"Of course not, Martians look completely different"

The Christmas Invasion was the one piece of TV programming that I was most looking forward to, albeit with a touch of trepidation with the talk of killer Christmas trees and a seasonal feel to the show. I needn't have worried.

I enjoyed the series with Chris Eccleston, but rarely felt that I was watching the Docotor I knew. David Tennant, even in the 5 minute sketch broadcast last month seemed to be already familiar to me. So I was not worried about his portrayal of the central character, but RTD's writing has not always convinced me. From my point of view I felt his episodes of the series were generally the weaker ones, with the over-reliance of 'deus ex machina' or companions saving the day.

Russel entirely redeemed himself with The Christmas Invasion. I imagine he had a good budget for this special episode, enabling the production team to use a full orchestra for the incidental music (and I am warming to Murray Gold's compositions), and to use some great sets.

I don't intend to dissect the plot, others do that admirably and most readers will be familiar with it. I will say that RTD has learned a classic Doctor Who tactic - frighten with everyday objects. The killer santas and Christmas tree were well realised (exepct the tree base which was poor CGI). I really liked the UNIT HQ, surely we will see UNIT again and hopefully in a greater capacity. I enjoyed David Lewellin's surprise that the PM and UNIT people knew of the existance of aliens, and Major Blake's line "Of course not, Martians look completely different".

"Surrender or they will die!"

The Sycorax leader and their ship were suitably impressive, though the sword fight was perhaps slow. Overall this episode had just a little Christmas feeling (enough to justify its time slot) but genuinely felt like Doctor Who of old, something RTD's previous scripts often failed to do. The humour was toned down to acceptable levels, the plot was good and the Doctor himself saved the day - which I feel is important. I've nothing against the companions occasionally saving the Doctor's bacon but that happened all too often in the Eccleston series.

It was entirely appropriate for the Doctor to spare the life of the Sycorax champion. I always felt Eccleston standing there while Cassandra died was out of character, and put that down to the Doctor being a changed man after the destruction of Gallifrey (of which I hope we will learn a good deal more). It was also appropriate for the Doctor to allow the "big guy" to die when he was double crossed.

A word for Harriet Jones, Prime Minister. Although her last minute poor decision to destroy a retreating ship may rule her character out of future appearances, what with her premiership hanging in the balance, I hope she re-appears in the future. I also hope that the references to Torchwood are kept to a minimum. I realise the BBC want to plug their new spinoff series but we don't need a reference every episode.

If I had to give a rating I'd say 7 or 8 out of 10. A very accomplished story, could have done with being 10 minutes longer so we saw more of the Santas and had some more dialogue but it was a fine piece of Doctor Who.

And so to the teaser for next year's series. All I can say is that it's got me, and the wife, anxiously waiting for spring! The brief clips from future adventures are, of course, designed to have that effect but they genuinely look exciting. The new Cyberman retains the essence of the previous incarnations while developing the concept - as has been the case since 1966. To me, he looks frightening and sad which always seemed to be the point of the Cybermen so top marks to the design team. Having rebuilt the Daleks successfully, roll on the silver baddies!

Ok….the Doctor is back in The Christmas Invasion (herein referred to as TCI). Well for about five minutes and then he’s asleep the next forty minutes, only to rise again to save the Earth in the last twenty. It was fun, it was slick, it was even a bit scary at points – but was it really any good?

Well the answer is yes… and no! My initial response to it is it is quite good until the Doctor wakes up. I was quite involved in the plight of the human race and Harriet Jones desperately trying to keep their collective heads above water as the Sycorax descended upon them… but as for the Tyler family melodramas….oh dear.

TCI is much better than Russell T Davies’ similar outing from season one, namely Aliens of London/World War Three. It is executed in a much sharper manner. Suspense is built up at the right pace and there are no farting aliens – thank god! The Sycorax are a race you respect, the Slitheen were a poorly realised race wrapped up in the wrong story. With the Doctor out of action of the most of the story and Rose busy dribbling at every opportunity, one can’t help but divert attention to U.N.I.T. and the PM. The characters in this part of the story are well acted and supported by (for the most part) decent dialogue. Even despite the “Harriet Jones Prime Minister” gag being repeated at every opportunity!

