When this episode finished, I felt "Its back!". I felt like the show I've loved for nearly all my life had returned. After watching episodes 1-3, I'd thought, in the words of Roy Walker [Catchphrase], "Its good but its not right". "Aliens of London" was promising with a complicated plot and "World War Three" was even more complicated. I think the new series has finally found its feet. And I do apologise for saying RTD can't write good sci-fi - this story has caused me to eat my words!

The plot about turning the earth into one giant piece of real estate was a very original way of concocting an 'invasion' story which in the end wasn't about an invasion at all. Brilliant stuff. Even at the last few moments, we were stil guessing what the hell was going on and how the Doctor would get out of it. The finale had echoes of 'The Seeds of Doom' [which, coincendentally, is my fav DW story] but the Doctor was, as in the aforementioned story, out of real options. A very satisfying episode to a great story. The finale was not quick but was allowed to breathe. I'm beginning to believe the series should all be 2 parters but that may not be practical. Plus there was hardly any farting so that was nice - seeing my sole quibble virtually airbrushed out.

The acting was good also. The PM reminded me a lot of Paul Whitsun-Jones from 'The Mutants' and 'The Smugglers' but the actor in this case was better. Mickey improved too. I felt that as the Doctor got to like him more, so did I. He's not so bad. Christopher Eccleston's 'promise' to stop the Slitheen was powerful and I loved the line "Mickey, you were born in the dark!". Penelope Wilton was a good character also and I'm almost sorry that the Doctor didn't join Rose and her mum for shepherd's pie. Well done all.

I still think the Brig should have been in it. DW Confidential did a whole documentary on him and still there was no sign of him. Why do the documentary and have him not even comment on the new series? Please bring him back RTD! It's not fanwank - the Brig is the best. UNIT weren't fanwank were they?

And I was slightly quizzical about the nuclear codes protocols thing. I know the UK relies on its nuclear arms technology from America but does it really hand over its codes to the UN? Surely not!

Overall; brilliant. I'm pleased. Seriously thinking of sending a thank-you card to RTD. Daleks are next and there seems to be hints of 'The Space Museum' and 'Jubilee' so I hope its not a carbon copy of those. However, I've heard good things about the episode and you can always rely on Rob Shearman to do us proud!

The new series is finally settled. Hooray! Roll on the rest!

Well, I was among the few who thought “Aliens of London” was a fine example of how good this exciting new TV series of Doctor Who could be. After just recovering from my last forty-minute stint on the “trip of a lifetime,” my opinion of the story’s conclusion, “World War Three,” is rather more mixed.

Firstly, I felt that despite the brilliance of last week’s triple-threat cliff-hanger, it was totally negated by the subsequent “Next Week” trailer. For stand-alone stories, the trailer is a fantastic idea, serving the same function as the old-school cliff-hangers used to, however, in a two-parter to see your heroes alive and well (even though in our hearts we know they will be) kills the suspense. The Doctor’s reversal of the Slitheen’s weapon, though, was a wonderfully cheesy Doctor Who get-out, worthy of the “classic” series!

Personally, I thought the episode started abysmally and got better and better. At a first glance the Slitheen were unsettling creatures, hideous reptilian bodies with what can only be described as cute baby faces – an excellent Doctor Who monster. The first ten minutes or so of the show were action-packed and very well done, though I didn’t find it as compelling as, for example, the spaceship crashing into Big Ben, the Doctor and Rose meeting the aliens on Platform One, or even the Doctor getting a slap from Jackie Tyler! There were some good moments – Mickey taking a picture of the Slitheen on his mobile, the Doctor backing into the lift then going to ground inside the metal bunker with Rose and Harriet Jones – all wonderful little scenes. It wasn’t however, until Jackie Tyler and Mickey destroyed the Slitheen that was menacing them (with vinegar; just like Cybermen and gold!) that I really began to enjoy the episode.

