Hmmmm….well I should admit that I've never cared for the Russell T. Davis episodes and so was pleasantly surprised at how much I found myself enjoying the first half of Tooth and Claw. And then it all went so wrong - unsurprisingly, around about the same time that the characters stopped running from the wolf and started talking. Why was the diamond constantly re-cut if its only purpose was to be thrown on the floor at the last minute as opposed to, oh I don't know, say, forming an intricate part of the telescope; where did the monks go when they still had the house surrounded with guns; why did Queen Victoria knight the Doctor and Rose only to banish them from the kingdom immediately afterwards; why did we have to listen to the world's worst, most blatant and completely unnecessary plug for Torchwood (incidentally, if Torchwood has been around for 100 years, how come we've never heard of it before, despite the Doctor working for UNIT both in the old and NEW series); why did Russell think 'we are not amused'' was a funny running gag; how was the house supposed to be a trap for the werewolf when nobody knew about it; and where did the monks get their matrix-like kung-fu abilities from?

On the plus side, the direction by Euros Lyn was fantastic and led to some genuinely tense and scary moment (really looking forward to his upcoming episodes), the production values were amazing and even the CGI looked very good, the acting from the guest cast was of a high standard and the opening banter between the Doctor and Rose was genuinely funny.

I'm still finding it hard to get used to David Tennant as the Doctor as he occasionally comes across as too manic and/or smug but I suspect this is more to do with the script than David's abilities as an actor. Hopefully he'll mellow out a little as the series progresses, much like Christopher Eccleston. It was a shame that after last week's performance Billie Piper returned to being the annoying giggling schoolgirl. If nothing else, New Earth showed she had a much broader range than many have given her credit for, and it was disappointing to see her being given little more than the annoying companion role again (though in the effective 'escape from the wolf in the cellar' scene she did get to be far more proactive).

Ultimately this was an episode carried by atmosphere and taut direction, not by a marked improvement in RTD's ability to write actual Doctor Who as opposed to his ultra-fast paced, sexed-up, over the top, pantomime version. I'd like to quote RTD from the series one boxed set booklet: "…And I had nothing to do with the show's return. That was decided in some as-yet-undocumented discussion between Lorraine Heggessey, the controller of BBC ONE, and Jane Tranter, Controller of Drama Commissioning". So, thank you Lorraine and Jane for bringing back such an amazing, imaginative and exciting show. Now if you could just stop Russell from writing any more episodes you'd make a lot of fans very happy indeed.

What can I say? Absolutely everything I look for in Doctor Who and more. There were a few minor blemishes here and there but the overall package here is impressive it would get tops marks from on any viewing. Whilst it may not be the best Russell T Davies script yet (his witty lines were lost amongst all the atmosphere) it was great to see him trying something totally different (ie not a soap or a space opera) and pull it off with real style. If horror aint your bag bugger off, but I love horror and this was without a doubt one of the finest Doctor Who has ever dished up.

It all starts out so brilliantly with that dynamic opening. Aside from The Unquiet Dead has their been a better pre titles sequence yet? The way Simon commented gruffly “Its not like Doctor Who at all” made me beam with delight, he is not used to being swept of his feet by such fancy camera and stunt work but this is exactly the sort of thing the show can achieve now that it couldn’t before. I was dazzled by these balletic yet arse kicking monks and their raid on the house was truly terrifying. The slick camerawork not only adds a great deal of energy and style but also doesn’t really let you look at the damage these guys are causing so the kids can be scared but only with the implied violence of what is going on.

Hop to the TARDIS for some more rock and roll fun (I love how Russell has introduced more music into the world of Doctor Who, it could often be something of a drab show so it is nice to see the TARDIS spinning through the vortex to some groovy music). David and Billie have a fine rapport already and like the best Doctor/companion teams (Second Doctor and Jaime/Third Doctor and Jo/Fourth Doctor and Sarah/Seventh Doctor and Ace) it is clearly they are absolutely in love with each other and their adventures. The running gag throughout the episode is great and a lovely postmodern touch. The Doctor’s accent slipping between Scottish and English is another fine choice, it’s a shame he should slowly regain his ‘natural’ voice because David’s natural accent is too sexy for words. The best Doctor moment in the entire episode: When he sees the werewolf for the first time…it is not the reaction you would expect when a slavering beast is tearing from a cage and trying to kill but it was 100% the Doctor. Rose isn’t exactly idle either, proving her worth when she manages to escape her manacles and turn the serving staff into a fighting force.

