The Satan Pit

The Devil rides out...on a rocket ship. Or *a* devil, anyway. A Beast of some sort, certainly.

Possessed creatures marauding. Humans fleeing. Courage, fear, sacrifice, death. Oh, the humanity. Plenty of action/adventure here..superbly done. (Come back anytime, Mr Strong.) And who didn't smile at the mention of 'ventilation shafts'?

Way down below, the Doctor dangles. ('The Doctor Dangles'? Hmmm. No, no, no...'The Satan Pit' is a good title!) His belief system is being challenged and he discusses faith with his only contact, Ida. (A lovely performance from Claire Rushbrook); then he falls...

The Beast has been playing on "basic fears" but the Doctor's words have a galvanising effect on the unnerved humans (a common theme these days) and Rose is stirred into action, in effect taking on the Doctor's role. Brave, smart, incredibly loyal Rose. Others have commented upon the characters development this season (or lack of it, thus far?) and I can see where they're coming from, but thankfully this script gives her a number of great moment and, typically, Billie Piper rises to the occasion, giving what I believe to be one of her best performances to date. Favourite moments include "..could've said, you stupid *******" (fill in the blank, although I think it began with a 'B'. It definately wasn't 'timelord' !) ; her passionate refusal to leave the base, even though it looks like the Doctor is a goner; and the moment where she justifies, again, the Doctor's belief in her. ("Go to hell!!") Whether the character dies soon in battle or not, I'm personally gonna miss Billie Piper when she moves on.

I've already mentioned Shaun Parkes and Will Thorp, and they were great again this week. Zac becomes increasingly confident as a leader over these 45 minutes, and I think Thorp's brilliantly edgy performance as Toby, whether possessed or not, must surely figure strongly in the 'end of season' polls. I hope so. His pre-death rant saw an actor really going for it big-time. Respect.

So, does the Doctor meet the Devil? Or a devil? Or just a nasty alien Beast? He doesn't seem to know, or indeed *want* to know. Whatever, the Beast was a brilliant creation, and I wonder how the kids might've reacted. I'm no youngster, but when It was first revealed, I thought, appropriately, "Bl**dy Hell!" Ah, that'll be your standard saturday evening television with a big, red, fire-breathing Beastie, then...

As for David Tennant...brilliant. Whether conversing with the Beast with insensity, intelligence and skill, or being quietly relective whilst hanging by a thread...he nails it completely. Fantastic.

Well, I got a bit sarky and defensive last week after the Media Guardian story and some comments directed my way by "non fans" who had dismissed 'The Impossible Planet" as a rip-off of (Fill in blank)...silly, really. Getting so protective about a T.V. Show...but what the hey! It's a special programme.

When 'Doctor Who' is good, it is very very good. And when it is great...it is wonderful.

This was wonderful....10/10.