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REVIEW: Frontios by Christopher H Bidmead

SERIAL: 6N, 4X25 minute episodes

SEEN IT BEFORE?: No


Frontios had something of a troubled production. The original designer dropped out of the production, and would, some time after, commit suicide. The original actor to play Range, Peter Arne, was murdered not long before playing the role. And an ambitious script was also running into problems of realisation, with the costumes for the Tractators, originally conceived as being flexible enough to roll into balls, turned out to be less than flexible. But would these problems affect the story's realisation badly?

In the far future, humanity, fleeing the destruction of Earth, have been scattered far and wide. One of the last remaining colonies has crash landed on the distant and barren planet Frontios. The TARDIS inadvertently materialises above the planet, and the Doctor, worried that the Time Lords will not take kindly to interference in an era that the Time Lords know little about, tries to leave. But gravitational pull drags the TARDIS towards the planet, along with a storm of meteorites. And there, the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough discover all is not well. The human colonists are paranoid about the possibility of invasion. Their former leader, Revere, has died, chaos is about to reign, and Revere's son, the insecure Plantagenet, rules with an iron fist along with suspicious commander Brazen. And they immediately suspect the time travellers. The Doctor tries to leave after helping with some medical attention, but the TARDIS is apparently destroyed in a meteorite storm, and even after saving Plantagenet's life, the Doctor must not only contend with suspicious colonists, but a deadly force beneath the ground. For it is said that the earth is hungry, Frontios buries its own dead, but it is more than that. Turlough is about to plunge unwillingly into ancestral memory, the colony of Frontios is about to plunge into utter chaos, and the threat beneath the ground is about to make itself known in deadly earnest...

As a story, Frontios is brilliant. It is uncompromising, bleak, and has some brilliant concepts. Even after the high quality of Logopolis, Bidmead shows how much better he can write without having to consider putting elements from the past in. Humanity is shown as struggling against extinction, there are powerplays, and it is wonderful and atmospheric. The breakdown of the colony is shown well, and the influence of the Tractators is built up greatyly too. Not to mention a lot of sardonic humour in the lines (like about the foolproof equipment on the colony ship failing, and the Doctor's sarcasm when he is about to be killed on the orders of Plantagenet). Some people may objected to the TARDIS being destroyed, but then again, it did happen in The Mind Robber...

The characters are all good. Bidmead writes well for the regulars, with the Doctor and Tegan getting good parts, and with Peter Davison and Janet Fielding doing their best. Mark Strickson gets an unusually strongly written piece for Turlough, when he breaks down under the strain of the Tractators uncovering a race memory, and while it may be seen as over the top, it's still good. The guest stars are great, too, with Jeff Rawle as a blustering but ultimately good Plantagenet, Lesley Dunlop as the compassionate Norna, Peter Gilmore as the determined and distrustful Brazen, and William Lucas doing very well as the last minute replacement (for the late Peter Arne) as Range. John Gillett is a little less successful as the Gravis, but still manages to convey the repulsive entity's avarice.

Production wise is where the cracks begin to show. The sets are actually pretty good, especially for a low budget series, and the costumes fit, even if Blake's 7 fans will find the Orderlies' helmets familiar. However, there are two noticeable problems, albeit minor ones given the quality of the story and acting. The Tractator's costumes look a bit too rubber-monstery, though they do look brilliantly repulsive, and the concept of the monster itself is very good. And the excavation machine doesn't look quite as menacing as it should be, though it does convey some horror with the people stuck in it. Paddy Kingsland's music is a change from his usual style, and is all the more welcome for it.

Frontios may not be the best known of stories, but barring some complaints about the Tractator costumes, it is actually one of the best of the Davison era. Being the last story of the Fifth Doctor's era that I have watched, it is just as well that I have found an excellent one to finish it off with.


SCORE: 10/10

And now, the trailer for one of my favourite stories from Sylvester McCoy's first season as the Doctor, and the next story, Paradise Towers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07jsOAWd0N8[/youtube]

REVIEW: Paradise Towers by Stephen Wyatt

SERIAL: 7E, 4X25 minute episodes

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


Although Time and the Rani was the first story of Sylvester McCoy's era as the Doctor, it was the next story, Paradise Towers, that showed the stamp of new script editor, Andrew Cartmel. While he was presumably yet to formulate what would later become the Cartmel Masterplan, he worked with writer Stephen Wyatt on a script inspired by the JG Ballard novel, High-Rise. But how would Paradise Towers fare in a new production regime for the series?

