Now this is more like it; a beautiful, properly-paced old-style adventure that really shows up the frantic one-episode runarounds like 42 and Lazarus as the empty vessels they are - and this story actually has a decent central premise that makes it both unlike anything that's been attempted before, and oddly remensicent of the slow-burning more surreal adventures of early Davison.

A lot of the reason this 2-parter works so well, I think, is that it is finally structured like an old-school 4-parter (so far at least). Whereas some of the previous doubles have just been extended episodes 1 and 4, with the first half all slow build-up and the second collapsing into 45 minutes of frantic resolution, as it stands Human Nature is a perfect tradational 1 and 2, with the scary scarecrows arriving at almost bang-on the half way point in time for what would have been a cliffhanger.

Oh yes! It's all just so wonderful up to that point. The acting, the atmosphere, the delicately woven plotting, the nostalgic nods to the show's past. And just when you think it can't get any better, a bunch of scarecrows turn up and start rampaging about with their own patent Wizard-Of-Oz-gone-bad lollop. There's nothing scarier than animated scarecrows, not even clowns, so why it's taken them so long to mine this particular source of kiddy nightmares is a mystery.

Another important reason this story is such a triumph is that it's just so different. I've recently been bemoaning the profusion of urban-set adventures and lack of anything rural during RTD's reign, and bingo - a little English village, country folk, woodland... I've also been getting a bit bored by the regularity of alien invasions and large landmarks becoming illuminated, so again this is looking very promising in that respect. Only "The Family" themselves feel a bit standard, shooting innocent bystanders like the Judoon and generally over-acting in their first scene (all very high school drama class, the weakest moment for me), chewing their dialogue like any number of other invaders.

While we're on weak moments, the bit with the piano was silly but didn't overtly bother me. Only yet more Rose-based mooning soured the cream a little, but only a little. It passed quickly enough.

David Tennant was at his best yet, playing the likeably vague school teacher with total conviction; the scene with our hero coolly overseeing the machine gun practice, and authorising the young lad to be beaten by his colleagues were chillingly out of character. Two honourable special-mentions for me must go to Spaced's Jessica Hynes, who would make a wonderfully different companion were she allowed to stay on - the most enjoyable companions from the original series were often those from very closeted backgrounds having their eyes gradually opened by their travels with the Doctor; and a straight-laced woman in her mid-30s in the TARDIS would be a delight - and an unexpected left-field treat in the form of Murray Gold's score, not the usual metallic pomp and bombast at all. The strange piece of music which accompanied Martha's visit to the TARDIS sounded like a Burt Bacharach instrumental from the 1960s, while the waltz at the village dance was just lovely. Not to everyone's taste, of course, but I like that kind of thing.

So, on to the references. Nods to the past in Doctor Who have a habit of seeming either crassly smug (the horribly misjudged "new science fiction series" moment in Remembrance Of The Daleks), or just shoehorned in for the sake of it. Here they were perfectly balanced; the nostalgic trawl through memory lane combined with the Doctor-becoming-human plot, this almost felt like what the last episode ever would be like. I'm sure I haven't spotted them all, but these are the ones I noticed:

The biggest reference has to have been Mawdryn Undead: a regular character, having taken a post teaching in an all-boys public school, loses all memory of his past adventures; meanwhile one of the pupils is not all he seems. On the same track, the scene between "John Smith" and the young boy is very very reminiscent of a similar scene towards the start of An Unearthly Child. Then there's the cricket ball stunt from Four To Doomsday. The gag about Gallifrey being in Ireland is a reference to at least one Tom Baker adventure (I forget which). There's a musical nod to Remembrance Of The Daleks with the little girl. And the cockle-warming namecheck for Verity Lambert and Sidney Newman, which could have been toe-curling in the wrong hands. I'm sure there were many others too, and I'm equally sure other reviewers will point them out.

