I'VE developed a brand new affliction.

It's not Doctor Who. That's a condition I've had since my mum was painting the living room door (flat on the floor, to avoid any drips) in the spring of '81. Five feet away a four-year old boy was transfixed by the TARDIS shrinking to an nth of its usual size with Tom Baker trapped inside. No, my condition is something I suspect others are experiencing every Saturday night right now. It's called 'Worrying too much about people around me liking Doctor Who to kick back on the sofa and enjoy it for what it is'. I won't bore you with the Latin name.

It's been creeping up on me throughout series two and last night it developed into the full-blown fidgets during 'The Girl in the Fireplace'.

Why I'm worrying, I don't know. I could sit through 'TGI The Fireplace' (Did Billie get that in the divorce?) right now with an inane grin across my face while a certain minister's son from Paisley rightfully took centre stage and his understanding co-star slid into the shadows for the second consecutive episode.

One reason Doctor Who is so successful this time round is that it's only interested in telling stories. That four-year-old boy mentioned earlier was transfixed by a shrinking TARDIS, not block computation thingummies. And this was a beautifully told, beautifully shot fairytale.

The other time the Doc stepped into Once Upon a Time territory was 'The Mind Robber', and there are some similarities between the Clockwork Soldiers who tick-tocked their way through the Land of Fiction and the Harlequin androids which went on a cogtastic rampage through Versailles - and a lot more could have been made of them holding that posh party to siege. They were introduced brilliantly, though. How many youngsters have checked beneath their beds for a Marshman or Melkur in their formative years?

This was the slowest paced episode I have seen for some time, relying on the relationship between Madame De Pompadour and the Doctor to carry the story rather than tense cliffhangers popping up every six minutes or so. This may have been the reason my new affliction hung round my head so easily this time around.

Shame on me. The whole thing was super fun. Even the Doctor getting a bit sloshed wasn't as toe-curling as it could have been, and Mickey is gradually getting more likeable. After Rose's prickliness towards Dame Sladen last week, it's a relief this wasn't cut-and-pasted to her feelings about the other other-half joining her in blue box life.

It's a nice twist that the viewers got to know the significance of Madame De P to the androids' (now we know how Kiss would have looked if a member of the French aristocracy had dreamed them up) plane, but not team TARDIS. I just hope the SS Madame De Pompadour has a twin vessel out there called the Good Ship Parker Bowles. Bet loads of blokes have sailed in that one.

But - where the creme de menthe did that horse come from?

And, I know it wasn't in this episode, but I have to get it off my chest. What's the difference between Torchwood and UNIT? I digress.

At the end of the episode, my fellow viewer turned to me and said: "That was *really* good!" I had to agree, and was thus flummoxed as to why I'd spent the first four-fifths of the episode with a sinking feeling sloshing down my innards.

I've had a lie down. I've taken my pills. By golly, I do believe this new affliction of mine has finally run its course.

The Girl in the Fireplace was given a disappointing preview in The Guardian, billed as 'not one of the better episodes, but pleasingly bonkers all the same'. Bonkers yes, but I'll argue that this was one of the best of the new Doctor Who adventures. Some great performances, another excellent script from Steven Moffat and impressive design and effects throughout.

In my opinion the current series has so far consisted of too much running up and down whilst being chased by monsters of one kind or another. I know that as Reinette in this episode so rightly points out, "where there is the Doctor there will be monsters", but at last David Tennant has been given something to get his teeth into.

This episode sees the flowering of Tennant's Who, with the 'lonely Time Lord' theme being carried on from the Ecclestone season. I was beginning to fear too much gurning, posing with specs and the running around but he's settling in very well. Nice touches, too, such as the lighting of the girl Reinette's candle with the sonic screwdriver.

This episode also sees the addition of Mickey Smith as a regular companion. I'd been worried about this as he's not a favourite of mine, but his inclusion worked very well in this story. Mickey allows Rose to be separated from the Doctor for his (semi) romantic pursuits. As well as giving her someone to talk to, he also continues the "wow!" factor that needs to run through the series. With Rose already seeing it all (last week you may recall she was matching Sarah Jane Smith monster for monster) someone is needed to stay excited by what’s ‘out there’.

