BANG! That
was the quite literal sound of Christmas being made for many, if not
all, Whovians, as that legendary Time Lord – the Doctor –
returned to Earth for his annual festive jaunt through time and
space.
Last
seen marrying his would-be killer and faking his death on the shore
of Lake Silencio (and then flogging his stylish tweed jacket and bow
tie on telly for Children in Need... Hardly keeping a low
profile!), the Doctor is still alive and well and running around big
exploding space ships that are threatening to destroy the Earth.
However, this pyrotechnic opening was merely the introduction to a
less explosive adventure set in a wintry forest, inside a box in a
living room, with tree spirits, the Green Man and his misses, and
Bill Bailey...
In
the midst of the second World War, Madge (Claire Skinner), a mother
of two, finds herself widowed shortly before Christmas when her
husband (Alexander Armstrong) crashes attempting to pilot his damaged
plane across the channel. Without the heart to tell her kids about
their father's fate so close to Christmas, and having to evacuate
London to the safety of the countryside, Madge tries to stay strong
in the face of hardship. Arriving at their new country-house
residence, Madge, Cyril and Lily meet the eccentric care-taker –
known to many as the Doctor. In an effort to make their Christmas the
best one ever, the Doctor has kitted out the 1940's country-house
with an array of weird and wonderful quirks, not least the
inter-dimensional portal to a Christmassy forest cunningly disguised
as a rather large present. However, overcome by the temptation to
take a peak at what's inside the impossible box, Cyril inquisitively
wanders into this strange and distant world alone, where something
has disturbed the trees of this mystical forest...
Loosely
based on The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe,
The Doctor, the
Widow and the Wardrobe was
certainly
fairly Narnia-esque, but with a very different story. It had a kind
of fairy tale feel about it – a well told narrative of magic and
wonder, and the fate of the Universe didn't hang in the balance. The
main threat was to the happiness of one family at Christmas, and an
alien forest that's facing imminent destruction at the hands of the
environmentally unscrupulous harvesters of Androzani Major. It
may not have been quite as big a spectacle as the likes of
A Good Man Goes To War or
The Wedding of
River Song,
but it was an enjoyable family tale nonetheless.
Matt Smith's performance was as fantastically eccentric and mad as
ever, but the star of this particular episode had to be Claire
Skinner. As both a heart-broken widow and strong and resilient mother
(and saviour of an entire race of trees), she masterfully balanced
the various aspects of her character, mourning the loss of her
husband but also keeping it together to rescue her children. Any
woman who isn't phased by a strange man in a back-to-front space
suit, and then proceeds to drive him around looking for a time
travelling police box, then three years later loses her husband in
the war and her children in a forest inside a box, and still manages
to take it all in her stride is not only an incredibly strong
individual, but also a perfect candidate for the TARDIS crew! As for
the rest of the cast; Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Paul Bazely made
an appearance, but it was far too fleeting in my opinion, and
could've done with a bit more from the polluting space marines –
who, for all their industrious virtues, have scanning devices that
can easily be fooled by a cardigan (and apparently sonic
screwdrivers still can't do wood – I think the people of the
future need to better hone their technology!).
I did feel that the Green Man's acting was a little wooden, though...
Probably best he sticks to tending to nature and naming pubs in the
future.
Overall,
whilst this may not have been the most exciting of episodes for
Doctor Who, it was
nevertheless a brilliant adventure for the festive season. With the
rather miraculous and warm ending to Madge's story, followed by the
brief cameo of Amy and Rory inviting the Doctor in for dinner, there
was indeed an air of the Christmas spirit about it.
But
alas, that's it from the Doctor until Autumn 2012 – well, it's been
a busy year for the Time Lord! If you missed the Christmas special,
it's available on BBC iPlayer here.
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