I did two things after watching Bad Wolf. The first was calling my good friend and fellow Who fan Paul Webb and leaving a voicemail trying to put the sheer brilliance of the episode into words. The second? I hopped into the bath and cleaned up.

At various parts of Bad Wolf, I cheered, cried, laughed, felt sick to my stomach, and shouted "OH MY GOD~!" at the top of my lungs. I know I've criticized Russell T. Davies for his fart jokes before, but Bad Wolf touched me in ways no episode of Doctor Who- in ways no episode of *anything*- touched me.

One of RTD's ongoing themes this season has been his fearless criticisms of our shortcomings as a society. As brave as it is to call out, say, Bush and Blair on the Iraq debacle, it's even braver to take what has traditionally been an escapist TV programme and use it to grab people by the lapels and cry "Look at what we've become! How could we have let this happen?!" At the start of the last century, learning how to make a machine that flies in the sky was our major technological breakthrough. At the middle of last century, there was an intense drive to take to the stars, set foot on the moon and possibly other planets. Now, what are we driving for? Clean burning fuels? Better spacecraft? Nope- more channels and a better picture. Of course, the Daleks aren't behind the stagnation of Western civilization- we are, which makes Bad Wolf that much more frightening.

As for the fanboy factor, this episode is off the scale. Eccleston's final speech to the Daleks- save an even more impressive one in The Parting of the Ways (which is entirely possible!)- is the defining moment for his Doctor. With the passage of time, it may well be remembered as *the* Doctor's defining moment. The Daleks...I can scarcely believe that the Nation estate was worried about their use in this series. These are the scariest Daleks anyone's seen since 1963, at least. They're powerful, cunning, and they've launched the only master plan in the history of Doctor Who that has made me literally sick to my stomach.

What more can I say? Oh yes- Greatest. Doctor. Who. Episode. Ever.

It's funny how a small minority can actually affect your perception of an episode before it airs. There has been a very vocal fan group who have had strong concerns over Russell T Davies output and regardless of the objective validity (and I for one am not condemning such opinion), one cannot help being infected by that concern, no matter how small the voice. Negativity is infectious; its voice is loud no matter how minor the group. I must confess that, despite enjoying most of RTD's work, I approached the teaser with a degree of non-objective concern. Parodies are dangerous things, and this episode from the very opening scene has no qualms about being so. Get too close to real life, and it can break that illusion of disbelief mainstream science fiction so desperately needs.

However, like Doctor Who of yore, "Bad Wolf" manages to superbly do parody and it couldn't be closer than this. Beyond the darker and more explosive second half, the first part of this story is very well handled. We have some great parody moments based on other British TV institutions. “The Weakest Line” and “Big Brother” are to name some of the more famous ones of recent times. By making such very close parodies (music, sets and voice work), it actually adds to the suspense of disbelief; vague parodies create vague parallels where the viewer doesn't really see the mimic being one thing or the other. "Bad Wolf" pulls no such punches!

Beyond the Reality/Quiz TV parallel here, we have a deeper and more evocative story. Maybe if this episode had just revolved around the parody, it would have really lost a lot of drive by any resolution. The gradual and slightly disorientating start slowly sets the stage for a grand finale ending. And what a grand finale it is.

Not only is it big (and I mean B.I.G), it's very well paced. No quick shock ending to leave the viewer feeling cheated, the ending is given time to grow and even gives away a few more revelations than one would have expected of Doctor Who in the past. Once upon a time we would have had simply the appearance of a squawking Dalek to create the cliffhanger, but not here. In "Bad Wolf" we have the appearance of the foe a good few minutes before the end that results in a story with a very satisfying mix of drama, parody, surprise and some fantastic dialogue.

Yes, the script for "Bad Wolf" is very strong; in fact, all aspects of the story remain tight. Any concern over the slightly unfinished feel to RTD's "Boom Town" can be quashed by one of the most solid pieces of story telling to date. Let's also remember, making a story that doesn't rely overtly on atmosphere, action and suspense for its entirety is very hard. This is a real mix of drama. Some clear tongue in cheek humour, some shocking revelations and some really powerful dramatic scenes all in one. This really is a story that builds, layer on layer and that really does underline the talents of this show's creator.

Whether you like his occasional bursts of humour, or his more character orientated plots, RTD knows his field, both as a producer and as a writer. He writes as he feels the show requires and the approval of the masses reflects this. "Bad Wolf is a perfect example of how RTD can write as he needs to. This is the shows penultimate story and he pulls back from overt humour to shows us a mind that cares and knows Doctor Who. This is tense Doctor Who without being over scary. It's the perfect equation of light entertainment and firm drama. Some older fans may prefer the likes of "The Empty Child", but if Doctor Who intends to survive, it's stories that offer a more family orientated balance such as this that will keep the show going.

As for the more specific elements - all top notch. The music is great with some more of the more gothic undertones announcing the Daleks. The acting is above par across the board and for the second week running, Eccleston gets a wonderful mix of light and very dark. This Doctor is really having to deal with his "meddling". In this light, "Bad Wolf" is a great follow up to "Boom Town" and elevates the importance of "Boom Town" in hindsight.