The scenes featuring Mickey and Jackie at the PC, intercut with the Doctor, Rose and Harriet in the bunker were “fantastic” as the Doctor would say. The action had slowed down, yet the score was so cleverly crafted that the pace felt just as fast; if not faster! The banter between Mickey and the Doctor continued apace, and to hear Jackie beg the Doctor to keep Rose safe was an incredibly touching scene. The look on the Doctors face as he stood silent said it all. You could imagine what he was thinking – Adric; Katarina… - he can’t always protect his travelling companions. His announcement “I could save the world but lose you” was one of the profound moments of the series thus far, not just in the words but in the expression on his face and in Rose’s stare back at him. My only niggle here would again be that it had been “given away” in last week’s trailer so we knew it was coming. On a side note, it’s nice to see in the “Dalek” teaser very little was given away and there was only a brief shot of the Dalek itself.

Mickey has come on leaps and bounds since “Rose,” and it’s nice to be almost in the Doctor’s shoes for once (as opposed to seeing things from the perspective of Rose) as the Doctor’s respect for Mickey grows in unison with the audience’s. Imagine having to press “FIRE” on that UNIT website – effectively killing your (ex?) girlfriend while her Mother sits beside you, blowing up the iconic seat of your Parliamentary leader, but saving the world in doing so. The special effects shots of the missile leaving the sea and flying over London were spectacular; I’d go as far as to say cinematic; as was the resultant explosion. For the Doctor to have to say to the man he dubbed Ricky “I need you” was a hard thing for him to do, and for Mickey to actually do them all proud was a pleasant surprise and great development of what began as a selfish, cowardly character.

From the start of the episode I liked the Welsh sergeant and had a feeling he might have a small role to play in saving the day. He did clear the area, saving a lot of lives, but he almost upstaged the Doctor where he walked in on the “naked” Slitheen – “sorry” – was hilarious, as was the Slitheen trying to get dressed quickly in their human suits – very surreal. I’m not sure all this talk of the Slitheen enjoying their nudity was entirely appropriate – I personally liked it, just like I liked the farting (I’m very childish), but it made my Dad cringe, and no doubt alienated many other viewers.

Penelope Wilton was superb. Part of me was disappointed that she took the decision to risk Rose’s life (as well as everybody else’s in 10 Downing Street) rather than the Doctor take the decision myself – but it ultimately worked out well as (quite predictably) the Doctor revealed (McGann style) she would usher in “the golden age for Britain” as Prime Minister.

Eccleston, Piper, Coduri, Clarke – especially the latter in this episode I felt – were all superb. The cast has that wonderful “family” feel that the Pertwee/UNIT era had, and whatever people say I really enjoy the “domestics” as it grounds the series in something relatable, and makes the series truly worthy of being called a drama. Yes, this week the action finished a few minutes early, but in my opinion the last five minutes of the show were it’s best. The Doctor’s parting exchange with Mickey was beautifully done. Mickey knows he’s a bit of wimp, but he had the courage to admit it and he’d earned the Doctor’s respect enough for the Doc to cover for him. To see Rose leave her poor Mother, AGAIN, was heart-breaking. Rose is Jackie’s life, all she’s got. Rose in tears on the phone to the Doctor asking him to come round for tea was a fine example of his alienness – he either couldn’t see how important it was to her, he didn’t care, or more likely he just didn’t think it all that important. I get the feeling though, that had the Doctor gone round for tea and done something “normal” his appeal would diminish in the eyes of Rose. That said, I think it’s clear that the Doctor and Rose have deep and profound feelings for one another – anyone who has a problem with this ‘cos it supposedly “didn’t happen in the old days” I challenge to stick on your “Green Death” DVD and watch the third Doctor seethe with jealousy as Jo falls in love, and I challenge you not to shed a manly tear and he drives off alone into the night at the end of the story! Jackie Tyler can see these feelings, and she can see how dangerous they are and how they are going to take her nineteen year-old daughter from her, perhaps for good. What was really good was Rose saying “I can be back in ten seconds,” then we see the TARDIS dematerialise and Jackie count to ten, then walk away a broken women while Mickey waits, sat on the bin, just in case they do come back…

All in all “World War Three” was a rollercoaster with high and lows. The references to “weapons of mass destruction” and the parallels drawn with the Iraq crisis were a nice comparison to draw, I think the show is often at it’s best when making social comment, says I, number one fan of “The Happiness Patrol!” I’d place the episode on par with “Rose,” though certainly not up there with “The End of the World,” “Unquiet Dead” or “Aliens of London.” The Doctor and Rose ARE the show. Yeah, there were a few dicey, cheesy, cringe-worthy moments with the Slitheen, but there were also a few chilling ones, just like any classic Who monster. As a two-parter, I thought this story was phenomenal – the first part much better than the second, but unfortunately that’s so often the case with science fiction.

