When you mix together a lot of ingredients, you are going to get a dark brew, and this is what The Lazarus Experiment turned out to be. I am not sure if I know the exact recipe, but I think that first you add a healthy dose of Robert Louis Stevenson's Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, together with a dash of David Cronenberg's The Fly. Then you give the whole thing a classic biblical setting straight from the eleventh chapter of St. John's Gospel, and you throw in some obtuse quotes from T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and The Hollow Men. You sprinkle the whole thing with some nifty CGI, some effective makeup and promising new characters just waiting to be developed in future episodes, and you have got a very entertaining episode six.

Doctor Lazarus is a mad scientist in search of the fountain of youth. Unfortunately for him, it does not come as easy as it does in Oscar Wilde's great novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. In that great decadent Victorian work, Gray does not actively seek youth by scientific means, it just comes to him one day via art and the kind of artifice that verges on magic. In The Lazarus Experiment, the title villain works towards similar results by using the time-tested traditions of sci-fi mad scientist research. For both Gray and especially for Lazarus, eternal youth carries some dire results, plenty of drawbacks, and the kind of side-effects that should make any rational thinking man of science throw out his bunsen burner and dedicate himself to less dangerous work. Lucky for us and humanity, the Doctor happens to be in attendance at the unveiling of Doctor Lazarus's creepy way-back machine, and he is able to thwart the horrible side-effect mutation that creeps into Dr. Lazarus's existence in the very same way in which Mr. Hyde often usurped the body of his literary better half.

The entire episode, like Wilde's literature, has an inescapable end of the century moldy air to it. It starts with the great old man makeup that transforms actor/writer Mark Gatiss (he is the author of one of my favorite Dr. Who episodes: The Unquiet Dead) into a seventy-six year old ready to be reborn. Throughout the episode we feel that we are nearing the end of something, but we are not quite sure what it is. The TARDIS's return to Martha Jones's apartment, at the start of the episode, for instance, is described as "the end of the line," and the show's denouement concludes at dark, empty, centuries-old Suffolk Cathedral with a monstrous Dr. Lazarus falling from the bell-tower ? the fall of Lucifer ? to the strains of a pipe organ, with all the stops pulled out that turns out to be the not too convincing deus ex machina of the story. By the way, this quasi-musical tour-de-force banging on the organ's keys and pedals is played by the Doctor with the kind of aplomb that would make the Phantom of the Opera really envious.

This episode delves further inside the relationship between Doctor and new companion, by exploring Martha Jones's family. We are introduced to her sister, who works for Dr. Lazarus, and we also get to meet Martha's brother and her mother. Mrs. Jones, portrayed by Adjoa Andoh, is one tough lady who, right from the start of the episode, seems to have made up her mind that the Doctor is just no good for her baby. In addition, a mysterious man named Harold Saxon, whom Mrs. Jones meets at Lazarus Laboratories, manages to completely poison her mind against the Doctor by revealing to her a secret that culminates in Mrs. Jones attacking the Doctor's face with an old-fashioned slap. The Doctor's precious comment about mothers as he rubs his sore cheek was the comedy highlight of this dark show.

The Lazarus Experiment turned out to be a heady, neo-baroque concoction that will surely set the stage for the upcoming episodes that will follow. By the looks of it, the episode that will air in two weeks promises to be one of the most memorable of this remarkable season.

After the unwieldy and ultimately disappointing 'Daleks in Manhattan'/'Evolution of the Daleks' comes 'The Lazarus Experiment', an episode that is pure filler, with a clich? ridden plot that sees a mad scientist accidentally turning himself into a monster that devours people, and eventually falls to its death from a bell-tower, but hugely entertaining nonetheless.

