Doctor Who Project - 'Voyage of the Damned' aka the Kylie Christmas Special

Martha's gone, The Master's been defeated and The Doctor's left holding a life ring from the Titanic screaming "What? What? What?". The next thing we know David Tennant is chatting away to Kylie Minogue who's dressed in a maid's outfit (think a lot of men's Christmas wishes came true right there).

To be honest that was probably the highlight of this episode, that and Bernard Cribbins cameo. Richard Bucket from Keeping up Appearances was annoying with his off the mark Earth facts. The rest of the supporting cast were just as bad. There was the 'big' couple who were there just to make fat jokes, the red conker and the smarmy rich guy who ended up making money out of the whole catastrophe. Sums it all up. Even the baddie was crap. Some bald eye-patched guy's head on a steam punk version of Davros' life support system. His big plan was to crash the Titanic and claim the insurance (or something like that, I stopped paying attention by this point to be honest) and live in luxury for the rest of his life. Yeah it was that bad!

Oh well series 4 to come.

Oh one last thing, The Doctor trying to save Kylie after she fell to her death felt a bit like how he rescues River Song in 'The Silence in the Library' (the 1st time The Doctor meets River and the last time she 'meets' him, whilst alive anyway!). Oh wait that hasn't happened yet has it? Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey and maybe a little foreshadowing for next series (4 aka the Donna series that is).

Onwards and upwards. Alons-y!

Had to be done!

Doctor Who Project - Series 3 finale - Blink, Utopia, The Sound of Drums, Last of the Time Lords

Okay, it's been a while since I last watched a Tennant episode. So much for my project! With an afternoon and no plans I decided to put the Series 3 Volume 3 DVD and finally re-watch 'Blink'. This was after I'd re-watched 'Genesis of the Daleks' and before I knew it it had turned into a marathon ending with the 2007 Christmas special 'Voyage of the Damned' aka the Titanic/Kylie Christmas special.

So without further delay here's my thoughts on the last few episodes of series 3:

Blink

Classic episode and for good reason too. This is one of the few if only times a new Who monster warrants a return. It's hard to believe that The Doctor is hardly in this story. 'Blink' is one of those stories that have now been affectionately known as a 'Doctor light episode'. On top of that you've got Carey Mulligan, yes that Carey Mulligan as well as some classic lines like "The angels have the phone box. I've got that on a tshirt." and of course "wibbly wobbly, timey wimey". 'Blink' is clever, well written, well acted  and well err just brilliant all round. It's definitely one of the best episode since the show's return and was probably the main reason why Moffat got the big job. Go and watch it if you haven't seen it yet.

Utopia

Captain Jack's back. Meh. Never really cared for Captain Jack anyway but RTD couldn't just leave him alone. Also do face tattoos, dodgy teeth and body piercing now make you non human? Then there's Chan - Can't say anything without it being bracketed by the beginning and end of her name which becomes really annoying after the 2nd or 3rd time you hear it - tho. What saves this episode though is the excellent Derek Jacobi as Professor Yana (You Are Not Alone) and Martha's realisation that he has a fog watch just like The Doctor's ie the Chameleon Arch pocket watch. After hearing a few recognisible terms Professor Yana becomes so curious that he opens the watch and lets Hell loose. Just like opening the fog watch in 'The Family of Blood' the professor is restored to his true Time Lord self only this time it's not one of the good ones, it's only The Doctor's arch nemesis (well one of them anyway) The Master. There's also the small matter of the last humans boarding a rocket to utopia. Like I said small matter but thought I'd mention it as it plays a role in the finale.

The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords

Possibly one of the worst series finales since 2005. Here's why: Martha's family, references to 'The Lazarus Experiment' and 'The Christmas Invasion', the Toclafane (WTF?!), the perception filter working on everyone but The Master, The Master's bad taste in music, the Americans coming in and stealing our (Brirtish) thunder, Martha walking the Earth, the resolution (who would have thought everyone thinking the same word at the same time would have that effect), a flying aircraft carrier, the big reset at the end so that the past year didn't exist (the effect with the Earth reversing seemed a bit Superman 2) and worst of all the old (Dobby) Doctor. Awful awful episode. Think The Doctor sums it up best when he says "What? What? What?" at the end of this story (albeit because he's just been struck by what appears to be the Titanic!).

Doctor Who Project - 'Human Nature/The Family of Blood'

So here it is the first of three excellent new Who episodes in a row and what a start. The Doctor's rewritten his DNA, hiding his Time Lord self in a pocket watch we're reliably told is a chameleon arch (RTD sowing the seeds for later episodes). He's also (unknown to himself) disguised himself as an early 20th century boys boarding school teacher, falling in love with the school's matron (aka Fat Cheryl from The Royale Family). Of course there's a reason why The Doctor's gone to such lengths, the family of Blood.

What makes this story so compelling is the Doctor/John Smith conflict. As the human John Smith, The Doctor has fallen in love with the school's Matron Joan and has a happy life. There's no reason why he should believe the things that Martha tells him, despite his dreams that he's logging in a scarily accurate journal. I mean it all just sounds too fantastical but then the baddies show up and what baddies. The young lad with the creepy stare is brilliant. the scarecrows look fantastic (such a simple idea, realised so brilliantly). On top of that The Doctor is ruthless on how he deals with the family. He doesn't kill them, that's not The Doctor's way. Instead he gives them what they desire, a long (immortal?) life. There's a lesson in there, be careful what you wish for.

I don't think I can even begin to explain just how brilliant these two stories are. As well as the above, there's a nod to the First World War (the story is set the year before war breaks out) and there is definitely a sense of foreboding. There's also the sense that this war isn't the only war on the horizon. There's a storm coming. The best thing I could say is to just go and watch these two episodes. It's the only way to experience just awesome it is.

2013

I started writing the previous post with the intention of telling you all about how much I am looking forward to this year (and what I have enjoyed so far as we are now a third into it!) but my review of last year kinda took over and it got a little long so I decided to split it into 2 parts (as most film franchises seem to do these days!).

OK 2013 so far:

• I signed up with a local gym. I'd been missing going to the gym since I quit my last one at the end of September (it was too far to travel to either of the chain's closest gyms to me).
• I'm writing new songs. :)
• I'm in a far better frame of mind. I feel that this is mostly due to a change of seating at work. I was in a bit of a bad way there the other month and really hated  it. After a bit of bother I was moved to another part of the office and I just seem to be in a pretty good mood all the time. Seriously I must've been feeding on the negative energy of those sat around me. I'm sure there must be some Eastern belief that ties into it. Anyway I feel much better at work which makes me feel better overall as that's where I spend most of the week.
• I saw Deftones again! Ever since I saw them at Download in 2010 I've been wanting to see them again. That happened again in February this year this time around at the Academy in Manchester.
• And now for the biggie: I met JK Rowling!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep, I got to speak to the author of the Harry Potter series and got my book signed (albeit her new novel, 'The Casual Vacancy').

I'm just going to spend a few more minutes talking about the JK Rowling meeting because it has been a major highlight of this year so far. Firstly it was something one of my Harry Potter friends had mentioned to me in December. I almost didn't go through with it due to money. I needed to pay £25 there and then for the ticket etc and with it being December I ummed and ahhed a little before finally agreeing. There was also the little matter of travel (it was held in Bath which is around 200 miles from me!) and accommodation. I'm so glad that I went ahead with it now as it wasn't just the experience of meeting a living legend but it was like taking a holiday and to be honest I didn't mind the 400 mile round trip as most of it was motorway. I really liked travelling to a completely different part of the country, chilling in the hotel, discovering a new city and meeting up with some friends I haven't seen for years and getting all geeky, talking about all things Potter to some stupid time in the morning. Enjoyed it so much that I've signed up to do it all again!

