I have been a DOCTOR WHO fan since 1978. I remember thinking at the time what a great story THE SUNMAKERS was when it first rolled out. It was lighthearted,funny and satirical to the bone and different to alot of what was being done at the time of its production. Unfortunately, a few years earlier when Mary Whitehouse started to point her fingers at the show for being too violent and scary for children, the show suddenly shifted as Graham Williams took over from the wonderful Phillip Hincliffe and closed the door on a golden era of Doctor Who. The SUNMAKERS was a bright spot, but soon THE HORNS OF NIMON would make me cringe to the point of embarrassment and Tom Baker's wit and humor would start to go over the top and bleed off into camp. I remember celebrating the show's 20th anniversary in 1983, and now over 20 years beyond the transmission of THE FIVE DOCTORS, let me tell you that I thought" LOVE AND MONSTERS “was one of the most absolutely entertaining hours I have ever spent in front of the televsion. It was FRESH, ORIGINAL,and CUTTING EDGE like the way the best episodes have always been. It was a daring attept to try new things and while I was never a fan of overt over the top comedy and campiness in DOCTOR WHO, this was a darker than dark, pitch black comedy about the Doctor's dizzy universe and the innocent people who fall into it. This perspective has become one of the hallmarks of Russell T. Davies' repackaged resurrection of the old series. This had its own style,its own rythym and beat, and Dan Zeff, the director has done a wonderful levitation act with the material and prevented it from going over the top. And what to do with the Absorbaloff???,a creature created for a BLUE PETER contest with no connected story or plot whatsoever. This was an episode that I actually FEARED I would instantly hate. However,amusingly, Russell T Davies' has unw ittingly tapped into the utter and intangible vestibule containing the pure unrefined magic of what DOCTOR WHO is. Uncle Russell manages to achieve this through focusing on a loveable bunch of characters woven into this story who become "L. I. N. D. A. ,the London Investigative. . . N' Dectective agency spearheaded by Elton Pope who happens on a chance meeting with the Doctor as the episode begins and suddenly finds his life changed forever by the Doctor.

Russell T Davies vision for the series has always been to shove “a great chunk of the 21st century" right in the middle of Doctor Who and these elements have been hallmarks of alot of his penned episodes. This has never been demonstrated more brillantly by the wake of the storm left behind by one of the Doctor's visits. In LOVE AND MONSTERS, we see the Doctor as a total stranger, the mysterious alien as we first saw him in Totters Lane through the eyes of the Londoners who have united in a similar cause to find answers to this mysterious entity they find showing up in history books, old photos, in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and on the internet. I was always disappointed nothing was ever made about that "WHO IS THE DOCTOR" website seen in the "ROSE" episode and continued by the BBC as a fictional novelty website that Mickey administrated. The Earth that the Doctor and Rose return to in pa st and future times is a new Earth that has seen alien invasions and the impossible happen live on network telvision. Elton Pope is a young man who has witnessed the Auton invasion in "ROSE" and has woken up on Christmas Day to the arrival of the Sycorax fleet of starships hovering above London. His world has changed, and with it, come new obsessions. Russell T. Davies' brilliantly executed and entertaining script takes the Doctor's existance in that world for granted and treats us to Hard Rock jam sessions with L. I. N. D. A. ,a romance with Jackie Tyler,the Autons and the Slitheen spacehip,BAD WOLF, Torchwood, Pizza, Laundramats, and the MUSIC. . . . . . . ELO!!!! and a clip of ELTON JOHN! Oh This was so British, Soooooo Doctor Who and proof that the Doctor is trully a legend,in Elton's world and in our own. The absence of David Tennant and Billie Piper through much of the episode is not even felt because Uncle Russell has given us so much brain candy in an episode d e livered in the first person narrative of our hero, Elton. I know it was different, and fans will be debating its merits for years to come, but it could have been so contrived,yet it was staggeringly innovative and was quite literally about. . . . love. . . . and well. . . . . . er. . . . . Monsters. Spoiler revealed. My only quarrel is the loss of most of the L. I. N. D. A. operative as I would have loved to have seen this merry bunch of misfits sleuthing with the Doctor in a future episode and dancing to more music of the "Electric light Orchestra". Another lost oppotunity it seems in what has become a season of many earthly and unearthly delights, and I hope I am not premature on this, evidence of a comfort zone that RTD has achieved with his scripts so far this season,which continues to astound in its varied patina of adventures.

There seems to be an interesting thread that has run through the fisrt two seasons of the new series. This began with Clive's comments to Rose in the first episode about the Doctor's constant companion being Death and you have to begin to wonder where Russell Davies is going with this. The darkness has crept in again,as Elton comments at the close of the episode that everyone who comes in contact with the Doctor faces death. It seems RTD is turning Doctor Who into an Anti-Hero again. It's actually a bit unnerving but it does seen to be true. Elton becomes the sole survivor of L. I. N. D. A. along with Ursula, well, at least a part of Ursula whose character seems right out of a Quentin Taratino movie. As Elton points out, Time may be running out for Jackie and Rose as well. I am not too clear on exactly why the Doctor would visit Elton as a childremarkin g something about a 'shade" in the house with him,which is a reference to a ghost and this may be a connection to the Finale in a few weeks time. The episode had its fair overbrimming share of sexual inuendo laced scenes mostly involving Jackie and Eltonwith some very adult references being played out in what is considered "family' entertainment. It was however very nice to see Jackie involved in her ordinary life, waiting for Rose to telephone or return, a reverse perspective of what we are used to seeing that fleshes out her character that much more. She also has alot of time on her hands, and while the Doctor may have "just" escaped her romantic clutches, I think her tryst with Elton may further heat up speculation about her and Mickey keeping each other company, not that it hasn't already been suggested. She seems to be a "busy" gal in the Powell Estate. ! Surprisingly, the episode ends by plunging every viewer,including children into suddenly facing the death of a parent, which is some pretty heavy stuff to serve up in the final minutes of a light hearted adventure. I am also surprised Elton didn't blame the Doctor all those years for his mothers death since the Doctor's mysterious presence in the house Elton refers to was on the night his mother died. Small complaints in what is a wonderfully entertaining little story. LOVE AND MONSTERS reminded me of how THE SUNMAKERS first blew up all away. Like Elton's poignant closing remarks about life, this episode was a little mad and crazy, and so much more!

