The Impossible Planet

Such a shame. Ratings slump. Smugness abounding. A distinct drop in quality compared to last season. I'm afraid the BBC might well ignore the critical claim, awards, overseas sales, DVD sales etc. and start planning a surefire hit for Saturday evenings. Never mind the audience appreciation figures, feel the ratings. Panic has probably ensued and already something like 'X Brother Strictly Big Celebrity Factor On Ice...in a Jungle' is no doubt being mooted to enliven our Saturday evening viewing. After all, reality television is popular...and cheap.

Disengage 'sarcasm-mode'. Sorry about that. Yes, it is a shame that the viewing figures are dropping as I believe this season deserves a big audience, but the BBC are not stupid and I think that they know they are making something rather special and are well aware of the circumstances. This isn't like the late-80's when those in charge didn't give a damn about the show. (Yet? Oh no! Paranoia!!)

Seriously, I guess 'Doctor Who beats ITV1 in the ratings for the 22nd time in a row shock!' isn't quite as attention-grabbing...

Right. Now that I've got that off my chest, what of 'The Impossible Planet'? Well, as we're only halfway here I will try to keep this brief.

The 'base under siege' story has, of course, been done before, but seldom has it been done better. The format was particularly prevalent during the latter half of the Sixties Troughton era, so a few 'Alien'/'Event Horizon' rip-off comments that I have heard have just made me raise my eyebrows and sigh. Actually, the fact that that the threat is 'down below' and the TARDIS has been lost forever (well, y'know...) brought to my mind 'Frontios' more than anything else...that's meant as a compliment, by the way! It's still a format that can work when well done, and....

Personally, I thought that this episode was sheer, unadulterated, gripping, well written, very well acted and expertly directed *class*. The Ood are memorable creations, and the cast as a whole were great. I would particularly pick out Will Thorpe's creepy performance as the 'possessed' Toby and Shaun Parkes' charming turn as the stressed out captain...I particularly liked the lovely scene where the Doctor feels compelled to hug Zac as representative of curious, brave, "mad" humanity. The chemistry the two actors had in 'Casanova' is completely intact here. A great moment that envoked the 4th Doctor's "homosapiens" speech from 'The Ark in Space'....although clearly Doctor Ten is more tactile!

Speaking of whom...I've had nothing but praise for David Tennant and he is right up to standard here. The Doctor's chat with Rose about carpets and mortgages was well-handled with some lovely directorial touches from James Strong, who makes a very strong 'debut' here. And the Doctor's panic when he thinks he might've lost the TARDIS is utterly convincing. (Although his refering to his promise to Jackie that we would keep Rose safe reminded me of the part of the otherwise excellent 'Girl in the Fireplace' that didn't work for me; I mean, it was just her and Mickey stranded then! I can kind of rationalise this by thinking that when you're completely smitten..you ain't thinking straight!!)

So...the Doctor and Rose are laughing at danger at the beginning...but they're not laughing now. This was an exceptional piece of television, and if 'The Satan Pit' delivers, this could well be an instant classic that'll sweep the end of season polls...and boy was it great to hear Gabriel Woolf's sinister tones in a 'Doctor Who' story again.

I eagerly await the second part...