42 could only have ever gone one of two ways for me. After a fortnight's deprivation, this episode was either going to satisfy two weeks worth of pent-up cravings or it was going to crash and burn. Now whilst the Pentallian may have avoided that particular fate, in my opinion Chris Chibnall's episode did not.

To try and focus on the positive, I enjoyed Joseph Lidster's prologue that he posted on the official Doctor Who website last weekend. It took me back to the days of the Doctor Who Magazine / New Adventures prologues, which is quite fitting considering that we are headed back into Virgin territory next week.

I should also say that I love both the gimmick of "42" and also Chibnall's cryptic episode title. A 'real time' Doctor Who adventure, 24-style, is hardly unprecedented but it's definitely a first for the TV series. And unlike the advert-ridden 24, "42" is actually an adventure set in real time. No three-minute recaps. No commercial breaks. "42" clocks in at just under forty-five minutes (a good six or seven minutes longer than most episodes of 24) and they truly are forty-five minutes of real time action.

And as for the title, it has so many possible connotations. We have the obvious ? "42", because at the start of the episode the Pentallian has just over forty-two minutes before it will crash into a star. "42", because the episode is (supposedly) set in the forty-second century. "42", because it is the meaning of life, at least according to Douglas Adams, and in his novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe his characters face a similar dilemma to the protagonists in this story. "42", because it's 24 backwards, a television series which this episode emulates in microcosm. And "42", because Russell T. Davies wanted to chuckle at the Radio Times billing: 42 7/13.

"A playful title" doesn't quite cover it. It's almost X-Files worthy.

However, a clever title alone does not a good episode make and more importantly, in a real time setting it is vital to keep things moving quickly and keep things interesting. Watching 24, for example, I often find it hard to believe how quickly the minutes tick by; so much so that I have my doubts about just how accurate that ticking clock actually is. In "42", unfortunately, I experienced the polar opposite sensation. I thought they'd slowed the clock down! 34 minutes to impact? You must be joking?

"The wonderful world of space travel. The prettier it looks, the more likely it is to kill ya."

If nothing else though, visually "42" is a thing of beauty. The red, orange and brown grading really helps the viewer feel the heat. Both the look of the episode and some of the plot elements reminded me very much of last year's superb "The Satan Pit" two-parter, but sadly I found "42" to lack the same punch. Both stories see the Doctor in a situation that he has never really been in before ? which after nearly forty-five years has to be praised! ? but whereas "The Satan Pit" put the Doctor up against the Devil himself, "42" can't decide whether it's baddie wants to be Darth Vader from Star Wars or Cyclops from X-Men. That's if it's a baddie at all, when you think about it?

David Tennant made me laugh on Doctor Who Confidential when he said that Michelle Collins "in a vest and smothered in baby oil" was one of the best things about the episode; with that I can agree wholeheartedly. The vest and the baby oil help, obviously, but so does Collins' wonderful performance. She certainly makes the best of a very poor script, as does Graeme Harper with his direction. One of the most memorable scenes in the whole episode sees McConnell open the airlock and have herself and what is left of her husband blown out in to space. The shot of them both floating above the sun is a stunning and powerful image, romantic even.

Similarly, David Tennant and Freema Agyeman both give phenomenal performances. "42" documents Martha's first trip in the TARDIS as a 'proper' companion, as it were. She gets her phone jazzed up by the Doctor ? "universal roaming" ? and, in one especially emotional scene at the end, he gives her the key to the TARDIS. Most important of all though, "42" sees Martha truly step up to the plate and become the Doctor's equal.

MARTHA You don't know the Doctor. I believe in him.

RILEY Then you're lucky. I've never found anyone worth believing in.

First of all, it is down to the Doctor to save Martha. Once again, Harper excels in his direction. The escape pod is jettisoned and Martha drifts silently and gracefully away from the Pentallian; no music, no sound. It's another beautiful piece of television.

"I'm scared. I'm so scared? it's burning through me."

And then Martha has to return the favour, just like Rose always did. Here though, I concede that this does feel just that little bit more important. I couldn't say for certain ? believe it or not I can't quote every single Doctor Who story verbatim ? but I'm pretty sure that the Doctor hasn't freely admitted to being afraid before and even if he has, he has certainly never cried out that he's scared as he does here. Sure, he's said "I know, me too" and things to that effect, and I do remember reading Andy Lane's New Adventure "Original Sin" and being gobsmacked to see the Doctor admit to being afraid of death, but this is really something else. To coin a phrase, this is a fate worse than death; the Doctor's worse nightmare. Worse than the Valeyard. He'd not only become a killer, but a mindless killer.

