The previous episode was not quite the disaster other reviewers have made it out to be. Truthfully, there were some serious flaws, most of which created by the decision to return to Rose's time and place - a decision I understand if not one that I agree with. A grounding in reality (well a reality comparable to that on display in a typical episode of Eastenders, anyhow) can certainly be conducive to compelling horror but I don't think this has been sucessfully employed as of yet. The Autons of episode one could definately have been much scarier. The real problem, however was the melodrama that accompanied the setting. Micky/Ricky is just annoying, I'm afraid. Having said that, I think the (eventual) appearance of the Slitheen redeemed the episode. The speed at which the dubious humour drained out of the show to be replaced by the genuinely strange and imposing aliens was truly impressive. So I had high hopes for the conclusion to the story - and I wasn't disappointed.

The Doctor's triumph as the episode reconvened (expertly emerging from the recap of the prior installment) was accompanied by the disheartening fact that every one else in the room was not so lucky. Ecclestone is capable of considerable menace himself, even in his diluted and less successful 'light-hearted' moments. His seriousness (more the accumulated result of other roles than his performances in Who) lends the programme real credibility. When he says the world is doomed, the audience believes him. It is a considerable shame that this will be his only series, as it was largely his work that made the start of this episode so engaging. Some of the chase scenes which followed were a little too comical for my liking but the volume of casualties already amassed by this point demand that we take the story seriously. This is quite a brave move and compensates, somewhat, for last week's overly humorous episode.

The Slitheen are reminiscent of something from a Roald Dahl story. They have an exaggerated, immature grotesqueness about them. I think it works well for the most part. The fact that 'Slitheen' is the name of their family and not their race was interesting as too often in sci-fi we are led to view an entire species of aliens as being wholly alike and evil, which is of course, an arrogant attitude. These particular creatures may well be an exception to an otherwise decent race. I felt this was a forgivable way to introduce the simplistic ethics, which are inevitably interwoven into every television programme these days, as I certainly wouldn't like humanity to be judged by the actions of a dozen individuals. Less forgivable were the subtle digs at contempary international affairs, which have become something of a myth in and of themselves lately. It's not that I think the conflict in Iraq was entered into in good faith its just that I've heard the same arguments too often. There's no conspiracy (as this episode repeatedly hinted) because our 'world leaders' are simply not smart enough. That's the problem. What we have is a confrontation with our own value system and the resulting shock that it is not universally accepted by the rest of the planet. Doctor Who provides an excellent opportunity to subvert this system and fortunately this was acknowledged when the victory over the Slitheen was described as a victory for 'humanity'. The real strength of the Doctor is that he is completely objective and has his own immutable moral code which is irrespective of time and place. Arguably the greatest challenge of a writer in this series is to be conscious of exactly what the Doctor's voice (as the 'voice of truth') is made to say, because he speaks from the ultimate ethical highground. It is far too easy to make him seem pretentious and self-righteous. I think the decision to show the Doctor's cruelty (with his allowing Cassandra to die in episode 3, for example) and hence his fallibility was an admirable one.

Fittingly the episode hinged on the Doctor's decision to destroy the Slitheen, even at the risk of destroying Rose and we are encouraged to see that (despite Ecclestone's impenetrable expression) not only would he do so without hesitation but that Rose would be willing to let him. The fact that this also involved the destruction of Downing street was an added bonus and a terrific conclusion to the threat, almost as spectacular as the collision with Big Ben. And the added fact the TARDIS did not return at the end of the episode as Rose promised is even more interesting. We may have returned to Rose's home but we have also blown it away irrevocably.

This was yet another fantastic episode of what is fast becoming one of the best programmes on TV. With the probable demise of Star Trek on the horizon, Doctor Who is already the best sci-fi series on the air. I, for one, cannot wait to see The Dalek, next week.

An excellent episode which built nicely on the themes raised in Aliens of London.

Personally, I cannot see why people are complaining about the Slytheen. Do they want Doctor Who or not? What was the main ingredient of the original series? Men in rubber suits, that's what - and I felt that these suits were far better than some of the old ones we have had to contend with.

So they had baby-like faces. Big deal! What is this unwritten rule that seems to state that all aliens have to look absolutely evil just because they are, well....evil!

Is it beyond the realms of imagination to accept that there can be nice, cute looking aliens that are completely ruthless? What about the Drahvins - cute sexy blondes! And I won't even mention Beep the Meep!!!!

I admit, the suits in motion were a little embarassing - the heads were too wobbly and they looked like one of those shaking head dogs found on the back shelf of a car. However, the smoothness of the CGI shots of them running through Number 10 made up for it - you could see the muscles moving on their bodies.

