"You would make a good Dalek".

Wow! This was, in so many respects, the best episode so far. For the first time that I can remember, we have a Dalek that actually has some depth, and could seriously be taken as a threat. The interplay between the Doctor and the Dalek was superb, with some great one-liners, and Christopher was on top form; he really managed to convey the anger, hate, remorse, guilt and loneliness of a man who is the last of his race. Incidentally, this is the second story not to be written by RTD, both of which are demonstratively the best yet.

In the opening scene, there is a great shot of an alien facehugger egg in the background, a mechanoid and seeing the cyberman again was nostalgic, not only for us but for the doctor as well.

The first scene with the Doctor and the Dalek alone in the cage is a classic; so many gems here. The anger of the Doctor is real as well as the guilt. He implies he carries the burden of destroying the entire Dalek race as well as the Time-Lords, they share the fact that they are both alone in the universe. There is a nice parallel here with 'Genesis'; Tom Baker's Doctor agonised over the decision to end the Dalek race, but here we see a vengeful Doctor who does not give it a second thought.

On the downside, the beauty and the beast sub-plot with Rose and the Dalek was predictable and tedious, but their first scene was useful in that it showed the physiological manipulation the Dalek is capable of, was unexpected, and it was also interesting that the Dalek can regenerate using the DNA of a time traveller. The Dalek killing the guards, showed for the first time, it is a force to be reckoned with; the forcefield was an inspired innovation, though the levitation did not have the same punch, as its been seen before.

The Dalek killing using the combination of the sprinklers and gun showed its intelligence and ruthlessness, but its desperation evident when asking the Doctor what to do. Nick Briggs deserves special mention for his performance as the Dalek, particularly the scene with Rose in the lift. I loved the Dalek armour opening to reveal the Kaled mutant, as well as the admission that both the Dalek and Doctor have changed. Christopher's performance here is his best yet; the Doctor carries the guilt of not being able to save his people (and possibly the Daleks?). I will admit that I did actually feel sad and sorry for the Dalek as it self-destructed; great writing. My only real quibble is that with the limitations of the 45 minute one episode format, the secondary characters are never able to develop, so you never feel any great empathy with them. Overall though, a classic episode.

Dalek had once again given me expectations. The best Doctor Who scriptwriter of the audio years combined with the most anticipated on-going episode of the new series.

Did it work? Well in summary, yes and in more words without doubt.

Dalek had everything, an exceptional start, a well-driven middle and a memorable end. In a series that starts with Doctor returning from a 16-year regular TV gap and ends with a regeneration this still will be the one to remember. Whilst I hope I am wrong, I doubt any episode will beat this in 2005.

The Doctor and Christopher Eccleston grew up in this episode more that I could have anticipated. The hate and remorse in the Doctor is a new side to our beloved lead character. Even with what was to come I was moved by the Doctor’s emotion before a Dalek had been seen. The scene with the Cyberman was a bonus beyond belief.

The average viewers feeling of hate before the episode would be expected to be aimed at our Dalek, but by the end would be torn between the ruthless Van Statten and the hate filled Doctor.

All the cast worked, and the production reached a new level of professionalism. From the radio lead up I heard that the design team had taken the Dalek design apart to understand it. To rebuild it traditionally on the outside, but to be so fresh on the inside was refreshing.

I could continue to wax lyrical about this episode. But in summary give the man an Oscar. The man who deserves it most however I am undecided, and will let you choose. The nominees however are Robert Shearman, Christopher Eccleston and the head of design.

Absolutely magnificent!

This was not only comfortably the best episode of the new series but, quite possibly, the best Doctor Who story ever - and I know I'm not the only one to say that. In exploring the allegorical potential of science fiction, the episode took up the gauntlet thrown down so dauntingly by the likes of the new Battlestar Galactica and beat them at their own game. We were shown the Doctor as refugee (and, perhaps, war criminal) a man (alien?) struggling to come to terms with his own past and, in his torment, posing some serious questions for our own world.

There is no need to rhapsodise at length about the tautness of the plot, the excellence of the special effects or, even, how well Billie Piper performed as Rose; others have covered that ground and said nothing with which I would disagree. For me, it was the overwhelming sadness of the episode that ensured its classic status. The moment when the Dalek learned that he was all alone in the universe was genuinely moving. And has the series ever produced a finer moment of acting than Christopher Ecclestone's utter devastation in response to the Dalek's "You destroyed us"? The actor conveyed perfectly the Doctor's realisation that he, too, was a mass murderer, no better, and probably worse, than the creature he was so violently taunting.