What I was amazed by was how well this episode adhered to the clichés of horror and yet still managed to seem fresh and interesting. Lets face it, a spooky house, people being chained up with a monster, a full moon, the monster escaping and rampaging through the house…these have been done to death in every film, TV show and book you can think of. Maybe it was the crazy ninja monks or the fact that the werewolf was an alien (his story enhanced beautifully by the TARDISode), maybe it was the inclusion of Queen Victoria or the fact that answers to defeating the creature were scattered around the house and well built into the structure of the episode, but this werewolf story managed to be both scary and a wee bit different to those you have seen before. Certainly it tops the other science fiction shows I have watched attempts to pull it off. Buffy was a bit post modern with Phases, an embarrassing costume and far too many gags spoiling what could have been a scary episode. The X-Files offered up Shapes which did have a genuinely chilling transformation sequence but it was tacked on to a ruthlessly boring episode that hardly featured the creature at all.

The direction was right on the nail, astonishingly classy for television and the sort of standard the show needs to maintain if it wants to stay at the top of its game. What impressed me most was how far they were willing to go to scare the audience, there was a few moment in this episode where I was scared so I dread to think what the kiddies went through! The way the episode builds towards showing us the monster, manoeuvring Rose into its path just in time to see it turn is perhaps the best build up for any monster since Terror of the Zygons episode one. The creature in the cage was frightening enough with his silky voice and horrid tar black eyes but once his skin began to stretch and tear…brrr! The actual werewolf was fantastically designed but just cartoony enough to let the kids know they are watching television. Frankly the scariest moment in the entire episode was when the Doctor and Rose are trapped inside a room and the wolf is prowling around outside, purring and growling. Not knowing where he is was much scarier than actually having him right in your face! The biggest cliché comes when one guy says Aha the danger is over, I’ll just investigate over here before he gets yanked up to the ceiling and savagely torn to pieces. How many times have I seen that before…and why does it keep getting used? Because it works and its damn funny! And scary!

The inclusion of Queen Victoria makes the episode far more than the monster fest than it could have been. Pauline Collins turns in a surprising performance with none of the gravity I was expecting but with much humanity and grace. Colour me impressed. RTD tries to pull of his surprise ending again, almost exactly the same as what he did with The Christmas Invasion having an authority figure and the Doctor who have been acting friendly suddenly at odds with each other in a most dramatic way. It’s not quite as good because we don’t know Victoria as good as we knew Harriet Jones but it still comes out of the blue. Its always nice to have a bit of history in Doctor Who and the regulars’ reaction meeting the famous Queen is a delight. There were some lovely touches like Albert’s death being utilised as part of the plot, the giant telescope, which made the episode much more thoughtful than the run-around it clearly is.

Any complaints? Well the running time again I suppose. Does this story feel rushed? Not really because it is basically a bunch of people running around a house and this time RTDS has wisely confined one bloody great idea to the episode rather than chucking a thousand at the wall and hoping that some of them stick. But saying that I still feel these 45 minute stories would benefit from being an hour long, just so you can flesh out the characters a bit more, maybe add a touch more detail. These New Series episodes are being praised for being far faster paced and exciting compared to the drab, slow moving old Doctor Who TV series but they can’t really help that having to squeeze in as much plot in half the length! What I’m missing is the exploration of ideas, the new series has imagination in abundance but we are not have the opportunity to explore these crazy, wonderful ideas in any great depth in case the kids fall asleep so we’ll just have another action set piece instead. The only story that had managed to marry the modern day need for crazy action and the old series joy at exploring the bizarre (and adequately delve into the characters) is The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. Had Tooth and Claw been as long it would probably feel overstretched but just fifteen minutes more to allow us to find out a bit more about the monks, see the household in operation before the invasion, look a bit deeper into the history of the wolf, it would be just as classy but all the more rich.

But I refuse to complain, this has been one of my favourite episodes so far and on the strength of its broadcast viewing, easily my most exciting experience with new Who. The production was sparkling, the writing crisp and the show is clearly still firing on all cylinders after the over stuffed New Earth. Compelling viewing for all ages and a real shit scarer for the kiddies.

We are not amused. We are ecstatic!