Having jettisoned the TARDIS pool, the Doctor takes Mel to the 21st century apartment block and architectural wonder of Paradise Towers, with a luxurious pool on the roof. But when they land their, the Towers have long since been in disrepair. Tribes of teenaged girls, Kangs, roam the corridors, playing aggressive games of tribal warfare. Bureaucratic Caretakers clamp down on any unrest with an iron fist. The elderly Rezzies seem to be the sanest ones, but some have secrets of their own, as does Pex, the musclebound self-appointed vigilante of Paradise Towers. While Mel finds herself teamed up with Pex, the Doctor finds himself declared the Great Architect of Paradise Towers by the Chief Caretaker, who himself is responsible for ordering the killings of some of his people and the Kangs by the robotic Cleaners, all for the benefit of a pet he keeps in the basement. But what is the pet? Why does the Doctor find the name of the Great Architect, Kroagnon, so familiar? And if Kroagnon disappeared shortly before the Towers were completed, where did he go? The Doctor, Mel, Pex and the Kangs must find out the secrets, before it puts an end to everyone in Paradise Towers...

Paradise Towers is a rather good story. While I am yet to read the book it was inspired by (though I intend to soon), the story of the breakdown of society within the Towers is pretty good, and there is little to fault the script (though it's never stated why nobody managed to get into the Towers after the war that apparently isolated it finished to find out what was going on). There's some inventive use of language by both the Kangs and the Caretakers, and while the story structure itself is rather run of the mill, it is also quite fun.

Sylvester McCoy is still getting the hang of the role of the Doctor, but does well, managing to, with sheer force of personality, pull together the residents of Paradise Towers. Bonnie Langford as Mel, while shrill, is a little less precocious and thus more bearable, and while her finest hour would come in the next story (Delta and the Bannermen), she does have her moments here. Of the guest cast, the only egregious miscastings seem to be Elizabeth Spriggs and Brenda Bruce as Tabby and Tilda, as they don't quite know how to go from their old lady acts to vicious cannibals too well. Richard Briers is good as the petty and sociopathic Chief Caretaker, although when Kroagnon takes him over, his choice of how to play it leaves something to be desired, though it could be as an intelligence trying to work an alien body at times. Clive Merrison as the Chief Caretaker, Julie Brennon as Fire Escape, Annabel Yuresha as Bin Liner, and Howard Cooke as the cowardly Pex are quite good, though the direction of their performances tend to have a campier mentality. But I would argue that Cooke as Pex was not miscast, as he is clearly muscled, and there were reasonable objections to hiring a Schwarznegger or Stallone lookalike.

The production itself is okay. The corridors of the Towers look suitably grubby, and the Cleaners creepy, and the costumes themselves are quite good, but there is a vaguely campy mentality that harkens back to previous stories that had good scripts, but were buggered up by bad direction and bad production design. This isn't as much of a problem with Paradise Towers as it is with some other stories, but it could have been better (Kroagnon's prison is a case in point). It looks just a bit too cheap and at variance with what the writer wanted at times.

All in all, though, Paradise Towers is a good story, better than the norm, and certainly miles ahead of McCoy's debut as the Doctor. Fun, chilling, and a little camp, it's one of the best stories from an overlooked era of the series...


SCORE: 9/10


And now, the trailer for the first Revisitations set, which includes the next and, for the time being until I decide whether I want to start on the new series, last story to be viewed and reviewed, Doctor Who: The Movie.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZYaSQLynv4[/youtube]

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Movie by Matthew Jacobs

SERIAL: No serial code, 1X90 minute telemovie

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


In 1996, Doctor Who had been off the air for seven years, while behind the scenes, various American production companies worked to try and bring it back onto the screen. Many proposals considered re-envisioning or remaking the series, but as an American production. However, eventually, a British writer, whose father was the actor who played Doc Holliday in The Gunfighters, decided that what was needed was a continuation of the original series. Matthew Jacobs was brought in to write the script for the Doctor Who telemovie, but would it be any good? Or would the series sink without a trace after an attempted American version?

The Master has been captured and executed by the Daleks, and the Doctor is commissioned to bring his remains back to Gallifrey. However, the Master is far from dead, and emerging from his urn in the form of a liquid snake, sabotages the TARDIS, causing it to land in San Francisco at the turn of the Millennium. There, the Doctor ends up caught in the crossfire between gangs of Asian youths, one of whom, Chang Lee, gets the Doctor to a hospital. The Doctor's wounds are not life-threatening, but the surgeons present, concerned about what they feel to be fibrillation, bring in cardiac surgeon Dr Grace Holloway. The Doctor dies on the operating table when Grace, not understanding the Doctor having two hearts, tries to fix the problem. But in the morgue, the Doctor regenerates. The Master takes over the body of a paramedic. And he makes his way into the TARDIS, as does Chang Lee, who had stolen the Doctor's possessions earlier. While an amnesiac Doctor struggles to convince Grace of his alien nature and regain his memories, the Master enlists Lee to help him take back the TARDIS and the lives the Master claims the Doctor stole from him. But in order to do so, the Master will endanger the entire world...