I'm almost nervous to watch next week's episode, I desperately don't want them to blow it. As it stands, I would say this was the best Doctor Who episode since the Davison era, perhaps even Hinchcliffe's Tom Baker years. I'm told this story comes from a spin-off novel predating the RTD era; if so it shows in the depth and richness of the adventure. The only depressing thing is that they could and should have been making stories of this calibre sooner. This is how it's done!

After bestowing praise upon each and every one of the first five episodes this year, last week I promised that I would try to find fault with "The Lazarus Experiment". Whilst the above was said entirely in jest, I did watch this week's episode with a particularly critical eye and, if I'm honest, there were one or two things in this episode that I wasn't especially happy with. On the whole though, "The Lazarus Experiment" is another good, solid episode of new Doctor Who. It may not be up there with some of the 'modern' classics, but it was the best thing on British Television all week by light-years.

I think it was in the pre-season Radio Times where I read that Russell T. Davies wanted this episode to have a 'comic book' feel, and if that is the case then it is a sentiment that has definitely transferred onto screen. Confidential made a big deal of "The Lazarus Experiment" paying homage to the James Bond movies, but tuxedos and gadgets aside, that wasn't really something that I bought into - Bond isn't Bond without scantily-clad women and guns! However, the comic book vibe I did get. The beautiful settings ? first in the Welsh Senate Building ('a laboratory in London') and then in a Cathedral ? both had D.C. or Marvel stamped all over them, and even the characters' names reeked of the genre. Doctor Lazarus. Lady Thaw.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am seventy-six years old and I am reborn!"

Thelma Barlow's role as Lady Thaw was much smaller than I expected after all the hype. Unlike 'Mavis' though, Mark Gatiss was given ample opportunity to shine. The chance to be in his favourite show has been something that Gatiss has waited a lifetime for and, although he might not have been cast in the dream role itself, here he gets to sink his teeth into a quite sinister role that could have been written just for him. Who knows, perhaps it was?

The sparring between Gatiss and Tennant is an absolute delight to watch, especially for someone like me who loves The League of Gentlemen as well as Doctor Who. At times their banter reminded me of how I felt watching Simon Pegg and Christopher Eccleston verbally batter each other in "The Long Game", an episode with which "The Lazarus Experiment" has much in common.

When in prosthetics, Gatiss is indistinguishable from any seventy-six year old man you may see in the street. His voice and his gait also help to get across this elderly, almost grandfather-like character. However, following his transformation I did have a bit of difficulty taking Lazarus seriously ? why in the blue hell did they make him look like Dr. Chinnery? I kept expecting him to stick his hand up a cow's backside!

Richard Clark's direction has to be praised, as does the sterling efforts of the production designers and of course, the Mill. From start to finish "The Lazarus Experiment" is visually spectacular. The C.G.I. in this episode is superb; not just in relation to the obvious but also in relation to some of the scenes inside the Cathedral and even the eponymous experiment itself.

I hope I'm not being too harsh in saying that it is really the effects that carry this episode ? the way the monster's mouth opens outwards; the horrific, calcified remains of it's victims; that breathtaking corridor chase that sees the monster spin around 360? as it runs after the Doctor. Some of the shots in the episode are on a par with some that we saw in "Tooth and Claw". In fact, my only criticism of the effects has to be that the monster's mouth didn't seem to move very well at all with the dialogue ? I noticed that they cut away from the monster speaking very quickly. Nevertheless, such a small detail could not detract from such a first-rate effort. I have a feeling that the Lazarus monster is one destined to be long-remembered. Do you remember the one with??

"He seems so human again. It's kind of pitiful."

This brings me to my main problem with the episode. "The Lazarus Experiment" is a good old-fashioned monster mash, and there is nothing at all wrong with that. However, in terms of plot there seems to be very little going on. Stephen Greenhorn has really made a lot out of the drama stemming from the prescence of Martha's family, but the science-fiction element that is driving the story is very simplistic indeed. Greenhorn may touch upon Lazarus' reasons for wanting to live forever, but his back-story is rather predictable and, if I'm brutally honest, dull as dishwater. Gatiss deserved better, really.