Thanks again RTD!

I'm not going to flame this episode like I did AoL, mainly because I failed to actually see it, however, as I have reviewed every episode up to now, I thought I would at least leave my thoughts on it and the series so far as AoL and WW3 are part of the same story and I did catch a few clips.

I missed the saturday transmission thanks to a botched video job, the sunday repeat I suddenly discovered I didn't actually care about.

My dad is a long term Who fan (And for the record loves the new series) and owns virtually every serial ever released on VHS or DVD. I have watched many of them over and over and not one serial have I ever got to the middle of a story and thought this is too terrible or simply too boring to continue. However this was what I felt for WW3. I already knew that everyone survives because of the great big cliffhanger clunker from last week. I knew that the Doctor would win in the end, he always does, the draw is how, what dilemma will he have to work out.

But in the end I found something more interesting to spend 45 mins of my time on. I occasionally wandered into the sitting room where it was showing, so I know that the Slitheen were blown up, they were trying to nuclear fry the planet to sell off as a power source (Surely stars are giant nuclear power sources? and are far more plentiful around the galaxy, and usually are already in a pretty useful position in their positional relationship to planets? Or am I being pedantic? anyway it was The Pirate Planet by another name) that Mickey did something heroic and that Noel Clarke is, despite all the evidence so far given, an actor, possibly because he was given some nice bits at the end which required him to act, rather than fall over in a mildly (un)comic manner.

Oh yes, and the Doctor blew up the rubber monsters. hurrah.

The trailer for Dalek, looked to be a return to form, and for me a welcome return to form. It will be great to see a third writer approach the series.

Looking over the reviews for AoL there seem to be three main distinctions. People who loved it, People who liked it but disliked the farting and people such as myself who feel that RTD has introduced elements to the show that are frankly sacriligious.

The people who enjoyed the show no doubt believe that we should just accept farts and Britney Spears because its a kids show. Lets just correct this little misunderstanding. Dr. Who was, in the beginning, an educational show, a show to teach children. Eventually it ran for so long that those original kids grew up. To those of us who grew up with the Doctor, he is a lifelong companion and while there are some people who watch Doctor Who for entertainment pure and simple, most of us really truly care about the show (as the actors used to) and to see it descend into the realm of two year old humour that marked last week's show, and frankly marks a full lack of ideas, does hurt. The Doctor was never just for the kids.

It hurt so much that for the first time in my life I couldn't have cared less about an episode. I could have watched it, given a comprehensive review and hoped in vain that the constructive criticism from this site somehow filtered down to the people making the next series. But this story (Both episodes), I don't care about. Well done RTD, you've turned Doctor Who back into a tv show that was as give and take as the A Team or Mork and Mindy. Nice for it's time but nothing to really get our teeth into, nothing to really enjoy that can't be found on Eastenders or Star Trek. This one story set Who back 898 years, so whatever other reviewers may take from this episode its about as relevant to me as missing an episode of ST Enterprise, or Neighbours. Quite inconsequential

Several people are suggesting that RTD get an editor. Most definitely, or better still promote him out of the writing process, let better skilled and more constrained writers such as Mark Gatiss take over.

I'll be watching Dalek, how could I not. But I don't know if I'll be watching any more RTD scripted eps. There were good things to take from EotW, and even one or two from Rose. Almost everything about this storyline was cringeworthy however and I suspet he's lost a lot more fans than he's won. It's certainly gonna have to take something incredible to win me back as a regular viewer.

Any chance the DVD will not have this story on it?

I sat down to watch World War 3 hoping Russell Davies would redeem himself, the question is did he?

