With The Long Game ready to be dismissed as a re-hash of Vengeance on Varos I was simply struck dumb by yet another mind blowing episode, both literally and figuratively.

The TARDIS arrives on the seemingly cosmopolitan Satellite 5 with new companion, the slightly shifty Adam. It all seems like a bustling cornucopia of human achievement, however both Rose and the Doctor feel something is amiss. Why does the technology feel wrong, where are the aliens and why is floor 139 so uncomfortably hot.

The sets first off were (to coin a phrase) fantastic and had a real feel of solidity and age about them. The acting was superb, everyone from the coldly sinister Editor to the Kronk Burger Van Man played the action as so without knowing winks or playing down to their audience.

Everything seemed to slot into place with events happening for a reason and every character acting within believable parameters. The most innocuous of plot details bore on all aspects of the denouement which the better of these one-off 45 minute episodes do so well.

Revealing many elements alongside characters who are seeing them for the first time worked even better than in 'Rose' not least because the entire audience were experiencing for the first time as well that character. The most effective of these being both Suki and Kaffika's separate arrivals on floor 500. Despite having seen it on several occasions the character's response, actions and in particular the incidental music relayed the feelings of fear and suspicion which grew in their minds. You could almost feel their apprehension as each character felt their way around the sinister surroundings.

Simon Pegg, cameoing in a similar fashion to many comics in eighties Who, excelled as the sinister editor believing to have control but really being a puppet for the true master of the station.

The Doctor seems to have settled down after his harrowing confrontation last week and his grin/gurn quotient appears to have dropped considerally, and this is a good thing. Billie Piper unfortunately is still not convincing me, particularly as her character is imprisioned in a mockney accent more at home in the mouth of Eliza Doolittle or Dick Van Dyke.

Bruno Langley also shone as the dodgy Adam seeking to better himself financially through foreknowledge, but with a role model like James Statton you can hardly expect him to act any different. His slightly comical fate brings the program back to earth (so to speak) and allows the audience to come back to reality after an engaging and exciting adventure in the far flung future.

Bog-standard. I felt this was below the standard set so far I'm afarid. I'm glad RTD finally got his old uncommissioned story from the 1980s realised as I hope in vain to get some of mine produced, but it really was a clever idea but badly executed.

Depicting the media as enslaving the population is an excellent idea but the story was a generic runaround without even a gripping runaround! Eccleston was his excellent self and so was Billie Piper who just shines in every episode, no matter the quality of the story. Bruno Langley was quite under-used I felt. It was a surprise [for me anyways!] that he got abroad the TARDIS in the first place but to only use him for one episode seemed pointless. I tend to concur with reviewer Joe Ford on most things, and I agree that Dalek should have come after Father's Day. Much more could have been made of the character, but I was one of the sad minority who thought the joke at the end was quite good.

Simon Pegg, while motiveless, was excellent in this. He gave a terrific performance in every scene he was in and I loved the way he tried to flee the scene at the climax but was trapped by one of his zombies. Christine Adams was absolutely gorgeous - better looking than Billie Piper in fact! I have to really fight the urge to not make this whole review about her! Let's hope we see her in more things!

So there you have it. Ordinary. Traditional Doctor Who, but one of those, like Terminus, which you'd never watch again. Although Christine Adams is a good enough reason to still make me get it on DVD!

After the excellent Dalek I wasn't expecting Doctor Who to come up with another rather good story directly after. But Episode Seven did just that.

Appearantly the idea for this episode was one from several years ago and for the original series. And that shows because it feels like it wouldn't be out of place, too much, in the original series. But this doesn't mean the episode, as with Dalek, is without flaws. I want to look at them first.

The special effects (CGI). They have really failed to impress me so far. The best thing about the original series was they knew they couldn't rely on special effects because they didn't have the budget too. Instead the writers concentrated on storyline rather than visual appearance. If a story was driven by special effects the plot and episode would suffer because of it and the whole thing would feel terrible. This time around the producers and writers obviously feel they have the budget to go along the special effects drive route. It feels to this viewer that they prefer visual appearance above well constructed storylines. And I'm afraid that the special effects just aren't good enough to make up for often lack in plot. Also the special effects never look realistic. If aliens are created through CGI then that's how they look, they don't look real just computer generated animations. The creature in this episode, I won't even attempt to spell its name, looked excately like that. That may be why we didn't see it until the end.

The other criticism I have of this episode concerns the Doctor's attitude towards Adam when he dumps him back on earth and with his father. Adam did try to change history and because of his foolish antics he put Rose and the Doctor at the Editor's mercy. BUT Turlough tried to kill the Doctor (and Tegan/Nyssa) several times. When all of this was revealed the Doctor didn't drop him off back home, he kept him aboard the Tardis. Both Turlough and Adam repented by the Doctor still dumped Adam, why? Well maybe because, as with Mickey, he was jealous of his closeness to Rose. If this is true its a side to the Doctor I don't like. The Doctor doesn't fall in love with companions and isn't jealous of their love interests. Otherwise poor old Ian or Mike Yates would have really been in for it!