That much said, Greenhorn really hammers home the mysterious Saxon's hand in all this. If the rumours about his identity are true, then his interest in Lazarus' work is hardly surprising considering how he has always desperately clung on to life in the past. Looking back on this episode at the end of the season, I'd be very surprised if - as was the case with "The Long Game" - it did not come to light that there was much more going on here behind the scenes. As a stand-alone episode though, I have to say that the story feels distinctly lacking.

"A longer life isn't a better one. In the end you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, the only certainty left is that you'll end up alone."

But as I've said, what this episode lacks in storyline it more than makes up for in spectacle. The final showdown inside Suffolk Cathedral is a thing of beauty in so many ways. The Doctor's eloquent speech. The near-religious imagery of Lazarus naked in the shroud. The Doctor's nod to Spinal Tap: "We need to turn this up to eleven..." Martha hanging from the bell tower. Fantastic!

Looking at the larger story arc for a moment, "The Lazarus Experiment" marks something of a watershed for Martha Jones. It sees her return home for the first time since she begun her travels with the Doctor, and it also marks the first appearance of her family since "Smith and Jones".

"He's dangerous. There are things you should know."

In direct contrast to his navigational cock-up back in "Alien of London", here the Doctor actually gets Martha home within twelve hours. He still manages to earn himself a slap from Mrs. Jones though - "All their mothers. Every time!" ? as throughout the episode she has some sort of 'secret service' bloke whispering in her ear about the Doctor and how dangerous he is. Even so, I think that in this episode Francine comes across as very unlikeable - I can certainly sympathise with Martha's Dad! Even in her fiercest moments, Jackie Tyler was always loveable. Adjoa Andoh portrays Francine as much more austere; a much tougher nut to crack in many ways.

"I know the age thing's a bit weird but it worked for Catherine Zeta Jones."

Martha's sister Tish is also given quite a bit of exposure in this episode, and whilst she is not as severe as her Mother, she comes across as a bit 'up herself' and even a bit shallow. Prior to Lazarus' transformation, Tish won't even give him the time of day, yet as soon as he becomes a handsome young(ish) man, she's all over him! However, it is important to note that at the end of the episode she's there for Martha to catch her when she falls. Literally.

Of the Joneses, only Leo acquits himself as a pleasant, well-adjusted young man, though I suppose it's early days! Jackie, Mickey and Pete really endeared themselves to the audience over the course of the first two years and so I think that the Joneses have a difficult task in trying to replace them. So far, so good though.

I enjoyed the final scene very much. It sees Martha become a 'proper' companion as opposed to a mere 'passenger', much in the same way that Rose 'signed-up' properly at the end of "World War Three." "Okay," says the Doctor, nodding towards the open TARDIS door. "Well, you were never really just a passenger were you?"

And so off they go; off into the forty-second century.

"I'm begging you. I know who this Doctor really is. I know he's dangerous; you're gonna get yourself killed! Please trust me. This information comes from Harold Saxon himself. You're not safe."

On a final note, I'd just like to say 'bloody Eurovision!'

I suppose if you do have to stall the season for a fortnight, then this semi-cliffhanger is a tantalising way in which to leave things, especially when combined with the new Christmas Special-style trailer for the rest of the season. It seems that there is certainly much to look forward to ? Captain Jack back in action; Saxon in an oxygen mask tapping the desk, evilly; a dark and gritty 'real time' adventure out in space; not to mention the "Human Nature" dramitisation. I haven't read the novel for a while, but I don't remember Scarecrows or a Wedding! They certainly seemed to have jazzed it all up a bit for TV, even the Aubertides look far more threatening on screen than I imagined when reading the book.

"He's fire and ice and rage? Loves greatly, but not small-ly. He's Merlin."

Roll on Saturday week!

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this episode to be honest: all-too-obvious mad scientist plot with all-too-obviously named professor, return to Earth, reappearance of plastic Martha's plastic family, CGI monster and so on. All the ingredients for the kind of irritation, boredom and cringing I normally experience during your average New Who episode.

