It's a sorry state of affairs when the National Trust no longer has the money to keep the Earth together as a conservation site. If the Doctor can find the money for a mammoth phone bill to Rose's Mum, couldn't he have spared some for his favourite planet? Even if he used it all up on the phone call, couldn't he have started some relief aid from the assembled alpha creatures turning up for gifts and a sun tan? Bad (wolf?) financial planning, if you ask me. He should have spoken to Clive at the Abbey...oh, that’s right; he got shot by living plastic. This continuity is killing me.

It is far better, then, to have continuity through a Time War arc bubbling away than in house style. Suddenly, Doctor Who has contrast. Doctor Who on speed has been replaced by Doctor Who with a social conscience. There are sound bites of political correctness so we can all bask in the fading light of the world, firmly in front of the sofa. Wealth (chinless wonders), vanity, revenge and racism (‘Mongrels’) fly by, as the central story trundles on as if Pip and Jane Baker have been brought in to sketch an Agatha Christie outline whilst Russell T Davies gets the characters firmly embedded. This time one has to care. This time it is all about understanding the adjustment. It is still not about story or suspense, because, let’s face it, a human trampoline setting up a sting to pay for yet more cosmetic surgery is probably more a statement of intent, rather than a plot. An alluded repeated meme, if you will.

The whole script is an opportunity to give a gift of the air from the show’s lungs (sic). In its witty, impish way, it is about solidifying the character of the Doctor and Rose. It is about reminding the audience that there is a hero on Platform One who feels the force, the cold, and has watched Galaxy Quest and knows the override switch is in the same place.. It is about Rose understanding exactly what we she has got herself into; to give her a sense of perspective; to make her understand that everything has its time. Rewritten history is Toxic, and Rose is in a soft cell. She has to survive this, and to do that she has to grow.

The Doctor, meanwhile, has to prove that he is not gay. There is ample time for him to spend time with his woody friend – er – Jabe (outstanding performance, by the way, from Yasmin Bannerman), and to use those method acting skills to get all wistful about the loss of one world, so that he can juxtapose this with the loss of the one he is just whisked Rose away from. In fact, loss is another strong agenda throughout, if that be planetary, humanoid, or plain simply the loss of a good moisturiser (you can never get the staff to teleport back when the ostrich egg is cooked, can you?) In between, he gets all pissed off and undertakes a particularly brutal act, and does a lot of derring-do as one comes to expect from everyone’s favourite socially defective fruit loop, which given he has very little real-time to accomplish it all, is quite an outstanding job.

Black curtains aside, the standard of production on this episode was equally outstanding. There were so many money shots in terms of visual effects, direction and performance that one feels the heat. Euros Lyn’s direction, in particular, seemed to dovetail the dialogue with thought and sympathy, bringing together scenes with an empathy rarely seen in family drama. Whilst there is a mood to gush emphatically, the Mill should be happy as a Dyson ball with the work accomplished here. Murray Gold, also, seems to have released himself from the Hot Gossip soundtrack in Rose to compose some lovely themes for this episode. All three areas pull together to bring together the best, hope-inspiring final 10 minutes of Doctor Who seen in many a moon, or should that be floating continent.

Most impressive of all has to be the simplest of writing devices –everything has its time. Thankfully this is clearly not the case with this new regenerated Who. Under this umbrella, the episode took its shape, and negotiated the tricky path that is the second episode. Having set the right agenda, it then showed how you can make stories set in space mean something to an audience firmly grounded on a planet where reality TV, and light entertainment, are getting high on the equivalent of Skol and chips. The end of the world managed to, in the right hands, bring it all back home.

Although this is the second transmitted episode it becomes the nonth to be review by myself. Already, I feel guilty that I have put it trailing at the end of my popularity list.

As far as I was concerned, this episode more than "Rose" would win or lose the television audience not familiar with Who. After all it's set in the far future so pure sci-fi which either becomes your bent or not. It features a large collection of aliens of which some appear rubbish in early pictures (The bird-headed people, even the Moxx). It does have blue oompa-loompas and a blue painted steward. This as far as I was concerned would not appeal to the "general" (or "normal" as Gary pointed out) audience. The episode didn't help by having a kind of pantomime element when it began and I thought in all honesty, Ant n Dec would be victorious that week and the audience would move on.

However, they didn't and are still here. I know guys in their 70's who think it's great and senior citizens in my experience don't think anything is. Generally after much sole searching and repeated evaluations of this episode it's actually pretty good. We get the first proper scene in the TARDIS which certainly looks alien but I haven't quite got accustomed to it's revamping. I think I, like others would like to experience it's expanse by looking at other rooms. I personally am a campaigner (in spirit) of the Davison TARDIS based stories. I did enjoy all the fast cuts and camera angles and bicycle pump gags but din't feel it was big enough.