Well kind of, lets face it could it have been any worse? The fart gags weren't as cringe enducing as last week, more to do with expecting it than by accepting the need for it. The reason for the farting may have been explained but it doesn't make it any less annoying. Davies can do humour, the weapons of mass destruction that can be deployed in 45 seconds was genuinely funny, though I accept many ten year olds wouldn't have got it.

The Slitheen themselves weren't as menacing as I hoped, though I much preferred them out of their human 'skins' than in them. It was interesting to note that for the second Davies story in a row the motivation for the bad guys was a financial one and I was disappointed because I'm still waiting for the traditional alien invasion - I don't really rate 'Rose' as an invasion story.

To me the best elements in this episode was the interplay between the Doctor, Rose, her mum and Mickey. Davies's best writing is in the interplay between these characters, Jackie's concern over Rose is understandable and it makes it interesting to see the Doctor uncomfortable with the guilt he feels at taking Rose from her mum.

The one problem with adding in all these new elements regarding Rose's life on Earth is that they detract from the traditional elements. As many i have spoken to have said the mix of all these elements is not quite right. I would also point out that the episode so far that has had the most positive reviews is The Unquiet Dead, the only episode with no elements of Rose's home life at all.

My biggest surprise in this episode was Mickey, a character I previously found to be the most annoying thing in Doctor Who since Bonnie Langford's scream. Mickey was actually very good and crucial to the resolution of the story. He never seemed like ridiculous comic relief in this episode, perhaps because he was given something to do at last. My only problem was with him holding the phone to his ear while the Slitheen was breaking through the door. I'm afraid that no matter what was being said to me on that phone I'd be concentrating more on where the first swing of my bat was going to go and would have given the phone to Jackie.

ll in all an improvement on last week, still a bit too sily in places, a lot of corridor chasing, very Scooby Doo-ish and the Doctor seemed to get out of sticky situations with a quick joke and then taking to his heels. Oh and those must be the quickest closing lift doors in the world.

Looking forward to nect week and the first new Dalek story since 1988.

Oh yeah, I was sad that there wasn't any more pigs, I felt so sorry for that poor wee pig.

Last week saw the start of the first two-part Doctor Who story in the new series and what a great start it was so this weeks episode already had a built in audience of over 7 million viewers, all anxious to see how the story ends.

World War III has a beginning that most viewers saw at the end of the previous episode, which in itself was characteristic of Doctor Who and immediately grabs the audiences attention.

It starts, as we all know (or if you don’t, watch the 4th episode), with the Doctor and other alien experts being electrocuted by aliens. The Doctor, on the spur of the moment, puts a tag on one of the aliens and they all start shaking writhing around with the electrocution, even the one in Rose’s mother’s house. Mickey enters Jackie’s house, grabs the chair and the alien over the head, then gets her up and they stumble out of the house. Meanwhile, at 10 Downing Street, the Doctor has recovered and gets the guards to come inside, where the aliens are. The aliens get the tag off and put the skin of the human back on. The Doctor enters the room with the guards, who don’t believe his theory that the two men at the front of the room are aliens, so he runs away. He gets cornered, but against a lift, which promptly opens and the Doctor makes his escape.

Rose and Harriet Jones are now running from an alien, as the Doctor appears when the lift doors open, sees the alien and promptly closes the doors again. He emerges on a higher floor. After more chasing, the Slitheen reveal the it’s not their race, but their surname and that they are here to start World War III and then sell off the radioactive chunks of the planet for fuel. The Doctor then closes the emergency steel doors and shutters, trapping the Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones in the cabinet room. Meanwhile, the UN is voting to decide whether it should allow Britain to have the access codes to their nuclear weapons. Rose receives a text message from Mickey. She rings him. Mickey sees the UN on the news and puts the phone to the speakers. The UN have voted to allow the access codes to be released. The Doctor has an idea, but it may not be safe for Rose. Harriet Jones steps in and announces it is her decision to make, as the only elected representative of the people in the room. She tells the Doctor to do it. The Doctor tells Mickey the “idiot” to go to his computer and go to the UNIT website. He does so and the white home page of UNIT’s website (which is actually available at www.unit.org.uk) appears on the screen. After revealing the password (which also works on the website) the Doctor instructs Mickey to launch a missile at 10 Downing Street. Rose suggests they hide under a doorway, as you do during an earthquake. The Guards become aware of the missile and one of them runs upstairs to tell the minister, the General and the MI5 people, only to find that they are all aliens. He runs out and all the guards and press told to evacuate the area. The aliens, waiting for the phone to ring with the access codes, are blown to bits.