As for the clockwork robots, they worked a treat. If Steven Moffat was looking for a new catchphrase to match "are you my mummy?" he may not have found it in "we needed the parts", but the masks hiding the glass heads were as original as the WW2 gasmasks last year, as were the jerky movements and slow, deliberate speech. The episode looked expensively staged throughout, with the period settings as convincing as the future, and the most memorable was the scene shift as Madame de Pompadour stepped between the two. I even found the revolving fireplace convincing.

And what was the deal with the horse? Well, it gave Tennant a chance to do his dashing act, but I also noticed that when the Doctor first meets Reinette as a young girl, a sound of an invisible horse is heard in the distance. As he later watches her coffin being drawn away the same sound repeats to mark her departure. More nice touches.

Well, I sit and wait for the Cybermen next week. Let's just hope they take the baton and run with it.

This episode was simply a masterpiece. I am trying very hard to think of any other show (besides classic "Who") that can so seamlessly incorporate so many genres in one episode. Horror, Sci-Fi, Romance (and done in a way that even I, as a guy, thought was very touching), and adventure all rolled into one. As for the romance part, there is no reason whatsoever that the Doctor has to be asexual. He is infinately smarter than any human but any time the Doctor has ever run into someone like Rinette, who is above and beyond your standard human, he is fascinated and it definately doesn't hurt that she's gorgeous! Also, it's good to get his and Rose's relationship more plutonic. Though I don't mind the Doctor at all falling for a woman for once, it should not be his companion no matter how great she may be.

This was an episode that I felt really worked in the 45 minute format. Of course, I would love to have seen more background on the clockwork robots, the ship and France in general but it really wasn't necessary. This was a stunning performance by David Tennant who is truly one of the best Doctors ever. He gives a vibrance to the part that hasn't been here since almost as far back as Troughton. Of course Pertwee, both Bakers, Davidson...all of the previous Doctors had things they brought to the character and were all excellent. Tennant really seems to incorporate traits from all of them into a brand new model.

I read the previous reviews before I wrote this so I have a bit of an unfair advantage--HOWEVER--I don't know what people mean when they say this series is not as good as the last and Tennant is not a very good Doctor! Eccelston was awesome no doubt about it. He showed an anger not seen in the Doctor except on occasional episodes. He was hurt by the Time War mentally and physically. The arc with the Daleks was perfect for him because he was able to resolve that part of his existence and show Rose how much he really cared for her. But when the Daleks were wiped out, it was time to throw a little more range into the character of the Doctor. This isn't to say that Eccelston as an actor was incapable of range, but as he played the Doctor it was mostly somberness and anger (as a character who lost his entire civilization required) and the humor seemed a little forced. In this episode in particular thanks to Rinette seeing inside the Doctor's mind we see that he still feels alone but he hides it much better. He's moved on and as he said in The Christmas Invasion he is a new man. The suit with sneakers is such a perfect look that fits in any situation, his great intellect and compassion hidden behind a facade of goofyness, his amazement at the sight of werewolves, clockwork robots and the like. Tennant is an amazing actor and he brings reality to this character. Pop references and goofy scarf and shades wearing is even ok because he is expressing his love of humans and is ready to pounce on the enemy at the drop of a hat.

Poor Eccelston never once saved the day in series one. Sure he took the energy from Rose at the very end but seriously, in almost every case he stood back and let things happen around him and several times people on the side were the real heroes. When I wrote reviews for series one I said that was ok because perhaps it was a "humans need to do things on their own" attitude and I am definately ok with that. However now the Doctor is back to his roots, solving problems and helping people like no one else on planet Earth could do.

The magic of Doctor Who is sort of like the cop show Law and Order in the US. I really can't think of another show that has changed entire casts so many times and yet stays relevant and vibrant. You can have an entirely new main character from costume to attitude to enemies to friends and at its' core it is still Doctor Who. It feels like Doctor Who, and this character (as talked about quite a bit in School Reunion) has lived a long time and has years of experiences to learn from. Is this show perfect? Of course not. 45 minutes has been too short many times. Mickey is finding his way into finally becoming a somewhat likeable character but it's taken a very long time. It would also be nice for the Doctor to use something other than his sonic screwdriver. It scans things, can create fire, can scare of robots of all kinds, open doors, lock doors.... I mean, I understand wanting to keep things simple but one other device would be nice. Still, the pluses outweigh the minuses of this show about a billion times. Besides Battlestar Galactica, no one has reinvented a show so brilliantly and RTD deserves everlasting praise for his job. The Girl in the Fireplace has the future, the past and most importantly the feel of Doctor Who and each episode of Series Two is better than the last. Will the Cybermen beat this one? No matter what I'll be there!

