Two stories into the new season with the promise of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 to come, Tooth & Claw sees mention of another former companion as the Doctor assumes the identity of "Dr James Mcrimmon" of the lands of Balamory ("What's the story in . . . ??"). Yes - some typical RTD contemporary jokes come into this rather untypical RTD script - The Muppet Movie, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Margaret Thatcher also get a mention in the first 10 minutes! This is a very dark story contrasting with the season opener "New Earth". The very classy looking opening daylight shots of the slow motion fighting monks and the Doctor and Rose's introduction to Queen Victoria leads into mainly night and dark interior shots - ideal settings for the werewolf!

This is a tight story fitting quite nicely into its 45 minute format with a small but convincing cast and, in true Doctor Who tradition, lots of corridor chases. A slightly less than usual invasion concept - the monks plan to take the monarchy from Queen Victoria and a suitable trap is laid with the Doctor and Rose becoming unwittingly involved. DT is totally centre stage again, commanding a fine performance - especially his curiosity and fascination in the werewolf. A slightly more casual look too with no tie and an open necked blue shirt under the suit.

The comedy is there - Rose is determined to win her £10 bet with the Doctor that Queen Vic will say her infamous catchphrase - but is pleasantly restrained to allow the action to take place. And the action is convincing with some good morph scenes for the werewolf and some good fight scenes. This is adult DW at is best and, as writer Steven Moffat DW Confidential later alluded to' the fear factor very close to a later screening time, The late Mary Whitehouse will no doubt be turning in her grave!!! Unlike many others, I love the incidental music - I think it is so far more effective than the very repetitive electronic background of the 1980s.

There is much for everyone in this story - because the plot is not too complicated it leaves for the suspence to take lead. And then, just as the references to Torchwood have been building up, a revelation at the end that Queen Victoria herself set up the organisation that will play an important part for Captain Jack and indeed the Doctor in coming months.

One week to go to K9 - am I enjoying this run so far? Affirmative master!!

This is the episode I've been waiting for. Simply and utterly amazing. This beats most of my favourite Doctor Who episodes to the top spot, and so it should. When Liverpool won the football 2-1 I breathed a sigh of relief as I awaited what I thought would be another average RTD story, and oh how I was wrong!

The story starts with a bang as a group of monks with a hint of Quientin Tarantino style directing, raid Torchwood House in 1979 and inprison the house keepers in a basement with a caged Werewolf. The werewolf is his human form is almost as scary as his moonlight inspired appearence; the washed out colour of the whole episode makes it seem movie-like and very dark and eerie.

Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria was playing the part brilliantly and brought a sense of normality to the story which was later broken by the discovery of her late husband Albert's invention, which by the way was a great plot twist.

One niggle though - I think that the Doctor and Rose are getting far too confident of themselves. They are laughing at atmospheric and creepy scenes as if they are under the assumption that they will definately solve yet another mystery, and will continue travelling through time and space. This was the best thing about the new series. It seemed as if the audience were learning the wonders of time travel at the same time that Rose was. As Queen Victoria rightly mentioned that this was not the time for jokes.

The ending was the worse part for me. The Doctor EXILED!? This hasn't happened since the Jon Pertwee years. The story ended as if Victoria hated them both; which was clearly not the case throughout alot of the episode. It was a nice twist with the whole Torchwood Institute idea and the "Werewolf-blood"; which just so happened to occur a day after Queen Elizibeths 80th. Are we to believe that our Queen turn into a hairy beast every full moon?

Anyway, overall a thrilling episode that scared me (and I'm not a coward to admit it). The direction, the writing, the scenery and the massive link the ending had to future episodes. See my New Earth review and I will have mentioned how I believed RTD can not write Doctor Who stories. I go back on that. This just goes to show how good Doctor Who 2005-6 really can be.

Phew! Well thank Gallifrey for that ...

Firstly, some irony. Russell T Davies mentioned in an interview that he wasn't supposed to write this episode - the writer who was commissioned ended up leaving out the werewolf and monk aspects and so the original script was passed upon.

I'm glad, since it's proven that he IS a Who-writer.

This was the best Davies-penned episode (with the possible exception of The Parting of the Ways) so far. Indeed, it was one of the finest episodes of new Doctor Who overall. Maybe Russell should write historicals more often.

The story was the tightest piece the much-maligned writer has produced for the show - very traditional Doctor Who in many ways, from the 'Doctor ingratiates himself right into the situation' opening, through the 'hiding from the monster' moments to the Doctor's final realisation of how to save everyone. And it didn't feel even slightly compressed into the 45 minute timeslot. In essence, it was the anti-New Earth. And it was all pulled off with aplomb - no unnecessary pop culture references (the royal family gag was actually funny), no random running around to fill time (a werewolf in a claustrophbic house is far easier to buy into than dull zombie patients in a future hospital which looks uncannily like a modern exhibition centre) and a real sense of danger throughout.