Many years ago, Blue Peter ran a competition for young Doctor Who fans to design their own monsters. The winning entries, the Steel Octopus, the Hypnotron, and Aquaman, were built by the BBC special effects department and filmed in the studio as a reward. Wisely, this was as far as the prize went. Unwisely, when the Blue Peter ran a similar competition in 2006, Russell T. Davies thought it might be a good idea to actually feature the winning entry in Doctor Who itself. And thus В‘Love & MonstersВ’ came to pass. Forced to write an episode revolving around a green fat man in a thong however, Davies does the only sensible thing and plays it for laughs; the result is arguably the single most divisive story of the new series to date.

В‘Love & MonstersВ’ is unusual, but at its heart is a great idea. By sidelining the Doctor and Rose, Davies tells the story from the point of view of an innocent bystander whose world has collided with that of the Doctor, and in doing so he portrays the Doctor as almost mythical figure who leaves chaos in his wake. This is essentially a very sound concept, and allows Davis to revisit the idea he briefly touched on in В‘RoseВ’ in more depth. EltonВ’s speech at the end, and the revelation of his motherВ’s death, shows the Doctor as an engine of fate, who may be wonderful and magical, but who is always accompanied by pain and tragedy; thus, Elton is drawn slowly into the DoctorВ’s world and loses everything he held dear, first his mother during a childhood encounter, and subsequently all of his friends as they fall prey to the Absorbaloff, who is trying to track the Doctor down. Ominously, Elton ponders, В“Maybe thatВ’s what happens if you touch the Doctor, even for a second. I keep thinking about Jackie and Rose and wondering how soon theyВ’ll pay the priceВ” which brings a sense of foreboding in the context of the series as a whole, especially given the announcement that Billie Piper is to depart at the end of the this series.

This is not the only preoccupation of В‘Love & MonstersВ’. The members of LINDA represent an unsubtle and rather patronizing but ultimately affectionate swipe at Doctor Who fans (because of course weВ’re all eccentric and socially awkward), which ends up resulting in an episode that for the first half an hour feels rather sweet and endearing. For the first time, DaviesВ’ insistence on crowbarring emotional relationships into Doctor Who works, partly because it doesnВ’t involve the Doctor and Rose flirting at inconvenient moments, but because it feels natural in an episode that focuses on a close knit group of friends. Incredibly, one side effect of this is that Jackie actually works well, and Camille Coduri, who usually makes me want to put my foot through the television whenever she is on screen, puts in a decent performance. The scene in which Jackie does all of EltonВ’s infiltration steps for him is genuinely entertaining, whilst her predatory seduction scene is quite terrifying. For the first time, her sadness over RoseВ’s absence feels poignant rather than merely tedious and is entirely appropriate to a story that explores the consequences for those caught up in the DoctorВ’s life. And when she realizes that Elton is looking for the Doctor, her furious response, as she tells him, В“IВ’ll never let her down and IВ’ll protect them both until the end of my lifeВ” is well acted and a far cry from the usual shrill harridan turn we get from her. In fact she comes off better than Rose here, who in her brief scene at the end strides out of the TARDIS, ignores the Absorbaloff and shrieks, В“You upset my mum!В” Strident cow.

The rest of the cast is also very good, with Mark Warren excelling as endearing simpleton Elton, but it is inevitably Peter Kay, in an example of sort of guest star casting that John Nathan-Turner used to get lambasted for, who grabs the attention. IВ’m not sure whether the casting came first or the script, but KayВ’s performance works because above all else, В‘Love & MonstersВ’ has a sense of both the ridiculous and the grotesque. Victor Kennedy is rather Grand Guignol, and his constant reminders about his В“eczeemaВ” are quite amusing, Kay clearly having fun. The character verges on pantomime, but the flashes of anger and occasional urgency ring true. Once Kay switches into the Absorbaloff costume however, things go massively over-the-top in a way that is obviously intentional; the Absorbaloff is ludicrous and treated as such, from its writhing in disgusting ecstasy as it digests its victims, to the hilariously unpleasant sight of it running along in its thong and roaring menacingly (mercifully, Davies decides that it isnВ’t really called an Absorbaloff; Elton and Ursula fumble for names for the creature and then it delighted proclaims, В“Yes, I like thatВ” when they hit on Absorbaloff). ItВ’s utterly grotesque, but not nearly so much as Ursula, rescued from death by the Doctor and turned into a concrete fellatio machine, which is profoundly disturbing.

Some of the humour works less well, most notably the cringe worthy Scooby Doo nonsense with the Hoix and the buckets (and Davies is really pushing his luck with EltonВ’s, В“I just put that bit at the beginning В‘cause itВ’s a brilliant openingВ”), but there are some great lines and in particular EltonВ’s, В“ThereВ’s two women live there now, and theyВ’re a bitВ… severeВ” made me chuckle, as did the DoctorВ’s urgent, В“Elton! Fetch a spade!В” On the down side, Davies canВ’t resist sticking in references to not only Torchwood but also Bad Wolf and Raxacoricofallapatorius and the Slitheen, which somehow manages to be more self-indulgent than anything else in the episode.

Inevitably, В‘Love & MonstersВ’ is going to prove controversial, and quite possibly hugely unpopular, but itВ’s fun, itВ’s silly, and itВ’s an attempt to do something new within the series. And that in itself is worthwhile, even if posterity judges the experiment a failure.

Deep in space, an impossible planet orbits a black hole in an impossible way. It emanates an impossible cone of gravity while beknown to the human explorers on its surface, the impossible planet has an impossible, devilish secret.

Impossible, is the theme to В“The Impossible Planet/The Satan PitВ” two parter. Not just its concept, but its philosophy. This episode is as much about how the Doctor deals with the inexplicable - or should I say, the impossible - as it is an adventure trapped in a scientific absurdity.

