREMIERE | PREVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff
Thurs 7 Aug
words KATIE DRISCOLL photos JAYDON MARTIN
It is Thursday lunchtime in Cardiff city centre and there is a man walking around dressed as David Tennant. Odd it may seem, until you notice the red carpet set up outside of St David’s Hall and the thousands of people milling around, some in cosplay, some not. Yet they all have something in common, having traversed from all over (in some cases, even as far as Brazil) to witness the World Premiere of the eighth series of Doctor Who, starring Peter Capaldi of The Thick Of It fame and Jenna Coleman as his companion, Clara.
Now, I was never an avid watcher of Doctor Who, but it was hard to not be swept up by the buzz generated once inside the theatre. Fans and makers of the show converging together, united by their love for the familiar characters: it’s hard not to feel the adrenaline of thousands of people clapping and wooing their hearts out every time something was said by presenter Jason Mohammad.
The atmosphere was electric once the lights dimmed and the credits opened, with the audience cheering writer Stephen Moffat’s name and going positively wild when those familiar refrains of the theme started playing.
The first episode of the series, ‘Deep Breath’, which will premiere into living rooms globally on Sat 23 Aug on BBC One, proved to be a smash success, with some old favourites returning, and of course a new batch of monsters. Fans reaction to the new Doctor was overwhelmingly positive, with most saying that he brought a “uniqueness” to the role.
In the first episode we see the Doctor struggling with his new identity, resulting in many more gags than usual, as well as retaining the intimate connection between him and Clara that is at the heart of the series. Of course, it’s also not Doctor Who without a few surprise twists and turns (no spoilers!).
Post-show, once the excitement had died down, was a Q&A with writer Moffat, Coleman and Time Lord himself Capaldi, who revealed that filming had only been wrapped up just the night before. Fans from ages six to 60 got the chance to ask questions as diverse as ‘what historical time period would the Doctor choose to go back to?’ and whether this series would differ from the Matt Smith era.
Get ready: The Doctor Is In.
