When I first saw “Dalek”, I had the same sort of vibe as I did when watching “The Green Death”, “Planet of the Spiders”, “Genesis of the Daleks”, “Earthshock” and “The Caves of Androzani”. In other words, here in 2005, we had another member of my personal “Doctor Who classic” club.

Subsequent viewings have confirmed that first impression (which, in my experience, are so often right). From beginning to end, I loved “Dalek”. It was my favourite episode of the new series – and I’d be surprised if it didn’t rank similarly highly in any season surveys.

It was a very shrewd move from Russell T Davies to position “Dalek” at Episode Six in the series running order. This guy plays the TV game beautifully, and he must have known there was a chance if things weren’t going well, ratings-wise, in the new series, the promise of the Daleks’ return – even if it was just the one truly-amazing Dalek – would provide a mid-season boost. As it happened, it did just that, even though the season’s success was already guaranteed by this point.

I’d thoroughly enjoyed the new series to this point, but “Dalek” took things to another level. It wasn’t “just” an excellent “Doctor Who” adventure, it was a first-class piece of TV drama in its own right. I’m sure even the people out there with no imagination could have found something in there!

And the “old school” fans who found the new series too far removed from what came before must have found an affinity with Robert Shearman’s beautifully-crafted, perfectly-paced piece. Unlike any of the other episodes in the series (with the possible exception of “The Unquiet Dead”) I think “Dalek” could have appeared in another Doctor’s tenure but, given the choice of any Doctor at their best to play the Time Lord in this story, Christopher Eccleston would have been my pick.

I’ve been a fan of Eccleston’s Doctor right from the off. I like the physicality he brings to the role. Jon Pertwee and both Tom and Colin Baker were all powerful men who really filled the screen – and Eccleston is of that ilk. And, without the bouffant or curly mops, his shorter hair marks him out as someone who can really handle themselves. I also enjoy his sometimes-criticised “inane grinning” – he’s playing an alien, why shouldn’t he grin inanely and have a rather odd stride pattern as he bounds along?

And he really delivers his lines with a passion. When Eccleston’s Doctor goes through a gamut of emotion when he uncovers the Dalek for the first time – fear, loathing, sarcasm, relief, anger, the lot, all in the space of a couple of minutes – you really feel those emotions with him.

I must admit I found the back-up characters in this story less remarkable than in previous episodes – including companion-to-be Adam Mitchell. However, this way have been because this was all about the Doctor, the Dalek and Rose.

The setting for the episode was ideal. The Daleks have always been at their deadliest in an underground setting (after all, that’s how it all began) and the basic idea of the last Dalek being held in a museum, and being tortured by a megalomaniac, was a cracker.

The initial encounter between the Doctor and the Dalek really was gripping. Nicholas Briggs’ Dalek intoning, “Doc-tor. THE Doc-tor!” emphasising the definite article was an edge-of-the-seat moment – one of the best scenes of the whole series. Simple, but so effective.

And displaying the Doctor showing genuine fear – an emotion never shown in previous incarnations – is one big improvement to the Time Lord’s character in the new series. Of course, the Doctor is a superhero. He’s physically powerful and mentally strong. But he’s seen terrible things. He may have caused terrible things in the Time War. His whole race have been destroyed. He isn’t invincible. He is vulnerable – and he knows it. And, although we’re not used to seeing the Doctor afraid, he is afraid here. Even of this chained-up, impotent Dalek. Very afraid.

Briggs – now, undisputedly THE voice of the Daleks – had some great dialogue to work with, but I really enjoyed the softer monotone he brought to his character looking for pity. “Character” being the operative word. Too often in the past, the Daleks have been one-dimensional killing machines or, as in “Revelation of the Daleks”, mere drones. But here, without Davros for the first time since the Pertwee years, a Dalek by itself was able to take centre stage and be a “character” in its own right.

And who’d have thought the viewer would have cared about that character? A tribute to Shearman, Briggs - and Eccleston and Billie Piper in their scenes with the Dalek. It must be difficult acting against what is essentially a giant metal pepperpot, and making it so utterly believable and watchable, but they managed to pull it off.

The Dalek itself was another triumph for the design team. I loved the transformation from old, battered Dalek to majestic, gold, killing machine after its extrapolation of Rose’s DNA. It really looked the part as it glided along the corridor (you can never have enough corridors and running in a Dalek story!) at no great pace, exterminating indiscriminately. This is part of the menace of a Dalek when it’s handled properly – you can’t stop it. It doesn’t have to be move quickly. You have nowhere to run to. It will catch you, and it will exterminate you.