The setting for this adventure, the impossible and unnamed planet, is crafted with an eye for detail. The base itself brings back images of all sorts of dirty science fiction TV and film shows. Visually, the story has very intentional ties to Ripley ScottВ’s В“AlienВ”. As a story, it shifts slightly closer towards the science fiction horror, В“Event HorizonВ”. There is a little of Space:1999 in the baseВ’s external design and I thought the adjoining spacecraft had a little bit of the retro rocket ship from the likes of Buster CrabbeВ’s В“Flash GordonВ”. By taking a little from various places in the genre it gives this story its own identity playing homage to the best without mimicking or feeling like a second rate copy.

As with the New Series as a whole, the acting is hard to fault, which in a claustrophobic nightmare as in В“The Impossible Planet/The Satan PitВ”, is vital. There are few minor characters to draw attention away from the main cast and being a very science fiction orientated story, you HAVE to believe in those actors. There is no question about believability which is testament to the acting and direction.

Helping them along is a wonderful script by Matthew Jones, a veteran writer from the Virgin New AdventureВ’s era. It has to be said that В“The Impossible Planet/The Satan PitВ” certainly has a taste of those seventh Doctor novels. However, it also feesl quite В“traditional WhoВ” at the same time. This story takes from the classic show in a way I felt В“Rise of the CybermenВ” failed to suceed. The story doesnВ’t just take old formulaic ideas and integrate them (my concern with В“Rise Of The CybermenВ”), it takes classic devices from the old series and uses them in a contemporary context. For instance, the TARDIS is lost within a few minutes. Very traditional Who, but actually there is no specific need to do this with the tenth Doctor. The tradition is there, but upated for the requirements of the story. Iin the sixties, Doctor Who had to find a practical reason as to why the TARDIS team didnВ’t run away - which often lead to being severed from their route back to the TARDIS - В“The Impossible PlanetВ” actually knocks this possibility aside with its teaser - Rose and the Doctor laughing at the very prospect of leaving. Yet, losing the TARDIS early on helps create that helpless environment that is required for the episode.

Furthermore, we also have some death scenes in В“The SatanВ’s PitВ” which are very old school Who. Security controller Jefferson stays behind to fight the enemy off and thereby sacrificing his life. Very typical Doctor Who, yet, in В“The SatanВ’s PitВ”, the scene uses this formula to focus on the emotional drama. No simple scream to announce the death of the straggler - we see the man and his friends dealing with his choice.

В“The Impossible PlanetВ” is a joyous piece of writing. The idea of being caught by a black hole was a premise set up in a similar vein by the aptly titled Disney film В“The Black HoleВ”, however the focus on this story is less on the collapsed star above, but whatВ’s going on below. Rather than simply become a В“monster vs humanВ” affair, В“The Impossible PlanetВ” rapidly changes direction from science fiction to mythological horror. This movement from one genre to the other is seamless. The В“OodВ”, a willing slave race, provide the obligatory monster to keep the tension up, but the real monster is the devil in the pit. The scene in which Tobey the archeologist is В“infectedВ” by the devil is probably the scariest moment in Doctor Who. What makes it even more impressive is it relies on nothing but the actor and the production crew to create the suspense. No effects, no monsters. ItВ’s just good acting, direction and a deft piece of editing.

The climax to В“The Impossible PitВ” is one of the best ones of the New Series. As with В“Aliens Of LondonВ” itВ’s a multi cliff-hanger, which really does build the tension to impossible levels. ItВ’s only weakness is the resolution is wrapped up rather fast and a little too neatly in В“The Satan PitВ”

В“The Satan PitВ” doesnВ’t start off as strong as В“The Impossible PlanetВ” ended, but it makes up for any such weakness by the final act. This episode is Doctor Who at itВ’s best. We have tension, we action, we have drama. The New Series Doctor Who knows when to lay off the comedy and British eccentricities and there is little of either in В“The Satan PitВ”. What we do have is a wonderful fusion of drama and character scenes. While Rose has the drama and action, the Doctor has the character moments and the two arcs compliment themselves beautifully.

RoseВ’s role in В“The SatanВ’s PitВ” is probably the best use of the character this series. She gets to work on her own story arc rather than just tagging onto the DoctorВ’s. Giving both Rose and the Doctor space from each other really helped the characters to breathe. ItВ’s only when they are pulled apart as in this story does one realise how their natural dynamic just suffocates the pair when they are together. My only silly quibble with Rose in this episode was during the finale where she dispatches the monster by blowing out the window with a bolt gun. ItВ’s a nice idea and a lot of fun, but when the villain is strapped next to you, youВ’d think your instinctive reaction would be to fire it into the villainВ’s chest not blow open the cabin and undo his belt. Far more dramatic - and I appreciate there is only so much cold blood you can dish out to a companion, but this sort of reaction seems a little out of character for anyone in RoseВ’s situation! Oh, and while weВ’re on minor quibbles, a superficial suggestion is for makeup to lighten up on the eyeliner. Rose has black eyes that a panda would envy.

The finale is a great piece of television full of suspence and growing tension. The whole plot resolution was a relief as I was beginning to question some of the episodeВ’s plausibility (if there is any in a story set on an impossible planet to begin with).

The devil is established as such a powerful omnipotent villain, yet when the crew fight back, he goes strangely impotent. Now this happens a lot when shows pit a mighty power against lesser powered heroes; the writer has to de-power or empower one of the two in order to create a victory for the underdog. With the characters successfully fighting back from the might of the Ood, it suddenly feels as if weВ’ve seen the devil suffer some power withdrawal. Thankfully, the end makes it clear this was never the intention.

With a whole story so steeped in mystery, the audience are kept one step behind which really serves the storyline. This is after all, unusual territory for Doctor Who; no blasГ© explanation of godly powers, no affirmation that this is an advanced alien.. the details are kept to a minimum all the way to the end. The story, in essense, makes a battle against formula and leaves the audience wondering in which direction itВ’s going to go: Will it expose the enemy as a powerful alien? Or is this the first unholy terror weВ’ve seen in Doctor Who?

