As a Doctor Who fan, IВ’m sure Mark Gatiss was delighted to be asked to write an episode of Series Two. Whether he was quite so thrilled when he found out where his contribution featured in the pecking order, IВ’m not so sure. The midpoint episode, The IdiotВ’s Lantern was coming hot on the heels of the CybermenВ’s return, plus an episode from the writer of last yearВ’s fansВ’ No.1 story, plus the high-profile return of Sarah Jane Smith and K9. It was a tough position, the most difficult of the season, but Gatiss filled it admirably with a lovingly-crafted story, full of imagery and strong performances, especially from the three lead players.

Structurally, The IdiotВ’s Lantern wasnВ’t a million miles away from GatissВ’s well-received contribution to Series One, The Unquiet Dead. Both were set in EarthВ’s past, they featured an alien presence with designs on the planetВ’s population for their own needs and also called for a lot of computer-generated flashing lights! Both were also adorned with a cracking pre-credits sequence (although, as I seem to point out every week, their excellence is now almost a given) complete with an iconic image В– in this case, a fork of strobe light protruding from a 1950s TV set to suck the face from its viewer. Great stuff! Usual great work from The Mill.

Billie Piper in her flowing pink dress looked fantastic and she really appeared to be enjoying herself В– as did David Tennant. I think the relationship between Rose and The Doctor benefited greatly from MickeyВ’s departure (although, as a continuity fan, it might have been nice had he merited at least a mention in passing!). The old adage В“twoВ’s companyВ” was never more applicable than to Rose and The Doctor. It still doesnВ’t have the intensity of the relationship pre-regeneration, but we have six more episodes this season В– we might get there.

I thought the core of the story В– The Wire using the TV sets of the nation to В“feed offВ” the population В– was a strong one, and perfectly paced, which isnВ’t easy in this single-episode format. Again, itВ’s worth stressing how difficult it is to build up characterisation in such a short space of time. Russell T Davies is exceptional at this aspect, and Gatiss followed suit here. The Connolly family were an important part of the story, but a poor writer would never be able to make you care about them in one episode. Gatiss managed that, and was able to weave in a subtext about an authoritarian post-war patriarch, who essentially ruled the roost by fear В– a subtext still applicable in many family dynamics today.

Maureen Lipman as The Wire was an inspired piece of casting В– can you imagine anyone else playing that role? She portrayed it absolutely perfectly. Lipman has the gravitas to carry off the part of a 50s BBC announcer, but brought out the dry humour in the script by not sending it up, and also delivered no little menace. A fabulous performance. Piper and Tennant were also excellent, with the former delivering her finest episode of the season. Or, to be more accurate, Rose was given a better slice of the action than has been the case in every other episode except New Earth. Now itВ’s В“just the two of usВ” again, I expect The Dynamic Duo to grow ever stronger together until the seasonВ’s end.

There were plenty of good moments along the way. I donВ’t recall The Doctor being laid out by a punch too often В– he took a decent slap from Jackie in Aliens Of London, of course В– and I found that rather refreshing, showing itВ’s not all psychic paper and sonic screwdrivers. He can be floored by a whack like everyone else. To use a footballing metaphor, it was Route One . . .

Rose falling victim to The Wire was obviously a strong part of the tale, as was The Doctor seeing her face В“trappedВ” on one of the TV sets. The scene of all the stolen faces on the bank of screens was quite creepy В– rather reminiscent of the denouement to The Five Doctors, when the Time Lords seeking immortality were entombed for all eternity . . . being buried alive taps into a natural fear of most people, and that was the sort of vibe given here.

And, of course, it was an exciting climax. The Doctor chasing the unfortunate Mr Magpie and The Wire up the transmitter mast of Alexandra Palace was good fun, and really well shot. Imagine what that would have looked like on the showВ’s previous budget . . .

There are fans who donВ’t like Doctor Who historicals period, so The IdiotВ’s Lantern В– like The Girl In The Fireplace В– wonВ’t take top rank when the post-season gongs are handed out. This is an individualВ’s review, though, and, for this individual idiot, Episode Seven shone brightly on his lantern. Like Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss is a safe pair of hands for a Doctor Who script, with an appreciation of the showВ’s rich history. I look forward to his third contribution to the series.