The first reveal of the space station's view of the earth was breathtaking and I think this episode has a quite effective pre-credit cliffhanger. The episode itself gets started and this is where I find it a little disappointing. The set (hanger) just harks back to the days of wobbly sets. I am sure it wasn't supposed to look like anything else but it just doesn't portray the awe of being inside a space station. This also goes for the viewing room that doubles for most of the early banter between Rose and the Doctor. Jumping ahead briefly it doesn't help that the ducts under the space station look like the lower levels of a BBC building with some extra wiring attached. It looks like concrete. At the end during the Villain's uncovering, it just looks like a bunch of actors waiting for a curtain call. 

But then I guess the money was spent on costume and make up (ranging poor to brilliant - I suppose it depends on what you expect your aliens to look like), the superb Sun and the earth vista, the mechanical spiders and Cassandra. The spiders were terrific and generally visualised well apart from a couple of dodgy shots. I adored them "bumping" into the camera, the laser searchlights and electronic mumblings. The highlight though has to be Cassandra who was the perfect threee dimentional (2D) creation. The effects work was spot on, down to the veins through "her" skin and the reverse shot which implied that this creature had a mouth rather than just a pair of lips. Zoe Wanamaker plaid her perfectly. I had some doubts previous to using staple BBC/TV celebrities worrying back to the days of Beryl Reid and Kenn Dodd, but after watching this episode and subsequent performances from Simon Pegg, Penelope Wilton, Richard Wilson, Bruno Langley et al., I realise that the casting of "actors" has been paramount. Saying that Ann Robinson is still on my "hit" list until I check out that episode later in the season.

Backtracking to the effects the Cooling room with the fans was well realised and is not in my opinion an inferior reworking of similar scenes in "Galaxy Quest". (Dr Who has always paid homage to other sources). I do agree that although a gripping and tense set piece, I can't quite fathom why it took the Doctor so long to get to the other end.

The saviours of this episode were the cast Eccleston and Piper in particular show their fondness for each other from the start and Im sure must be rated as the best partnership in the series. There is a lot of feeling in this episode despite the story being so out-there and these verbal interactions between the Doctor and Rose and even the Doctor and Rose brings it all back to Earth (pun not intended). Again there's no real plot, the same as "Rose" but I do consider these two episodes as setting up the overall premise.

On re-evaluating this episode, it is still thoroughly enjoyable but (and maybe because it's purely down the the "blue" children) it still sits in last place.

Following on directly from the events of the first story, The Doctor takes Rose on a trip to the far future. There, the Great and the Good gather aboard a space station to watch Earth’s final moments, little realising that there is a murderer loose amongst them…

Following on from the breathless debut of Rose, The End of the World is more evenly paced. The first “act” shows Rose as an Outsider above her own planet, staring aghast as a bewildering array of alien dignitaries arrives to party. The entrances of the magnificently realised Face of Boe and Moxx of Balhoon (yes, he does exist!), along with various other races, evokes memories of The Curse of Peladon, and the setting is a nod to Douglas Adams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe. 

Rose’s sense of isolation is wonderfully portrayed, Billie Piper managing to effectively cast off any lingering doubts that she won the role on merit, rather than on the ability to fill tabloid pages. Indeed, her performance in this episode (shot in the second production block) shows that she has got to grips with her character in the filming of the first set of episodes. Throughout, she is convincing as the Innocent Abroad, cast adrift in Time and Space and wondering what she has got herself into. 

The episode better structured than Rose was: it doesn’t all run at Warp 10. The story is split, effectively, into three sections: the first sees Rose encounter the aliens and discover her sense of loneliness; in the second, the pace hots up, cranking Danger Levels to maximum and ensuring that everyone sweats. The final section, really only a coda, allows Rose time to reflect on what she has seen on Platform One, and to learn something about the magnitude of The Doctor’s suffering.

Ah yes, The Doctor. He’s at the heart of things here, all bristling energy and flirtatious charm. After repelling Jackie’s charms in Rose, here he’s making eyes and blowing "air from his lungs" at Jabe, a Tree-lady from the Forest of Cheem (I suspect a Tony Hancock influence there). Indeed, during the second “act,” Jabe acts as a surrogate companion, used to further the story development and to help The Doctor in his frantic efforts to save Platform One. Yasmin Bannerman’s performance is exquisite, and her scene in the service duct with The Doctor is underplayed and touching. 