The story has a great balance between dark and light. It is a tense watch, but the ending has a joyous lift which feels appropriate for the show. I suppose one could see it as a metaphor; escaping the dire gravity of the situation is almost like escaping the Black HoleВ’s pull.

Throughout, the music is wonderful. A collection of the standard Murray Gold motifs, with a natural earthy mix of strings akin to В“FireflyВ” and Chris CarterВ’s В“MillenniumВ”.

Any grumbles? A couple. The Rose and Doctor relationship explored in В“The Impossible PlanetВ” still feels naff. While В“The SatanВ’s PitВ” gives us a little glimpse into what the Doctor sees in Rose, she still seems very childish. Her dreams of settling down with the Doctor in this story, the selfish possessiveness of the Time Lord sheВ’s exhibited throughout the season - she doesnВ’t feel like a character youВ’d imagine someone as old and well travelled like the Doctor falling for. I suppose one could argue he has so much respect for the instinctive drive for mankind - as referenced a great deal in this story - someone who is so honest to their whims - to the point they are discourteous to others, may be strangely attractive to him. Either way, itВ’s still not something IВ’m personally keen on the series exploring. Madame De Pompedeau seemed a more realistic pairing. The romance isnВ’t the issue - itВ’s the subject of the romance I question.

One grumble weВ’re sure to hear is how conveniently the Doctor finds the TARDIS after his wonderfully dramatic test of faith in front of the demon. To me, it was a perfect resolution. This story is about the nature of the inexplicable; that there are some things that we canВ’t explain. Finding the TARDIS shows that same inexplicable circumstances that brings us the devil in this story - only in a more positive form. For me it made the episode, but considering how certain sections of fandom found the lack of science in having a В“Impossible PlanetВ” hard to get by, such solutions in В“The Satan PitВ” are bound to agitate.

An excellent story from start to finish. Best two parter IВ’ve seen. Yes, I believe itВ’s better than В“The Empty ChildВ”. Tennant is great, Piper does a wonderful job in part two and the whole performance shines. This is truly an ensemble story and no one letВ’s the side down.

В”The Impossible Planet/The Satan PitВ” is some scary Doctor Who that mixes wonderful homage and classic Who concepts into a story which feels fresh exciting and brimming with drama. Comparing individual episodes in such a diverse series as Doctor Who is hard, but, this has to be one of the best episodes of Doctor Who - period. Honestly dear fans, weВ’ve never had it so good.

And so to ‘The Impossible Planet’/‘The Satan Pit’, much vaunted when it was first announced as the new series first on-screen foray to an alien world. In fact that was ‘New Earth’, which didn’t feel at all like a new planet, and thus ‘The Impossible Planet’/‘The Satan Pit’ represents the first truly alien, hostile environment seen in the series albeit it one with that is uninhabited by anything or anyone except the ultimate personification of evil. As such, what we get is less ‘The Web Planet’ and more ‘The Dæmons’ on another planet with a bit of Aliens thrown in for good measure. Regardless of this however, it’s unlike anything seen thus far in the new series, and that is its great strength.

What is most striking about В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’/В‘The Satan PitВ’ is its use of the regulars, and this is something of a mixed bag. IВ’ve long since grown sick of the relationship between the Tenth Doctor and Rose; her constant looks of longing in his direction just about worked with Christopher EcclestonВ’s Doctor as it was portrayed as unrequited love. By this point it looks like almost-requited lust, and manifests itself as adolescent flirting and some of the most crushingly intrusive dialogue the series has ever seen. If the production team must insist on romance in Doctor Who, do it like В‘The Girl in FireplaceВ’ did it and have an end to this juvenile crush dynamic. Mercifully, writer Matt Jones, new to the series but having previously written New Adventures В‘Bad TherapyВ’ and the Doctor-less В‘Beyond the SunВ’ manages to exploit this increasingly irritating relationship in ways that just about make it work. So although on the one hand we have the utterly facile exchange in which the Doctor gloomily muses, В“IВ’d have to settle downВ… now that, that is terrifyingВ” and Rose starts blithering about getting a house together, this arises out of the fact that, for the first time in series two, the Doctor is forcibly separated from his TARDIS rather than simply parking it somewhere and then unable to get back to it because heВ’s wandered into trouble, or unable to escape in it because itВ’s recharging. Tennant conveys some of the sense of loss and, as result of being trapped in a single time and space, claustrophobia that the Doctor must be feeling, and despite the hideous dialogue sheВ’s given, RoseВ’s function here is to keep his spirits up until a mysterious menace comes along to keep him occupied. The ghastly smugness of the opening scene in which they leave the TARDIS and Rose suggests, В“If you think thereВ’s going to trouble we could always get back inside and go somewhere elseВ” followed by badly acted hysterical laughter comes back to haunt them when they find that they really canВ’t just get back inside, and even though the audience knows that the DoctorВ’s going to find the TARDIS at the bottom of the Pit after it vanishes into an abyss, it adds a sense of urgency to the story because for a while the pair seem just as isolated as the humans on the planet.

Jones also makes some progress with the story as the Doctor confronts the body of the Beast in the Pit and realizes that in order to destroy it, he will have to sacrifice not only himself but also Rose. This suggestion that the Doctor thinks sheВ’s the most important thing in the universe has blighted the new series ever since В‘Aliens of LondonВ’/В‘World War ThreeВ’, but here at least he does decide to sacrifice her and open the prison, dooming the planet. So their relationship here is still overwrought slop and frequently annoys me, especially when the Doctor solemnly announces, В“If I believe in one thing, I believe in herВ” but the story demonstrates progress. It probably wonВ’t last, and itВ’s a bad sign that when the Beast tells Rose that sheВ’ll die in battle I desperately hope heВ’s telling the truth, but it is at least a step in the right direction.