Kudos also to the production team on this one - the entire episode was beautiful, full of rich, dark colours and moody lighting. The direction, too, was excellent - from the cinema-style acrobatics of the monks (entirely pointless, but great fun) to the tight shots of the characters in danger and the chaotic fleeing from the werewolf.

And effects? My, oh my ... The werewolf is by far the finest special effect Doctor Who has EVER had. Clearly CGI but intricately detailed and possessing of a terrifying realism.

Both David Tennant and Billie Piper (in a much more traditional companion role) acquit themselves well, and Tennant's manic incarnation (great jerky cuts when he starts to work everything out) is becoming more Tom Baker and less Peter Davison every week. His very-human wit and chemistry with Rose is tempering this nicely, though.

An all-round success, then. Where I winced a little and peered at my watch once during New Earth, Tooth and Claw held me riveted, a smile spread across my face throughout.

And a few more clues about the arc, to boot. Rose's aspect of the wolf might not be finished with, and it looks like Torchwood is a lot more sinister than just a new stomping ground for Captain Jack ...

THIS is where season 2 begins.

Hmmmm….well I should admit that I've never cared for the Russell T. Davis episodes and so was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself enjoying the first half of Tooth and Claw. And then it all went so wrong - unsurprisingly, around about the same time that the characters stopped running from the wolf and started talking. Why was the diamond constantly re-cut if its only purpose was to be thrown on the floor at the last minute as opposed to, oh I don't know, say, forming an intricate part of the telescope; where did the monks go when they still had the house surrounded with guns; why did Queen Victoria knight the Doctor and Rose only to banish them from the kingdom immediately afterwards; why did we have to listen to the world's worst, most blatant and completely unnecessary plug for Torchwood (incidentally, if Torchwood has been around for 100 years, how come we've never heard of it before, despite the Doctor working for UNIT both in the old and NEW series); why did Russell think 'we are not amused'' was a funny running gag; how was the house supposed to be a trap for the werewolf when nobody knew about it; and where did the monks get their matrix-like kung-fu abilities from?

On the plus side, the direction by Euros Lyn was fantastic and led to some genuinely tense and scary moment (really looking forward to his upcoming episodes), the production values were amazing and even the CGI looked very good, the acting from the guest cast was of a high standard and the opening banter between the Doctor and Rose was genuinely funny.

I'm still finding it hard to get used to David Tennant as the Doctor as he occasionally comes across as too manic and/or smug but I suspect this is more to do with the script than David's abilities as an actor. Hopefully he'll mellow out a little as the series progresses, much like Christopher Eccleston. It was a shame that after last week's performance Billie Piper returned to being the annoying giggling schoolgirl. If nothing else, New Earth showed she had a much broader range than many have given her credit for, and it was disappointing to see her being given little more than the annoying companion role again (though in the effective 'escape from the wolf in the cellar' scene she did get to be far more proactive).

Ultimately this was an episode carried by atmosphere and taut direction, not by a marked improvement in RTD's ability to write actual Doctor Who as opposed to his ultra-fast paced, sexed-up, over the top, pantomime version. I'd like to quote RTD from the series one boxed set booklet: "…And I had nothing to do with the show's return. That was decided in some as-yet-undocumented discussion between Lorraine Heggessey, the controller of BBC ONE, and Jane Tranter, Controller of Drama Commissioning". So, thank you Lorraine and Jane for bringing back such an amazing, imaginative and exciting show. Now if you could just stop Russell from writing any more episodes you'd make a lot of fans very happy indeed.

What can I say? Absolutely everything I look for in Doctor Who and more. There were a few minor blemishes here and there but the overall package here is impressive it would get tops marks from on any viewing. Whilst it may not be the best Russell T Davies script yet (his witty lines were lost amongst all the atmosphere) it was great to see him trying something totally different (ie not a soap or a space opera) and pull it off with real style. If horror aint your bag bugger off, but I love horror and this was without a doubt one of the finest Doctor Who has ever dished up.

It all starts out so brilliantly with that dynamic opening. Aside from The Unquiet Dead has their been a better pre titles sequence yet? The way Simon commented gruffly “Its not like Doctor Who at all” made me beam with delight, he is not used to being swept of his feet by such fancy camera and stunt work but this is exactly the sort of thing the show can achieve now that it couldn’t before. I was dazzled by these balletic yet arse kicking monks and their raid on the house was truly terrifying. The slick camerawork not only adds a great deal of energy and style but also doesn’t really let you look at the damage these guys are causing so the kids can be scared but only with the implied violence of what is going on.