Obviously, the effortless “elevation” upstairs was an added bonus, as was the “kitchen sink plunger” being used for more nefarious purpose than just being there. I wonder if the production team were tempted to go further with the “sucking” of the Dalek torturer’s face – now that would have been worth the 12 rating on the DVDs!

Talking of added bonuses, the Doctor actually allowing Rose to die (or so he believed when she was trapped by the Dalek) was a fabulous scene. The only thing from the old series which was comparable was Adric’s death in “Earthshock” (one of the great scenes in “Doctor Who” lore) and, even then, the Fifth Doctor didn’t directly seal his companion’s fate. More scope for great moments from Eccleston and Piper, who must look back on this episode with tremendous pride.

And a truly great ending to boot. Eccleston’s Doctor is, by this stage, mentally all over the place, waving around a huge gun for goodness’ sake! The Dalek’s plea for an order to die, and Rose’s softly-intoned clearance for the creature’s suicide was gripping stuff.

This was a great story – have you got that impression from these words? If there was a serious fault, it wasn’t one I could find. Even if the rest of the series had been rubbish, it would have been worth it for “Dalek”. Full marks to all involved. This was “Doctor Who” at its very best. And maybe time will show “Dalek” to be the best of the best.

Living half a world away from England can be difficult sometimes, especially for a Doctor Who fan during the first run of the new series. I’d been spoiled to death. I knew practically everything about this episode well in advance. Since its premiere in the UK eight weeks ago, Dalek had been hailed by many as the best episode of Doctor Who in a long, long time. Some were even calling it the best ever. Apart from these things, I was looking forward to this episode for another reason – in a week’s time, I’ll be leaving the country for a couple of months, thereby missing the rest of the show’s run completely. This was to be the last episode of new Who I would see in a long time. I was so glad – I am so glad – I got to see this one.

Joe Ahearne, I’ve just heard, masterminded the BBC documentary Space Odyssey, which was just shown on Australian television. I loved it. And when I discovered Dalek was directed by the same man, I knew I was in for something special. I was proven right only a few moments into the episode, when a classic-style Cyberman’s head was revealed. But it wasn’t just thrown into the background, Hitchhiker’s movie style – nor was it dwelt upon for ages like a fanboy’s wet dream. I guess it was somewhere in between. But it worked brilliantly. Henry Van Statten is a great character – evil, funny, clever, well-acted and well-cast – and his first scene strikes all the right notes.

When I first heard the Dalek scream, I winced. I suddenly felt as if I was trapped inside the Dalek’s armour, unable to get out, and being tortured to death. This feeling remained with me throughout the rest of the episode, and I put it down to three things – Joe Ahearne’s direction, Robert Shearman’s writing and Nicholas Briggs’ acting. When the Doctor faces off with it, the Dalek goes from gloating to immense pain within moments. And then we’re in for Nicholas Briggs’ greatest triumph so far – the Dalek’s first meeting with Rose. This is a meeting that could’ve happened in the first Dalek story, all those years ago, but instead it was decided the kids would prefer them to be mindless killing machines. That’s all well and good, but what if you were trapped inside there? The Dalek was in pain. Genuine pain. It was dying. That said, I was sitting up in my seat when Rose touched it, and it regenerated into its former, killing-machine self.

So the Dalek’s on a rampage. The best directed Dalek rampage in the history of this show. (Sorry, Mr Harper.) And I thought Euros Lyn was good! Joe Ahearne was perfect for this job. I’m glad he was kept on for the majority of the season, but at the same time disappointed that he won’t be back next time. Oh well. Dear me, this is brilliant stuff… the way the Dalek wipes out the entire squadron… without even touching the ground! The suspense is terrifying! I loved the reveal when it turned out Rose had been trapped behind the bulkhead. And when we heard the Dalek cry “Exterminate!” and fire, for a moment – despite what I already knew – I was sure Rose had been killed.

