В‘The Christmas InvasionВ’ and В‘New EarthВ’ convinced me that Russell T. DaviesВ’ Doctor Who scripts are improving, but nothing could have prepared me for В‘Tooth and ClawВ’. Visually impressive, action packed and gripping, and with a great script the episode is easily the best new series episode since В‘The Empty ChildВ’/В‘The Doctor DancesВ’.

Director James Hawes does a fine job of directing the episode, and the opening location filming as the monks arrive at Torchwood House looks stunning, the moody sky and bleak moorland giving events a wind-swept and vaguely hostile feel from the start. The scene of the monks attacking the household staff is a minor blip; the fight scene is superbly choreographed but the slow motion kung-fu high-jinks manage only to be derivative of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon rather than, as presumably intended, paying homage. But the terrified screams of the household as they see what is inside the cage immediately compensates, and the rest of the episode is largely flawless, Hawes bringing a tense, thrilling feel to proceedings as the Werewolf hunts down the occupants of the house. The sets are stunning, another reminder that the BBC excels at period pieces. The CGI Werewolf caused me some concern when I first saw the episode trailer at the end of В‘New EarthВ’, but whilst it isnВ’t perfect, HawesВ’ wisely keeps it largely off-camera as much as possible, providing only brief glimpses of it for much of the episode, and the moody lighting further conceals its limitations. The result is suitably scary, as the slavering monster runs amok. In fact В‘Tooth and ClawВ’ is probably one of the most frightening episodes to date; the limitations of the time slot mean that we never see any gore, but we hear the screams and sounds of ripping flesh off-screen, and it conveys all the gore that is required.

The episode is largely very well written, with few of the gaping plot holes that have marred DaviesВ’ previous episodes. The Werewolf manages to bridge the divide between science (fiction) and magic, portrayed largely as a traditional beast complete with need for moonlight, and partly as parasitic alien entity that has possessed and transformed a human host. Some aspects of the script could have been improved; it isnВ’t clear for example whether the Werewolf is actually collaborating with the monks, or merely used by them. It tells Rose that it wants to migrate into Queen Victoria and rule the Empire and thus, at that period in history, most of the world, and Father Angelo also tells Victoria that he wants the throne. But the monks keep the Host caged, and protect themselves against the beast by wearing mistletoe wreathes, which suggests that the monks want to use the Werewolf as an assassin, not actually place it on the throne. Which does rather raise the question of why they donВ’t just kill the Queen when they have her at their mercy. More irritatingly, the monks vanish at the end after the Werewolf is destroyed, and arenВ’t mentioned again; presumably they leg it once they know theyВ’ve been defeated, but it would be nice to have some acknowledgement in the script.

The regulars work particularly well in В‘Tooth and ClawВ’. The first scene in the TARDIS, as the Doctor spouts gratuitous pop culture references, curses Margaret Thatcher, and has Ian Drury and the Blockheads blasting out of the console is profoundly crass and deeply irritating, but this is a momentary lapse; once the Doctor and Rose step out into the Scottish countryside, they start getting great lines and great banter, such as the DoctorВ’s glee at discovering that they are in Scotland and immediate adoption of a David TennantВ’s real accent and his pained, В“DonВ’t do thatВ” when Rose makes an incredibly bad attempt to do the same. ItВ’s genuinely amusing, as is much of their dialogue here. And the alias Doctor James McCrimmon is a charming but unobtrusive nod to the past. Their bet, that Rose will not be able to make Queen Victoria utter the immortal words, В“We are not amusedВ”, is entertaining at first, and then starts to grate. But Russell turns the conceit around, with subsequent unsubtle attempts to make her issue the phrase being met with the furious response, В“You find this funny?!В” Davies structures the plot well, making use of both his regulars without needing to sideline one of them; whilst the Doctor dines with the Queen and Sir Robert and thus hears the story of the local Werewolf, Rose discovers the maid and is subsequently imprisoned with the creature, whereupon she alone of the prisoners has the nerve to talk to it. This serves to demonstrate how used she has got to dealing with the unusual and terrifying, but also provides exposition that doesnВ’t feel like an infodump. It is also RoseВ’s quick-thinking and bravery that allows her to rouse the household staff into pulling together and ripping their chain from the wall, thus saving herself and them from immediate dismemberment.