Yes that's right in around 10 weeks time I'll be driving down to Bath yet again. This time around though it's a completely different author. In fact I'm probably looking forward to this more as it's my favourite author Neil Gaiman!!

Ok, the experience is going to be completely different to the JK Rowling road trip. I'm going to be driving down again but this time I've found a hostel that charges just £22 a night and is very close to the venue. I'm not going to be meeting up with others (I have hinted but I guess Neil Gaiman isn't as big a draw to some people, weirdos! lol) but this time around I think I'm going to go earlier in the day and explore Bath (especially as I will probably be leaving the next morning rather than afternoon). Saying that if parking isn't too bad there I may stay later and spend some of the Saturday there as well. So far I'm thinking of visiting the spas there or the Jane Austen museum. I may just wander around the city. It doesn't seem so big and I seem to have the measure of the city centre from my last trip. To be honest though I couldn't care less if I just got there and crashed on my hostel bed until the event itself as I'll be meeting Neil Gaiman!! Oh and on top of that I get a chance to not only pick up a copy of his new novel 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' before it's officially released but to get it signed by the man too! Can't express how much of a big deal this is. I was looking into ordering pre-signed copies via his website but this is a million times better. Not just that but there's the format of the evening also. The JK Rowling night involved a one on one interview with the artistic director of the festival who appeared to know Jo quite intimately which resulted in a relaxed intimate informal conversation followed by a Q&A from the crowd. If the Neil Gaiman event follows suit I will be a very happy chappy. Just need to think of questions I could ask now!

The fun isn't just restricted to day trips to Bath to meet world renowned authors though. The other week I was at my best friend's house and after a few pints of Guinness, a Chinese takeaway, some of the nastiest cider known to man and half a bottle of red wine (which was a stark improvement on the cider) we got talking about how we need to go to a convention. We'd previously talked about this and had decided to go to a Jack the Ripper convention (he's into all that) and a Doctor Who convention (he had to make some compromise after all I was going to a Ripper fest.) but that had all fallen through before we'd bought tickets as he couldn't get the time off work. Alcohol or divine inspiration took over though on this fateful night and I mentioned Comic Con Manchester. I knew they'd held it at GMEX (or Manchester Central as it's known these days) the other year but that was the extent of my knowledge. I didn't know if it was a regular event, how much it costs, what events they had on or anything. As is customary these days with a smartphone and wifi at my fingertips I set about Googling. The event was on this year, it's a day he can definitely attend and best of all early bird tickets (meaning we can enter at 9am rather than queuing at 11am) are only £9 each!! Needless to say tickets have been booked and we now await the 20th July. This date also falls slap bang in the middle of our birthdays so we'll probably get very drunk. I have no doubt we'll end up at our old haunt Fab Cafe before a pizza and a tram journey back to Eccles.

But wait there's more. After completing the Mega Hike last year, the girl from work who I finished it with wanted to do it again but wanted to beat the sun, starting and finishing during sunlight hours. This is a massive task as it would mean finishing hours before we did last year. Fortunately she can't make it this year due to other commitments. I however managed to find a new challenge; a 10k run throughout the streets of Wigan! This ties in nicely with me joining back up at the gym and wanting to lose more weight this year. Plus I've always wanted to do a 10k. Been eyeing up the Manchester 10k for years now. Best of all this is closer to me, I know Wigan quite well having spent 10 years living there and I know at least one other person who is definitely running it (in fact I found out about it via her). I've already started training for it and have ran 10k on the treadmill (was tweaking the speed and incline to make it more of a challenge), it's harder than I thought but I can definitely do it. On a treadmill at least! My aim is to finish it without having to walk at any stage. Would love to do it in around 40 minutes but think that might be asking a bit too much considering it's my 1st long distance run since school!

Finally (so far) LeakyCon is happening in London this August. I knew absolutely nothing of it until my Potter/United friend from Colombia said she was in London in August over Facebook. Whilst I won't be going to the convention I'm hoping to meet up with her at some point. Probably show her Old Trafford. This all depends on me booking time off work mind. It falls within the same fortnight I booked off last summer and I was thinking of booking the same 2 weeks off this year but hadn't as I was waiting on confirmation re when she'll be in the country. Going to ask in work tomorrow, fingers crossed.

So there you go, plenty to look forward to this year and that's on top of doing things like gigging with the band/choir (I joined a community choir last week! It's popular songs none of that hymn nonsense.), the Doctor Who 50th anniversary specials and whatever else this year may hold.

2013 is going to be legen - wait for it - dary.

2012 Overview

I seem to be continuously blogging about Doctor Who (seriously the last time I didn't was January 2012!) and I really wanted to review Saturday night's episode. Decided to refrain though, firstly because I need a break from Who and secondly I think I'm going to keep up my reviews throughout Tennant's era right up into Matt Smith's latest episodes. To be fair I'm probably going to be looking at the 50th anniversary or Christmas 2013 special(s) at the very earliest  but I think it will be worth it. Anyway, I digress.

Like I said I need a break from Doctor Who after all I'm probably boring anyone who actually reads this blog and doesn't necessarily like the show. One thing I have wanted to talk about but haven't gotten round to yet is how much I'm looking forward to this year (Okay I know we're 4 months into it now but that still lives two thirds of the year to go). Before that though I think I'll have a quick look back on last year.

I didn't particularly enjoy 2012 but there were some highlights and I managed to achieve a few of my targets for the year.

Firstly I lost a stone and a half! Would've been more if it wasn't for Christmas (I've since struggled and have hit a slump since with my weight fluctuating week to week but never really going down like it was last year). I put most of my success down to downloading an app called My Fitness Pal which allowed me to track the calories I was consuming and burning off.

Secondly I started a band! Although it's still early days it sounds amazing so far. Think 90s alternative scene, bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam with some Deftones and Jimmy Eat World, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith thrown in for good measure. Had a bit of a hiatus over autumn and winter but we're back on it big time. Fingers crossed we have a permanent bassist in place too as had a few problems in that department. Hopefully 2013 will see us play our 1st gig together.

I passed 2 music exams! First was my theory exam in November. I couldn't take it in the summer as it clashed with the day I was hiking across the Pennines (I completed the 50 mile Mega Hike in 2012 by the way!) and to be honest I don't think I would have been ready at the time anyway. The extra couple of months though allowed me to prepare enough so that I came out with a pass. Narrowly missed out on a Merit by just 1 mark! Incidentally I passed Grade 5 Singing in December, scraping through on a Merit (this time by a mark or two on the other side). I'm now looking to work towards a Grade 7 Singing qualification.

I didn't save enough to go on holiday. :(

There is a pretty good reason for this though. I paid off my car insurance in one payment using the money I saved. I have been meaning to replace this money but so far haven't mostly because since last August I have been living on my own. Yep I finally moved out. Am now planning to budget so I can afford to save for holidays etc. I have got one or two little adventures planned this year which are as good as a holiday.

On top of all this I also walked across fire, finished the 50 mile Mega Hike across the Pennines and got my 2nd tattoo this summer. :P

And how good were the Olympics? I had the good fortune to book the two weeks off on which they happened. I booked the time off work not because of the Olympics but because I wanted time off around my birthday and had the idea of going away somewhere or at least driving down to the beach a few times during that fortnight. As it turns out I ended up staying in or going out house hunting. The good news was that I got to see most of the defining moments of the games whilst most of my work colleagues had to catch up on highlights later on.

Honestly 2012 wasn't all that awesome, there were a few low, low moments but I'm not going to dwell on that just now.