It's surprising that, out of all the Americanisation that they could have done to this, that they managed to keep the story more or less in continuity with the rest of the series. Even the Doctor's claim to be half-human, or his romantic side, I have not much problem with. But while the story is actually quite fun, it also doesn't make much sense. The arbitrary time limit is probably the least egregious plot flaw, with the concluding fifteen minutes or so being a confusing mess of deus ex machinas and blatant arse-pulls, one after the other. And we seem to have reminders of the Doctor's eccentricity and Britishness forced in our faces. One is left feeling unsatisfied by the experience. But there are brilliant touches that serve to remind us that this is still, after all, Doctor Who, like the Doctor's childhood anecdote, and his threatening himself with a gun.

The character of the Doctor is perhaps the best written, and Sylvester McCoy, despite his last moments being rather sad and undignified, is a welcome addition to the cast. Paul McGann, despite his Doctor being amnesiac for much of his screen time, is nonetheless an inspired choice to play the Doctor, and if only the series continued (and with better writers), who knows what heights he would have gone to. Of the guest stars, Daphne Ashbrook is fine, but not much more than decent as Grace, whose part is rather badly written during her time with the Doctor. Yee Jee Tso is rather more promising as the shifty but altruistic Chang Lee. Eric Roberts as the Master is variable. At times, especially during the first third or so of his time as the Master, he is absolutely great. At other times, he either camps it up ridiculously, or imitates the Wicked Witch of the West ("Get it off me! Get it off me!"), though his final moments, and indeed, his penultimate line as the Master, is brilliant.

Production wise, this is quite good. There are one too many setpieces that are like an American action film (the motorcycle chase seems rather too gratuitious, especially since, once the Doctor and Grace are no longer pursued by the Master and Chang Lee, the Doctor keeps driving in a way that forces other vehicles off the road), but the production values are good enough, and the special effects are very good for 1996, with a number of them (even the Master CGI snake and the regeneration) holding up today. John Debney's music hits more good notes more often than not, and his rendition of the theme, while not as mysterious as the original, nonetheless sends shivers down my spine.

Overall, Doctor Who: The Movie, while not as good as it should have been, could have been much worse. The storyline flaws and some dodgy acting mar what could have been the rebirth of the series. But a much better reboot was to come...



SCORE: 8/10

PROGRESS REPORT EIGHT AND A BIT: CATCH-UP 2

STORIES: Total for this catchup: 6

Cumulative total: 117. 15 William Hartnell, 6 Patrick Troughton. 17 Jon Pertwee. 37 Tom Baker. 20 Peter Davison. 11 Colin Baker. 9 Sylvester McCoy. 1 Paul McGann. 1 Spin-Off

TIME: Total for this catchup: 10 days

Cumulative total: 120 days

PERCENTAGE NEVER WATCHED BEFORE: 4/6, or 66%

Cumulative total: 41/117, or 35%


BEST STORIES: The Sun Makers, Frontios, Paradise Towers

WORST STORIES: K9 and Company: A Girl's Best Friend, Doctor Who: The Movie

While I am waiting for more people to vote on my 'what should I review next?' thread (which, by the way, anyone following this should vote on, please, so follow this link, especially if you want me to review the new series of Doctor Who, and vote!), I was wondering, does anyone want me to review the Big Finish adventures? I only have a few, which are basically the Davros audio stories on the Davros DVD Boxset, along with the Lost Story The Nightmare Fair, but I can still try.

I'm bumping this thread and resurrecting it for a good reason: today, I purchased Day of the Daleks, which has the original version, and the special edition version.

Now, I personally would like to wait until I get the next few releases with me (hopefully Colony in Space, and the UNIT Boxset with Invasion of the Dinosaurs and The Android Invasion), but if enough people ask for it, I will consider watching and reviewing Day of the Daleks now.

Here's the trailers, the special preview trailer, and the DVD Coming Soon trailer...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rlss3Krt7g[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MevFX6yyFko[/youtube]

Once I get bored of the James Bond films thread, I might move onto the new series of Doctor Who, and either review the new classic series DVDs at the end, or else between series.

Okay, well, before long, I am going to start watching and reviewing the new series of Doctor Who.

I have watched the first three episodes of the new series of Doctor Who. Reviews to follow shortly...

REVIEW: Rose by Russell T Davies

SERIAL: PB1, 1.1*, 1X45 minute episode

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


I had grown bored of Doctor Who for a long time since I finished high school. Eventually, I sort of drifted aimlessly, because I thought that I knew everything about the series. Imagine my shock, and excitement, when in 2003, I read that the series was being brought back to television. My interest was reborn, and I awaited the rebirth. I was anxious to see whether the series would keep my interest for good. The first episode of the new series, Rose, was transmitted in 2005. But was it good? Did it keep the spirit of the original? Or should it have been left in the great graveyard of programs beyond their prime?