Professor Lazarus is like one of those old Marvel super-villains whose name predicts his fate, but rather than going for a simple Jekyll and Hyde scenario, writer Stephen Greenhorn creates an arrogant, cruel and deeply unpleasant character, a fact that starts to become obvious before his transformation when he clumsily gropes Tish's hand. Following his rejuvenation he becomes a proper gloating villain, showing no remorse for the fact that he now has to suck the life-force from other people to survive, and who coldly rejects Lady Thaw, revolted at her decrepit form now that he is a young man again. It all makes for very traditional villainy, and Mark Gatiss is perfectly cast in the role, hamming it up with glee and managing to be enormously entertaining in the process. In contrast to, say, Roger Lloyd-Pack's brand of "Bwa-ha-ha" ham in 'Rise of the Cybermen'/'The Age of Steel', Gatiss reigns in the over-the-top aspects of his performance just enough to make Lazarus rather fun, and clearly throws himself into the part with enormous enthusiasm, which rubs off on this viewer at least. He's also especially good when Lazarus is reflecting on the past, particularly when he's drenched in sweat and wrapped in a blanket in the cathedral.

Greenhorn also uses Lazarus to make comments about the nature of humanity, but does so in slightly less obvious ways than I first expected when I first heard the line "change what it means to be human", and in doing so makes him a suitable match for the Doctor. Simply put, when the Doctor is pompously telling Lazarus what humanity is all about, Lazarus' rejoinder that the desperate need to survive is very human is quite true, and tellingly when he scathingly asks the Doctor "who are you to judge me?" the Doctor doesn't seem to have a convincing answer to hand. The Doctor's initial objection to Lazarus' experiment prior to any obvious drawbacks also briefly makes him look like he arrogantly opposes any scientific development that he doesn't like, and this works well in context, as a mysterious suited figure whispers dire warnings about him into Francine's ear, a fact which the Doctor remains oblivious to here. The end result is that the Doctor's bull-in-a-China-shop approach to meddling without bothering to explain anything to anyone starts to make him look rather questionable to anyone who doesn't know him, and coupled with more references to the mysterious Harold Saxon, who obviously knows who the Doctor is, starts to give the impression that he's being slowly outmanoeuvred.

Tennant continues to be more restrained than in the past, and his frantic game of cat-and-mouse with Lazarus is very entertaining, as he improvises on the fly, blowing up laboratories, and desperately locking doors behind him in a bid to slow Lazarus down. More technobabble is used to get him out of trouble, but when he's forced to improvise inside Lazarus' machine and temporarily deals with his enemy by reversing the polarity of the machine, Greenhorn's insertion of the line "really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity, must be a bit out of practice" makes it feel like a pleasing nod to the past. I also, in principle, like the idea of the Doctor despatching the monster with manic organ playing, although points are deducted for using the Davis ex machina as window dressing, as well as using it as a DNA detector earlier.

Martha's intelligence seems to have diminished somewhat since 'Smith and Jones', as she becomes a generic companion here, but she is quick-witted enough to realised that she has collected a DNA sample from Lazarus, and she also gets to show bravery whilst distracting the monster at the end. The Doctor's casual dumping of her back home also works well, since when he offers her a longer-term trip on board the TARDIS at the end, he looks a bit like a disappointed child when he thinks she's refused: this harkens back to the "my best friend" attitude of the past, and for all of Martha's obvious attraction to him, I find I can cope with the companion fancying the Doctor as long as it isn't reciprocated. In fact I endured it for two years with Sam Jones, and it was by far her least irritating attribute. We also get reintroduced to her family for the first time since 'Smith and Jones', and as I suspected at the time they are vastly less irritating than Rose's were. Most importantly, they also seem to be serving an actually purpose, with Francine's concern for her daughter entirely reasonable and believable, as she is warned that the Doctor leaves death and destruction in his wake. Greenhorn keeps the soap opera to a minimum, with even the sibling rivalry between Martha and her sister seeming like convincing background detail rather than something to be dwelt on.

The CGI monster frequently just looks like a CGI monster, and I can't help wondering if this series flaws derive from the self-congratulatory back-slapping of the production team, with nobody willing to acknowledge the programme's short comings, but for the most-part 'The Lazarus Experiment' is nothing groundbreaking, but is a very entertaining romp. And once in a while, there's nothing wrong with that at all.

Almost halfway through Series 3 and, after two trips to Earth's past and one to New Earth in the distant future, we're back to present-day London. These episodes haven't tended to be amongst my favourites since the series returned - no particular objection to them, I just have a personal preference for "historicals" and "other planets", as I think they're more interesting settings.