The steel box that is the Cabinet room is left sitting in amongst a pile of rubble, as the doors open and out come the Doctor, Rose and Harriet Jones, who later becomes the Prime Minister for three successive terms according to the Doctor. After that, Rose packs and she and the Doctor leave.

So the story was good and so was it’s execution (having the UNIT website actually available was great too), but was it as good an end as the first episode was a begin? In short, yes it was. The Doctor was more himself than in any other episode before it in this new series, from running away form guards to saving the world whilst trapped in a steel box, this was Doctor Who.

The direction of it was, of course much the same as the previous episode and it was just as good. The CGI was pretty good too, from the aliens running around to a missile flying over and into central London. However, they still look too ‘clean’, in other words, you can tell quite clearly that it is CGI on a real London backdrop for example and it still doesn’t come up to the standard seen in other sci-fi series such as Star Trek Enterprise and Battlestar Galactica. So the graphical side is still lacking in this new series and needs to get better. The preview of the Dalek episode promises to make a start on improving this, partly because a lot of it is real, such as the Dalek itself.

Although this was a good story and Christopher Eccleston did some great acting, I still can’t help feeling he’s not quite the Doctor, but this does make me look forward to the second season, with David Tennent, even more. So thumbs up as far as the new series goes and I’m sure I speak for millions when I say, I can’t wait for the next episode. Roll on Saturday!

Ugh.

World War 3 was a huge disappointment when compared with Aliens of London. Aliens was my favorite episode of the new series and I had high hopes for the second episode of the serial. As I expected the action was fast and furious but it didn't really last.

I guess that is my first complaint: two much of the Rose/Doctor/Mother/Mickey dynamic. While I really liked the angle where they returned to Rose's time and we saw what happened with her and family, etc... there was just a little bit to much of it this time. In my opinion this should be the backstory, a sub-plot that rounds out an episode. This dynamic almost dominated the episode. Considering the amount of this that we had in the first episode of the serial as well there was just a bit to much for my taste. The part where they were locked in the cabinet room and that part of the story was great and touching, but the last 8-10 minutes of the episode were not as good. I'm not saying that I don't like this stuff but weave it into the story line better. I must admit I let out a huge sigh of relief when Mickey declined the offer of a spot in the Tardis. *whew*

My second complaint is that the aliens were way to goofy this time. The farting, etc... was a bit much in the first part but their goofy antics in the second part were just over the top. A few times in the episode they frantically tried to put their suits back on...this was ok the first time but the second time they tried it was dumb. The way that the PM and the general acted was also ridiculous and the mindless idiots in the complex just accept that the two goofiest people ever are now running the country. The foolishness of the aliens can be forgiven this time but I fear they are continually going to be this way. Hopefully they won't be.

The story is just a tad bit ridiculous as well. I especially find it hard to believe that when the Prime Minister has a news conference warning of the vast amount of weapons in space that no one else bothers to verify it. I mean surly a country like the United States may attempt to check this out on their own, or perhaps an amateur astronomer with $500 telescope in his backyard? The United Nations is going to vote to give nuclear codes to the UK without even checking the sky for themselves? If a mothership is lined up so perfectly that the UK can determine its belly is right over London then surely someone else could have seen these aliens. Ugh. It just is to much. I know it is science fiction and everything and they have to move the story on at a fast pace, but if the story is this foolish perhaps they should tighten it up a bit. After all they invested two epsiodes in this story, maybe they should have taken the time to build a solid second episode.

This is the first time I have been disappointed by the new series and it is unfortunately a BIG let down after Aliens of London. Another thing that concerns me is that after Aliens of London there may have been a lot of buzz an the second part may have had a higher viewership due to the positive talk. A lot of new, first time watchers may have tuned in to see the poorest episode thus far and may decide to give up on Doctor Who based on this one.