I have chosen Mark Gatiss' script as the first story of the new season I shall review for "Outpost Gallifrey". Not that I have anything nasty to say about the first two episodes particularly (Rose was, well… I'll come back to Rose in a moment, whilst The End of the World is an excellent 45 minutes of entertainment), but because this episode was the one I was looking forward to the most (the Dalek episodes, rather unpredictably, being the second). I love "Doctor Who"'s visits to the past, as it is something the BBC do well. Ghost Light, The Visitation, Masque of Mandragora even The King's Demons all look good and contain solid performances from the actors involved (even if, sometimes, the story itself is weak). The early press shoots covering the filming at Swansea led me to believe that, once again, the BBC was not to disappoint in the recreation of the past. Simon Callow, hundreds of extras, fake snow, horse drawn carriages, night filming, etc. Not only was the BBC doing what they do best, they were doing it with some serious money – on "Doctor Who"! Unbelievable! I thought I'd never see the day. Yes, I couldn't wait for this episode.

March 26th 2005 finally arrived. Not only was it my (and of course, my twin brother, Terry's) 31st birthday, "Doctor Who" also made its long awaited return with Rose (I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present – a whole new series of "Who").

Oh yes, it looked good, and Billie Pier was great, Eccleston not so great (but thankfully, his performance has got better over the next two episodes, so I'm putting his ‘dopey' personality down to post-regeneration stress or something similar), but quite frankly I was gutted. I couldn't fault the production itself, top marks to the special and visual effects team for the Autons, the TARDIS, etc. It was the story I had a problem with – or the lack of it. No wonder some newspapers slated it in the review pages. By all means you had to introduce the basic concepts of the show to a new audience, but leaving only ten short minutes for the Auton invasion and the thwarting thereof was unforgivable. As for the resolution to said invasion, having the Doctor produce a bottle of jollop he whipped-up earlier (in true "Blue Peter" fashion) is just sloppy. As in introduction episode, the BBC should have allowed it to be a bit longer (maybe an hour instead of 45 minutes) to let the story grow naturally alongside the ‘now-this-is-the-TARDIS' scenes, I feel Rose would have been a better tale for it. Then again, what do I know? A mate at worked loved Rose, he found it hilarious (especially the ‘cork-in-Auton-head' scene) and loved every second of it and is quite willing to watch the rest of the series. He praised Billie on her acting, but thought Christopher was (his words not mine) "a complete twat" though.

I was more impressed with The End of the World. Not only had Eccleston's performance mellowed (although my mate at work is still stating, "Can't stand him, when's Tennant taking over?"), the story had the luxury of the full 45 minutes to play with. The scene between Rose and Raffalo (Beccy Armory), in my opinion, is worthy of a mention. Nicely played by the actresses concerned and proof that, even at 45 minutes, "Doctor Who" can still find time for lovely character driven scenes such as this between the action set-pieces. Incidentally, my work mate thought Rose was far better than The End of the World, which just goes to show that every audience members taste is different (he also isn't a fan, so I'd say his views on the show probably are of more importance than mine). However, with a much happier heart (I'd be very worried if every episode was as bland as Rose), I eagerly awaited ‘the-one-with-Charles-Dickens'.

First the pre-credit sequence. Brilliant. If I don't hear of any complaints about the show being too scary for the little ‘uns, I'd be very disappointed. Despite the wide variety of aliens on display in the previous episode, none of them really provided much scope for terror, but then again that was the whole point of that episode. Hey, they may look different from you and me, but that doesn't mean they mean you any harm.

Now walking cadavers – that's exactly what "Doctor Who" is about; turning the everyday into something terrifying, and you can't get more commonplace than a corpse.

I've now accepted Christopher as the Doctor; he is on fine form in this story. His scenes between Simon Callow and himself are superb. Billie just keeps better and better though, the realisation that Rose really does think Gwyneth (Eve Myles) is stupid is played beautifully. Despite the time-travelling, the modern girl from London may think she knows it all, but in reality she knows nothing. This spoke volumes about both characters.

Simon Callow is spot-on as Charles Dickens, but as he's played the role many times, I expected nothing less than perfection.

Yet what impressed me most about this episode is that no-one hams it up. From the leading roles right down to the extras (sorry…. supporting artistes), not one is thinking,"It's only "Doctor Who" let's mess about a bit". What could've easily been made-up actors badly grunting in an over-the-top way (as witnessed in many poor zombie films), the final moments of the episode genuinely held some tension.

