This was a good read (for me, anyway). I agree with nearly everything the author brought to the table.

The Captain Kirk Problem: How Doctor Who Betrayed Matt Smith

And I disagree completely.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. If we all liked the same things the world would get boring. I, for one, am just beyond ready to see someone show Moffat the door.

I agree that Moffat is worthless for the most part and that given a better show runner, Smith's run would have been much better.

I was never in love with Matt Smith as the Doctor but he grew more likable. But as he did the show got worse and worse through no fault of his own. The fun he brought to the series was stifled by Moffat's generally chaotic storytelling. I would completely agree it's time for him to go. But likewise I thought it was well past time for Matt to go too.

Absolutely fantastic article, took the words from right out of my mouth beat for beat.

I agree with the majority of points made in the article, but I don't think "swaggering bully" is particularly the term I'd use to describe Smith's Doctor. Nor is "also withholds vital information from the people about whom he supposedly cares the most" something that is exclusive to Smith's Doctor or Moffat's writing.

His "withholding vital information" is small fry to the stuff the seventh Doctor was pulling.

I often wonder how much of Doctor Who's problems are Moffat and how much is "executive meddling". Case in point: The decision to shoe-horn a man who is known to work best across an hour, or in multi-part stories, into 25 minute one shots. Tbh, most writers know their strengths and weaknesses. As much as I'm not defending him here, I can't bring myself to blame it all on him.

This is of course blatently ignoring the sexism and complete lack of understanding of the building blocks of story-telling that pervades everything he does now days...

I agree whole-heartedly that Matt Smith alone carried the last few series.

But it's strange... I was so ready for RTD to leave (absolutely sick of the melodrama and over- reliance and abundance of explosions and john barrowman/catherine tate and, well, so on). I welcomed Moffat with open arms. I thought, hey, here's a guy who's not too bad given his writing credits so far.

Well as it turns out, Moff has better less vapid ideas with below subpar execution (my favourite RTD era episodes are penned by him. He just works better when pulled back by a co-writer of some kind) and RTD has subpar ideas with a near consistant track record of enjoyment (which Moff is really, really lacking in).

Don't get me wrong I've enjoyed it all since 2005, but I can't bring myself to get off the fence on either of the reboots showrunners. I guess I love and hate both of them equally -shrug. Then again no one is totally perfect, and frankly I love Who to bits. So I'm not complaining ;)

So, the last days (years) of the Eleventh Doctor. It started off on a high point, got incredibly low (Clara and her family, along with a naked Matt Smith (?)), and then built up from there. Regeneration energy used a weapon: I can live with that, especially as it's a new regeneration cycle; Tasha Lem was obviously meant to be River Song (apart from her fate), but I can get over her because of Handles, who is, for some reason, a more like by me than Clara, who, again, does nothing apart from talk. And 12 (I know he's 14, but 12 feels like a better fit in my mind. Don't question it.) I put down his forgetting how to fly the TARDIS to Post-Regenarative trauma, but I hope it doesn't stick.

And now to wait until Autumn for a new series. Hooray.

Season 8 filming has started, with official shots of Capaldi in costume expected to be released sometime this week.

Exciting! :D

EDIT: Vastra and Strax confirmed to return!
https://twitter.com/Who_News/status/420523802649317376

And some more info and first on-set Capaldi pic (in Smith's outfit)
http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/201...-series-8.html

Yay! It's always exciting to see what the new Doctor will be wearing. Personally, I'm hoping for something less formal than Tennant and Smith's suits, more like what Eccleston wore.