Another of the gallery of grotesques deserving of mention is Cassandra, portrayed by Zoe Wannamaker. Cassandra is the last “Human,” although after 2000 years and over 700 cosmetic surgeries, you wouldn’t know it. The realisation of her appearance is superb, and worth every penny of the CGI money spent on her. Her character, vain and bigoted, shows how little Humanity has changed in the five billion years between then and now: Cassandra is held up as a mirror to the Human Race, reflecting both the best and worst traits we see in ourselves.

The Mill have worked wonders in this episode, with numerous Special Effects shots dotted around the episode. It is likely that there are many CGI effects which have gone unnoticed amongst the many shots of Platform One, a dying Earth and the four-legged spiders which have infiltrated the station. That alone should be testament to how far Doctor Who has come, no more fuzzy-edged CSO or wobbly set walls. 

But, even with the effects, and even with the Monsters, The End of the World would be nothing without a story. Rose was, effectively, two characters in search of a story, with an alien invasion thrown in for good measure. The End of the World is a proper, space-station-in-peril, companion-under-threat, whodunnit style story which Doctor Who has been doing for over forty years. And yet, it hasn’t been doing stories like this one, either. This is too smart, too clever, too witty and too frantic to have been part of the original run of stories. RTD knows how to write for modern TV audiences, and anyone coming up with stories in the style of The Ark in Space, however good that was, just won’t be entertained in an executive’s office. 

And then, after the world has been consumed in the coronas of the Sun, and the villain of the piece has been thwarted, The Doctor returns Rose to a busy London street. Here, we get reflection and introspection, with revelations and hints to what has gone before – which we expect to be revealed over the next few weeks. Comments made by Jabe are expanded and explained – to some extent – but the scene makes it clear that RTD has something more in mind than a series of individual 45 minute episodes. The best comparison would be the final seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where the plotlines dovetail and interlink. Here, we’ll be getting more of the same, and I can’t wait to see how it develops. 

The end of the world? No, not really. Just the start of another voyage in the good Ship TARDIS. Long may she sail. 

Overall: a steady improvement.

Well, having just sat down and watched 'The End of the World', I am extremely impressed that Russell T Davies has managed to put together a script which starts off humourous in the extreme, before becoming extremely tense and dramatic. Anyone who felt that Rose was too lightweight, and focussed on wit to the detriment of a dramatic plot, will almost certainly be pleasantly surprised by this new offering. It's a great all-rounder in the true spirit of the show.

The Doctor takes Rose to Platform One in the year 5 Billion, where he wishes to allow her the chance to witness the Earth's natural end. Rose, however, is not the only one assembled to view the planet's ultimate destruction. A cornucopia of aliens have also assembled on the station, but one of them is a murderer and a saboteur. Before long, the Doctor and Rose are fighting for their lives, because the end of the world is coming, and it'll go out in a blaze of glory...

Russell T Davies script manages to almost flow flawlessly on from 'Rose', with the wit of that episode being the driving force of the first 10-15 minutes. After that, however, it begins to move into its own territory - that of tense drama. We move from humourous scenes of the Doctor breathing all over aliens, to the other end of the spectrum, with the Doctor depressed over the extermination of his entire race. Russell's script is ambitious, and it works well.

There does indeed seem to be a story arc in place over the course of this series, with more references in this episode about a "war", which after two episodes we now know involved both the Nestene Consciousness and the Time Lords of Gallifrey. The fact that it's been clearly sign-posted that the Doctor is the only Time Lord left in the entire universe is a sobering thought, but it does explain the run-down appearance of his TARDIS. Let's hope they don't bugger it up, eh?

Generally the acting from all involved in superb, with top marks to Billie Piper for managing to echo the feelings Ian and Barbara felt 42 years ago when they went on their first trip in the TARDIS. Her initial enthusiasm quickly turns into shock and horror as she realises she didn't understand what she was letting herself in for. The assembled guest cast all do a superb job, with not a single person letting the side down. Zoe Wanamaker does a brilliant job as Cassandra!

The production values of this story are uniformly great, with the interior realisation of Platform One looking suitably superb. The sets for this story are so good, it's hard to tell if they are dressed-up locations, or actual physical sets the BBC Wales team constructed. Oh well - whatever the case, it works well, with a lovely leisurely interior for the station. Costuming is generally very lavish, and the production values generally avoid looking like a Star Trek rip-off.