Rose Tyler is an ordinary young woman working in a department store, but when trying to take the lottery money for the employees to the chief electrician of the store, she finds herself encountering animated shop dummies and a strange man who saves her from them. He calls himself the Doctor, and from that point on, he appears in her life, with trouble not far away. Investigating, Rose encounters conspiracy theorist Clive, who believes that the Doctor, seen at major trouble spots, is an alien. Rose doesn't believe him, until her boyfriend Mickey is kidnapped, and replaced with a Auton Replica, and she encounters the Doctor once more, and his time machine, the TARDIS, bigger on the inside than the outside. But can the Doctor and Rose prevent the Nestene Intelligence from invading once more?

One is reminded, when watching Rose, of two very important Doctor Who stories, important because they introduced a new paradigm to the series. An Unearthly Child, in particular, introduced the series in familiar surroundings at the time, and introduced the Doctor as this mysterious character. Spearhead from Space introduced the Third Doctor, it was the first story in colour, and had the Autons and their controlling force, the Nestene Intelligence. Davies is brilliant in introducing the Doctor through Rose Tyler as this mysterious, quirky and mercurial man, and this is also good at showing Rose's normal life before her travels, as well as having her save the Doctor, and the day. There's even an introduction to how people on Earth see the Doctor through family man and conspiracy theorist Clive, and a nice monologue for the Doctor on how he sees the world. The story itself, however (as is often the case with the new series) is filled with incident rather than character, and its excitements don't overcome the shortcomings of the story completely. The Nestene Intelligence is badly used for such a major foe, which is a real pity.

Christopher Eccleston is an inspired choice as the Doctor, moody, mercurial, and just eccentric enough (despite his rather normal-seeming clothes by our standards) to fit in. Billie Piper is fine as Rose, not outstanding, but her character is well-written enough, and Piper is pretty good, making us believe in her as an ordinary girl. Camille Coduri, in this story at least, is rather less believable (and supremely irritating) as her mother, Jackie, and while Mickey Smith is better written and acted by Noel Clarke, better things are to come. Mark Benton is a good Clive, with his expression just before an Auton shoots him being a good bit of acting.

Production-wise, the story and direction is glossy and fast-paced, but like the writing, lacks substance. The music by Murray Gold isn't at its best. It does the job, but is rather too intrusive, though the theme music remix is good. The special effects are a little too noticeable. While good CG effects are yet to come, some of them (particularly the bin) are not good.

By Doctor Who standards, Rose is rather average, but its still exciting, if thin on the ground, entertainment. It's a good start to the new series, though I wonder if it could have been better...


SCORE: 8.5/10

Next time trailer for the next story, The End of the World.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg3VZ3GeKHo[/youtube]

*PB1 stands for 'production block one'. Production blocks tend to share directors and are the closest equivalent to the old serial codes of the classic series, although they also have serial production codes. Rose is serial code 1.1, and these codes are usually in serial order, with a few exceptions.

In the first new series, the production blocks consisted of the following:

Production block 1: Rose, Aliens of London/World War Three

Production block 2: The End of the World, The Unquiet Dead

Production block 3: Dalek, Father's Day

Production block 4: The Long Game

Production block 5: The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

Production block 6: Boom Town, Bad Wolf, The Parting of the Ways

REVIEW: The End of the World by Russell T Davies

SERIAL: PB2, 1.2, 1X45 minute episode

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


One of the things about Doctor Who is its imagination, but this is often limited by the budgets. In order to show that Doctor Who had shaken of most (but not all) of the limitations of budget, Russell T Davies wrote a story designed to showcase the new special effects and costumes for aliens. Another character was inspired by his thoughts on Hollywood celebrities becoming too obsessed with being thin and plastic surgery. Would this story be a hit, or a miss?

On her first trip in the TARDIS, Rose, on prompting from the Doctor, chooses to go into the future. The Doctor decides to take her over five billion years into the future, to Platform One, a luxury space station orbiting the Earth, which is soon to be consumed by the expanding Sun, while rich and powerful beings from across the galaxy watch. Amongst those attending are Trees of the Forest of Cheem, the Moxx of Balhoon, the Face of Boe, the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, and the last genetically pure human, Lady Cassandra O'Brien, who has had so many cosmetic procedures that she is little more than a face in a square of skin. But someone is sabotaging Platform One. Mysterious robot spiders are infiltrating the infrastructure. While Rose deals with the culture shock of being billions of years away from home, the Doctor and Jabe, a Tree of Cheem, investigate, and bond. What loss has the Doctor suffered that he cannot speak of? Will he understand Rose's culture shock? And will he be able to stop the saboteur and save Platform One?