However on the housing estate, Davies has reduced Rose and her family to an episode of East Enders. In past reviews I had noted that he had crafted dialogue for these characters very well. Now it has become clichéd. Jackie being the one who cops it the most with lines like “I’m going to be killed by a Christmas tree” (which totally diffuses the already hard to hold credibility of the killer Christmas tree). For me however, it is when Rose drops her bundle on Jackie’s shoulder, dribbling about the place that I began to get impatient. We got the kiss thing out of the way at the end of season one, but Rose continues to carry on like she has the wedding dress on stand by in the Tardis. Boring.

The Sycorax were great! Ok, not totally original but hey, they were nasty. The make-up very well realised and with the Doctor out for the count, having them speak their language made them all the more threatening. The wheels fell off however, when the Doctor emerges from the Tardis and it all becomes a little farcical. The duel which spills out onto the “wing” of the Sycorax ship was absurd. The editing also left a little to be desired at this point with much of Tennant’s reactions becoming fuzzy. Like Rose’s “look out!” as the leader swung his sword toward the Doctor. Tennant’s reaction was lost in a sloppy jump-cut back to him, his dialogue becoming almost totally inaudible in the process.

Now onto Doctor number 10. When he is light, he is very light. Almost like McCoy in some respects. Having said that, I do believe Tennant is an extremely talented actor. McCoy was badly cast. Having seen Tennant do the heavy stuff in other shows I have no doubt he can do it. I think part of the problem lies in Davies’ indulgent writing. The Doctor’s dialogue after the steps out of the Tardis into the Sycorax ship is embarrassing (references to The Lion King???). Much of what he said could have been reduced to a few lines. The sword fight, as mentioned was tacky. As was the hand gimmick and that god awful line “it’s a fightin’ hand”. It became a silly camp spectacle.

Tennant, like Davison is just too young. I’m not for a second implying either of them are not good actors. Davison proved his worth on numerous occasions throughout his tenure. Tennant will definitely be believable and will carry off the job credibly. But how can a 34 yr old actor (and these thoughts come from someone who is only two years younger than him and who is an actor!) carry off being an alien who is over 900 years old, with all the battle scars and history that we know he has? It is a big ask. In the same way an actor of his age and life experience would struggle playing a fifty year old man who has lost his family or experienced a severe trauma. Only life experience can give you the raw materials which you can successfully mould and use as you need them in your performance.

Troughton, Baker (T), Pertwee and Eccleston (of whom I am a big supporter), all gave us performances with great depth. All of them older by at least 10 years. Going by Tennant’s performance in TCI, he lacked depth. The wisdom, intelligence and style of the previous Doctors were sacrificed for cheap gags and gimmicks. Hmm… perhaps what I wrote first is more on the money… let us hope it IS just RTD’s writing and things will improve.

So overall, despite this somewhat down beat review, I enjoyed TCI. As I have written in previous reviews, for the average family viewer it no doubt pressed all the right buttons. It looked great. The build-up to the arrival of the Sycorax was suspenseful. But it seemed a bit of a cop out at the end. Having said that, the season two trailer looked very good. Bring it on.

“No, wait… That’s The Lion King!”

The Christmas Invasion proudly presents audiences with their first significant viewing experience of The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant). We’d previously seen glimpses of the new Time Lord in the closing moments of the epic Dalek-fest The Parting of the Ways, and the fleeting and unnamed Children in Need special (2005); the latter concerning Rose Tyler’s (Billie Piper) allergic reaction to The Doctor’s abrupt regeneration. Thusly, this hour-long special can be considered Tennant’s debut story. Is it any good? It’s OK. Does it compare with past new lead debut tales? It’s an improvement.