On to other points. What other TV show would dare to destroy 10 Downing Street with a missile fired from one of our own submarines? Not an easy thing to show on screen but again I thought well done - not the most spectacular explosion you'll see but very satisfying all the same.

The cliffhanger from the previous week was again approched in a clever way - the Doctor saving not only himself but, unknowingly, Rose, Hilary and Jackie. The tri-cliffhanger itself was a marvellous idea - if you want a good cliffhanger, you have to have the Doctor and/or companion in danger, but we know that they will survive. However, by adding Jackie to the mix as well - we just can't be sure that she won't be torn to shreads, can we? (Well, ok, the true fans know she is in later stories, but the general public don't so have to tune back in to see if she cops it or not!).

The plot was simple, but effective, and unravelled at a logical and sensible pace. The use of Mickey and Rose's 'Superphone' was another clever idea. We have our hero trapped in a room, but still able to save the day. It was nice to see Mickey get some of the 'hero' about him. Coward he may be, but he showed his mettle when push came to shove.

Of course, there has to be some gripes, but these are mostly small, and in some cases, personal ones. The fact that after the Doctor had put the Secretary's body in the cupboard, said sorry and then walked away, you could see in the changeover of shot that the Prime Minister's body had somehow managed to prop itself up a bit!! The fact that the Doctor said there was no one in UNIT he could contact as they were all 'dead downstairs'. What about good old Alistair!!!! Yes, I know that we don't want to much reliance on the old series and risking alienating the new audience, but as UNIT had featured so prominently, I don't see that a quick scene over the Superphone would have made a difference. The fact that it would then have had to change the rest of the storyline...........!

What else? How did Mickey manage to target the missile on Number 10? It was never explained to him and he managed to set the co-ordinates as if he'd done it all his life. Similarly, he was able to stop anything else from intercepting the missile just because the Doctor told him to - 'I'm doing it' - with again no directions at all.

Finally, as much as I do like the Ninth Doctor, I wish he could be a bit more friendly (and I dont mean grin more)! Humans are supposed to be his favourite species, but the way he treats Mickey and Jackie, and talks about them, does not reflect this. He was more concerned about the pig! This does not make him unlikeable, and it could be argued that he manages to pull off very successfully what Colin Baker tried to do with his Doctor, but I do wish he could be a bit more personable to others.

All in all though, a nice episode - 8/10 for this one, and probably 7/10 for the story as a whole.

Well, I was among the few who thought “Aliens of London” was a fine example of how good this exciting new TV series of Doctor Who could be. After just recovering from my last forty-minute stint on the “trip of a lifetime,” my opinion of the story’s conclusion, “World War Three,” is rather more mixed.

Firstly, I felt that despite the brilliance of last week’s triple-threat cliff-hanger, it was totally negated by the subsequent “Next Week” trailer. For stand-alone stories, the trailer is a fantastic idea, serving the same function as the old-school cliff-hangers used to, however, in a two-parter to see your heroes alive and well (even though in our hearts we know they will be) kills the suspense. The Doctor’s reversal of the Slitheen’s weapon, though, was a wonderfully cheesy Doctor Who get-out, worthy of the “classic” series!

Personally, I thought the episode started abysmally and got better and better. At a first glance the Slitheen were unsettling creatures, hideous reptilian bodies with what can only be described as cute baby faces – an excellent Doctor Who monster. The first ten minutes or so of the show were action-packed and very well done, though I didn’t find it as compelling as, for example, the spaceship crashing into Big Ben, the Doctor and Rose meeting the aliens on Platform One, or even the Doctor getting a slap from Jackie Tyler! There were some good moments – Mickey taking a picture of the Slitheen on his mobile, the Doctor backing into the lift then going to ground inside the metal bunker with Rose and Harriet Jones – all wonderful little scenes. It wasn’t however, until Jackie Tyler and Mickey destroyed the Slitheen that was menacing them (with vinegar; just like Cybermen and gold!) that I really began to enjoy the episode.

The scenes featuring Mickey and Jackie at the PC, intercut with the Doctor, Rose and Harriet in the bunker were “fantastic” as the Doctor would say. The action had slowed down, yet the score was so cleverly crafted that the pace felt just as fast; if not faster! The banter between Mickey and the Doctor continued apace, and to hear Jackie beg the Doctor to keep Rose safe was an incredibly touching scene. The look on the Doctors face as he stood silent said it all. You could imagine what he was thinking – Adric; Katarina… - he can’t always protect his travelling companions. His announcement “I could save the world but lose you” was one of the profound moments of the series thus far, not just in the words but in the expression on his face and in Rose’s stare back at him. My only niggle here would again be that it had been “given away” in last week’s trailer so we knew it was coming. On a side note, it’s nice to see in the “Dalek” teaser very little was given away and there was only a brief shot of the Dalek itself.

