Teenage pregnancy, bisexuality ... 'The Doctor Dances' certainly proves the Doctor's been updated for the 21st Century! The concluding part of the two-parter dials down the tension (though that typewriter was eerie) & adds a good splash of humour (my gizmo's bigger than yours, the two executioners, and of course the leg at the end). Though the plot held few surprises, it was a joy watching the Doctor put the pieces together.

I'm glad Nancy proved key to the puzzle -- not to mention managed to survive being a female bit part around the Doctor. (The foreshadowing of the blond kid in the house removing his gas mask was cool.) With her mix of grief, stoicism & calm courage, she's reminiscent of the Doctor himself. I loved the way she didn't bat an eyelid when Jack's spaceship swooped overhead!

I'm really warming to Eccleston's performance now. His exuberant joy at the end might have seemed a touch over-the-top earlier in the season, but here it feels a perfect response in someone teetering on the edge. At this rate, he's going to be my One True Doctor right about the closing credits of episode 13...

Captain Jack grated less this time round: he's a much more pleasant character when he's not trying to be nice. With his calm response to certain death I suspect it's going to remain the woman's job to do the screaming. I remain intrigued by the three-way situation that's been established. I really don't know how far they can push things, given the audience they're aiming for -- but it's got me at the edge of my seat!

Hmm... Bad bits. Given how well the plot had been set up in the first part, I rather missed the creepy atmosphere of 'The Empty Child', but the most annoying bit was the obtrusive score.

Concluding episodes never quite make the grade of the original, and 'The Doctor Dances' was no exception. Nevertheless, a solid episode.

Wow! Just watched 'The Doctor Dances' and thought it was brilliant. It had me in tears, made my heart swoon and had me laughin in pure joy. This is what the new Doctor Who series about- progressive, spunky and scary all at the same time....I few of my mates who were non DW fans watched the first one and didn’t think too much of it but I'm sure that this episode would have won them back.

Anyway I loved it and thought it was thought provoking and interesting. I was worried that the Sister/mother would have to sacrifice herself or something to that effect and that would have made it too much like the other characters who have had to kill themselves in order to save the universe. Seeing the mother united with her child, Jamie filled me with such joy which was manifold in the Doctor's dance of joy too.

I loved the sexual tension between the characters and it was great fun to see them 'dance' in their respective attractiveness to each other and the viewer. I was also amazed that on national TV there was a sexual ambiguous character such as Jack or maybe not so much that it was on TV but it was on Doctor Who. Being a gay man myself I loved the interaction between Jack and the Doctor and Rose. John Barrowman has movie star cinematic looks and is just perfect as Jack. He will cause both the husbands and wives, daughters and gay men to desire him.

The special effects were also fabulous and Jack's ship was beautiful to look at although I thought that an explosion at the end would have been good. Thought they skimped abit there but it was a good ending and left me grinning from ear to ear.

Also saw the preview to 'Boomtown' and that looks fabulous too with a welcome return of an old foe...but I am not telling....I don't want to get under your skin...

To recap the events of the previous episode, the sudden awakening and advancing of the “infected”, although similar to the cliff-hanger in “Aliens of London” was far superior and suspenseful. But then, the whole episode already had a large degree of eeriness from the start and although I didn’t spend the week forming my own explanation of how the Doctor would escape this situation, the resolution was simple yet brilliant ending with another superb line from the Doctor with regard to his last words. I am sure there can be a cheap (or expensive) cash-in out there for Doctor Who series quotable lines.

Going into this episode, I had the feeling that the fear and suspense initiated previously had been diminished due probably to my familiarity of the story. It had a feel of the last episodes of the McCoy era with long scenes with no dialogue and plenty of intrigue with no apparent explanation. The Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack and Nancy observing as the “zombies” move slowly around. But the chills had gone. Furthermore I noticed that the special effects had been reduced from that of the previous episode but this was because the big effect of Captain Jack’s spacecraft was saved until the end.

There is still a gay undercurrent in this episode. This time a reference to the father of the house, Mr Lloyd being in liaison with the butcher. I am gay myself, and initially, I found some of these homosexual undertones irrelevant to the plot. They were quite novel to start in the episode Rose but I find that there is no reason, other than political statement/correctness to insert them into continuous storylines. For the record I don’t preach or oppose gay rights, but in turn do not think it should be (to coin a phrase) rammed down people’s throats when unnecessary. However, on watching the episode again, it becomes more apparent and relevant why Nancy was “blackmailing” this character. Captain Jack’s bisexuality by contrast does seem integral to his character and becomes intriguing as the episode progresses with references to his knowledge of “Algie” and the Doctor’s quip on who he would like to dance with.