My other criticism is the tagged on feeling of Adam's departure. It didn't feel as if it was a natural part of the storyline but instead tagged on when it was decided Adam wouldn't become a regular. It's quiet likely that it was always intended for Adam to leave in this episode but that doesn't come across on screen.

With that aside I'll concentrate on the good aspects. Excellent script, for a change, and excellent acting all around. I can't think of one bad performace. Another round of excellent guest stars with Judy Holt & Tasmin Greg both giving excellent and amusing performaces even with their limited screen time.

The supporting characters are all well done and fit the storyline perfectly. In other episodes they have felt rather pathetic and weak, also pointless, but here they seem to serve a purpose.

As always Billie Piper continues to shine but I suspect next week's episode will outdo all of her performances so far and that's no easy task! At last I am slowly warming to Christopher Eccelston's Doctor. He is starting to feel like the hero I watched on UKGold when I was younger. He is becoming the Doctor more and more instead of some character stuck with that name tag, as other episodes have made me feel. But just as one grows to like the 9th Doctor he's going to regenerate and it does feel rather pointless growing to like him when he's going so soon.

And finally, the banks sold the human race to whatever the creatures name was. Not the most original plot device ever, is it, really? But I'll give this episode 9/10.

Interesting - That was kind of the word that was in my head throughout this episode. But that is a good thing.

We are now at the half way point of the first season and really the first episode that I have seen that I was not aware of the plot. The hype (and that's not a bad word) for the new series has pretty much covered every aspect of the first six episodes but from 7 - 13 I personally know very little. You could say (and I would agree) that this is where Dr Who starts. Rose had (pretty much) the introduction of everything, End off.... had the first collection of New wave BBC aliens, The Unquiet Dead had the first PAST ADVENTURE, Aliens... the first cliffhanger and Dalek, well duh! This episode was BRAND NEW!!!!!

But because of that I found it very difficult to judge either positively or negatively. However I did find it Doctor-lite (is that a word?)

There is no need to continue praising the effects or the production design because they remain spot on. Nor can I fault Billie Piper's performance and the series still seems to be HER story rather than that of the Doctor. Chris Eccleston is however pretty much excellent in this episode and oddly, concidering that it has so much humour in it, has become the most serious portrayal to date. To get it out of the way though, I will say "Max" (because I can't pronounce his name either - see Simon Pegg's attempts in 'Confidential) reminds me of the Nestene in "Rose". Otherwise it's excellent.

I say Doctor-lite because I found The Doctor and to a degree, Rose rather absent from most of the proceedings and certainly had nothing to do in solving the mystery or defeating the Villian. But this certainly showcased the talents of Tamsin Greig, Bruno langley and especially Simon Pegg who stole the whole show. I found him the most captivating character in the series so far. Sorry Doctor - Sorry Rose. Every line was delivered perfectly, his mannerisms and humourous giggly and again although humouroius was played straight and with menace and certainly the best Villian of the series. His on again - off again appearance in the show was publicised in the media and I did expect some Pegg mannerisms but he eclipsed the work he has already done in series such as SPACED and the film SHAUN OF THE DEAD. Bruno Langley hopefully will come back as his character makes a certain foil to the Doctor/Rose team. The additional cast handled their respective roles well.

The plot was thin in the extreme and I'm still not sure what it was all about but this however plaid to the actor's strengths and I even kind of hoped The Editor had survived.

I noticed another reference to "BAD WOLF" on a tv broadcast to which my partner said "Normal people would not have noticed that" He is enjopying the series howver so I'll let him off.

The episode again was easily told in 45 minutes so this seems the perfect length to tell a story in after the (necessary) rush of episodes "Rose" and "The End of...." - Trek - Galactica - Buffy can all do it - So can Who.

Overall though and barring the excellent perfomances and perfect humour (especially the final shot) the episode seemed empty of something so only comes back to me thinking - Interesting.

An icy interior, a Giger-esque monster, a melting enemy, and the departure of a companion: if 'The Long Game' felt like a 21st century version of Dragonfire - complete with dodgy slang and canteen scene, but without the Shirley Temple kid - then, for me, that was no bad thing. In many ways, this was the most 'science fictiony' of the new series to date, with the cyberpunk elements in the 'living computer' scenes suggesting that Russell, like Cartmel before him, knows his Cronenberg and William Gibson.