Hop to the TARDIS for some more rock and roll fun (I love how Russell has introduced more music into the world of Doctor Who, it could often be something of a drab show so it is nice to see the TARDIS spinning through the vortex to some groovy music). David and Billie have a fine rapport already and like the best Doctor/companion teams (Second Doctor and Jaime/Third Doctor and Jo/Fourth Doctor and Sarah/Seventh Doctor and Ace) it is clearly they are absolutely in love with each other and their adventures. The running gag throughout the episode is great and a lovely postmodern touch. The Doctor’s accent slipping between Scottish and English is another fine choice, it’s a shame he should slowly regain his ‘natural’ voice because David’s natural accent is too sexy for words. The best Doctor moment in the entire episode: When he sees the werewolf for the first time…it is not the reaction you would expect when a slavering beast is tearing from a cage and trying to kill but it was 100% the Doctor. Rose isn’t exactly idle either, proving her worth when she manages to escape her manacles and turn the serving staff into a fighting force.

What I was amazed by was how well this episode adhered to the clichés of horror and yet still managed to seem fresh and interesting. Lets face it, a spooky house, people being chained up with a monster, a full moon, the monster escaping and rampaging through the house…these have been done to death in every film, TV show and book you can think of. Maybe it was the crazy ninja monks or the fact that the werewolf was an alien (his story enhanced beautifully by the TARDISode), maybe it was the inclusion of Queen Victoria or the fact that answers to defeating the creature were scattered around the house and well built into the structure of the episode, but this werewolf story managed to be both scary and a wee bit different to those you have seen before. Certainly it tops the other science fiction shows I have watched attempts to pull it off. Buffy was a bit post modern with Phases, an embarrassing costume and far too many gags spoiling what could have been a scary episode. The X-Files offered up Shapes which did have a genuinely chilling transformation sequence but it was tacked on to a ruthlessly boring episode that hardly featured the creature at all.

The direction was right on the nail, astonishingly classy for television and the sort of standard the show needs to maintain if it wants to stay at the top of its game. What impressed me most was how far they were willing to go to scare the audience, there was a few moment in this episode where I was scared so I dread to think what the kiddies went through! The way the episode builds towards showing us the monster, manoeuvring Rose into its path just in time to see it turn is perhaps the best build up for any monster since Terror of the Zygons episode one. The creature in the cage was frightening enough with his silky voice and horrid tar black eyes but once his skin began to stretch and tear…brrr! The actual werewolf was fantastically designed but just cartoony enough to let the kids know they are watching television. Frankly the scariest moment in the entire episode was when the Doctor and Rose are trapped inside a room and the wolf is prowling around outside, purring and growling. Not knowing where he is was much scarier than actually having him right in your face! The biggest cliché comes when one guy says Aha the danger is over, I’ll just investigate over here before he gets yanked up to the ceiling and savagely torn to pieces. How many times have I seen that before…and why does it keep getting used? Because it works and its damn funny! And scary!

The inclusion of Queen Victoria makes the episode far more than the monster fest than it could have been. Pauline Collins turns in a surprising performance with none of the gravity I was expecting but with much humanity and grace. Colour me impressed. RTD tries to pull of his surprise ending again, almost exactly the same as what he did with The Christmas Invasion having an authority figure and the Doctor who have been acting friendly suddenly at odds with each other in a most dramatic way. It’s not quite as good because we don’t know Victoria as good as we knew Harriet Jones but it still comes out of the blue. Its always nice to have a bit of history in Doctor Who and the regulars’ reaction meeting the famous Queen is a delight. There were some lovely touches like Albert’s death being utilised as part of the plot, the giant telescope, which made the episode much more thoughtful than the run-around it clearly is.

Any complaints? Well the running time again I suppose. Does this story feel rushed? Not really because it is basically a bunch of people running around a house and this time RTDS has wisely confined one bloody great idea to the episode rather than chucking a thousand at the wall and hoping that some of them stick. But saying that I still feel these 45 minute stories would benefit from being an hour long, just so you can flesh out the characters a bit more, maybe add a touch more detail. These New Series episodes are being praised for being far faster paced and exciting compared to the drab, slow moving old Doctor Who TV series but they can’t really help that having to squeeze in as much plot in half the length! What I’m missing is the exploration of ideas, the new series has imagination in abundance but we are not have the opportunity to explore these crazy, wonderful ideas in any great depth in case the kids fall asleep so we’ll just have another action set piece instead. The only story that had managed to marry the modern day need for crazy action and the old series joy at exploring the bizarre (and adequately delve into the characters) is The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Had Tooth and Claw been as long it would probably feel overstretched but just fifteen minutes more to allow us to find out a bit more about the monks, see the household in operation before the invasion, look a bit deeper into the history of the wolf, it would be just as classy but all the more rich.