The plot is unsurprisingly wafer-thin and often cringe-inducing – Easily attributed to writer Russell T. Davies. The TARDIS crash-lands spectacularly in the London Powell estate, eliciting Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) and Jackie Tyler’s (Camille Coduri) – but curiously no-one else’s - attention. The Doctor springs out, bug-eyed, declaring “Happy Christmas!”, before collapsing in a form of post-regenerative coma. The next forty minutes concern a visiting homogenous alien race - the Sycorax - issuing newly-elected PM Harrier Jones (Penelope Wilton) an ultimatum: surrender Earth, or all persons possessing A+ blood will leap off the nearest edifice! Eventually, The Doctor re-awakes, and in moments, turns the seemingly hopeless situation into walk-in-the-park routine; scoffing at the Sycorax’s reliance on ye olde “blood control”. He swiftly dispatches the Sycorax leader in a blunt and uninspiring sword fight, utilizing a satsuma! The final scenes depict a demonstration of the mysterious Torchwood’s power in a morally-dubious sequence, Tennant donning his new civvies, and ‘Christmas lunch’ with the Tylers and Mick.

I’ve come to watch Davies’ outings expecting to cringe, and, inevitably, cringing. He’s a poor writer. The pre-title sequence closes with reliance on the classic/infamous (substitute as appropriate) Doctor Who joke, screeched by the cardboard cut-out representing Rose’s mother. Later, the same two-dimensional character squeals: – just to clarify her situation – “I’m going to get killed by a Christmas tree!”. Other dialogue triumphs include “Sycorax rock” and “You just can’t get the staff”. As Davies’ aim is to get the audience to accept and like the new Doctor as The Doctor, we’re provided ample allusions to past “new” adventures, a la Children in Need: Rose mentions the Slitheen – yet again – but oddly relegates the far more deadly and memorable Daleks to the end of the list. Fortunately, in addition to these inherent shortcomings, many deep and meaningful double entendres and themes are subtly expressed (again: sarcasm). “He’s not my boss, and certainly not turning this into a war”, declares Jones, of the US President. Very contemporary (and if only).

There are several triumphs in the dialogue area, like Tennant’s line regarding free radicals and tannins revitalizing him – In particular, this line is typically Davies’ Deus ex machina-style, but it’s also very Doctor Who. The Doctor can get away with such!

Davies also harbours a tendency to posit moral dilemmas without questioning them deeply – Not necessarily a bad thing, but it, too, reeks of superficiality. Jones’ decision in the finale harks back to the Jon Pertwee serial Doctor Who and the Silurians (1970). Who do we sympathize with: Jones or the quietly-irate Doctor?

So, in this context, is Tennant any good? Yes! Unlike his immediate predecessor (Christopher Eccleston), his performance is ‘effortless’, not ‘effortful’. I’ll miss #9’s more human and dark interpretation, but welcome Tennant’s quirkier and genuinely eccentric direction. Still clad in his PJs aboard the alien spacecraft, he addresses the mini-world of Sycorax war-lords with a romantic, idealistic, but generic speech concerning humanity’s potential and place in the universe. Or something. After a little thought, he acknowledges his plagiarism and corrects: “No, wait… That’s The Lion King!”. He’s a chatty character who verbalizes internal dialogue (“Who am I?”), is quietly (“That struck a chord…”) and loudly comical (“It’s a fightin’ hannnd!”); but maintains a slightly dubious side (“No second chances.”). I can relate to this incarnation more and am immensely enthusiastic about the second series. My only noteworthy complaint is that Tennant’s sometimes high-pitched voice irritates; but overall: Thumbs up! It’s well worth the forty minute wait.

