Primarily, they're pitching it at today's seven to fourteen year olds and I think they've got the level just about right for that demographic. There's plenty of action and special effects that stand comparison to anything else UK terrestrial TV has managed. It'll probably appeal to the Harry Potter crowd looking for something a little more pacey and it'll definitely give the younger end of its target a few nightmares too.
Whether it'll work for 'us', the old guard, is another matter because it clearly was not made with us in mind, but if you understand that Who has had to move with the times and can see, in my opinion at least, that the spirit of Who is alive and well within the modern trappings. then you'll be OK. I know there was a conscious decision on the part of the BBC to ensure certain 'big name' fans were kept well away from the creative process (I know a few stories about some who offered their services and got their feathers a little ruffled by the rejection) and to trust their own instincts on what was right for Who today. That was a wise move, we've got the sort of television that looks like it's been produced by professionals rather than the endlessly self-referencing gay pantomime JNT believed the fans wanted.
Make no mistake though. As SF goes, this is not a Terminator 2 style action and effects production (though there's one moment when ........ no, I'm saying nothing), nor is there any chance of the depth of a Solaris in a 45 minute format. But it IS fun, it IS enjoyable, it IS imaginative. It's silly and serious at the same time. Basically, it's Doctor Who
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous." - Alfred North Whitehead, philosopher.
