Event TV x Behind The Sofa: Watching Doctor Who Series 8 Premiere 'Deep Breath'
When it was announced that
Peter Capaldi would portray the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor (leaving
anniversary special related numerical issues aside) it was almost certainly an
event. There were empty streets when the announcement was made live on BBC 1
and almost one year later there were packed sofas, cinema seats and other
various locations in anticipation of the debut of his Doctor in Deep Breath.
Unlike most occasions of a
television broadcast, there was a choice of where to catch it. Between the two
of the writers here, we used the medium of (behind) the sofa and the big screen
of the cinema. The two are equally advantageous in terms of digital technology
and thrill factor but give a very different feeling to the experience of
catching an event such as the debut of Peter Capaldi in one of British
television’s most iconic roles.
When I arrived at out
chosen venue to catch the screening, just off Bold Street in Liverpool, my
companion immediately noticed the presence of a lot of people cosplaying. Most
notably, there were a great number of fez’s in evidence, plus at least one
homemade Dalek costume non-exterminating the passers-by. Not to mention the
presence of many more distinct accoutrements related to the world of Doctor
Who.
Having gotten past the
horde of cosplaying fans it was a pretty uneventful journey of to the customary
snack stand and finally to the screen. But once the room started to fill there
was a certain sense of anticipation in the air perhaps unique to any show.
Having had the foresight to book front row seats the sound of murmuring and
chatter behind in the minutes before the lights dimmed was a potent experience.
If there was complete silence, it would have been uncomfortable sitting in semi
darkness with a room full of people but it’s not an understatement to say that
once the cinema exclusive prologue from the deadpan Strax detailing the previous
incarnations of the show began a hush descended over the room you’d have been
wary of breaking.
Of course, with any film
you’re always looking for what’s going on up there on the screen but the sight
of a dinosaur in the River Thames spitting out the Tardis in perhaps one of the
most audacious sequences of a very audacious episode of the longest running science
fiction show in the world. Needless to say, it looks good on the big screen and
works very well considering how much budget there must have been in the pot for
such a costly debut outing.
If you were lucky enough
to have been in a cinema watching Deep Breath, you were treated to a ten minute
behind the scenes feature and a live streamed interview with Capaldi and
Coleman that was entertaining, certainly a lot better value than your average ‘bonus
feature’. Getting people to sit still for two hours for any reason is quite a
task, but having seen Deep Breath on the big screen it was an odd experience
seeing it on a much smaller screen almost a week later and it almost a
different, but still very positive, experience; Which then brings us onto the
small screen experience from our own Andrea McGuire…
I’m a massive Doctor Who fan and I love a good DW event as
much as the next Who fan. I’ve spent good time and money travelling the
country on Doctor Who business and I’ve amassed new and interesting
chums via the wonderful world of Doctor Who. I’ve met Doctors old
and new as well as various companions, Deleks, Cybermen and other nefarious
villains.
I’ve watched in awe as twelfth Doctor Who Peter Capaldi and
companion Jenna Coleman have jetted round the globe as part of the world tour
to launch series 8. So, when the Doctor Who team at #SRCZ Towers
were deciding whether to join in the world-wide celebrations with a showing of
the new series opener Deep Breath at Liverpool’s Picturehouse Cinema ,
you’d think the decision would be a no-brainer. If only!
Last year I went to the huge 50th anniversary celebrations in that
there London where I had a chance to catch up with my pal, the author and
world-wide authority on Doctor Who, Cameron K McEwan. Camsy (as he’s known in
our house) was smack-bang in the middle of the whole Doctor Who 50th
celebrations, but when I asked him where he’d be watching The Day of the
Doctor, Camsy told me he’d be at home alone. His thinking? He didn’t want
anyone else’s opinion to cloud what he got from the episode as he was going to
review it for his BlogtorWho website.
And that’s the approach I took with Peter Capaldi’s first series
opener. I’m pretty sure it’s meant that I’ve missed out on some excellent cosplayers
and the excitement of being part of something big and special with equally
devoted fans. But then, when I filed my review of Deep Breath, it’s safe
in the knowledge that it’s my own view on the programme and no-one else’s.
Whichever way you watched Deep Breath - in a crowd or from behind your couch - I hope you loved it as much as we did.
Read the #SRCZ reviewof Deep Breath here! Keep checking back as we follow the series over its twelve
episodes here! (You can also read some previous reviews as well)
