Love & Monsters

In one word, CRAP! In nine words, a genuine contender for worst Doctor Who episode ever. Really, this plumbs depths previously only explored by the likes of Dimensions In Time. I’d rather be watching Timelash.

There were good aspects to it though. I had reservations about a story centred around a monster designed by a Blue Peter viewer, but the absorbaloff was quite well realised and given a believable reason for absorbing people. And as Victor Kennedy or the absorbaloff it was well acted by Peter Kay. I have no problems with a story concerning a group of people whose lives have somehow been touched by the Doctor getting together to search for him. But the script must have spent twenty minutes establishing the history of their group when three would have done. Dan Zeff’s direction was adequate, I don’t think he could have done much to add pace to a script that simply had nothing to engage the viewer until the final 15 minutes.

As for the rest of the story, utter tripe. Sorry Russell but this one should have never been allowed to be filmed. I actually think that given the premise, I could come up with a better story. The Doctor sort of saving Ursula in the form of a face protruding from a paving stone, with the utterly gratuitous line “we have a sex life, of sorts” was shameful.

1/10