Well, Well, Well, did the Doctor dance? Oh boy, he not only danced, he rocked, and so does the whole production team. It's official now, DOCTOR WHO ROCKS...

At the end of my review for "The Empty Child", I gave it 10/10. But this episode deserves 12/10. A Bafta, an Oscar, even give Steven Moffat a Knighthood, it really was that good.

This may all seem over the top to some, but I was seriously impressed by "The Doctor Dances". To put it all in perspective, we need to look back at a particular aspect of the Doctor's circumstances.

Earlier in the series, we saw a sometimes morose, even depressed Doctor, and as the season progressed we saw why. His race all dead in the last time war, and then a Dalek survivor, and a succession of happenings in which, although resolution was reached in each instance, it wasn't without people losing their lives. One can quite understand Clive in the opening episode when he told Rose that the Doctor had one constant companion, "Death".

Lord knows, the Doctor needed an encouraging presence from someone young and impetuous, but positive like Rose. No wonder he looked in the dumps when, at first, Rose said no to his offer of the ride of a lifetime. But he gave Rose a second chance, going back at just the moment when she would have felt the churning regret, just when she was most likely to change her mind. No wonder their relationship gelled so fast and so well. (Such a relationship would probably also work in real life). But, (sticking with this strand for a moment) the Doctor took Rose first to witness the end of the world, Rose's world. Only then could he find it in himself to tell her of the horror of the death of his world, and of his people, as if he somehow needed to do something that would make their relationship "equal".

However, back to the current episode, (alongside the last one as well) and we still saw something of this earlier Doctor, as the circumstances surrounding the Tulan space ambulance, the zombified hospital patients, Nancy, Captain Jack, and the mysterious child that wasn't a child, asking constantly "Are you my Mummy?" threatened to evolve into yet another sad chain of sadness and death.

First though, to the beginning of this one, where the Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack were confronted by those eerie hospital patients whose gasmasks were part of their faces. What on earth could they do? If they touched them, then it was a life time of wandering, emptily posing the question, "Are you my Mummy?"

I don't know about anyone else, but I racked my brains through the week, trying to fathom just how they would get out of this one...

My guesses included, a door behind them which they simply turned to, opened and ran; or, I thought that maybe the Doctor would somehow distract them enough to create a momentary gap, and then (as in episode one) simply grab Rose's hand, and maybe Jack's, and say "Run."

When it came on Saturday night, and the Doctor said "Go to your room. You've made me very angry, very cross. GO - TO - YOUR - ROOM!"

I absolutely roared with laughter, and the tears rolled down my cheeks.

The Radio Times said that this bit was "as sweet as it is unexpected."

It was more than that. It was pure genius. It should in my opinion go down as The finest comical, but also serious, one liner in the history of Doctor Who.

Now, to Nancy. We already saw last week, that there were issues which went deeper than the space junk, and Nancy's "brother" Jamie.

Nancy getting one over on the self righteous Mr LLoyd, revealing his secret, one which is largely regarded as normal these days, but which in 1941 was a big, big issue, (as also would having more food than was allowed) was excellently handled, and really showed forth the mindset of 1940s society. Later of course, we were to see that Nancy herself also had a big secret, being a single teenage mother, which again, in 1941 would have been seen as a similar kind of scandal, but is now normal. In this case however, Nancy's relationship to Jamie was the catalyst to things being set right again, courtesy of the tulan nanogenes finally having the right blueprint to work from.

The Doctor's "emailing the upgrade" so that "Everybody lives, just this once, EVERYBODY LIVES!" and the enormous glee on his and Rose's faces, set the tone for the Doctor to be really lifted from the semi gloom of recent weeks, so that his "ASK ME ANYTHING, I'M ON FIRE!" to Rose in the Tardis, created the perfect moment for her to ask, "What about Jack?"