There is a fantastic old story of Tom Baker's about how, one Saturday afternoon, he and a colleague were out attending some exhibition or other and realized they wouldn't be back home in time to see that day's episode of "Doctor Who." (Usually Tom didn't watch the show, but there was something specific he wanted to see about this one, part three of "The Deadly Assassin.") Tom told his colleague to drive into the nearest suburban neighborhood, and then they picked out a house at random and knocked on the door. The father of the household answered and Tom asked, "Excuse me, do you watch 'Doctor Who' here?" And the father said, "Please, just come in!" And then this family sat round their television, with Doctor Who, watching that day's Doctor Who! Here in "The Idiot's Lantern," there is a scene that's very nearly the same thing, where the Doctor sits down to watch the television with a monster in it with a normal family, though he's not quite so welcomed by the father in this instance, and tells said father a thing or two. I can't help but wonder if Mark Gatiss didn't have that old Tom anecdote in mind when he wrote this episode.

And it's a decent, solid little episode. You sort of always know that with a Mark Gatiss story, it will be dependable. It doesn't really take any risks or wow you with some amazing development or revelation, but it does go through all the familiar moves spot on. Terrance Dicks is somewhat similar, and again I wonder if that's an approach Gatiss deliberately tries to mimic... make sure you've got it all right. That said, though the moves are familiar and perhaps a tad predictable, they aren't boringly so, as the basic subject of the story isn't one that "Doctor Who" has really tackled before, certainly not in the TV series anyway.

But what about the Wire villain being basically another version of the Great Intelligence from the 60s, you may ask. Yes, that's true, but that's not the basic subject of the story. That subject is that family that the Doctor barges in on and watches TV with. On my first go-around in watching this, I bristled a bit at the family as they seemed to be too stereotypical dysfunctional to me. On my second viewing, I realized that was entirely the point. They're like a typical 50s TV sitcom family, but in negative, meaning all the non-subtle broadstrokes are all still there, just showing the opposite picture of what we'd see in a TV show of the period. This is most evident in the scene on the doorstep of the house after Rose has been de-faced, where all the family members gather together to argue out the moral of the family's story in perfectly written speeches that are nothing to do with the real world.... exactly as TV shows of the time did, only the sermon here is about how the ideal 50s family wasn't at all happy, how the father was the bully and how the wife shouldn't have put up with him, and so on. And now I've no problem with this at all, apart from thinking that Jamie Forman as Eddie Connolly was perhaps a bit too one-note and one-volume even for this approach. Debra Gillett and Rory Jennings seemed to be tuned just right though.

If there is one thing that's wrong with this episode, it's the sidelining of Rose 20 minutes into it. Now, it does make David Tennant's Doctor angrier than we've seen him yet, and that was fun to watch, but I didn't like being without Billie Piper so long. It was often said last season that they'd perhaps given too much time to developing Rose in the scripts, and now I'm wondering if they haven't oversteered the other way this season, giving too much time to the Doctor. The only episode this year that really showed off Billie Piper's skills was "New Earth," and most of the time there she was playing Cassandra, not Rose. Hopefully this will turn around in the back half of the season. As I half-suspect that this was deliberately done because Billie's time was really needed on another set for another episode, that may well turn out to be the case. That said, Rose does get good moments in the screen time she does have, like telling Mr. Connolly how a union flag should be flown, or telling Tommy at the end not to just cut off his father or he'll regret it in future, and especially when she tracks down Mr. Magpie in his shop and challenges him, and then realizes halfway into that that she's walked straight into the lion's den and is in real trouble.

Meanwhile David Tennant really gets some nice material to shine with here. I especially liked the almost "Ark in Space" moment where he suddenly recovers consciousness after having been knocked out and starts talking about it at a million miles an hour at the same time his eyes open. "Hell of a right hook!" On first viewing, I thought that maybe he was getting too one-note, one-volume as well, but on second thought, he really isn't, as though he does get as loud as he can get a lot in the second half, each time he does it's interrupted with another scene of him just being intense. One thing I think he should watch out for in future though, and this is probably more the director's and producer's job to keep an eye on really, is how we're starting to get too many shots of him posing dramatically at a door he's just opened and is about to walk through. It's not there yet, but at the end of this road is Paul Darrow in season 4 of "Blake's 7," and we don't want that.