So onto this year's targets:

• Lose more weight. I still want to get down to at least 14 stone and even though I have moved a Hell of a lot closer to that goal in the past 12 months I've hit a bit of a snag since Christmas and it seems just as far away as ever before.
• Pass Grade 7 and maybe take on another instrument after all I haven't taken on anything to replace my theory lessons.
• Save money. Seeing as I epically failed at this last year. I need to save for something like a holiday. Definitely need a break.
• Find another job. Over 2 years in the same role is enough, think I need to progress and move on.
• Finish a 10k run. I'm signed up to do one in September is a great incentive to shift some lbs too and is this year's big challenge as I'm not doing Mega Hike this time.
• Play a gig with the band.

My Grade 5 Music Theory certificate.

Doctor Who Project - 42

Like the last review, I've put off reviewing this episode. I saw it weeks ago and to be honest it was so forgettable I've just had to look it up online. I honestly confused it with the story that has The Hoth and The Doctor's daughter in it (isn't that called 'The Doctor's Daughter'?!). Made a commitment to this project though and I really want to watch some of the next episodes especially as we're getting towards the end of this series and have series 4 to look forward to which was easily Tennant's finest point.

Like the last episode we see another soap actress cast in one of the major support roles (last time round it was Mavis from Corrie now it's Cindy Beale from Eastenders). RTD stunt casting aside this episode is most memorable for the "burn with me" line muttered by the baddie. I would imagine this bad guy would be scary to younger viewers especially when The Doctor becomes 'infected' and turns on Martha muttering the baddie mantra of "burn with me".

There's the obvious pun on '24' in the title, especially as they only have 42 min to save the ship from falling into the sun but having never seen '24' that's where my comparison to that ends.

42 isn't that bad of an episode, it's still filler but at least it's not 'The Lazarus Experiment' or others I care not to mention. It has the benefit of not being set on Earth (although most of it is on the ship) and you get the sacrifice at the end, the ship's Captain putting right to her wrongs whilst dying in her partner's (who is infected with the Sun's energy) arms which gives a far more satisfying conclusion than ringing a bell and hoping a giant primordial genetic throwback falls to his death.

Yet again at the end of the story we see the obligatory Saxon mention, this time around it's more heavy handed with Saxon's people doing an FBI listening in on Martha's call to her Mum. The story also parallels the previous story as The Doctor gives Martha a key to the TARDIS (previously had told her she's ok to carry on travelling with her).

Oh well onward and upwards the 'Human Nature/Family of Blood' double followed by 'Blink' next!

Alons-y

Doctor Who Project - The Lazarus Experiment

Ok, I'll admit I'm slacking. I haven't watched any New Who (apart from The Bells of Saint John the other night) for ages and it's been even longer since I wrote a review. I actually watched this episode and "42" weeks ago and have been wanting to watch the next DVD (mostly because they are probably the 3 finest episodes produced the RTD era if not since the 2005 comeback) but have had to restrain myself otherwise I'd end up having to review way too many episodes at once! Doesn't help that I have never really liked this episode.

The idea is interesting enough ie old guy tries to reverse the effects of time and in turn becomes a monster (quite literally) however the monster he becomes looks crap. Not a fan of Mark Gattis either, whether it's as an appearance as an actor or as writer. Hopefully he'll be a better showrunner (as well as deliver the goods with the early days drama he's producing for the 50th in November). This episode features Martha's family more than previous and there's a few mentions of Saxon. It almost feels like a filler episode, dropping in hints for future stories as well as taking up space in the series. Honestly I'm starting to warm to the split series format seen over the last 2 series (6 and 7) as we seem to be getting all killer and no filler therefore there's no need for episodes like this one, 42, Love and Monsters or Fear Her.

The ending to the episode is crap ie Lazarus is defeated by falling from the top of the bell tower as The Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to amplify the bell rings. I get the impression that a fall like this wouldn't kill off a monster like the one Lazarus has become, although it did the trick for the 4th Doctor!

The best part of the story though is when Tennant's Doctor stops being a dick and finally accepts Martha. He finally tells her she was never really just a passenger along for one ride.

FINALLY!

Doctor Who Project - 'Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks'

Ok time for another live review I think. This time I'm going to take on a 2 parter! Think I might have to take a break inbetween. lol

Ok here goes:

Daleks in Manhatten

• Lights, music, showtime oh and a bit of love interest.
• Oh what was that rushing past the screen? ;)
• Oh look a great big man pig. This Lazlo guy's lucky it's just a pig slave and not a weeping angel as we now know they were in New York around this time.
• Martha "where are we?" Nope it's not New York, it's actually Cardiff (the team cheated by filming against a wall that looked like the wall underneath the statue of liberty.
• Oh Martha just made a valid point, New New York to (old) New York.
• What's Hooverville? A Doctor Who convention in Derby isn't it? ;)
• People living in poverty due to the recession, would be interesting if they made another episode like this now!
• 'How can they build the world's tallest building yet people are starving?' Exactly!!
• Ooh love that art deco light that lining up perfectly with the Dalek stalk. Brilliant.
• Yay Dalek. Daleks are always best when they're being sneaky.
• Missing people, the plot thickens.
• Dalek panels on top of the Empire State Building?
• This Mr Diagonal or whatever his name is is a bit of an arse.
• Yeah more Daleks. His loyalty will be rewarded by Daleks? Hmm don't like the sound of that.
• Nice close up of the black Dalek there.
• Dalek Sec, yay the Cult of Skaro are back.
• Basically RUN!! lol love it.
• Hauuns in the air and no funnny bizzniss. Dodgy accent.
• lol Lazlo's not a pig. You sure about that Tullulah?
• Oh dear Martha's pining over the Doctor. Why did they have to go down this route again?
• Liking all this Dalek experiment business.
• This whole musical performance is a bit unnecessary.
• Skaro! The Doctor's worked it out.
• Why is it she doesn't recognise his voice but she recognise him with a pig's snout?
• Like how Martha doesn't know what a Dalek is.
• lol Dalek Sec looks like a washing machine on full spin!
• Human Dalek - Interesting.

Time for a quick break before the next episode. So far so good. Not quite 'Dalek' or 'Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways' but so far one of the better Dalek stories in New Who.

Evolution of the Daleks

• Ok here we go again. No pre title action just a catch up on the last episode.
• Emergency temporal shift? What all 4 of them? To the exact same point and place in time?
• Oh oh the Dalek's feeling humanity.
• Now that Dalek Sec is no longer in his Dalek case does that mean he's no longer connected to the hive (see Asylum of the Daleks)? Bit of a weakness for a Dalek don't you think? As well as losing the protective shell which Davros designed for them to survive the Kaled/Thal war. Not much of an evolution. The only positive things I can think of for a Dalek would be that they now have little Dalek bits and could reproduce.
• Putting his gun down and trying to reason with a Dalek, big mistake.
• EXTERMINATE! lol That was pretty funny after that moving speech.
• Daleks never change their minds. They never seem to be able to kill The Doctor when they get the chance to either. They're a bit like Bond  villains in that sense.
• Ooh this looks like a scene out of The Matrix or the blood bank in Blade.
• So the final experiment is to wipe the minds of humans and fill it with Dalek ideas. So what was the point in the Human/Dalek hybrid?
• Ah right, so they need a Human/Dalek hybrid's DNA to re-write the DNA of the human captives.
• Davros was wrong? Why do they go back to him at the end of series 4 then? Saying that the other Daleks just disagreed with him, maybe he inspired Dalek Khan to pop back into the Time War and get Davros.
• So now this Human/Dalek hybrid is redundant as they're changing the DNA structure now Dalek SEC has decided they need to be more human.
• Surely if the DNA feed is now 100% Dalek it will change how the humans will look?
• Looks like the Daleks have finally cottoned onto the fact that Sec is now redundant. Could've told them that 10 min ago.
• Why is Dalek Sec all chained up? The Daleks gone soft in their old age? Exterminate him FFS.
• Bit confused, how does a solar flare affect lightening? Also lightening hitting a rod to generate enough power to feed advanced technology, deliberate nod to Back to the Future? Probably not.
• So how many sonic screwdrivers is that now? He bust one in 'Smith and Jones' and has just dropped another.
• Ok so The Doctor can survive a bolt of lightening (strengthened by solar flares) but he can't survive a fall from a satelite dish or a little bit of radiation (although he can shake it into his left shoe?).
• "I am a Dalek", you sure about that?
• This whole Daleks as masters and Dalek Sec in chains is a bit BDSM. Kinky Daleks!
• I like how the Daleks only move they're heads and eye stalks rather than wobbling around all over the place like they're on speed.
• Oh you're not a Dalek now. Make your mind up!
• Why didn't the Dalek just exterminate The Doctor just then instead of shooting at the Dalek-Human who stood up to them.
• Especially when they can just kill on mass like that.
• Nice parallel with the Dalek and The Doctor there, just 1 in the universe.
• Just thought is the guy playing Frank, Andrew Garfield from The Amazing Spiderman?
• Just IMDB'd him, yes it is.
• Yep The Doctor will see that Dalek again.

