Okay - I can't stand it anymore - I need to add my comments to the reviews of this splendid series. The thing that really gets up my nose is the amount of bitching about whether or not it is any good, and the intense analysis it's put through, as though it were a 19 century novel up for a PHd thesis. It winds me up because, like it or not, (and forgive me raising my voice here) DOCTOR WHO IS A KIDS' PROGRMME. It always has been. I guess many of those who are "disappointed" with RTD's vision seem to forget that you first saw it when you were kids and it's grown with you - probably fed by the many books and audio tapes that have been predominantly written for the kid-become-adult audience. What particularly offends me is that so few hard core Who fans seems to appreciate that this new series is giving something absolutely wonderful (and amazing and frightening and MORAL) to a whole new generation of children. RTD understands this, and he also understands that along with the kiddies content, he also needs to throw nods at the adults watching alongside their offspring. So we have Capt Jack's bisexuality, post-modern references scattered all over the place (big bruv, weakest link et al), and I'm convinced that the Eastenders council estate revisits - Rose, Micky and her Mum - are tongue in cheek as well.

You lot (as the Doctor would say), or many of you, don't seem to be watching with children, or understanding that all this is, at least for the greater part, for them. I can gleefully report that mine (7 and 9) have been absolutely transported over the last 13 Saturday evenings. The gas aliens gave the youngest a nightmare (and I remember having a nightmare about being chased by daleks on Saturday night in 1963, and it didn't do me any harm). Hand-holding duty went on for half an hour until she went back to sleep. Next day the video was watched again!!!!

And what's wrong with farting aliens? Kids love fart jokes. I watched my two reduced to giggling wrecks one moment, closely followed by jumping up on the sofa (not behind until the first dalek appeared) the next, when the Slitheens took off the skin suit and started chasing Rose and the MP (forget the name) through No 10.

The dalek story terrified them and perplexed them by turns. The gasmask kids just plain and simply terrified them, but everything was alright in the end, and the last two episodes had them wide eyed. Not a peep all the way through. The regeneration scene absolutely astonished them (as did the bigger-inside-than-out tardis at the front end of the series).

So okay - the way I've watched this is by watching my kids watching a programme that is made for children. And it is very very very good television. I'd make a guess that like me (and like a lot of you) they'll carry the seeds that have been planted over the past 13 weeks into their adulthood and develop a healthy respect for science-fiction, which is wonderful genre.

And what of me watching with the kids? Well, yes, RTD's storylines have weak points, but the characterisation is wonderful. He is writing for children and they demand less internal logic than adults. You want intellectual coherence go pick up an adult sci-fi novel - there are lots of them about that really do take on big subjects in a challenging way. The acting has been superb throughout (what is it with this carping criticism of Rose's mum? She's been fine. I live in east London and she's like any number of my neighbours...REALLY). The effects are better than they ever were before and the music must be better than that dreadful electronic stuff of the 70's and 80's.

So, a plea..think on. Who's (haha) this series written for? Not for 20, 30 or 40 year olds. They have to stretch their imagination a bit, and remember what it was like to be a kid. Do that and you'll love it.

There's so much I like about Parting of the Ways: the beautiful Dalek FX shots, Jack kissing Rose and the Doctor (and, later, the Doctor and Rose kissing), the Doctor sending Rose on a one-way TARDIS trip to safety, the Anne Droid's final stand against the Daleks, the tow truck of doom, the Doctor's great farewell scene, etc.

Sadly, I can't give the episode a thumbs up because, in the end, it makes absolutely no sense.

Let's start with the Dalek invasion of Earth. So...the Daleks have been guiding humanity's development and converting the dregs of society into Daleks for at least a hundred years, but they're only just now getting around to taking over the planet? What was their motive for taking it over when they already essentially controlled humanity? Sure, it'll make a nice homeworld for the Daleks (Skaro being destroyed in Remembrance of the Daleks, of course), but why wait so long to claim it?

