I have some doubts as to the success of the new Doctor Who series. Once the promotional hype and fan relief has subsided, the production will have to stand on its merits. Based on a sample of one, I think it has some serious weaknesses. Most profound is the Eccleston Doctor. The strength of all the previous Doctors was that they were non-provincial. By presenting the incarnations of the Doctor as variations of a posh and eccentric British Gentleman, the producers always kept the character outside and above the norm. Whether you were from Wiltshire or Wakefield, the Doctor was outside of your experience and thus intrinsically alien. The British class system also meant the Doctor would be perceived as superior by the larger (UK) audience. Eccleston deliberately presents the Doctor as utterly provincial, sadly merely for reasons of political correctness. His Mancunian accent and contemporary clothing makes him seem more a resident of Coronation Street than a time traveller from another planet. His over-the-top zaniness does not compensate for his obviously provincial origins. George Formby and Norman Wisdom were other zany Northerners who also wouldnt have made good Doctors. Nor would Phil Harding (from Time Team) make a good Doctor, lest anyone assume Im deriding a particular area of the provinces. The other major limitation is the banality of the production, which shows in nearly every aspect except the production values (visual presentation, etc). This is something that plagued the Colin Baker and Sylvester Mckoy eras too. Doctor Who can only work as a serious show with funny moments. This is merely shallow humour with soulless action. And there is a difference between being funny and pissing about; unfortunately the producers still dont recognise it. Making comedy work is a serious business, and these guys dont appear to be taking it seriously. Buffy the Vampire Slayer could be hilariously funny at times, but it worked because they played it straight all the time. Maybe Im reading the public mood wrong, but I honestly dont feel this is going to be the major success the BBC is expecting. The show needed to become more serious and more special, and theyve made it mundane and frivolous. A bit like the BBC itself.