Well, letВ’s get the basic news out the way В– this episode wasnВ’t good or well written, it was bloody marvellous, with a very funny and touching script by RTD. Anyone nervous about a repeat of last seasonВ’s Boom Town neednВ’t have worried (and, yes, I know that episode has its defenders but, apart from the restaurant scene, and minus the SlitheenВ’s assassination attempts, I just donВ’t happen to be one of them).

This time around, RTD has noticed that if youВ’re going to have an incompetent and comical villain, itВ’s probably best not to have the Doctor aroundВ…

It seems odd to writing about what is now officially my favourite Doctor adventure, and yet to be almost exclusively comparing it to one of the worst, but letВ’s face it В– we were all nervous. We knew the Doctor and Rose werenВ’t going to be in it much; we knew there was going to an emphasis on comedy; we knew Jackie was going to have a major role В– how could we not be nervous? (and let me say that IВ’ve never thought Camille Coduri was a bad actress, or even that Jackie was a bad character, but, after The Christmas Invasion, I doubted that she could carry an extended role effectively В– particularly without Rose or the Doctor to bounce off).

So, there we all were, sitting down at seven oВ’clock, full of hope and good wishes, but surreptitiously expecting at best disappointment, and at worst abject embarrassment, and the show started. A bit of video diary from Marc Warren, okay so far, and thenВ… well, that wasВ… enjoyable: A blasted landscape, the totemic sight of the TARDIS (was that a nod to 2001?), and then a truly surreal cameo by Rose and the Doctor. Oh, and a monster. And buckets.

After that, I just let it wash all over me, and Christ, was it fun. And not only fun, it was eloquent and touching as well.

The main character, Elton Pope (Marc Warren) was one of a rag-tag bunch В– a group of people whose sole connection to each other was some vague association or encounter with the Doctor. As a child, Elton, woken by the sound of the TARDIS, had gone downstairs and found him standing in the living room with a sombre expression on his face. The others, presumably, had similar stories to tell. But of course we knew who these people really were. They were us. The fans.

And if we were mocked (which we were), then it was with affection. More than that, the script both recognised and reminded us that, if В“Doctor WhatВ” connects us, it isnВ’t what sustains us - that would be ELO, football, the pub, Spain and love.

So, that was one level. Beyond that, we had a lot of insight into JackieВ’s concern for Rose (and given the amount of foreshadowing the fate of Rose is getting this season, itВ’s about time she started wearing a red jumper). It was, as you saw through EltonВ’s eyes and diary, a hell of a burden to bear. Consequently, the failure of Jackie and EltonВ’s friendship was a real blow, and I can only hope that they are reconciled at the end of the episodeВ…

В…Because Elton was a real sweetie. His every encounter with the Doctor was associated with misery and loss В– yet there he was at the end, picking up on and extending Sarah Jane SmithВ’s coda from School Reunion, В“some things are worth the painВ”.

And somewhere in all of this, we had a plot. Of sorts. A grotesque, but essentially inept monster, recruits humans to help him track down the Doctor in order to absorb him and steal the TARDIS. He fails. Indeed, he barely registers as a threat to the Doctor, who facilitates his dispatch almost as an afterthought. Rose and the Doctor are only there so that Rose can give Elton a hard time for upsetting her mum.

All in all, a cracker - pathos, smiles, and some real laugh-out-loud lines and scenes (I particularly liked the ease with which Elton found and made friends with Jackie) В– what more could we ask for?

Thinking about it, I suppose the only thing that I might have asked for was not to be left with the indelible image of oral sex with a paving stone etched on my mind.

Not out of prudery - just from a basic respect for my sanity.

The episode showed some sparks of genius and some fantastic acting but it simply was not Doctor Who.

Amongst the shambling story of everyday folk lies a romantic tale of love and monsters as indicated by the title. Peter Kay is not the only monster on display here as the team of В“Who spottersВ” are drawn together through, loneliness and loss, as well as a need for community and common cause.

Marc Warren carries the story (helped most noticeably Shirley Henderson), easily breaking the camera barrier a trait which has worked well for him in the past in the BBC drama the В“HustleВ”. The use of a video diary to capture his banter and tell the story initially works well, but as the episode unfolds it becomes obvious that this is his (EltonВ’s) story and not really Doctor Who.

When you reach the fifteen minute point and the Doctor has barely been seen, you start to get the feeling that the cast, have had a hiatus while the bag is carried by others. In fact throughout the entire episode you sit waiting for the Doctor to appear which distracts from the story itself. I think David Tennant spent more time on screen during the Children in need episode than he did here.

Stalwart Camille Coduri puts in a good turn as Jackie Tyler, injecting both humor and pathos into her well established character, while Russell T Davies does what he does best, giving new characters depth. Kathryn Drysdale (Bliss) has a very short screen time but is every bit a member of В“LINDAВ” and even Bella Emberg makes a brief but purposeful cameo. The much hyped appearance of Peter Kay is gloriously camp and climaxes with his character Victor/ Absorbaloff running down the street chasing Elton. Kay was definitely the villain of the piece, but lacked the screen presence to epitomize bad as Simon Pegg did in season one.