The Bad Wolf being Rose ruined the character in ways that I can't even begin to put into words. After decades of pyromanical time-travelling teenagers, American botany students with fanciful names, mathematical geniuses from the planet Alzarius, Time Lords, cavewomen from the future, UNIT agents, etc., we finally get a *normal* companion for the first time since the days of Sarah Jane Smith, and easily the most down-to-earth and relatable companion since Ian and Barbara. So what does Russell T. Davies do? Turn her into the Dark Phoenix (of X-Men fame). And how was "Bad Wolf" supposed to be a warning anyway? Clearly, the Doctor and Rose had no idea what it meant in any of the previous 12 episodes. If I have the power of a god and I'm sending a warning to myself and a close friend, I don't choose to send said warning in the form of two cryptic words that I *know* my friend and I didn't comprehend or notice previously. In other words, Rose knew the Bad Wolf warning was a failure...so she decided to send it out anyway.

Finally, poor Christopher Eccleston, the Doctor of our age, was reduced to spending most of the episode working on a technobabble device that ultimately doesn't even come into play. At least he gets to reel off some great lines before regenerating, but that still doesn't excuse the Ninth Doctor's virtual absence from the final part of his last adventure.

I adored Bad Wolf and thought it was the very best television episode of any series ever. I suppose Parting of the Ways had a lot to live up to, but it's not as if asking Russell T. Davies to write a coherant script starring the Doctor that doesn't trash Rose's character is asking for the stars. He's done it before and I have no doubt that he can do it again. But it's a shame that, for whatever reason, he couldn't do it for the Ninth Doctor's swan song.

HmmВ…new teethВ….thatВ’s weird.

And so ends an era. I was thrilled beyond words that Doctor Who was being revived, and this season did not let me down. At times I wished they wouldnВ’t try quite SO hard to not mention the past, but the Daleks did eventually return, there was a great scene with the head of a Cyberman (canВ’t wait to see them next season!) and it was the little things that were thrown in for longtime fans such as directions for a room inside the TARDIS for Rose to change clothes in В“The Unquiet DeadВ” and the Ninth Doctor commenting on his new ears in В“RoseВ” (just like Tom Baker commenting on his new nose in В“RobotВ”) that helped make this series a classic. This Doctor even picked up and discarded new companions just as previous Doctors such as Peter Davison had done. This show always kept you guessing and it wasВ…fantastic.

В“The Parting of the WaysВ” was a great ending to a great series. The creation of a Dalek В“godВ” was interestingВ… it kind of goes along the same lines of making every effort to not mention the past. Why this could not be an incarnation of Davros or even a previously seen Supreme Dalek is beyond me but it was a very interesting character regardless. The solution to the 500,000 Daleks seemed to me to beВ…wellВ…a little bit of a cop out. The Doctor has a huge dilemma on his handsВ…create a Delta wave that will destroy all life in and around the planet Earth, or die and let Earth be harvested for Dalek parts. As the Doctor states В“coward, any dayВ”, it wasnВ’t much of a choice. This Doctor, however, has been hardened by war and the death of his people. He actually thought about it whereas no previous Doctor would have even seen it as a remote possibility, even if it did mean the death of Earth either way. Then Super-powered Rose jumps in and with a wave of her hand solves everything.

Of course there were problems with the plot, such as the technobabble explanation of the В“Bad WolfВ” references, the fact that Captain Jack in abandoned, and how the Daleks actually survived, just to name a few. It must be known though that I pick apart plots to every show and movie I love and I love this new series. Another minor quibble I have with the plot of the episode is that Rose and the others could even open up the panel to the TARDIS. MickeyВ’s car isnВ’t strong enough to pull apart the TARDIS console, so they get a larger Earth truck and then are able to rip open the console of this exquisite piece of Gallifreyian technology?! HmmmВ…. I believe it would have worked better if it simply knew it had to open such as it did against the Slitheen and Rose was able to do the same thing. Of course then RoseВ’s mom and Mickey would have been left out and RTD was trying to get some emotion into this sub-plot. Forgivable and understandable.