As a story, The End of the World is once more high on incident but low on actual substance. There is no real meat to the whodunnit aspect. However, it does make up for it in character. We finally learn why the Doctor, seen to be rather brusque and dismissive, even by his standards, is this way: Gallifrey is gone, and the Doctor is now the last of his kind. Themes of death and destruction are throughout this story. Rose angsts about her family and how she made an impulsive decision, while the Doctor and Jabe bond over Jabe's knowledge of the Time War and her sympathy for the Doctor's plight. There's even a nice moment where Rose discusses matters with a maintenance worker called Rafalo, who even thanks Rose for giving her permission to speak. Some of the comedy falls flat, and the Doctor stepping past a fast fan blade at the end is an egregious arse-pull.

Eccleston continues to be excellent as the Doctor, with a number of defining moments (such as ruthlessly letting Cassandra dry out and 'die', or discussing the Time War and its outcome with Rose). Billie Piper begins to develop as Rose, with a number of nice character pieces, including the scene with Rafalo above, as well as discussions with the Doctor about the nature of time travel. Of the guest characters, particular mention should go to Yasmin Bannerman as Jabe, who provides some comfort to the Doctor. Zoe Wanamaker is also good as the 'bitchy trampoline' (as Rose dubs her) Cassandra, though while her acid and malevolence is undeniable, her actual menace isn't quite there.

Production-wise, there's some brilliant effects, especially when the Earth is consumed by the Sun. Some of them (like the fan-blade room) are a little dodgy, though. The action is fast paced, but once again, its more style over substance. Murray Gold's music is better here, being usually appropriate to the occasion, and the sets and costumes are mostly quite good.

If only the story had some real substance to it, it'd be a fantastic one. As it is, it is rather average by Who standards, more of a showcase of what Doctor Who can wow us with effects rather than with story. But there's some nice moments, and the revelation about the Doctor being the last Time Lord is sure to stun fans of the series.


SCORE: 8.5/10

Next time trailer for the next story, The Unquiet Dead.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NqI7X8_Y3E[/youtube]

REVIEW: The Unquiet Dead by Mark Gatiss

SERIAL: PB2, 1.3, 1X45 minute episode

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


I can imagine that writing for the TV series proper was a dream come true for The League of Gentlemen actor/writer and Doctor Who novel author Mark Gatiss. And being asked to write a story set in Victorian times was probably ecstasy. But what became The Unquiet Dead took some time in writing, and when it came out, another fan and writer, Lawrence Miles, lashed out at what he considered to be a derogatory theme about immigration. But is The Unquiet Dead that demeaning? Is it good, bad, or downright ugly?

Taking Rose on a trip into the past, they land in Cardiff, 1869, where Charles Dickens is holding a recital of A Christmas Carol. But the recital is interrupted by an old woman, from whose body comes blue wraiths. To undertaker Mr Sneed and his psychic servant Gwyneth, this is nothing new: bodies have been coming to life of late. Dickens is upset, as he has devoted his life to debunking spiritualism. But the wraiths appearing in the gas lamps and taking over corpses aren't ghosts, but an alien race known as the Gelth. Disembodied, they require the dead to take on life once more, and Cardiff is near a rift in space and time that allows them to come through, bit by bit. But are Rose's objections over the Gelth using the dead reasonable, or is the Doctor right in helping the Gelth? Can Dickens reconcile this brave new world he has seen, or will he fall into madness? The unquiet dead are arising, and nothing may be able to stop them...

Gatiss is a good writer at his best, and here, we see him delighting in the macabre parts of life, with zombies, 'ghosts', and gaslamp mysteries. We see him weave together Charles Dickens skillfully with the alien Gelth, and while the immigration subtext might be there, it also seems like this is unintentional. It would have been good to subvert the ending, where the Gelth turn out to be malevolent, and have them truly be the victims, but it's still a fine, if somewhat thin, given the 45 minute episode format, story.

The regulars are good, with some conflict between the Doctor and Rose about the ethics of the Gelth using human corpses being a particularly poignant moment. The Doctor is at one of his most alien moments, and one gets the feeling that at times, he doesn't care for Rose's viewpoint, even if he does care blatantly about her safety. Rose herself defends Gwyneth, and while she may be right, Gwyneth (played fairly well by Eve Myles) tells her off for thinking Gwyneth ignorant. Gwyneth is an interesting character, very much of her time, and yet having psychic ability. Alan David as Sneed is rather inconsistently written, and I thought that Gatiss had a hard time deciding whether he should be more villainous or more altruistic, and while David is okay, the role is underwhelming. Not so is Charles Dickens, who is portrayed as a man filled with ennui, only to be startled and resisting the new world the Doctor shows him, before regaining his joie de vivre. Simon Callow is superb as the famous writer, giving it everything and having some superb line (including "What phantasmagoria is this?!" when he sees a Gelth for the first time).