Well right from the very beginning of the introduction I was drawn in. After Tooth and Claw I couldnВ’t imagine that you could have a better intro, but this was beautiful - both visually and emotionally. I just loved the way the titles ran straight after this girl was shouting for help from the doctor В– this Girl In The Fireplace.

Also in the intro, you get an immediate understanding of what the theme of the story is going to be about В– that В‘curiosity factorВ’ just set in straight away. And what a theme В– the intensity of the developing relationship between this girl and her В‘imaginary friendВ’ was beautiful. I think that the doctor didnВ’t even notice that it had engulfed her until the moment where he looks into her mindВ… and she looks back В– that moment of pure terror in the DoctorВ’s eyes when she calls him by his В‘nameВ’ and seems to know В‘his secretsВ’. I feel from repeated viewings that this is not the sort of romance that other reviewers have seen. The Doctor seems just more interested in her general welfare up until a point, while Reinette has obviously grown up developing an obsessive love for her В‘imaginary friendВ’ В– the Doctor is oblivious at the beginning to her growing love thinking of himself as just a stranger (how in character)В… but В‘How can you be a stranger when IВ’ve known you all my lifeВ’.

But by the end, you can see that the Doctor has unwittingly fallen into a romance В– he does things without thinking. If heВ’d sat down and thought about it for a moment, heВ’d have realised that riding the horse through the mirror could cause massive problems for him В– being stuck in one place and time (we all know how much he hated that before) and leaving Rose stranded on a spaceship with a group of cannibalistic robots (this would have meant certain death for her and for Mickey). This is the only part of the story that grates on me and it just seems out of character for the Doctor to do such a rash thing, love or no love. And what about Rose?

The Doctor seems to have moved on here and taken Rose for granted to an extent В– a bit like most men do after a few years of marriage. In a manner typical to many women (sorry to all those ladies out there!) Rose doesnВ’t notice that something has developed between them, reserving jealousy for more obvious things such as В‘the exВ’ (SJS). To me this was very believable as sheВ’s not involved at all and the whole thing happens in an hour or so for her - the only clue she gets is quite late in the day В– В‘We both know the DoctorВ’s worth itВ’.

The ending was perfect and I am so grateful that the fast pacedness was reserved for the beginning of the story and enough time was left for this beautiful ending. When Louis proclaims that В‘You just missed her В– she just left for ParisВ’, I remember speaking aloud В‘Oh my God, itВ’s a hearseВ’ just before he proclaimed that she died too young. Very very sad as it just wasnВ’t expected.

Oh no, I forgot about the plot! In common with The Empty Child, this was very cleverly written. This wasnВ’t some megalomaniac alien or monster trying to take over the universe for once (those storylines start to grate on me) В– it was all just a mistake. One day long before the story began the programmer of these humble and stupid repair druids forgot to tell them that the crew were out of bounds in their eternal quest for more parts. The fact that these robots were so simplistic and stupid was a breath of fresh air in Doctor Who. They were programmed just to salvage parts to keep the ship working and had used all the resources that were available to them В– making them very dangerous В– even to the extent of crossing 3000 years to fetch the В‘control circuitВ’. Classic logic В– no more parts; therefore salvage parts including from the crew; the crew have proven a very valuable source of parts; control circuit of SS Madame de Pompadour gone; therefore need to find similar replacement; human brain would do but only compatible one В– brain of 37 year old Mdme de Pompadour! The revelation at the end was just perfect В– I found myself screaming (as did Rose) В‘WHY, WHY, WHYВ’, only to have it explained perfectly without a word said.

I am just amazed that Stephen Moffat managed to tell such a complex and beautiful story in just 45 minutes. I am finding more and more with this season that the 45 minute limit is a bit of a disappointment as it just goes too quickly and doesnВ’t given much time for development of the story or characters. Having said this though, the writers have worked amazingly well within this constraint.

One of my first choice episodes to show if I wanted to introduce a friend to DW.