Interestingly however, ‘The Impossible Planet’/‘The Satan Pit’ also made me realize that it is purely this relationship, rather than Rose herself, of which I am wearying. True, she’s slow on the uptake when the Doctor (and the audience) realizes that the TARDIS has gone, but once the Doctor has descended into the Pit, it is Rose who takes charge, focusing the surviving humans into formulating and executing a plan, leading them through the maintenance ducts, and thus allowing them to disable the Ood. She has to be sedated to leave the Doctor behind, and threatens Zack with a bolt gun until he asks if this is how the Doctor would want her to behave, which takes us back into overwrought territory, but for the most part she works very well. But of the pair, it is the Doctor who is really great here. The hug may be cringe worthy (although Zach’s nonchalant “’spose so” when the Doctor asks him if he may hug him is rather amusing), but once the Doctor goes into the Pit the character shines in a way that, in retrospect, he hasn’t done for several episodes. Jones achieves this by challenging the character’s beliefs and making him face his fears; even the Doctor is wary of going into the pit, and only does so once the cable snaps and he has nothing to lose, quietly telling Ida, “For once in my life Officer Scott, I’m going to say retreat.” Tennant is especially good when the Doctor dangles over the pit, musing on the true nature of the Beast and wondering if everything he believed about the Universe is wrong (and on this occasion, the script leaves little doubt that he is), before finally taking a very literal leap of faith and falling into the void.

Which brings me to the villain. The Beast is the first god-like foe that the Doctor has faced in the television series since В‘The Curse of FenricВ’, and although this sort of thing isnВ’t new in the series as a whole, it is a first for the new series. The wise decision to cast voice of Sutekh Gabriel Woolf as the Beast pays dividends; В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’ is very creepy and WoolfВ’s malevolent tones significantly contribute to this, with TobyВ’s possession proving chilling. The episode builds tension wonderfully, with the Ood casually announcing, В“The Beast and his armies will rise from the Pit and make war against GodВ”, and the computer and RoseВ’s phone chillingly stating, В“He is awakeВ”. ScootiВ’s death is memorably nasty. WoolfВ’s best scene comes when the Beast communicates with the base personnel, plus the Doctor and Rose, near the start of В‘The Satan PitВ’, and answers the DoctorВ’s question, В“If you are the Beast, which one?В” with the almost gleeful, В“All of them.В” He sounds suitably devilish when he says of the Doctor, В“This one knows me, as I know him, the killer of his own kind.В” All of which leads the viewer to expect the story to follow the obvious route, with the Doctor confronting and defeating the Beast in the Pit, but Jones subverts this: the Doctor finds its body, but the expected confrontation never really takes place; much of the BeastВ’s function is to make the Doctor confront his fears and challenge his beliefs, as he descends into the pit, confronts it, and realizes that he has to sacrifice Rose as well as himself, or at least so he thinks, in order to overcome this ultimate evil. This is genuinely unusually for the series; we donВ’t get the Beast explaining some grand scheme to the Doctor, it simply wants to escape and the Doctor has to work this out more or less on his own. This is a commendably brave decision, even if it does result in the slightly ridiculous scene in which Rose gives it a lesson in the importance of wearing seat-belts. Who would have thought the Devil could have been brought down by a chav with a bolt gun?

В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’/В‘The Satan PitВ’ also works because of the supporting characters and a largely great cast. Jones makes every named character sympathetic, so that whenever one of them dies it has an impact. JeffersonВ’s in particular manages to be very moving, despite toying with clichГ©. Interestingly, the Beast plays on their fears, and we learn that some past incident between Jefferson and his wife still haunts him, but Jones doesnВ’t bother belaboring us with the details, which means that these snippets of information feel like genuine character background rather than plot points. Ronny JhuttiВ’s performance as Danny is rather shrill and forced for much of the story, but when the character starts panicking in the ducts, itВ’s very believable. All of them, despite being, really, barely sketched, feel real, especially Shaun ParkesВ’ thoroughly likeable Zach and Will ThorpВ’s unfortunate Toby, and the DoctorВ’s rescue of Ida at the end makes for a partially happy ending that avoids feeling twee.

And it all looks fantastic. I donВ’t normally bang on about effects in Doctor Who, but the Beast, the black hole, and the caverns in the bowels of the planet look superb. The sets mesh perfectly with the effects, creating a convincing world, and the obvious Aliens influence results in a frontier base that looks functional and dirty. The Ood look great, their interfaces giving them a bizarre pipe-smoking appearance, and their pursuit of Rose, Toby, Danny and Mr. Jefferson through the ducts is very tense. Director James Strong maintains atmosphere throughout, and as a result В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’/В‘The Satan PitВ’ is one of the most visually impressive stories of the new series to date.

Despite this praise, I do have criticisms besides the relationship between the regulars. The Doctor and Rose are introduced to the crew when they first arrive, but when Danny tells the Ood to remain where they are he is accompanied by a hither-to unseen guard. Guess what happens to him? And to the unknown female crewmember who similarly appears at the start of В‘The Satan PitВ’? Given JonesВ’ grasp of his other characters, this jarring insertion of nameless cannon fodder feels terribly lazy and borders on parody. There are other convenient contrivances on display too; the lack of air in the maintenance tunnels isnВ’t terribly convincing, given the abundance of mesh grills leading into and out of them, and the fact that the Ood, which apparently need air, creep up unexpectedly through different stretches of duct. ItВ’s also terribly fortunate that the Ood cut through the door protecting Rose et al very quickly, but take ages to get to the Captain. The В“We must feedВ” teaser is a bit silly, although I suppose it does makes the Ood sinister initially before they become friendly and helpful, and then, erm, sinister again, and the ending is also a bit daft, as we see the TARDIS with a tow-rope. Why didnВ’t it just materialize around the ship? Then we have the Torchwood reference; these are really starting to grate, and IВ’m actually looking forward to the series. Rumour has it that the references are building to something within this series of Doctor Who and are not just plugs for the spin-off, although given the Bad Wolf farce in series one, this doesnВ’t inspire confidence.

