Doctor Who made it's long-overdue return to our TV screens last night and it seems fair to suggest that Rose and the following twelve episodes constitute a real 'make or break' period in the show's history; should it flop here then it seems inconceivable that the BBC would later choose to resurrect it yet again.

What then should we make of Rose?

The opening title lacked a feel of grandeur; after a nine year absence I was hoping for something a little more impressive but it was reasonable enough. I still can't get used to the new logo however, it looks horribly amateurish. Moving onwards, the opening few minutes were fairly impressive; Rose becomes trapped in the basement with a room full of Autons and this was just the start the series needed - something to get viewers hooked from the start. The tension was destroyed somewhat by the already well-documented technical problems involving Graham Norton, however I'm sorry to say that he wasn't the real culprit in destroying any menace that the planned Auton invasion carried...

The Doctor bursts onto the scene to save Rose and it's certainly a dramatic first appearance; after maniacally telling Rose to 'run for her life' he then proceeds to blow up the entire department store. He later catches up with Rose again in a slightly surreal scene which involves him peering through the catflap. At this stage, the undertones of a very zany type of humour really rise to prominence and proceed to manifest themselves far too regularly throughout the rest of the episode. The Doctor is propositioned by Rose's mother; to the best of my knowledge the series had managed to go the previous 160 serials without something like this and it feels alarmingly out of place - as if the show feels the need to keep itself 'fresh' or 'relevant'. This certainly isn't the way to go about it; it came across as completely contrived and an attempt at cheap humour. Perhaps it wouldn't have felt so ludicrous if it was portrayed with a little more subtlety and not inside the first ten minutes of a new show but unfortunately it stood out like a sore thumb.

Things generally took a turn from the worse from here on in. We have an interesting discussion between the Doctor and Rose regarding the spinning of the Earth and this hints at a darker, more serious side to the Doctor but there is painfully little else in the next twenty minutes or so to support this proposition. What we're presented with instead is an alarmingly arrogant, self-righteous Time Lord who appears to have lost any sort of fond regard for the human species (the dislike shown here is much stronger than any previous incarnations have shown) and who isincapable of sustaining any real prolonged conversation with his companion; we instead have some throwaway dialogue that consists of Rose asking questions and the Doctor giving fairly banal responses.

Some of the problems with this episode can be overlooked as perhaps being atypical of the season - how many times will the team need to try and create a scene with a wheelie bin swallowing a human being, for instance? But other criticisms are more worrying - the completely overworked humour being a prime example: why do we need to see the wheelie bin burp afterwards? Why do we need to see the Auton Mickey swerve from side to side; it's already obvious that he's not the genuine article. There's a strong contrast here between the constant humour which really erodes away all menace from the Auton threat (compare auton Mickey with Scobie's Auton duplicate in Spearhead from Space) and humour which exists to just break up the seriousness of the situation. 

The new series risks making the mistakes already made by Doctor Who and other sci-fi shows in the past. We've seen a very confident/arrogant Doctor with a very dismissive attitude to the human species and a proposensity for zany, slapstick humour. The last Doctor who made such an immediate impact, for better or worse, was Colin Baker and we've seen the impact that such a dramatic departure from previous norms can have. Much more needs to be made of the Doctor's darker side and the humour needs to be toned down or the series will lose it's 'hide behind the sofa' appeal - the very thing that drew children into it back in 1963. 

Perhaps the biggest problem with Rose however is not the portrayal of the Doctor, which may evolve over time, but the limitations of the 45 minute format; we were presented with a very rushed serial that gave little to no explanation of the Auton threat or the antiplastic used to counter it. Despite the short duration however, the scenes involving the Doctor being held captive still somehow managed to feel overblown. While future serials won't need to introduce new characters, Rose didn't feel like 5/10 minutes short of being a complete story - it felt some way off.

As it stands, I believe the show is quite firmly in the last chance saloon and the Doctor may have encountered a threat that even he cannot prevail over. The possibility that there might be no more incarnations of the Doctor seems feasible if the problems of slapstick humour, a dislikeable Doctor and rushed feel are all not addressed quickly.

We need to review the Who

In ways more than two!!

Would it frighten the 2005 child

And with fright send them sofa bound, eyes wild?