Well that wasn't too bad. It had it's flaws, the whole thing with the DNA was a bit silly and confusing as well as pointless but it wasn't the worst episode. It's not even the worst Dalek episode (That's probably Victory of the Daleks). Not a big fan of the next episode, should be interesting to see how I interpret/enjoy it this time around.

Doctor Who Project - New Who roundup

Ok I've been a bit lazy recently. I've watched a few episodes lately and haven't bothered to review them. Probably because I've been hankering for a bit of Classic Who after OD'ing on RTD era Who. Having refreshed my palette with the excellent 'Caves of Androzani' and 'Earthshock' here's my roundup of the next few Who stories:

Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

We finally get to see Torchwood, they're messing around with forces they don't understand (no change there then) and have let the Cybermen cross over from Pete Tyler's alternate universe and in doing so also release the Daleks. Way to go Torchwood! The Doctor saves the day, loses Rose (yay) and has some big overdrawn emo goodbye to her on Bad Wolf Bay (boo). Cybermen are made to look like a joke (no change there), getting their arses handed to them on a plate by just 4 Daleks (albeit there are considerable more later). Genesis Ark is a clever idea harking back to 'Dalek' as well as the TARDIS ie bigger on the inside. Final shots of the story DONNA!!

The Runaway Bride

Our first glimpse of the best companion in RTD's era (some would argue since the 2005 return), Donna Noble. Donna's a bit shouty in this story though although to be fair she has just been swept up from the wedding aisle and dumped in the TARDIS. Great chase scene with the TARDIS and taxi. Loved the scene where they travelled back billions of years too to see the creation of the Earth (so that's the creation and destruction of the planet that RTD has covered now) just to find it was a Racnoss ship. The Doctor saves the day and it snows (as always). One of the best New Who Christmas episodes yet.

Smith and Jones

Oh look it's Martha Jones, she looks familiar. The Doctor using his pseudonym John Smith, think this may be the 1st use of it in New Who. They end up on the moon whilst the silly brutish Judoon search for an alien. What they're really looking for is an old women with a straw that sucks human blood to disguise herself as human. Nice resolution sucking The Doctor's blood so the Judoon recognise her as alien. My problem is how Martha revives him with just CPR when he's had his blood sucked dry. Other than that it's a good intro to the character of Martha, let down by further appearances.

The Shakespeare Code

I quite like this story as it's playful. There's loads of Shakespeare references and even plays with the stuffy image of the Bard that is in this story he's not bald (though The Doctor warns him he'll go bald) and The Doctor gives him a big collar to use as a neck brace at the end. The villian just had to be 3 witches with it being a Shakespeare story! Of course because it's Doctor Who it's not magic it's the science of words. Loved the references to Back to the Future and Harry Potter. Experliarmus!

Gridlock

The Doctor returns to New New York but this time it's different, there's drug pushers selling mood enhancers and everyone wants to join the motorway, a place where people literally spend a lifetime in traffic (know that feeling!). Turns out New Earth is this way because of The Doctor's previous actions. He set the disease ridden people free, New Earth was quarantined, nothing survived but the people on the motorway which was sealed off to protect them. Before saving everyone again the Face of Boe (Captain Jack?) informs The Doctor that he is "not alone". The Doctor shoots Martha down when she says he's got her (arse!) by telling all that he's the last of the Time Lords. Tennant's Doctor is so emo!

So there's my brief synopsis of the end of series 2 and the beginning of series 3. No spectacular episodes (The Runaway Bride is prob the best of them) but no bad ones either. Once again Russell T Davies goes for the spectacular in his series finales and for once the 2nd part doesn't completely let the promise of the 1st one down too much. It's probably his best series finale after the series 1 finale. Put it this way it's no 'End of Time'. So far Martha is likeable (to be honest I always did like Martha but that might be because Freema Agyeman is hot!) but I know in hindsight they're going to ruin that.

Doctor Who Project - Love and Monsters

I've just realised that in all my excitement to review 'Fear Her' I missed out reviewing the other stinker of series 2, 'Love and Monsters'. I did watch it honestly, of all the episodes to skip in this series I'd have much rather have passed on 'Fear Her'.

The problem with 'Love and Monsters' which a lot of critics have pointed out is that it's not really Doctor Who. Ok the Doctor does briefly make an appearance at the start and the end of the story but really this is what's come to be known as a 'Doctor light episode' ie one that features The Doctor and companion sparsely so that the main cast can have a break. This would happen quite a lot during the Classic Who days but is a little more subtle due to the structure of stories lasting 4-6+ episodes long, you could afford to lose one or two of the main stars for a week or two whilst the rest carried on with filming.

The story also suffers from a main cast that we've never met before and apart from them all being fans of The Doctor there isn't any real connection between this story and the rest of the series. If anything this story is a love letter to fandom (could be any fandom not just Doctor Who), friendships and relationships being forged through a mutual love of The Doctor and then comes the big bossy know it all that every message board I've ever frequented seems to have to spoil it all. The gang were all having fun until Victor Kennedy comes along and I think that one of the characters remarks that since he came along it's become hard work. I think it's funny that the villain of the story is called an Abzorbaloff as this is exactly what happens when you delve too far into fandom, it takes over your life, absorbs you in and I guess it can feel like an extension of work coming home after work then spending several hours in front of a computer to the point where you feel it compulsory to log in everyday to do this. Yep been there before years ago which is probably why I tend to shun large forum communities. With this in mind Abzorbaloff is a fitting title to something which takes over your life and absorbs you into itself.

To be honest 'Love and Monsters' has a lot going for it: a nice little love story, great use of music (who doesn't love 'Mr Blue Sky'?!), a nice little critique/celebration of fandom including a very clever use of a villain and it gives  the main cast a welcome break. Unfortunately it doesn't all quite work. Like I said before it just doesn't feel like Doctor Who which is quite some feat considering how flexible and durable the format is. The story also suffers from some pretty awful stunt casting in the form of Peter Kay. Marc Warren works as Elton probably because he's an established actor. Peter Kay however is a comedian and for me he just doesn't fit into this story. He comes across as hammy and over the top but then again I think that's his persona as he seems to be the same in every other role he's played. To be honest I'm not a fan of anything Peter Kay's done since Phoenix Nights. I saw him a few years ago doing his standup routine in Manchester, it was pretty much recycled jokes from his routine 10 years earlier. Rant aside Kay's performance is easily the worst thing about this story.

Oh well onwards and upwards now that I've watched and (finally) reviewed 2 of the worst New Who episodes ever (which unfortunately were aired back to back!).

Doctor Who Project - "Fear Her"

Well here it is, the moment I've been avoiding since I started re-watching New Who, the worst (in my humble opinion at least) Doctor Who story ever made (yes I'm including Classic Who too); 'Fear Her'.