People have had a lot of opinions about Captain Jack Harkness. Some good but mostly bad. I donВ’t see how you cannot like this character. He was a fun loving rogue who was willing to sacrifice himself for the good of mankind and to make up for his screw up. Since then I can only say that this TARDIS crew have been together much longer than the two adventures we saw them in. He grew into a part of the family and a very valuable part at that. Not only is he well versed in time and how it works, he is technically adept and he is humble enough to defer to the judgement of The Doctor. In fact, in В“PartingВ” he blindly follows him into death and never once flinches. When he first kisses Rose and then the Doctor and says how he wishes heВ’d never met him and he made a much better cowardВ…it was some of the best companion writing ever. I dare say that only Sarah Jane Smith and possibly Jo Grant ever had as emotional response as the purely soldier character of Captain Jack had with the Ninth Doctor. Jack owed him everything, for showing him how he had been wasting his life and talents and gave him a sense of purpose IВ’m not sure he ever had. What an acting job for a character with relatively small amount of screen time. By the way, on the subject of him kissing the Doctor, I am not a gay activist by any means but come on, grow up. Jack is a very sexual character who comes from a time where male/female relations have been blurred. He freely flirted with anyone male or female and enjoyed every minute of it. It made perfect sense for him to kiss the Doctor the same as Rose, as I stated before he meant a great deal to Jack and Jack believed (apparently for good reason) he would never see him again. When Jack was brought back to life and he ran in to see the TARDIS de-materialize the look he gave was amazing В– sadness, hurt and desperation all at the same time. John Barrowman is an amazing actor and I can only hope that RTD realizes that this character evolved far beyond the В“heВ’s here to carry a big gun because the Doctor and Rose wouldnВ’tВ” status he came aboard as.

Just the fact that we can argue whether or not this series was good and tear apart each episode piece by piece shows what an excellent job they did with Doctor Who. People need to realize how many chances this show had to be a failure. There were obvious money constraints and yet everything looked great. People were used to four part episodes and most of these were single 45 minute episodes. Chris and Billie were unknown choices to say the least and they proved themselves to be simply amazing in their parts. The Daleks almost didnВ’t make it into the series, and they were able to use them. This series is a resounding success and I praise Russell and every person who was involved in this fantastic series. I hope David Tennant takes a hold of the role of the Tenth Doctor and is with us a very long time.

Why oh why do we have to wait until CHRISTMAS!!!!? Oh well maybe by then America will WAKE UP and bring this incredible entertainment to these shores so I can stop watching it on my computer and lay back on the couch like a true Doctor Who fan should! THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL 13 WEEKS!

At the end of the day, its just a TV show right? It sure is and it is not written exlusively for Doctor Who fans.... if it was, the show would not have come back at all - look at the state of the show in it's dying years in the late 1980s, tired old ideas, poor writing and an over reliance on the show's past.

This series was written for the general public (there are a lot more of them than there are of us!) and despite the subtle nod to us fans with little things here and there, RTD and crew pitched the show at Saturday night family audiences.

Where am I going with all of this you are no doubt asking...? Well I guess I am responding to much of the criticism Parting of the Ways received in relation to the plot, the tying up of the many threads from various stories from the season (in particular the Bad Wolf reference), and the traffic-jam climatic moments of the episode leading to the regeneration.

I will be the first to admit, that with my "old fan" hat on (I can't believe Ive been a fan of (and watching) this show for over 20 of my 32 years!!), much of what happened in the episode in relation to bringing all the threads together isnt perfect. But if I put my "general audience member" hat on, I agree that yes the plot is a little creaky, but the writing (do not confuse the two!) is very clever. When youve got 45 minutes to squeeze in the culmination of the 12 previous weeks plus explain and execute a regeneration to a relatively new audience - and manage to do so in a reasonably coherent manner, you should be given credit.

Those audience members RTD and co have aimed the new series at probably would not have got themselves all worked up over the the holes in the plot. They would have enjoyed it for what it was - fast paced, action packed adventure with edge of your seat moments. A regular cast so tight, you believe in their relationship and enjoy the chemistry between the two. Add to that the return of the Daleks and the "death" of the main character and you really cant go wrong - mission accomplished!

