A welcome return for the Doctor!

The episode started with a very un-who-like concept; telling the tale from the POV of the leading lady. It didn't feel quite like who to begin with (maybe that's just me), but I did warm to the style. The first few minutes were i'm afraid a bit dull, showing Rose getting up and going to work wasn't really impulse viewing, but it then moved on well. The bit where the dummies (autons) come to life was cool, and I think will scare children of school age. The return of the sonic screwdriver was impressive, as was the return of the Doctor!

Ecclestone played the character in a very quirky way. He often played dumb, whilst showing signs of eccentricness. This reminded me of Troughton.

Moving onwards, Clive was a breath of fresh air, he is an established comedy actor, having appeared in Early Doors (a bbc sitcom written by Mancunian Craig Cash). The scenes with him were excellent, and I'm sorry to say that he was killed off. Shame really. I felt they could have used this idea of there being traces of the Doctor in history to a better effect, by showing some pictures of other incarnations... however, this may have been confusing for new viewers.

The Wheely bin scene had me in stitches laughing! It was a stroke of genius, and despite the actor's lack of acting talent, it was pulled off magnificently. For those that dont know, the Nestene Conciousness pulled Jimmy (Rose's boyfriend) in to the bin.

The next bit, with an auton Jimmy, wasn't very well done. Obviously he looked plastic... but too obviously plastic that anybody would have noticed - but not Rose! However, in the restaurant the "Champagne" scene was excellent. Didn't expect it to be the Doctor! 

The psycho headless auton was poor. Too overloaded with special effects. However, thats just my opinion, my girlfriend seemed to like it! The timeless classic "double take TARDIS" scene was extremely well acted, despite the new TARDIS interior, which I loathe! I personally thought that the McGann TARDIS was the best to date.

The bit with the Millenium Eye was very funny. Also, worth noting, that when the Doctor grinned manicly after noticing the eye, he looked uncannily like the grin of (Tom) Baker's doctor! "Excellent!"

From here i'm afraid I disliked the end. The Nestene Conciousness wasn't as scary as it could have been. In fact, in the book Synthespians, it was truly terrifying. The attack of the Autons wasn't hugely inspiring anyway.

To round off, a great Doctor, a semi-impressive first episode, but masses of Potential!

Well, what can I say except 'Brilliant!' I was one of the lucky so-and-sos who got to see the episode a few days early thanks to DWM, and I am very glad that I resisted the temptation to view the leaked download version. After the fantastic new title sequence, the story went straight into the action, with no slow build-up or prevarication. I certainly feel that this approach will please the kids - there really wasn't a chance to get bored in this episode, with rapid action, jokes and some wonderful character moments between the Doctor and Rose. 

Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, capable from switching from humourous tomfoolery to powerful, dramatic performances in an instant. Those who consider either Tom Baker or Troughton as their favourite incarnations will, I feel, be especially pleased with his portrayal. 

Billie Piper was also very good as Rose herself, and Noel Clarke, although he had little to do as Mickey, impressed me with his portrayal of an almost-human like Auton. Mark Benton was also good as Clive, a clever addition to the characters, and I hope we'll somehow be seeing more of him.

The effects were, at times, a little cartoonish, but that suits the plastic nature of the Autons and Nestene fairly well. The infamous wheely-bin sequence stretched this, and, although amusing and well-integrated into the plot, did look a little cheap.

However, this is a tiny quibble. The script was exciting and fun, and allowed the Doctor to be a monster fighter, but also a very caring, ethical individual who truly wants to help; rather than immediately attempt to destroy the Nestene, he first attempts to reason with it, which is just how I feel he should act.

On the whole, excellent. One other thing, though - anti-plastic? How does that work?

The world rejoices for a Time Lord walks among us once more. Now realising what a momentous evening this was, I made sure the entire family sat down to watch 'Rose' together (save the littlest one just in case there were any behind the sofa moments).