This was a very strange story В– in many ways not like Doctor Who at all. Of course, that has been true of practically every single story since Russell T Davies showed up and the show resurfaced, but here it manifests in a very different way. This, to an extent, is what Doctor Who has always been really В– but has never actually been before.

Major reasons for it not feeling like Doctor Who include; no actual plot, just some strange stuff that happened. No obvious reasons for much of the stuff that happened to have happened anyway. The DoctorВ’s characterisation, including his very own love story; very different from what has gone before. Rose and Mickey practically disappearing from the action. The more obviously magical feel.

To be honest, I liked it a lot. Although it felt so radically different, thematically В‘The Girl in the FireplaceВ’ was a strong and explicit continuation of the ideas explored in previous episodes, specifically В‘School ReunionВ’ and MoffatВ’s earlier В‘The Empty Child/Doctor DancesВ’. We have the return of the same metaphor from TEC/TDD about the Doctor В‘dancingВ’, the 51st century and implacable, mindless machine enemies wreaking havoc simply because their programming causes them to respond inappropriately to the setting in which they find themselves, and several hoary old chestnuts В– В“Doctor Who?В”, and the Doctor being the entity monsters have nightmares about, most obviously!! We have Russell U DaviesВ’ В“lonely GodВ” morphing into ReinetteВ’s В“lonely angelВ”, and an extensive exploration of the loneliness of the Doctor. In a very real sense, В‘The Girl in the FireplaceВ’ is nothing more than a speeded-up version of the same agonising process that caused the Doc so much grief last episode.

The problems with the tale В– although they neednВ’t be problems, it depends how you look at it В– lie in the lack of explicit explanations. Just what was the horse doing there? Why are 51st century robots clockwork? How come the fireplace works when according to the Doctor, it shouldnВ’t? Why Madame de Pompadour, exactly? I seem to recall that, just possibly, the DoctorВ’s scene watching Reinette from hiding (influenced by В‘The Also PeopleВ’?), took place once he followed the time window the horse might have come from to a place that might have been near a stable В– which hints at an explanation. The robots being clockwork is just silly and the fireplace a В‘deus ex machinaВ’, but the ship is called В‘Madame de PompadourВ’, which does, admittedly, seem like a half-explanation, although when you look at it more closely you find that itВ’s actually nothing of the kind. The characters themselves remark several times on how ridiculous it all is! Even that doesnВ’t excuse it, it just makes it more self-aware.

No matter why the horse is there, we all know heВ’s really there because Stephen Moffat wants the Doctor to crash through a sheet of glass on a beautiful white charger to rescue his fair damsel at the storyВ’s climax, which is fair enough. ItВ’s a cool thing for the Doctor to do, and it seems to be a feature of Moffat scripts to have the Doctor end the story in self-indulgently heroic ways В– the wonderful ending to В‘The Doctor DancesВ’ was evidence of the same thing. But it has less effect here because TEC/TDD was so intricately and brilliantly plotted В– you knew the reason for everything. Here you donВ’t and the story suffers slightly. Still, the production values В– and David Tennant, again (well, mostly) В– are great.

Now, on to that dancing. Several people seem to have raised the issue of В‘old schoolВ’ fans having embolisms over the DoctorВ’s romance. Personally, I think thatВ’s mostly all in their minds В– itВ’s quite trendy at the moment for the Doc to be a lovelorn romantic hero, and very easy to score points off people who prefer it how it was, and for the В“cool dudesВ” such as Russell V Davies that seems to aid in the creation of blind spots with respect to what the В‘old guardВ’ actually do think. Myself, I didnВ’t mind it; I donВ’t know anyone who did.

WhatВ’s interesting is that everybody seems to relate it, to a greater or lesser extent, to the sexuality of the people watching. Doctor-Rose/Sarah/Reinette shippers point out that many old-style fans donВ’t to get the girl in their own lives, and they therefore dislike it when that element of the DoctorВ’s character is showcased; Russell W Davies, by contrast, boasts frequently of his prowess and seems to pour scorn on those who think that the Doctor could be a non-sexual being (despite all the evidence of the actual TV show being on their side).