Well, what of the Wire and Maureen Lipman's performance? She is the cosmic villain in this after all, and she's brilliant. Like I said, it's by no means a very original idea, but it is executed very, very well. We're all familiar with the evils of continuity announcers... they delight in nothing more than ruining the b-section of our favorite theme music for example, and so it was nice to see one be revealed for her true colors. Literally so, on one brilliant occasion, when her TV image shifts into color for one scene of her taunting the Doctor. I do feel the need to point out one massive flub in the final scenes on the tower, however. The Wire tries multiple times to electrocute the Doctor as it did poor Mr. Magpie (oh, and well done Ron Cook, by the way), and the reason we're given for its failure is that the Doctor's wearing rubber soled shoes. That would be fine... if he were standing on the ground when she tried this and not clinging with his bare hands to a huge metal tower as he is and grounding himself that way. Oh, and one other faux pas I wonder about... how do the people who've had their faces taken breathe? I'm not seeing any visible airways open there. On the plus side, I love the idea of trapping the monster by rerouting into a recording, on a Betamax tape no less, then later taping over it to kill it, though they really should've put a "With thanks to the writer of "The Ring"" credit on the end of the episode at this.

Two fan-wishes. In the "Doctor Who Confidential" episode that accompanies this, Mark Gatiss and David Tennant confirm that there was a line that would've referenced the Doctor's death-fall from a radio telescope tower in "Logopolis" just before he went up after Magpie and the Wire. I really wish that could've stayed in, darn it. Also, in the scenes of people all over London starting to get their faces sucked off by the Wire near the end, I wish we could've had one shot of someone with a photo camera pointed at his TV, taking tele-snaps of the big occasion, with a nameplate somewhere in shot that says "John Cura" on it.

Overall then, it was decent, solid, and enjoyable. Just OK, but in a good way. 7 out of 10 from me.

Am new to this but I thought I would add my 4 penneth worth about last nights New Who episode.

I have been so disappointed with this season so far that I was worried I would lose interest in the show altogether.

I thought 'New Earth' was weak camp drivel and underused a potential 'monster' considerably, Tooth and Claw fared better but ended up being something disappointingly different from what was promised/marketed. I enjoyed 'School Reunion' but that I feel was more due to the nostalgia and dark humour than anything much more, the 'jealous' bit was o.k in some parts but grated on my nerves a bit after a while.

Girl in the Fireplace brightened things up a bit and added spice where much needed; this was a brilliant idea and tip-toed into the 'very good' category but paved way for the atrocious Cyberman story which was a big let down in my opinion.

The gushing sentimentality seemed to overrule any menace and although the direction created dark 'industrialised' threat it was marred by more in depth focus on the characters personal wranglements than the Cybermen.

Cybermen should be ruthless automatons, calculated, cold and downright frightening ; these guys could have been but unfortunately just weren't. Where was all the 'bursting out of bondage' imagery so iconic to a good cyber tale. Shiver up the spine stuff.

I remembered Mark Gatiss' Gelth yarn for Christopher Ecclestons incarnation of the Doctor and recall thinking how under rated it was and how pleasing I found the story to be.

To my delight I awaited this story with a mixture of feeling as I didn't want to be really let down by the show again, to my delight I have to say that this was one of the best episodes ever, so far. At last back from Soap Opera land and back into brilliant sci-fi drama.

The Wire (amazingly chilling performance by Ms.Lipman) was genuinely menacing and the demonisation of an everyday object as a thing of malevolent power was truly nightmare stuff. The acting ability of the cast made the whole thing so believable and despite the 'retro' element would've no doubt pleased many generations of age.

I also found the featureless creatures a marvellous nightmare creation, although this has been used on other productions to great effect this brought the whole concept chillingly up to date in a 1950's sort of way.

The 'humanistic' element wasn't so 'in your face' as the other stories which, in my opinion had began to suffocate and therefore weaken stories. This ran parallel with the 'grittiness' of the much darker doings at work and thankfully didn't dominate too heavily in the story.