Mickey has come on leaps and bounds since “Rose,” and it’s nice to be almost in the Doctor’s shoes for once (as opposed to seeing things from the perspective of Rose) as the Doctor’s respect for Mickey grows in unison with the audience’s. Imagine having to press “FIRE” on that UNIT website – effectively killing your (ex?) girlfriend while her Mother sits beside you, blowing up the iconic seat of your Parliamentary leader, but saving the world in doing so. The special effects shots of the missile leaving the sea and flying over London were spectacular; I’d go as far as to say cinematic; as was the resultant explosion. For the Doctor to have to say to the man he dubbed Ricky “I need you” was a hard thing for him to do, and for Mickey to actually do them all proud was a pleasant surprise and great development of what began as a selfish, cowardly character.

From the start of the episode I liked the Welsh sergeant and had a feeling he might have a small role to play in saving the day. He did clear the area, saving a lot of lives, but he almost upstaged the Doctor where he walked in on the “naked” Slitheen – “sorry” – was hilarious, as was the Slitheen trying to get dressed quickly in their human suits – very surreal. I’m not sure all this talk of the Slitheen enjoying their nudity was entirely appropriate – I personally liked it, just like I liked the farting (I’m very childish), but it made my Dad cringe, and no doubt alienated many other viewers.

Penelope Wilton was superb. Part of me was disappointed that she took the decision to risk Rose’s life (as well as everybody else’s in 10 Downing Street) rather than the Doctor take the decision myself – but it ultimately worked out well as (quite predictably) the Doctor revealed (McGann style) she would usher in “the golden age for Britain” as Prime Minister.

Eccleston, Piper, Coduri, Clarke – especially the latter in this episode I felt – were all superb. The cast has that wonderful “family” feel that the Pertwee/UNIT era had, and whatever people say I really enjoy the “domestics” as it grounds the series in something relatable, and makes the series truly worthy of being called a drama. Yes, this week the action finished a few minutes early, but in my opinion the last five minutes of the show were it’s best. The Doctor’s parting exchange with Mickey was beautifully done. Mickey knows he’s a bit of wimp, but he had the courage to admit it and he’d earned the Doctor’s respect enough for the Doc to cover for him. To see Rose leave her poor Mother, AGAIN, was heart-breaking. Rose is Jackie’s life, all she’s got. Rose in tears on the phone to the Doctor asking him to come round for tea was a fine example of his alienness – he either couldn’t see how important it was to her, he didn’t care, or more likely he just didn’t think it all that important. I get the feeling though, that had the Doctor gone round for tea and done something “normal” his appeal would diminish in the eyes of Rose. That said, I think it’s clear that the Doctor and Rose have deep and profound feelings for one another – anyone who has a problem with this ‘cos it supposedly “didn’t happen in the old days” I challenge to stick on your “Green Death” DVD and watch the third Doctor seethe with jealousy as Jo falls in love, and I challenge you not to shed a manly tear and he drives off alone into the night at the end of the story! Jackie Tyler can see these feelings, and she can see how dangerous they are and how they are going to take her nineteen year-old daughter from her, perhaps for good. What was really good was Rose saying “I can be back in ten seconds,” then we see the TARDIS dematerialise and Jackie count to ten, then walk away a broken women while Mickey waits, sat on the bin, just in case they do come back…

All in all “World War Three” was a rollercoaster with high and lows. The references to “weapons of mass destruction” and the parallels drawn with the Iraq crisis were a nice comparison to draw, I think the show is often at it’s best when making social comment, says I, number one fan of “The Happiness Patrol!” I’d place the episode on par with “Rose,” though certainly not up there with “The End of the World,” “Unquiet Dead” or “Aliens of London.” The Doctor and Rose ARE the show. Yeah, there were a few dicey, cheesy, cringe-worthy moments with the Slitheen, but there were also a few chilling ones, just like any classic Who monster. As a two-parter, I thought this story was phenomenal – the first part much better than the second, but unfortunately that’s so often the case with science fiction.

Thanks again RTD!

I'm not going to flame this episode like I did AoL, mainly because I failed to actually see it, however, as I have reviewed every episode up to now, I thought I would at least leave my thoughts on it and the series so far as AoL and WW3 are part of the same story and I did catch a few clips.

I missed the saturday transmission thanks to a botched video job, the sunday repeat I suddenly discovered I didn't actually care about.

