Well, that was a shock wasn't it?

After the two superb preceding episodes, I let my expectations get a little too high for this alien invasion two-parter. And instead of the exciting, expertly crafted story that I was hoping for, I got an uneven, and at times appallingly juvenile tale totally at odds with what I had already seen of the series. I really don't want to criticise, but this episode just didn't sit well with me.

My main complaints being

• The farting aliens. I was hoping to be able to ignore this little plot point, but it was just ridiculous and frankly embarrassing. Was it really necessary? - hell no. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter for fear on rambling on for a good few pages worth.
• The cliff-hanger. It was great but completely pointless given that the preview of the next episode followed immediately showing that all the characters were fine and well. How are kids meant to get excited about the next episode then? A real missed opportunity.
• The Doctor. I'm sorry to say that this is the first episode so far in which I felt Christopher Eccleston's performance was distinctly lacking. I was hoping that the grinning madman from the first story would have grown a bit by now and become more of a solid, well-rounded character but Eccleston's Doctor has barely changed. There is just no urgency to the situation when he's always laughing and exclaiming fantastic! (Why does he have to say this in every episode?, he said it twice last time, it's almost as if Chris had a bet with the production team to see how often he could slip it into conversation. The Doctor's verbal retort's have always been much more varied and interesting than that). I know that he wants to prove that he can do comedy and be a versatile performer, but I just don't think he can sustain the character with such a light-hearted approach, there needs to be more to him than that, so lets hope that Chris has the opportunity to inject some of that grit and darkness that he's so famous for, as after viewing this, that's obviously what he does best.

The acting in this story also seemed a littler below par, it looked like a lot of the cast thought they were making a kids show, and I felt Penelope Wiltion's character was irritating and somewhat superfluous to the plot although she'll no doubt save the day in the next episode, I expect it's the only reason she was there in the first place. A shame since Wilton is a fine actress capable of so much more, but the part just wasn't that well written.

And finally I'm beginning to have serious doubts about Russell T. Davies ability as a writer. I've never thought that he was the genius that we've been told he is, but was more than willing to give him the benefit of the doubt considering his obvious passion for the show. But sadly it seems there only so much he can contribute, and this episode was really all over the place. His writing style is very much like a soap opera as has already been commented on, and I agree with what some have already said in that he doesn't write Sci-Fi very well. I by no means think he is a bad writer, but the odd witticism and contemporary reference aside there ain't much else going on. I think he may have bitten off more than he can chew here, in the number of episode's he has written, and considering Mark Gatiss' superior contribution last week, it would be nice to see a bit more variety in the writing team. Needless to say I can't wait for Rob Shearman's 'Dalek'.

Although there is a lot in 'Aliens of London' that irritated me, overall I still enjoyed it.

Unlike a lot of other people I thought the pig in the spacesuit was brilliant! totally unexpected and very well done, it's just a shame that he er.. bit the bullet so quickly.

Billie Piper too was excellent, her performance just keeps getting better and she has been one of the best things in the whole series so far. Oddly it was also quite nice to see Jackie and Mickey again, I was actually looking forward to see what was going to happen to them this time around, and I especially liked the bickering between Mickey and The Doctor. The special effects were generally superb as well, the spaceship, space-pig and zip in the Slitheen disguise were very well done, although the Slitheen themselves at times tended to have their heads flapping in a rather unconvincing manner, despite being generally quite cool-looking enemies. Mike Tucker did a damn fine job on Big Ben too, but the sequence felt too brief and should have been elongated to maximise the effect.

There was a lot to like here but sadly a lot to complain about too, despite the overall episode being enjoyable. I have too admit that this is my least favourite story yet, but on the other hand my 16 year old sister who has been casually watching the series, said it was by far her favourite episode yet! so I guess it's all relative. Either way I'm not going to allow a few odd annoyances tarnish what otherwise looks like a bloody good series.

It will be 'Dalek' that makes it or breaks it for me, and d'you know what? I'm still very optimistic, in fact I think it'll be fantastic!

I’ve seen this episode twice now and I must say I’m still not sure if I like it or not. I have tried to place myself in the shoes of those who are now the target audience for the show and yes, the farting politicians, the little piggy and so on would probably do a good job of lulling me into a false sense of security before the Slitheen reveal themselves at the episode's climax... but then again....