Aside from the rubbish conclusion (Rose throws the pod into the Olympic flame and Chloe and her Mum sing to get rid of the scribble monster Dad), the crappy monster (the only real supposed threat other than some little brat with magic crayons is a 2D monster Dad coming to get her) and the cheese factor reaching extreme levels (The Doctor running with the Olympic flame and "no-one wants to stop him", come off it) the most annoying thing about this episode is the obnoxious Chloe. Ok she's playing a girl possessed by an alien being but she still comes across as rude and annoying, for such a vital part in the story they should've probably casted a better actress.

Rant over. When I was little my Mum always tried to get me and my brothers to come up with compliments for each other when we were constantly arguing, was always a challenge! As such I'm going to try (try being the optimal word here) to come up with 5 nice things to say about this episode.

1) The Olympic feel. Considering that this episode was broadcast 6 years before the actual London 2012 Olympics games the Doctor Who producers didn't do too bad of a job. There was the stadium (which is supposedly the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff but looked more like the Manchester Council stadium used for the Commonwealth Games), the torch carrier (funny thing is current Doctor Who star Matt Smith carried it too!) and the general hope and excitedness for the games which did mirror the real thing 6 years later (although most of us Brits half expected it to be crap). The fireworks at the end were not a patch on the real thing though. The Beeb might have been better off using footage from New Year's Eve!

2) The foreshadowing at the end of the episode. A storm is coming but nothing's going to split the Doctor and Rose up. ;)

3) The next time round trailer, Cybermen are back plus we get to see Torchwood after so many hints alluding to it. Oh and is that a Dalek death ray in action? ;)

4) The cat entering a cardboard box and disappearing. Reminded me so much of Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline'. Whether it was a deliberate reference or not doesn't matter to me as I love Gaiman's work (even his non Doctor Who work. lol).

5) Err it was only a one episode story. Told you I'd struggle.

Next time round Cybermen vs Daleks, the fall of Torchwood, Martha Smith (oh wait it's not her it's her cousin conveniently played by the Freema Agyeman) and the 'death' of Rose Tyler. Yay.

Doctor Who Project - "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit"

The Doctor and Rose find themselves on a planet orbiting a black hole, the monster of the week is potentially the biggest (quite lierally) threat he's ever faced  and there's the introduction of the Ood, what's not to like about this story.

The story also features some genuinely scary scenes particularly the scene where Toby hears the voice of the Devil but isn't allowed to turn around. If I was much younger I'd have been hiding behind the couch!

Aside from being a tad scary these episodes have a moral point (slavery is bad), visual spectacles (the beast and the black hole), the mystery (The TARDIS can't translate the ancient writing), a cracking cliffhanger oh and there's the obligatory Torchwood reference.

Like so many of these re-watches I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, now I can see why this story is rated so highly.

Definitely the highlight of series 2 so far. To be fair though so far Tennant's debut series has been a bit below par, not a patch on series 1. The good thing is I know it's going to get much much better and this seems to be the start of it.

Doctor Who Project - "The Idiot's Lantern" (After)

"Are you sitting comfortably? Good then we'll begin". Loved how they worked that in.

If low expectations are anything to go by I can't wait til 'Love and Monsters' and 'Fear Her', easily two of the worst Doctor Who stories ever (and I'm including the 40+ years before them too!). As it turns out 'The Idiot's Lantern' wasn't as bad this time round. The TV as a villain is still crap and it still reeks of style foremost but I quite enjoyed the story of the Father (Derek Branning from Eastenders, yes I did have to look up his character's name) and Son. A misogynistic Father and is son's coming of age and taking over his Father's mantle is well played out and definitely the highlight of the story.

The resolution was a bit pants, climbing a TV aerial mast and reversing the signal, yawn. What puzzled me about this though was what happened to the Gran? Everyone's faces returned yet the Gran was nowhere to be seen by the end of the episode. Also in Magpie's shop The Wire knocks out The Doctor, Tommy and the Policeman but only the Policeman has been turned into one of the faceless creatures. WTF? Ok I can understand The Doctor not changing, higher intelligence and all that too great for The Wire's control, but Tommy?! Confused.

Like I said this was better on re-watch (though still a little bit crap) and had a few nice little sub-plots most notably the Father and Son struggle for dominance and the speech about how Mr Connelly (The Father) fought in the war against narrow minded facists yet he's becoming one himself.

Another highlight was the coming up next trailer! Lol it wasn't that bad of an episode really. Next time round we're getting Oods! I quite like the upcoming 2 parter but can't understand why it's so revered. Maybe the lesson I took from this story (ie go into it with expectations lowered) may help me to fall in love with it.

Until next time, "Alons-y!"

Doctor Who Project "The Idiot's Lantern" (Before)

Ok for this review I'm thinking of a before and after review.

From memory this episode is set in the 50s with The Doctor and Rose investigating a mysterious electrics company and a clipped English accent TV presenter literally stealing the faces of her viewers. I'm sure there's supposed to be a comment on how people waste their lives in front of the TV, hammered home of course with the episode's title (strange point to make when Doctor Who is predominately a TV show).

From the few times I've seen this episode I can't remember being blown away. The story is very meh, the point being made is redundant and the overall feel of the story is (retro chic) style over substance, The 10th Doctor on a scooter anyone?! It's like a half arsed version of 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' from the year before. I hope that there's no truth in the rumours that writer Mark Gatiss is going to take over from Steven Moffat as show runner. Based on this story and his other efforts (Victory of the Daleks, Night Terrors, The Unquiet Dead) it doesn't look too promising for the future of Who post Moffat. To be fair though 'The Unquiet Dead' wasn't too bad and he has co-produced Sherlock with Moffat so I guess you never know what he'd really be like as a producer. As far as this story goes I'm going into the re-watch with low expectations, I'll prob think it's amazing now!

Oh well I guess I'll see you on the otherside.

Doctor Who Project "Rise of the Cybermen/The Age of Steel"

Several episodes and a series after we first see a Cyberman referenced in "Dalek" we finally get a Cyberman story and on top of that we get a whole new Cyberman design. It's this new design that has come into all sorts of  criticism amongst fandom. The Cybermen are now 'robot-like', 'slow', the way they move is 'stompy' and 'deafening'. I however quite like the way they look.

I like the art deco styling and the way they move reflects their new bodies ie all heavy metal and moving parts. Ok there's less human parts on show. In the classic series you could see the jaw moving behind the mouthpiece which was cool as it showed that there was a human body that formed part of the Cyberman skeleton. There was also the suit they wore, in the Troughton story "The Invasion" which was basically a scuba diving suit with bits and bobs glued on. OK costume design and budgets have improved in the years to come but this scuba outfit design was kinda endearing and worked as it allowed the Cybermen to move quite easily as well as covering up the delicate human flesh. In fact you could argue that this material could be a more sophisticated soft metal that allows the Cybermen to move more freely. Anyhoo this new Cyberman has 2 handy get out clauses. Firstly The Doctor points out to Mrs Moore that the Cyberman body has an organic as well as a human brain and mostly importantly an emotion inhibitor which prohibits the Cybermen from feelings (not sure how that also stops them thinking freely?). Secondly these Cybermen were created in a parallel universe.

This last point is quite interesting as the new look Cybermen have cropped up again in the Steven Moffat era minus the Cybus Industries chest logo. Can't really get around that unless you were to say they sneaked through the cracks in the universe and fancied a re-brand. Should be interesting when the next design arrives in the Neil Gaiman penned episode sometime this year. I'm also really looking forward to seeing this episode as Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors although I would like to see Moffat tackle a Cyberman story. I want them to become scary villains again not comedy villains that they've been since the 70s/80s. Try as he might and to be fair this isn't a bad stab at trying to rectify that RTD fails in trying to make them a serious threat. This isn't a bad story and for the majority of it they are a credible threat, it's the series finale that dooms them to the fate of being comedy villains. An army of Cybermen put to waste by just 4 Daleks, it's not hard to see which bad guy Davies prefers. I'm surprised the Cyber Leader doesn't fist pump and say "Excellent!". Speaking of Cyber Leaders, what's the point in them? Cybermen are supposed to be uniform, why would they need someone commanding them if they all think the same? Oh well cyber rant over.

