Love & Monsters

This is my first Doctor Who review, after reading and enjoying this website for several years now, this episode has sparked me to write to you!

As a hardcore fan of Doctor Who since Tom Baker (when I was growing up), right through to present day, and experiencing the highs of the series (Genesis of the Daleks, Pyramids of Mars for example), and the lows (The Two Doctors, Mark of The Rani, Twin Dilemma etc), I find myself totally enjoying the new series. I think technically and production wise the BBC team are producing top-notch quality Doctor Who for the new generation, and it pleases me to see it back on the TV regularly. I still get excited by the cliffhangers, and the return of old foes such as the Cybermen and the Daleks.

This episode then, was a dramatic change to all that I've seen before, and I must give Russell T Davies deep respect for this ambitious piece of work, looking in at the Doctor's life but not from the Doctor himself, or even his companion, but from an outsider just caught up in a moment of seeing the Doctor when he was young.

After the thrill of the two parter Impossible Planet/Satan Pit, which I regard as a real high point of the new series by far, this totally threw the audience again into a whole new direction. No more revelations here about Rose potentially dying, or the dark undertones that have been present recently, but instead we get a fun, almost hilarious episode that, although I should hate and detest with every fibre of my being as a Doctor Who fan, I cannot!

I thought it was great fun. Peter Kay as the Abzorbaloff just made me laugh outright at the screen, especially the chase sequence into the street towards the end. Nobody else could have pulled this character off than Peter Kay - who did fabulously! I must also give respect and admiration to Jackie Tyler here, who I have found annoying and irritating throughout the two new series', but here I see a different side to her - the moment where she finds Elton's photograph in his jacket is excellent. The way she defends BOTH the Doctor and Rose adds to her character, and was excellently played by the actress.

I think the series needed a small breather in between all the excellent stuff that has gone on before, and this provided clean, healthy fun and entertainment. I did not take it seriously at all, nor is it destined to be a 'must see' doctor who episode, but it just goes to show the versatility and ambition this show still has, after all this time.

I know that if I had the coveted job of writing for Doctor Who (and boy I have tried!) I would be writing darker, more atmospheric pieces quite like The Satan Pit. This is the Doctor Who I remember, the scary ones, the ones with excellent stories and sci-fi, the ones that challenged your views and beliefs.

This was a complete contrast, but perfect for the 7 O'Clock time slot, and perfect to give us a bit of comedy and fun into the series. I am sure I will be smiling in a few weeks time at the image of Peter Kay running as the Abzorbaloff!