Having said that, I do believe RTD is a clever writer - and there is much to be applauded in this episode. In my opinion however the script for The End of the World is far superior. It is so clever much of it was surely lost on the junior members of the WHO audience... but that’s another review for another time. At first it all seems safe and traditional - Aliens invade London, the Doctor is there, as is UNIT and it should all work out nicely.... but in true RTD style (well what we've seen in WHO terms thus far), just when you think you've worked it all out, the plot (and this time there is a bit more meat to it), spins and turns in the other direction - as we soon discover with the pig and the Doctor tracking the course of the space craft.

And what of the pig? Well effect-wise it looked a bit silly... I grinned to myself when I saw it. But again if I were a little kid I would be shocked and then quite sad that it had been killed... so again maybe RTD is on the money! I mean the farting DOES make sense - it is just over done and the pig did just look like a little actor running around in a costume.... despite the fact the script (again!) could justify it. (Hmmm, me thinks I’m getting old!)

The Rose returns sub-plot is good. This is familiar RTD territory. If you have seen Queer as Folk, you'll recognise the type of humour he injects into the scenes with the housing estate people. But I fear that the Doctor gets a bit swallowed up in all this.. and as such Eccleston looks very out of place. OK, I know what you’re thinking, he leaves saying ,i>It is all a bit too human in there.... What I am referring to is his character overall. Missing is the commanding presence of Pertwee. Or the feeling you got with Baker that despite the fact he was bumbling around, he actually KNEW what was going and how to fix it. In The Unquiet Dead, it is Dickens who comes up with the solution, while the Doctor is too busy lamenting the fact he and Rose haven’t done the dirty yet ! Eccleston seems to grin an awful lot and look lost. I seem to recall much publicity saying his Doctor would be dark and brooding. We've seen glimpses of it, but not enough to make me think this Doctor is the best by far, as many have proclaimed.

Billie Piper still does well as Rose (although she struggled with her reaction to the emerging Slitheen at the end of the episode), as does most of the supporting cast. The direction could be tighter, as the episode sags a little in the middle. Perhaps it is the family melodrama that unravels. Its funny, having now got used to the 45 minute, single episode format, going to a double episode story seems to slow things down a bit. Here in Australia we are currently experiencing another re-run of the original series. I have been able to watch a four parter and then watch one of the new single episode stories and compare.... it is quite a contrast. I would have to say, I’m now very much in favour of the new format.

Look, don’t get me wrong it is all there. It is entertaining, and exciting for the most part. The average, non-fan member of the audience will enjoy it... families will sit around the TV and laugh together at the farting, Mums and kids will be sad when the pig gets shot and so on. But this episode is a definite step backwards from episodes two and three. One hopes that WWIII will turn things around....

As one of the hallowed band who watched the very first ‘Dr. Who’ episode - 'An Unearthly Child' - as a school kid back in 1963, I came to the new series with high expectations. My taste has always run to escapist/adventure TV. Whilst I personally rated ‘Dr. Who’ below shows like 'The Avengers' (Diana Rigg era) 'The Invaders' and the early series of 'Buffy' I've long been a Who fan. I felt there was a big void in British TV drama without the doctor. Admittedly, my interest in the show waned through the 80s. After the peak of Tom Baker I felt Peter Davidson was a little bland, Colin Baker unlikeable and Sylvester McCoy just silly. But the re-emergence of the show with Christopher Eccleston at the helm augured well.

Alas, the Eccleston series is proving no better than McCoy’s; indeed they seem to be repeating the same mistakes: an ineffectual doctor lacking gravitas over-shadowed by a feisty young sidekick, and stories that are not taken seriously, and don’t deserve to be. Has the show ever hit a lower point in 42 years than the farting jokes of ‘Aliens of London’? Whilst earlier series were derided for wobbly sets and bubble-wrap special effects at least the scripts tried for quality.

I was hoping Eccleston (who has proved himself an excellent actor in other productions) would bring a combination of freshness and a dark, brooding edge to the role. Instead the scripts give him nothing to do except play comic sidekick to Billie Piper. His trademark grin is rapidly becoming tiresome. Who says the show has to be played for laughs all the time? ‘Dr. Who’ is drama; the laughs are incidental. Even in the most promising episode so far – the Charles Dickens one – the mystery is solved by Dickens and most of the decisive action taken by Dickens and Rose. The Rose character is more interesting than the doctor but she’s got to develop beyond moaning about boyfriends, doing her ‘A’ levels etc. and exhorting the doctor to become more touchy-feely.

I agree with other commentators that the show doesn’t work in a single-episode format, for all the reasons they give – there’s insufficient time to set the scene, develop character, add plot twists, build tension etc. ‘Dr. Who’ was always a direct descendant of the ‘Flash Gordon’-type serials and really needs a cliff-hanger to work towards.