And this one, although eminently watchable, didn't change my perception about present-day London as a setting. Again, I must harp on about the episode length - there really isn't that much you can do plot-wise in 45 minutes (and the running time of this was very short, a lot closer to 35 minutes) and, as a result, the story is over before it's begun.

So what was this latest short story all about?

The Doctor takes Martha back to Earth after her "one trip" in the TARDIS but, just as he's about to leave, his interest is piqued by a TV news item featuring Martha's sister, Tish, a PA, and her boss, the ageing Professor Lazarus.

At a demonstration in Lazarus Laboratories, The Doctor, along with Martha and Tish and their mother and brother, watch in amazement as Lazarus performs an experiment using his Genetic Manipulator, from which he emerges 40 years younger. He believes this discovery of cheating the ageing process is set to transform the human race.

The Doctor works out that Lazarus has altered his DNA to change his molecular structure, but a side effect is that he transforms into a monster which drains the life force of humans. The Doctor manages to lure the creature away, so that the guests at the demonstration can flee and, once she is sure her family are OK, Martha returns into the building to help her new friend.

They think they have destroyed the creature, and it reverts to the form of Lazarus. However, the ambulance which takes the body away suddenly stops, and The Doctor realises Lazarus has indeed risen from the dead. Pursued by The Doctor, Martha and Tish, Lazarus heads for a nearby cathedral.

Meanwhile, a "mysterious man" takes Martha's mother to one side, and warns her about The Doctor.

In the cathedral, Lazarus once again reverts to monster form, and chases Martha and Tish to the bell tower at the top. Just in time, The Doctor kills the creature for good by playing the organ which creates massive sound waves that revorborate off the bell.

The Doctor agrees to Martha's request for more than "one trip", and she joins him full time in the TARDIS. As it dematerialises, Martha's mother leaves an urgent message on her phone, warning her to leave The Doctor because she's in terrible danger . . .

The story itself - mad scientist's quest for eternal youth/immortality/turns into monster/dies wouldn't win any prizes for originality, but it was a perfectly-decent romp - although, even for Doctor Who, they might have been over-quota for running!

Writer Stephen Greenhorn's debut episode for Doctor Who had plenty of good dialogue for the main characters, though, and the script was well served yet again by David Tennant and Freema Agyeman as The Doctor and Martha. Some humorous moments, too - The Doctor grabbing Martha's underwear from a clothes horse in her flat to her horror, Mrs Jones dealing a hefty slap to The Doctor (shades of Jackie Tyler to the previous incarnation), and the monster itself (peek-a-boo) being given a character.

Mark Gatiss was also excellent as the older and younger Lazarus, particularly the former, which he seemed to relish. I was actually more taken with the prosthetic work to make him up into the 76-year-old Lazarus than the CGI monster, impressive beast though it was. And Gatiss, as a DW fan and dual writer for the series, knew how to pitch the villain so as not to make him over the top. Good performance, and some nice scenes in the cathedral with his friend, Tennant.

It was always going to be a big ask to integrate three members of Martha's family, and Reggie Yates as Leo was the big sufferer of time constraints here, unless there's an award for "standing there". More substance to Gugu Mbatha Raw as Tish and Adjoa Andoh as concerned mum Francine, and it'll be interesting to see them again, as we undoubtedly will later in the series.

Plenty of "green screen" acting and, again, kudos for Tennant, now an old hand at acting against nothing. I'm finding it difficult to find any fault with the show's star at the moment.

No denying that The Mill's latest CGI masterpiece did what it said on the tin, and filled the screen magnificently, but these creatures are rather one-dimensional in that after devouring a couple of sacrificial extras, all they can really do is chase people down corridors. We've seen it with the Reapers, The Werewolf and the Krillitanes - plus the static CGI creatures in Rose, The Long Game and The Satan Pit - all very different visually, but limited in what they can actually do. And, speaking of limits, there is a finite amount of times you can go to a well. I think we might be close to the bottom of this one.

Intriguing titbits for future episodes, with more mentions of Mr Saxon, who was the paymaster behind Lazarus's experiment. We now know Saxon's first name is Harold and has, through an intermediate (who rather reminded me of Willy Wonka's sidekick who tried to bribe the golden ticket winners in the original version of that film), started to sow seeds of doubt about The Doctor with Martha's mother. And just a little hint that there may be a touch of sibling rivalry between Martha and Tish, which may also prove significant.

