The Empty Child

After “Father’s Day” I realized that Doctor Who had found a new life. It was growing in ways that us fans could not have dreamed of. To follow up such an emotional episode with “The Empty Child” makes me want to sing from the rooftops that Doctor Who is back and it’s better than we could have ever hoped for.

From the outset “The Empty Child” is a very sinister episode which will not only spook the children but the grown up’s too. We find Doctor and Rose in London during the blitz chasing an alien craft that crashed a month earlier. When they land the effects of the alien craft have already started. Strange voices can be heard crying out “Mommy. Are you my Mommy?” as a strange boy walks the streets of London.

What we are treated to for the next 45 minutes are a stunningly visual representation of London during the blitz. The effects are so real that they blend seamlessly into the action. And boy there is a lot of action! The pace of this story is relentless; it carries the viewer along with it thanks to the tight scripting and editing.

What we have here is a chilling horror story that is fresh and original and could only be compared to such classics as “Quatermass and the Pit”. With Hollywood producing horror by numbers we can finally show then just how to do it. I can honestly say that I was excited to have Doctor Who return to our screens, I just didn’t know how successful it was going to be.

Finally, I must bring up the contrast between this story and the one penned by RTD (once again!). It’s clear that Doctor Who should not lie in the hands of a lesser scriptwriter such as Davies. If there is a feature film let’s hope that the BBC learn from the voice of the fans and get someone else to write it.

British television has finally got its jewel in the crown back on its screens and I can’t help but smile!