Doctor Who is back! And it’s being ridiculed by everyone I speak to. What went wrong?

Contrary to my initial fears, it wasn’t Billie Piper. Rose came across as likeable, capable and intelligent. Christopher Eccleston on the other hand, disappointed as our hero. His antics in Rose’s flat were silly (although his struggle with the Auton arm was played perfectly, since Rose was meant to think he was pratting about like Mickey before him) and his asides (such as the oft-quoted “run for your life” line) were delivered flatly and without conviction. I know Eccleston’s fantastic, ‘cos I own half his CV on video, but he does nothing to justify that reputation in this episode. The rest of the cast were great, with the sole exception of Mickey, whose idiotic grinning as an Auton replica just made Rose look stupid for not spotting him straightaway.

The plotting owed more to literary Who than any previous televised outing, with the Doctor in the thick of the action from the outset. Having Clive fill in his background was a very fannish idea, but was superbly handled, and I look forward to the Doctor’s upcoming adventures with Krakatoa, the Titanic and JFK. The pace was fantastic, and the plot holes (where does the intelligence get the plastic to recreate Mickey and how does it transport him to its lair?) barely showed as we were catapulted from scene to scene. Unlike the 1996 TVM, we actually had a decent monster tale this time round, but the Doctor’s speech with the Nestene was appalling. This was a chance to give Chris some great lines as he faces down the monster-of-the-week, but he’s just left stuttering about some war or other. Suddenly it felt we were watching a sequel to something we hadn’t seen, Silver Nemesis style, and as with that story, it just didn’t work.

The CGI effects were uniformly abysmal, from the failed attempt to blow up a department store convincingly, to the wheelie bin which makes the chair in Terror Of The Autons look good. The less said about the obvious green-screening at the end, the better. It’s as if the FX people were so worried about episode two that they didn’t pay any attention to this one.

The music was sterile and intrusive, and brought back memories of Time And The Rani. The Doctor’s speech about feeling the rotation of the earth would have been far more effective with a silent background. The theme tune – whilst not as bad as the McCoy or McGann variants – was also botched, with an irritating drumbeat destroying any menace or feeling possessed by the original arrangement. The time-tunnel looked OK, but it’s a very derivative idea which was executed with more style in the TVM. The 3D actors’ names look horrid, and I suspect they were only included to make the logo look better by comparison. The logo is still ghastly.

This isn’t to say that the entire episode was bad – the Auton massacre was well-handled, the dash across the bridge looked great, and there’s a wonderfully atmospheric moment when rose turns round and the TARDIS has vanished after she’s left her flat with the Doctor. 

There is much promise for the future, if Eccleston can calm down and inject some much-needed gravitas into the proceedings, and his debut is still a lot better than his two immediate predecessors’. The Next Time trailer looks stunning, and I look forward greatly to April 2nd. But I have to wonder how many of the general public will also tune in next week. The opening night may have garnered 10 million viewers with its remorseless hype, but I know half a dozen who’ll be switching back to Ant & Dec, and I fear they may not be the only ones.

5/10.

This episode takes the new viewer deeper into the Doctor's world, introducing elements of the Tardis and himself while in the company of a host of colourful characters. Unfortunately it does this around a rather flimsy storyline. Cassandra's plot is rather silly, but what can you expect when you are flat.

However, it had some great elements. Seeing the new (old!) Tardis in action was excellent - the Doctor pumping away extra hard to get further into the future was a great touch. The idea of the National Trust owning the Earth and returning it to a 'classic' form was spot on. The current debate on heritage and the role of people in it has been answered in emphatic form. Finally, some good alien creations - particularly the trees, but a number of the also rans were no so convincing (a tribute to classic Who?). I'm sure others will comment on Cassandra. It would be interesting, however, to ask other reviewers if, were they to get so flat, would there be any other bits they might like to keep apart from a mouth and eyes. 

But the bombshell - gallifrey gone (?) (planet not website, of course). Tears in the Doctor's eyes - when does that happen? Rose asked the question we all did - so who was this war with that wiped out the Time Lords? As an episode to set us watching for further answers - why, when and whether all other Time Lords were really all killed (we have quite a list of errant ones for a start), it will keep us watching. Have we been given a mystery that will become clear during the current series? Or, is the new Doctor being established with a new mysterious personna that will remain opaque as with the first Doctor? Time will tell.