WeВ’ve seen the same thing in Billie and ChrisВ’ much-vaunted В“chemistryВ” В– really a euphemism for the fact that we were constantly expecting him to take her roughly on top of the console; and in Russell X DaviesВ’ celebrated В“social realismВ” В– most obviously nymphomaniac Jackie TylerВ’s breathless attempt to seduce the Doctor a few minutes into В‘RoseВ’. Then of course there were the various hints last week that Sarah Jane Smith was left for thirty years В“yearning hopelessly for Time Lord cockВ” (and thank you very much indeed Mr Paul Clarke for that wonderful way of putting it!), which was totally stupid, although mercifully it didnВ’t affect the quality of the story very much.

I enjoyed the romantic strand to this tragic tale simply because, unlike in Russell Y DaviesВ’ promiscuity-dripping tales, Moffat handled it well В– it was, after all, the whole point of the story! And the text wasnВ’t even explicit on the matter of the Doctor and ReinetteВ’s В‘dancingВ’; we can imagine their torrid all-night session if we want to, but the issue isnВ’t forced. There are opportunities in the script; but you can fill in the blanks yourself. We need that leeway.

With regard to the whole dancing issue, I would say just this: the Doctor works better when the sexual element is removed. He really does work better as an asexual alien being rather than a cosmic stud riding around the galaxy bonking furiously. That way the extra element of mystery and В‘other-nessВ’ which has made him so fascinating since Serial A is preserved. ThatВ’s just the way it is. So you can call me a whinging fanboy who canВ’t get any pussy if you like, Mr Russell Z Davies, but it wonВ’t change the fact that IВ’ll still be right and youВ’ll still be wrong.

(Readers who look back over my reviews may notice that my original vehement loathing for RussellВ’s crass and horny version of Dr Who has turned into a more contemptuously sarcastic mockery В– I prefer it this way).

The Girl in the Fireplace. What can I say? Well having been a keen Who fan since the Pertwee era as a four year old, I have witnessed many episodes which have excelled in excellent writing and direction from all incarnations of the Doctor (or should I call him В‘Lonely AngelВ’?), and others that have beenВ…wellВ…crap reallyВ…..

IВ’m afraid in my opinion The Girl in the Fireplace falls into the latter В– well not total crap but teetering on the edge story-wise. It promises so much but just seems to ambitious for the time it has been allotted to resolve the loose ends it leaves dragging behind it come the end titles.

ThereВ’s a few niggling points that even after numerous viewings, still stick in the throat. For instance how can a girl who sees a man in her fireplace at the age of seven then suddenly see him again in her early twenties, just throw him against the wall and snog the face of him? Now IВ’m not one of those fans that thinks the good Doctor should have the sexuality of a cactus (heВ’s a grandfather for goodness sake! HeВ’s obviously В‘dancedВ’ on more than one occasion over the centuries!), but this story just doesnВ’t give the chemistry enough time to develop. If a story ever needed a longer timeslot or a two-parter, itВ’s this one. If the Doctor had been visiting her throughout her early life until young adulthood continuously, the whole attraction between them would have seemed much more natural and touching come the storyВ’s resolve. In fact such a major development as the Doctor falling in love required this storyВ’s extension being absolutely essential.

They always say love is blind, but another niggler is that the Doc just jumps through the mirror and leaves his two companions stranded without so much as a goodbye. It was obvious in the story that he knew there was no way back! Having his character lacking forethought like this just feels wrong. If I were Rose and Mickey IВ’d ask him to leave me straight back home to the nearest council estate! Or maybe I just have abandonment issues?

Aside from this, the production of the show was up to the BBCВ’s usual high standard, the scenery and costumes were stunning, and the music though a little intrusive was beautiful. Another minor quibble being Sophia MylesВ’ makeup! Gorgeous as she is, she looked way too contemporary for one of those plain, powdered ladies from Pre-Revolutionary France! She would have the makings of a great companion thoughВ…

Now I know this has been mentioned before but I have to support this train of thought. I think Tennant is not up to the job as the DoctorВ….. I know itВ’s really early days and I hope as time goes on he will develop, but he just lacks that edge and depth that his predecessor had. All the actors who have portrayed Who have had their faults but somehow the darkness and gravitas was always present, earthing his character. Tennant seems to act as if heВ’s channelling Kenneth Williams half the time, his turns at winks and whines irritate more and delight, and his В‘crazyВ’ turn at being drunk in this episode was a major feux pas. I really want to like him rather than throttle him though - there are glimmers. Fingers crossedВ…