But the main problem has to be the scripts, and particularly those of Russell T. Davies. I’m not familiar with his other work but if he’s the best writer in British T.V. drama then God help us! With ‘Dr. Who’ he seems to be attempting to ape ‘Buffy’ but has so far failed to match any of the wit or style of that show at its best. Davies seems more at home with the soap opera aspects of his scripts; in ‘The End of the World’ there was a lapse into quite mawkish sentimentality for example. His excursions into sci-fi feel like add-ons or parodies, attempts at a genre he isn’t comfortable with or can’t take seriously. And that’s the point.

Watch the best of this kind of stuff – early ‘Buffy’, the Rigg-period ‘Avengers’, the best of ‘Dr. Who’ such as ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ - and see how seriously all concerned take it. The premise may have been absurd, it was only escapism and yet the cast played it like it was Shakespeare. So disbelief was suspended, however crackers the plot. In contrast Davies seems to be the first to be mocking his own stories.

This is a fairly negative review and I hope things improve, although replacing Eccleston with David Tennant seems more likely to reinforce the weaknesses of the present series. But if anyone thinks I’m being too harsh, I’d ask them to compare the Davies episodes shown so far with ‘The Unearthly Child’. Nothing illustrates more clearly how dumbed-down and derivative British TV drama has become than contrasting the present series with the very first show back in 1963.

‘The Unearthly Child’ was – and 42 years on, still is - challenging television. In no way does it dumb down for its young audience. The doctor (as portrayed by William Hartnell) is an interesting but difficult and complex character and the script is far more layered and intelligent than anything we’ve seen in 2005. Acting and direction are better too!

If I was in charge of the show I’d have Anthony Head as the doctor and Alyson Hannigan and Nicholas Brendon as his sidekicks. I’d ditch the single episode format, bring back the cliff-hanger endings, and draft in some American scriptwriters and directors to give the show the wit, pace and depth it presently lacks. In the meantime I’ll keep watching the old ones!

The new series of Doctor Who has thankfully gone from strength to strength in the recent weeks. The inaugural episode, Rose, was flawed but decent, and nonetheless received a rapturous reception; the special effects extravaganza of End of the World was substantiated by a decent script; The Unquiet Dead enjoyed some superlative acting, particularly in its depiction of an enervated Charles Dickens.

Does Aliens of London successfully maintain this upward trend? I regret to say that it doesn't quite satisfy this ambition - the episode itself is strong, but this positive aspect is undermined by several niggling faults that irritate the viewer and cause the final product to seem somewhat awkward.

There are a number of factors which recommend the adventure as another reliably strong performance. The direction is effective, particularly when the Doctor is rounded up by the Army - the scene feels almost cinematic! Acting also remains a positive quality of the new Who, even in the supporting characters: the paratrooper who shoots the decoy 'alien', for instance, gives an impeccable and convincing gaze of bewilderment and incredulity - as well you might when a squealing, costumed, bipedal pig is careering towards you at full tilt. The script also is effective - the entire great news sensation of an alien crash-landing being naught save an elaborate piece of theatre was original, and the dialogue still retains a delightful charm. This is particularly true with the snide remark belittling the tourism-trashing tendencies we see in disaster films like Independence Day (of course the spaceship crash was staged... well, why else would it gouge a chunk out of Big Ben?), a line which couldn't fail to bring a smile gleaming across my face. Another smirk-worthy aspect was one of the actual aliens complaining about the 'effort' of maintaining his disguise in front of both his wife and his mistress (hot work, I'm sure). The closing line, thank you for wearing your ID cards... it'll make it easier for us to identify the bodies. was also dripping in chilling macabre menace. Furthermore, it is encouraging to see that Russel T Davies is not divorcing the new series from what went before - the Doctor being known to H.M. Government and the mentioning of U.N.I.T. were just small fillips of continuity tossed to the fans, but warmly welcomed nonetheless.

Yet the cracks in this otherwise stout performance are all too apparent. The special effects floundered here somewhat - the aforementioned paratrooper's rifle seemed more like a wimpish and limp cap-gun than a deadly piece of military hardware, and the disguise-shedding sequence of the aliens at the episode's climax was also dreadful. The former is only a nitpick, true, and the latter must be forgiven because there's only so much that can be achieved with limited television budgets (and Auntie's shoestring ones, no less). What is less forgiveable though are the aliens themselves. Placing zips in the forehead was positively cringeworthy, and the absurd and pathetic baby-face did not juxtapose well with a lumbering frame and wickedly-apiculated talons. Their collars destroy the image further by making them look more like household pets rather than harrowing and hideous monstrosities. Altogether, a botched job.