Right, here’s the conundrum: how to review the rebirth of Doctor Who without descending into the usual lame clichйs and without saying exactly the same as a million and one other amateur columnists? Well, I got through that first sentence without saying the series has ‘regenerated’, so I may be safe…

Can I get my gripes out of the way first? I hate the fact that the Doctor is listed as ‘Doctor Who’ in the end credits, as was the case in the bad old days until the dawn of the Fifth Doctor’s tenure. HATE it. His name is The Doctor for heaven’s sake; seeing him erroneously named otherwise invariably sets my teeth on edge, and regrettably taking a big backward step is what the producers of the new series have decided to do. Dammit. One black mark. Secondly, the closing music only features the classic main motif repeating and entirely leaves out the euphoric higher-key ‘middle eight’ that was always my favourite part of that magical theme tune. Two black marks.

Two black marks. And that’s it. Not bad going in the grand scheme of things, when I have to scrape such a barrel of pedantry to find negatives to comment on. As for the rest, a whole hatful of gold stars is to be handed out to all departments as far as I’m concerned. The performance of Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor was everything one could have hoped for: human, yet definitely alien; wise, yet silly and on one occasion extremely and hilariously dense; calm, then angry, then comic by turns. He bounds through the direst danger with a ready joke and a dazzlingly broad grin upon his face (strangely reminiscent of an illustrious predecessor) that make it all the more affecting on the occasions when he abruptly sobers up, such as his spine-tingling monologue about feeling the turn of the Earth beneath him. It’s good to see Billie Piper matching him in this regard: her Rose convinces as a bored 19-year-old who accepts the Doctor barrelling into her life in full flow as he does ours, doesn’t flinch when the world threatens to collapse around her ears, and suddenly sees there could be so much more to life than a dead-end retail job – and she leaves the fretting and screaming to others.

For, of course, this is a thoroughly 21st century update to the series we knew and loved. Rose was never going to be a helpless accessory to the Doctor’s mad schemes in this liberated age, but then again that’s old news – the same was true of Ace seventeen years ago. What has changed is the overall look and feel of the programme; considering its age, Doctor Who has never looked better or moved faster. The visual scope has suddenly, dramatically broadened: with immeasurable advances in CGI and bigger budgets to work with the effects are now terrific, the TARDIS interior has had a striking industrial-organic makeover, and a long-overdue emancipation from studio-bound claustrophobia has finally released Who into the great outdoors for a large proportion of the action – literally a breath of fresh air. It was odd, as someone who knows Cardiff well, to see shots of the city centre masquerading as London intercut with views of the real London, but I’ll let that slide. The rate of said action is breakneck: the self-contained format of the new 45-minute instalments will leave no room for the oft-maligned ‘Episode 3 lag’ factor of the old stories, and from the opening zoom into London from Earth orbit to the final shot of Rose running for the TARDIS the berserk pace never lets up. You’re literally gasping for breath on occasion, not least because the programme is surprisingly and enchantingly laugh-out-loud funny at numerous points. All credit to Russell T. Davies for his sparkling script that gives the Doctor and Rose several excellent exchanges, with a cast of memorable supporting characters including a plastic version of Rose’s boyfriend Mickey, her mouthy, flirty mother, and a conspiracy theorist tracking the Doctor’s trail through history while maintaining a website that is a neat nod to the geekier edges of fandom.

Shepherding his baby into the limelight is a task that Russell T. has to undertake while walking a tightrope. On the one hand there is that very base of fandom, established in the forty prior years of the programme’s existence; on the other the new audiences just waiting to be tapped, today’s generation of eight-year-olds sitting down with their parents ready to have their minds opened if the new Who is only good enough to do it. If he can please both camps without toppling too far to one side or the other then he’ll be able to feel very proud of himself. This first roll of the dice was a good indicator: by bringing back the Autons (although they are never referred to as such) he is using a familiar but not too familiar foe that can translate to scaring anew the modern audience whilst being inherently, well, crap enough to be a subtle dig at former production values. Talking of which, the BBC sound error that briefly threatened to turn the opening scenes into Terror of the Nortons was an amusing reminder that nothing is entirely sleek and well-oiled in the Whoniverse… Yet, for the first time in years, the BBC are treating this venerable institution with the respect it deserves. They took it off the air when I was ten years old just as I was starting to really get into it, so my appreciation has until now been almost entirely retrospective, in that almost-shameful, slightly culty way many find themselves adoring Doctor Who. Here and now, though, following a lengthy buildup and mouthwatering selection of trailers there was a palpable sense on Saturday teatime of sitting down as a nation to be transported together to another world, one lost to us for far too long but that is suddenly and joyfully here again to be explored once more.