The big surprise for this second series of Doctor Who is that actually is Event TV. For the screening of New Earth, I was at a barbeque being thrown by a friend. The whole lot of us broke off from our fun and games on a bright sunny day to watch the programme. I did not insist and none of them are fans, but they wanted to see it. They revelled in the performance of Billie Piper (who as Cassandra reminded us of a man-eater we all know). For the screening of Tooth and Claw, I sat down with my Mum and Dad and we watched it as a family. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, Family viewing is back - and here to stay with any luck.

So, Tooth and Claw - was it any good?

The historicals have indeed been kicked up the arse, so hard in fact they have shot right through the roof and are currently heading for the full mooooooon above our heads. The joy of the new series is that it mixes the traditional storytelling of our beloved show with good old Britishness and modern concepts that we are all familiar with.

There was barely time to draw breath in Tooth and Claw from the outset. We were treated to ninja monks (Crouching Doctor, Hidden Wolf, anyone?), fast-paced drama and a typically erratic TARDIS taking the Doctor and Rose to totally the wrong place yet again. I got the impression that even if there was no chemistry between the new Doctor and the ever-reliable Rose, the story would still have carried it off. Fortuanetly for us, the new pairing is proving to be a joy to behold. David Tennant's turn as the Doctor is delightful manic with bags and bags of personality. Watching his scene in the TARDIS as he endeavours to take Rose to a Blockheads concert in Sheffield in 1979, it was easy to forget that this is only his third episode. Has any Doctor ever settled in as fast as David Tennant? (To which the answer of course is only Tom Baker). The rapport and the respect between our two leads is evident and symptomatic of that the series has now hit its stride. These two time travellers genuinely like each other's company and now the Doctor has thrown off the shackles of his guilt over the Time War following his regeneration, he has been imbued with the boundless wonder and excitement of travelling the universe in the way that we all know and love.

"No wonder you never keep still," said Rose in last year's The Unquiet Dead. Indeed - would you??

The more I learn about the Tenth Doctor, the more I like him (Eccleston who?). He has mad fits of realisation, flips out in rude outbursts, loves Ian Dury, loves adventure and revels in the brilliance of a life that has him meeting historical figures and being held at gunpoint. He is immensley likeable, but having said that, I wouldn't cross him. The thought of the Doctor not giving you a second chance if you mess up still makes me unnerved, and that is a character trait that has been long overdue in returning.

The main plot of the trap set by Father Angelo to assassinate Queen Victoria is wonderful car-crash television - you know what's coming and you don't want to look but you simply can't help it. As the residents of the house are chained in a cellar with the werewolf at the same time the Laird is telling the story of it's legend, we all indeed know what is coming and when it does, there really is no time to draw breath. This is Doctor Who without the padding, a Time Lord with no fat and additives, and it shows in spadefulls. The trap within a trap is a brilliant last-minute turn around that at first I thought was just a cop-out, but if you care to look over the episode again, all the clues are there, disguised not as clues but as throwaway lines. Just brilliant.

The werewolf itself is a wonderful piece of CGI that errs on the side of animation at times and reminded me of the wolf from Box of Delights (or what Box of Delights would love to have created had the technology been around at the time). The lycanthropic transformation itself was gruesome and at one point, I questioned wether or not this would be too scary for little kids before remembering that that is exactly what Doctor Who is designed to do - to scare kiddies behind the sofa or their cushions. Mary Whitehouse will be spinning in her grave. One hopes so, anyway.

Add to this the wonderful central performances from the guest cast. 40 years after her first Doctor Who Adventure in 1966's The Faceless Ones (just think about that - an actress returning to a series almost two generations later...madness), Pauline Collins positively shines as Her Majesty. We get a real sense of grief for her lost husband, of the hierarchy of the time and her expectations of those around her and of her steeliness by carrying a gun in her handbag. This is isn't just a characiture of a very famous historical figure, but a real human being. We will never know if it is an accurate portrayal or not, but from what we know of the monarch, one would think it is.

So - the die has been cast. Queen Victoria founds the Torchwood Institute to defend her realm against outside forces - including the Doctor. Do I sense that this will be the thread throughout the series? Will the descendants of the original Torchwood be prepared for the Doctor? And how will - and if - it fit in with the Cyber climax of the series and the Face of Boe's secret (and fit in with the spin-off series)? It's a nice touch with the werewolf recognising Rose as having "a bit of the wolf" in her (Bad Wolf from Series One) - so have we seen the last of Bad Wolf or was that a red herring?

Only Time will tell, it always does....