With that out of the way, I'd like to put my "old fan" hat back on and look at the moments in the episode that caught my attention the most. Firstly, The Daleks - they look great, but talk far too much. Less is more...part of their menace is their limited vocab and their silent gliding around (matched with relentless and indiscriminate killing!). As soon as you give the Daleks a vocab that goes beyond the obligitory "Exterminate!" and the like, they seem to lose that menace. The Emporer Dalek looked impressive, but the effect is probably more suited to the big screen.

I still cant work out if the regeneration sequence in the TARDIS is a post-production add on... sometimes it seems to be so. But looking at the events leading up to it, you would also be justified in thinking that it had been there all along. After kissing Rose (nicely done RTD and totally believable within the context of the story), there is a moment where the Doctor looks as though he knows just what he has done to himself in saving Rose from the power of the vortex. But then at the start of the final scene, it doesnt feel as though he is aware of his impending change.

Much has been written about the scene, how it seems to walk away from past regenerations and makes light of it. Personally I find it totally in character with Eccleston's Doctor. It was sad. Yet he found an irony in the events that were about to occur. He was sad to be leaving Rose - yet happy in knowing he will still be with her in his new form. The scene was not bogged down in Timelord gobbly-gook about regenerating (note the term wasnt used at all!), a simple explanation was all that was required and then the change took place. It is different to the past. But then they have all been different - no one regeneration looked the same as the one before it. So I had no problem with it.

The departure of Eccleston is a real loss. You simply cant argue over his talent as an actor. He also did a great job when some of the scripting let him down earlier in the season (Aliens of London!!). He was a Doctor you could not help but like. It was one hell of a job to pull off - and one hell of a risk for an actor of his ilk. Had the role got into other hands, the success of this season may not have been as great as it is.

So enter Doctor no.10 - I remember at the end of Caves of Androzani, I was very excited about Colin Baker. Those few lines he said to Peri got me hook, line and sinker - we all know what happened with The Twin Dilemma!! So this time round, Im going to reserve my judgement. I hope the Christmas special wont ignore the regeneration and the ramifications of the change on the Doctor - Tom Baker's post-regeneration antics were fun and a good way for the audience to settle in with the new Doctor. Hopefully time will be set aside in the special for this.

And so Season One comes to a close. Here in Australia, we're almost half way through the season on the ABC, so for me there is still joy in watching it unfold through the Australian side of things. Parting of the Ways achieved all of it's objectives and more. It has been one hell of a ride and the culmination of the season with the Doctor's regeneration was the icing on the cake.

Roll on Season Two and Doctor Who number 10!!

So the first new season of Doctor Who is now over and viewers are debating if it went with a bang or an even bigger bang. After the cliff-hanger of "Bad Wolf" I was in seventh heaven, feeling like I did as a kid watching Peter Davidson. "Parting of the Ways" had a huge mandate to cover in 45 minutes, wrapping up the Dalek invasion storyline, resurrecting an old enemy, solving the riddle of the Bad Wolf and killing off the latest incarnation of the Doctor. So, for those interested, did it pull it off?

Yes and no is the answer. This episode is a perfect reflection of this new series as a whole with it's moments of divine inspiration which is inevitibly followed up by lack-lustre resolutions. In my mind there are several flaws in this episode and as seems to be the tradition in reviews I suppose I should get these out of the way first.

1) The 45 minute episode format. This really could've worked and I was looking forward to a Dalek two-parter but with so much of the first episode given up to amusing if dissapointing antics in reality-show hell it didn't leave enough time to develop the characters or story-line. In the end it felt too rushed by the end and this could have been more easily dealt with. ( See point two)

2) Russel Davies writing. Now I was a fan of his previous work, the man can write. But ever since I heard his comments about detractors of the new series being 25 guys who aren't gonna watch the show anyway I have seriously gone off the guy. So here goes as I invoke the wrath of the daleks, er RTD fans, as I blaspheme. The guy is a great guiding light for the series but shouldn't be allowed to write for it as he doesn't seem able to balance various story threads. This has been evident right from the first episode, ie juvenile comedy with high drama, and in this episode the pacing of the story is off balance.

3) Deus ex machina is one of the most criticised and over-used plot devices in sci-fi and here we go again. Granted given the lack of time left by the end of the episode there was no other choice but again, better writing could have given us so much more.

