UNLESS you’ve been living on Gallifrey for the past few weeks you can’t have escaped news of the return of Doctor Who.

It’s the Beeb’s big ratings winner and, boy, have they milked it.

But on Saturday, when the time for the Beeb’s teasing was over, was I the only one left with a feeling of disappointment — and a certain degree of bewilderment?

At its heart Dr Who has always been a children’s TV programme. But how many children actually understood what on earth was going on in that first episode?

We had a Doctor from the future, a Doctor from the past, an astronaut with attitude and some scary aliens lurking in tunnels under the desert. No doubt all will be revealed in tomorrow’s concluding episode but to be honest, I’m not sure I can be bothered to find out.

Good escapist fun is one thing but there’s too much self-indulgence and even a degree of smugness creeping in.

What’s wrong with just letting the Doctor, Amy Pond et al just have a simple adventure?

Don’t get me wrong. The resurrection of Doctor Who was a masterstroke and has provided some great viewing.

But perhaps all the hype is beginning to have an effect on the writers.

They’re all massive fans, geeks even, and the scripts are beginning to reflect this.

Still it’s nothing that a few Daleks wouldn’t cure.