Overall then, despite some misgivings, I enjoyed В‘The Impossible PlanetВ’/В‘The Satan PitВ’, although the admirable fact that it didnВ’t actually do what I expected left me rather cold on the first viewing. But RoseВ’s infatuation with the Doctor grates more than ever and I need it to stop, one way or another. One last note: the story would probably work much better without Murray GoldВ’s tepid aural effluence smeared all over it. But then, that goes for the whole series.

Newcomer Matt Jones has contributed essentially one of the most solid scripts in new Who to date. Chiefly because this is fairly unpretentious stuff, offering little that it canВ’t deliver, though it is debatable whether the second episode delivers what is so accomplishedly promised in the superior first episode.

The premise of the story is tempered with a new generation of audience in mind, suggesting, rather arrogantly, that this is the most challenging scenario the Doctor has faced in his several incarnations yet. That is to say, an В‘impossible planetВ’. But of course older fans will recall, for instance, the equally В‘impossibleВ’ nature of Zeta Minor, the last planet in the known universe which harboured a portal into the universe of anti-matter, in Season ThirteenВ’s definitive В‘gothic sci-fiВ’ story, Planet of Evil, the story from which Matt Jones has borrowed the most of his own storyВ’s ingredients. Ironically, recalling the unusually stunning sets of the eerie world of Zeta Minor, shot largely on film at Ealing Film Studios, JonesВ’s modern offering on similar themes is even to some extent visually ghosted by its Louis Marks-penned predecessor of almost exactly thirty years back. However, the cavernous location filming in the В‘pitВ’ in JonesВ’s offering, is admittedly about as filmic and 2001: A Space Odyssey as the series has ever looked В– certainly a world away from Planet of EvilВ’s video-shot anti-matter pit set. But essentially, has that much really changed in thirty years when one compares Planet of Evil and The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit?

Essentially this latest new Who offering is both one of the best-written stories since new Who returned last year, as well as being one of the most obviously lifted from the former triumphs of the classic series. We have ingredients from Robots of Death with a group of isolated humans being turned-on by their own В‘slavesВ’ (i.e. the Vocs in Robots and the Ood in Impossible Planet), the Ood also being expertly voiced in an uncannily similar soothing tone to both the Vocs and the Clockwork Robots in Girl in the Fireplace В– beautifully done. We have another manifestation of the Devil, aka Azal, aka Sutekh, and so on, now manifested somewhat anonymously В– so this harks back to The Daemons (also alluded to in this story) and of course Pyramids of Mars, with, coincidentally, the incomparable Gabriel Wolf voicing what is basically another version of Sutekh once again. There is also a striking similarity between this modern Satanic manifestation and the В– admittedly completely botched one В– of the Great Vampire in State of Decay, who is also imprisoned beneath a planet; whoВ’s to say this isnВ’t one of that giant number, formerly thought destroyed by the Timelords? But, as previously cited, Planet of Evil is JonesВ’s most obvious inspiration for Impossible/Satan: both stories have an В‘impossibleВ’ planet at the edge of the known universe, one the gateway to anti-matter, one orbiting a black hole; both harbour a pernicious and indestructible power force and almost magnetic imprisoning of their human visitors; and both feature possessions and transmogrifications of one of these human visitors into something symbiotically a part of the planet they are trapped on (i.e. Sorenson and the mundanely named Toby). And of course both stories are quite blatantly inspired by the cult Fifties film Forbidden Planet, which is where presumably Jones got his own title.

So basically what we get from Jones is a fairly derivative plot, but it is in the details of this plot and the scriptural elements (i.e. allusions, dialogue, back stories etc.) and characterizations that his new Who offering really comes into its own. All the characters are excellently scripted and acted, and with the compliment of the beautifully designed and voiced Ood servants (stupid name but excellent concept: a bipedal В‘herdВ’ species, rather like cows, with superbly realised blinking eyes and what look like Turkish pipes as translators В– their В‘telepathyВ’ and how it is measured being very well thought out), colour a scenario strongly reminiscent of Chris BoucherВ’s classic Robots of Death. These are, at last, characters one can to some extent engage and empathise with, to the point that one very nearly cares what happens to some of them; the casting had a lot to do with this, some good solid actors for a change.

Ironically, during the first episode, I tended to feel the only characters which were annoying me were the Doctor and Rose themselves, who seemed to trip into the grim scenario fairly smugly to be greeted by a bunch of rather subdued and moody protagonists who were quite clearly taken aback by the intrudersВ’ pretensions to amiability В– cue the cringe-inducing and meaningless hug that the Doctor offers the Captain. What on Earth, or off it, was that all about? The forced В‘zaninessВ’ and overly emphatic manic В‘energyВ’ of the Tenth Doctor can often be grating and slightly embarrassing, making Tenant resemble a hybrid of Jarvis Cocker and Kenneth Williams, but thankfully the В‘zaninessВ’ is fairly muted for the rest of this two-parter, and Tenant puts in his best performance to date as the Doctor: not too omnipotent for a change, a little feckless, and prone to philosophical digressions on the ontology of his adversary, a welcome relief from his ubiquitous allusions to popular culture which litter and deflate many other episodes В– as a friend pointed out to me the other day, the В‘KylieВ’ and В‘WalfordВ’ style quips would be perfectly apt from the mouth of Rose, someone grounded in that very culture, but coming from the Doctor it is simply absurd, puerile, pointless and basically down to abysmal scripting and characterization. The Doctor should be a figure we look up to both morally and intellectually В– I canВ’t look up to anyone who quotes Kylie lyrics and alludes to EastEnders. And what was the point in the Walford reference anyway, when it was barely audible due to The Doctor irrelevantly blurting it out from inside a space helmet? This is simply slack writing. However, Tenant, as I said, certainly pulled off his most convincing performance to date, and seemed to be directly mimicking the mannerisms and delivery of his iconic predecessor Tom Baker when confronting the demon in the pit. Even though what we get is a much less compelling pastiche of the Fourth Doctor, Tenant is at last given an opportunity with a pretty straight and substantial script, to put in a convincing performance В– ranking equally to his refreshingly accented portrayal in Tooth and Claw В–, blissfully unhampered by the growingly tiresome Rose.