Good, too, that Martha (probably the most-eager-ever incumbant of the companion role - even more than Rose) has convinced The Doctor that she is worthy of a regular spot in the TARDIS. There are similarities with Rose in that she has already effectively suggested she would choose The Doctor over her family, but there is no indication in the slightest that The Doctor sees her in any other terms than a companion. She has been an excellent addition to the show - both character and actress - since her first scene really. Particularly pleasing that, like Rose, she takes an active part in the solving of the mysteries and using her own initiative, rather than just being The Doctor's foil. Makes her a much more rounded character.

On the whole, more filler than thriller, but pretty slick, and hard to criticise. But no more than 7 out of 10 because most of it has been seen in various guises before. However, I do believe there is better to come, and we haven't seen anything like the best of this series so far.

This, my friends, was a sad day for Doctor Who, the first truly dud episode of Series 3, only the second in the whole of the new series (the other being the mind-numbingly dull 'Fear Her' towards the end of Series 2, best not to get me started on that one).

Firstly, in defence of the episode, expectations were unfairly high, having followed by far the two weakest Dalek episodes in the new series and the rather one-dimensional Lazarus Experiment, and then a two-week break for Eurovision.

The episode certainly had its up sides, I for one think the premise was very interesting, a ship hurtling towards a sun in the far future, even if it has been done before, Doctor Who has a habit of improving on ideas, even when they are recycled from elsewhere. I also very much liked the idea that they could change their fate if only they could get to the cockpit, blocked not by the usual culprits like falling rubble, lack of atmosphere, or super-high temperatures, but by the simple fact that the doors would take too long to open, I thought this was a nice touch.

Also, visually the episode is breathtaking, being up there with The End Of The World and The Satan Pit. It did bear a striking similarity to the latter, both in terms of feel and story. The title was very neat, as was the idea of a real-time episode.

However, while comparing the episode to the aforementioned Satan Pit, let us consider the differences between the two. I should mention that, possibly excluding certain stories involving Daleks, The Impossible Planet and The Satan Pit are my favourite episodes of the new series, and so 42 should have been right up my street, another one set in the future, with all in mortal peril and a mysterious force possessing members of the crew.

I found that 42 was rather like The Satan Pit with all the really good bits taken out. There was none of the Devil mythology stuff, which I thought really made the episode stand out. Instead there was some preposterous theory that 'the star is alive.' Ok, I'm sure Doctor Who could make that idea work, but there was never any time to explain it in the slightest, which I found very frustrating.

There was nothing like the fear factor of The Impossible Planet, and while there was a certain element of steadily growing tension, it couldn't touch the "He is awake" moments of the former, or the colossal crescendo of power as Lucifer broke free.

As for demonic possession of the crew, the bad guys in this were totally unoriginal, both in appearance and power (come on, I remember a certain member of the X-Men doing that in a cartoon when I was 5 years old). I will admit that "Burn with me!" was a rather cool catch phrase, but I doubt many would accuse it of originality. I urge you to contrast this with the immortal image of Toby, red-eyed and tattooed in ancient heiroglyphs, standing on the atmosphereless surface of a barren asteroid, a black hole behind him, his hand outstretched and slowly beckoning, a look of pure, ancient evil in his eyes (I think that moment is the best acting the series has seen to date, I would even go so far as to say best acting I've ever seen). Not only that, but they had the Ood as well, probably the most menacing-looking alien species of the new series. Alongside this, two men in Breen-like gas masks with visors can't quite compete.

As for the good guys, the crew of the spaceship in 42 were instantly forgettable, and had little or no backstories whatsoever. Quite why Martha liked one of them is utterly beyond me. Yes, female spaceship captain, gotta be the first time we've ever seen that... except Star Trek Voyager did that in 1995, and I didn't think it was a very big deal even back then. After all, this is sci-fi, we've had female leads since Alien first came out in 1979. Again, contrast this to Satan Pit, where the odd line here and there suggested a great wealth of backstories for the crew, many of which we heard about in detail, providing a much more believable human element for the story, and creating characters that were actually cared about when put in danger.