Anyway back to the story. I like how this story is set in an alternate universe. It reminds me so much of the Pertwee story "Inferno" although in this story there isn't a parallel threat to our world. It does however play with the idea of a parallel world via the support cast: Mickey/Ricky, Pete Tyler still being alive, Rose never being born and Mickey's gran (who hasn't even been mentioned until now) is still alive. The story also has a (not so) subtle sub-plot of how media communications controls our life. On top of that there's the point of clinging onto life via surgery or upgrades in this case.

I also like how this story gives Mickey something to do, he outgrows the 'Mickey the idiot' and becomes an integral part of the story, effectively saving The Doctor and Rose as well as destroying the Cyberman threat. This sudden character development seems a bit out of the blue but it allows Mickey to leave the TARDIS crew and have a happily ever after, fighting Cybermen and being able to see his beloved old gran.

Mickey drives off to Paris in a white van with his new best mate (RTD's gay agenda?) never to be seen again. Or is he? I'm sure that's not the last we'll see of Mickey the Idiot.

Doctor Who Project - "The Girl in the Fireplace"

Ok, going to try something different for this review, you may have noticed that my last few reviews have been a little different in format from the ones that proceeded them and I guess it's my way of being creative and finding a way of keeping the idea fresh (especially when you've got 50+ episodes to review). It's a mighty task but an enjoyable one (although not looking forward to the DVD that contains "Fear Her" and "Love and Monsters" on the same disc. Anyway back to the task in hand. I think for this review I am going to write it live as I'm watching the story, no edits (apart from grammatical ones) so what you'll probably get is unadulterated gibberish! I guess in a way it's kinda like a DVD commentary only in text format!  Nevertheless here we go.

Ooh space, oh nevermind it's a big state home. Madame de Pompadour, quite fancy her. Mistress? Queen? Shouting The Doctor's name into a fireplace, all the mystery!

Opening titles, STEVEN MOFFAT! Yay. Ok at this stage in time he's only written one Doctor Who story albeit one of the best so far.

lol Had to laugh at Mickey's first line, "Yes, spaceship on my first go". Funny that, Rose got one too. Well a space station at least.

Ooh fireplace on a spaceship and a girl on the other side of it.

TARDIS translation, bit of Doctor Who folk law thrown in there and a joke at Mickey's expense.

The Doctor finally meets the girl in person and it's weeks in her future, altogether now "wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey". Scary monster time and under the bed too! Moffat is going to terrify a generation! Once again he's made everyday things scary, in this case a ticking clock.

Fire extenguisher that looks like a gun. Another Doctor uses a gun but doesn't joke (see "Dalek" from the 1st series eg hairdryer that looks like a big gun).

Quite like Mickey's tshirt in this episode, old school Nintendo NES joypad. Ok that was a bit random.

Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey time again, Reinette is now fully grown. Ding dong.

Ah Reinette has known The Doctor since she was 7 years old and it's a Steven Moffat story too. Hmm where have I seen this before? Amy Pond anyone? I can see why people say the Amy Pond story arc is a more fleshed out tale of  "The Girl in the Fireplace".

Human body parts hard-wired into the spaceship, this shit got serious!

Wonder what the horse is called? Susan (series 7 joke)?!

Repair droid 7? Doesn't sound very threatening. The repetition of "we did not have the parts" sounds very similar to the "we are in a car" line (by K9) in the previous story. Why 18th century France indeed? Nice question by Rose, "why her?".

Haha the horse is called Arthur and he's allowed to keep the horse because Rose is allowed to keep Mickey.

I like how Mickey is referring to women in The Doctor's past. Jealous boyfriend, funny that he seemed to have come to terms with it in the last story although he's obviously trying to point out to Rose that he's (The Doctor) not perfect.

Nice little memory scene there with Reinette and The Doctor. Not sure about the whole 'Doctor Who?' line again. Another thing that Moffat seems to have revisited recently.

Haha The Doctor is pissed (drunk for all you non UK readers)! Or appears to be at least. "Always take a banana to a party", good advice! And The Doctor has figured it all out, the repair droids are after Reinette's brain to install into the spaceship and it has to be the same age as the ship, that's why she's not compatible yet.

Funny how the droids are all retro with the clockwork action but they can beam right out of the ship into an exact period of time in 18th century France. Convenient!

Interesting analysis, The Doctor and the monsters, can't have one without the other.

Madame de Pomadour is very composed in what may essentially be her last moments. Love how she's building up The Doctor, the nightmare returned and here he comes on horseback. Didn't David Tennant do that in Casanova?

How is The Doctor going to get back? Well pointed out Mickey. Rose on the overhand is devastated. Ooh nice pun there by the good Doctor, "I'm not winding you up". Do bad guys stop when they have no purpose? I suppose villains like the Cybermen and the Daleks can never stop as their purpose is to make others like them and destroy anything unlike them respectively.

The Doctor, the 'lonely angel' stuck on the slow path (love Moffat's way with words). He clearly knew there was no way back, do you think he did it out of love for Reinette (there is a lot of suggestion in this story after all that The Doctor could fall/is in love with her) or was he just being entirely selfless. Conveniently though the original fireplace has been transported brick by brick to this palace and it's The Doctor's way back to the TARDIS.

Once again The Doctor meets a young lady he wants to take onboard the TARDIS and she winds up dying (see Lynda with a Y). This time he just misses her, her coffin being taken to Paris to be buried.

Wonder what Reinette said to The Doctor in her letter? Hope it's explained as I can't remember it at all.

The Doctor is clearly upset, I'm guessing he could've loved her. Never did buy the whole he loved Rose thing but Madame de Pompadour definitely.

Just heard what she said in the letter, so sad and the light going out in the fireplace too very fitting.

And with the last shots of the episode we see a portrait of Reinette and the name of the ship clearing any confusion as to why they (clockwork repair droids) needed her at all.

And that's it my first (and possibly last! lol) live commentary review. Hope anyone reading this enjoyed it and didn't just read it as mindless drivel. Such a great episode and at this stage that's two great stories in two attempts from Steven Moffat. Someone should give him the show runner job. ;)

Next up the Cyberman 2 parter! Exciting times.

Doctor Who Project "School Reunion"

The return of Sarah-Jayne Smith and K9 (mk3) in Russell T Davies' biggest nod to the classic series. You have to love how RTD melds the new and old with direct comparisons throughout the episode from Rose and Sarah-Jayne to Mickey and K9 (I also love Mickey's realisation that he's the tin dog!). Then there's that great conversation between Sarah-Jayne and Rose about what it's like to travel with the Doctor (including pointing out his idiosyncrasies) and of course Sarah-Jayne and The Doctor's catch up in which she finally gets the chance to confront him about leaving her in Aberdeen and not coming back for her. In fact that's what is the heart of this story, reminiscing, exploring the relationship The Doctor has with his companions and of course what happens to the companions when they step out of the TARDIS for the last time. The monsters in this week even take a back seat to the characters in what can be described as RTD's love letter to Sarah-Jayne Smith.

Also worthy of note is the schoolboy fantasy played out in this episode ie the awkward kid who has a hand in saving the day being lauded by his school mates after the school blows up. There's also loads of little jokes like Rose believing the teachers sleep at school (and being proved right), the teachers and dinner ladies being monsters.