Ah yes, the final moments! If anything the 45 minute format has proven is that the story endings are rushed. In Rose a handy virus was used, in The End of the World the Doctor pulled a lever to save the day, in The Unquiet Dead…

… let's just say that once you learned very early on that the Gelth are made of gas, it didn't take a genius long to work out how they were to be defeated. It was no surprise when the obvious did occur. Just as obvious as mentioning silver bullets early in Battlefield or Hexachromite gas in Warriors of the Deep for instance. I was hoping for the obvious not to happen, but alas I had my only disappointment with this episode in this respect. However, to get to the obvious solution was an eventful and excellent adventure that I can forget this small detail. It will be interesting to see if the episode denouements become a lot more detailed and cleverer in the two-parters though, as they will have more time to tell their stories.

More well produced tales like this please. A triumph for the BBC!

Another fine episode and from a production point of view one of the most atmospheric pieces of television ever filmed. The gorgeous location work, chilling and subtle effects and beautiful lighting combine to make this is an absolute treasure on the eyes. 

Any doubts that others writers than RTD could pull of his unique style of Doctor Who are quashed with this glorious historical episode. You have everything that the first two episodes had, the fantastic production, the witty lines, the mentions of the ‘War', the engaging narrative but this episode has the bonus of being the closest to what we fans recognise as Doctor Who. Rose clearly borrowed wholesale from Spearhead from Space and various other Doctor Who stories and was truly Doctor Who but its modern day setting gave it a new edge. The Unquiet Dead has to compete with gems such as Talons of Weng-Chiang and Curse of Fenric as Doctor Who has always had a great track record when popping back to the past, historical re-enactments being the BBC's greatest triumph in my eyes. To Mark Gatiss' credit he has delivered a smashing story, expertly squeezed into fourty-five minutes without squandering his location or period or any depth a historical can offer. This is everything Mark of the Rani should have been and half the length at that. 

It is shocking just how out of place Christopher Eccleston's Doctor is in the Victorian era considering how perfect his previous selves have fitted it. It is another layer to this intriguing new Doctor that marks him out as something very different to what we are used to. My friend Matt is having troubles with his accent, this very northern sounding Doctor proving a bit normal to be totally believable but I am finding his portrayal more and more interesting every week. Gone is the grinning loon from Rose as Eccleston grows into the role and discovers what the show is capable of and he is replaced by a far more balanced character, one who is capable of growing very angry suddenly (these sudden bursts are shocking and accentuate the fact that this is an alien we are dealing with), who can turn on the charm (“You're brilliant, you are!”), make quick decisions (as he does here with the future of the Gelth) and remain very humane (“I'm so gold I met you…”). He dashes about Victorian Cardiff (the location itself involved in a number of brilliantly time jokes at its expense), every inch the hero right up to the touching climax. 

I hope Rob Shearman was not too pissed off at Gatiss stealing wholesale his idea of the ‘little person' saving the world from Chimes of Midnight? It is so important that the new series is concentrating on characterisation over special effects. Oh you can have as much spectacle as you want but you can fill the screen with as many pretty pictures as you want but if there is no story to follow or characters to care about you will lose your audience as soon as the eye candy wears off (and trust me that high can lose its novelty very quickly…ever seen The Phantom Menace?). Wisely, Gatiss populates his episode sparsely and takes each of them on a journey, which climaxes in very different ways (murder, suicide and life affirming glee!) but which satisfies in each case. 

Whilst Dickens is clearly the centrepiece for the episode I found Gwyneth even more interesting because it was somebody I knew nothing about. Cute references aside, we all know Dickens story (and his stories…) so it is easy to predict just where his character is going (as touching as that was) but Gwyneth surprised me a lot. In one superb scene she looks into Rose's mind and has a frightening look at the future and the tone of the scene shifts several times. First, its hilarious girl chat that highlights the difference in culture between the two women which is then deepened when Gwyneth spots the cars and planes and noise of the future and then it gets REALLY scary as the Doctor reveals her part to play in this crisis. A great scene. Her relationship with Rose takes on real depth when it becomes clear that she is vital to the climax and Rose's firm admonishment to the Doctor (“She's not going to fight your battle!”) shows you how close they have become in such a short time. It was Rose's reaction to her death that affected me the most, as she starts to learn the responsibility of time travel and the fact that you cannot save everybody. 