But this is a new kind of Dalek – a Dalek the Time Lords hinted at many years ago. Remember when Tom found the little Kaled mutant in the pit? Beautiful scene. And now, when this Dalek blows a hole in the roof just to feel the sunlight, we have the follow-up to that beautiful scene. Suddenly the Doctor turns up. At this point I realised the full extent of what the Doctor had gone through with this Time War. You might exile yourself from your home, but when you find out your home’s gone… destroyed by monsters… what is your gut instinct? Forget right and wrong – the one thing you want to do is find these monsters and destroy them. Thankfully this tends to wear off pretty swiftly. And it does with the Doctor, who watches helplessly as the Dalek begs Rose for one last order. We can now see this poor creature, reaching out to the light, and the one thing we want for it is… what? Do we want it to die? To become ruthless again? To be free? Wow. Existentialism in Doctor Who. This is new, isn’t it?

Yes, I cried. Again, I have Messrs. Ahearne, Shearman and Briggs to thank for this. (You gits.) And Billie Piper? Well done, kid, you pulled it off. I felt your fear too, because I was trapped inside that horrible casing, begging to be set free. I never thought I’d be writing such things about an episode of Doctor Who… but then again, this is indeed the Best.
Episode.
Ever.

"Dalek" marks the best episode of the new Dr Who series to date and not too soon either, many would say, following on as it does from arguably the series' worst.

It's best to dispense with the only real quibble first, which is the inexplicable empowerment of the Dalek's motive units from Rose's brief touch. We are told of time traveller DNA being absorbed and extrapolated - no problem there; even the smallest amount of matter harbours a staggering amount of energy - but not how it particularly differs from other DNA or why it is the only DNA that works. As a general rule, if a concept can be understood by anyone with a high-school level knowledge of science, no need to explain, but if it requires some leap of logic then some attempt had better be made. Often enough the rational, even if technically improbable, works well enough in this quantum age for dramatic purposes, although I must confess being hard put thinking up anything that might enlighten us regarding this particular plot point. Still, there's no point getting stuck on this one anomaly, as it - thereafter logically - underpins so much of what follows, including the frankly wonderful denouement.

Several factors combine to elevate the overall standard of this episode. Most conspicuous is the presence of the Dalek itself and the fashion in which it is presented. Fans doubtlessly want the Doctor's arch-nemesis to figure as a credible and deadly threat, and the story certainly delivered that. Loved the subtle updating of its casing and weapons system, from the eerie blue light emanating from its eye stalk to the first ever decent use of its sucker.

Thankfully, we also had a more serious Doctor this time. After being desperately afraid that his emotional reaction to the Dalek would be mishandled, I was gratified to discover how well they actually did it - fear, anger, even commiseration was all there yet kept in check; just when the Doctor's dignity seemed about to shatter it managed to be maintained - for we don't have to witness him crying or ranting to appreciate his genuine distress (in fact, I find it far more powerful the more it is internalised and nevertheless evident, which is a feat good actors can accomplish and which should be always appreciated). That the ninth Doctor is more outwardly emotional than the others is by now beyond doubt, and that's fine so long as it isn't driven too far; he's still a Time Lord, remember - a title of dignity and distinction. One more grumble, however: I do wish he would stop feeling guilty every time Rose is in trouble. I mean it's going to happen, isn't it, every episode! Drop her back home for good if it's such a big deal.

In the final moments we have a Dalek committing suicide. Heresy?! Believe it or not, no, for the living creature inside was corrupted by alien DNA, it was no longer pure - the perfect and most ironic foil to its own racial hatred. In reality a Dalek did not suicide, something else did. One has to admire such a simple but poignant conclusion to some of the most exciting television I've ever had the pleasure to watch. That its central themes derive from earlier Dalek stories - "Power of the Daleks" and "Evil of the Daleks" as all good fans know - is no bad thing; for a start they are two classic but sadly lost episodes, and I also believe that with such a long history, Dr Who has every right to pick from its own vintage, especially when it can engineer such a fresh reworking as this one.

Little more need be said. Message to the BBC: this is what we want! They must have some feedback system in operation. I can only hope most people agree with me in thinking that less adolescent humour and more guts will keep this series going, not just for a few years but for whole generations, in the successful tradition of its earlier, venerable incarnation.

From the moment where Christopher Ecclestone gives his “Earth Spinning” speech in 'Rose', I fell in love with this new series. After the very enjoyable Aliens of LondonWorld War Three, 'Dalek' redefines one of Doctor Who's great enemies for a 21st Century mainstream audience.

