This was a clever story. The interesting point for me is that I (aged 38) loved it. The kids (9 and 11) got restless, a bit bored. All that love stuff. Yuk! And even the 11 year old asked where the horse came from? Why was it on the spaceship? (I've said we'll have to watch it again and see if we can find out). This demonstrates to me how bloody difficult it is to tow the thin line between writing for adults and children. I feel that Russell T Davies tries to do this and often brings down the kind of criticism we see in these review pages. Sometimes he succeeds, as with Tooth and Claw.

Generally, the same problems dogged this story as the first three in the run. Too ambitious. For all the personnel sitting around the table discussing the script in Confidental, they seem to have forgotten to hire an editor. Others have commented that the length of the show could be upped to an hour, but the flip side to this is decent editing and a quantum of self-discipline. Say what you like about American TV, the editing and tightness of their TV shows beats the majority of Brit TV into the ground, (I'm not American by the way).

Having said this, I'm still fasinated by how the second series is developing. It's got a very different feel from the first. You can really see there's a guiding mind behind it's development. That's where Russel T Davies comes into his own. The guy knows TV. The Doctor has changed. He's no longer the needy Chris Ecclestone model. Rose has been sidelined. It was sort of shocking when he rode through the mirror (so that's what the horse was for! - thrilling denoument - very sloppy) leaving Rose and Micky to die (?) in the spaceship. I enjoy this kind of character development; it's something the classic series just didn't have.

The look was perfect. Sorry guys, the horse through the mirror was okay - but very "effecty". You should have left it out probably. Direction was excellent.

Now, let's upset some people. I don't think David Tennant is quite as good as the Doctor as everybody seems to say he is. I've waited a couple of episodes to let him settle down into the role, but he seems somehow...lightweight to me. He's okay, he just about carries the story and all that, but he just hasn't got the presence and the weight that Christopher Ecclestone had. He isn't a center of gravity. I've a theory about this: Mr Ecclestone pissed a lot of fans off by leaving after the first series, but if you look back at his performance as the Doctor, it was superb in a way that David Tennant doesn't seem able to match. Well, not yet, anyway. Consequently, Chris E isn't given quite as much credit for his portrayal as the Doctor as he should. David Tennant seems, even in this episode - in which he is given an opportunity to shine (series two's version of Dalek I'd say) - to be all over the place. His delivery of some of the lines is so fast that you can hardly make out what he's saying. and that voice...at one point, when he first saw the clockwork droid, he really did sound like a slightly butcher version of Kenneth Williams. Perhaps they should have allowed him to speak in his native accent. To my mind, with the scripting in the majority of the episodes since "Rose" being somewhat undisciplined, Chris Ecclestone provided an all-important 'earthing' of the show. From about episode 3 of the first run onwards, he knew exactly what he was doing as an actor. Well, that's what i feel at the moment anyway. I hope that Mr Tennant finds some way of being more solid as the run goes on.

All in all, I'm enjoying this run as much as the first.

Steven Moffat's 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' two-parter is widely regarded by many as the best last season had to offer. For me, 'Dalek' and 'Father's Day' perhaps shaded it a little, but story. High expectations, then, for his season two offering.

The premise of 'Girl' is possibly the most boldly sci-fi the new series of Doctor Who has attempted so far and it's a doozy. Future spaceship inexplicably tied to 18th century France gives us the opportunity to to visit two very different and beautifully-realised locales. It is also an immensely clever way for Moffat to write a piece that seems epic but actually makes use of very few sets, one pretty visit outdoors notwithstanding.

'Girl' has a rather odd tone - the first third or so has a distinctly camp feel to it, peaking in the cringe-worthy moment when the Doctor staggers around the imperilled Mickey and Rose sporting a quite hideous combination of tie-bandana and shades which make him look like he has stepped out of The Young Ones. Unfortunately, the normally-reliable David Tennant plays the scene in exactly this manner. This was the one single moment I have wished Chris Ecclestone was still around to play a scene. It is to a deep sigh of relief, then, that it is revealed the Doctor is merely playing drunk and from hereonin the episode picks up immensely.

Reviews of the previous episodes of season two have often stated that the 45-minute format has constrained the stories too far. Up until now I have not really felt this to be the case, but 'Girl' positively screams for more time to develop. Extra time to witness the the burgeoning relationship between the Doctor and Pompadour would have elicited a much more natural empathy from the audience, where the single-episode format here speeds events along at rather too brisk a pace.

Still, come the end, the Doctor's sense of loss is still very palpable - made all the more important in Rose's growing realisation that she is far from the only girl in the universe for him. Her arc this season is developing in a surprisingly dark manner, adding welcome levels to the Tenth Doctor who would otherwise be a little too jolly all the time.

Enjoyable, clever but lacking the tightness of Moffat's orevious tale (the Doctor's mind-reading is a bit contrived, the fireplace parting at the end feels a little forced and the name of the ship only kind of explains why everything has been happening), 'Girl' is yet another change of pace for a season which is demonstrating remarkable variety thus far.