If Rose's relationship with her spotlights Gwyneth it is the Doctor's slack jawed reaction to Dickens that reminds you meeting this man is an EVENT. And what a disappointment he is. At first. Simon Callow plays up his scepticism to such an extent he would make Dana Scully proud and yet retains the dignity and good humour of the character. You really want to shake the man and tell him this is really happening and to pull himself together! But his vital role in the climax redeems him totally and his final line and little swagger just make the episode. The Doctor's invasion of Dickens' life is given real weight and Rose is afforded a look at just how their adventures can change peoples lives for the good (Dickens) and the bad (Gwyneth). What I loved about Callow's performance was the humour he injected into it, his immediate turn around in opinion about the Doctor's character when he starts raving about his books is hilarious and his drunken speech summing up the truth about the Gelth similarly chucklesome. And his line when he is surrounded by zombies at the climax must rank as one of the best lines in the series yet. Having such a big name gives the episode real weight but it is the performance that counts and Callow does a predictably wonderful job. 

It's Christmas! The TARDIS landing at Christmas! Dontcha just love it when Rose steps in the snow as if to confirm all this magic is real. The Beeb have pulled of a real Victorian Christmas with fantastic detail and I was clapping so loud when I first saw the TARDIS land I woke the dog up! There is something wonderfully atmospheric about a ghost story at Christmas it is real shame it couldn't have been shown then (maybe they'll repeat the episode over the festive season…I'd watch it!) and my advice is to tape it and watch it again with all the lights off when its dark. Brrr…it takes a whole new level of creepiness…

Was it too scary? I doubt it, kids are used to so much nastiness on telly these days but this mix of spookiness and the fantastical might catch those of the more faint hearted. The pre-credits sequence was excellent for grabbing the attention and preparing us for the episode ahead but my personal favourite scare came at the end when the corpses started springing up en masse… it was like something out of Shaun of the Dead except it look really stylish! The theme of the dead rising is always a winner and I am more interested in hearing what the adults thought because I fairly certain the idea of corpse possession would affect them more. 

This was an excellent spooky fantasy, which probably would just be pipped by The End of the World if it wasn't for that gorgeous production which pushes it into a league of its own.

It's a tradition in Doctor Who that, while futuristic episodes cost the Earth and look appalling (because everything has to be made from scratch), so historical ones are dirt cheap and glorious, because the Beeb has been making Victoriana since before Victoria, and can do Period Drama with its eyes shut. So after the budget-bursting End of the World, the most expensive Dr Who story ever made, what better way to mend the purse-strings than a good old-fashioned dollop of Dickensian mimsy? The answer should be obvious, at least to anyone following the spectacular trends of the series: a dollop of Dickensian mimsy with ruinously expensive CGI ghosts!

Enter The Unquiet Dead - a frightening tale behind the scenes as much as on them. As the first story in the new season not to be penned by series-creator Russell T Davies, fear was rife that the scripts wouldn't meet the high quality of what had gone before. Rumours abounded that League of Gentlemen founder Mark Gatiss would overdose on humour to the detriment of plot. Worries wafted around that the poe-faced historical setting would turn off viewers expecting a science fiction series.

In the event, as usual, fears were unfounded, rumours baseless, and worries... not a worry. Mark Gatiss was a Dr Who fan long before he was a surreally sinister sketch writer, and delivers a punchy, powerfully plotted story, with if anything more of a strait-laced and traditional approach than Russell T's breakneck paciness. After Rose and The End of the World, in fact, this feels almost shockingly slow to start with, a real slice of nostalgic, period Who, replete with Victorian mannerisms, dodgy skullduggery and ill-advised sideburns. For the first time the Doctor is given a chance to actually think, deducing what's going on and developing plans rather than leaping to a conclusion from a standing start, and the plot itself manages to feel surprisingly multilayered for what is still only 45 minutes.

Endearingly set in Cardiff as a nod to the city that hosted the season's location filming (and even more endearingly actually shot in Swansea because Cardiff has the wrong sort of cobbles), The End of the World has the same glossy, big-budget look viewers have come to expect from this series. While the exterior work perhaps feel slightly cramped, due to the small number of appropriate locations available, interiors are lavish and convincing, while the wardrobe, props and make-up department does sterling work recreating victorian aesthetics. What really sets this apart from stock period drama, however, is of course the special effects, here realised as a combination of genuinely creepy make-up effects and cgi ghostliness. The latter in particular is extremely effective - cgi being an, ahem, perfect medium, for ghosts, who aren't supposed to feel exactly real in the first place and so can afford the slight unreality that still inevitably goes hand in hand with computer graphics. There are perhaps moments that could have done with some more work - the ghosts' visual development throughout the story, for instance, could have been more obvious, and a central plot-revelation effect near the end could have been handled with much more subtlety, for instance by being omitted entirely - but these really are quibbles. Just compare this to the terrifying, er, blinking pixels, of The Awakening and see what 20 years of technology can do for art.

