The Special Vacuum

Decorating for Christmas to-day. Haven't even really gotten started, I'm still in the overdue cleaning I felt I ought to do before I started adding features to the landscape of my apartment. I've been listening to Eighth Doctor audio plays--I finally got to Paul McGann's première in the monthly series from 2001, his first performance as the Doctor since his one off TV movie in the mid-90s and the three I've listened to so far--Storm Warning, Sword of Orion, and The Stones of Venice--feel very much like the official continuation of the series. The Stones of Venice is my favourite so far which seems like it was an influence on the Eleventh Doctor story "The Vampires of Venice". And seems as though it was in turn influenced by Lovecraft--It features an Innsmouthian race of fish people as the traditional gondoliers of the city.

It's nice hearing McGann being able to stretch his legs as the Doctor in stories that have a classic Who feel instead the not just bad but also wrong-headed writing of the TV movie. The Eighth Doctor has a laid back quality reminiscent of the Fourth--he always sounds like he's smiling, if that makes sense, an interesting contrast to the Seventh who usually sounded a bit glum.