Auton dummies were unnervingly scary,

Menace spoilt by the bleed through 'fairy'!!

More scenes of plastic destruction to build up alien danger

And less perhaps of Grace Bros, Mr Grainger,

With 'corny' hand grabs the neck frivolity

Stopping the creepiness from escalating properly.

But shade and light calms the fright

Giving release from terrors being remembered into the night

By the young 6 year old who now keeps on the light.

Frighten the nippers too soon

And parents will not allow them to return to the room.

Rose was good, and pacily introduced with English buses red

Plotlines zipped along and never slowed to lead.

Roller coaster riding with an 'odd' sequence by a pit

With the good Dr doing nought whilst Rose's Mum had a fit.

Nice to contrast Cardiff's (sorry London's) plight 

With the inter-cut Doctor's fight

But too long the camera dwelled 

On our good Dr, by dummies held

Weak and ineffectual he appeared- too slow..

More snappy editing would have moulded our hero!!

Wheely bins were just the 'familiar' object to send a shiver

Up my spine when next I deposit my litter!!

Boyfriends to be eaten was an obvious story-line

Only tempored by the sticky sequence with effects so fine,

Until the actor turned around -and then 'oh dear'

We could see the creaky effects, expensive and dear.

And alarm bells start ringing with a clang

For this is one reason why the series went 'BANG'

All the good acting, effects, and work can be undone

By one misplaced and gremlin air brush or CGI gun.

Romantic memories of wobbly sets and scenic flaws

Either pleases fans or is manna for detractors.

Don't take this rhyming rubbish as a moan or complaint,

More a worry and concern for series TWO - reality fient?

Preview clips promise aliens and themes enjoyably scary

But images appear pasted on - be wary!!

They should look part of the background-involved-real

Not a CGI effect of fire in a department floor- surreal

Why not blow out an old stores' floor? 

But whoa- I should not whinge - there's more in store

I have not seen, and judgement should wait.

There is hope and more to praise than berate.

So a quirky, at times glib, and Dr - maybe antagonising 

With a defined excellent sidekick will have their fling.

Kids will see for the first time elements of what fans know

That writers and co have lovingly recreated 'our' show.

But the biggest blunder by the BBC- we need a rolling neck-

Was to play viewer battles with Ant and Dec!!

Why make the same mistake as they did with McCOY

And so possible lower ratings is another argument to employ

By those in power who want only one series.

Please Beeb give it a chance - be proud please.

Program carefully, help the young fans you want access the Who

And then fans, old and young alike will get Series Two!!!

The moment the episode began, I knew that this would be the episode which secured the series' future. I was worried that this story might effect the new viewers' opinions.

However, I though that the episode was surprisingly good. It was unfortunate although, that there was not much plot to it. In my opinion, in order to cater for the modern audience, the stories have become less complicated, because as a modern audience, people do not seem to have an attention span anymore. This may not be the case, it may be that R.T.D was still trying to develop a relationship between the Doctor and Rose before the real adventures start.

As you would expect, the special effects were spectacular. The effect used to make Cassandra was like nothing that I have ever seen outside a cinema before. I feel sure that the quality and quantity of the new series' special effects should make sure that younger viewers continue to watch for years to come. I am afraid however, that like in cinema, television is possibly becoming too dependent on visual effects. This again links in with the fact that many viewers seem not to have an attention span.

I thought that the majority of the music in this episode was very well put together. However, I feel that the music used for the "little blue men" was entirely inappropriate. I enjoyed in particular, the way in which two pieces of pop music were woven cunningly into the episode (Tainted Love and Toxic), however, we must not forget that this has been attempted before in Doctor Who, in stories such as "Remembrance of the Daleks", where pop music has been included in the soundtrack, and thus has made DVD and video release very difficult.

I have always believed that in Doctor Who a pre-titles sequence always seems to work very well. It seems to be a technique which is being used more and more today in modern television and seems to be a good way of setting the story. This is probably the best structure, particularly for stories of just one episode. I also like the "Next week" section at the end of each episode, however, I only think that it works with one and two part stories and no more than that. If something like this were attempted in the original series, it would almost certainly have undermined the cliff-hanger.

