The End Of The World

After the intensity of watching 'Rose' and hoping the series would be as good as it appeared in the monumental build up, things calm down with the wonderful episode 'The End of the World'.

'The End of the World' follows the Doctor and Rose as they arrive on Platform One, where all kinds of aliens are gathering to witness the destruction of the Earth.

The plot is good, with a well-paced storyline that doesn't disappoint. It is a shame there was not more of a 'whodunit' factor to the episode, but the revelation of the true villain is fitting enough. The relationship between the Doctor and Jabe is touching and the last few poignant minutes are some of the best in the series history.

The one plot-related problem with the story is the lack of characterisation to the other aliens. Of course there is not enough time to do this in a 45-minute programme but you can't help but feel a bit irritable that the alien species seemed used on the off chance. Perhaps if each of the species had not been given such an introduction, the scene would work better (a-la Star Wars: A New Hope).

The acting is good, with both Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper settling nicely into their roles as the Doctor and Rose. The guest artists are good, particularly Zoe Wanamaker as Cassandra the last human being. The characterisation of Cassandra is superb and the tongue-in-cheek references to the taboo subject of plastic surgery give the episode its best bits of humour.

In all, 'The End of the World' is a nice story, with a nice mix of humour and drama, and maintains the quality of the series, which was established with 'Rose'.