And to be completely fair to Chibnall, from T-10 minutes and onwards "42" improves dramatically. It is like suddenly someone has turned up the volume to eleven! The scenes with the Doctor on the outside of the ship, where he first becomes infected, are breathtaking, and Murray Gold's score really kicks in full force. The momentous piece of music that we first heard a fortnight ago accompanying the 'coming soon' trailer is used here with spectacular effect. I'm something of a soundtrack connoisseur ? nothing beats John Williams' Star Wars Trilogy score in my book but, especially when you consider that he is prolifically churning this stuff out for episodic television, Murray Gold can't be far away from such greatness.

"It's alive? that sun's alive? a living organism. They scooped out it's heart, used it for fuel and now it's screaming? it's living in me. Humans! You grab whatever is nearest and bleed it dry!"

There were a few other things that I did enjoy about the episode. The shot where the light leaves the Doctor's eyes towards the end stands out as a superb bit of C.G.I., and I also liked the pub quiz-like fashion in which Martha and Riley had to try and open the bulkhead doors. The Elvis vs The Beatles question was good fun, especially the 'classical music' joke ? a nod to Vicky's comment in "The Chase", perhaps?

MARTHA: It was nice, not dying with you. I think you'll find someone worth believing in.
RILEY: I think I already did.
[Snog]
MARTHA: Well done. Very hot.

I also liked the fact that Martha got to have a bit of thing with Riley. Until now she's been a bit of a doormat for the Doctor really, but at the end of "42" she certainly wastes no time with Riley. What I'm not sure about though is whether the Doctor saw their kiss or not on the scanner. Inside the TARDIS he's clearly very shook up about what he has just been through, but his vacant expression says more than that. Much more.

"Have you voted? Mr. Saxon will be very grateful."

For me, the most interesting part of "42" was the whole Martha's Mum / Mister Saxon segment (Hang on, Mister Saxon? Isn't that an anagram of Master Number Six?) I'm developing a massive dislike for Martha's mother (just as I'm supposed to), and although whether she is being leant on by Saxon's people or whether she is happily assisting the sexy and sinister Miss Dexter (Elize du Toit) in her investigations is unclear, things are certainly getting very interesting very quickly. It's 'Election Day'?

Whilst I'm on this point, was it my imagination or was is it Phil Collinson playing Miss Dexter's bodyguard on the left hand side of the screen?

So in the light of the above, why do I not have a higher opinion of "42"? In short, because I think that the plot is absolute rubbish; words like 'dreary' and 'predictable' do not do it justice. Ten minutes of high-octane action at the end cannot excuse over thirty minutes of tedium. I really cannot get my head round how Chibnall could write four of the best hours of British television in recent memory ? the fantastic Torchwood episodes "Day One"; "Cyberwoman"; "Countrycide"; and "End of Days" ? and then when he gets the chance to write for the big one, to write for Doctor Who, to screw it up so utterly! It's tragic really as all the other elements in "42" work so well ? all the actors' performances; the direction; the effects; the music?

A waste.

In fact, so massive was my disappointment with this episode that I would go so far as to say that it is not only the worst episode of Series Three so far, not only the worst episode of the new series so far, but the worst televised story since "The Greatest Show In The Galaxy" back in 1989. Even the Confidential team, who have until now this year quite comfortably filled their expanded 40-minute time slot with new series material, had to resort to a lengthy trip down memory lane to examine the spaceships of the classic series.

However, I am often guilty of reactively judging episodes a little too harshly only to have them grow on me over time. To make doubly sure, I watched "42" again this morning and again, I got bored after about three minutes.

Furthermore, I haven't seen such a divide in the opinions of fans since "Love & Monsters" aired last year. I posted a bulletin on www.myspace.com/historyofthedoctor to ask my friends on there what their thoughts were, and comments ranged from 'one of my favourite episodes' and 'a future classic' to 'a bit of a disappointment' and 'total let down'. I guess it all depends on how you like your Doctor Who ? I admit that I'm not usually into the hardcore sci-fi episodes (unless they are particularly strong on the human element).

So whilst "42" certainly has it's fans out there, in my book at least the new series producers have churned out their first true clanger. For the first time since 2005 I have to say that this week, Doctor Who wasn't the highlight of my viewing ? an especially hilarious edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross (incidentally featuring John Barrowman and an exclusive clip of "Utopia") has stolen that honour.