Piper has less to do once Tennant emerges. Throughout the first half, she acts basically as a stand-in, although she doesn’t possess the ability or experience to persuade a horde of alien invaders to pull a prompt U-turn. Mickey isn’t particularly memorable, but not a caricature as previously depicted. I care more for Penelope Wilton’s performance this time around – Haircut, perhaps? The Sycorax, led by Sean Glider, are an ‘acceptable’ addition to the rogue’s gallery. Danny Llewellyn (Daniel Evans) is somewhat emotionally-bipolar: Initially he’s profoundly enthusiastic about the Guinevere Martian probe, yet is later equally worrisome about the yuletide invasion. He also serves as a reminder that Doctor Who’s gone Welsh! Chu Omambala plays Major Blake, boasting a UNIT insignia. Oh, and Lachele Carl reprises her American newsreader role from World War Three (2005).

It’s all fun overall, if feeling like a usual episode stretched into an hour-long one; and the hype doesn’t do it justice. The closing credits offers us an orchestral reworking of the main theme, re-integrating the (in)famous ‘middle eight’. Sadly, the whole piece is flat and unmemorable. The teaser for series two peppers our retinas with distinctly unimpressive aliens, Anthony Stewart head looking clinically insane and Hannibal Lecter-esque, Tennant kissing Piper (Not again! Why, oh why?!), K-9 and Sarah Jane Smith (Elizabeth Sladen), and… A weighty-sounding Cyberman. I’ve no doubt Davies’ll continue to disappoint me, but the new Doctor, Rose, a fast-paced series and promise of the Cybermen and K-9 will maintain my curiosity and enjoyment. [***.5/5]

Well, well, well, even the best of us can be wrong!

Let me tell you, I had decided to compensate for my terrible fears for Series 2, and Doctor Who’s whole future, by drastically lowering my expectations. I fully expected this to be rubbish – I had to, or I just couldn’t bear the disappointment (ignoring the malicious voice which kept saying “but surely it can’t be worse than ‘The Parting of the Ways’! Can it?”).

Imagine my surprise when, instead of a frothy high-camp Christmas satire in which the Doctor is even more sidelined than usual, I got another James Hawes spectacular! The effects, it has to be said, were great. That, and the direction, went a long way – it really felt like a fresh start, and was consequently immeasurably better than that previous episode in the summer, at whose name I shudder, which looked tatty and awful, as if all that remained of the dwindling series budget had been spent on a bunch of unnecessary and not-particularly-good-looking space shots, rather than sets or actors. (Still on PotW here, if you’re puzzled)

Aherne was all Who-ed out on that one, it seems to me, but Hawes, after the triumph of ‘The Empty Child’, is still fresh as a daisy, and very well suited to the show. His depiction of the controlled humans, and the UNIT headquarters at the Tower, were simply excellent. The sense of scale was enormous, and the episode gained extra credibility from it. RTD produced by far his best script as well, that much is obvious.

Of course, his legendary (notorious) wit misfired at times, as you would expect: the ever-more loopy Harriet Jones’ insistence on introducing herself as “Harriet Jones, Prime Minister”, to her immediate subordinates was one of those bits you just sit through in polite silence, the indulgent smile on your face slowly growing more strained (although it did lead to a funny moment where even the alien leader knows who she is).

Although Billie Piper shone – again, who’s surprised any more? – as Rose, who filled the ‘dramatic glue’ role, holding the whole thing together with assurance and panache, David Tennant was really at the centre of this episode – both in terms of our expectations, which were largely focussed on him, and literally: he motivated much of the plot. It is to Russell’s credit, though I doubt he’ll keep it up, that he managed to both: a) keep the necessary tradition of post-regenerative trauma going, and b) tone down Rose’s capabilities sufficiently to allow the Doctor, when he does get his get-up-and-go back, to take over the story. And this he did, in incredible style.