Production-wise, a decent production beckons, with some nice location shoots and some good atmosphere. The Gelth are an eerie and ethereal alien, done quite well in CGI, and the zombies that they animate are also done as well enough as you can on a family show like Doctor Who and not be too horrific. The BBC is often at its best when doing period drama, and in this story, as with many others set during the Victorian period, it shows here.

The Unquiet Dead, then, is one of the first classics of the new series, and possibly Gatiss' best contribution to it. At turns dark and funny, depressing and inspiring, horrifying and heartwarming, it shows that the new series still has the essence of the original series, while forging an identity of its own...



SCORE: 9/10

Next time trailers for the next story, Aliens of London/World War Three.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CucJMmeasrI[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnR78omvVn8[/youtube]

REVIEW: Aliens of London/World War Three by Russell T Davies

SERIAL: PB1, 1.4/5, 2X45 minute episodes

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


One consequence of the time travelling companions of the Doctor rarely explored in the classic series was how the disappearance of the Doctor's companions affected their friends and family. Although brief mention is given in The Chase to Ian and Barbara considering explaining their absence for two years, in Arc of Infinity to Tegan being fired from her job for absenteeism, and Sergeant Patterson chastising Ace for not calling her parents in Survival, these references are few and far between. But with Rose Tyler having been established as having a family and friends of her own, and being absent for a year thanks to the unreliable TARDIS, what would be the real consequences of this?

The Doctor brings Rose Tyler back home, supposedly 12 hours after she left. But in reality, thanks to the TARDIS, it's been 12 months. Rose was considered kidnapped, possibly murdered, and Rose's mother, Jackie, has accused Mickey Smith, Rose's boyfriend, of the deed. But soon, the problems the Doctor and Rose have with trying to explain what happened pales in comparison to a spacecraft crashlanding in the Thames, damaging Big Ben in the process. In a country thrown into crisis, the Prime Minister goes missing, and his replacement, Joseph Green, seems to be in a conspiracy with MI5 worker Margaret Blaine and transport liaison Oliver Green, and a longtime backbencher, Harriet Jones, witnesses them murdering General Asquith of the Army. The Doctor soon finds out that the pilot of the spaceship was an ordinary Earth pig, but modified with truly alien technology, a perverse hoax. Alien experts are called in, and the Doctor is one of them. But who are the real culprits behind this strange hoax? Who are the Slitheen? And what are their plans for the planet Earth?

The story itself is fine. A bit more complex than the one-parters on previously, and with shades of political commentary, much more overt than usual (and sometimes too blatant: "Massive weapons of destruction", anyone?). What I do like about this story is the exploration of the consequences of time travelling, especially when it goes wrong. The human drama here is well done. What I don't like is the overuse of toilet humour. The Slitheen are an intriguing creation, but they are let down badly, as is the whole production, by the reliance on flatulence jokes, and they rarely come across as menacing enough to be taken seriously. In fact, the show is a little too comic for its own good.

The current regulars are great, with Rose having to deal with the consequences of having been absent for a year. Noel Clarke's Mickey is given a lot of meat, and I find myself beginning to warm to the character of Jackie Tyler, even if Camille Coduri's performance is a little shrill, it is at least sincere when it has to be. Of the Slitheen, it is Annette Badland who, despite the comedic moments, also has the best menacing performance of the lot as 'Margaret Blaine'. Other noteworthy performances include Penelope Wilton as Harriet Jones, MP for Flydale North, and Naoko Mori as a pre-Torchwood Toshiko Sato.

The production is slick, but at time inconsistent in tone, rather like Keith Boak's previous contribution to this series, Rose. The music too is a little jarring, especially compared to that done for the previous couple of stories, but otherwise can be fine. The Slitheen costumes are excellent, being both menacing and grotesque, but the CGI models are rather blatant at times. And I do agree that putting the 'Next Time' trailer before the credits sort of spoils what will happen to those who don't want to be spoiled.

Aliens of London/World War Three is not a masterpiece. It could have been better, and it at least hits the spot more often than not, but an overreliance on scatological humour and heavy satire drags it down to an average position.



SCORE: 8.5/10

Next time trailer for the next story, Dalek.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoSS2hQjUKY[/youtube]

REVIEW: Dalek by Robert Shearman

SERIAL: PB3, 1.6, 1X45 minute episodes

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


There were various legal troubles getting the Daleks back on screen for the new series, and at one point, they were going to be replaced with the childlike psychopaths known as the Toclafane. However, the rights issues were resolved, and the Toclafane were abandoned (though they were later appropriated for The Sound of Drums and Last of the Time Lords). Writer Robert Shearman, who had written a similar Dalek story for Big Finish audios (Jubilee) was tasked with not only reintroducing the Daleks to the new series, but showing to an audience unfamiliar with them why they should be scared of what was basically a 'great space dust bin' (to use the Doctor's words in the episode)...