Firstly, thank you thank you thank you to RTD and Rob Shearman for inserting a reference to the Cyberman (my number-one favourite Doctor Who villain). It clearly shows that this series is deeply respectful of its history. There are so many elements that come together to make this episode an absolute classic. The first, is the apparently out-of-character motivations of the protaganists. We've always held the Doctor to be a paragon of virtue, a hero that we can all look up to. But like Picard in Star Trek: First Contact, his seething raging, almost racially-motivated-but-justified hatred of the Daleks is electrifying to see. But the most shocking element of this episode is the Dalek itself. Even as a child, I've never taken the Daleks all that seriously as deadly adversaries, even after they were able to climb stairs.

Until now.

Every single element that made the Daleks a laughing stock has been given a horrifying new function. Each new sequence demonstrating the Dalek's abilities was nothing short of stupendous. The use of the sucker arm, the swivelling torso. But the one moment that truly made me fear the Daleks for the very first time in my life, was the Dalek's malevolent use of the sprinkler system. This wasn't just a green blob in polybonded carbonate armour, but a cold-blooded killing machine that should be feared by every sentient being in the universe.

Those elements alone would've made this episode memorable. But what elevated this episode to a classic was Rob Shearman's brilliant characterisation of the Dalek, brought to life by Nicholas Brigg's powerful voicework. During the suspenseful moment when the Dalek is threatening to kill Van Straten, I found myself (much to my surprise) cheering it on. When the Dalek chooses to exterminate itself, I was almost close to tears. Will wonders never cease?

And we at last learn who the two main protaganists were during the last great Time War. It's also increasingly clear that the Doctor had a great hand in ending this conflict, but at the expense of his own people. Each episode of this new series thus far has dealt with the consequences of the Doctor's fateful decision. The Autons invade Earth because their protein planets were destroyed during the war. Jabe discovers the last of the Time Lords, and pays for that revelation with her life. The Gelth lose their corporeal bodies, and as a result invade Earth. The Slitheen take advantage of an economic slump after the end of the Time War, to sell the planet for radioactive waste. And the Dalek falls through time, to become the last of his race.

In summary, this episode is one of the most stupendous redefining moment in Doctor Who's illustrious history. After watching the rather-good-but-remade-for-Americans Hitchhikers Guide, it's a huge relief to see a series that manages to update an old classic for a new audience. Not only does it force us to revaluate an old foe, it will cement this current series place in the international psyche. A true, genuine, honest-to-god classic that ranks as one of the single greatest moments of televison ever produced. In my heart of hearts, I do not believe that this episode will ever be topped. Of course, RTD and co. will probably prove me wrong.

Doctor Who is back. And it's better than ever.

So there I was, a month after I’d seen my last Doctor Who episode, in the middle of my overseas trip. I was incredibly homesick, I’d just been living it up at the Edinburgh Festival (a happy accident), and now I was alone in a relative’s place near Stirling. Oh, and I’d just bought a Doctor Who DVD for the first time in years. It contained four episodes, none of which I’d seen before. I felt twelve years old again. It was the middle of the day, and I couldn’t wait till tea-time, so I closed all the curtains, switched off all the lights – mercifully it was a grey day outside – and sat back to watch The Long Game.

It didn’t take me long to sit up and notice something – I’d forgotten all about Adam! It had been far too long since I’d seen Dalek. So the TARDIS crew was now back to three for the first time since 1984. (On TV, anyway.) It was a frightening thought, especially considering how close the Doctor and Rose had become by this time. Their closeness was evident in the pre-credits scene, when they played their little trick on the new kid. Of course, in Who tradition, the kid faints. The Doctor looks at him, and remarks, “He’s your boyfriend.”

Er… huh? When exactly did this happen? Doesn’t Rose already have a boyfriend? And haven’t these two kids just met? This is Adam’s first trip in the TARDIS… how long have they been travelling? And if the Doctor’s just teasing her – it certainly sounds like that in his delivery of the line – then why does Rose reply with “Not anymore”? Simple answer. Second-rate writing. The last RTD episode I saw was World War Three, which was terrifically written. (We won’t go into its predecessor.) So naturally I was a little worried when I heard this opening exchange. Hopefully, I thought, things would get better.