As the story progresses I did find that the fear element was still evident, especially the ghostly typewriter and the recording tape that had run out. The shivers soon returned down my spine as the repeated “Mummy? Are you my Mummy?” continued through the story.

The Doctor as played by Chris Eccleston becomes the most “human” performance in this and the previous episode, a flippant reference to a previous adventure (the bananas, “today is Volcano day”. This to date showcases MrEccleston’s ability as an actor and more importantly, a perfect personification of the Doctor. Sometimes rude, sometimes brash but always caring and fond of the human race. It definitely was the Doctor’s episode and some might say, finally. He gets to carry the episode, solves the mystery of the alien/human hybrids and then gets to initiate the “cure”. His immense joy at saving everyone’s life is both genuine and moving.

Florence Heath as Nancy is the core character in this story and I have to admit that I had guessed her involvement right from the start but this did not diminish my euphoria when she reunited with her son. Richard Wilson was noticeable absent from most of this episode but gets one of the funniest lines of the 90minutes. I must admit I was hoping for more than what amounted to a brief cameo. John Barrowman eased into his new role with aplomb, which turned out to be quite a complicated character. Billie Piper gives her best performance of the series.

I don’t usually discuss the direction of episodes but I did enjoy some of the quirky camera angles and point of view shots used by the director which enhanced the suspense of the episode. The music also consistently improving as the season goes on.

The alien hybrids were a fantastic creation and sent plenty of chills in every appearance but I would still like to see a WW2 story with Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans or Raston Warrior Robots as the big bad!!!! (Maybe not the last one)

This episode may be just a tad inferior to the opening instalment but as a pair I rate them first before The Unquiet Dead, Father’s Day, Dalek, The Long Game, Rose, Aliens/WWIII and The End of........

Oh boy....My expectations were high for the conclusion to this two-parter. Loved the episode title, for a start, and 'The Empty Child' had been wonderful; so what did I get?

Expectations surpassed. Don't you just love it when that happens?

This was sublime , creepy, emotional and life-affirming television...and occasionally very funny to boot.It boasted Christopher Ecclestone at his considerable best . There have been criticisms that the Ninth Doctor has been rather ineffectual at various times in this series, relying on others to resolve situations. I can see that (I've *said* that!) and wasn't impressed by the treatment of Adam, but this has become a complex and fascinating interpretation of the role, and it's a shame that as I warm to him more and more, I know that the Ninth Doctor will soon be gone. It's sad and rather wonderful at the same time. (Does that make sense?! I just mean...actors come and go, but the Doctor lives on.)

Anyways...'The Doctor Dances'. The resolution of the cliffhanger was spot on ("Go to your room!") This really was a wonderful script. I adore this programme, but I've seldom found myself laughing out loud and banging my thigh in delight whilst watching. The scene with the 'zombies' surrounding our heroes and the Doctor being very reluctant to describe his sonic device to Jack (I've got a sonic...oh, never mind.") could well be my favourite of the season so far. The way Chris plays it and ends up shouting "Screwdriver!" ....lovely, funny stuff and *very* Doctor Who. (loved the 'banana' business too)

Got to mention Florence Hoath's performance. She held all the scenes with the children together beautifully. And the moment when we realise Nancy's actual relationship with the 'empty' child; *great* acting. Nancy trusts the Doctor and saves the world in the process....beautiful stuff, brilliantly played.

A few other thoughts...Direction; faultless. Captain Jack; glad to have him on board. An engaging character with a bit of mystery about him, very engagingly played. Nice to think that the TARDIS dynamics are going to be shaken up a bit. (I assume that Captain Jack 'riding' the bomb was a deliberate 'Dr.Stangelove' ,er...'homage'?)

Glenn Miller and dancing in the TARDIS....how special *is* this?

I think this story is right up there with the best that the programme has offered and the conclusion rocked, basically! This Doctor has obviously seen and experienced a lot of terrible things recently. His joyous cry of "Everybody lives!!" was a wonderful part of a wonderful conclusion...this was very special.

The Doctor dances? Too right he does.

Ten out of ten.

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.