The direction and set design were also perfect replications of a bygone era, you could also imagine the aroma of must,tea and the biscuits or the bits of fluff that smelled smouldering on the electric heated bars,

The cast seemed to be enjoying themselves despite the mayhem in suburbia which added such a charm to the story. The Doctors emergence from the TARDIS via a Vesper was a classic moment and I found I didn't wince as I did in the similar sequence in the 'Fireplace' story.

Finally it seemed to me, Mr.Tennant seemed like a Doctor Who not a weakened version of his Casanova in a brown suit.

Its not as though I object to Mr.Tennants clowning about but I just wish there was less of it and a pinch more seriousness, a deepness, something more 'alien'.

Thank you Mr.Gatiss for creating one of the best highlights in this series so far.

9/10.

I enjoyed this episode when it was first transmitted, but IВ’m beginning to think now that itВ’s one of pros and cons. On the one hand we have an episode here that actually bothers to tell a story, which puts it higher than many of the seasonВ’s other episodes. And yet, here in the 21st CenturyВ’s new character-driven Doctor Who, we are presented with some of the shoddiest characterisation the programme has ever seen. Apples and oranges then? WeВ’ll see.

The BBCВ’s flair with period detail is well documented by myself and others, and it doesnВ’t let them down here as the episode begins with an excellent pre-titles sequence, and Mark Gatiss clearly hasnВ’t forgotten the idea of the opening credits being the equivalent of the famous cliffhanger. It is directed by Euros Lyn however, and that means itВ’s going to be way too flashy for its own good. Despite the jaunty camera angles and jump-cuts this remains a visually strong episode though, and the imagery of having an ethereal television presenter as the villain is supremely engaging.

WhatВ’s immediately obvious about the regularsВ’ opening scene is that Billie Piper hardly shuts her mouth, which IВ’m going to use as shorthand for her portrayal through the entire episode; throughout my reviews of series two IВ’ve been tracking the characterВ’s descent from tough chick into obnoxious brat, and I have to say that The IdiotВ’s Lantern sets a new low for the companion. IВ’ve got more bones to pick with The Impossible Planet though, so I donВ’t want to dwell on this too much В– especially since IВ’m repeating myself now В– although I would highlight it as an example of series oneВ’s superiority over this one. The real problem with The IdiotВ’s Lantern is that the other characters are just as bad, as the usual saving grace of an episode is that while TennantВ’s enforced goofiness and RoseВ’s simpering deference to it grates theyВ’re usually surrounded by likeable foil like Mickey or Ida Scott. With The IdiotВ’s Lantern though, while I can hang on to the large amounts of decent mystery and atmosphere being produced I have to mentally fight to prevent it all being undone by the relentlessly two-dimensional Eddie and his family. With stagy delivery of didactic lines, I really feel like as a viewer IВ’m being spoken down to and the DoctorВ’s В“is housework a womanВ’s businessВ” scene doesnВ’t help matters. Wait, whatВ’s this? TennantВ’s raised his voice again! That means heВ’s angry, you know.

The faceless people help as in design terms theyВ’re very good and itВ’s certainly a shock to see them for the first time. There is the old В“how do they breatheВ” question, but if I went on about how visuals are being favoured over the idea actually being plausible even in a fantasy sense then I wouldnВ’t have anything left to say about a certain scene from Love & Monsters.

Once the Doctor and Rose have left the house and start creeping around looking for answers, things start to pick up: the fact that this episode takes a bit of time out to tell a proper story is a seriously big factor in its favour. The shots of the Doctor creeping round the cage of faceless people are fantastically done, and his conversation with the police detective is a highlight of the episode. Meanwhile, Ron Cook puts in an excellent performance as Magpie that forces even Billie Piper to restrain herself В– and any episode that removes RoseВ’s big flapping mouth for much of its runtime has to score bonus points, right? It does lead to Tennant shifting into the standard В“force of natureВ” role though, so I donВ’t know whether to take those bonus points back off again.

Meanwhile the auntВ’s line that В“itВ” should be beaten out of young Tommy sees more writing down (what is В“itВ”? Someone explain, itВ’s just too subtle!) and his speech about freedom is humiliating to sit through. My usual complaint about big moralising speeches applies here, but this is a particularly bad example. When the characters sound like theyВ’re reading something off rather than saying whatВ’s come into their heads, the writing has failed.