Mercifully, they did. When the episode properly opened, and we were introduced to Satellite Five, I got a real sense of culture shock – far more so than in The End of The World. Don’t ask me why. Perhaps the direction was better this time around… no. Can’t say that. Euros Lyn really proved himself with his two consecutive episodes. The Long Game just looks like a modernised Colin Baker story. But back to the script. Yes, things began to look up, especially with the introduction of our three other main characters – Simon Pegg’s immediately chilling Editor, plus the terrific Suki and Cathica. The first “spike” scene made me feel very much like I was watching a JNT/Colin Baker story, but I was kept interested by the cutaways to Floor 500. Kudos to Simon Pegg for this achievement. I might’ve switched off otherwise.

Anna Maxwell-Martin really came into her own when she arrived at the top floor and her true identity was discovered – suddenly this nice, shy journalist is a cold, tough freedom fighter. And when she was eaten by the Editor’s “boss”, her scream was traditional and perfect. I also loved the way that was shot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – traditional Who elements are a breath of fresh air in this series.

Unfortunately we then came back to Adam. This guy, I recalled, had shown real promise in his introductory story. Now I hated him. Was this another case of bad writing? Probably not, actually. I just didn’t like his acting anymore. He was already annoying me more than Adric. Thankfully he then met up with the Nurse, beautifully portrayed by Tamsin Greig, who obviously relished her role. Has she been waiting for a Doctor Who gig for a while, I wonder?

The “investigation” scenes with the Doctor, Rose and Cathica were a triumph, and made me wish Cathica would join the TARDIS crew, even if she was a little sceptical of… well, everything. But isn’t that what makes the best companions in this show? And when she follows them up to Floor 500, we’ve got a nice piece of writing and characterisation – RTD hasn’t forgotten this woman is a journalist. Of course, the Doctor and Rose had to come up against the Editor at some point. And when they do, their interplay is just beautiful. I got shivers when the Editor hissed, “Time Lord.” Again, I get the feeling Simon Pegg has been after a role on this show for yonks. He’s just such a good villain. Unlike the one-joke Slitheen (or whatever their race is called), I finally found a villain I wouldn’t mind returning. And how horrible is his boss? Great effect… and great name too.

I cheered when Cathica saved the day – and Suki too, sort of. The later scenes between Adam and the Nurse helped to break up the action on Floor 500 and build up the suspense. But once the Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe (just wanted to type all that out) is defeated, and it’s time for the Doctor confronts Adam, I just wanted him to throw the kid out into space. But hey, what he did do was good enough. I’m not a huge fan of Rose as a companion either, but I guess she’s the lesser of two evils. It’s too bad Rose didn’t get much to do in this story, actually, but then again, The Long Game is bookended by two very Rose-oriented stories. So I can’t complain, and neither can she.

So The Long Game wasn’t bad. Cleverly plotted, for the most part very well-acted, but it still seems like a small-impact episode compared to the epic of the Aliens Of London two-parter and the sheer beauty of Dalek, not to mention the excellence of The Unquiet Dead and The End of The World, and the unmitigated excitement of Rose. It didn’t help matters that I sat through this story eager to move along to the next three, all of which have been purported to be classics. But for an ‘in-between’ story, The Long Game could’ve been far, far worse.

Sigh!.....Just what was I watching I asked myself? Is this Doctor Who?

Father's Day is in a word - boring! As some of you may have read, in my review of The Long Game I welcomed Eccleston's Doctor once again appearing to be relevant and active in the story. Sadly, the Doctor has once more been relegated into the background, he doesnt appear to have much to do and once more looks lost - just as I wrote in my review of AOL. One wonders if Eccleston left because the scripts were letting him down? RTD should wake up - here he has a fine actor, capable of performing convincingly (and then some - see DALEK!) and he is being wasted.

I just wonder what the point of the whole thing was! Plot-wise, things were wafer-thin. Im a supporter of the new series devoting considerable time to character development but this was ridiculous - and RTD, who is at the helm and obviously has final say over scripts needs to take a step back and look at what he is pushing for and ultimately approving.

I had worked out (as Im sure the rest of you did) very early on that Rose's father had to die for the time line to be restored - anyone seen the Back to the Future movies? - of course you have... I say no more.

As I write this I really struggle to find anything I like about the episode - I even watched it twice to see if my views would change, but alas this has not been the case. I guess considering his limited role within the episode, Christopher Eccleston delivered an excellent performance, but ultimately the script let him down.

The show is called Doctor Who isnt it...? For a second there, I thought it was called The Rose Tyler Show....

Bring on next week - please!