(And one of the monks was well fit too. Sorry, but he was).

I had a few issues with New Earth, but expected Tooth and Claw to restore my faith in the belief that В“Series TwoВ” could be the finest in Doctor WhoВ’s rich history, and IВ’m pleased to say Russell T DaviesВ’ second script for the 2006 season did just that.

Firstly, although IВ’m not sure it was terribly essential to the plot, I really enjoyed the pre-titles fight sequence. When you think of some of the staged combats in years gone by (which, relatively speaking, werenВ’t actually that bad) and in other TV shows, particularly low-budget soaps, you can appreciate how awful and false such scenes can look.

But Davies obviously decided if we were going to do it, we might as well do it properly В– and the high-flying monks were as dramatic an opening to an episode as weВ’re likely to see. It was up there with the start to The Unquiet Dead, which I thought would take some topping. IВ’m no film expert, but the fast-moving, inter-cutting of scenes really made this sequence stand out.

There werenВ’t many hugely-original ideas in the script but, as they say, originality is no excuse for mediocrity, and I would rather see a few old ideas woven together intelligently rather than a totally new idea which didnВ’t work. The ingredients for Tooth and Claw did sound promising. Aside from the kung-fu monks, Queen Victoria, a spooky castle and a werewolf were an intriguing mix.

I also enjoyed the TARDIS getting the date wrong again. The omnipotence of the DoctorВ’s ship towards the end of the last series didnВ’t sit too well with me, as you always have the nagging doubt that they can always look into the heart of the TARDIS again to save the Universe. I much prefer the randomness of the TARDISВ’s workings.

Also nice В– not just as a Scot myself! В– to hear David TennantВ’s own accent in the early part of the episode. I was disappointed that Tennant wasnВ’t given the go-ahead to play the Doctor with his Scottish lilt throughout his tenure. I thought it would have followed on neatly from Christopher EcclestonВ’s В“lots of planets have a NorthВ” if the Doctor had a regional accent once again В– and it could have easily been explained away in the script.

After a key role in New Earth, there was a lot less involvement for Rose here, although we tend to take Billie PiperВ’s general excellence for granted now. Tennant was very В“Doctor-ishВ” in places В– indifference at the TARDIS being 100 years out, delight at introducing Queen Victoria to Rose, thrilled by the sight of the werewolf, and the typically-manic piecing together of the method to stop the beast! Tennant doesnВ’t appear to have EcclestonВ’s vulnerability В– this is an altogether more-confident Doctor (akin to his other predecessors) and it will be interesting to see if any chinks develop in his armour.

Pauline Collins was as fantastic as Queen Victoria as we all knew she would be В– that was always going to be a given. The В“bet I can get her to say We Are Not AmusedВ” running gag was a tad predictable, but they just about got away with it.

Best of the rest of the supporting cast for me was Ian HanmoreВ’s Father Angelo. He rather reminded me of Scarman in Pyramids of Mars - very chilling.

Billed as В“one of the scariest-ever episodes of Doctor WhoВ”, Tooth and Claw didnВ’t disappoint in that department. As well as the Menacing Monk, the pre-werewolf incumbent of the cage was one of these moments which could give kids (and a few adults!) nightmares for weeks. As ever, no blood В– but a few close-ups on the beastВ’s gnarling gnashers were genuinely frightening.

The actual transformation into the werewolf was terrific В– the sort of effect which lingers in the viewerВ’s memory. Another triumph for CGI! And, yet again, we must remember this is achieved on a TV showВ’s budget rather than a movie. There was a hint of American Werewolf In London about it, but thatВ’s the point В– it looked like a film effect.

The werewolfВ’s escape from its cage and its bounding along the corridors were also impressive. Despite the obvious cost restrictions preventing too many screen minutes of the creature, that actually made its appearances all the more memorable. Really loved the scene with the Doctor and the werewolf on either side of the door.

As we often say about these 45-minute episodes, thereВ’s only so much you can cram in В– but this one seemed more evenly-paced than New Earth, and the conclusion seemed perfectly plausible. Enjoyed the suggestion that there remains a hint of the wolf about the Royal Family, and the reference to Torchwood at the conclusion was also reasonable В– and a reminder that we have many treats to come this year!

Following on from the unresolved appearance of the Face of Boe last week, it will be interesting to see if this type of teaser is going to be a regular occurrence В– the danger for casual viewers is there will too many unresolved threads, but exciting titbits for the fans nonetheless.

