So, a new era of Doctor Who history is dawning. And with a brand new production team, Doctor and companion, comes the inevitable new logo. So far, this redesign has rather divided fan opinion. Those who are passive towards it (including our very own Mr. Stewart) claim it brings nothing new to the table. That it is bland and unoriginal, and that the emblem that goes with it is rather naff. However, I think it works.

The very key to its appeal lies in the fact that it is unremarkable. It’s functional; it’s sleek and not at all garish. I’m already picturing in my mind the various bits of merchandise we’ll be seeing in 2010, marvelling at how great the logo looks on those DVD covers and action figures. It is basically a re-working of the 60s logos, with some of the metallic sheen that the TV movie version had. The emblem, I can only assume, will become the new Doctor Who watermark, an identifiable badge, if you will. I’m all for that, if only because it’ll look nice on the book spines

So let’s go on the obligatory trip down memory lane. Both 1960s logos were very simple, naturally. They employed sharp, white lettering, arranged one word above the other.

Moving into the 70s, the introduction of colour breathes new life into the same design, this time with a nice green hue. Following that, for Jon Pertwee’s last season, the now-famous diamond logo was introduced. This continued through the majority of Tom’s tenure.

Greeting us with synth effects and starfields in the 1980s was a new, bent glass emblem, made up of one continuous strand. This was used throughout Peter Davison’s 3 years. This was altered slightly for Colin Baker’s term, being distorted somewhat.

In came McCoy, and with him the first computer generated logo. I despair. Still, it seemed to go with the feel of the show at the time, and continued to be used on various bits of merchandise.

The TV Movie logo was a reworking of the one used during Jon Pertwee’s first 4 seasons. It was very influential, considering the film stood alone and ran for a mere 85 minutes. It is still around on a lot of the classis series merchandise.

The new series logo was a rather bold step in a completely new direction. It was often likened to the illuminated signs you might see atop the roof of a taxi. I rather liked it, and still do. In a way, I’m sad it’s going, really.

It’s an established tradition that each new production team put their mark on the series, and I think the Moffster and his gang have certainly done that, quite literally. The evolution of the Doctor Who logo in the past has inspired both insatiable joy and utter despair. This time around however, it seems not to have generated either. I think Steven should be proud of that.

LP