Tennant is probably the best Doctor since Davison already, in terms of sheer quality of acting, definitely outshining Eccleston, and Colin Baker and McGann, pretty much – maybe even McCoy at his sinister best! This (and the CiN special) have been one of the highlights in Doctor-performances in this dreary post-“Androzani” world; something of a treat! Plus, the dialogue achieved classic (if cheesy) status at times - “Did you miss me?”; “Witchcraft!... Time Lord!”; “It is defended!”. The only thing really conspicuous by its absence was the Sycorax leader exclaiming “WHO ARE YOU???”, and the Doc replying dramatically “I am the Doctor!” If I had been writing it, I’d have put that in! (this isn’t a criticism)

The only really dodgy bits were the threat of Christmas mass-suicide, broadcast for a family audience – although we can’t really complain, we want Doctor Who to be weighty drama, after all! – and the ending, an apparently deliberate snub from atheist Russell to the whole notion of Christmas spirit, and the idea of the redemptive ending. After Mrs Thatcher… sorry, Harriet Jones… blows up the aliens, and the pretty-pretty, Bridget Jones snow begins to fall, we are told that it’s actually ash, and the accompanying meteors are bits of spaceship. Hmm, nice. What should have been a perfect, utterly romantic ending, is spoiled rather grotesquely. It would have been really nice if RTD had let us have our happy, indulgent, white-Christmas-and-meteor-shower ending. But no, he’s a serious writer. (I console myself with the thought that the aliens weren’t actually very nice, really, and the ash is at least frozen ‘cos it’s been so high up)

But it remains good for all that, very good. Near-perfection is all the more annoying for falling a little bit short, but this time I’m not going to let myself dwell on how amazing it could have been – I fell into that trap with “Rose”, and, later, “Dalek”. Instead I’m going to do my best to relish the Doctor’s epic sword duel with the Sycorax leader, the sense of impending doom in the first half of the story, the TARDIS’ telepathic language circuits re-engaging and leading up to the Doctor opening the doors, the Doctor re-growing his severed hand and proving himself categorically a better hero than Luke Skywalker – and of course the Doctor defeating the warlord with a satsuma...!

I expect if I rewatch it I will begin to find Jackie’s manic monologue, the spinning Christmas tree, the ‘Lion King’ bit, the “Sycorax rock” line, Rose blathering about Gelth Confederacies (or something) and particularly that damn ending, intensely annoying. Solution: don’t rewatch it! Preserve the memory of a happy Christmas reunion with the Doctor, just as I remembered him. (Got to rewatch the trailer though, with the Face of Boe, Sarah Jane, K9, and the Cybermen! Oo-wah!)

So yes, for the moment, it’s good. And the key to it all is, that the Doctor was just so… well… proactive. It’s the first time since the McCoy years, Hawes’ previous (Steven Moffat-authored) masterpiece excluded, that he’s actually done something, wrested control of the story, influenced events, had an effect, busted a gut, prevailed through his wit and strength and mysterious Time Lord powers!

It was just lovely to get who I regard as ‘the proper Doctor’ back, after all this time. It was like awaking from an unpleasant, leather-jacketed, “fantastic” nightmare to find that the Doctor is back with us again, God is in his heaven, and all’s right with the world – at least for now. Henceforth (if this happy trend continues) I will be pleased to regard Series 1 as an intermission. Hmm, let me see now, what shall we call it…?

A ‘hiatus’.

Well well. The 14th episode of 2005 broadcast on the big day itself, and it actually beat Coronation Street in the ratings...remembering the dark days of the late-eighties when the soap repeatedly slaughtered Doctor Who in the ratings really brings things home. Blimey,it's been quite a year, really, hasn't it.

Cutting to the chase, the important stuff...I could've *sworn* I saw Robert Carlyle as an 'extra' in one of the crowd scenes with the 'A-positives' heading for the nearest high building. It wasn't a turkey overdose-induced hallucination, honest!

Sorry. The *really* important stuff. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I rate David Tennant's 'proper' debut as the tenth Doctor? OH yes.