Phew...that was some ride! I am beginning to think I should hav docked the preceeding Dalek episode a point as 10 days on I feel less positive about it. But Lazarus didn't disappoint in any way.

It was great to see Mark Gatiss on screen, and he gave Doctor Lazarus a wholly believable aspect (though my wife thought the "old man" makeup was poor). I was expecting a kindly old gentleman but what we got was a creepy, smarmy, dirty old man - right from the get go you realise Lazarus isn't nice even if he obviously is not evil. That often makes for the best of villians, they are more believable if you can see they're not just bent on destruction. Lazarus has a motivation for what he is doing, and in the same circumstances many sane people might do the same.

We also got to see Martha's family for the first time since "Smith & Jones", but isntead of the soap scenes with Jackie Tyler we are treated to an altogether more satisfactory situation where they are attending Lazarus's great unveilling of his life's work.

And what of his invention? Something akin to a regeneration chamber funded by Mr Saxon...if the rumours are true Saxon might well have good reasons for funding Lazarus's reserach! It is worth pointing out at this juncture that I have been pleasantly surprised that Saxon has not been mentioned every other sentence this year, I felt there were far too many Torchwood references last year.

As we all know, Laz's experiment goes wrong and his DNA becomes unstable forcing him to change into a hideous monster...and back into the young Lazarus. I felt the monster was good, but not necessary. Some of the dialogue between the Doctor and young Lazarus was truly excellent, a treat in an era of modern soundbites and something we wouldn't have had from a Davies-penned script (though his humour in Gridolck was fantastic).

The twist, where we think Lazarus is dead with 15 minutes to go was well handled. I really felt we were going to go off on some other tangent, and hoped it wasn't a prolonged family scene chez Jones. When it became Lazarus wasn't dead after all that was a nice surprise.

Also wonderfully written and acter was the scene where the Doctor tries to leave Martha behind. I really found myself wondering if he was going to leave her! Given how well Martha's character is working out I was very glad he didn't.

The final scenes in the cathedral made for a thrilling climax, with the Doctor's organ playing quite an appropriate way to do away with the monster in a non-violent fashion.

Overall this was very strong, if not perhaps a classic. Stephen Greenhorn's script is among the very best in terms of dialogue and the pacing of the direction was superb.

8.5/10

In 25 years time, all the nostalgia-obsessed 30-somethings will be discussing TV shows they watched when they were little and recalling that episode of Doctor Who in which there's a spaceship falling into the sun with a crew of strange aliens that need glowing balls to communicate, Martha gets blasted off in an escape pod, the Doctor's eyes glow, he puts on a red space-suit, goes down into a dark pit and meets Satan. And the guys in the gas-masks with hieroglyphics all over their bodies burning people up.

Yes, it's the Satan Pit all over again - if not in story, then certainly in look and feel. It's another patchwork homage to sundry genre movies, mostly too obvious to list here (though most effectively in the beautiful Space Odyssey-esque moment of silence as Martha's pod is ejected towards the raging computery sun-graphics). And like The Lazarus Experiment before it, it's an efficiently-entertaining romp... never dull, but hardly pushing boundaries; disposable amusement that doesn't linger in the imagination much beyond the end credits (unlike, for example, the haunting Girl In The Fireplace).

There are some howlers too, mainly concerning Martha's escape pod. Why put the controls for the pod on the outside of the ship? Why put them just out of reach of the airlock door? Why wasn't the Doctor frazzled?

All in all, I'd say it was a very effective episode 3 and 4: plenty of action, plenty of danger, a nice high body count. Now, if only we could find out what happened to parts 1 and 2, we'd have a perfect Doctor Who story!

With the sixth episode we are plunged back into Martha's world. A world of DNA experiments and mysterious men in black. Stephen Greenhorn takes the standard comic book cliches, invoking 'Spiderman' and 'The Hulk', pays homage to the venerable Nigel Kneale's 'Quatermass' and SF B movies such as 'The Fly' and then plugs it into the main themes now beginning to run through the series - what does it mean to be a human, is there hope in a callous age and can those blessed with the gift of immortality have real faith?

Richard Clark again shows how good he is with visual composition here with lots of tracking and overhead shots, a particularly stunning revolving shot (an homage to the 'Alien' films) as the CGI monster climbs the ceiling of the corridor, and some lovely bits and pieces glimpsing characters through arches and doorways in the cathedral. He gets a great deal out of the laboratory setting too, using reflections and back-lighting to great atmospheric effect. Another very handsome looking episode.