Coupled with the aforementioned catalogue of plus points, Mr. Davies appears to be successfully out onto the tightrope. If anyone can traverse it, he’s probably the man: he loves this baby, it’s extremely plain to see – and he’s got the whole of time and space to let it play in.

Long may it play.

8.5/10

I don't want to spoil the party. It really is the last thing I wanted to do. But 'Rose' has left me disappointed, and I do so hate being disappointed.

I'll accentuate the positive first. Christopher Eccleston is superb as the Doctor and Billie Piper looks set to be a fine companion. The episode itself was pacy well shot and well directed; the show has never looked better.

Now, however, the viewers can have their say. Russell T Davies and company, who have been so busy with their mutual back-slapping ever since September 2003, can no longer hide behind platitudes. Telling us that something is fantastic doesn't make it so. And 'Rose' was far from fantastic.

According to Mr. Davies and company, they are taking Doctor Who seriously. If they really are lavishing such care and attention on a programme with so much potential then the burping wheelie bin should have been left on the cutting room floor, or completely re-shot. This scene had the potential to be quite frightening, sinister even; an everyday household object turns evil and attacks people. New nightmares for a new generation. Instead, it was shot and played for laughs. Though I had no problems with the character or portrayal of Mickey overall, the appalling, cringeworthy nature of his duplicate in the car signalled exactly the place where the episode took a turn for the worse. The scene in the restaurant was pure slapstick, any tension evaporating the minute Mickey opened his mouth.

And so to the supposed "Best writer writing for television at the moment," the ubiquitous Mr. Davies. Is a clumsy deux ex machina in the form of anti-plastic the best that he could come up with? I know Doctor Who has resorted to convenient outcomes to wrap up a story in the past, but never has it been employed in so unsubtle and unconvincing a way. When the Auton took the phial from the Doctor, seemingly scuppering his plan, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this would not be the source of the denoument. How wrong I was.

I am well aware that this next comment is purely the fan in me talking, and I really have tried to look at this from a detached point of view, but the main problem with the whole episode is that it is a complete rehash of 'Spearhead From Space'. There is nothing new here, nor is it done as skilfully. The only chilling scene in the invasion set-piece were the child-sized mannequins; top marks for that. I was also sad to see Clive go, a testament to the performance and character. Which is more than can be said for Rose's mother. I really would not have cared if she had been massacred by the Autons (why were they never referred to by name?). And therein lies another problem; supporting characters that the viewer doesn't care about. Both Mickey and mother should have been written out in this episode. I only hope they both meet a timely demise later on in the series.

Oh, and the incidental music. Appalling! Apparently, Murray Gold is "The best composer working in television today". Not on the strength of that tinny and irritating drum machine that he left running at the start of the episode. Music speaks volumes and this was screaming "It's for the kids, y'know!"

I am overjoyed to see Doctor Who back on television. I am glad that it is being made for family viewing and not for the fans. But quality television needs quality writers and on the strength of this episode Mr. Davies just hasn't quite got it. Please prove me wrong!

I hadn't been entirely convinced by the first episode, it seemed fun enough and I liked the new Doctor and his assistant, but at the same time it seemed a bit rushed and, well, I sadly realised that this new show probably wasn't going to be for me. Though I was still going to keep watching it, anyway!

Any worries that it might be a chore were dispelled by the second episode. Now the characters have been introduced, we start to get to know them a little better. What I really liked about this episode was that I realised that there was going to be some real depth to the characters, Rose didn't just switch into assistant mode, she actually sat and worried about what she'd decided to do by following this strange man across time. And the Doctor's often overtly cheery persona (occasionally it gets too much looking at him grinning away) seemed to be compensating for the terrible suffering he's obviously going through.

Some of the first episode effects had been done well enough, but still showed their budget a little I felt. The second episode was a huge improvement, I loved it all (perhaps the fans were a little dodgy, but then fans often are!), the dying planet Earth, the Sun, the space station.