Having the Doctor struggling with a difficult regeneration as others drove the plot reminded me very much of 'Castrovalva' (a favourite) and I think this worked well here too. Rose was an emotional mess, Mickey increasingly proactive and brave and Jackie came over all nurturing in the quieter moments; I noticed her placing a cup of tea next to the Doctor as he lay unconcious; as it turns out, rather a good idea! Nice little character developments here...but all leading up to that wonderful scene where the TARDIS doors open, and the Doctor enquires "Did you miss me?" I am so encouraged that from this moment on, the episode belongs to David Tennant completely...the initially off-hand Fourth Doctor-esque attitude towards the alien threat; his warm if rather addled reactions to Rose, Mickey and Harriet Jones; the instinctive way that he knows what needs to be done here...pressing the "great big threatening button" (love the way he says "button") and challenging the Sycorax leader; the heroic 'duel' fought in his pyjamas....indeed more Arthur Dent than Captain Kirk, and thank heavens for that. (no offence to the original, splendid Star Trek series, mind)

But there is still a steeliness there. No second chances for the Sycorax leader, and cold fury when Harriet Jones fails to live up to his expectations. The former, very Ninth Doctor, the latter very Fifth.

I adored the costume room/ Christmas dinner sequence very much. Beautifully directed and edited, and soundtracked by one of Brian Wilson's mid-sixties pop symphonies...wow. I love the Doctor's new look and grinned even more when he put on his spectacles. Reminded me of Hartnell, Davison and Jarvis flamin' Cocker all at the same time! (That's never happened before...!)

Moving on, Billie Piper again appears to be incapable of giving anything other than a superb performance, and I personally thought Camille was hilarious and actually rather loveable here, although I'm sure others will disagree! (Her hug with the Doctor and whispered "Are you better" at the end was rather sweet, I thought.) This Doctor clearly does do "domestic", and I was relieved that the possibly twee "everyone's safe, it's Xmas and, oooh look, it's snowing!" ending was a little more than that. ("That's not snow...it's ash.")

I thought the plot was pretty generic and simple (The Sycorax were VERY Star Trek-y), but necessarily so...a big invasion story with Christmas-y elements that was fun and dramatic and, most importantly, a successful introduction to a new Doctor. Some parts didn't work 100% for me (Thought the 'pilot fish' stuff was a bit vaguely explained, for example) but,as an 'old' fan (Do you mind?!) I am used to the regeneration process, and obviously it is crucial that the 'new' generation who adored 2005 'Who' are kept on board and take to Doctor Number Ten....with this fun hour of television with a terrific Tennant debut, I think things are going to be fine.

As for the 'Coming Soon...' clips; Phwoar. 'The Guardian' had a snippet the other day saying that Whovians (who they?) are already worried about the 'Rose kisses Doctor' clip...oh, come on! Context is everything; yer a good paper, stop making things up!

Speaking of context, as a 'bridge' between Doctor Who 2005 and 2006; Doctors Nine and Ten; I think this deserves a cheery 8 and a half out of 10.

Roll on spring.

I watched series one. I even enjoyed quite a bit of it. But there was one thing increasingly disturbed me on the way to episode thirteen.

I really didn’t like what the Doctor had become.

It’s not Christopher Eccleston’s fault, although he never seemed to catch the inherent oddities of the character to me. He was given a set of scripts that turned a hero into a time-travelling chauffeur, carrying the real star of the show to whatever time and place her greater common sense and interpersonal skill could be best used to save humanity.

Billie Piper was outstanding, and that’s not something I expected to find myself saying when her casting was announced. But what the Hell had Mr Davies, that self-proclaimed Doctor Who fan, actually done to the Doctor?

Maybe my lowered expectations for The Christmas Invasion worked in my favour. The first forty minutes may have dragged at times (especially with Rose was wailing on her mother’s shoulder about the Doctor abandoning her) but boy, did it pick up when the Doctor got going!

I had my doubts when David Tennant’s casting was announced. I knew very little of him as an actor, but I knew his age, and I knew what he looked like; and in neither respect did he fit my mental picture of the Doctor. That’s as good a call on my part as doubting Ms Piper proved to be.