“7:30”

From the moment we meet Rose (nice bedroom) and set about her daily life people begin to realise this is going to be a different format to what we are used to. This was to be expected. This is a NEW series, with a NEW writer, with NEW actors, written for a NEW audience.

“Nice to meet you Rose. Run for your life!”

I found the entrance of the Doctor to be predictable but satisfying, just what I have been waiting for all these years. I quite liked Christopher as the leading man. In my opinion, he captured the eccentricity and casual attitude I had always recognised in the Doctor. However, another member of my family thought that he had taken it too far and ended up grinning like he was one of the Chuckle Brothers.

“... how comes you sound like you're from the north?”

My thoughts on Billie Piper were that while she probably will make a very good companion, she is just playing Billie Piper (especially with the running off with the older man bit).

“Am I addressing the consciousness?”

I didn't find the first episode particularly frightening but then again, the Autons never were. What Mary Whitehouse had against is beyond me. It was on the other hand a good introduction to those who are new to the series and, from what I have seen from the excessive coverage, the enemies only get better. My only real complaint is this 45 minute episode malarkey. While it is more easily digestible to the occasional viewer, it does mean we miss out on the mid-story cliffhangers.

The first episode of the long-awaited new series accidentally leaked its way onto the net. It's given fans a chance to whet their appetite, particularly fans located in countries without a television deal in place. The leak has prompted a lot of media reporting on both sides of the Atlantic. But perhaps the biggest shock to fans is the realisation that, finally, it's real. Doctor Who is *back*!

But what of the episode itself? How can the story, how can anything, live up to the hype, the promise and the dreams we've had for fifteen years?

Rose, fortunately, is fantastic.

It's not just okay, or as good as could be hoped for in the circumstances, it's utterly, utterly wonderful. There are so many great things about Rose, none of which I'm going to spoil. But after the first five minutes I was grinning like a fool and that grin never left my face for the next 24 hours.

The new show is smart, sassy, witty, scary, laugh-out-loud funny, touching and clever. It's got all these things in spades, although for my money it's the humour which succeeds best of all. Doctor Who, as a television show, was fundamentally a funny show. That's something that got lost when it made the transition to fan-produced property and something which I'm very glad to see return.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment long term viewers may have to make is to realise that it's a character piece, not a plot-driven spectacle. Which is fantastic, IMO, because it's the characters we really care about. There's a reason it's called Rose and not Return Of Some Extraterrestrials.

Rose herself is fabulous, carrying much of the episode. She's recognisably a companion, but without some of the more embarrassing touches. Billie's acting is the real shock though: it's fantastic. Stunt casting a celebrity pop singer sounded like a recipe for disaster, but I'm extremely pleased to report that she's amazing.

What blows everything out of the water, though, is Chris Eccleston's Doctor. He's incredible. What's more, he's unlike any Doctor we've ever seen and the complete antithesis of what you'd imagine the Doctor should be... except that he's utterly convincing. Right from his (fabulous) first appearance, you're never in doubt that he's the Doctor. What's more, he gets actual acting to do and carries the role with a boyish enthusiasm that's incredibly infectious.

I'm amazed at just how great Rose truly is. I honestly never thought they could recreate the series I fell in love with, preparing myself to adapt to whatever new incarnation it appeared in... but somehow they have. There are lots of little moments that really set it apart, but they're best seen without spoilers. Try and see this without ruining it for yourself if you can, it's really worth it. Doctor Who is back, but it's like he was never away.

Ok, get the gripes out of the way and done with.

For me, the story moved at such a pace that the suspense never built. The opening scene with Rose in the basement of the store and the activation of the Autons is a case in point. Effect followed cause too quickly. Probably caused by the need to set up the main characters and still tell a story in only 45 minutes.

No cliff-hanger into the second episode. Part of the magic of Doctor Who for me as a child (who was 6 when Jon Pertwee tumbled out of the TARDIS in Spearhead from Space) was the week spent imagining how the Doctor/companion would get out of the mire they were left in at the end of the previous episode.

