Bad Wolf

В“The Ratings have just shot upВ”. How prophetic. One thing I have found about any script from Russell T Davies is his ability to incorporate pop culture references into his scripts usually with a slight and sometimes unsubtle twist. This includes many Doctor Who references in his Queer as Folk series right bang up to date with the invention of the National Lottery in Casanova. Now he writes for almost 45 minutes purely about other В“showsВ”.

I have to admit this episode looked like it was going to be a stinker. We were going back to the days of surreal episodes featuring Bertie BassettВ’s or Flying Knights. It also threatened the return of the celebrity casting ala the previously mentioned Beryl Reid, Liza Goddard, Ken Dodd. But then, I shouldnВ’t have worried. Not only has this series proved versatile in its format, Doctor Who (the classic series for want of a better word) has been doing the same successfully for 26 years (or 42 if you donВ’t actually think it has ever left the air). Look at The Unearthly Child (obviously), Planet of Giants, Inferno, The Deadly Assassin, Vengeance on Varos (so similar, in fact) to name a few.

I have watched this episode probably more than any other with the exception of Rose and enjoy it more each time. Even when I first watched it I found it immensely entertaining even though I didnВ’t initially think the format suited. My partner loved it from the off. It features BIG BROTHER which is a bigger love to him than the Doctor. The precredit teaser was brilliant especially with the classic BB phrase coming from Davinadroid. Davina, Ann Robinson, Trinny and Susannah were perfect in their voice acting to bring В“lifeВ” to the robot characters. A complaint he did have was that the music was loud and drowned out some of the dialogue. Some of this was intention especially when the Doctor was captured just after RoseВ’s В“deathВ” but I have to agree some of the conversation was lost. I also found some of the Dalek voices difficult to understand until repeat viewings.

Billie Piper as Rose has (in my humble opinion) won the award for best companion in the whole Who run. She is an accomplished actress and immensely likeable. Her В“deathВ” was genuinely moving. I knew she wasnВ’t really gone and did guess it was В“some kind of transport deviceВ” but doubts were soon put into my head when the В“disintegratorВ” left a pile of ash. Throughout this first season I have warmed to PiperВ’s understated facial acting, from here wide eyed discovery of the DoctorВ’s world, through her introduction to Captain Jack, to her lip trembling when she is introduced to the Weakest Link platform. She emotes serious feeling when required usually getting a good slice of an emotional scene in each episode. Piper has handled comic timing to perfection even if she has been given some dreadful puns and has sometimes been used to drive home a piece of exposition a bit too hard. I didnВ’t like her hysterical giggling during the Weakest Link segment. I thought it was quite clear that she was not aware of the terminal nature of the game and was playing it as such without the need to overemphasise this. Otherwise she continues to shine.

Chris Eccleston has by now turned into an outstanding Doctor. There was near any doubt about his acting ability in general but there had been some gripes about his performance as the Doctor. Yet now, he IS the Doctor. He has never been so alien before. He enjoys his life yet dotes on Rose. No more apparent than when he watches her В“dieВ”. He turns what could have been a very odd themed episode into a proper adventure that the Doctor would have. Just because Big Brother and The Weakest Link are now pop culture references why should it not mean that itВ’s part of the Doctor Who time-line.

Nothing special in the support cast apart from Jo Joyner as Lynda with a В“YВ” looking like another candidate as a companion. I bet she dies though! John Barrowman again doesnВ’t quite settle in as Captain Jack. Apart from getting naked that is. Its Who-lore (how many new words could I make up?) that thereВ’s something for the dadВ’s but now we finally get something for the mumВ’s and one or two of us guys. No offence to Jamie or Turlough but Jack is top-totty. However I watched Doctor Confidential afterwards and RTD did explain why Jack was there. As The Doctor and Rose are not characters that would not use weapons, the story required (to quote) a soldier. RTD was disappointed, as am I that JackВ’s butt was filmed but banned by the BBC В– Hope itВ’s on the DVD. He has become quite an entertaining character to watch but I donВ’t feel he has settled in as TARDIS crew.

There were enough references to the Daleks being involved during the episode, especially all the droids having skirts, gliding and you could say Trin- E and Zu В–zannaВ’s(?) nodules. Yet far more effective than the spaceship interior and the CGI army was the gentle return of the Dalek spacecraft hum harking right back to their first episode. The episode had more in common with The Frontier in Space/Planet of the Daleks 12 parter than any other multipart story. Yet although the two episodes are likely to be miles apart in style (I could be proved wrong next week) there are enough clues throughout to tie the two together.

I was disappointed the trailer was moved to before the end credits again. Saying that I would still have watched it.

Roll on The Finale!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!