My dad is a long term Who fan (And for the record loves the new series) and owns virtually every serial ever released on VHS or DVD. I have watched many of them over and over and not one serial have I ever got to the middle of a story and thought this is too terrible or simply too boring to continue. However this was what I felt for WW3. I already knew that everyone survives because of the great big cliffhanger clunker from last week. I knew that the Doctor would win in the end, he always does, the draw is how, what dilemma will he have to work out.

But in the end I found something more interesting to spend 45 mins of my time on. I occasionally wandered into the sitting room where it was showing, so I know that the Slitheen were blown up, they were trying to nuclear fry the planet to sell off as a power source (Surely stars are giant nuclear power sources? and are far more plentiful around the galaxy, and usually are already in a pretty useful position in their positional relationship to planets? Or am I being pedantic? anyway it was The Pirate Planet by another name) that Mickey did something heroic and that Noel Clarke is, despite all the evidence so far given, an actor, possibly because he was given some nice bits at the end which required him to act, rather than fall over in a mildly (un)comic manner.

Oh yes, and the Doctor blew up the rubber monsters. hurrah.

The trailer for Dalek, looked to be a return to form, and for me a welcome return to form. It will be great to see a third writer approach the series.

Looking over the reviews for AoL there seem to be three main distinctions. People who loved it, People who liked it but disliked the farting and people such as myself who feel that RTD has introduced elements to the show that are frankly sacriligious.

The people who enjoyed the show no doubt believe that we should just accept farts and Britney Spears because its a kids show. Lets just correct this little misunderstanding. Dr. Who was, in the beginning, an educational show, a show to teach children. Eventually it ran for so long that those original kids grew up. To those of us who grew up with the Doctor, he is a lifelong companion and while there are some people who watch Doctor Who for entertainment pure and simple, most of us really truly care about the show (as the actors used to) and to see it descend into the realm of two year old humour that marked last week's show, and frankly marks a full lack of ideas, does hurt. The Doctor was never just for the kids.

It hurt so much that for the first time in my life I couldn't have cared less about an episode. I could have watched it, given a comprehensive review and hoped in vain that the constructive criticism from this site somehow filtered down to the people making the next series. But this story (Both episodes), I don't care about. Well done RTD, you've turned Doctor Who back into a tv show that was as give and take as the A Team or Mork and Mindy. Nice for it's time but nothing to really get our teeth into, nothing to really enjoy that can't be found on Eastenders or Star Trek. This one story set Who back 898 years, so whatever other reviewers may take from this episode its about as relevant to me as missing an episode of ST Enterprise, or Neighbours. Quite inconsequential

Several people are suggesting that RTD get an editor. Most definitely, or better still promote him out of the writing process, let better skilled and more constrained writers such as Mark Gatiss take over.

I'll be watching Dalek, how could I not. But I don't know if I'll be watching any more RTD scripted eps. There were good things to take from EotW, and even one or two from Rose. Almost everything about this storyline was cringeworthy however and I suspet he's lost a lot more fans than he's won. It's certainly gonna have to take something incredible to win me back as a regular viewer.

Any chance the DVD will not have this story on it?

Last week saw the start of the first two-part Doctor Who story in the new series and what a great start it was so this weeks episode already had a built in audience of over 7 million viewers, all anxious to see how the story ends.

World War III has a beginning that most viewers saw at the end of the previous episode, which in itself was characteristic of Doctor Who and immediately grabs the audiences attention.

It starts, as we all know (or if you don’t, watch the 4th episode), with the Doctor and other alien experts being electrocuted by aliens. The Doctor, on the spur of the moment, puts a tag on one of the aliens and they all start shaking writhing around with the electrocution, even the one in Rose’s mother’s house. Mickey enters Jackie’s house, grabs the chair and the alien over the head, then gets her up and they stumble out of the house. Meanwhile, at 10 Downing Street, the Doctor has recovered and gets the guards to come inside, where the aliens are. The aliens get the tag off and put the skin of the human back on. The Doctor enters the room with the guards, who don’t believe his theory that the two men at the front of the room are aliens, so he runs away. He gets cornered, but against a lift, which promptly opens and the Doctor makes his escape.