No regeneration. Having watched the supporting programmes that preceded and followed Rose: yeah ok RTD, you've got a point, lets not confuse the target audience by introducing the main character only to have him change his face.

The new Doctor - he's a funny so and so - sometimes eccentric (bordering on Tom Baker, referring to us as blundering apes, the cheek!), sometimes comic (the scene in front of The London Eyes was class), sometimes a dork (the 'Vindaloo' walk to the TARDIS with Rose), sometimes vulnerable (those 'save me Rose' eyes), but brilliant....... as if Chris Eccleston is capable of anything less.

Rose - a character that grows on you (pun intended). Faced with the choice of chips, telly, a wally for a boyfriend and a 'compensation culture' mother she showed loyalty and only ran off to the TARDIS at the second offer. Just the right hint of hidden depths to make the character really interesting and a touch of Buffy when the occasion demanded without turning her into a Buffy clone.

Production values were good throughout. Special effects on the whole were strong, although the 'deadly dustbin' appeared cartoonish when it warped to swallow Micky.

Autons were and still are my favourite of all the monsters. Interesting, the Auton gun sound effect sounded just like it did in the 1970s.

The story raced along (as I have said previously, a little fast for my taste but certainly acceptable for a modern audience) with interesting continuity references. What is this war, did the Doctor's involvement lead to his (recent??? - the mirror in Rose's flat) regeneration and will it tie in with Big Finish CDs or the EDA books?

Overall 7/10

But the real acid test - my godson and his sister (7 and 5 respectively) both liked it, although it was a little scarey when all the dummies came to life and started shooting everyone.

RESULT!

Well, I've held off talking about the new season of Doctor Who as of yet, mainly because I didn't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to see it. 

Well Its not the best episode of Who I've seen, but if this episode is any indication, I CAN'T wait for more. Rose was really well done, the pacing was spot on, and although silly, the special effects were great.

Actors

Christopher Eccleston - well, I'm very impressed. The only other thing I've ever seen him in was "28 days later" where he played the military major, that was the head of the base. For that role he was very dark, and not too terribly likable. I sort of was scared that this who would be too dark, to me that isn't doctor who. Thats why I didn't like the movie nor did I like the BBCi flash cartoon very much - Because it was too mature for its own good. Even in the old days who was always a family show, even the scary episodes. Thats why when everyone thought Bill Nighy was going to be the doctor I kind of cringed. Now I sit back and watch Eccleston, which reminds me a bit of Tom baker's doctor. Sort of goofy, but with a dark side. He has the possibility to be one of my favorites if his acting stays like this, or he gets better.

Billie Piper - I'm not too familiar with her, because I honestly try to avoid british pop music because of some of the stuff I heard when I visited London a while back. I know she was basically the Britney Spears of the UK, but I'm not too familiar with her career. I was really impressed by her performance, and felt that she was really good in the role of Rose. She was a strong female character without being as over the top as Ace, a companion during the McCoy era.

Plot

What I liked about this episode was how it appeared to be a part 2 of 2 part series where we didn't actually see part one. We saw from Rose's eyes, and have no idea what the doctor had been doing up to that point. This was a good plot device, because without all the extra baggage that a regeneration scene, and such, the scene was allowed to flow, and not be bogged down with over explanation or continuity as with the Paul McGann TV movie. I do hope that they revisit the regeneration later on.

Music

I thought the incidental music was good, not the pseudo porn music from the movie, or the odd sci-fi music from the original series. It was modernized quite a bit. Also I LOVE the theme tune, it was actually quite a bit different than the BBC radio version that I downloaded a while back. It seemed like they cranked up the "diddy dums" in the bassline a lot. I think Murray gold did very well, and I think its the best theme since the Tom Baker theme.

So yeah, I really liked it, 4/5 stars.