Final bow goes to Captain Jack Harkness, who provides a refreshing character type and a little additional humour throughout. RTD, if you are wise and bored enough to read this, whatever happens to Jack in the finale, consider his return. He's an asset to the crew bringing that extra something that neither the Doctor nor Rose can, something beyond his more violent capacities. His self-assured attitude, technical know how and utter juxtaposition to the Doctor makes him a fascinating and worthy addition to the crew dynamic. His role was comparatively small compared to the Doctor's, but nevertheless very noticeable.

Oh yeah, did I mention the Daleks much? No? Well I will leave it to the other reviewers to rave on their reinvention and application. They retain all about what Daleks should be and still manage to add something new.

Fantastic. Russell T Davies should be squirming with pleasure in his bed tonight knowing that it's a job well done. Only downside is it creates a very tough act to follow... and with the next episode being the finale.. Can it compare to the strength of “Bad Wolf”? "Time will tell", said one great man. With the Doctor having to deal with the ramifications of that statement in "Bad Wolf", I can't think of a more pertinent quotation to end on.

There's been a lot of criticism of RTD. Well in 45 minutes he answered it. With the best 45 minutes of Doctor Who. EVER. I'll repeat that...the best 45 minutes of Doctor Who. EVER.

That was Doctor Who for people in 2005. It was for the person who loves sci-fi, who loves the trash of What Not To Wear and Big Brother. They included the subtle annoying nuances those programmes display and embraced them. Christopher Eccleston had his best performance ever as the Doctor, Captain Jack found his spiritual home on Trinny and Susanna. The subtlest performance belonged to Billie Piper. We knew that the AnneDroid was deadly… Rose didn't until Fitch went!! The tension was raised to the utmost level until that moment. When Rose was blasted, I defy anyone not to think "oh God, Billie IS leaving" at that very moment. weirdly, far from spoiling the series I think the publicity surrounding it really paid off last night. You know that Chris is leaving...but you half expect some trick to be pulled. You are told Billie is leaving, then staying. Could they then pull off the biggest trick ever by killing Rose off?

The end monologue by the Doctor is the single best thing ever in Doctor Who. You know how it ends but at THAT moment when he says "I'm coming to get you Rose" (and did anyone else notice that's a Big Brother reference!), I tell you what I believe him.

The episode embraced both pop culture and Doctor Who culture at the same time and did it superbly. It was damn serious at times and not silly but humorous at others. I have seen a review which wasn’t positive. If The Parting of the Ways is better than Bad Wolf then I genuinely believe I will explode! And I tell you what having seen Bad Wolf I will never hear a word against RTD again...

He was responsible for the casting of Chris Eccleston. He is the singular reason why he is the Doctor. He cherry picked the best of British Trash and he made it 45 minutes of genius. Don't...please don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

After the somewhat dismal Boom Town (which seemed to me a filler that was merely meant to set up the cracking finale) I figured that Bad Wolf would almost have to be an improvement--which it was, but after a second viewing I'm still not quite sold on the lampooning of reality TV. It just seems to me that a fad in the 20th C. wouldn't have continued that long into the future, even if there is a progression towards "killing" the people who are "kicked off the island" so to speak, I think that "reality" TV would burn out very quickly before any such point was reached. (Think of the use of the zombies in game shows in the ending of Shaun of the Dead, for example, as a parody that seems more in the realm of possibility, IMO, despite the fact that they're bloody zombies).

Now, of course, this is Doctor Who, and there has always been a need to suspend disbelief at times that exceeds most other shows. So considering this entire Season (series for the UK folks) of Doctor Who, and the over-tendency to reference current events, Bad Wolf performed as expected, but that still doesn't mean we all have to like it. It's too close to home, or too obviously close to home, and even more than the Pertwee era, lacks subtlety in referencing current events.

Overall, Bad Wolf seemed again, a little too much like a setup, and it seems Boom Town was a wasted story. The setup of Bad Wolf could've been there, and that would've have left two episodes to deal with the Daleks. I am far from a Doctor Who purist, but I think the main shortcoming of the new program has to do with 45 minutes not being enough to tell a story, so we're stuck with overflow material being collected into a bucket and presented as Boom Town, instead of a fully realized story.

Wow! That was good. I have a feeling that there will be actual tears when I watch the finale. Christopher Eccleston is just brilliant as the Doctor; the Doctor who doesn't stand around waiting for explanations - a Doctor who just does what he has to. Brilliant. I'm missing him already!

As far as the episode is concerned, the idea that reality shows are beamed to the populace to cover up an impending invasion is very satirical but also ingenius. I liked seeing the Doctor in the Big Brother house, acting as I know he would act. He was irritated by it all and wanted a way out. Excellent sequence which more could have been made of. The Doctor would be a more interesting housemate than the ones we have now!

I thought the What Not to Wear was less interesting, but when Captain Jack took the laser out of his ass I just couldn't believe it! A really good idea. It reminds me of the IRA prisoners in the H-Block jails who used to stuff cigarette packets to smuggle them in and exchange. Probably isn't good for prostate though.