Best of all, the Doctor, for the third episode in a row, gets to save the day. Tennant is at his most В“DoctorishВ” here, the script showing off all sides of his persona without it feeling like Davies is just running through a list of character traits ad hoc. The DoctorВ’s expression is one of excitement on hearing Sir RobertВ’s story of the Werewolf, and his first reaction when he comes face to face with the creature is to exclaim with a look of sheer fascination, В“Oh, thatВ’s beautiful.В” Trapped in the library, he reads books to work out what is going on, putting on his spectacles with a business-like air and announcing, В“This roomВ’s the greatest arsenal we could have! Arm yourselves.В” And with Sir RobertВ’s father and Prince Albert long dead, it is the Doctor who realises that the house is В“a trap inside the trapВ”, as he deduces what the В“telescopeВ” is really for and why the Prince obsessively sought the perfect diamond.

The supporting characters also work well, which isnВ’t always exclusively the case in these single forty-five minute episodes, and it helps that the cast is first rate. Chief amongst them is Pauline Collins, who of course previously appeared in the series as Samantha Briggs in В‘The Faceless OnesВ’, as Queen Victoria, and she is absolutely superb. Victoria is convincingly regal and imperious, but more than that she works as a person, sounding utterly devastated as she talks of how much she misses Albert, and filled with fear and anger as the Werewolf closes in. Collins gets several especially great moments, including the QueenВ’s trembling but steadfast defiance of Father Angelo, whom she shoots dead, and the scene at the end in which she knights the Doctor and Rose and then banishes them from the Empire. This is unexpected; itВ’s so easy to take for granted the DoctorВ’s easy ability to befriend significant figures from history that it comes as a genuine surprise when she condemns his lifestyle, angrily telling the pair, В“I know that you court with stars and magic and think it funny.В” Also worthy of note is her withering response to Captain ReynoldВ’s over-the-top response to her joke at the dinner table, as she icily promises, В“I shall contain my wit, in case I do you further injury.В”

Derek Riddell is very good as Sir Robert, a man forced into treason by fear for his wife, and torn by guilt; inevitably he gets to make a noble sacrifice, buying time for the Doctor, Rose and Queen Victoria. His wife, Lady Isobel also works well, Michelle DuncanВ’s fine performance benefiting from a script that allows her character the brains to realize why the Werewolf didnВ’t attack them in the kitchen, and the courage to lead an attack on the beast, thus saving RoseВ’s life. The erstwhile Captain Reynolds is the epitome of a loyal and brave soldier, also sacrificing himself to buy time for the others to try and escape, and Jamie Sives is perfectly cast in the role. As for Tom Smith as the Host, heВ’s astonishingly creepy, his voice alternating between keening falsetto and bestial snarl in chilling fashion. Ian Hanmore is also worthy of mention, as the rather intimidating Father Angelo.

В‘Tooth and ClawВ’ ends with Queen Victoria prompted by the terrible events that she has experience to establish the Torchwood Institute to combat such unusual threats to the Empire. This is of course a further lead into the forthcoming spin-off series revolving around the mysterious organisation, which was first mentioned in В‘The Christmas InvasionВ’, and some fans have already complained about the blatant self-promotion. And yet I think it works well here, Davies providing the slight twist of Victoria being at least partially inspired to establish the Institute by her distrust and dislike of the Doctor. Since weВ’re undoubtedly going to get further mentions of Torchwood in order to hook potential viewers of the series, they might as well have some significance to the plot of the episodes they are in.

Overall then, В‘Tooth and ClawВ’ is, in my opinion, the best episode of Doctor Who that Russell T. Davies has written to date, with even the obligatory gay joke on this occasion proving genuinely funny rather than simply pointless, as the Doctor tells Sir Robert that he wasnВ’t immediately suspicious of the monks because, В“They were bald, athletic, your wifeВ’s away. I just thought you were happy.В” Less welcome is the Werewolf telling Rose, В“ThereВ’s something of the wolf about youВ”, which just brings back painful memories of the end of В‘Bad WolfВ’/В‘The Parting of the WaysВ’. One thing IВ’m not sure about however is the significance of Queen VictoriaВ’s possible Werewolf bite. It seems suspiciously like an excuse for setting up the stream of largely feeble В“TheyВ’re werewolves!В” jokes at the end. But who knows, maybe Davies is planning a sequel in which Prince Harry becomes a Werewolf in Nazi fancy dress.

Tooth and Claw begins at a frenetic pace, and once started on that road never lets up for any of the following forty-five minutes. It has been well-documented that one of BBC Head of Drama Jane TranterВ’s specific notes for series two of the new Doctor Who was that the historical episodes should be given В“a kick up the arse,В” and this seems to have been very much taken to heart by director Euros Lyn, making a welcome return to the show for the first time since The Unquiet Dead last year.