But I was pleasantly surprised by The Lazarus Experiment. Of course it still had token annoyances which have become something of the RTD production-tradition now, but this particular story managed to rise above such irritant factors due to a general seriousness of tone and a well-articulated - albeit not entirely original - plotline.

From the outset, boundaries were being put down by the maturing Doctor towards his latest and rather simpering companion, Martha: for once we had a reason, more like the old days, for the Doctor to return his companion to her time on Earth: he wanted to call it a day and put her back we he found her. And who can blame him? Martha is even more insipid than Rose, but seemingly lacking the latter's attempt at a personality. Martha seems to have none at all. Her fancying the Doctor just seems substanceless and token in its doe-eyed vapidness. There's no chemistry at all anyway. So I thanked God that the Doctor started this episode further emphasising his emotional detachment from her. If only she hadn't hopped back on at the end (but that was his fault admittedly).

This scene also adds a welcoming touch of alienness and detachment to the rather erratically scripted 10th Doctor, and this is greatly welcome. This slightly restless and solipsistic slant on Tennat's incarnation is also nicely reminiscent of early Pertwee's misanthropic fuss-pot of a Doctor, who had childish tantrums whenever his attempts to regain control of the TARDIS for purposes of self-centred escape from his rather mundane UNIT trappings backfired.

This is, in many other ways, very much Pertwee-era territory (sonic screwdriver aside): the 10th Doctor, just like his ever doomwatching 3rd incarnation, pops along - in tuxedo too - to witness the latest amoral experiment turning heads in the human scientific community. In this sense this episode is very reminiscent of the enthralling thriller of Season 8, The Mind of Evil. We also have the ultimate fan reference to the 3rd Doctor: 'reverse the polarity of the neutron flow'.

What I liked the most about this episode wasn't the plot itself, but certain concepts and chunks of explanatory monologue from the Doctor, which added real leaven to what could have otherwise degenerated into a facile run-around. The suggestion that the regenerative process of Lazarus's machine should produce an atavistic reaction in the human body, tapping in to an evolutionary cul-de-sac wherein our genes still contain an aborted DNA chain which could have led us to evolve into scorpion-like insects rather than apes (and then humans), was the stuff of classic Who, and really did add terror to an otherwise ambitious but only half-convincing CGI monstrosity (the body was good, but the air-brushed-on face really didn't work for me, and just looked like a computer graphic, and also not remotely like Gatiss himself) - I think CGI should be scrapped entirely now, and more tangible model work should be employed: the similar man-headed spider creature in the Eighties version of The Thing for me is far more convincing than The Mill's efforts nearly a quarter of a century later.

But what really carries this story is the consumate performance from Mark Gatiss in the title role. In Professor Lazarus, we have, in my mind, the first really charismatic and affecting foil for the Doctor since the new series began. The character is in some ways reminiscent of Julian Glover's immortal turn as Count Scarlioni in the classic City of Death. And of course Gatiss is well aware of his classic lineage in this regard being an out-of-the-closet Whovian himself. He pulled out all the acting stops in this episode, in quite the opposite fashion to how 'Trigger' pushed them all into ham as Lumik in Risable of the Cybermen last year. Gatiss shows how a Who villain should be done: with suave menace and a subtle hint of self-torment. But where Gatiss's performance, and indeed the entire episode, really comes into its own, is during the cathedral scene, as Lazarus cowers in mutating pain naked in a red towel on the flagstones, in a battle of philosophies with the Doctor. This scene was exceptionally well-directed and acted: darkly, subtly, but above all, dramatically. This scene also reminded me a bit of the 5th Doctor's final confrontation with the mutating Omega at the end of Arc of Infinity (and is it just me, or does the young Gatiss bear a vague facial resemblance to Peter Davison?). During this scene also, there is a pivotal and highly resonant retort from Lazarus to the Doctor's comparatively superficial observation of how 'facing up to death is part of being human' - which of course is imutably true; but Lazarus comes back with an equal truism about our contradictory condition: that it is also our instinct to 'cling to life with every fibre of our being' (sic). Even the goggle-eyed 10th Doctor seems struck dumb by this statemtent. Excellent scripting. Here then we have a tale suitably grisly and morally-disturbing as its obvious literary influence, Dorian Grey.