There are so many ruddy brilliant moments in this episode, that I could fill a book with them, and the fact that Captain Jack caught the bomb in the light field of his space ship, and that such a thing was/is completely implausible doesn't really matter. How are we to know what the human race may have developed by the 51st century? The point is, it is great science fiction, it is a wonderful comicbook style heroic rescue. And Jack momentarily reappearing to complement Rose on her Tee shirt was magnificent.

The only thing is now, can the series still ascend higher? It would seem that this is the expectaion, especially in regard to the reappearance of the Daleks, and a possible resolution to the "bad wolf" strand that has been thinly woven like a piece of silk thread all the way through the series. I'm glad one of the slitheen appears to have survived, and that the rift in "The Unquiet Dead" seems to have significance in next weeks story.

I only know this. On Saturday night, "The Doctor Dances" was more than just the episode title. On Saturday night, Doctor Who Rocked.

These last ten weeks, Doctor Who has not only been brought back. It has been given new life, and has stepped into a new era of science fiction as serious drama. On Saturday night, the Doctor danced.

And so did I...

I've just watched "The Doctor Dances" for the second time and find myself reminded of the first time I watched "Vertigo". I knew Hitchcock well enough to expect a rational explanation for the heroine's behaviour, but I had no idea what the hell it could possibly be. Similarly, here we have a lot to explain from "The Empty Child". Thankfully this episode succeeds, and how!

I whooped for joy as it finished. Now /this/ is the best one I've yet seen. I've been critical of some of this series, and with reason - some of them frankly fell flat ("Dalek" in particular being the biggest disappointment since the series began, but that's another story!). But here we have an explanation for everything that happened. It's scientifically credible (well, did the nanobots have to be "sub atomic? What are they made of then?!), it's likeably unusual, and it's got good doses of the Doctor's righteous anger, which we haven't really seen very much since the climax of "The End of The World". It's also a refreshing change to have the Doctor work out exactly what was going on and then open the ambulance to show Capt. Jack what had happened and how stupid he'd been.

And it's witty. "What did you expect in there? Cough sweets?" and "It's mauve! Only humans use red!". The wit is charming - it's very traditionally "who-ish" - in the sense that it's unusual and off-the-wall and deeply funny. Even with all of this, I'd have loved the episode. But there's more. What can I say about the ending that hasn't already been said? "Everybody lives! Just this once!" I almost wept. It's beautiful, and so refreshing. None of yer:

(in fanboy voice).... "The Horror of Fang Rock is interesting in that it is the only story in which all of the characters die...da da da da da."

Yes, that is interesting, but it's also one of the few interesting things about that story and a very depressing fact. This is beautiful because nobody dies. Alright, yes, it's set in the Blitz, which does rather imply a lot of people die, but I wish that whoever pointed that out hadn't done so because the idea of the Doctor having a good day... the look on his face as he's /almost/ praying that it goes his way, and the way he picks the child up high in the air. This is very unusual for any television. It's unusual particularly because "Who" somewhere along the way become a programme in which vast swathes of the "universe's supporting cast" die. And the sight of the Doctor throwing the nanobots at everyone - such a child-like grin on his face and quite literally handing humanity back its future: it's very moving and extremely powerful.

And then, just as Jack thinks he's had it, the TARDIS swoops in and saves him. Is that cheesy? No, because the bloody thing's got you in such a good mood that you're hoping Jack doesn't die anyway. That would have been inappropriately turgid, sad, even a betrayal of your joy. You can tell I really admire this one, yeah?

Alright. I could rant about this one for hours. It's shot at night and looks gorgeous for it, with flesh tones looking particularly good, and it's played very very well (bravo in particular to Nancy), with good doses of horror. But in the end, it succeeds because it's powerful and funny and optimistic.

More of this sort, please. I'm hooked. And the ending with that wonderful music? Gorgeous. No wonder The Doctor Dances. I felt like joining him.