Overall this could have made a good В“TorchwoodВ” story, offering a Doctor cameo, but really is not what we tune in for on a Saturday night.

Well, I never thought there would be a Doctor Who story that made Dimensions in Time look good...

This episode is bound to divide opinion, but I can't help feeling it was actually decidedly average. Not abysmal, just mediocre.

Let me say this: I am not opposed to the idea of an episode without the Doctor and Rose taking centre stage (or even featuring heavily). This happened routinely in the '60s when the lead actors needed to take a holiday, and I don't think the series suffered because of it. Nor am I closed to the idea of an episode being narrated by a 'third party' as if to give us a view of the regular characters that we would not usually get. Nor am I even opposed to the idea of an episode lampooning Doctor Who fans. The Greatest Show in the Galaxy did this pretty obviously, although it actually seems subtle in comparison with Love and Monsters. Nor am I against oddball stories - I thought Bad Wolf, Father's Day, and The Girl in the Fireplace were all excellent.

My problem with this episode is that is just doesn't work - and that it doesn't add up to anything. Elton Pope had to be a sympathetic and interesting narrator, but surely he was just too geeky and cringe-worthy to appeal to non-fans and too close-to-the-bone for most fans to (willingly) identify with. (Actually, the scenes in the flat with Jackie reminded me of Confessions of a Window Cleaner, but that's neither here nor there).

The point of the episode was obviously to parody fans of the series, but there is a problem with this too: Doctor Who fans do not actually get to meet the Doctor!! And, if it was a parody, what was is SAYING? I find it difficult to detect any coherent message, except that we are all kind of sweet but basically pretty cretinous. And, if the point was to investigate the relationship between fans and the series, surely it missed one very significant idea - i.e. that many fans adopt Doctorish mannerisms in their everyday lives. Or do we become obsessed with the Doctor to make up for some loss - e.g. a parent? Really? Is that a fair - or even an interesting - generalisation?

And what does it say to the new fans of the series we desperately need to retain? You are like this? You will become like this? The series really belongs to people like this and not to you? Perhaps others are smart enough to see a coherent message in all of this, but I JUST DON'T GET IT.

I guess another reading is that we get to see what happens to the people the Doctor leaves behind (like Sarah Jane). But, other than Elton, the 'fans' do not have any backgrounds. (At first, I thought Ursula reminded me of the girl with the collecting tin in Survival, but of course she wasn't - she was just some random.) And even so, the theme is surely not strong enough to sustain a whole episode - it cannot replace the story!

I don't think this episode was as bad as Boom Town! or The Idiot's Lantern, but it really was a missed opportunity. If only RTD had used the slot as a Part 2 for New Earth or Tooth and Claw and fleshed out some of those ideas. Or why didn't we revisit the guy from Rose who took an interest in the Doctor? Or why didn't we touch on a few earlier Doctor Who adventures - e.g. the 'Zygon gambit'. Love and Monsters had the feel of a RDT clips show.

But the biggest problem is simply that the series is losing the knack of telling a good story. This sort of navel gazing would be fine if it ran alongside a story and complemented the action, but here the story was given over entirely to navel gazing.

Admittedly, the brilliance of the series lies in the unique flexibility of the format, and so perhaps we just have to accept that experimentation will sometimes deal us a duff episode. But we are all being asked to tolerate RTD's indulgences. If any other writer served up an episode like this, it would surely go straight in the bin. RTD has got to understand that you can do the funny stuff and the self-reflexive stuff, but it has to complement a good story. Love and Monsters has done something I didn't think possible: It has got me pining for The Krotons.

I love Doctor Who, so it pains me to say this but....Worst episode ever.

This is not to say it was a horrible episode, it had very touching moments and some very good acting by actors I might recognize if I was in the UK. The little bit with Jackie was pretty good too, and shows that even though she slapped the Doctor and was very upset about him taking Rose from her, she has accepted the fact that Rose cares very much for him and Jackie will "defend them to the ends of the Earth".

Still, the "villain" was pretty goofy and even though he would have fit in very well in the pre-Ninth era very well I just don't think he was quite what we expect from our 2005/2006 incarnation.

When I rave about an episode, I just can't stop talking about it but when I see an episode like this, I don't know what to say. The absorbing FX were very good, but poor Ursela's fate even after being freed was a bit disturbing. To live out all eternity as a head coming out of a square made of plaster is not something very many of us would agree too and truthfully it seems a bit cruel (although the quick reference to a "sex life" for the two was rather funny).