But even that was topped by the Dalek's melancholy response "You would make a good Dalek" to yet another of the Doctor's bile-filled rants. How easy it would have been to make that line a flippant throwaway, an infantile "one-liner" with an instant, and unsatisfactory, payoff. Instead, it added a bleak resonance to the Dalek's earlier remark that he and the Doctor were alike. The Dalek had meant that their loneliness united them. In fact, as the creature came to understand, the common ground was irrational hatred.

At such moments, the programme was much more than an entertaining piece of fantasy hokum, but a profound exploration of the human condition. Of course, such existential speculation has always been begged by a series with the title Doctor Who; many more episodes like this and they're going to have to start writing it with a question mark.

Okay... now, how should I describe this episode? I have read everyone else’s reviews after I finally saw this episode on Saturday that has just passed. (Us poor deprieved people in Australia were five or six episodes behind the UK; I have been brave and not let myself look at any other reviews for future episodes).

While having watched the new Who every Saturday and the reruns of every all the old series (we are currently on the second series with Tom Baker) every weekday I thought the Daleks in the old Doctor Who weren't all that scary compared to the latest episode. I actually got really scared when the Dalek started to go one its killing spree because it showed many shots of the dead bodies. I did feel a lot of sympathy for it when Rose's DNA started to mutate it.

Actually coming to Rose I thought that Billie Piper acted brilliantly, especially all of her scenes with the Dalek and as usual all of her scenes with the Doctor were a joy to watch. The Doctor's reaction to thinking that Rose was actually dead and gone was extremely convincing but his reaction to seeing her alive was even better to watch. Christopher E's acting though stole the show when he first encounters the Dalek and his reaction and speech to the Dalek after he realises that it actually can't hurt him because his laser can't "Exterminate!" I did get a bit disturbed though when the Doctor threatened the Dalek with a massive gun, even though the Dalek had opened his casing and only was trying to feel the sun. Since when did the Doctor become a military man? Her reaction though was extremely well played and her asking the Doctor, "What about you Doctor? What the hell are you turning into?"

Excellent acting but the only thing that peeved me off was the introducing the character of Adam.

Why on earth did the Doctor take him? I can understand from Rose's point of view but why oh why Doctor? Hopefully he'll die or something in the next episode!

I also really hope that the Doctor and Rose get together in the end.

Overall I would give Dalek a 9/10.

The Daleks are back. Well, one of them anyway. Indeed, it was the last Dalek, as Rob Shearman and Russell T Davies had obviously decided. So how did this story compare with previous Dalek adventures and most importantly, did it do a good job of 'reinventing' the Daleks for the 21st Century audience and the fans of the classic series.

So how does the story go? The TARDIS lands in a long corridor, lined with display cases. It turns out to be a huge museum 53 floors underground in Utah, containing alien specimens and owned by a multi-billionaire who owns the internet. So it will come as no surprise that within minutes the Doctor and Rose are surrounded by about a dozen, fully armed guards all pointing machine guns at them. After a chat about alien technology, the Doctor is taken to what the billionaire claims is his only living specimen. After being locked in a room with it, the Doctor finds out (...wait for it) that it's a Dalek that's fallen through time from the time war with the Timelords! The Doctor, somewhat out of character, tries to kill the Dalek, but is stopped by the billionaire. Meanwhile, Rose has been left in the capable hands of Adam, a young, self-proclaimed genius who soon shows off his genial skills by hacking into the security camera overseeing the Dalek’s torture session. He takes Rose to see the Dalek. She feels sorry for it and, lured by the Dalek, touches its case. Her time travelled touch enables the Dalek to start self-healing. With this new vigour, the Dalek (finally) shows what that sucker can do. Suck the life out of the torturer and single-handedly decode an electronic lock, before smashing a monitor and absorbing the entire internet. The Dalek proceeds to start it's killing spree, during which we find out it can repel bullets in true Matrix style. The ever resourceful Rose decides that the legless Dalek can't go up stairs. Wrong! With the simple word 'Elevate', the Dalek glides up the stair at a slight better pace than in 1988 (Remembrance of the Daleks), before entering a room full of armed guards. Now this is the best bit. The Dalek Elevates to about 10 foot off the ground, starts the fire sprinklers and uses the water to electrocute all the guards. Adam manages to get clear of the area before the bulkheads close, but Rose doesn't. The Dalek accuses her of 'infecting' it, as it feels her fear. The Doctor finds a big alien gun and heads for the room where, bizarrely, Rose and the Dalek are enjoying the sunlight. Rose doesn't let the Doctor kill the Dalek, but eventually the Dalek persuades her to order it to kill itself, because of it's 'Sickness'. Rose then persuades the Doctor to let Adam go with them.

In short, great story, great direction and great graphics. A brilliant achievement in television. So let's break it down.