Oh and after sacrificing himself K9 returns at the end, a replacement from The Doctor and a nod to classic Who again ('The Invasion of Time' - I'm sure there's other instances but only really know of this one). I'm sure this was done deliberately, setting both Sarah-Jayne and K9 for their own spinoff shows. As well as providing a happy ending of course.

All in all another great story. The monsters are pretty forgettable, they could be any monster in fact and Anthony Stewart Head's character even alludes to the fact that they (the Krillitines) adopt new features everytime they conquer a race. Not that any of this matters as it's all about the TARDIS crew new and old coming together and talking about what it's like to travel with The Doctor (and to suddenly stop doing so - foreshadowing?!!).

Brilliant episode, easily one of the best of the series and a modern classic. Love it.

Doctor Who Project - "Tooth and Claw"

Unlike most of the episodes I've re-watched so far I think I actually like  "Tooth and Claw" a little less the second time around. It just seems a bit dull, the "we are not amused" joke comes across as forced and the wolf in Rose line was last series.

On the plus side: David Tennant's natural (Scottish) accent, the psychic paper is back, the wolf looks good and the BBC One ident inspired monks in red outfits intro. Kinda reminiscent of this:

There's also more references to Torchwood, far more blatant in this episode what with the Torchwood Estate being the backdrop for the story and the creation of the Torchwood Institute.

Overall, pretty meh. It was ok but not spectacular. Guess kids will find it scary.

Next the return of one of The Doctor's  greatest companions Sarah-Jayne Smith.

Spot the difference!

Doctor Who Project - "New Earth"

The first thing I noticed about this episode is that it's the first story since the show's return to be set on another planet (OK we came pretty close with the Platform 1 and Satellite 5/the Gamestation but they were in orbit around Earth). Seems odd that I've only just picked up on that but maybe the first series was set predominately on Earth deliberately. OK not like a Pertwee banishment to Earth but more of a BBC budget restriction and the success of that first series allowed them a bigger chunk and the freedom to create new worlds?

Interesting point over. This episode is probably most memorable for the return of Cassandra and The Face of Boe from "The End of the World". Not sure why either warrants a return to be honest.

I guess "New Earth" is Russell T Davies commenting on colonialism (the human race expanding into the stars and naming new places after old places back home ie how many places in the US are named after towns and cities from the UK, Ireland etc? Even New York's name comes from York so what better than to add another new to the name. Of course it could just be a reference to Futurama!) and stem cell research (bodies grown for the purpose of infection in order to find cures). The morality of the latter being questioned in the story.

This story is also memorable for Cassandra possessing Rose. Finally Rose is sexy! Billie Piper's performance in this story (playing Cassandra possesing her body) reminds me of Billie Piper's post Who job 'Secret Diary of a Call Girl'. Also there's the further nod to cosmetic plastic surgery being taken too far. I like how it's resolved at the end with Cassandra (in Chip's body) telling her past self (ie when she was more than just a fold of skin and and a face) how beautiful she is. This was revealed earlier in the episode to be the last time that anyone told her she was beautiful. Very fitting, the last time she was told she was beautiful was when she was completely or fairly natural. Funny thing is it's  Cassandra herself that tells her that she is beautiful! Hmm self fulfilling?!

Doctor Who Project - "The Christmas Invasion"

Ooooh the first Christmas special of the new era (probably one of the better ones too) and David Tennant's first episode as The Doctor (the last minute of "The Parting of the Ways" doesn't count) although he's not around for large chunks of it. That's right it's more of the extended Tyler family drama. Woo.

"The Christmas Invasion" isn't too bad too be honest, it's camp and it ticks off all the required Christmas elements: turkey, brass band, Father Christmas, the Queen's speech (or at least a nod to it with Harriet Jones, Prime Minister advising it's been cancelled) and even snow albeit ash from the destroyed spaceship.

For me this episode has more in common with Castrovolva than any of the Christopher Eccleston episodes. Saying that I always found The 10th Doctor to be more like the 5th Doctor than any other. No surprise they teamed them up for the "Time Crash" special. Getting ahead of myself though.

All in all not a bad episode, not the worst but certainly not the best. It was a bit Torchwood though with all this blood control and threatening to kill a third of the world's population. Maybe Russell T Davies is subtly introducing us to it? After all Harriet Jones mentions knowing of Torchwood, the destruction of the Sycorax ship is done in a very Torchwood-esque fashion and in 2 episodes time we get to see the Torchwood Estate. Anyway more of that to come.

One thing I noticed on re-watching this episode is that David Tennant is credited as'The Doctor' in the closing titles whereas Christopher Eccleston was always 'Doctor Who', that's something that's bugged me upon re-watching these episodes.

Oh well onward and upward, so many classic 10th Doctor stories (and quite a few duds too!).

ALONS-Y!

Doctor Who Project - "Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways"

And here we go the first series finale in the new series era and the team find themselves waking up in futuristic versions of current TV programmes: The Doctor in Big Brother, Rose in The Weakest Link and Jack in What Not to Wear only something's different  (aside from the robot programme hosts), these are TV shows where the winner gets to live!

There's also something else that's familiar, the Gamestation itself. We've seen it before and The Doctor knows he's been there before it's Satellite 5.

The Doctor escapes the Big Brother House with his fellow housemate Lynda with a Y (aka Tanya with a Y from Eastenders) whereas Jack escapes his programme by using a well hidden mini gun - not going to guess exactly where it was hidden. Rose however isn't so lucky and gets shot by the Anne-droid after losing out in the final of The Weakest Link. However as we find out later Rose isn't dead, she's merely been transported (What confuses me about this is how the Anne-droid manages to clearly destroy the Daleks later on and not transport them?) to the Dalek mothership.

Saving Rose by landing the TARDIS around her he then sends her back to 2005 whilst he and Jack work on a bomb that will destroy everything living within the area. Not content with being left out of proceedings Rose tries her best to think of a way to return, figures out that Bad Wolf is a clue and decides that staring into the heart of the TARDIS would  be a good idea. Hang on a min didn't the last person to try this revert back to being an egg?! Far from turning Rose into a 5ft egg the TARDIS gives Rose super powers complete with glowing eyes kinda like how Jean Grey turns into the Phoenix in X-Men. Rose aka The Phoenix then goes onto destroy the Dalek empire and save the day but of course people shouldn't look into the heart of the TARDIS and it's killing her. The Doctor being the guy he is absorbs all the energy from Rose, being a Time Lord won't save him from death though but of course The Doctor has a little trick up his sleeve regeneration and it's the first regeneration of the new series. This also means the end of the 9th Doctor which is a shame because I love Eccleston's Doctor and I feel given another series or 2 he would be just as loved as Tennant, Baker, Davison et al. In his own words  he was 'fantastic'.

This series finale will mostly be remembered for the 9th-10th regeneration (as well as being the first series finale of the New Who era) but it can also be remembered for being a half decent series finale too. Unlike the series finales to come it's not a big sprawling epic that has to be bigger and better than the previous one (although to be fair there is no previous series finale in the new era) and that's why I like these 2 episodes. Fantastic!

Doctor Who Project - "Boom Town"

Continuing the hit and miss theme for this series we've had a great episode so therefore we must follow it with dross. And dross we get with the return of the Slitheen. Really RTD do we really need to see Slitheens again?! Ok we only get one survivor from 'World War Three' in the form of Blon but it's enough.

The TARDIS crew find themselves in Cardiff (again, this time in modern day) in need of a quick fuel stop using the rift (that we last saw in The 'Unquiet Dead') to charge the TARDIS. Hmm Cardiff, rift, Captain Jack I smell a spinoff. Whilst they're in town Rose invites Mickey to come join them and it's when they're all together that they spot a familiar face on the front of the Western Mail (also familiar to me having spent my university years in Wales), good old Blon Slitheen, the new mayor of Cardiff.