The make up in this episode was also spectacular, it is good to see monsters and aliens who aren't just latex into which and actor has been encased. It also gives us a chance to see the actors performing. Even with Cassandra, instantly I knew which actor was playing her part because of the tremendous special effects used to create her. Although she was almost completely 2D, it retained some of Zoл Wanamaker's distinguishing features.

All in all I enjoyed this story, and am really looking forward to episode three - The Unquiet Dead, because I have always felt that the historical stories make the best of Doctor Who's plot.

So, after so long, so many novellos, audio adventures and hiatus, the Eight Doctor whose first adventure involved a motorcycle chase through San Fransisco and shouting in a cupboard for 30 minutes has arrived in modern day London with a very different appearance and a very different dynamic ethos. Welcome to Doctor Number 9, Christopher Eccleston. 

Of course, with all the older episodes and nostalgic look backs during the lead-up, it is inevitable that comparing "Ghost Light" and "City of Death" and "Dragonfire" with "Rose" is like comparing apples with pears. This is glossy and modern, with the investment and computer technology that all previous Doctors so desparately needed. "Rose" is just as much a Doctor Who experience as any previous serial, but this looked and behaved as any 40 minute drama serial would; short, sharp and sexy. A new era indeed. And when this episode was over, apart from feeling giddy and exhausted, the feeling was of relief that finally Doctor Who has all the right elements together to make a new series work. 

Christopher Eccleston is perfectly cast, and acts fantastically, as the Ninth regeneration. Almost everything he did seemed right on the nail, with perfect interaction with Rose and flawless behaviour within the well realised story. There will be countless reviews which suggest that Eccleston has elements of each and every Doctor before him; they are right. You can sense all from Hartnell to McGann in the eccentricities, humour and stature. The "regeneration mirror shot" - such a small little tradition - was done with great humour. 

Billie Piper is the natural sucessor to Sophie Aldred; Ace is now Rose and there are so many possibilities for Rose's character it is a certain bet that novello writers are already penning idea for her. She was able to put across the stunned bemusement and attracted curiousness in good measure, and distanced herself from the "scream and gleam" companions along whom she strides as a confident and classy young woman. 

As those who saw the TV Movie will testifty, narrative is all. Good actors can try all they can but a narrative has to be a sound structure. The return of the Autons and the conclusion was breathlessly rapid; perhaps a little too short and sweet. The "anti-plastic" solution seemed to be introduced and executed quickly with an element of "fake tension" between cutting shots that didn't quite have the desired effect. As an introduction to the two main characters, the story did work well. Rose was very quickly in a situation she could not control, the Doctor was very quickly introduced and importantly did not automatically sweep the shop assistant of her feet and into the TARDIS. With time to develop, the relationship seems more real and the script really helped here. How many times are we going to see quoted "Nice to meet you Rose, now run for your life!". 

Maybe die-hard 'Whovians' are going to groan at the idea of a glossy, CGI-aided version of Doctor Who. But with all the possibilities that the new era holds, this new series could be the start of a relationship taking the concept well into the 21st Century. Paul McGann's Doctor could have been everything and more Christopher Eccleston is promising; let us take the journey with him and find out.

There’s something about Christopher Eccleston’s performance as the Doctor, which reminds me of Craig Kelly’s performance as gay ‘Doctor Who’ fan, Vince in Russell T. Davies’ TV drama ‘Queer as Folk’. It’s as if, on being granted the writing duties on the new series of ‘Doctor Who’, Davies outlined the character of The Doctor in Vince’s image – that is to say, Davies own image, as Vince is certainly Davies’ autobiographical cypher.

In ‘The End of the World’ Eccleston’s wide-eyed thrill seeking Doctor echos Vince in almost every way, right down to the accent and catchphrase (‘Fantastic!’) Clad in a black leather jacket with a buzz-cut crop and a female sidekick, who isn’t his girlfriend, as underlined in the exchange between Jabe (Yasmin Bannerman) and the Doctor, we have the Doctor written as a queer icon.

Cassandra O’Brien, the last human and villain of the week, is the perfect foil. She is the typical ‘Dynasty’ bitch taken to the Nth degree and realised as a piece of computer generated skin stretched across a metal frame, the casuality of too much plastic surgery. Zoe Wannamaker brings the character to life with camp hilarity, particularly with her strangled shrieks of “Moisturise me!” as she meets her end. One only wishes she had escaped to return another day, as the best ‘Doctor Who’ villains often do.