The flaws extend themselves into the script. Micky, Rose's boyfriend, is as lifeless and excruciatingly monotonous as he was in the first episode; whilst Doctor Who may be ultimately a children's programme, the alien flatulence was becoming rather too puerile; there were a few sections which absolutely screamed Plot Device!. The Cabinet meeting being cancelled because they'd get in the way? The door to the Cabinet office being left wide open? The prime Minister's body being left in a cupboard rather than being destroyed? The Royal Family suddenly being airbrushed out of their due involvement in an international crisis? I understand that the new Who's streamlined format necessitates the cutting out of some details, but these 'conveniences' seemed rather silly to say the least.

Altogether, at the core of Aliens of London there is a decent episode, but surrounding it are rough, unrefined edges that just prevent it from being great. Had the adventure just been more a little more polished, it would have been excellent.

Aliens of London was a real mixed bag for me. It featured both some of the best and some of the worst moments of television that I have seen. This episode both thrilled and upset me. Unfortunately, it is the negative feelings that tend to stay with us. And this episode of Doctor Who may leave a sour taste in my mouth for some time.

On the plus side, the Doctor returns to earth with Rose and we get a much anticipated reunion between Rose and her family. These scenes were so much fun. I loved seeing the Doctor struggle with the little boy over the remote. Another favorite moment occurs when you realize that no one in Rose's family thinks to call Mickey (not even Rose). The corresponding silence that falls over the room upon his entrance creates a wonderfully awkward moment.

The scene with the Doctor in the hospital was also great fun, as the Doctor barked orders in authoritative fashion and the soldier boys fell instantly in line ready to obey. The pig in the space suit evolved from silly to genuinely creepy as the truth of the creature is revealed.

This was all great Doctor Who. Loved it! But apparently in order to enjoy this new series of Doctor Who, one must take the bad with the good. I think back to the days before the new series began, to the anticipation that we all felt. Hungrily we devoured snippets of information from the news or the web. I remember Russell T. Davies in an interview stating gleefully that Doctor Who was the best idea in the history of the world ever! And of Christopher Eccleston who stated in interviews that it is the incredible writing talents of Russell T. Davies that has lured this high profile actor into the role.

These are the things that go through my mind as I watch a scene of 3 giggling overweight adults farting in an embarrassing and obnoxious display that pushes one uncomfortably out of the fantasy that is Doctor Who. Suddenly, I'm not a spectator peeking through his TV set into the life and adventures of the Doctor and Rose. I am a man sitting in his living room, scowl on my face, looking apologetically over to my wife who wears an equally pronounced expression of discomfort.

My wife had already noted absently aloud that, Fat people are bad guys... My wife and I are both overweight, but usually things like this can be ignored. However, fat, sweaty, flatulent and obnoxious is difficult to ignore. These were the villains of the piece. Presumably so portrayed because this is the way these aliens perceive humanity. One alien complains of the gas noises and the other proclaims that it seems very human to him.

What is Russell T. Davies trying to say? In Rose the Doctor typifies the human race by saying that all we do is sit around, eat fatty food, and watch television. In The End of the World we get Cassandra, who is the result of the human desire to achieve thinness through surgery. She is also the villain of the piece. Now we have this, alien invaders who see humans as fat, flatulent pigs.

What soap box is Davies on, and to whom is he preaching? Perhaps he hopes to raise the social profile of Doctor Who fandom by alienating all its overweight members and literally thinning the herd? Perhaps I am reading too much into this. Doctor Who is meant to be a family show, and Davies is making an effort to put something in for the kiddies.

Let's see, in three episodes we have: burping, spitting and farting. These apparently are the elements of a family show. As I recall, Doctor Who was originally created as a children's show. So I put in my video of An Unearthly Child and I give it a quick review. Burping? No. Spitting? No. Farting? No. Maybe Davies' vision is just a reflection of the times. I look to the new series itself for answers. Nope. No burping, spitting or farting in The Unquiet Dead. This is just about Davies.

Is this what Davies thinks a family show is? Talking down to our children? Catering to their crasser natures? Telling them that it is funny to spit in a young woman's face? Is this the writing that attracted Chris Eccleston to the role? Is this what drove him away? Okay, now I am ranting, and I must apologize. The trouble is I owe Russell T. Davies an enormous debt of gratitude. He brought back Doctor Who. This is something that I had all but given up on. For this I say thank you. And because of this I forgive the rudeness that populates Aliens of London.

