The Idiot's Lantern

As a Doctor Who fan, IВ’m sure Mark Gatiss was delighted to be asked to write an episode of Series Two. Whether he was quite so thrilled when he found out where his contribution featured in the pecking order, IВ’m not so sure. The midpoint episode, The IdiotВ’s Lantern was coming hot on the heels of the CybermenВ’s return, plus an episode from the writer of last yearВ’s fansВ’ No.1 story, plus the high-profile return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9. It was a tough position, the most difficult of the season, but Gatiss filled it admirably with a lovingly-crafted story, full of imagery and strong performances, especially from the three lead players.

Structurally, The IdiotВ’s Lantern wasnВ’t a million miles away from GatissВ’s well-received contribution to Series One, The Unquiet Dead. Both were set in EarthВ’s past, they featured an alien presence with designs on the planetВ’s population for their own needs and also called for a lot of computer-generated flashing lights! Both were also adorned with a cracking pre-credits sequence (although, as I seem to point out every week, their excellence is now almost a given) complete with an iconic image В– in this case, a fork of strobe light protruding from a 1950s TV set to suck the face from its viewer. Great stuff! Usual great work from The Mill.

Billie Piper in her flowing pink dress looked fantastic and she really appeared to be enjoying herself В– as did David Tennant. I think the relationship between Rose and The Doctor benefited greatly from MickeyВ’s departure (although, as a continuity fan, it might have been nice had he merited at least a mention in passing!). The old adage В“twoВ’s companyВ” was never more applicable than to Rose and The Doctor. It still doesnВ’t have the intensity of the relationship pre-regeneration, but we have six more episodes this season В– we might get there.

I thought the core of the story В– The Wire using the TV sets of the nation to В“feed offВ” the population В– was a strong one, and perfectly paced, which isnВ’t easy in this single-episode format. Again, itВ’s worth stressing how difficult it is to build up characterisation in such a short space of time. Russell T Davies is exceptional at this aspect, and Gatiss followed suit here. The Connolly family were an important part of the story, but a poor writer would never be able to make you care about them in one episode. Gatiss managed that, and was able to weave in a subtext about an authoritarian post-war patriarch, who essentially ruled the roost by fear В– a subtext still applicable in many family dynamics today.

Maureen Lipman as The Wire was an inspired piece of casting В– can you imagine anyone else playing that role? She portrayed it absolutely perfectly. Lipman has the gravitas to carry off the part of a 50s BBC announcer, but brought out the dry humour in the script by not sending it up, and also delivered no little menace. A fabulous performance. Piper and Tennant were also excellent, with the former delivering her finest episode of the season. Or, to be more accurate, Rose was given a better slice of the action than has been the case in every other episode except New Earth. Now itВ’s В“just the two of usВ” again, I expect The Dynamic Duo to grow ever stronger together until the seasonВ’s end.

There were plenty of good moments along the way. I donВ’t recall The Doctor being laid out by a punch too often В– he took a decent slap from Jackie in Aliens Of London, of course В– and I found that rather refreshing, showing itВ’s not all psychic paper and sonic screwdrivers. He can be floored by a whack like everyone else. To use a footballing metaphor, it was Route One . . .

Rose falling victim to The Wire was obviously a strong part of the tale, as was The Doctor seeing her face В“trappedВ” on one of the TV sets. The scene of all the stolen faces on the bank of screens was quite creepy В– rather reminiscent of the denouement to The Five Doctors, when the Time Lords seeking immortality were entombed for all eternity . . . being buried alive taps into a natural fear of most people, and that was the sort of vibe given here.

And, of course, it was an exciting climax. The Doctor chasing the unfortunate Mr Magpie and The Wire up the transmitter mast of Alexandra Palace was good fun, and really well shot. Imagine what that would have looked like on the showВ’s previous budget . . .

There are fans who donВ’t like Doctor Who historicals period, so The IdiotВ’s Lantern В– like The Girl In The Fireplace В– wonВ’t take top rank when the post-season gongs are handed out. This is an individualВ’s review, though, and, for this individual idiot, Episode Seven shone brightly on his lantern. Like Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss is a safe pair of hands for a Doctor Who script, with an appreciation of the showВ’s rich history. I look forward to his third contribution to the series.