Credit must go to Euros Lyn’s direction, which reaches disaster movie heights in the closing fifteen minutes of the episode. Never has ‘Doctor Who’ looked so glorious. The scenes where The Doctor walks messiah-like through the revolving fans, intercut with Billie Piper’s Rose struggling to escape the sun’s rays were beautifully realised. It doesn’t matter that the storyline, on the whole, was somewhat thin; this is ‘Doctor Who’ as a collection of visual set pieces.

Eccleston continues to shine in the role, which make the news of his imminent departure from the programme seem like a great loss. Here is a Doctor you believe in, much more than any of his predecessors. Despite his goofy, almost schizoid performance (bopping to Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’) he brings an emotional gravitas to the role that works to elevate the programme away from its intended audience. Who said this was children’s TV? ‘Doctor Who’ has never been so adult.

It was somehow appropriate that Rose was transmitted over the Easter weekend. Because of this timing I am staying at my parents house and therefore watched the first new Doctor Who series in over 15 years in the same location where I watched the old series for a decade, in my parents’ living room on a large Grundig telly. 

What of the episode itself? My first feeling was pretty much “my goodness, it is really here and now”. The first impression was that RTD’s Doctor Who isn’t quite like “classic” Who. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the old series would not quite work on today’s audiences and even the biggest fan has to accept that. There were certainly scenes that were very much like traditional Doctor Who, and if the scene in Rose’s home felt out of place most of the rest seemed to fit.

Plot wise the only real problem I have is with the lack of explanation for “anti-plastic”. The Doctor produces it without telling us how he came by it or how it works, even some Baker or Pertwee technobabble would have been better than nothing. Otherwise, given that the story had to fit into 45 minutes the plot and script are pretty good. What we missed was any real build-up of tension, I would prefer to see more two parters in the future. It also appeared that the Doctor knew the problem and how to solve it before he arrived, something missing was the way in which he used to use logic to solve problems. But perhaps, with character introductions done with, we shall see some of that in later stories.

And what of the characters? Having seen some of Eccleston’s film work I thought him potentially a very good Doctor. He still seems to be settling into the role but shows bags of promise. I can imagine by the third or fourth episode he’ll have made the role his own even though there are echoes of his former incarnations in some of the phrases he uses and in his mood swings. One could identify Hartnell, Baker and Pertwee in there with a touch of Davison. Not bad at all! And Bille Piper’s Rose was better than I could have hoped. We have her in the role of cipher, a young woman who is there to ask the Doctor questions we are itching to ask. But we also have a bored, bright girl who yearns for excitement and seems to relish danger, and who has the common sense and strength to be able to get the Doctor out of scrapes when necessary.

Special effects were generally of a high standard, be they CGI or the Auton’s plastic heads and arms. I like the TARDIS interior (not sure about coral growing out of water though) but am lukewarm about the console. Incidental music seemed intrusive at times but I have to remind myself that this is early days. Small problems such as the music can always be addressed in future episodes and series – assuming we get another series next year!

I enjoyed “Rose”, though it has minor faults as a slice of Doctor Who it does succeed as modern family drama and did feel like Doctor Who at times. What of the people I watched with? Well as tradition demanded my mother gave up after five minutes announcing “this is crap” and went to wash the dishes. Bear in mind that she feels anything not a soap or game show is crap. My father (a fan since Hartnell) really enjoyed it and felt it to be some of the best television he’s seen in years as well as genuine Doctor Who. My Wife, who is American and who saw some 4th and 5th Doctor stories on PBS as a child, put down her crossword about 10 minutes in and seemed to enjoy the episode though she feels it doesn’t feel quite like the old series. She’s right, but I feel if she was excited enough to watch then hopefully so will other people who are not die-hard fans.

Over all a good start but perhaps not destined to be an all time favourite. The twin purposes of this episode were surely to keep old fans happy while introducing the whole concept of Doctor Who to a new audience who haven’t seen much of it. In my opinion it has achieved these aims and promises to be a springboard to exciting adventures. Will the viewing public agree? Only time will tell…