There is good stuff in this episode. And the good is so good that I can abate my anger and wait anxiously for next week. But I wish someone could tell me why there is a need for the 'bad' part of Doctor Who. What purpose has been served by feeding this neophyte Doctor Who audience these doses of bile alongside our helpings of genuine brilliance? Why must I take the bad with the good?

And so the adventure continues for the Doctor and Rose.......

Each of the new season stories so far have managed to be nicely different from each other and this was no exception. The Unquiet Dead was always going to be a hard act to follow and this one, for me, did not beat it, but nonetheless there was much to like.

First the positives. I was deeply looking forward to a two parter simply in order to watch a story that didn't have to be wrapped up in 45 minutes via a handy vial of antiplastic, handy lever, or handy maid with second sight. Joy. That said, we have still to see how this story winds itself up but at least we have more of it! I am not against the new 45 minute format- all the episodes to date have nicely combined action and depth and whilst with parts one and three at least, I would have liked more time, it does have to be said that the padding that bedevilled some classic series stories is noticeably absent.....but it's just nice to have a story with more time.

Bringing Rose home was a nice touch- we have rarely been allowed to see how the Doctor's dipping in and out of human life affects the world around him in quite such a raw way as here. The error in the timing of Rose's homecoming and the subsequent embitterment of Roses' Mum and Mickey built up very well though it seemed odd that straight after being accused of abduction the Doctor was companiably watching TV with the family! Wouldn't he at least be taken in for questioning!?? Did something go on to alleviate this that we have yet to see...? Maybe the intent is that we fill in the gaps ourselves.

The alien quality of the new Doctor makes him an awkward presence- understandably he doesn't want to be involved in domestics when there's a bigger picture at stake- his exasperated look as Roses' Mum gets excited about a potential date while aliens put the world in crisis was a nice touch again- but his complete lack of empathy and constant rudeness may become annoying if left undeveloped by the mutual education that this Doctor/Companion team are supposed to be bringing. Whilst a kind of apology is made in Roses' flat, it seems un-Doctor like for him to not care about what Mickey (for one) has been through. That said, of course, the big picture of this season is intriguing....a Time Lord hardened by the loss of his world, carrying (perhaps) the burden of his extinct race, so desperate to keep saving the big world he loses sight of small details and lacks patience with people's parochial views of themselves and their world. The combination of the big worldview and the care of the individual is what has always marked the Doctor though, and I look forward to seeing how things pan out with this. Despite my mixed views on where we are at the moment with this aspect of RTD's Dr Who, there was unquestionably a need, after sixteen years with only one episode in the meantime, to rediscover our hero as an alien who the new generation of viewers could gradually get to know a la Hartnell. Overall the quality of the concept is what the Colin Baker era tried and failed to do. It's also understandable that his new, deeper loneliness would make him latch onto Rose with her open spirit and willingness to grow into a new horizon, but reject her smaller minded contemporaries as allies. Nonetheless, he could do with showing a little more care and awareness. Of course, this could all be answered in part two!!!

Moving on. The story in general built up well. We have not yet been shown how the aliens infiltrated parliament , but that's not a problem. There's time yet. The news reports etc were well injected into the flow of things and we got a real sense of England on a knife edge. The support acting from Noel Clarke, Camille Camouri and Penelope Wilton was of a high standard. The hospital/morgue scenes with the tension of holding the as yet unseen alien were excellent, and the augmented pig, with the underlying decoy idea, was a nasty concept hidden behind a comical manifestation. Good stuff. The Doctor's instantly taking command of the army was neat, very Tom Baker, and his concern as the pig was shot was nice too. A nice touch that could do, as previously mentioned, do with attaching itself to his affect on humans. At this point in time it seems to have been very easy to turn human bodies into zipped disguises given the quickness of the Army leader's transformation but again we still have more to see. Finally, a triple cliffhanger with Rose, Mum and Doctor all under attack in different places....what can I say? Sheer class!!!!! At first sight the slitheen looked a bit unconvincing but look better as they gain full size and lollop about a bit.

The alienised politicians made a mixed impression on me. These are creatures who are clearly having a gleeful time playing with their human cadavers and being ahead of everyone else and that's fine. In general the menace hidden behind a frivolous edge worked. That said their mass laughing scene was embarrassing and the flatulence- out of place, embarrassing, juvenile and borderline offensive. Nice touch to show a symptomatic problem with possession of humans but doing it this way was unfunny.

So there we go. In general, a good intriguing 45 minutes. Here's to part two. And the rest.