Which is fitting, as Tooth and Claw is an interesting comparison with that Mark Gatiss episode В– the Doctor meets a famous figure from British history in the Victorian age, but not in England, and confronts a famous archetype of villainy, in this case a werewolf as opposed to ghosts and zombies. LynВ’s direction, however, is very different; all hand-held cameras and lots of movement, and although this does give a real vigour and immediacy to the episode, it also has its weaker points. The slow-motion monk fight at the beginning, for example, looks utterly ridiculous and I found it impossible to take at all seriously. Which is a shame given the purpose of a pre-titles sequence is to really draw people in, but then again it was the only visual element of the episode that I felt let the side down at all. He can be forgiven for it, however, for lovely directional ticks such as actually showing us just how the Doctor and Rose ended up laughing together on the floor of the TARDIS back in The Unquiet Dead В– now thatВ’s continuity!

There was so much going on on-screen that it was easy to miss things at times В– for example, it wasnВ’t until the second viewing that I spotted that Flora running upstairs to hide herself away is shown at the start, and she doesnВ’t simply turn up randomly in RoseВ’s wardrobe later on without any warning. Flora herself provides another comparison to The Unquiet Dead, drawing obvious parallels with that episodeВ’s serving maid Gwyneth, and other characters Rose met throughout the first series, such as The End of the WorldВ’s cheery but doomed plumber Raffalo. Indeed, it has become something of an in-joke in fandom that any guest character who Rose seems to take a liking to is in for a grisly end, so Davies no doubt relished dangling such a promise in front of us В– with Rose assuring Flora that sheВ’d be safe В– making us all think В“ah, sheВ’s in for it then,В” only to have the young girl indeed survive the ordeal in one piece.

Billie Piper herself had less to do in this episode than she did in New Earth last week, and it wasnВ’t RoseВ’s most pro-active episode. She was also saddled with a joke about Queen VictoriaВ’s famous catchphrase that seemed to be used a few too many times to me В– I felt it would have been all right once or twice, but Davies played too many times. Again though, itВ’s one of the episodeВ’s very few faults В– that and the fate of the monks were the only holes I could really pick in the script. Father AngeloВ’s death at the hands of the Queen was nice but rather glossed-over, and as many other fan commentators have said, where did all the other monks disappear off to afterwards?

David Tenannt must have relished the chance to use his own accent as the Doctor for a change, and I found it particularly interesting as when he was cast I was hoping he would play the Doctor more in the mould of his character Scottish DI Peter Carlisle from the 2004 BBC One serial Blackpool rather than more towards his Casanova performance from last year, which is what he seems to be doing. Although aside from the accent and the claim to be called В‘James McCrimmonВ’ В– a lovely throwaway gag for the fans В– the characterisation didnВ’t actually change all that much with the accent. The Tenth Doctor is seeming rather manic and, as with the В“highest authorityВ” business in New Earth, a little too sure of himself at times, which must be laying groundwork for something to come later in the season. Victoria herself spots it in the library, picking Rose and the Doctor up on their irreverent attitude in a similar manner to Harriet Jones in the cabinet room in World War Three last year. That she later banishes him from the Empire comes as a shock to the Doctor, even though the ban is of course basically unenforceable, but he doesnВ’t seem to take it too much to heart as a few minutes later heВ’s happily laughing and joking with Rose about the present royal family being werewolves. Will he get over such a come-uppance again so quickly next time?

There seemed to be a lot of this foreshadowing of things to come in the episode. The Doctor's reaction to the QueenВ’s little speech about ghosts was certainly interesting. Empathising with the Queen, I thought, as heВ’s lost so much too. A nice little moment, but again it had the feeling of things to come. A more obvious example was VictoriaВ’s decision to found the Torchwood Institute at the end В– at first it seemed like a subtle-as-a-brick advert for the forthcoming spin-off series, but comments in the MP3 episode commentary from the BBC website suggest that Torchwood will actually have a part to play in the season finale, so it might all tie in more closely to the parent series after all.

Anyway, back to the episode itself rather than the hints it may or may not have contained about the future, which at the moment we can only guess at. On a purely personal and really picky note, the Doctor being so au fait with Ian Dury and the Blockheads irritated me a little, as IВ’ve never really liked him being so familiar with the pop culture of his writers. It used to annoy me when the New Adventures did this every month, which was why I liked Davies subverting it himself in Damaged Goods by having the Seventh Doctor be completely ignorant of the Pet Shop Boys. Still, I donВ’t suppose itВ’s something that would have bothered anybody else, and itВ’s hardly a major complaint.

