Bad Wolf

If there has ever been a better acting performance in the history of Doctor Who, feel free to exterminate this posting!

I think Christopher Eccleston's performance reached a peak which has never been seen before in Dr Who. The stunned realisation of the loss of Rose, almost appearing pschologically damaged to the extent that he was mentally gone for one brief moment, was brilliant. Then, to follow that, his almost spitting mad shouting at the Daleks as he boldly promises to save Rose from their clutches was breathtakingly awesome. I was just watching in sheer shock - and wow! Expect a certificate 12 when this DVD comes out again!

"Bad Wolf" was sublime Who mixing the quiz game show of the current into a horrific world of the future gone wrong where one wrong answer to a question could spell death. The dawn of realisation for Rose that it was more than just a gameshow was also superby acted out by Billie Piper and her scene when she realises that she is for execution was almost tear-jerking for this hardened Who viewer!!

I loved the starting trailer with the Dr realising he had been brought into a Big Brother household of the future. His response as he sat in the diary room was hilarious. Investigating the power and grip of quiz shows and the use of some of the original sets really grabbed the viewer and the Dr putting the pieces together and realising he could be evicted was also a stunning moment. His escape with a fellow contestant was wonderful as he persuades her to come and survive. Again, superb acting.

The story neatly interweaves previous stories and it was a neat touch to bring in the space station from "The Long Game". The Bad Wolf references and the title to the episode still provides more questions than answers. Captain Jack's makeover brought a neat touch of humour amid all the killing and he is really becoming a great character on the show and quite a match for the Doctor. He has really added some glamour to the role and I hope he continues h next season as he is a strong part of the show.

It was actually very difficult to find fault with Bad Wolf which maybe just goes to show what a fine piece of television it was. Some of the dialogue was of a very high standard and the interaction between Captain Jack and the Doctor is always highly amusing. There is a time and place for that certainly!

But forgive me for lapsing back to the finale which was simply superb and expertly created. This is what Dr Who has always been about ever since you were a kid. The Evil of the Daleks and Planet of the Daleks always tried out the army of Daleks but on a limited budget , lack of computer effects, and a bit of imagination, the show provided us with some decent mass Dalek scenesin the past. But try it with a big budget all singing and all dancing Dr Who production and the results are absolutely thrilling. "Exterminate the Dr!" reasonating from every Dalek at the end was truly astonishing. Again the dialogue between the Dr and the daleks was absolutely captivating, and like the early scenes of "Dalek", are among some of the best moments of the series.

It is wonderful that this new re-launched series of Dr Who is actually finishing with the Daleks. The time war has been lurking since the second episode and has been a constant thread throughout the new series which has added some real intrigue.

An amazing penultimate episode as the series builds up to a crescendo of excitement, danger and all out adventure. And ultimately it is the Bad Wolf that is behind it all.Roll on next week after another absolute classic.