Rose and Harriet Jones are now running from an alien, as the Doctor appears when the lift doors open, sees the alien and promptly closes the doors again. He emerges on a higher floor. After more chasing, the Slitheen reveal the it’s not their race, but their surname and that they are here to start World War III and then sell off the radioactive chunks of the planet for fuel. The Doctor then closes the emergency steel doors and shutters, trapping the Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones in the cabinet room. Meanwhile, the UN is voting to decide whether it should allow Britain to have the access codes to their nuclear weapons. Rose receives a text message from Mickey. She rings him. Mickey sees the UN on the news and puts the phone to the speakers. The UN have voted to allow the access codes to be released. The Doctor has an idea, but it may not be safe for Rose. Harriet Jones steps in and announces it is her decision to make, as the only elected representative of the people in the room. She tells the Doctor to do it. The Doctor tells Mickey the “idiot” to go to his computer and go to the UNIT website. He does so and the white home page of UNIT’s website (which is actually available at www.unit.org.uk) appears on the screen. After revealing the password (which also works on the website) the Doctor instructs Mickey to launch a missile at 10 Downing Street. Rose suggests they hide under a doorway, as you do during an earthquake. The Guards become aware of the missile and one of them runs upstairs to tell the minister, the General and the MI5 people, only to find that they are all aliens. He runs out and all the guards and press told to evacuate the area. The aliens, waiting for the phone to ring with the access codes, are blown to bits.

The steel box that is the Cabinet room is left sitting in amongst a pile of rubble, as the doors open and out come the Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones, who later becomes the Prime Minister for three successive terms according to the Doctor. After that, Rose packs and she and the Doctor leave.

So the story was good and so was it’s execution (having the UNIT website actually available was great too), but was it as good an end as the first episode was a begin? In short, yes it was. The Doctor was more himself than in any other episode before it in this new series, from running away form guards to saving the world whilst trapped in a steel box, this was Doctor Who.

The direction of it was, of course much the same as the previous episode and it was just as good. The CGI was pretty good too, from the aliens running around to a missile flying over and into central London. However, they still look too ‘clean’, in other words, you can tell quite clearly that it is CGI on a real London backdrop for example and it still doesn’t come up to the standard seen in other sci-fi series such as Star Trek Enterprise and Battlestar Galactica. So the graphical side is still lacking in this new series and needs to get better. The preview of the Dalek episode promises to make a start on improving this, partly because a lot of it is real, such as the Dalek itself.

Although this was a good story and Christopher Eccleston did some great acting, I still can’t help feeling he’s not quite the Doctor, but this does make me look forward to the second season, with David Tennent, even more. So thumbs up as far as the new series goes and I’m sure I speak for millions when I say, I can’t wait for the next episode. Roll on Saturday!

Ugh.

World War 3 was a huge disappointment when compared with Aliens of London. Aliens was my favorite episode of the new series and I had high hopes for the second episode of the serial. As I expected the action was fast and furious but it didn't really last.

I guess that is my first complaint: two much of the Rose/Doctor/Mother/Mickey dynamic. While I really liked the angle where they returned to Rose's time and we saw what happened with her and family, etc... there was just a little bit to much of it this time. In my opinion this should be the backstory, a sub-plot that rounds out an episode. This dynamic almost dominated the episode. Considering the amount of this that we had in the first episode of the serial as well there was just a bit to much for my taste. The part where they were locked in the cabinet room and that part of the story was great and touching, but the last 8-10 minutes of the episode were not as good. I'm not saying that I don't like this stuff but weave it into the story line better. I must admit I let out a huge sigh of relief when Mickey declined the offer of a spot in the Tardis. *whew*

My second complaint is that the aliens were way to goofy this time. The farting, etc... was a bit much in the first part but their goofy antics in the second part were just over the top. A few times in the episode they frantically tried to put their suits back on...this was ok the first time but the second time they tried it was dumb. The way that the PM and the general acted was also ridiculous and the mindless idiots in the complex just accept that the two goofiest people ever are now running the country. The foolishness of the aliens can be forgiven this time but I fear they are continually going to be this way. Hopefully they won't be.

The story is just a tad bit ridiculous as well. I especially find it hard to believe that when the Prime Minister has a news conference warning of the vast amount of weapons in space that no one else bothers to verify it. I mean surly a country like the United States may attempt to check this out on their own, or perhaps an amateur astronomer with $500 telescope in his backyard? The United Nations is going to vote to give nuclear codes to the UK without even checking the sky for themselves? If a mothership is lined up so perfectly that the UK can determine its belly is right over London then surely someone else could have seen these aliens. Ugh. It just is to much. I know it is science fiction and everything and they have to move the story on at a fast pace, but if the story is this foolish perhaps they should tighten it up a bit. After all they invested two epsiodes in this story, maybe they should have taken the time to build a solid second episode.

This is the first time I have been disappointed by the new series and it is unfortunately a BIG let down after Aliens of London. Another thing that concerns me is that after Aliens of London there may have been a lot of buzz an the second part may have had a higher viewership due to the positive talk. A lot of new, first time watchers may have tuned in to see the poorest episode thus far and may decide to give up on Doctor Who based on this one.