One aspect that certainly cannot be faulted, in my view anyway, is the performance of Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria, making a very welcome return to the series thirty-nine years on from her previous guest appearance. Most portrayals of Victoria have her being rather dour and regal, especially following the death of her husband Prince Albert, but DaviesВ’s script allows Collins to inject a humour and vigour into the performance that really makes her seem like a fresher and more interesting character. She also has an insight that characters from the past В– who, being from the past, are usually of course all very stupid В– are not normally allowed to possess, which is also a nice change.

Of the other guest cast, for me Tom Smith as the Host and the freaky-looking Ian Hanmore as Father Angelo stood out, although the rest were all very good as well but with simply not enough screen time to make a huge impression. SmithВ’s voice in his scenes as the Host was suitably unnerving, and gave the character a real creepiness that made him disturbing even before he became a great angry CGI werewolf.

Ah yes, that wolf. I know praise and disdain have been heaped upon it in equal measure, with on the one hand some fans saying it betters Hollywood fare, and on the other one tabloid newspaper critic claiming the episode had В“ZX Spectrum effectsВ”. I felt it was very good, for CGI В– it never looked anything other than a computer graphic, of course, but it was certainly a very good one. Some shots of a real costume with texture and interactivity with the actors might have helped, but usually the wolf was seen so fleetingly it didnВ’t matter. It was an impressive achievement, one of the MillВ’s best efforts and perhaps one of the best effects seen to far in the new series.

A nice little plot, well-explained and on the whole well-executed, very good performances as always and a great look to it. Perhaps a smidgen too fast in places, but thatВ’s a very small complaint about what was on the whole a fine episode in a fine series.

Not too sure about this one. Very mixed feelings about it. There were good bits of it and there were not so good bits of it and I canÂ’t decide which outweigh which.

At the beginning I thought I was watching the wrong show or that we still watching those stupid BBCÂ’s snippets they have between programs like the ones they have where the Salsa dancers are dancing in the rain. I know the show has progressed a lot but it was almost as if RTD had overdosed on Champagne as he suffered from writers block after the success of the first series, fell asleep then woke up and decided that the history of Queen Vikkie should be crossed with Crouching Tiger Hidden Tiger and decided to add a werewolf into the mix for the hell of it. DonÂ’t get me wrong the dialogue between Rose and The Doctor was fantastic but in some scenes both main characters seemed to interact woodenly with the other people in the story.

There is some other praise to be given Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria was exceptional except for the last speech about making Torchwood Institute, I think that was added later to tie up the creation of Torchwood and I donÂ’t think it worked that well here but we will have to wait and see how well it works later in the series and how they integrate Torchwood in the stories. I also think the Host was excellent he was very creepy and it was good that it was brought back into the story that Rose was the bad wolf and I also think excellent acting was shown by Lady Isabella and Flora the maid. Shame the same canÂ’t be said about Sir Robert who was dull as dishwater and had the chance to bring more of a presence to the role.

I also think some kudos should be paid to The Mill for the excellent werewolf which was better than other efforts I have seen in other shows and also for the really scary change from person to beast though I am guessing the Costume department was on holiday (The judo suits were just too red and so out of place in the scene. That was probably the point but still I donÂ’t think it fitted well with the episode). All in all I donÂ’t think the episode will top the list of all time best episodes though it was better than The Long Game from last series. In hope RTD looks at this and learns not to throw too many things together in one episode; either that or I will re-watch it and decide that my tablets had made me all funny and thrown my perception off.

Tooth and Claw was going back to the old hammer horror route and it had some genuinely scary scenes in it. Going back to Scotland for the second story of the new Doctor brought back reminders of "The Highlanders" and the Dr's nod back to Jamie McCrimmon was neatly done. The We are Not Amused scheme was a bit of a laugh. The reference to Bad Wolf was a neat bit of continuity with Rose and you wonder if this might lead on further again later in the series.

Getting used to David Tennant as the new timelord is intriguing and this business about going to an Ian Drury in 1979 was an unexpected start which would have gone over the heads of many of the kids watching though the Mums and Dads would be happy. Quite zany, and at least we got the Dr and Rose spinning around the console before the bumpy landing.

I did like how Queen Victoria turned the tables on the Doctor at the end and took a dim view of his escapades with Rose.

I found it a bit inconceivable though that the Queen could turn so quickly after knighting the Doctor and Rose. Eh? While the twist was a good one, I don't think the knighthood bit was necessary as it was a bit of a severe flip?

I definitely enjoyed the episode and the wolf was highly impressive. Pauline Collins made a good Queen Victoria and the way she treated Rose was intriguing.

There were some great scenes which really built up the tension as the wolf was on the loose. Very psychologically scary without seeing any blood! Clever stuff as it was all in the mind when the Dr and friends could hear the wolf lurking but they did not know where from. The transformation into the werewolf was quite horrific and the Who team can be justifiably proud of their efforts.