The Weakest Link was also a good sequence and while I think Paterson Joseph is a good actor, you really did not quite believe him in this - there was something 'amateur' about his performance. The woman who got zapped first was definitely better in the small time she had! And when Rose got vaporised I really did think that was it - I mean we have been hearing she is and she isn't returning to the series. The look on the Doctor's face when he thinks she's gone was brilliant. He didn't fight off the guard cuffing him, he just looked crestfallen - like his whole world had crumbled. I did punch the air when he and Jack attacked the guards in the cell though. Go on my son!

I did not quite understand the fact that the laser was a transmat beam. We saw Rose on the Dalek ship, but where were all the other people who got zapped. And why are they zapping them all to their ships? Surely the Daleks couldn't fit them all! I'm sure this will be explained in the next episode. And the Bad Wolf thing hasn't really been properly explained, has it?

All in all, a fantastic episode and I have tried to avoid all the internet ramblings. Mr brother reckons the controller of the Daleks will definitely be Davros, I reckon it will be the Dalek Emperor and my friend at work Adam mentioned something about it being a deformed Bruno Langley [think Evelyn Smythe in Real Time]. I love the way I have no idea.

Roll on the finale!

Ok RTD... you've finally delivered half of the sort of Who script your much lauded talents have promised... but to date had failed to deliver.

Anyone who has either read my previous reviews here... or my frequent posts on rec.arts.drwho .. will know that I'm one of these'old school fans' who are supposedly in the minority and cannot criticise RTD - the saviour - on any point without fear of lynching.

But let's get one thing straight. I have no intention to personalise my reviews with attcks on the man himself. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the 2005 TV industry, combined with his influence on Messers Gardner & Hennessey (not to forget Collinson too) has certainly aided the positive and forceful return of Who to our screens. That achievement is not in question...

What has been my focus is the continued frustration with RTD the script writer - who the Evening Standard recently called 'god-like' - for not delivering a Who script that mirrored the obvious talents displayed by 'Queer As Folk', 'Casanova' and 'The Second Coming'. "Rose" was OK... "End of the World" likewise... but "Aliens of London" & "World War Three" were pure pantomimie... with "Boomtown" adding to the insult. "The Long Game" was also derided at the time... although I found it fairly innocuous.

So now to "Bad Wolf". Suspend disbelief... disengage the scientific brain and RTD finally delivers a rip roaring tour de force that suggests he can deliver... there is so much RIGHT about this... but as with all RTD scripts there are also fundamental errors that threaten to derail a cracking express train of an episode. In fact 'Bad Wolf' neatly summarises the whole WHO 2005 season in it's highs and lows... but more on that later... let me start with my problem with this episode...

200100.

Let me restate that. 200100 - 198,095 years in the future?

This is the future. Not the near future... but a time far far away... Consider this for a moment... this is a time when...

Television is still the mass form of entertainment.
Big Brother has had at least 504 episodes (that's the one where they "all walked out..")
Ground Force/ The Weakest Link / Countdown / What Not To Wear are all TV concepts that have 'endured'.
Anne Robinson, Trinny & Susannah and Davina Mc Call's voices (although electronic) still persist - 198,095 years later?
Humanity still wears 20th century clothing?
There was a President Schwarzenegger (sorry RTD... that's a Demolition Man joke...)
Sonar is an effective method for tracking space craft?

I could go on... and the fix? Make the date more realistic. 2150 say... afterall it is a hundred years on from the last Dalek Invasion of Earth... and we know that they are successful for a while by the Third Doctor's visit to the 22nd Century... new viewers wouldn't need to know that, but think of the Doctor's realisation that he had inadvertently set in motion the events that caused problems that his previous selves had had to sort out? The nostalgia buffs would be adding their voices to the RTD deifying... well maybe not yet...

Yet DESPITE these obvious plot holes... 'Bad Wolf' was hugely enjoyable... it was a real shame that the Dalek reveal had been blown by the trailer... because the moment you hear that 'Dalek hum' when Rose is transmatted to the Dalek ship would have been SO MUCH better. It was beautifully crafted... as was the extermination of the 'Controller', with a stunning 'reflection' shot of the approaching Dalek.

The final CGI moments with the Daleks 'elevating' on screen were so reminiscent of TV21 from the 60's / 70's I was elated! And if you've seen the latest BBC teaser... you'll see more of the same... now that is FANTASTIC!

So we've had lows... and highs... in fits and starts.. My hope is that the 'threat' that permeated parts of this episode can be maintained into the finale. There is a real danger that these things can be hyped too much... and I'm sorry RTD you are only halfway to delivering... if you can emulate Mr Moffat then I shall be ringing your praises... but there could just be one dodgy wrap up too far...

Be warned... with all the nonsense whizzing around the forums about Adam... the TARDIS... a certain Kaled scientist... and various other BAD WOLF theories we can only hope that there is a logical payoff, but my caution is tempered with 200100... if RTD can explain that then I might be happy next Saturday at 7:45.

The alternative venom spitting madman is not an option I dare contemplate.

Remember too... it's only HALF TIME...