Cybermen to come, hopefully accompanied by some real scares next week.

Like many, if not most, of the Doctor Who fans I am livid at this episode. The new series has always hinted at the Doctor having a physical relatinship with various females but has until now left this open to the discretion of the viewer. Sadly the series has decided that this is a part of the Doctor's life whether the fan likes it or not.

In previous episodes, such as the Empty Child, The Doctor Dances and School Reunion the story was written in such a way that there could or could not be a physical relationship between characters, thus appeasing the loyal fan base that believe the Doctor does not engage in sexual activity with those he meets. With such intelligent script writing all quarters were satisfied, fans both old and new had a Doctor they could identify with.

Now that's it. Officially the Doctor is a being that has intimate physical relationships with people that he meets, and let's not forget he never met his French filly for more than a few minutes at a time. All of a sudden the character we have spent so much time with is no different to the average 'Eastender'. Frankly, Mr Moffat and RTD should be ashamed of themselves for bringing our ALIEN hero down to such levels.

The story itself may have been a good one, I do not know, it was so frustrating to watch a character I have grown up with butchered so. Tennant's great performances in the last two episodes gave me great hope for the future, sadly tonight's episode wasn't the Doctor I know. It saddens me that a fan of the series as Tennant is would accept this new trend of the Doctors. Were I the fan playing the part I would not have allowed this.

The only bright spots were with Rose and Mickey who kept us in check with the story line. In all honesty the storyline wasn't terribly good anyway. There was great potential but it was wasted on the Doctor having a 'romance'.

However the most insulting element came in Doctor Who confidential. The writer, RTD, and the various other elements actually took the piss out of the Doctor Who fans that prefer their hero to be non-sexual. Does RTD's arrogance extend so far that he forgets the very people that kept the series alive throughout the 90's?

The alternative universe Cybermen appear next week. I can only hope that Doctor Who gets back on track after tonight's travesty of an episode.

Well now- I know IВ’ve been saying that weВ’ve been seeing the restoration of the Doctor as the central figure this season and the consequent downgrading of the significance of the Rose character but the hitherto asexual Doctor becoming so infatuated with an (admittedly attractive) French aristocrat so as to potentially abandon Rose,and Mickey,Sapphire and Steel like,in space forever?Hmm.So there you go,broad-minded and generally supportive as I have tried to be about the new era perhaps I am just an old fart after all and becoming,according to my friend,more like the hardcore every day-I think I know what he means by this.

However,the fact that I struggled with this,and some other aspects,such as the graphic snog,which made the New Earth kiss positively boring by comparison(poor old Rose has even got upstaged on that by Madame Pompadou),and the DoctorВ’s silly pissed routine(mind you it was for a reason and sometimes Doctors do silly things for a reason,like PertweeВ’s disguise in the Green Death,say)cannot detract from some superb elements which comprised what was essentially an adult fairy tale likely to be of limited appeal to younger viewers.Visually the episode was stunning,and some children will be genuinely frightened by the clockwork robots(nods to the Mind Robber there) which were superbly realised,though the voices were rather bland.Clocks ticking,old fireplaces,time portals,horses on spaceships(if we can have sailing ships in space in Enlightenment,thereВ’s no reason why we canВ’t have horses): all good stuff,and the idea of the Doctor appearing at various stages of PompadouВ’s life,not growing old as she does,is a poignant continuation of the Doctor/Sarah discussion in School Reunion.

ThereВ’s no doubting Steven MoffatВ’s brilliance as a writer but boy does he seem preoccupied by sex!References to it permeate the Empty Child/the Doctor Dances where dancingВ’s just a metaphor for sex and here references and hints are abandoned altogether in favour of full-on lust.Still,this season is proving itself capable of great variety if nothing else.

Despite my struggles with some aspects,this was an intelligent,visually flawless story proving that new Who isnВ’t some sort of juvenile CBBC pantomime not worthy of comparision to the classic era as some I assume still believe.On the contrary,it seems a little too adult at times.Probably a notch down though from the brilliant Empty Child/Doctor Dances due to time constraints.

Ahh, the Doctor in love. How sweet. Can't complain as its been done before (William Hartnell: The Aztecs). I did think it was a bit rushed though. Was it love or just a sudden infatuation? Who cares?

I really liked this episode when I watched it at 7pm last night. When I watched it again this morning I felt a little... disappointed. For the first time this season, actually. All the other episodes have had their faults but have generally been satisfying slices of New Doctor Who. The Girl in the Fireplace had a lot of great elements but just didn't quite achieve the depth it seemed to be trying to reach. Don't get me wrong, great acting, direction, costumes, effects (apart from the horse/mirror thing), scary robots etc etc. But it all felt a little inconsequential.