Two days ago, I left secondary school for good, only a short A-level period away from the outside world. Today, I saw ‘The Doctor Dances’, on the same evening that I read Lance Parkin’s ‘Gallifrey Chronicles’, freshly arrived from Amazon. It made me realise how symbolic it all is, in a way that I had hardly looked at before. I had been nostalgic and quite depressed, that my schooldays were over, and with them, the Doctor that I had grown up with – I was sure that Parkin’s novel would see the death of my beloved 8th Doctor. The new series had come and now nearly gone, and mostly I had been quite miserable at that too. But now… now I can see it in a new light, because in a way, the new series marks the end of one era, and the beginning of another. I will move in a new direction, and it seems that ‘Doctor Who’ can move with me.

The world outside is certainly a very evil place, and I am very well aware that real life is not like ‘Doctor Who’, but today I was allowed to feel just that little spark of hope that can make all the difference. “Today, everybody lives!” The image of the Doctor, laughing with joy, arms flung out and surrounded with light, like an ancient wizard, fey and mighty, is one that I hope will stay with me forever.

This, finally, and in ‘The Empty Child’ last time, was the Doctor, and I love him, fictional or not. Don’t we all? Or why are we on this site? The characterisation, that is, the writing, and what he does and says, were so triumphantly right, and it proves that even if maybe real life cannot, ‘Doctor Who’ can still be like ‘Doctor Who’. This week it was ‘Doctor Who’, not “Russell T Davies Presents ‘Rose’, featuring Christopher Eccleston as Doctor Who”! It was superlative. Funny, romantic, with a superb spaceship special effect, touching (particularly Jack’s apparent sacrifice), dark, dangerous, haunting, exuberant.

So, now I can think of the new series in a better light altogether. I can forget ‘Aliens of London’, ‘Rose’, ‘The Long Game’… as somebody important once nearly said, whatever happens, we’ll always have London, 1941, we’ll always have the Doctor. And he dances! I love it.

I really hope Steven Moffat is reading this, somewhere, because I’d like to finish with some personal praise - : Mr Moffat, you are incredible. You are, as the Ninth Doctor would say, “fantastic!”; as my friend Luke would say, “a legend”; as I would say, “stupendous, life-enhancing, cool”! Well done. Thank you!

Exceptional, these two episodes represent the greatest achievement of the new series yet and showcase Stephen Moffat’s not inconsiderable talents. I knew he was a clever man when he subverted the sitcom genre with his delightfully rude and well constructed comedy Coupling but he manages to stretch himself even further with Doctor Who, thanks to its flexible format and the opportunities that affords.

He manages to script a story which touches upon many genres without siding with any of them and the result is a pleasing mix of comedy and drama which entertains to the hilt whilst telling a story that is worth following. I went and saw Star Wars this week and was blown away by its incredible production values and clever jig-sawing of all the elements that needed to be in place for Episode Four but The Doctor Dances impressed me more and not because of superior special FX (which it does boast for a TV series) but because of one scene. It comes at the climax of this episode where the Doctor and company are sheltering from the rampaging hordes of gas masked zombies and he convinces Nancy to reveal her secret to the brother. All the elements of the story converge and finally it makes wonderful sense, not only this but it utilises the morals of the setting (time period) to make a point and provides a supremely touching revelation to boot. THIS is storytelling, not the predictable dovetailing of plot details of a prequel (which with Terminator 3, Revenge of the Sith and Enterprise seems to be all the rage these days) but good, wholesome plotting that satisfies and surprises. It shocked me to think there is very little of this on television at the moment and it pleased me to see Doctor Who getting a nod in the Daily Express this week as the one bright spot in the otherwise mundane TV schedules.