It almost goes without saying now that the performances are rock solid, Christopher and Billie pulling off their effortless chemistry, and Simon Callow veritably wallowing in the chance to play Charles Dickens as an actual character rather than a cipher. Much of this is due to the strong, balanced script, with ongoing hints at a plot arc running under the series continuing to intrigue, while the incidental music, so heavily criticised in Rose, here seems genuinely to lift rather than distract from the drama. All in all, a terrific episode, at once tremendously different to what has gone before, and utterly in tune with it. It would be hard to deny at this stage that the show has the width and the depth to sustain many more than its 13 episodes... And that, judging by the stunning 'Next week' trailer, things can only get better.

Oh, and the Doctor finally comes out in favour of carrying donor cards. As the proud owner of three kidneys and a second-hand liver, I can only applaud.

I suppose I should admit from the outset that I am extremely partial to a bit of pseudo-historical Doctor Who, 'The Curse Of Fenric' and 'The Talons Of Weng-Chiang' being two of my all-time favourite serials, to name but two, so it is safe to say I had been looking forward to this episode of the new series with baited breath. I was not to be disappointed as Mark Gatiss' script delivered and the production team created an episode that will almost certainly stand up to the test of time.

All of my doubts from watching 'Rose' and 'The End Of The World' regarding the 50 minute stories being too short to deliver a real story with twists and turns have been instantly dispersed with 'The Unquiet Dead'. Everything about the plot was classic Who. The Doctor and Rose arrive in the nick of time to witness a shocking supernatural scene and get involved in the thick of things all in the first 10 minutes of the story before unravelling the mystery of what is going on to the corpses that are walking the streets of Cardiff. It was intriguing, surprising and well-plotted - the first story to lay claim to any of those three adjectives in this season so far in my opinion.

What's more, the script also stayed entirely within the characterisation of the two leads that Davies created in the first two episodes of the series. Rose is wide-eyed and questioning of the worlds she is travelling to, but feisty, headstrong and willing to question the Doctor's morals whenever she doesn't agree with his methods. The Doctor meanwhile is touched by those who are innocent and is venomous to those who are not, totally in keeping with his behaviour towards Cassandra in the finale of 'The End Of The World'. Christopher Eccleston's performance remains intriguing and unique - never before has the Doctor been played with such wide-eyed innocence and enthusiasm when meeting historical figures from the past like he is when he meets Dickens here. Eccleston's energy and vigour in playing the role is intoxicating and I was just thrilled to be caught up in the moment with him. At the same time, Billie Piper is with him every step of the way. She has a better acting range than the majority of the companions from the first 'era' of Doctor Who and is giving meatier scripts to work with. She can express anger, fear, humour and excitement all at the drop of a hat and always in good measure to the requirements of the character and the script.

The supporting cast were superb through and through, with the standout being Simon Callow as Dickens. His performance as the man gradually dissuaded from his own beliefs to accept a completely alien possibility in his world was devastatingly effective.

For all my criticism of the plots of the first 2 episodes, their production was spot on, so the fear was always that when a story was well-plotted, the production might suffer, but that was not to be the case. While not as dramatically edited and directed as 'Rose' and without all the huge special effects sequences of 'The End Of The World', the realisation of the spirits was effective and did what it needed to do.

I have to say, I don't think there has been a 'weak' episode in 2005 yet, but for me this really was the pinnacle of the series so far, right up there with some of the best stories of the classic years. Everything fell into place excellently and as I'd hoped for from Mark Gatiss, a man who I thoroughly respect and admire. Here's to more of the same.

Doctor Who fans may be choking on thier jelly babies, but the show is hurtling at great speed through its very modern incarnation. My personal initial doubts are fading, as each show fits into its new form in very much the same way as each actor becomes suited and comforable in their own role. "The Unquiet Dead" was, indeed, a very modern take on an ear the Doctor has found himself in before, and those of a certain age may indeed be wondering why a character here didn't start singing about monkeys in a zoo and carting Rose off to Java....

"The Unquiet Dead" was the third in what must be seen now as a trio of introductory episodes - one modern day, one far future, one recent past. In this darker, more sinister episode - thanks to the writing of one member of The League of Gentlemen - the Doctor and Rose stumble into 1869 Cardiff on Christmas Eve, and straight into a tale of gaseous aliens in need of a home. The usual moral dilemmas abounded here, and in an episode with a good pace and a strong supporting cast, the story was not quite over until it was definately over; an improvement on the first two which seemed to rush to the conclusion.