4) Plot holes: Go on, watch this episode again and think about what is going on. Quickly, as happens in most of this season, the plot falls apart. For example, Rose lives but it is the Doctor who cops the whack? How does Rose remember a helicopter landing that she never saw? The Daleks have apparently gone mad because they were lonely? Hell they never were sociable creatures so I am sure missing Mrs Jones cocktail party would not have pushed them over the edge. Also there is no explanation given as to how the Daleks breached the TARDIS in the first part, or why they didn't just kill the Doctor if they are so afraid of him. Still not sure what the Dalek Emperor was up to and it just seemed a bit convoluted.

5) The shameless ripping-off of every other series. From classic Doctor Who to Buffy, RTD can think of very little original plot devices or imagery. The regeneration is Spike's death, Rose possessed is Buffy harnessing the first Slayer, the Doctor kissing Rose was Cordy and Doyle in Angel, Daleks made out of humans, the Doctor sacrificing himself for his companion, abandoning Capt. Jack. Done, done, done and done.

Okay guys, crucify me later because despite all this I loved the episode. This was event television of a high order and quality with excellent performances. I was on night shift when this was shown and went into work 1 hour early so I could sit in the staff room and watch it.I loved it when the Doctor materialised the TARDIS around Rose, which was not without precedent in the classic series. It was unexpected and exciting, my inner child was very happy. The CGI was good but on the small scrren I was watching it on it became hard to make out details in the space scenes. The acting was simply superb.

Billie Piper can move me just by watering up and she has been the real star of this series beyond a boubt. The scenes with her mother were superb even if they slowed the story down. When she tells Jackie about seeing her dad die I was engrossed in her performance, even Camille Coduri was good.

John Barrowman, who I have adored since I saw him in Sunset Boulevard, has been a great addition and ths is his finest hour (so far!). When he was left behind at the end I was saddened because he is a fine addition to the TARDIS crew. I know he will be back but hey. And the kiss? Come on, for the first time we have a bisexual character who isn't about the issues. The Doctor accepts him completely and isn't embarassed by this display of affection and friendship. What greater statement to make to the younger generation. This is the best way to portray these issues, don't make an issue, just accept it and the audience will too.

Chris Ecclestone has grown from irritating (all grins and "fantastic!") to a watchable and likeable Doctor. He never fully nailed the part for me but I guess I will just have to accept that as he ain't coming back which is a real shame.

David Tennant, a few seconds and I think I may like him. The regeneration was too short and easy on the Doctor but this is a talented actor, a fan of the series and a Scot so am gonna allow myself to be biased on this one, lol.

It will be interesting to see how this episode will be viewed 15 or 20 years down the line but for that 45 minutes I was engrossed. There is much more I could have said about the episode and the other actors but I want to leave with how I felt at the end of the episode. The exitement knowing the Doctor was coming back, the elation at a gripping story with thousands upon thousands of Daleks flying through space (that was kinda cool!) and the sense of loss that until Xmas saturdays will no doubt again be dull and uninspired veiwing. Farewell Chris, you will actually be missed.

Parting of the Ways was by far the best Who since the Key series back with Tom Baker. The way the story was threaded through the entire series was done quiet well. The plot construction was very much like Babylon 5, but shorter (Thank god, if you came in late you were lost!

The acting had improved all season, the 1st episode was a bit worry some, but aren't most 1st episodes. John Barrowman really made the episode, I really hope we find Captain Jack in the next series. Billie actually got my wife crying during the scene in the T.A.R.D.I.S. between Rose and Jackie, it was like something out of a lifetime movie. Last, Chris was great. I was not happy when word got out he was leaving the show and this episode really proved he was the right guy for the part.

The CGI budget was very well spent here, making up for the very lack luster stuff in Rose and Boom Town. The Dalek fleet was great! The only issue I had was the Dalek formations leaving the ships were a little to uniform.

Now about the POP culture.... That was pretty silly, but very funny and a great slap in the face to most 'reality' programing. The Weakest Link, extremely funny. It's not often that sci-fi can really get in some good jabs at pop culture and do it right, but this hit the mark.