Summing-up, a thoroughly-enjoyable episode, which will stand frequent rewatching. Likely to figure in the high rank at season end, of all the В“newВ” Doctor Whos so far, Tooth and Claw is probably the episode which would have sat most readily in the В“classicВ” series as well as the 21st-century version. And thatВ’s no bad thing. A wee bit of something for everyone . . .

Much better. Much much better.

Well, that said, episode one was good. The ingredients of a sound story were all there but for me personally just let down a bit by being told too fast and time wasted on the silly camp bits- too much bodyswapping made basically unconvincing by being too fast and silly. This one contained no such letdowns.

We knew from the trailers that the werewolf at least was going to look good.So, as I sat desperately hoping that the football wouldn't overrun too much, I was looking forward to this. Euros Lyn showed his mettle on THE UNQUIET DEAD, the first classic episode of series one. In my view he did even better here. Given another great gothic script, we got another great gothic delivery.....

Starting at the start- fast and furious opening that set things up nicely. Enter the Doctor- some may moan about use of psychic paper to ingratiate him at every turn but it's a decent device for a story that has 45 minutes and it doesn't avoid all trouble. And it is a nice change from all those -doctor-arrives-and promptly-gets-suspected-of-whatever's-just-happened openings that became so predictable in the old series.

The period tone was nicely set with dismay at Rose's attire-shades of Tom Baker's attire. Rose, as a born again history groupie, was clearly desperate to hear her Majesty say "we are not amused" though the joke did wear thin after a while. I hope also she isn't going to get captured every week. Though the way she led the others was effective.....

Cue the build up of the mystery and then the revelation of the wolf. Bog standard horror stuff really, but superbly executed. The Doctor's admiration of the wolf's beauty was classic. And, unlike last year's dismal slitheen chases, as the creature hunted the tension never let up. The stoicism of the various characters was good, and the queen gets to shoot a monk!

And so eventually we get to the end. The handy device was there to resolve things, but unlike some previous ones in ROSE or END OF THE WORLD it was effective because in context with the overall mystery, having been set up in the past by Albert.

I would have liked a little more about the past reasearch, the coming of the alien to the monks, their subsequent relationship over the years, and where the heck all those other monks guarding the house vanished to! They were wearing misletoe, so it can't have killed them all! Where did they go? But enough was given by inference for it all to make sense so it didn't end up like one of those McCoy stories where you had to know what was cut in order to understand the plot.

All in all another of DR WHO's classic horror pastiches. Nice to have a TV werewolf tale after getting them in spin off media. LOUPS GAROUX is in my view one of big finishes' best so nice to see werewolves in the show itself. TOOTH AND CLAW was a prime example of the updated format working well. IN 1985 ROBIN OF SHERWOOD delivered episodes like this that were cracking wilst season 22 presented worthy stories that often dragged due to ill-structured 45 minute episodes. Here the 45 minutes slot works, though I still like the longer stories when they appear.

And so, though not a massive K9 fan, SCHOOL REUNION looks good. Onwards.....

Since this series was announced I have been very excited. I looked forward to New Earth with great anticipation, only to be dissapointed. Perhaps this was just a weak opening episode? Perhaps. so would Tooth and Claw be any better? it certainly looked good on the trailers, and the tardisode gave a nice little taster. So would it live up to expectations?

Unfortunately not.

It was definitely an improvement on New Earth, but compared to Series one and the Christmas Invasion, it just lacked that magic sparkle. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something missing from these new episodes; They fail to enthrall. There were a few good set pieces, but overall Tooth and Claw was flat and uninteresting.

I think one of the problems, as with New Earth, is that the story was too fast paced. It just rushed past, many details, such as the "monky monk monks" being forgotten about by the end (another was the Viscum Album imbued doors, which the werewolf broke through 5 minutes after we were told it couldn't).

Tennant, although a supremely talented actor, failed to impress me as the Doctor, and Billie Piper, as Rose, was all too familiar with the new Doctor all too soon. A complete contrast from her uncertainty over the entire first series and the Christmas Invasion (for instance what was the point of the whole "i tell you what... WEREWOLF!" bit?).

I will continue to watch the new series, as i am awaiting some fantastic episodes. i only hope that the other writers will produce the sort of quality stories that i came to expect while watching the Christopher Eccleston series, as RTD's first two offerings have left me cold.