Things get back on track again in the shop with the chilling imagery of the faces on the screens, although they do over-literalise the idea of the victimsВ’ souls being stolen. The idea of the Wire being an executed non-corporeal entity is nothing new but it still works, and thereВ’s a genuinely dramatic scene where she attacks the Doctor. However, her comment that the Doctor is armed upon seeing the sonic screwdriver is a sad indictment of the magic wand the device has become. The ending is great in set-piece terms, but the resolution itself is the standard new series cop-out of plugging something into something else and pushing a button. The Wire, as arguably the best original villain the new series has seen, deserved better.

It seems that thereВ’s been a positive comment for every negative one. The IdiotВ’s Lantern is worthy for its story and its imagery, but with some dreadful characterisation it really isnВ’t as good as I remember and not a patch on GatissВ’s earlier The Unquiet Dead.

And so this year we had to wait a little bit longer for our annual Mark Gatiss episode, but was it worth the wait?

В“The IdiotВ’s LanternВ” certainly has a lot going for it. The Coronation being broadcast live on TV is an inspired basis for a Doctor Who story, both in terms of the solid sci-fi / horror story that could be told by the writer and also in terms of the great fun that the cast and crew had in producing the episode, which ultimately translated into the great fun that we, the audience, had in watching the episode. The period costumes, the Doctor changing his hair (unprecedented!), sparkling dialogue В– В“I should have known your Mother would be a Cliff fanВ…В” etc. В– and best of all, the very dark, very human, very wonderful characters that only Mark Gatiss can write. If anything, theyВ’re too real!

If you look back through Mark GatissВ’ quite extensive Doctor Who contributions (as a writer) over the years, it is clear that he is at his absolute best when heВ’s writing a period story with human characters. When he does what heВ’s good at, without doubt heВ’s one of the nationВ’s best writers. In В“The IdiotВ’s Lantern,В” he uses the extremely effective В‘gimmickВ’ of having TV sets that suck your face off В– they quite literally eat you В– combined with some superbly written character drama and of course, his trademark black humour.

В“Are you sitting comfortably? Good. Then weВ’ll beginВ…В”

Gatiss seems to have a great handle on the fifties, best represented I feel by two of his characters В– Eddie Connolly and The Wire. The latter is an alien life form that we donВ’t know all that much about (and to be honest we donВ’t actually need to know that much about!) that has become trapped in TV signals and needs to feed on humanity in order to restore herself. She (it?) is represented by the prim and proper visage of a textbook 1950s BBC presenter (as portrayed by the outstandingly unnerving Maureen Lipman), and it is one of these cases where all those well-meant and exceedingly polite clichГ© one-liners take on a whole new darker meaning - it makes for some great television: В“Goodnight children, everywhere...В”

Eddie Connolly, in contrast, is a very human character. HeВ’s not evil; heВ’s not even a В‘baddieВ’ as suchВ… heВ’s just incredibly misguided and incredibly unlikeable! Jamie Foreman is superb in his performance. The way he speaks (all those overemphasised В‘HВ’s because heВ’s trying to sound posh), the way he dominates his familyВ… heВ’s just such a believable character. It is a testament to GatissВ’ skill as a writer that I actually felt sorry for him at times, especially when the Doctor and Rose are tearing him to shreds with their В‘radicalВ’ views on feminism and all the В“Union FlagВ” (Doctor Who is still educational!) stuff. There is one scene in particular which completely encapsulates EddieВ’s character. He is arguing with his son, Tommy, saying things like В“I fought a war just so little scum like you can call me a cowardВ”, and his son basically says, yeah, thatВ’s the whole point! I can say what I want; youВ’ve become like a Nazi! By the end of the episode I was glad that the Doctor and Rose encouraged Tommy to try and make up with his Dad!

I really enjoyed the scene where Rose cockily struts into Mr. MagpieВ’s shop, confronts the Wire and ends up getting her face sucked off and her brain wiped! I didnВ’t see that one coming! Once again, it shows us just how dangerous this life that the Doctor and Rose lead is, and just how complacent they have become. Seeing RoseВ’s face on TV calling for the Doctor is quite disturbing! Getting Rose out of the way also allowed the impressive youngster Tommy (Rory Jennings) to become more involved in the story, taking on the companionВ’s mantle and helping the Doctor to save the world, really helping to freshen things up a bit.