Which brings me on to some of the criticisms for this story. As previously mentioned, the highly nauseating smugness of the Doctor and Rose as they first meet the humans. The DoctorВ’s completely stupid hugging of the Captain and his equally fatuous and geeky back-of-the-throat chortles afterwards, rather like that goggle-eyed eldest son from My Family. RoseВ’s dim-witted remark about the black hole funnel being В‘like a rollercoaster?В’ В– the sort of line occasionally force-fed to poor Sophie Aldred in some of the worst scripted McCoyВ’s; and the inevitable scene when, faced with being stranded forever on the planet (remember Frontios? no doubt one of this storyВ’s other influences), Rose proposes sharing a mortgage with a thankfully awkward-looking Doctor, who seems to gladly greet this prospect with the same sort of horror that the classic series Doctors would show at the prospect of residing back on Gallifrey. Thank God, at least, for this subtle re-emphasis of a cosmic hobo who wonВ’t be tied down to anything other than the TARDIS. But the greatest irritants of this otherwise accomplished script, are the DoctorВ’s constant commentaries and eulogies on the intrepid spirit of the human race; yes, admittedly we appear to be a contrast to the home-loving Timelords, but come on, thereВ’s also the couch-potato side to Earthlings as exemplified in the cloying Jackie. No doubt Jones was attempting to pull off a similar monologue from the Doctor to Tom BakerВ’s in The Ark in Space В– but IВ’m afraid thereВ’s no comparison: on this level Jones could not compete with the Fourth DoctorВ’s classic speech on the В‘indomitableВ’ spirit of the human race which, as we may recall, was not meant to be particularly flattering, but awe-struck, horrified and sardonic all at the same time. While the Third and Fifth Doctors might have often eulogised about Earth being their favourite planet (though Pertwee was frequently attempting to escape it in the TARDIS), the Fourth and Seventh Doctors were noticeably more misanthropic, and this was something I always liked about those incarnations. Sadly RTDВ’s obsessive terrestrialization of Doctor Who seems constantly intent on emphasizing the DoctorВ’s sentimental bond with Earth via frequent speeches paying tribute to its inhabitants (the worst example being the Ninth DoctorВ’s ludicrously parochial eulogy about the British in World War II, only just saved by a refreshingly political tribute to the Welfare State).

Other criticisms I have are related to the storyВ’s overly Geiger/Ridley Scott-esque visuals, and in particular the blatant Aliens rip-off of the Ood going through the tunnel sequence which takes up a sizeable chunk of episode two. Satan Pit was for me a bit of a come down from the promise of episode one, but it was still pretty good in its own right, if a little too action-based.

But back on a more positive note, Gabriel Wolf put in another inimitably chilling vocal performance as the Devil; not quite on a par with the В‘abase yourself you grovelling inse-e-ectВ’ lines of Sutekh, but not far off. The scene in which he warns Toby not to turn round and look at him as it will kill him is one of the most genuinely disturbing scenes ever done in the series. Excellently directed. As is the scene in which the girl spies the possessed Toby through the glass of the base to her imminent peril as he turns round to flash his red eyes at her and smash the glass by clenching his fist in its direction, to the strains of string and wood instruments that have a menacing Celtic arc to them В– brilliantly shot by director James Strong. Other scene highlights in terms of script and direction are those as the Ood rise up possessed chanting В‘I am the fear, the doubt, the obsession, the temptationВ…В’ and so on. I was also greatly relieved to find that this storyВ’s chosen В‘musical insertВ’ was a beautifully incongruous but atmospherically compatible choice of RavelВ’s Bolero; a lovely and classy touch to shots of the Ood going about their menial work. Very well chosen.

Overall this story is for me the most successful and well-produced of the new Who cannon since Dalek, to which it comes a close second in my opinion (followed closely by Tooth and Claw, Unquiet Dead, FatherВ’s Day and the Girl in the Fireplace). Well done all round В– bar the still seemingly inevitable scriptural lapses between the Doctor and Rose.

8/10

In 'The Impossible Planet' and 'The Satan Pit' we got what 'the Guardian' described as 'Alien plus The Matrix divided by The Exorcist'. You didn't need to look too hard to find other influences from various precursors in the sci-fi and fantasy/horror genres but it was all brought together with such panache, and with enough that was original and fresh, that there was never any hint of schlock. 'Derivative' is not a disparaging criticism when the sources are as impeccable as they were here. Of course, give a bad cook a platter of even the finest ingredients and you'll still end up with an inedible meal. Fortunately for us, what we sat down to here was a banquet, lovingly prepared by a gathering of master chefs.

It is reported that when Lew Grade had finished watching a screening of the very first episode of 'Thunderbirds', he said to Gerry Anderson 'That's not a television show. It's a movie!'. Similar words are apt here. For a new take on the base-under-siege theme, with a suitably claustrophobic setting, this felt simply epic in its scale. Splice these two episodes together and you have a cinematic experience more involving than many a Hollywood blockbuster.

Matt Jones' script skillfully increased the tension and excitement as the plot, which never felt predictable, advanced. The gradual revelation of the presence of the Beast, first in simple references, then through the disembodied voice heard by Toby, his subsequent 'possession' with its truly chilling physicality, the conversion of the Ood into his army, the flickering hologram and finally the monster in the pit, was masterful. Moments of action and tension were interspersed with intimate duologues which gave the characters time to grow, to breathe and to explore their relationships, even their relationships with characters in their lives outside this story. Just three words, 'My old Mum', added flesh to Ida's character, superbly portrayed by Claire Rushbrook. When the Beast, through Toby, asked Jefferson if his wife had ever forgiven him, going on to say 'She never did', a whole history was alluded to in just a couple of sentences. The effect was powerful and the writer allowed us the intelligence to make more of these exchanges than the mere words conveyed. Such finesse abounded.