Special effects-wise is where the story really shines. Russell T Davies was ambitious by featuring the character of Cassandra in the first place, so top marks to The Mill for creating such a realistic CGI character. The exterior shots of Platform One are breathtaking, as are the shots of Earth and it's Sun - both before and after "detonation". The robotic spider creatures are also a great piece of work, well realised. The final action sequence is supported well here.

Murray Gold's music manages to take a slightly more subdued approach when compared to his work for 'Rose', which goes some way towards proving that his choice of incidental score for that episode was a deliberate choice. Here we are treated to a much more traditional orchestral score, with some truly lovely touches. The music is never too intrusive on the main soundtrack, thus allowing it to serve its purpose well - to heighten the drama, and not swamp it. Top stuff.

Euros Lyn's direction is pretty smooth, with some lovely camera angles allowing us to really feel the breath and scope of this story. A lot of people are complaining that the series is being shot on Digibeta, but at the end of the day it's clear when watching this series that it does look damn nice, with the whole thing looking very expensive, and not at all cheap. The new series continues the show's long standing tradition of filming everything on videotape - which is cool.

Overall, 'The End of the World' is an absolute triumph for the new series, but more importantly, for the state of British sci-fi on TV. It proves that the British have what it takes to match the Americans shot-for-shot when it comes to producing space opera-style sci-fi, with Russell T Davies scope being nothing short of breathtaking. Euros Lyn brings it all together in a wonderful package that actually had me crying by the end, I was so moved. Bring on episode 3!

Overall Score: 6 / 6 (Perfect)

It truly is a wonderful experience to get to Saturday, and be able to enjoy a brand new episode of Doctor Who. Absence, for many of us, has made the heart grow fonder. And even though I love many stories in the Comics, the Audios and the Books – TV tops them all in the sheer anticipation stakes.

We had a story set in the present to launch. Now it was time to go to the Future (the next goes to the Past – so the Triangle is complete). The Future is my least favourite place to go of the 3, to be honest. I’ve always favoured the pseudo Historical story type over all else – but after Russell T Davies boundless enthusiasm I was hopeful that for once Future would be better. I was expecting something special, with really weird aliens.

I don’t think we got something really special, but the weird aliens were out in force. After basking in my peers backslaps for a week, I knew I wouldn’t be as comfortable on the Monday morning in the office. This was the kind of Who that alienate many, because it really is so far away from their world. Personally I think far away from the normal world is a good thing – but even I cringed a little at various slices of the bizarre presented here.

The monsters of Doctor Who are an acquired taste. Personally I’m not monster obsessed. Doctor Who is brilliant with or without them. Certainly the monsters at the End of the World divided my house, with their alien-ness. Cassandra was the best – a brilliant comment on the excesses and vanity of this world we live in. The Droids, with their Spider robots, were superb – a golden star for the Special Effects Team. The Trees were marvellous too, especially Jabe – all credit to the Costume and Make Up there. The Moxx was a disappointment though. After adorning the DWM cover, I expected something more from a character our beloved leader has harped on about since he began devising this enterprise. My opinion of the background aliens was that I was glad they stayed in the background – can’t think of one I wanted more at the forefront.

So that’s the aliens – and to be honest, now I have written about them I see I reacted more positively than negatively. Maybe subconsciously I loved it all (probably that DW fan gene that makes me love all Doctor Who!). 

The script positively jumped with energy. There were some lovely comments by all the major players that had me nodding my head in approval, and throwing my head back in laughter. This was the kind of script that Douglas Adams would have been proud of – a kind of hybrid of serious and comedy futuristic Sci-Fi. What strikes me is how impressively Russell T has written the Doctor and Rose – especially Rose. Interviews with Russell T indicate he would rather have been the companion than the Doctor – and his grasp of how brilliant the Doctors companion can be, emphasizes this. Billie Piper is brilliant in this episode – and for a great deal of it she is very much on her own, the Doctor going off doing his own thing, with Jabe more a companion for large chunks of the story.

The 9th Doctor is now like one of your favourite relatives that you really get on with, but will only be around for a few weeks. Soon they will be heading off out of your life again, only to pop back every now and again. We haven’t had enough of Doctor Number 9 for me to be happy or sad about his leaving – but I know so far he’s been brilliant. I also know, like all the other Doctors he will always be around, even though Christopher Eccleston is departing. I’m actually more excited about a 2nd Series than the lead departing. DW has always been so much bigger and broader than one single personality – and it is no different now.

The Special FX was the major star of The End of the World. I am currently doing a Time Team, and have nearly finished Pat Troughtons Doctor – it’s an incredible contrast between The Seeds of Death (which I watched the afternoon before) and new DW. And I l love that contrast – I really do. As the series was then the FX are state of the art – but after 240 Black and White episodes, it all looks so marvellously real. I can’t think of one ropey effect in this show, and we have been reliably informed there’s hundreds of FX set-ups within. Brilliant FX, and I really felt there on Platform One watching the end of the world.