One minor issue with Tennant is he seems to spit out the dialogue at a ferocious speed sometimes, and as a Scotsman, even I have trouble understanding him!!!

I got a lot of enjoyment out of the episode because of its high production standards, the creepy wolf scenes and of course, the scary cage and those big brooding eyes of the wolfman.

Rose's attempts at a Scottish accent were funny. Hoots mon indeed!

But overall, I felt the programme was dark, atmospheric with some of the usual snappy dialogue we come to expect. The acting of the Scots was particularly good (Tennant included!) and the taking over of the mansion was an impressive.

All in all, a silky fun production with some good acting and great effects, setting us up neatly for next week's back to the futuresque K9 return.

Two stories into the new season with the promise of Sarah Jane Smith and K9 to come, Tooth & Claw sees mention of another former companion as the Doctor assumes the identity of "Dr James Mcrimmon" of the lands of Balamory ("What's the story in . . . ??"). Yes - some typical RTD contemporary jokes come into this rather untypical RTD script - The Muppet Movie, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Margaret Thatcher also get a mention in the first 10 minutes! This is a very dark story contrasting with the season opener "New Earth". The very classy looking opening daylight shots of the slow motion fighting monks and the Doctor and Rose's introduction to Queen Victoria leads into mainly night and dark interior shots - ideal settings for the werewolf!

This is a tight story fitting quite nicely into its 45 minute format with a small but convincing cast and, in true Doctor Who tradition, lots of corridor chases. A slightly less than usual invasion concept - the monks plan to take the monarchy from Queen Victoria and a suitable trap is laid with the Doctor and Rose becoming unwittingly involved. DT is totally centre stage again, commanding a fine performance - especially his curiosity and fascination in the werewolf. A slightly more casual look too with no tie and an open necked blue shirt under the suit.

The comedy is there - Rose is determined to win her £10 bet with the Doctor that Queen Vic will say her infamous catchphrase - but is pleasantly restrained to allow the action to take place. And the action is convincing with some good morph scenes for the werewolf and some good fight scenes. This is adult DW at is best and, as writer Steven Moffat DW Confidential later alluded to' the fear factor very close to a later screening time, The late Mary Whitehouse will no doubt be turning in her grave!!! Unlike many others, I love the incidental music - I think it is so far more effective than the very repetitive electronic background of the 1980s.

There is much for everyone in this story - because the plot is not too complicated it leaves for the suspence to take lead. And then, just as the references to Torchwood have been building up, a revelation at the end that Queen Victoria herself set up the organisation that will play an important part for Captain Jack and indeed the Doctor in coming months.

One week to go to K9 - am I enjoying this run so far? Affirmative master!!

This is the episode I've been waiting for. Simply and utterly amazing. This beats most of my favourite Doctor Who episodes to the top spot, and so it should. When Liverpool won the football 2-1 I breathed a sigh of relief as I awaited what I thought would be another average RTD story, and oh how I was wrong!

The story starts with a bang as a group of monks with a hint of Quientin Tarantino style directing, raid Torchwood House in 1979 and inprison the house keepers in a basement with a caged Werewolf. The werewolf is his human form is almost as scary as his moonlight inspired appearence; the washed out colour of the whole episode makes it seem movie-like and very dark and eerie.

Pauline Collins as Queen Victoria was playing the part brilliantly and brought a sense of normality to the story which was later broken by the discovery of her late husband Albert's invention, which by the way was a great plot twist.

One niggle though - I think that the Doctor and Rose are getting far too confident of themselves. They are laughing at atmospheric and creepy scenes as if they are under the assumption that they will definately solve yet another mystery, and will continue travelling through time and space. This was the best thing about the new series. It seemed as if the audience were learning the wonders of time travel at the same time that Rose was. As Queen Victoria rightly mentioned that this was not the time for jokes.

The ending was the worse part for me. The Doctor EXILED!? This hasn't happened since the Jon Pertwee years. The story ended as if Victoria hated them both; which was clearly not the case throughout alot of the episode. It was a nice twist with the whole Torchwood Institute idea and the "Werewolf-blood"; which just so happened to occur a day after Queen Elizibeths 80th. Are we to believe that our Queen turn into a hairy beast every full moon?

Anyway, overall a thrilling episode that scared me (and I'm not a coward to admit it). The direction, the writing, the scenery and the massive link the ending had to future episodes. See my New Earth review and I will have mentioned how I believed RTD can not write Doctor Who stories. I go back on that. This just goes to show how good Doctor Who 2005-6 really can be.