But I refuse to complain, this has been one of my favourite episodes so far and on the strength of its broadcast viewing, easily my most exciting experience with new Who. The production was sparkling, the writing crisp and the show is clearly still firing on all cylinders after the over stuffed New Earth. Compelling viewing for all ages and a real shit scarer for the kiddies.

We are not amused. We are ecstatic!

The big surprise for this second series of Doctor Who is that actually is Event TV. For the screening of New Earth, I was at a barbeque being thrown by a friend. The whole lot of us broke off from our fun and games on a bright sunny day to watch the programme. I did not insist and none of them are fans, but they wanted to see it. They revelled in the performance of Billie Piper (who as Cassandra reminded us of a man-eater we all know). For the screening of Tooth and Claw, I sat down with my Mum and Dad and we watched it as a family. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, Family viewing is back - and here to stay with any luck.

So, Tooth and Claw - was it any good?

The historicals have indeed been kicked up the arse, so hard in fact they have shot right through the roof and are currently heading for the full mooooooon above our heads. The joy of the new series is that it mixes the traditional storytelling of our beloved show with good old Britishness and modern concepts that we are all familiar with.

There was barely time to draw breath in Tooth and Claw from the outset. We were treated to ninja monks (Crouching Doctor, Hidden Wolf, anyone?), fast-paced drama and a typically erratic TARDIS taking the Doctor and Rose to totally the wrong place yet again. I got the impression that even if there was no chemistry between the new Doctor and the ever-reliable Rose, the story would still have carried it off. Fortuanetly for us, the new pairing is proving to be a joy to behold. David Tennant's turn as the Doctor is delightful manic with bags and bags of personality. Watching his scene in the TARDIS as he endeavours to take Rose to a Blockheads concert in Sheffield in 1979, it was easy to forget that this is only his third episode. Has any Doctor ever settled in as fast as David Tennant? (To which the answer of course is only Tom Baker). The rapport and the respect between our two leads is evident and symptomatic of that the series has now hit its stride. These two time travellers genuinely like each other's company and now the Doctor has thrown off the shackles of his guilt over the Time War following his regeneration, he has been imbued with the boundless wonder and excitement of travelling the universe in the way that we all know and love.

"No wonder you never keep still," said Rose in last year's The Unquiet Dead. Indeed - would you??

The more I learn about the Tenth Doctor, the more I like him (Eccleston who?). He has mad fits of realisation, flips out in rude outbursts, loves Ian Dury, loves adventure and revels in the brilliance of a life that has him meeting historical figures and being held at gunpoint. He is immensley likeable, but having said that, I wouldn't cross him. The thought of the Doctor not giving you a second chance if you mess up still makes me unnerved, and that is a character trait that has been long overdue in returning.

The main plot of the trap set by Father Angelo to assassinate Queen Victoria is wonderful car-crash television - you know what's coming and you don't want to look but you simply can't help it. As the residents of the house are chained in a cellar with the werewolf at the same time the Laird is telling the story of it's legend, we all indeed know what is coming and when it does, there really is no time to draw breath. This is Doctor Who without the padding, a Time Lord with no fat and additives, and it shows in spadefulls. The trap within a trap is a brilliant last-minute turn around that at first I thought was just a cop-out, but if you care to look over the episode again, all the clues are there, disguised not as clues but as throwaway lines. Just brilliant.

The werewolf itself is a wonderful piece of CGI that errs on the side of animation at times and reminded me of the wolf from Box of Delights (or what Box of Delights would love to have created had the technology been around at the time). The lycanthropic transformation itself was gruesome and at one point, I questioned wether or not this would be too scary for little kids before remembering that that is exactly what Doctor Who is designed to do - to scare kiddies behind the sofa or their cushions. Mary Whitehouse will be spinning in her grave. One hopes so, anyway.

Add to this the wonderful central performances from the guest cast. 40 years after her first Doctor Who Adventure in 1966's The Faceless Ones (just think about that - an actress returning to a series almost two generations later...madness), Pauline Collins positively shines as Her Majesty. We get a real sense of grief for her lost husband, of the hierarchy of the time and her expectations of those around her and of her steeliness by carrying a gun in her handbag. This is isn't just a characiture of a very famous historical figure, but a real human being. We will never know if it is an accurate portrayal or not, but from what we know of the monarch, one would think it is.

So - the die has been cast. Queen Victoria founds the Torchwood Institute to defend her realm against outside forces - including the Doctor. Do I sense that this will be the thread throughout the series? Will the descendants of the original Torchwood be prepared for the Doctor? And how will - and if - it fit in with the Cyber climax of the series and the Face of Boe's secret (and fit in with the spin-off series)? It's a nice touch with the werewolf recognising Rose as having "a bit of the wolf" in her (Bad Wolf from Series One) - so have we seen the last of Bad Wolf or was that a red herring?

Only Time will tell, it always does....

(And one of the monks was well fit too. Sorry, but he was).