This also felt more like 'Doctor Who' than we've come to know it lately. The decision to let Rose and the Doctor take more of a back seat than usual allowed the supporting cast to come to the fore, among whom were some familiar Whovian archetypes: the boy genius, the freedom fighter and the slick-tongued villain sneering at the Doctor's 'Time Lord' pedigree. Unusually, given that this was a Russell T. Davies script, the story didn't sacrifice suspense to pace; there were several jump-out-of-your-seat shocks, and at least one genuine moment of peril, as Adam writhed in cybernetic agony, forced to sacrifice his knowledge of the Doctor at who knew what personal cost?

From interviews with the production team, beforehand, you'd have thought that they were working a little too hard to convince us of the appropriateness of Simon Pegg's performance. But, in the event, there was nothing to complain about: Pegg brought to the part an estuary twang and gutter carnality, befitting a symbol of the worst excesses of Wapping 'journalism'.

Less successful, however, was the characterisation of the Doctor. Magnanimous on a universal sacale, but capable of pettiness, petulance and possessiveness on a personal one, particularly where Rose's boyriends are concerned, too often the Doctor comes across like a surly political activist, who has pulled the prettiest girl on the housing estate and isn't allowing anyone else to get a look in. I'm not particularly sure that this is a Doctor I like, still less one I would ever want to travel with; and this in itself marks a significant change in the way I respond to the series. Even in the days of Colin Baker would-be-strangling his companion, there was something reassuring about the figure of the Doctor, smiling out at me from the title sequence and commanding every narrative by sheer force of character. In the final scene, here, however, as Adam's punishment far exceeds his crime, the Doctor seems motivated as much by sexual jealousy as moral outrage. Adam is condemned to a life of mediocrity with an alien technology in his head, and the Doctor's response is callously to finger-click. Worse still, Rose temporarily loses her trademark empathy, siding with the Doctor, as the script plays Adam's predicament purely for laughs. Russell has hinted that a future story will see the revelation as to who installed the Jagrafess and why. The sequel I want to see, however, is the one involving Adam. Adam's fate hereon seems either melancholy, madness or medical curiosity, and if he were to return at a later date to take his revenge on the Doctor, I, for one, wouldn't blame him. Here's hoping Bruno Langley is in it for the long game yet.

Russell T Davies, you bastard. I find it deeply distressing that one man can be so talented. In forty five minutes – forty five bloody minutes! – you delivered a sly satire of contemporary politics and media (I cannot wait to see how the Murdoch press reviews this episode), an intriguing examination of what it takes to be an assistant and a thrilling and chilling science fiction story. Oh, and you wrapped it up with one of the funniest gags I have seen for a long time. This script should be dipped in gold and put on the spare plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Of course the trouble with a script this good is that you find directors, set designers, lighting engineers and all the myriad of behind the scenes people who rarely get their deserved praise feel compelled to step up to the challenge. Technically the episode was superb – yes, I noticed the CGI lens flare on the external shots and, yes, it was beautiful.

With all of these technical wonders in place it became inevitable that actors would come scurrying out like the rodents that they really are. King Rat was Simon Pegg as The Editor delivering a master class in being scary and unsettling for no discernable reason. I desperately want to hate him for being so talented but “Spaced” and “Shaun of the Dead” revealed that Pegg is just a fanboy living the dream and, as such, deserves all the success that he is enjoying.

The character of Cathico showed more development in one episode than most other characters get in a series and Christine Adams’ subtle performance neatly portrayed this.

Adam (Bruno Langley) was just slimy enough for the purpose of the story but not so irritating that he threatened to usurp Adric’s position as most hated companion (I didn’t realise for years that there was no music at the end of “Earthshock” as I was too busy laughing). If we compare the Doctor’s attitude to Adam to that he showed towards Turlough then we see that this is a very different Doctor with less patience and less time and I wonder if how this will replay having seen the entire season.

Last week I said that “Dalek” would not be topped and I was wrong. I started this review with the words “Russell T Davies, you bastard”. I stand by that comment.

In addition to being an anorak (and proud of it) I am also a counsellor in training. One of the main counselling theories is Carl Roger’s Humanistic approach which states that everyone has the desire and drive to achieve their best and that a counsellor can help them to realise this but the person already has the ability to achieve this. A fairly convoluted sentence but one which I feel is relevant as Christopher Eccleston is the Humanistic Doctor. While some people have criticised him as not always being in the thick of the action, I see this Doctor as manipulating events and people to allow them to resolve the situation and leaves them with the confidence to improve their lives.

Had the Doctor defeated the Editor in Chief and left then humanity would have taken years to recover but by giving the required information to Cathica and allowing her to be the victor he has left humanity with someone possessing the self confidence to get history back on track. This is a Doctor who truly loves humanity and wants people to achieve greatness for themselves.