It is also a delightfully optimistic story which revels in its happy climax. It isn’t the mucky, syrupy dreck that most American shows climax on with everybody grinning insanely, being pretty and pretentious but the sort of joyful, punch the air happiness that comes with a man who has confronted so much pain and misery being rewarded with a ending to a crisis that results in everyone surviving and prospering! The Doctor has never quite been this delighted by the outcome of one of his adventures and its is wonderful to experience, he positively glows with pride that the death count for this crisis is zero and considering the danger and the possible nightmarish outcome it is hard not to share his joi de vivre! Not only that but the story exploits the joy the Doctor and Rose can bring to peoples lives with their travelling. Nancy, surrounded by zombies and bomb explosions curses the war and their eventual downfall. Rose unexpectedly gives her the gift of knowledge, revealing the German defeat and bringing a touch of hope to Nancy. I found that very touching.

I was very pleased to hear that James Dawkes was returning to direct Doctor Who next year as his work on this parter is astonishingly good, almost to the level of a feature film. In fact scrap that, compare the look of this story to a recent British flick…Shaun of the Dead say and this comes out smelling of roses. The idea of setting the story entirely at night was a smart move and gives the story some visual flair; adding much menace to the interior and exterior of the spooky hospital, providing some shocking action sequences punctuated by German bombs exploding and offering some memorable scares with the groaning gas masked victims lurching from the mist swathed darkness. I always think the best camera work is that which you don’t even notice, as though you are watching a genuine event rather than a television programme but the flashiness of the camera work here is too good to ignore. I particularly found the rush along the hospital corridor at a skewered angle and settling suddenly in front of the masked child inventive and scary but the story is packed full of odd, disturbing angles that enhanced the feeling of disturbed reality.

Delight can be the only word to express my feelings on Captain Jack joining the TARDIS crew…and anyone annoyed about that particular spoiler must have noticed that he is turning up in the second batch of Ninth Doctor Adventures from BBC Books. The banter that flew about between Jack, the Doctor and Rose was electric and delivered to comic perfection by the actors who clearly have a great rapport. The ‘whose sonic device is better’ scene was extraordinarily witty with that glorious balance of scares (the approaching masked victims) and the laughs that leaves you on edge but enjoying yourself immensely. The Doctor’s anger towards Jack was understandable and not at all the ‘he fancies my bird!’ jealousy I was expecting. When we realise the extent of Jack’s involvement and the horror of what he has caused to earn a quick buck it is hard to sympathise with the guy. But then the rug is pulled out from under us twice when we realise why he trying so hard to earn the money and more importantly when he gets to be the hero of the piece by jumping on top of a German bomb that is about blow the Doctor and Rose (and many others!) to pieces. His attempted sacrifice is enough to prove to the Doctor that he is worth having about and I punched the air with delight when they turned up top rescue him. John Barrowman just doesn’t annoy me in the way he clearly has others, I find his mix of charisma, wit and egotism extremely attractive and after twenty years of watching Doctor Who I think I have earned the right to fancy the pants off of a member of the TARDIS crew. And wasn’t the way they dealt with sexuality just wonderful? No preaching or melodrama, just a subtle metaphor and we realise which way he dances (every way!) and Doctor Who quickly becomes far braver than most telefantasy shows by daring to include a bisexual male character rather than jumping on the far more relaxed lesbian bandwagon.

Richard Wilson was not in the story as much as I would have hoped (two scenes!) but he makes the most of his screen time and manages to avoid saying “I don’t believe it!” once and for that I am grateful. The story belongs to Florence Hoath as Nancy who performs wonders but with material this strong it is hardly a surprise. Nancy is a beautifully fleshed out character who, as I discovered more about her, I liked her all the more. Her quiet warning to the children she feeds that she is putting them in danger showed a keen intelligence and willingness to put others before herself and her bravery at facing the responsibilities of admitting her indiscretion at the climax and claiming her son reveals how truly strong she is. She gets some very funny scenes too, notably her sudden power snatch from Mr Lloyd.

There isn’t much more to say about this glorious episode except that it works on practically every level and Stephen Moffat should be forced to write more episodes in the future. This writer/director team is opening season two and for that we should be very grateful, the shows future is clearly in some extremely talented hands.