Book-ending the episode are two scenes between the Doctor and Martha, one where the Doctor simply feels it is time to let go and one where he finally understands that Martha doesn't wish to be left behind. In between these two points, we have a narrative in which Martha plays a significant role - being resourceful, using her skills and finally going back into the conflict to face the consequences and ultimately to the cathedral where she offers herself as bait to lure Lazarus to his destiny. I don't think the relationship between the Doctor and Martha is a carbon copy of the one he had with Rose. This is more about being an equal, facing the odds with intelligence but perhaps with a pinch of unresolved sexual tension. More Martha Peel to Doctor Steed, I think.

Below the monster runaround there's also a great deal more going on.

Lazarus and his laboratory represent the scientific principle when it comes to extending life. To him it is a matter of DNA manipulation, patenting the idea and raking in the cash. The DNA manipulation machine is more or less Lazarus' electronic God. Aptly, when Lazarus takes his spin in the machine, he isn't resurrected and given new life but merely reduced to the function of the Grim Reaper itself, bringing death and destruction to himself, his wife and others. Rather than enhancing life, he subtracts and extinguishes it.

However, as Lazarus may see death as the end of the lane as far as the journey of life is concerned, the Doctor understands why the human span must end. Death to him is seen as a valuable experience for human-kind, one that he himself seems to crave here. He sees death as not just something the body must face but also as something the entire being must embrace. It's something he has been denied and where prolonged life is a curse jn which mortals he has dearly known wither and die. Immortality is regret, sorrow and loneliness.

Lazarus' transformation is an opening of Pandora's box in a literal sense when he uses the machine. 'Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Orpheus in the Underworld' - cue dry ice and a personification of the circle of existence, the self-devouring worm muching up mankind.

The final showdown in Southwark cathedral, superbly played between Gatiss and Tennant, reverses the cold, analysis of the flesh as seen in Lazlabs for the echoing magnificence of faith's cradle. Where the lab maybe Alpha, the cathedral is Omega - a physical playing out of life's paradoxes, of beginning and ending - and the cathedral with its stained glass, vaulted roof and resonating sound is where Lazarus has a chance to empty himself of his ego, abandon hubris and rely on faith and hope to see him through to the end of his days. It's continuing a religious theme, centred on the transformation of mortal beings through ascension and faith, first intimated in 'Gridlock'.

So, kudos to The Mill once again for their CGI monster. Not bad at all, particularly in the scene where it's scuttling along the cathedral roof. This and Gatiss' very physical performance helped us to imagine the transformation scenes without actually having to spend lots of money showing them. The make up for Gatiss was exemplary and he found ways to work with it to create the character fully and to the extent that in the end we understood Lazarus' folly and sympathised with his failed desire in the sad coda of the death scene.

It was a good, slightly old fashioned monster romp, with even a 'reverse the polarity' nod thrown in to underline the Pertwee vibe, and it often veered into camp with Gatiss (very Julian Glover like) and Thelma Barlow deliciously crossing swords. Martha's family were fleshed out effectively and her mother Francine, played with seething suspicion by Adjoa Andoh, provided a pleasant flash back to the infamous Jackie Tyler slap and offered a tantalising glimpse of future betrayal perhaps. Tish Jones was effortlessly provided by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and I'd like to see more of Leo Jones played by the lovely Reggie Yates. They all provided the necessary grounding for the Martha character, an indication of future loyalties, without ending up being a re-hash of the Tyler clan.

Tennant and Agyeman were excellent, the interplay in Martha's flat a specific treat, knickers and all! And finally, Martha is welcomed as a fully paid-up crew member after a string of episodes that have drip-fed us the unresolved nature of their partnership. With more mentions of Saxon (Harold) here and an extended trailer for the second half of the series, I get the impression that events are going to move up a gear now.

Despite the slight apathy I was feeling after last week's episode I had regained my Doctor Who excitement by mid-week, no doubt at least partly thanks to a shiny new issue of Doctor Who Magazine and a few sly episodes of Frontier in Space. Therefore all was right with the world again when I sat down to watch episode six of the third series; The Lazarus Experiment.