This Russell T script was also notable for its Last Time Lord references. I find is hugely interesting to see where this goes. After following the 8th Doctor arc in the BBC Books for the last few years, where Gallifrey was destroyed – I can’t help but think of that. But would the TV programme pick up a Book notion? Or, as I suspect, has Russell T taken Justin Richards marvellous idea to destroy the Time Lords, and leave the Doctor wonderfully alone? It will be fascinating to see.

I thought the conclusion with the Doctor and Rose in present day (Chips and all that) was glorious. It kind of shows my preferences in storytelling though that the few minutes I enjoyed the best was not at all representative of the story as a whole!

The End of the World was above everything else supremely entertaining. It might not be my kind of Doctor Who, but it still has a place in the mass of ideas that DW can present. There were some marvellous scenes (Doctor conquering the Ventilation fans, Cassandra exploding, the World finishing, the Doctors emotion at being the last Time Lord). There’s a mass of wonder here – mostly brilliantly diverse and entertaining. I am loving this new series – even more than I expected. 7/10

However much I would like to pretend otherwise, I must confess to finding The End of the World somewhat disappointing. It reminds me of watching a horse race, willing your favourite on, seeing it trying mightily only to eventually come in fourth; one of those stories where the more you think about it, the less satisfied you become.

Perhaps I should address some positive aspects first. Once again the Doctor and Rose make a fine combination, their on-screen chemistry truly being something to appreciate. The humour was also enjoyable, generally hitting the mark well - "I give you air from my lungs" and the I-pod jukebox being particularly memorable. What story there was to execute I thought was executed proficiently, although I have some reservations about the general style of the new series, which I shall discuss shortly.

The episode has one major fault, almost unforgivable for Dr Who: a weak villain. Cassandra was certainly very amusing and would have fitted in well amongst the cornucopia of aliens on show, but not as our hero's main adversary. Rose's quick put-down is, unfortunately, most accurate, as there was really nothing more to Cassandra; she was a "bitchy trampoline" rather than a true villian. Feel free to differ, but I think Meglos was more menacing! I doubt the Doctor, or even a five year old, will wake screaming with nightmarish flashbacks of Cassandra.

The setting of the story was reasonably interesting, but very reminiscent of Douglas Adams' Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and without a decent enemy to distract us, simply comes across as unoriginal. Let's not get confused - Dr Who has often payed homage to other stories, or translated them into its own unique format. This was not the case with The End of the World, it was not a nod to RatEotU at all. This, combined with the mediocrity of its villain, means that viewers get to see nothing significant that they really haven't seen before and denies them the opportunity to experience what has made this program so special and different over the years.

Two episodes down and I remain unconvinced that this new 45 minute per story format is working. What might suit other genre programs does not necessarily suit Dr Who, because we have only two regulars and with each new story we are (usually) introduced to an entirely new scenario, often strange even for a sci-fi series (I adore that "left-field" quality of good Dr Who), which necessarily takes some time in order to properly appreciate. This is not helped at all by the breakneck speed at which events are flung at us. The opening credits, not bad in themselves, give us a good indication that this is indeed the producer's aim (compare it to the more leisurely pace of Tom Baker's time tunnel opening). Now, whilst speed is good for action or for effect here and there, it can detract from mystery, suspense and horror. Of course, I don't see the makers even trying to change this style, and I realise today's viewer is more capable of immediately identifying a concept and moving on. So can I, but I don't have to like it. I prefer ideas to be more fleshed out. I suppose this style just doesn't wash with the spoon-fed, attention deficit crowd. Maybe new/young viewers don't understand the misgivings of older fans, but remember: there wouldn't be Dr Who without an older fan base, and those who grew up with the program probably have a fair idea of what worked and what didn't. Nor do I believe they are especially adverse to more modern storytelling; they just want it to remain faithful to some of the basics (of Dr Who and storytelling in general) and by all means update the rest and improve it where you can.

A few random comments. There was good acting across the board. Nice to see some decent special effects. A pity all those aliens, except for one tree and a steward, had absolutely nothing to do (loved the Face of Boag, could have done without the blue Oompa-Loompas). Some suspense managed to be generated in the second half, only it was all over too quickly to savour.

I'll keep watching, that's for sure. I'm not pining for a traditional story, but at the moment would prefer one. Perhaps The Unquiet Dead fits that bill...