Pompadour

"I am prone to loneliness."

Writer: Steven Moffat

Format: Webcast

Released: 6 May 2020

Series: #DoctorWhoLockdown

Featuring: Madame de Pompadour

Synopsis

Versailles is silent now. 

Madame de Pompadour yearns to see the Doctor's face again...

Verdict

Pompadour was a very decent little webcast story to serve as an extension of The Girl in the Fireplace and a bonus treat to alongside the #Clockdown watch-along! I was delighted to be able to take part in this tweet-along (don't let the blog entry date fool you!) and getting to watch (or is it listen?) this little gem was really good. Now, I really am going to try and avoid criticising the tale because it's just wonderful that we are getting more and more content during this unprecedented time, especially from eras of yesteryear. It can't have been easy for Steven Moffat to delve back into his scrip some fourteen years ago and revisit everything that came with it, especially considering the sheer volume of episodes he wrote once he took over as show runner! But back he came and added yet another emotional component to the complicated love story between the Doctor and Madame de Pompadour. Essentially, the whole video was simply a new letter from Pompadour to the Doctor as she neared the end of her life and continued to wait for the Doctor to arrive. She wanted to see the stars and travel with the Doctor, but none of it was coming. He was too late which was heartbreaking, and now we get some additional thoughts of Pompadour here. She is longing for the Doctor as French society develops and Versailles gets very quiet. It was clear that Pompadour didn't do well without others around, but how could they ever compare to the Doctor? What man could go on a spaceship through her fireplace and have been coming back and forth since her childhood? It really wasn't much of a contest. I thought the format of this story was pretty good with the direction focusing on Versailles and its emptiness. That was quite powerful and helped sell just how much Pompadour was longing for the Doctor to arrive and whisk her away to the stars. It's a heartbreaking story really given that she would die at just 43 years old. It was also good to show flashbacks to The Girl in the Fireplace and the video-tape format for some of the cuts was almost reminiscent of Sleep No More. It worked well for what it was. I fully appreciate that there must have been so much planning and preparation to go into this production for which I am eternally grateful, but I do think it was a tad short. It didn't quite compare to the likes of Rory's Story or The Raggedy Doctor by Amelia Pond from these lockdown treats for some reason, but it was still terrific to get more content! Sophia Myles seemed to have effortlessly stepped back into the role of Madame de Pompadour some 14 years after playing the role and her voice didn't seem to have changed at all. It remained as sophisticated and elegant as the televised episode in which she appeared and she almost just sounded slightly sad throughout. Who could blame her for that? Steven Moffat likes to keep girls waiting doesn't he! It seems the Eleventh Doctor didn't learn his lesson for Amy after all that went on here. But alas, Pompadour seems to have been going on waiting and waiting and the Doctor never came. Heartbreaking. Overall, a good little story!

Rating: 7/10