The only trouble that crops up here is that Gatiss frankly steals this episode from Tennant - and though Tennant strains to rise to the occasion - and doesn't do too badly in places -there is no doubting in my mind that this was one occasion, and actually probably only the third of three occasions for me in the show's history, when an incidental actor in a Who story seemed to have 'Obvious Doctor material' stamped all over him in comparison to the current incumbent (the other two occasions for me were Paul Shelley opposite Davison in Four to Doomsday, and David Collings opposite Davison (again, sorry Peter) in Mawdryn Undead). I know Gatiss has long nursed a fantasy of one day playing the lead - partly pampered to in his comedic cameos in the 30th Who anniversary documentary), and this is a potential I haven't been convinced of myself previously. However, on the basis of his turn in this episode, I did feel instinctively that he was more obvious Doctor material than Tennant. In his very RP, throaty delivery of lines, Gatiss oozed the kind of old-style theatrical gravitas that has so long been missing from the Timelord's interpretations. As the young Lazarus, I detected also a passing resemblance to the young Derek Jacobi (turning up of course soon in Utopia, which is tops with me, being a massive fan of I,Claudius, especially of Jacobi's eponymous performance).

The musical extermination of the Lazarus monster was indeed 'inspired' as the Doctor put it - and the sight of him grinding away at the church organ as a means to defeating one of his foes has to surely be one of the most, well, artistic ways in which the Timelord has ever won the day. Definitely inspired.

Subtle hints at the inevitable identity of the mysterious Mr Harold Saxon aside, the other key factor of this episode which I think deserves particular mention and praise, is that for practically the first time since new Who began, we have the Doctor finally using a more erudite and profound cultural reference properly befitting the drama of the occasion than bathetic trendy allusions to Kylie Minogue lyrics or third-rate Eighties films: 'not with a bang but a wimper - Eliot. I also liked the subtlety here of saying 'Eliot' rather than 'T.S. Eliot' - not even spelling it out. This was a truly welcome return to the more profound and poetic days of the glowering 4th Doctor (cue his tendency to quote poetry, as in The Face of Evil and at the end of Horror of Fang Rock). Again, brilliant scripting. And what a polar contrast to the usual contemporary cultural allusions.

To sum up then, this episode certainly didn't go out with a wimper, as I was starting to suspect it might about 10 minutes before its end, with a red-herring conclusion of Lazarus being stretchered away in an ambulance - but the episode hit back with a real vengeance and a philosophically challenging denouement which in itself (that cathedral scene) will, to my mind, go down as a classic moment in the series (both old and new).

Like Gridlock, another pleasant surprise of an episode, The Lazarus Experiment continues to show how unpredictable this season is turning out to be. This is not necessarily a classic story, but it certainly contains some unexpectedly classic moments, which is the next best thing. Mr Gatiss, I'd hand you the keys to the TARDIS any time.

7/10.

42 could only have ever gone one of two ways for me. After a fortnight's deprivation, this episode was either going to satisfy two weeks worth of pent-up cravings or it was going to crash and burn. Now whilst the Pentallian may have avoided that particular fate, in my opinion Chris Chibnall's episode did not.

To try and focus on the positive, I enjoyed Joseph Lidster's prologue that he posted on the official Doctor Who website last weekend. It took me back to the days of the Doctor Who Magazine / New Adventures prologues, which is quite fitting considering that we are headed back into Virgin territory next week.

I should also say that I love both the gimmick of "42" and also Chibnall's cryptic episode title. A 'real time' Doctor Who adventure, 24-style, is hardly unprecedented but it's definitely a first for the TV series. And unlike the advert-ridden 24, "42" is actually an adventure set in real time. No three-minute recaps. No commercial breaks. "42" clocks in at just under forty-five minutes (a good six or seven minutes longer than most episodes of 24) and they truly are forty-five minutes of real time action.