Christopher "Fantastic" Eccleston is really enjoying his role, or so it seems, which makes his consequent announcement the more of a puzzle. If fans now accept that "Volume I" of Doctor Who finished with "Survival", this is very much "Volume II", starting when Paul McGann woke up in a morgue and now continuing with a character just as bubbling and with just a twinkle in his eyes for the ladies. In "The Unquiet Dead", the hint seems to be regeneration has caused the usual haphazard TARDIS navigation technique to be completely forgotten, and it is with great humour that Chris manages to persuade Rose, and the audience, that he can travel around space and time in a machine he obviously can't quite control. It was with great charm the Tom Baker direction in-joke was used to get Rose through the maze of the TARDIS and into a 'wardrobe'. 

In this episode, computer graphics again were used but unlike episode 2, here there was really only one creation - the Gelf. Here, the use of technology really helps the show, and the genuinely disturbing sight of people with ghosts coming out of their mouths was very well executed. With great charm and class, Charles Dickens found himself in a most un-natural story and it seemed like Simon Callow really enjoyed taking his own most famous characterisation into a whole new world. Unlike the first two episodes, this did not hurtle towards a conclusion, and I felt the genuine sorrow and guilt felt by the Doctor and Rose were well communicated. For here, Rose is now almost certainly not going to give up on this new life and her conversation with Gwynedd was another chance to show how her character is related to Ace in her modern take on a very bizarre new journey.

This "Volume II" Doctor is, from these past reviews alone, certainly causing some dedicated fans to break their celery sticks in two and demand the dead of Russel T Davies on a stick. Now my own initial doubts are subsiding, I hope others will see how this new regeneration has helped what was a very modern idea in the 1960s become a very contemporary idea in the 21st Century. For, surely, taking the Doctor this far is everything fans wanted. "The Unquiet Dead" shows that stories we have seen in the past can come into the future without being ripped up and ruined.

After the first two excellent episodes of the new series I sat down to watch the third episode expecting the same standard of story and I wasn't left wanting.

A lot of people aren't warming to this 45-minute single episode stories but I am rather a fan of this format and I believe that this is the first episode that really used the format to its fullest. You had a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, all present and correct here. The excellent pre-title sequence sets up the story very nicely and it flows along quite well. The two-part stories will allow for a slower pace of storytelling but in this episode they have proved that the 45 minute single episode formatdoes work.

I must admit that the story was not half as scary as I had been led to believe it would be. Although how scary it can be when it is aimed at a family audience at 7pm on a Saturday evening it was probably about what I would have expected. I am enjoying the recurring themes of the Time War that will proliferate in this season with all the mentions of the 'bad wolf' etc. It is just the right amount of information to get the imagination flowing about what the war was about and how it ended like it did etc. Certainly it will be interesting so see how they do conclude this ongoing plot arc.

The acting in the episode was also of a very high standard with all of the people putting in sterling performances. Simon Callow was perfect as Dickens in a role that he was born to play. The fact that Callow is a renowned expert on Dickens means that he must have been impressed by Mark Gattis' take on him. Indeed Dickens in this episode has a lot to do and is a very memorable character. I like the reference to his novels and the last scene was superb! Also impressive in this episode was Eve Myles as Gwyneth who was, apart from Callow, one of the many highlights of this episode. Her scene with Rose was a lovely, well written scene which perfectly contrasted the life's of the two, similarly aged girls.

Chris Eccleston and Billie Piper were also excellent in this episode and I am really warming to Eccleston's take on the Doctor. He is a very interesting Doctor as you are never too sure what he is going to do and the ambiguity of his character is refreshing. I also love the way that he can go from being very flippant to being deadly serious in the same sentence. He handles the humourous scenes very well and I laughed out loud at the scene in the carriage with Dickens. I thought it was a perfecly judged scene and well played by both Callow and Eccleston. I also loved the line when the zombies are about to break through the gate "I'm going to die in a dungeon. In Cardiff!".

Again Billie plays Rose as the Doctor's equal and they have some good, very intense scenes together. Every week she is suprising me with her excellent performances. I hope she continues to do so.

My only criticism of this episode is that a lot of it seems very similar to the previous episode. I mean the scene between Rose and Gwyneth is very like the scene in The End of The World between Rose and the plumber. Also in both stories Rose is knocked out and locked in a room where something nasty is about to happen. You also have the main female character in the episode sacrificing themselves at the end.

All in all an excellent episode and shows that the new series is going from strength to strength.

Roll on next Saturday.