As for the structure of the story, at first it all seemed to be going well, they have to go through all the bulkhead doors, reach the cockpit, and turn on the engines, while there's someone trying to kill them off from within. Except all that went out the window when they decided to start launching escape pods, suddenly the previous plot appeared completely forgotten, leaving the Doctor to scream "I'll save you!" again and again, because clearly he had nothing better to do. That alone I could overlook, but since I'm being critical it seems a shame to leave basic storytelling out.

All that would have made a poor episode, but it is the gaping holes in science and logic that really tore the episode apart. Yes, I know that in the Satan Pit they're orbiting a black hole, a scientific impossibility, that's one of the things that made it so good though, a deep-seated feeling of being uncomfortable, if you know what I mean. This was solved by the presence of Satan, I don't think science can argue with that too much. However, 42 was just getting silly. The idea that you could get that close to the sun without melting, for one thing, is ridiculous. I don't even remember if they tried to explain this with 'shields,' but it seems unlikely that shields would be online when the engines weren't, no? The TARDIS being trapped in a really hot room, ok, I'll go along with that, that bit was possibly better handled than Satan Pit, where it miraculously turned up at the end. But the real problem was the escape pod scene. That escape pod had been falling towards the sun for quite a while, and then with a press of one button, it comes flying back to the mothership, courtesy of electromagnets. Que? Has it not occurred to them that it's falling towards a star, the biggest source of gravity in the whole solar system? So large, in fact, that the mothership is being pulled towards it at high speed? Yet, press the magic button, the escape pod comes flying back from nearly touching the surface of the star, without even a scratch. A friend of mine then pointed out that not only is a star a huge gravity signature, it's also a giant electromagnet in itself. I really feel the writers would have benefited from a half-decent grasp of at least GCSE physics, and common sense would have helped considerably as well. As for the escape pod recall button being on the outside of the ship, it's probably best to ignore that entirely.

And so, to recap:
Story premise - Not half bad, but not overly original.
Real-time storytelling - A nice idea, but didn't leave nearly enough time for explanations
Characters - Universally terrible
Bad guys - Also completely dire
Deeper 'drama' messages/thoughts - Unless a star really is alive, none whatsoever
Realism/Physics - Shockingly poor

I found the discovery that the episode was written by the main writer of Torchwood explained quite a lot, all of the episodes that the writer has been credited with have been terrible (not to keep going on about it, but how does 'End Of Days' in any way appeal to a Satan Pit fan? And this is supposed to be the 'more mature' series, Pingu would have been better at revisiting the Devil-from-the-dawn-of-time idea than Torchwood). As for 'Cyberwoman,' the makers of Conan The Barbarian could have managed a more subtle costume for the title character, and probably a better story too.

However, I leave you on a good note - this evening was the airing of Human Nature, a welcome return to form. And, on an even better note, it's not long now until we can quote the tagline of a certain pirate film that's rather big at the moment - Captain Jack's back!

Chris Chibnall has come in for a lot of flack since he scripted the absolute worst episode of Torchwood. The title Cyberwoman sends a shiver down many a spine even after all these months. It is difficult to defend the very nadir of what was at best a patchily successful series but it is worth remembering that much of what was wrong with Cyberwoman (the high heels; the flinching from barbecue sauce, deadly to Cyberwomen of course) were failures in the design or direction rather than faults in the script. Chibnall's other Torchwood scripts were good and his two Life on Mars episodes ranked among the best.

Where does all that leave 42, Chibnall's first crack at Doctor Who? Like some of the scripts mentioned above many of the elements of 42 are derived from other works; the setting strongly echoes last years Impossible Planet, there are similarities to The Planet of Evil, the realtime element of 24 (although Who previously borrowed that conceit with less fuss in The End of the World during series one), and yes it is possible to say that the elements of possession, sentient suns and spinning into the heart of a cosmological disaster have all been used before. However some excellent performances - especially from the stupendous Mr Tennant, and the supertight direction of Uber-Whooey Graham Harper mean that what you end up with is an edge of the seat thriller putting the Doctor at the greatest risk he has yet seen and laying grim portents for the series finale.

The plot device of the ship being sucked into the sun exists to fuel the real time concept - a tried and tested method of generating pace and tension which is resoundingly successful here.

