Sunday, 4 April 2010

Dr Who, BBC1

The hype for the new Dr Who didn't seem as frantic as for the previous two incarnations of the Time Lord. However this didn't lessen the expectation.

Conversation was not so much about Matt Smith's suitability but more about how he could possibly replace David Tennant.

I suspect though that if your house was anything like mine last night, Tennant's name wasn't even uttered after an hour of non-stop action that left us all gasping for breath.

It's a device the BBC have used before when introducing a new actor to the role - fill the screen with action, adventure and excitement and you don't have time to compare and dwell on the past.

Matt Smith is now very much Dr Who and as the series continues producer/writer Steven Moffat (who took over from Russell T Davies - about a series too late for my liking) has time to develop the character.

What is interesting is the way the role of the Doctor's new companion Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) has been given almost equal status to the good Doctor. Her addition to the series is obviously there to attract new audiences and appeal to fans of books and films like Twilight.

I have great hopes for Matt Smith. I like what I've seen so far and I think it will be interesting to see how the relationship between the Doctor and Amy Pond develops.

The other positive from last night's programme is that there weren't any obvious spin-off opportunities, unless the BBC plan to attract a totally different audience and produces a series called Amy Pond: The Kissogram Years. Actually...

Saturday, 3 April 2010

Olives, Norwich

Good Friday's are funny old days for shops and restaurants - to open or not to open. We need a consensus please. Anyway, there were still a few places open that could feed the appetite of people too lazy to throw together their own lunch. Or breakfast.

We popped into Olives on Elm Hill but as we hadn't booked and were slightly concerned that the only available tables were reserved or were the low level coffee table type with over comfy settees which are fine for a cup of tea and a nibble on a scone, but far less practical for an All Day Breakfast, and that where I was heading. So some relief then that we were given permission to sit on one of the reserved tables.

It was a no brainer for me, Full Breakfast (£6.95) - scrambled egg, bacon, sausage, tomato, root veg hash, mushrooms, beans and toast. It didn't disappoint. The mushrooms were delicious and only upstaged by the bacon and sausage and root veg. The toast was hot and came with real butter.

My companion opted for the Eggs Benedict (£5.95) : "Very nice. The sauce could have been a tad thicker."

English Breakfast tea does something else to a good English breakfast - the two were made for each other.

Olives made our Good Friday eating great.