PPS- Spin-offs

After this reasonably detailed examination of the programme we all know and love, it would be remiss of me not to mention the tele-sprogs that Doctor Who has spawned along the way. However, this is not going to be anything like as detailed- I was very close to reviewing the TARDISodes- mini episodes designed for mobile use- but I thought that way madness lies. Suffice to say, these little snippets, written by Gareth Roberts and directed by Ashley Way, were fun little Who-nuggets.

The main Doctor Who spin-off is Torchwood- the further adventures of Captain Jack in Cardiff. Despite having some excellent writers such as J C Wilsher, P H Hammond, Catherine Tregenna and Mickey Smith himself, Noel Clarke (whose excursions into film are highly recommended, damn the critics!) the programme suffered from some very poor show-running from Chris Chibnall. Character development was very shoddy, with characters changing personality according to the dictates of the plot and, for the first series, Chibnall failed to find an original voice for the programme, or even decide what sort of programme it was- the story arc in particular was rushed and poorly thought-out. At times, the notion that this was Angel to Doctor Who’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer was taken too literally- like Angel, Torchwood’s second episode involves a being that uses sex to drive itself. There were excellent episodes ("Everything Changes", "Out of Time", "Adam" and "Captain Jack Harkness" amongst others) there were some truly dreadful ones as well ("Random Shoes", an attempt to ‘do’ "Love & Monsters" written by someone who didn’t actually understand it, springs to mind) There was sex and swearing which, I suppose, is considered to be ‘adult’ by Chibnall. I use Chibnall as my punching bag for one reason- when he left Torchwood, Russell T Davies returned to the controls and the result was the utterly astonishing Children of Earth, a story up there with the very best Doctor Who episodes. Written with real intelligence and wit, the quality of the story is obvious leaps out in every scene. It is so compelling that, despite Peter Capaldi playing a high-ranking, non-elected official, you have forgotten about Malcolm Tucker by the end of the first episode. It was fun and genuinely ‘adult’ and I eagerly look forward to Torchwood’s return.

On the other end of the age-demographic is The Sarah Jane Adventures. In looking at this, we must really start with 1981’s K9 and Company, a jolly bit of rural intrigue with Sarah Jane and K9 foiling a local coven. It was similar in tone to contemporaneous Doctor Who, but with a slightly lighter touch. With its 21st century descendent, the relationship with the parent programme is similar- for example, it is immediately obvious that the body count is considerably lower. However, it is only very rarely that The Sarah Jane Adventures actually talks down to children- the same care in production is lavished on it as with the parent programme and there are, again, good writers writers- but, unlike Torchwood, it is a team of writers who know exactly what kind of programme they are writing for. Elisabeth Sladen is supported by an appealing young cast, making The Sarah Jane Adventures very enjoyable for all ages.

Speaking of everyone's favourite motorised mutt, there is also K-9 which has aired only one episode at the time of writing. It's OK, I suppose, but I'm witholding my opinion until I see more.