And the Doctor dances! How great is that?

Limericks to make Rick Smile or as Milk Cries

There once were some nanogenes from deep space
Who landed and misread the human race
With magical employ
They masked a small boy
But read the dominant gene with such grace.

Here were scenes of magical quality
As the Mill healed with versatility.
With golden light suffused
And a Doctor enthused
With euphoric acting quality.

There once was a chilling tape reel to reel
Bringing horror needing my nerves of steel.
With typewriter tapping
And my comfort sapping,
Due to a superb atmospheric feel.

There now is a Tardis musical hall show
Full of warm banter where insults will grow.
Heated male rivalry
To impress Rose nicely
Will develop characters and the show.

There once was an accidental error
Where the son filling his Mum with terror
Was seen walking away
Yet “to your room you stay,”
Was to the same wall breaking junior.

There once was a Captain Harkness
Who with good gadgets did impress.
But why keep the bomb so
When with beam he could tow
And dump it in the ocean with finesse?

There was once a Moffat so rare
Who gave us hope, love, and despair.
Dancing on Tardis floor,
Characters to care for,
And a Doctor mature - full of care.

There once was a seminal marked spot
Where writing, effects and acting hot
With direction true,
Combined to a brew
Potent and strong as the series best plot!

There once was an actress called Florence
Who gave an enthralling performance.
This actress will do
For assistant TWO
And should not be her last appearance!!!!

There now are themes homosexual in kind
Not adding to plot but testing my mind.
Dancing as metaphor
For a gay Doctor?
I hope issues, like guns are left behind!

10 episodes in and I have a serious problem.

I'm running out of superlatives to describe just how good this show is.

I'm now going to commit an act of profound blasphemy, and state that TEC/TDD is now officially my favourite number-one Doctor Who story of all time. Even both 'City of Death' and 'Weng-Chiang'. Why? Because it takes everything that made the classic series so appealing, and adds a new layer of modernity to it that doesn't compromise what makes Doctor Who so great.

For instance, the solution to the cliffhanger is the most inventive resolution I've ever seen - "GO TO YOUR ROOM!". Brilliant. Not to mention Jack's sonic disruptor, and what the Doctor did to the factory at Villengard. And that "Sonic envy" dialog features the funniest mention of the Sonic Screwdriver I've ever heard. And those references to "Dancing" during the episode. It took me two viewings to finally understand what the characters were referring to. "The world doesn't implode if the Doctor dances". Maybe the Doctor wouldn't, but I might.

Only two episodes in and I'm sold on Captain Jack Harkness as a potential companion. He adds a totally new dynamic to the Doctor Who-Rose relationship, especially considering his romantic predilictions can go either way. And John Bannerman brings a real charisma and charm to the role. I'm not entirely sure what'll happen next regarding these 3, but I'm sure it will be interesting.

Apart from having great leading actors, this new series has also had outstanding actors in the supporting roles. As of now, Florence Hoath is definitely my favourite supporting actor in the entire series thus far. The role of Nancy turns out to be incredibly central to the plot and its resolution, and having an actress that can bring real passion and life to the role is incredibly important. And Florence Hoath does just that, and more. We care about what happens to Nancy, and for that reason the resolution to her situation is incredibly uplifting and optimistic.

And the resolution to this episode is the icing on the cake. May I respectfully suggest that RTD send these episodes to Steven Spielberg, just to show him how it's done? The ending is uplifting, cathartic and optimistic without being overwhelmingly schmaltzy or sugary. It's the perfect resolution to everything that's happened before that point, without being contrived or pandering to the audience. Full credit to Steven Moffatt and RTD for conjuring up a great ending.

This two-parter is definitely the highlight of the entire season. It is a great example of what Doctor Who is capable of, when you have a group of talented and creative cast and crew working on this show.