And as for the title, it has so many possible connotations. We have the obvious ? "42", because at the start of the episode the Pentallian has just over forty-two minutes before it will crash into a star. "42", because the episode is (supposedly) set in the forty-second century. "42", because it is the meaning of life, at least according to Douglas Adams, and in his novel The Restaurant at the End of the Universe his characters face a similar dilemma to the protagonists in this story. "42", because it's 24 backwards, a television series which this episode emulates in microcosm. And "42", because Russell T. Davies wanted to chuckle at the Radio Times billing: 42 7/13.

"A playful title" doesn't quite cover it. It's almost X-Files worthy.

However, a clever title alone does not a good episode make and more importantly, in a real time setting it is vital to keep things moving quickly and keep things interesting. Watching 24, for example, I often find it hard to believe how quickly the minutes tick by; so much so that I have my doubts about just how accurate that ticking clock actually is. In "42", unfortunately, I experienced the polar opposite sensation. I thought they'd slowed the clock down! 34 minutes to impact? You must be joking?

"The wonderful world of space travel. The prettier it looks, the more likely it is to kill ya."

If nothing else though, visually "42" is a thing of beauty. The red, orange and brown grading really helps the viewer feel the heat. Both the look of the episode and some of the plot elements reminded me very much of last year's superb "The Satan Pit" two-parter, but sadly I found "42" to lack the same punch. Both stories see the Doctor in a situation that he has never really been in before ? which after nearly forty-five years has to be praised! ? but whereas "The Satan Pit" put the Doctor up against the Devil himself, "42" can't decide whether it's baddie wants to be Darth Vader from Star Wars or Cyclops from X-Men. That's if it's a baddie at all, when you think about it?

David Tennant made me laugh on Doctor Who Confidential when he said that Michelle Collins "in a vest and smothered in baby oil" was one of the best things about the episode; with that I can agree wholeheartedly. The vest and the baby oil help, obviously, but so does Collins' wonderful performance. She certainly makes the best of a very poor script, as does Graeme Harper with his direction. One of the most memorable scenes in the whole episode sees McConnell open the airlock and have herself and what is left of her husband blown out in to space. The shot of them both floating above the sun is a stunning and powerful image, romantic even.

Similarly, David Tennant and Freema Agyeman both give phenomenal performances. "42" documents Martha's first trip in the TARDIS as a 'proper' companion, as it were. She gets her phone jazzed up by the Doctor ? "universal roaming" ? and, in one especially emotional scene at the end, he gives her the key to the TARDIS. Most important of all though, "42" sees Martha truly step up to the plate and become the Doctor's equal.

MARTHA You don't know the Doctor. I believe in him.

RILEY Then you're lucky. I've never found anyone worth believing in.

First of all, it is down to the Doctor to save Martha. Once again, Harper excels in his direction. The escape pod is jettisoned and Martha drifts silently and gracefully away from the Pentallian; no music, no sound. It's another beautiful piece of television.

"I'm scared. I'm so scared? it's burning through me."

And then Martha has to return the favour, just like Rose always did. Here though, I concede that this does feel just that little bit more important. I couldn't say for certain ? believe it or not I can't quote every single Doctor Who story verbatim ? but I'm pretty sure that the Doctor hasn't freely admitted to being afraid before and even if he has, he has certainly never cried out that he's scared as he does here. Sure, he's said "I know, me too" and things to that effect, and I do remember reading Andy Lane's New Adventure "Original Sin" and being gobsmacked to see the Doctor admit to being afraid of death, but this is really something else. To coin a phrase, this is a fate worse than death; the Doctor's worse nightmare. Worse than the Valeyard. He'd not only become a killer, but a mindless killer.