The Story was, as previously mentioned, Robert Shearman. Shearman also so wrote the Big Finish Audio Adventure 'Jubilee' and the beginning of 'Dalek' was very similar to that of Jubilee. A lone Dalek being tortured and the Doctor's assistant feeling sorry for it. But the similarity ends there. This adventure had the Dalek go on a full scale killing spree and made the fact that they destroyed Gallifrey in a massive war all the more believable. But the best scene in the whole episode was undoubtedly the sprinkler electrocution scene. The clever way it was done showed just why the Daleks are the Doctor's most dangerous enemies. The whole story shows both the excellent talent of Rob Shearman and the supremacy of the Daleks over all other races in the art of war. Furthermore, the fact that the Daleks were wiped out in the time war too, makes it all the more likely, if the Daleks are to be brought back, that the Gallifrey will also be brought back. All in all, a thoroughly brilliant experience.

The Direction of the episode was given over to Joe Ahearne for the first time and he has done a great job. The way the characters are presented on screen, including the Dalek, and the way the action scenes were shot was excellent.

The Graphics in Dalek were some of the best on British TV to date. The Dalek elevating up the stairs was hardly distinguishable as CGI to the casual watcher and exterminations were also of a very high quality. Add to that the great Matrix style bullet force fields; the mill has done an exceptional job with this episode, especially considering the short timeframe they had to do it.

So overall an excellent performance on all accounts, hindered only by the fact that Russell T Davies made the Dalek Designer change it from Steel and Gun Metal Black to the Bronze and Copper we saw on screen (exterminate him) and the continuing emotional instability of the Doctor. Great performance, as we expect from an episode featuring the Daleks.

"You would make an excellent Dalek". After several episodes, we FINALLY get a story that really takes us back to the old series. What we have is the most simple, yet effective Doctor Who story to date. We have a Dalek and a Doctor. I realized watching this episode that most people would compare it to "Star Trek" or a bunch of other Sci-Fi series, but I was left thinking about this: The last time we saw the Daleks, we had the 7th Doctor explaining to the last remaining Dalek on earth that it was alone. The Dalek could not accept this so it self destructed. Really was this episode any different? Well, yes and no.

First off, we have AMAZING special effects. Second, we have probably the fastest moving story yet. Yet at the same time one of the most moving. I have said before that Chris E. as the Doctor is probably the darkest portrayal since Colin Baker, but for once, it feels right in this episode. Not only do we have years of hate against the Daleks, but also we learn a little more about what happened with the "Time War". Whether or not I agree with the way the series is going with this "Time War", I have to admit the continuity is being upheld.

I also have to say Billie Piper once again wins the award for the best actor in the series. I feel she is the best companion to grace our TV screens in 20 years. If you watch her facial expressions and her reactions in this episode you will really see that she is an amazing actor who understands the amazement of traveling in time and space that is required for a companion. She shows no regrets but is human enough to show fear. That to me is what makes an amazing REAL human role. I can relate and understand the character more than any other companion. If she has a good agent, she should ask for double what she is being paid. There has been a lot of press about her not watching the original series and therefore not having done enough research to portray a proper companion. Well, folks, she puts you to shame here.

Christopher E. fares better than the other episodes (That silly grin for once doesn't appear.) but he lacks something all the other Doctors had - a sense of wonder and compassion, not only for the people around him, but for all living creatures. I honestly don't see Sylvester McCoy aiming a gun at a lonely Dalek who is the last of his race, trying to kill it. What Chris E. needs is a sense of humour and a light heart, somebody who is in control of a situation, and I just feel he is never in control of it. But while he is getting better, unfortunately I feel he might reach his full potential when too late, and once again we will be left with a Doctor who did a couple of episodes and then is gone before we knew him.

Finally, I can't help myself - The Dalek looked great! It’s been about 17 years since we have seen one, and my God, it was worth the wait. Just think - a whole new generation of children will be hiding behind sofas and having nightmares. Many of us were kids watching the old episodes, and now we have our own children, and this episode I hope scared them to death. And that's the way it should be! Doctor Who isn't always safe, isn't always secure, and certainly it will shock, but it's always entertaining. So sit back, open a bottle of wine, get your friends around and enjoy because we waited so long for something like this, and it was worth it and we are all here to see it together. I give five stars to the new series, for even throwing in the Cyberman in this episode.

It’s a cracking story with great acting and the production team finally knows that the old fans are watching and they give a generus nod and smile in our direction. So I guess what I can say to them is "Thank You"! And also one note to a debate I KNOW lots will be talking about: Doctor Who did not rip-off "I Borg" from "Star Trek". They ripped off tons of ideas from "Doctor Who" and you know what? Their cancelled......and we’re not!) (Apologies to Star Trek fans, of which I am one of). Keep them coming people, it just gets better!