The Doctor and Rose materialise in a museum devoted to alien artifacts in the year 2012, drawn off-course by a distress signal. The museum belongs to self-centred IT millionaire Henry van Statten, owner of Geocomtex, who, when he realises that the Doctor knows a lot about aliens, decides to test him. While Rose makes friends with Adam Mitchell, van Statten's alien artifacts buyer, the Doctor is locked in a vault with the only living alien in van Statten's collection, to make it talk. But when the Doctor introduces himself to the alien, he is horrified to learn that it is a Dalek, the lone survivor of the Time War between its race and the Time Lords. And van Statten, despite the Doctor's best efforts, is not only determined to keep the Dalek alive, but intends to add the Doctor to his collection. Rose, having not heard of the Daleks, talks to it, and unwittingly, with the touch (and biomass) of someone who travelled in time, gives the Dalek the means it needs to free itself. With the body count getting higher, Rose and Adam are in a race against time to escape. But can the Doctor stop the Dalek? Has he, scarred by the Time War, become something even worse than a Dalek? And does Rose hold the key to the Dalek's redemption?

Dalek, simply put, succeeds in what it set out to do. It is a tight little thriller that manages to not only reintroduce the Daleks, but make them seem like a threat again. Oh, there were excellent stories in the classic series, but the cunning of this lone Dalek has to be seen to be believed, and this is easily the best Dalek story in the new series. While Daleks hovered up stairs at least once in the classic series (Remembrance of the Daleks), here, it has more impact. Even the 'sink plunger' gets used to very deadly effect when the technician Simmons makes the mistake of taunting the Dalek with "Whatcha gonna do? Sucker me to death?" But more important too is how it portrays the Doctor, as badly traumatised by the Time War between the Daleks and Time Lords, something which dictates many of his actions in this series. Even after wiping out Skaro in Remembrance of the Daleks, we are still shocked at how sadistic the Ninth Doctor can be to a lone, unarmed Dalek. And the Dalek even tells the Doctor, after he rants at it, ordering it to die and complete the genocide of the Daleks, that he would be a good Dalek, something that would continue as a theme later in the series.

This is the Ninth Doctor's darkest hour, and Christopher Eccleston gives it everything, especially in the scenes where the Doctor confronts the Dalek, and his realisation, spurred by Rose, that he was turning into a monster. Billie Piper as Rose is great, showing sympathy to the Dalek, as well as trying to talk it down, an impressive feat. Corey Johnson's van Statten is a picture of arrogance, while Bruno Langley's Adam is a fine enough performance. But the kudos really have to go to Nicholas Briggs as the Dalek voice, and operator Barnaby Edwards, for creating a Dalek performance that not only makes you fear the Dalek, but even feel a little sorry for it.

The production is a thrilling ride from start to finish, making you genuinely terrified for those involved. The music is done well, with an interesting choral theme and electronic horror for the Dalek itself. And the CGI actually works for once, with a CGI Dalek blending into the scenes virtually seamlessly, and the excellently updated Dalek ray effect. The final effect of the Dalek creature is also quite good, a pathetic horror that again evokes sympathy and disgust simultaneously.

Dalek is how the Daleks should be done for television. Unfortunately, they're rarely used as well in the new series ever again, but it is also one of the best of Eccleston's stories as the Doctor, examining the Doctor's character in darker ways indeed...



SCORE: 10/10

Next time trailer for the next story, The Long Game.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsmOyIJc2w0[/youtube]

REVIEW: The Long Game by Russell T Davies

SERIAL: PB4, 1.7, 1X45 minute episode

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


In the middle of series one of the new series of Doctor Who sits The Long Game, a story whose title only comes into play at the end of the season. Written partly to save money after previous extravagances and to foreshadow events towards the end of the series, it has been overlooked, somewhat. But is this just, or is it an overlooked gem in the first series?

The Doctor, Rose, and Adam land in the middle of the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire, 200,000 years into the future. Humanity is meant to be at its height, mingling with aliens, but mediocrity is everywhere, aliens are absent and the Doctor is disturbed. Satellite Five processes the news and information, and feeds it to humanity, and the news is being tampered with. The sinister Editor and his mysterious boss manipulate all humanity for someone else's ends. While the Doctor and Rose investigate, with journalist Cathica, Adam succumbs to temptation, deciding to use the knowledge of the future for his own gain. But who is behind the Editor? Will Adam change the future with the knowledge he seeks? And can the Doctor and Rose manage to bring the human race out of its apathy?

The Long Game is a fairly mediocre story with little real substance beyond a none-too-well masked satire that doesn't even have as much excitement as Aliens of London/World War Three. It seems to be a clumsy attempt to set up Satellite Five and the human race in isolation for the finale, as well as to write out Adam. It's not bad-bad, but it's not particularly good. Nice themes, shame about the plot and tone.