And to be completely fair to Chibnall, from T-10 minutes and onwards "42" improves dramatically. It is like suddenly someone has turned up the volume to eleven! The scenes with the Doctor on the outside of the ship, where he first becomes infected, are breathtaking, and Murray Gold's score really kicks in full force. The momentous piece of music that we first heard a fortnight ago accompanying the 'coming soon' trailer is used here with spectacular effect. I'm something of a soundtrack connoisseur ? nothing beats John Williams' Star Wars Trilogy score in my book but, especially when you consider that he is prolifically churning this stuff out for episodic television, Murray Gold can't be far away from such greatness.

"It's alive? that sun's alive? a living organism. They scooped out it's heart, used it for fuel and now it's screaming? it's living in me. Humans! You grab whatever is nearest and bleed it dry!"

There were a few other things that I did enjoy about the episode. The shot where the light leaves the Doctor's eyes towards the end stands out as a superb bit of C.G.I., and I also liked the pub quiz-like fashion in which Martha and Riley had to try and open the bulkhead doors. The Elvis vs The Beatles question was good fun, especially the 'classical music' joke ? a nod to Vicky's comment in "The Chase", perhaps?

MARTHA: It was nice, not dying with you. I think you'll find someone worth believing in.
RILEY: I think I already did.
[Snog]
MARTHA: Well done. Very hot.

I also liked the fact that Martha got to have a bit of thing with Riley. Until now she's been a bit of a doormat for the Doctor really, but at the end of "42" she certainly wastes no time with Riley. What I'm not sure about though is whether the Doctor saw their kiss or not on the scanner. Inside the TARDIS he's clearly very shook up about what he has just been through, but his vacant expression says more than that. Much more.

"Have you voted? Mr. Saxon will be very grateful."

For me, the most interesting part of "42" was the whole Martha's Mum / Mister Saxon segment (Hang on, Mister Saxon? Isn't that an anagram of Master Number Six?) I'm developing a massive dislike for Martha's mother (just as I'm supposed to), and although whether she is being leant on by Saxon's people or whether she is happily assisting the sexy and sinister Miss Dexter (Elize du Toit) in her investigations is unclear, things are certainly getting very interesting very quickly. It's 'Election Day'?

Whilst I'm on this point, was it my imagination or was is it Phil Collinson playing Miss Dexter's bodyguard on the left hand side of the screen?

So in the light of the above, why do I not have a higher opinion of "42"? In short, because I think that the plot is absolute rubbish; words like 'dreary' and 'predictable' do not do it justice. Ten minutes of high-octane action at the end cannot excuse over thirty minutes of tedium. I really cannot get my head round how Chibnall could write four of the best hours of British television in recent memory ? the fantastic Torchwood episodes "Day One"; "Cyberwoman"; "Countrycide"; and "End of Days" ? and then when he gets the chance to write for the big one, to write for Doctor Who, to screw it up so utterly! It's tragic really as all the other elements in "42" work so well ? all the actors' performances; the direction; the effects; the music?

A waste.

In fact, so massive was my disappointment with this episode that I would go so far as to say that it is not only the worst episode of Series Three so far, not only the worst episode of the new series so far, but the worst televised story since "The Greatest Show In The Galaxy" back in 1989. Even the Confidential team, who have until now this year quite comfortably filled their expanded 40-minute time slot with new series material, had to resort to a lengthy trip down memory lane to examine the spaceships of the classic series.

However, I am often guilty of reactively judging episodes a little too harshly only to have them grow on me over time. To make doubly sure, I watched "42" again this morning and again, I got bored after about three minutes.

Furthermore, I haven't seen such a divide in the opinions of fans since "Love & Monsters" aired last year. I posted a bulletin on www.myspace.com/historyofthedoctor to ask my friends on there what their thoughts were, and comments ranged from 'one of my favourite episodes' and 'a future classic' to 'a bit of a disappointment' and 'total let down'. I guess it all depends on how you like your Doctor Who ? I admit that I'm not usually into the hardcore sci-fi episodes (unless they are particularly strong on the human element).