Fairly straight forward story but so well executed. The Doctor gets to be a proper science whiz and fiddle with wires and all that sort of boffin stuff, Gatiss was excellent as a baddie not so far from the Doctor's level of intelligence and I loved their scenes together. This episode makes Mark Gatiss only the third person to have written for and acted in Doctor Who since 1963. I bet he's pleased as punch (whatever that does mean). He must have been thrilled to be a part of an episode that homage's Nigel Kneale as much as this one does with all its science tapping into ancient horrors. Thelma Barlow was an unexpected boon in this story as I hadn't expected a great deal from her part. Lady Thaw was as much of a monster as Lazarus.

The monster was grotesque and well realised. Scrabbling along corridors and leaping across balconies. Very scary.

Mr Saxon's Evil Little Helper was a nice touch - really building him up aren't they. How long has he been watching the Doctor? Since Canary Wharf? Since the Sycorax invasion? Since the Slitheen? He must be very well prepared to take the Doctor on when he's good and ready. Whoever he is.

Not crazy about Martha's family but they serve their purpose. Considering her Mother seems to have an extra function as Mr Saxon's pawn I'm not thrilled with the acting so far; Adjoa Andoh seems to be a bit more Albert Square than the Powell Estate. Also it seems to me that Reggie off of radio one may as well not be in it so far. Why were they all invited to this experiment anyway?

Martha is brilliant and I much prefer her to Rose; and also that her relationship to the Doctor is very different. The Doctor manages to be rude or insulting to her at least once an episode - which I love. He's got a real edge to him now. She keeps making moon eyes at him though so I guess that'll be where it goes.

DT, free of the winking atavism of last weeks closing scenes, is splendid here. Cool and distant to Martha at the beginning; his interaction with Martha, her Mother, and most of all Lazarus is a pitch perfect pleasure. Best of all is the Cathedral conversation between Lazarus and the Doctor. 'You think history's only made with equations?' Lot's of great dialogue throughout the script.

With it's glossy look and fast pacing topped off with multiple climaxes, this story felt more like a good old fashioned SF blockbuster and I think that was the right thing to follow last weeks psuedophilosphical clunking imagery and Star Trek sentimentality. As a result I was already grinning all over my face when the episode ended...

AND THEN... there's the trailer. We're halfway through the series and at the risk of jinxing it I don't see what can go wrong with any of the remaining episodes, Jack, Saxon, Cornell, Moffatt, Chibnall, Derek frickin' Jacobi! If the scarecrows and spaceships and explosions weren't enough for you there's John Simm in a room full of dead or incapacitated people wearing a respirator and tapping the table. The scariest thing I've seen in Who yet.

Vote Saxon!

Something different for Doctor Who, a "realtime" epsiode. My dad asked what that meant when he read it in his TV guide. So we knew we were in for something of a rollercoaster ride.

The Doctor and Martha answer a distress call and find themselves aboard a space ship which is crippled and headed for collision with a sun. Later it becomes clear that the sun, or something in its corona is alive and in illegally scooping up the star's energy for their engines the crew have sucked up the "heart" of the entity into thier ship....and understandably the creature is not overly happy about this!

One of the crew is taken over by the entity, whcih proceeds to take its revenge by picking off the crew one by one. Wearing a rather creepy face mask, every time it lifts the visor it shines what looks like sunlight onto its victim who is incinerated.

The Doctor and Martha of course have 42 minutes to save the day, which they do by finally realising what has happened and dumping the contents of the fuel chambers back into the area they scooped it from.

I liked the concept of a different kind of entity/lifeform. Its not entirely original but its unusual, a better idea perhaps than the Isolus from last year's "Fear Her".

Martha as a character came into her own when she was separated from the Doctor and trapped into an escape pod with a crew member. In that scene she earned her stripes as a top class character, companion and Freema is undisputably an excellent actress. The pod slowly, agonisingly moves away...and Martha bangs on the window asking for help, while the Doctor says "I'll save you" but of course neither can hear the other.

The tention is built up skillfully, something to do I think with Graeme Harper's direction and Chris Chibnal's script. At times this had a similar feel to "The Satan Pit", perhaps because of the claustrophobic space ship setting. The resolution was satisfactory, and we were finally treated to the poignant moment where the Doctor gives Martha the TARDIS key as a "frequent flier" bonus.

Then, the final scene...where Mrs Jones is clearly helping Mr Saxon track down the Doctor. Of course she believes Saxon is doing good, and is worried about her daughter. That was all done well. the Saxon references and the Jones family are being handled better than Torchwood and the Tylers generally were in 2005/6.

Overall I enjoyed, but it seems this series is stuck in fourth gear and unable to go up into top. Rather fourth than second, however.

8/10