The episodeВ’s climax set on the Alexandra Palace transmitter had me thinking about the fourth DoctorВ’s demise in В“Logopolis,В” so I found it quite amusing when it was revealed on Confidential that the DoctorВ’s line about not liking big transmitters because heВ’d В“fell off one onceВ” had been cut at the last minute! I can just imagine Gatiss sat writing the episode, chuckling to himself and wondering if heВ’d get away with sticking it in there! I also liked the DoctorВ’s solution to the Wire problem; trap her on video, then rub over her! And on Betamax no less! Trust the Doctor! Unsurprisingly, I think В“The IdiotВ’s LanternВ” is definitely the funniest episode of the season so far В– the Betamax; the Doctor getting knocked out; his being mistaken for the King of Belgium; the way Rose cartoonishly ducks under EddieВ’s arm; the line about Jackie and her sailor boyfriend; В“You canВ’t wrap you arm around your elbowВ…В” et al. - Fantastic!

Just over a year ago when I reviewed В“The Unquiet DeadВ” I simply wrote В“WOW!В”, and then there wasnВ’t really much intelligent comment after that. Now I donВ’t think that В“The IdiotВ’s LanternВ” is as good as В“The Unquiet Dead,В” but I really canВ’t say why. I just didnВ’t enjoy it quite as much. It could have been Eccleston. It could have been Dickens. It could have been that a year ago it was all so new and IВ’ve got rose-tinted glasses on. That said, I canВ’t really think of a bad word to say about this episode. The cast, the designВ… everything is just flawless, really. For some reason though, I just canВ’t bring myself to write that В“WOW!В” Maybe IВ’m getting spoilt by having one amazing episode after another! I think I could do with a В“Paradise TowersВ” or something next week just so that I can learn to appreciate just how good each episode is!

One of my passions is the history of British television, from its dark and murky beginnings in the nineteen-thirties through to the explosion of popularity in the fifties, the great days of the sixties, seventies and eighties through to all thatВ’s happened over the past twenty years. So an episode that deals, or at least touches upon, those great and glorious days of the fools on the hill at Alexandra Palace was always like to be a winner with me. The fact that it comes from the pen of Mark Gatiss, author of The Unquiet Dead, which was one of my favourite episodes of the 2005 run, was an extra bonus, so all-in-all itВ’s safe to say that I sat down to watch this one with high hopes.

Afterwards, I must admit I was disappointed В– but only a little. This is not a spectacular episode of Doctor Who, not one of those epic В‘eventВ’ episodes that will lodge themselves in the memories of even casual viewers. But it is a nice little slice of enjoyable television, and perhaps a little lighter and frothier fare than some of series two has been to date, which is no bad thing at all. Never taking itself too seriously or feeling too laboured, The IdiotВ’s Lantern is the filling in a two-parter sandwich, and slots into place as a breathing space for the series quite nicely.

WeВ’re in the nineteen-fifties, so itВ’s slightly exaggerated theme park history time again, although the show has pretty much always worked this way with its historical settings, perhaps arguably excepting only the very earliest В‘pureВ’ historicals, and painting the background with such broad strokes at least helps to ground us quickly in where weВ’re supposed to be. Once again, however, the TARDIS has gotten it slightly wrong, taking the Doctor and Rose to where thereВ’s trouble in store rather than to where they actually intended to be, which always gives you the impression that the rusty old ship knows more about whatВ’s going on in the multiverse than itВ’s letting on.

ItВ’s the right decade though, which means the Doctor and Rose donВ’t seem to stand out too much in all their fifties get-up, and Tennant and Piper seem to relish getting into the feel of the decade as much as their characters do. I thought that Tennant in particular was rather good this week, being the wise-cracking, moralising kind of a Doctor that Tom Baker was always so good at playing, although of course he does it in a rather different way to Baker. You can see, however, the direction in which Gatiss writes the Tenth Doctor from, and itВ’s very much a fannish one В– once again, no bad thing at all.