This episode is pretty much filler but does serve an important purpose in the overall series story arc. Firstly it flags up the words Bad Wolf for all that had missed them in earlier episodes with The Doctor saying he's heard those words before and that they've been following him. Secondly we see the heart of the TARDIS.

Long story short, not a fan of this episode but it is better than the last time we saw the Slitheen and best of all RTD kills them off as Blon reverts back to being an egg after staring into the heart of the TARDIS meaning that she'll get the chance to re-live her life and hopefully grow up to be a better person well a better Raxacoricofallapatorian at least.

And it's whilst dropping off the newly re-born egg at Raxacoricofallapatorius that The Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack find themselves in a familiar place.....

Doctor Who Project - "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances"

Been a few weeks since I last caught up with some Eccleston Who and then I watch 4 episodes at once. As such these reviews are going to come like buses ie 3 at a time!

Just like 'Dalek' these are one of the standout stories of the series and demonstrates just how good Doctor Who could be in the right hands. In fact re-watching the series like this series 1 could potentially be the best series since it's return, well in RTD's era anyway. It's funny I should mention RTD (Russell T Davies) as it's his successor as series runner Steven Moffat that is the writer of this cracking 2 parter. It's also the first 2 parter since the disappointing 'Aliens of London'World War Three' (featuring the God awful Slitheen), showing how it's supposed to be done.

The Empty Child starts off a frantic pace, latching onto a mauve (red is camp apparently) distress signal The Doctor and Rose find themselves in wartime London 1941 during an air raid. Rose immediately gets swept up by an air balloon whilst The Doctor asks if anyone has heard a big bang recently (to laughter) before the air raid sirens start to blare. Like I said frantic start!

The story then shifts pace with The Doctor stumbling across the heart of the story the 'empty child', a creepy little boy in a gas mask asking everyone he meets "are you my mummy?". The 'empty child' seems to be stalking a young lady named Nancy who seems to be World War 2's answer to Robin Hood, robbing food from those who have aplenty to feed the young homeless orphans of London. Why is it that she won't let the strange little gas masked in whilst other children (including a new member to the party as we're advised) are free to enjoy the food? Well the answer according to Nancy is that this isn't a normal little boy, he's empty.

In the meantime Rose bumps into an exciting new swashbuckling action hero Captain Jack Harkness. Wonder if we'll see him again? ;)

Captain Jack appears to be an antithesis of The Doctor, a character who is happy to solve problems with guns and flashy technology. Rose seems suitably impressed at least, then again he did save her life then flirted within an inch of his life with her. Jack also reveals that the ship they followed was sent by him to lure the Time Agency so he could blackmail them and that it is to be destroyed by a German bomb in several hours.

The Doctor in the meantime is introduced to the err Doctor. The Doctor in this case is Victor Meldrew/Merlin's mentor who shows The Doctor his patients who all have the same curious symptoms (the same as the eponymous 'Empty Child'). Victor Meldew then develops a gas mask for a face and asks The Doctor is he is mummy. Rose and Jack enter shortly before all the patients come to life and advance on our heroes. What a cliffhanger!

 The time travelling trio escape after The Doctor gives them all a stern telling off, telling them to go to their room! The rest of the episode follows on with more fast paced action with the team running from the 'Empty Child'. After escaping they are lead by Captain Jack to the crash site. The ship that Captain Jack used to lure The Doctor and Rose is an ambulance full of the nanogenes used earlier to heal Rose's rope burnt hands. Also at the crash site we find Nancy and it is revealed that the 'Empty Child' is her little brother Jamie (great name by the way). The Doctor knows this isn't quite true though, Jamie is Nancy's son. She is the mummy that he's searching for. Here lies the answer and solution to the story. The Doctor gets Nancy to reunite with Jamie and confirm that she is his mummy, the nanogenes reconfigure his DNA rewriting the gas masked DNA and replacing it with the accurate superior DNA saving Jamie and all his victims. As The Doctor says "just this once, everybody lives".

In fact everyone does live, as Captain Jack is saved from certain death trying to dispose of the bomb and welcomed aboard

This episode has everything you required of a classic Doctor Who episode: a creepy monster, action, running, plenty of running, a twist, references to previous stories (psychic paper was first seen in the 2nd Doctor's era) and of course great writing. Upon re-watching these episodes I think that they are better than 'Dalek' and the best in the series in fact one of the best stories since the return of Doctor Who in 2005. Steven Moffat will repeat this in other New Who classics 'The Girl in the Fire Place', 'Blink' and 'Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead' before succeeding Russell T Davies as head writer. I just hope that when he relinquishes his control of the show that he still writes the occasional episode as most of the best New Who stories have come from his pen.

In Moffat we trust.

Doctor Who Project "Father's Day"

Episode 8 'Father's Day' sees Rose asking The Doctor if they can travel back to 1987 to see her Dad in his final moments. With a nod back to the 1st episode 'Rose' The Doctor suggests it's funny that she turned him down when he advised they can travel anywhere in the universe but the second he says he can travel in time she's onboard and to be careful what you wish for.

We arrive in 1987, witness Pete Tyler's death then Rose asks The Doctor if they can try again. Stupidly The Doctor agrees and this time Rose runs out to save her Dad's life changing time and creating a paradox.

Being a massive Back to the Future fan I couldn't help but draw parallels between this episode and the greatest film franchise known to man. Firstly a man who should have been run down by a car is saved, secondly time is changed OK in BTTF an alternative reality is created with Biff running Hill Valley as opposed to time eating bats.

This episode is all about families which is a bit of familiar theme with Russell T Davies' Doctor Who output. Once again it isn't The Doctor that saves the day but a regular person (OK someone who shouldn't be alive anyway) although The Doctor does sacrifice himself before Pete does. Following Pete's sacrifice order is restored including the return of The Doctor. Rose gets to say her goodbyes to the father she never knew (well not until a few hours earlier) and in doing so does subtly changes the past as Jackie tells a young Rose that Pete was run down by a young man who waited with them until the Police arrived (not a hit and run driver) along with an unknown girl who waited by Pete's side until he died.

This episode was OK, better than the last but not the best in the series. Next up the Stephen Moffat written 2 parter 'The Empty Child'/'The Doctor Dances'. Possibly the best 2 episodes of the series (and one of the few 2 parters in the RTD era that doesn't start off promising then fails to deliver in the 2nd half).

Doctor Who Project - "The Long Game"

Following on from the excellent 'Dalek', 'The Long Game' sees new 'Adam joining the TARDIS crew and travelling with The Doctor and Rose to the year 200,000. Here we find the happy time travellers aboard Satellite 5, a space station that broadcasts or more accurately manipulates the news (RTD's spin on manufacturing consent?) and The Doctor knows something's wrong. Turns out humanity is being shaped (via the news broadcasted) by The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe (Yes I did Google it!) and The Editor from Floor 500 and has setback mankind's progress 90 years.

This episode is one of the hit and miss episodes in series 1 and is basically just a setup for the later episode 'Bad Wolf'. It's a bit of a filler, not the worst episode but far from the best. The one thing I love about it is how it demonstrates human greed and how a choice in companion can go so drastically wrong. Adam sees the wealth of information available to him in the future and decides it would be a great idea to send this information home via Rose's mobile and an answering machine in 2005. And of course he does this by getting an implant installed despite The Doctor advising him that it's outdated technology that doesn't exist in this time. Of course this comes back to bit him in the arse with information on The Doctor and Rose's identity being extracted from Adam's implant. What's interesting about this episode is the fact that it's not The Doctor who saves the day but a normal person. Even more interesting is that it's done via the same device that got them into the predicament (ie the implant).

With the day saved The Doctor drops off Adam back at his Mum's house (maybe the TARDIS isn't big enough for 2 Mancunians?) leaving him with a stern telling off and an embarrassing secret exposed with a click of the fingers.