In order to save the ship Martha and Riley must get from one side of the ship to the other. Unfortunately there are an awful lot of sealed doors in the way. Incidentally these doors are 'deadlock sealed' thus rendering the sonic screwdriver of limited use once again. It's good to see the production team take even little criticisms on board. To get through these seals you have to enter the right code but instead of numeric or maths problems the alarm codes rely on general knowledge. This leads to a great comic moment as the Doctor tries to remember who had more number ones pre-download out of the Beatles and Elvis. Mundane trivia becomes a matter of life and death in the race across the crippled ship.

Martha's conversations with her Mother take us back to the present day to further foreshadow the inevitable showdown between the Doctor and the mysterious Mr Saxon. As black suited cronies listen in on Martha's conversation we can once again reflect on how very well prepared Mr Saxon is for the Doctor's arrival.

Martha's mother continues to be a source of concern. The character seems to have a strange attitude towards parenting and you must wonder why she would agree to her phone being tapped. She has been convinced of the danger that the Doctor represents very easily and her behaviour is suspect. It's almost as if she had been hypnotised. Adjoa Andoh gives a much better performance in her brief scenes here than she did in The Lazarus Experiment.

Of the guest cast Anthony Flanagan gives us a very down-to-earth spaceman. The crew of the Pentallian are more similar to oil riggers or builders than space adventurers which shows us that even blasting through space in the future will seem mundane. Michelle Collins' performance as the Captain is satisfactory, if a little undynamic. William Ash as Riley is an engaging foil for Martha to bounce her emotional turmoil off, not to mention a little love interest for Martha.

David Tennant gives another extraordinary performance in 42. Something that Christopher Eccleston commented on about playing the Doctor was that it is difficult to play a character that doesn't change or grow. He is the same every week and can't really vary from that established character. I wonder what he would have made of the Doctor being frightened when possessed by the sun, or of what's to befall him in the next episode Human Nature, or his love affair with Madame De Pompadour, or the heartbreak of losing Rose. The point Eccleston was making is valid and yet the series seems to find many ways to challenge that static character of the Doctor. David Tennant's Doctor does change, he does develop and he definitely does suffer. In 42 he struggles terribly to control himself while under the influence of the Sun and there is little more frightening than seeing our hero scared.

This episode has buckets of pace and is visually stunning. The jeopardy that the Doctor finds himself in and the constant countdown to the ship crashing into the sun add to the urgency and gravity of the situation. The real standout moment comes as Martha's rings tap against the escape pod window as she drifts away through the vacuum of space and towards a toasty death in the sun.

In the final analysis it doesn't really matter if a story borrows elements from preceding episodes if it provides forty two minutes of exciting, colourful and emotional television like 42. Series three, having had a stronger opening than it's predecessors, suffered a little wobble with Evolution of the Daleks. As enjoyable as The Lazarus Experiment was it somehow wasn't enough to set things right. 42 does a much better job and with Paul Cornell's adaptation of his beautiful novel Human Nature next up and Captain Jack and Mr Saxon waiting just over the horizon series three may just end up being the best yet.

Since 1963, Doctor Who has been a survivor because of one elemental strength. The series, it characters, and its premise has always embraced change rather than resist it. Change has enabled the series to continually regenerate itself over the years and has been it's elemental strength and protocol since its inception.

"42" by Chris Chibnall is on the surface a tightly written, suspense action thriller set against a backdrop of a burning sun and a spaceship that has 42 minutes to clear itself of its freefall, or burn up in its fireball. In the hands of the extremely capable Graeme Harper, this story comes to life and sparkles, each scene beautifully framed and plotted, every scene acted with believability on an Adult level. Harper has always directed DOCTOR WHO for its adult audience. He understands the art and employs it once again to the highest level a skilled director can give a television show. His resume speaks for itself and "42' can certainly be added to that curriculum vitae with all the pride of a well tooled and crafted work of art. The episode showcases one of the absolute best opening sequences in DOCTOR WHO history as the Doctor and Martha discover they have 42 minutes to save a spaceship from a freefall orbit into a burning fireball. The sight of the Doctor and Martha looking into the glare of a burning sun as the ship drifts by, closer every second to the sun is perhaps one of the most powerfully, and unexpected scenes ever realized in DOCTOR WHO. A harbinger of a great episode surely!