Piper, curiously, isnВ’t actually in the second half of the episode very much В– perhaps they wanted to give her some time off, which with the gruelling schedule they have to work on this show would be no great surprise. She does get a great scene where she goes investigating on her own at MagpieВ’s shop В– although perhaps Rose ought to have learned the dangers of wandering off on her own by now! В– but as soon as she has her face sucked off, sheВ’s pretty much written out of the episode just as she was when being locked in a room for the last third of The End of the World. ItВ’s not an entirely satisfying way of dealing with too many characters and lends the episode a somewhat unbalanced feel at times, although on the other hand it does provide some genuine drama for the audience В– if this thing can do this to one of the regulars, then it must be scary!

ItВ’s funny how the blank face effect isnВ’t actually light years ahead of that used in Sapphire & Steel Assignment Four, which clearly inspired it, despite twenty-five years having passed between the two productions. ThatВ’s not to say that the effects on the faces here were in any way bad, because they werenВ’t, just goes to show how impressive the ATV make-up people were all those years ago.

The blank faces give the episode one of its genuinely creepy moments, when the Doctor is in the cage with them all and they begin to move around. ItВ’s a shame there wasnВ’t a bit more menace, really, but most of this I am afraid can be put down to Maureen Lipman as The Wire. An intriguing concept, albeit not exactly an original one, IВ’m afraid I just wasnВ’t sold on LipmanВ’s performance at all, which is a shame as sheВ’s normally quite likeable. She just overdid the cackling villainess business for me, and she wasnВ’t helped by some lines which put you more in mind of The Little Shop of Horrors than anything more Quatermass-tinged.

However, she wasnВ’t the only guest star, and this weekВ’s other main guest turn was the ever-excellent Ron Cook. Never, sadly, a leading man, Cook is one of British television and filmВ’s finest supporting players, and the veteran of many a classic production from The Singing Detective toВ… ermВ… Thunderbirds. Ahem. But seriously, heВ’s as excellent as ever as the tortured Mr Magpie, and seeing him crop up in Doctor Who was a real treat. Danny Webb next week, too! They really are getting the solid guest actors in this series, and no mistake.

The family stuff was a bit naff, although it gave a good excuse to break out the archive coronation footage as the residents of Working Title Street gathered to watch the tiny grey pictures. But why does it already look like a telerecording if itВ’s going out live, hmmmm, hmmmmmmmm? ThatВ’s sloppy, that is. (And thatВ’s humour, just in case youВ’re worried IВ’ve been hanging around Doctor Who websites for too long). Mind you, I bet that episode of Animal, Vegetable or Mineral wasnВ’t even broadcast until 1955 or something, tooВ…

I did like young Tommy, mind, the В“pretty boyВ”, В“mummyВ’s boyВ” who evidently wants something В“beaten out of himВ”. Wonder what that could be? Matthew Graham has talked about his forthcoming episode involving his fascination with the idea that the TARDIS could materialise on your street corner and you could get involved in the adventure, and thatВ’s exactly what happens to Tommy, becoming a pseudo-companion for the Doctor and even getting to save the day into the bargain. All because heВ’s a bit of a saddo electronics geek. Hurrah for anorakism!

Euros Lyn В– when will he be allowed into the present day? В– took charge of the cameras again, and while he mostly did as excellent a job as ever, he did seem a bit overkeen on the slanty camera angles. Anybody whoВ’s ever seen Russell T DaviesВ’s Dark Season will know that some directors think they have to make something seem a bit sci-fi by constantly tilting their tripods to thirty degrees to make stuff look a bit weird, which is a cheap trick that succeeds only in irritating, as far as I can tell. But apart from that it all seemed to be directed with a flourish, and all the other behind-the-scenes departments seemed to be as on-the-ball as ever. Even a bit of a retro feel in some respects this week, given that there didnВ’t appear to be huge amounts of CGI involved. Maybe theyВ’re saving it all up for Gabriel WoolfВ’s comeback.

Speaking of which, didnВ’t the trailer for The Impossible Planet look great? Oddly, the Tardisode for it is pretty pants, but IВ’m really looking forward to this two-parter. WeВ’ve had a bit of fun with The IdiotВ’s Lantern, now letВ’s go into the deep dark depthsВ… of outer space!