From the moment he pulls the electrocuting whip thing out of the Sycorax’s hand with an indignant line about its more trivial danger, the Tenth Doctor absolutely owns The Christmas Invasion, amply atoning for the length of time we’re made to wait to see him. Darting around the highly impressive interior of the spaceship, talking at a million miles an hour, attention flitting between Rose, the Sycorax and Harriet Jones, he’s instantly the Doctor, and immediately in charge. It’s a joyous performance, infecting even the lines which ought to make you groan. "Can’t get the staff," he says, deadpan, before debunking the blood control threat in the last way you could be expecting. Wonderful.

I loved the Lion King speech, with its emphasis on admiration for humanity. I loved the Doctor suddenly pulling himself up on being rude, something his last incarnation appeared to take pleasure in. Most of all, I loved the payoff to Rose’s sulk about tea. "The solution to everything" indeed.

Tennant is obviously at home in the role, more so in twenty minutes than Eccleston appeared in a whole series. The Doctor has his old love of being the Doctor back, and that is the best piece of news since it was first announced he was returning to our screens.

It’s just as well Tennant is so good, since the first two-thirds of the episode are spent showing how much the Doctor is actually needed. So much for Rose, the equal companion. Full marks to Billie, she gives it plenty of lip-tremble, but the character has guts, and the actress is at her best when showing them. Her scared, defiant little speech to the invading hordes was her best moment of the episode, but it all pointed up the same thing. Someone’s gotta be the Doctor, as she said; pity only the Doctor can be.

Much has been made of the Doctor’s power, bringing down a Prime Minister with six words, but really, didn’t Harriet Jones destroy herself? What hope for a national leader who appears live on television admitting she can’t cope with a crisis? It doesn’t take a political correspondent to estimate the life expectancy of that kind of creature, even if she did hint at the kind of masculine genitalia her factual equivalent could do with displaying to his fellow "statesmen". The suspension of disbelief has its place in Doctor Who, but it works better for me with images of great big alien spaceships casting shadows over two great British fighting men than with an implausible PM pressing the self-destruct button on her career.

Still, Penelope Wilton is an actress who doesn’t know how to give a bad performance, and just when the incessant introduction was beginning to grate came the payoff. The translated "Yes, we know who you are" was one more clever Russell T Davies touch. Like the Sycorax leader (a bravura turn from Sean Gilder) suddenly spouting English, making Rose and everyone else turn to the TARDIS. Like the revelation of the Sycorax on Jackie’s television screen. He may have difficulty constructing a coherent plot at times, but the Head Writer certainly knows how to grab his audience.

Speaking of plot, I thought The Christmas Invasion RTD’s best to date. I don’t pick through every episode; if it’s entertaining and it hangs reasonably, I won’t mind the odd unanswered question (such as, what was the point of the pilot fish, except to add a bit of festive colour?). I could do without his obsessive interest in the Tyler domestic angle; Jackie still irritates, despite Camille Coduri getting one perfect moment in the kitchen. Just watch her look of hurt when Rose snaps at the inevitable "is he a different man?" question. I’ve seen that look on my own mother’s face, more often than I care to remember. A few seconds of real relationship adds immeasurably to any programme. More, and you’re watching Eastenders.

I’m no expert on special effects, but bashing up the Gherkin raised a cheer, and the Sycorax ship, like the Sycorax themselves, impressed. The image of still, silent figures ready to jump from great landmarks like the Coliseum was a bit grim (especially for a Christmas broadcast) but admirably effective in conveying the scale of the Sycorax threat. I could’ve done without Murray Gold’s crescendo of music as the TARDIS doors opened up, but that’s a nitpick. Otherwise, I barely noticed his work, which I mean as a compliment. Background music should remain that; it’s only noticeable to me if it jars.

I haven’t mentioned Mickey. Which means he didn’t make me want to put a foot through the screen. That’s an improvement on last year. Thanks, Noel Clarke.

And thank you, Russell T Davies for restoring the natural order of Doctor Who (with a bit of help from David Tennant). For the first time, I felt like I was watching my old favourite again. 8 out of 10!