I appreciate that Doctor Who in this 21st century world is a bit of a character study but to have an entire episode devoted to a conspiracy theorist's journey just isn't what I'm watching the show for, no matter how likable all the characters are. When "The X-Files" created The Lone Gunmen, they tied those characters very deeply to the creation of Fox Mulder and his journey as a character. If these people really had some tie to The Doctor other than seeing him in passing, it might have worked better. If this guy is a possible replacement for Rose than that would change everything because it would be background story on a companion however that is very, very unlikely. I'm not a fan that needs aliens and 45 minutes of special effects every single week but more time with The Doctor than we had for "The Christmas Invasion" is a requirement to fully enjoy an episode.

Well, that took some absorbing. (Sorry)

I can usually form a pretty strong immediate opinion of an episode these days. Subsequent viewings tend to highlight strengths or weaknesses and my opinion can be revised somewhat. It was rather different when I were a lad; for example, at the time I loved 'Time-Flight' as much as 'Kinda'. (No guesses which story I rate highly now!)

We fret about falling viewing figures because we care about this unique programme, and in the week that Billie Piper's leaving is announced (well timed to ratch up interest in the season finale) we have one of the strangest 'Doctor Who' episodes ever broadcast. I admit that my initial reaction to 'Love & Monsters' was something like "Ummm..." , mixed with a bit of "weeelll..."; throw in some "hmmmm..." too. Blimey, how articulate!

I'd felt challenged...and I rather like that. Maybe Episode 10 will become the 'quirky episode' slot? Twice now we've had a (in my view) classic two-parter followed by something different and interesting. (I liked 'Boom Town' .)

Well, it took another viewing, but I like this episode too. I have reservations, but I thought it had a generosity of spirit typical of RTD. (Well generally speaking; still don't like Adam's treatment in 'The Long Game'!) The casting was obviously even more important than usual, and I thought Marc Warren was absolutely terrific as Elton Pope. I've never seen him act before, and I was most impressed. Shirley Henderson was great, and new to me too. Lovely, sweet, relationship. Indeed, all of 'LI'n'DA' (!) were very well scripted and portrayed, making you care for them in a short period of screen time. There was no mean-spirited 'Whizzkid from 'Greatest Show in the Galaxy'-type scenario' here. (Actually, that's my favourite McCoy story!) The fandom references are very obvious, but not too self-indulgent; well, maybe a little bit...

I thought Camille was great here, whether being scarily flirtatious, angry, sad or vulnerable. Elton's "Steps 1 to 4 of infiltration" mirroring Jackie's 'pick up' technique was hilarious, and Ursula's piqued "...and what a chest" line made me laugh out loud.

Peter Kaye played straight perfectly well as 'Victor Kennedy' , and then had a chance to really enjoy himself as the northern-accented Abzorbaloff. It was pretty funny stuff, and I really howled at the "I spit on them...Klum (sic?)" part. Boy, is this episode going to get a mixed reaction!!!

Okay, 'Love And Monsters' felt like it was walking a tightrope a lot of the time. Moments that didn't make me laugh on first viewing include the 'red bucket' / 'blue bucket' bit (way too pantomime, but, well, I did smile on the subsequent viewing, I admit!) and the reference to a 'love life' between Elton and the unconvincingly 'trapped' Ursula. I'm no prude, but it felt like I was being nudged in the ribs and winked at by Monty Python's "Say no more!" character. How adult and daring! (Still, it was only one line, so perhaps I should lighten up a bit? Nah...I thought it was a badly judged moment.)

So...a very curious episode, probably destined to be a cult in future years, which some will love and others will loath. I'll stick to "like", I think. It was very interestingly structured, and had enough moments about love, loss and repressed childhood memories to balance Peter Kaye running around in a 'fat suit' , the odd crass line and some unbelievable set-ups.

So curious, I can't give it a mark. I don't mean 0/10, I just mean I don't think I've entirely got my head around it!

No, no, no! Dear oh dear what was Russell T Davies thinking? So far this series I have enjoyed every single episode, and the previous two adventures "The Mysterious planet", and the "Satan pit" where two of the best episodes id ever seen. Murray Gold as a composer is, in my opinion getting better and better, and shows the ability to create frankly beautiful work ( an example being the piece that accompanies the scene where the Doctor and the rest of the crew discover the floating body of Scooti Manista outside).We have also had new blood in directors, script writers who show the ability to bring new energy to the show and Ive enjoyed every minute of it, but what the hell happened here?.

While I could hug Davies for bringing back my favourite show, I could equally strangle him for this panotmine of an episode. The quite frankly brilliant cast are completly wasted here, especially poor old Marc Warren, who does the best he can with this rubbish.

I dont mean to be completly negative, but even David Tennant and Billie Piper give below average performances here as we are presented with Benny Hill style run arounds and a naff chase sequence involving a fat man in a rubber suit. Im sorry, but I just got the impression that they'd used up all the budget on the last few episodes!.

I can see what Davies is trying to do here, but Doctor Who has allways had a format, start messing with that and it all falls apart. If your going to do this sort of thing, why not regenerate the Doctor into a woman, give the Tardis console lips and a geordie accent! That would really kill the show off!

I only hope a return to normality next week will repair the damage, and we can just pretend it never happened!