If "42' had been an episode in the first season of the newly realized DOCTOR WHO, I am certain it would have been a strong candidate for one of the best episodes of the season. The script does deliver a somewhat disappointing and predictable ending and is tied up in an unimaginative fashion with its explanation of the sun being a living entity. This is itself a retread of the ideas employed in 'Planet of Evil" and when you think about it, the episode probably has borrowed a lot from that famous Tom Baker serial which dealt with a Science ship scooping the heart out of a living planet and then is forced to return what it took, and to much better effect than a special effects laden "42" could ever have given us.

Having said this, in reference to the PLANET OF EVIL, I must say"42" suffers mostly because we have already seen this episode not ONCE as PLANET OF EVIL ... but actually TWICE, and as recently as last season with THE IMPOSSIBLE PLANET and THE SATAN PIT. Oh, its lost a character here or two in the translation, and is a more concise, lower budget treatment of its concepts, but the episode almost totally plagiarizes the concepts in these two episodes in a fast paced summarization that hardly attempts to disguise itself beyond changing the names to protect the innocent . While there is an understanding that drama and science fiction often have formulaic structures that are reused time and time again, ?the antagonist, and protagonist and the mandatory love interest, the planet, the evil alien, and so on, you rarely see it as obvious and transparent as "42" apparently is. Consider the claustrophobic spaceship, the infected crewmember, the evil baritone voice, and the spaceship falling into the sun, instead of a black hole. You have to wonder at what desperate level does a producer and his production teams decide to con its very loyal audience into accepting such a recycled unoriginal idea as entertaining? One thing that Russell T Davies must understand is that there are only 13 or 14 episodes produced yearly that must satisfy fans of this series; why not give the fans originality and quality throughout? The hardcore fan is certainly going to see the masquerade and even the casual viewer may say, " now wait a minute " and then dismiss it, but may never return again as a viewer after being duped so imperiously. This is something that would concern me if I were Mr. Davies, probably biting his nails because the workload of having to oversee the all these Doctor Who spin offs, as well as the original series is so great. Last season, there seemed to be a better quality of script and story, more attention to details of story and characters. This year it is obvious the rubber band continues to stretch and test the quality levels of the series, and I think it really is beginning to show and split apart at the seams. Again, you have to wonder how the Production executives could not have seen this, unless of course that team has reached a level of desperation or frustration or exhaustion.

This season had begun if not brilliantly, then certainly with a spark of promise and who could not help fall in love with Martha Jones and Freema's sparkling portrayal of her, of course, except for the Doctor who at season's start is still struggling with Rose's loss. In past reviews I expressed some concern about certain parallels between the relationship of the Doctor and Martha and Rose. The Doctor takes Martha to all the same places he did Rose, but Martha calls him on it, and its still okay. Once again we were introduced to the loving and dysfunctional soap opera family of Martha, and you can still step back and say, "Ok". Finally, Martha's mother is concerned for her safety and in "Lazarus Experiment" slaps the Doctor in the face, and finally, in "42" we are reintroduced to the Universal Roaming feature on Martha's cell phone and now we are one kiss away from the total transformation of Martha into Rose. Just One Kiss, and maybe a blonde wig away from total repetition.

This is so disappointing because the new series helmed by Russell T. Davies has been always imaginative, groundbreaking and anything but repetitive and its hard to imagine why a skilled and experienced production team is falling back on vehicles that worked for the series once before and are attempting to perpetuate clones rather than pursue originality. There seems to be little faith in trying to navigate new territory with Martha's character. This, as a long time fan concerns me, since DOCTOR WHO is all about change. Romana would never have slipped into Leela's warrior skins. One would argue even each successive new series seem to follow a formulaic pattern - space adventure, historical adventure, space opera with a space ship on the far side of the universe, linking arcs to be resolved in the final episodes, and finally once again we have mom on the cell phone with suspicions of the Doctor's identity that will no doubt be resolved in the series finale.

Doctor Who is all about change, movement and progression. Its existence and reintroduction to a modern audience is owed to this. Uncle Russell please take note. It's time to pay off those high universal roaming charges and find new sources of wonder in new ORIGINAL ideas.