The regulars are, as usual, well-acted, though I think that the Doctor's abandoning Adam after what happens is rather abrupt and out of character, at least compared to other Doctors. Look at Adric, I mean. Bruno Langley is a good Adam Mitchell, though him suddenly becoming avaricious doesn't quite fit in with what we saw in Dalek. Doesn't contradict everything, but even so, well, it's a bit jarring. Of the guest stars, it is Simon Pegg who puts in an intriguing performance as the sinister and humourous Editor, although Christine Adams does well enough, and there's an interesting cameo with Tamsin Grieg as a nurse.

The direction, unfortunately, is a bit tepid. The sets are decent, but tend to range from the bleak to the garish, which is a little jarring, but not badly so. The Jagrafess isn't too bad a creation in terms of realisation, but in concept, it lacks a certain amount of menace, being basically a blob on the ceiling with jaws.

The Long Game, then, is disappointing. I'm not sure whether the series needed it. It's not really bad, just a bit below average.


SCORE: 7/10

Next time trailer for the next story, Father's Day.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AAS7pVD89U[/youtube]

REVIEW: Father's Day by Paul Cornell

SERIAL: PB3, 1.8, 1X45 minute episode

SEEN IT BEFORE?: Yes


Of all the writers to write for the first new series, perhaps the most celebrated in Doctor Who fandom is Paul Cornell. Writing many acclaimed original novels for the New Adventures and Missing Adventures lines of Doctor Who books including Timewyrm: Revelation, Love and War, No Future, Goth Opera, Human Nature and Happy Endings, he was eventually brought in to write a story for the new series. The story deals with Rose's past and the dangers of time travel. But will it fly, or will it sink?

Rose never met her father, Pete Tyler, and grew up only with her mother's stories about him. She asks the Doctor to take her back in time to watch her parents' wedding, and her father's death. The Doctor agrees, but after Rose sees her father die by being run over, she begs him to do so again. His reluctance soon proves to be well-founded, when Rose saves her father's life. The Doctor is furious because Rose's actions have changed history, and believes Rose orchestrated this. But Rose accuses the Doctor of not caring. After a row, the Doctor leaves Rose with Pete, and Rose's illusions about her father, in truth, a layabout and wannabe entrepeneur, are shattered. But there's something wrong with time. People keep disappearing, a mysterious phone message is being transmitted, the very first one, and the TARDIS no longer exists. The Doctor, Rose, and Pete are forced to take shelter when the Reapers come to clean up the paradox. But can the Doctor forgive Rose for her understandable mistake? How will Pete and Jackie react to their own daughter from the future being amongst them? And is there any way of saving the world before the Reapers consume it all?

After the below-par The Long Game, this is a breath of fresh air. It is a nice, emotionally involving story about the difference between stories and reality when it comes to people from the past. It is a nice little story about time and family, and about how different the Doctor is from his companions, as well as how badly the Time War screwed him up, and time. There's a few minor elements that don't work, but otherwise, this is an emotional rollercoaster. Paul Cornell hows us that he is as good a writer of TV as he is of novels.

The Doctor has one of his most alien moments here, chastising Rose for changing history. While his point is valid, in a fit of paranoia, he accuses her of being like Adam, and even seems (despite his later assurances) ready to abandon her. This seems very out of character for the Doctor, though it also goes to show how badly damaged he was by the Time War, and it is to Christopher Eccleston's credit that what could have been a scenery chewing moment turns into a more intellectual fury. But his willingness to later forgive Rose and try to save her, her father, and the people hiding within the church more than make up for this. Billie Piper is great as Rose throughout this story, so pivotal to her character. While Pete and Jackie are characterised rather annoyingly at first, they do develop throughout the story, especially the wastrel Pete, who grows into a finer man, with Shaun Dingwell putting in the performance of his life. But I find it hard to believe in Camille Coduri being younger (she actually looks older with the 80s hairdo and the fake tan).

The direction is nice, mixing heartbreaking moments with atmosphere as the Reapers begin to unpick wounded time. And the Reapers are a creation reminiscent of the Chronovores from the original series, but done a little more successfully, though I feel that they should have been even more alien (to our senses, anyway), more Langolier-like (the script mentions them juddering like something out of Jacob's Ladder, which would have made a nice touch had it been used). Overall, it's nice and good, if not quite hitting all the right notes.

Father's Day, then, shows that the new series has an emotional core, and while a bit hard to watch because of the Doctor's characterisation, is still good. Rose is given a background very few companions before had been given, and it will bring consequences to this story for some time to come...



SCORE: 9/10

Next time trailer for the next story, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsrUs5IMKns[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBNpUOAZI28[/youtube]