So whilst "42" certainly has it's fans out there, in my book at least the new series producers have churned out their first true clanger. For the first time since 2005 I have to say that this week, Doctor Who wasn't the highlight of my viewing ? an especially hilarious edition of Friday Night With Jonathan Ross (incidentally featuring John Barrowman and an exclusive clip of "Utopia") has stolen that honour.

Phew...that was some ride! I am beginning to think I should hav docked the preceeding Dalek episode a point as 10 days on I feel less positive about it. But Lazarus didn't disappoint in any way.

It was great to see Mark Gatiss on screen, and he gave Doctor Lazarus a wholly believable aspect (though my wife thought the "old man" makeup was poor). I was expecting a kindly old gentleman but what we got was a creepy, smarmy, dirty old man - right from the get go you realise Lazarus isn't nice even if he obviously is not evil. That often makes for the best of villians, they are more believable if you can see they're not just bent on destruction. Lazarus has a motivation for what he is doing, and in the same circumstances many sane people might do the same.

We also got to see Martha's family for the first time since "Smith & Jones", but isntead of the soap scenes with Jackie Tyler we are treated to an altogether more satisfactory situation where they are attending Lazarus's great unveilling of his life's work.

And what of his invention? Something akin to a regeneration chamber funded by Mr Saxon...if the rumours are true Saxon might well have good reasons for funding Lazarus's reserach! It is worth pointing out at this juncture that I have been pleasantly surprised that Saxon has not been mentioned every other sentence this year, I felt there were far too many Torchwood references last year.

As we all know, Laz's experiment goes wrong and his DNA becomes unstable forcing him to change into a hideous monster...and back into the young Lazarus. I felt the monster was good, but not necessary. Some of the dialogue between the Doctor and young Lazarus was truly excellent, a treat in an era of modern soundbites and something we wouldn't have had from a Davies-penned script (though his humour in Gridolck was fantastic).

The twist, where we think Lazarus is dead with 15 minutes to go was well handled. I really felt we were going to go off on some other tangent, and hoped it wasn't a prolonged family scene chez Jones. When it became Lazarus wasn't dead after all that was a nice surprise.

Also wonderfully written and acter was the scene where the Doctor tries to leave Martha behind. I really found myself wondering if he was going to leave her! Given how well Martha's character is working out I was very glad he didn't.

The final scenes in the cathedral made for a thrilling climax, with the Doctor's organ playing quite an appropriate way to do away with the monster in a non-violent fashion.

Overall this was very strong, if not perhaps a classic. Stephen Greenhorn's script is among the very best in terms of dialogue and the pacing of the direction was superb.

8.5/10

In 25 years time, all the nostalgia-obsessed 30-somethings will be discussing TV shows they watched when they were little and recalling that episode of Doctor Who in which there's a spaceship falling into the sun with a crew of strange aliens that need glowing balls to communicate, Martha gets blasted off in an escape pod, the Doctor's eyes glow, he puts on a red space-suit, goes down into a dark pit and meets Satan. And the guys in the gas-masks with hieroglyphics all over their bodies burning people up.

Yes, it's the Satan Pit all over again - if not in story, then certainly in look and feel. It's another patchwork homage to sundry genre movies, mostly too obvious to list here (though most effectively in the beautiful Space Odyssey-esque moment of silence as Martha's pod is ejected towards the raging computery sun-graphics). And like The Lazarus Experiment before it, it's an efficiently-entertaining romp... never dull, but hardly pushing boundaries; disposable amusement that doesn't linger in the imagination much beyond the end credits (unlike, for example, the haunting Girl In The Fireplace).

There are some howlers too, mainly concerning Martha's escape pod. Why put the controls for the pod on the outside of the ship? Why put them just out of reach of the airlock door? Why wasn't the Doctor frazzled?

All in all, I'd say it was a very effective episode 3 and 4: plenty of action, plenty of danger, a nice high body count. Now, if only we could find out what happened to parts 1 and 2, we'd have a perfect Doctor Who story!