The End Of The World

End of the World is undoubtedly unlike any episode of Doctor Who I have ever seen, and I’ve seen quite a few! Superb aliens, a tearful Doctor, one of the rudest jokes ever in to be heard in the series and a bit of Britney, all add up to one of the cleverest, hilarious and emotional episodes ever.

Some fans may find the outlandish nature of the episode too much to take. If this season has an "oddball" story, then this could be it. The woman who wrote to Points of View exclaiming disgust at the Doctor’s scene with Jackie Tyler in her bedroom was probably straight back on the phone when she heard Cassandra’s funniest line. I have to say it took me a second to register it and then my reaction was one of hilarious disbelief…

The sets were superb and any criticisms of the special effects for Rose should be quashed. The space effects, the Sun and the Earth exploding were absolutely superb and of a standard as high as any US TV series. The costumes and alien make-up were also exemplary, although it was a shame the Face of Boe and the Moxx of Balhoon didn’t really do much.

But it wasn’t a load of style and no substance. Eccleston and Piper have already established a warm and genuine relationship between the Doctor and Rose in their scenes together. No wonder the final scene is executive producer Julie Gardner’s favourite.

Two supporting characters that particularly stood out were Jasmin Bannerman as Jabe and Becky Armory as Raffalo. Just as Mark Benton did in Rose, Armory successfully portrayed a likeable and credible character in such a short space of time, that it was rather sad to see her killed off. 

Likewise Bannerman as the Tree Queen was also excellent. Her scenes with the Doctor were funny at first, again some fans may have baulked at the sight of her flirting at the Doctor. But later on, where she tells him she knows who he is, her performance was very sensitive and moving, effectively demonstrating that this version of Doctor Who is going to have an emotional depth as well as action and adventure. 

Although it was perhaps rather obvious that Cassandra was the villain, Wanamaker made the best of the very funny script and certainly helped to make the character memorable and enjoyable.

I have to say I am truly enjoying this new series (as are many friends and family who aren’t fans) but am left wondering how it can get any better?