The creatures were all nicely done, I had been a bit sceptical about some of them from the trailers and what I had picked up from the papers (often against my will, but I couldn't NOT look at them). As it was they looked great, were wonderfully written as real alien people and rather naugtily defied many of the expectations I'd been led to believe.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of Soft Cell and Britney, more than a little bit camp perhaps, I never expected to hear the sounds of Toxic coming across as the world ended. But along with many of the other ingredients it helepd make Dr Who feel a class act, and can't have done it any harm as far as kids watching went. I got that same eery feeling that I got when I first heard the Beatles playing in the Tardis (I hope I didn't dream that).

The story was fast paced, had more to it than the Auton story, and was crammed full of little nuggets of humour and humanity, plus what for me was a truly shocking revelation about the Doctor and his people. This had been referred to in the previous episode in an oblique way, and I think this additional sub-plot is what has helped convince me that this Doctor Who really is for me as well as those pesky 8-12 year old kids (and I hope they enjoy it more than I do).

Oh, there's lots more I could add, the operation of the Tardis was entertaining and comical, and next weeks episode trailer makes it look as though the kids will need years of psychotherapy before they ever leave the safety of behind the couch again. Excellent!

All I feel I can say beyond this is - well done everyone!

I watched 'An Unearthly Child' before 'Rose' and you can really see the contrast between the two eras. Where Hartnell is grumpy, unheroic and perhaps mercenary, Eccleston is joyful, dynamic and even sympathetic to the Nestene Consciousness. While 'An Unearthly Child' was written beautifully with well rounded characters who revealed themselves gradually throughout the 100 minutes, here, bits of information are thrown at us in witty and visually impressive ways. Doctor Who has indeed moved on, and after couple of viewings of the 'Rose', I liked it a lot.

My first overall impression was the pace of the story. It felt like it only lasted about five minutes! It developed at an unbelievable frenetic pace, with dialogue that even Aaron Sorkin [writer of 'The West Wing', a favourite programme of RTD's] would covet! Perhaps this feeling was due to my watching the first ever episode which definitely goes at a more piecemeal pace. Or perhaps it was because of the fact that I didn't want the episode to end.

The actual plot was probably a dumbed down version of 'Spearhead from Space' but very enjoyable nonetheless. The anti-plastic antidote was a bit of a quick fix but the story's climax wasn't without tension. The first scenes of Rose in the department store storeroom was very chilling, and well executed. And the scene where the Doctor asks Rose to come with him but she declines, only to have him return sent a chill up my spine as if I felt like I was Rose. Indeed, what I really liked about Rose's character was that she was (for want of a better word) so human and normal. Dead end job, overprotective mother and an annoying boyfriend. Being a recent university graduate myself, without much career focus, I certainly felt sympathy for her and wished that the Doctor would ask me to accompany him on his travels! Some things never change. No matter how old you are....

Christopher Eccleston is indeed an amalgamation of previous Doctors, but he certainly feels like he is capable of anything at anytime which is nice. He has Tom Baker's grinning danger, Paul McGann's orgasmic excitement, Troughton's wink and McCoy's darkness. I did feel he was trying to do his utmost best to be happy and joyful - to get rid of the image of Eccleston as a miserable actor and it did feel weird seeing Eccleston so happy all the time. However, he has the edge to be a great Doctor. I'm looking forward to his development. Billie Piper is beautiful and I kept wishing that I was her boyfriend! Even when she got out of bed she looked great! She's in for a few shocks on her travels with the Doctor isn't she? Piper was a joy and I'm looking forward to seeing such shocks.

What didn't I like? I suppose I would have liked to have taken a breathe once or twice as it was fast but on second viewing it was a lot more easier. Hearing Graham Norton bleeding through was a bit annoying but anyone with "a sensitive ear" will notice that you can hear the producer chattering from the gallery in the first episode of 'An Unearthly Child". People have said the music was quite intrusive but I found it to be higly complimentary. Then again, this is from a person who loves the 'Remembrance' and 'Battlefield' scores! The plot could have been a bit more sophisticated but I'd be lying if I really cared about that in the first episode. Episode One is about establishing the series in tone, style and scale. This did it and it looks very promising.

I'll let you read the other reviews now as I sum up; fast, energetic and DEFINITELY Doctor Who as we know it. Eccleston is brilliant but weirdly joyous, Piper is drop-dead gorgeous and a character who lives in all of us. Welcome back old friend. It's been a long time.