The relationship between the Doctor and Madame De Pompadour was a nice idea, him becoming her guardian (at least in her eyes) throughout her life. But the idea that, having not seen him since she was 7 years old, her 23 year old self would snog him seems a little unlikely. An extra fifteen minutes might have allowed us to have seen him reappear more often in her life, which would have made her reaction more plausible.

The robots were excellent. The masks were truly terrifying. The threat was exciting. But they didn't actually do anything. Which made them a rather redundant threat. The whole "we don't have the parts" idea was beautifully gruesome, particularly when connected with Rose and Mickey's earlier comments about someone cooking and Sunday roasts - but it was glossed over too quickly (musn't scare the kiddies too much). The modern Doctor Who feels a little castrated to me. The Doctor Who I watched in the Seventies and Eighties wasn't afraid to get down and dirty every now and then but 30 years on and we can't see blood, we can't see a human kill another human, we can't do black magic, religion or witchcraft either (seriously, they can't - BBC guidelines) which pretty much rules out them ever repeating old Doctor Who doesn't it?

And what happened with Rose and Mickey? Sidelined for the entire episode, Mickey's first trip in the TARDIS was bugger all of an event for him really. Rose seems to have forgotten her grumpy attitude at the end of School Reunion when the Doctor invited him to stay and equally seems quite unconcerned about the Doctor's romantic interest in MDP despite having practically decimated Sarah Jane a week ago for daring to breathe the Doctor's name.

I understand what they were trying to do, and Tennant and Myles worked beautifully together, the scene where he comes back to find her coffin being taken away was particularly touching. But all the "lonely angel" stuff was beginning to grate by the end and I can't believe that the Doctor would unthinkingly leave Rose and Mickey stranded on the spaceship, knowing they can't operate the TARDIS. When he realised he was stuck in France for 3000 years, he didn't mention them once. That was sloppy writing (or editing?).

I have tried very hard not to mention how spectacularly good The Empty Child was last year and how it was my favourite story from Eccleston's run because I wanted to let The Girl in the Fireplace stand on its own merits. Unfortunately this was an episode that truly qualifies as style over substance and although it was an enjoyable 45 minutes and I will definitely watch it again - it just won't be very often. 3/5

Things I Loved: The droid under the bed, "we have no parts", David Tennant (still amazing), Noel Clarke, Sophia Myles, the design, the direction, the dialogue, the revolving fireplace, the central idea, the name of the ship (beautifully done), the Doctor's last scene in the TARDIS...

Things I Didn't Love: the inconsequential nature of it all, being left with a feeling of "so what?"

Dear sweet lord what a mess of an episode.

Last week was great fun, a romp perfectly suited to the 45 minute format. The Girl In The Fireplace suffered massively from it, feeling like a 2 parter butchered into one episode, robbing its most important scenes of any weight whatsoever.

Let me give a little perspective before you start flaming me in the forums. I love Doctor Who. I love what RTD did to bring it back to our screens, and I adore all the hard work that BBC wales put into every episode, which is why it's such a shame that so much is rammed into each episode that all the hard work and detail goes by in too much of a flash. This had the potential to be incredible, just as Moffat's two parter in the previous season was. The Girl in The Fireplace had some beautiful, poignant moments that would have been legendary had they been given more time to play through, but alas 45 minutes was all we got, and back we go into gung-ho territory. A story of filmic proportiions reduced to a jumble of quick cuts and soundbytes. Another snog. Another mention of the phrase 'Doctor Who'. Thankfully no Torchwood pimping this week, but hey, it probably got lost with half the plot during the edit to get it down to 45 minutes.

The tenth Doctor appears to be lacking any noticeable character in the episode, and as the tale went on, he seemed less and less like the Doctor in any way. Some huge moments of stupidity, a stream of romantic goo and at the end of it the Doctor, of all fictional heroes, gives up and seems ready to take the long route through time with madame de Pompadour, which completely contradicts not only last episode's gorgeous speech about leaving people behind, but the character's history since the beginning! He is coming across as incredibly lightweight and silly, and if it hadn't been for School Reunion I wouldn't be tuning in at all any more. This isn't very Doctor Who at all. Yeah, that'll get me some nasty comments, but it's not even along the same lines as the last series! The Doctor has always had a childlike element, but at the moment he's more of a gibbering toddler.

*phew* deep breaths, its only a TV show, its only entertainment. I know this, but it's been a big part of British culture for over 40 years now and its sad to see it eschewing its unique flavour for hackneyed romantic subplots. I sell Doctor Who (and other SF) merchandise for a living and spend all day every day pimping the new series to kids eager for something unique. So far, this series isn't it.

I really hope next week's is better. The Cybermen 2 parter had better be amazing or I for one will lose all interest in how the series turns out, and that'd be a shame as I was really looking forward to it. Of course, this is just my opinion. I watched TGITF with my band mates who loved it, so each to their own. If you enjoyed it, I'm really pleased as it means the series will continue. I just wish it had got the Doctor in it somewhere.

Roll on next week. Keep me watching.