The economy of the language used to make such dramatic impact was breathtaking. Jefferson's poetic eulogy as he reported Scooti's death elevated what was already a powerfully moving scene to another level again. Beautiful words, simply spoken. The beast confronted the deepest psychological fears of the crew not with snarling threats but simple insights; 'The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife. The scientist, still running from Daddy. The little boy who lied.' When cut together with the reaction shots of the people concerned, the effect was electric.

Subtlety in scripting was matched by subtlety in performance. Given the nature of the story and its themes, it would have been all to easy for any of these actors to chew the scenery with a vengeance but none did. Every performance was based in truth and pitch-perfect. The stand-outs were, of course, Will Thorp and Gabriel Woolf, who, individually and together, inhabited the character of the Beast to mesmerising effect. Toby was entirely believable and his transitions from downright terrified to downright terrifying were brilliantly portrayed. It is impossible to imagine a voice better suited to the Beast than that of Gabriel Woolf. Two outstanding performances that brought to life two characters in one.

David Tennant's Doctor, surely destined for an honoured place in the Who Hall of Fame, continues to grow in stature and authority with every episode. He is at his quirky and eccentric best when considering apparently insurmountable problems. His 'thinking-out-loud' approach, with sudden swoops of logic and contradiction, is as much a joy to watch here as ever. So too his quiet contemplation of events in his duologues with other characters. He always conveys a sense of this Doctor's deep empathy. Billie Piper too reminds us of why Rose really is such an apposite companion for this Doctor and why she is perfectly equipped to bring her to life. Rose here shows more steel than we've seen before; but then she has come a long way from being a simple shop girl. She's been changed by her experiences with the Doctor and her fondness for him, just as Sarah Jane and others were before her. The rest of the ensemble cannot be faulted and it is no struggle to believe that this is a group of people who have journeyed far together.

The meticulous care with which the production team have brought the Doctor back to our screens has been evident in every episode since 'Rose' but the bar is raised again with this two-parter. The whole look is impressively filmic and it's difficult to believe that something with such visual punch is actually a kid's programme created for broadcast television on a comparatively tight budget. The sets, the costumes, the lighting, the effects photography, all are seamlessly integrated to create a wholly plausible environment; whether the dingy confines of a realistically detailed sanctuary base or the cavernous underground of a lost civilisation.

The Ood were another great concept brought to life by some terrific prosthetics and animatronics. They didn't look like blokes in rubber suits as so often creatures did in the classic series, but believable aliens. The CGI beast, when it first appeared in all its malevolent glory, actually elicited from me the involuntary but entirely appropriate exclamation of 'Bloody HELL!'. The scale and detail of that creation was astounding and resulted in surely the most visually impressive 'monster' the series has ever featured. The heat haze which shimmered about it was a small example of that almost obsessive attention to detail which helps give such creations their authenticity.

Equally impressive and arguably more disturbing still was the manner in which the 'possession' of Toby was represented. A simple idea, amounting to little more than a few tattoos and some red contact lenses, but brilliantly executed and brilliantly effective. Factor in Will Thorp's focused performance, and Gabriel Woolf's measured tones, together with James Strong's taut direction, and the effect was astonishingly creepy. When the beast inhabiting Toby fixes Jefferson with his gaze, during the first occasion on which the crew realise his possession, you really get the remarkable sense that he is looking not at him but into him. The moment in the maintenance tunnel when an apparently 'clean' Toby turns to the advancing Ood and stills them with a look and a gesture was totally unexpected and shocking indeed. It is again a tribute to all involved that when the possessed Toby later begins spouting messianic phrases and even breathing fire it never seems over the top but remains true to the story, entirely believable and horrific.

Much of the credit for the foregoing belongs to James Strong. His pacing always works with the script, never against it. Intimate conversations took place in close-up; sometimes with an unusual angle of view, such as when the Doctor and Rose were shot from below against the towering image of the black hole above. In these more contemplative passages the camera was allowed to linger, the cutting between shots kept to a minimum, the dialogue brought to centre stage. In the action sequences the cuts came thick and fast; close-ups capturing every nuance of reaction, medium shots used to show the characters interacting with the environment or each other and long shots, again often from unusual perspectives, used to create a sense of the scale of this drama. Together with the effects team, he offered us some stunning and very memorable imagery: the shot of Danny looking through the porthole, seamlessly transitioning to Toby looking through his magnifying glass; the possessed Toby on the surface; Scooti drifting in space; the Doctor and Ida exploring a cavern which seemed both real and vast; the space-suited Doctor suspended in the inky void of the pit, finally falling; the Beast railing against his chains and writhing in fire; the possessed Toby confronting Rose in the space ship, his malevolence captured in extreme wide-angle close-up. These pictures will long stay in the mind.

Murray Gold also continued to deliver the goods. I've never found his music for the series intrusive as some claim to have done. For me, it always helps the drama just as the best incidental music should. Haunting refrains underscore emotional scenes whilst action sequences are accompanied by orchestral passages which here are wonderfully percussive and Faustian. Sometimes all it takes is a single, stabbing chord, a crescendo or glissando, to highlight a dramatic event. Classy stuff.

My only minor niggle in this whole story concerned the reappearance of the TARDIS. It needed to reappear where and when it did, of course, as it was essential to the eventual denouement, but the way in which this was done just felt a bit lazy. How, for example, did it come to be beyond the great seal over the mouth of the pit, which was closed at the time the TARDIS was lost? Did the earthquake really open up a chasm over ten miles deep that went beyond that seal elsewhere? Or did the TARDIS somehow dematerialise to protect itself during the fall, something not beyond credibility for a device which we know to be sentient on some level, being drawn, naturally enough, to rematerialise near the source of the gravity field? A quick question from Rose answered by the Doctor would have filled in the one remaining blank for someone who likes everything nice and tidy.

It is, of course, beyond irony that these episodes, which in time will surely come to be regarded as classics of the Who canon, and which of all the New Who episodes most recall the spirit of great episodes from the classic series, are those which have received the lowest audience numerically since the Doctor's return; even if still enjoying a good percentage share. Someone in the BBC must be certifiably insane for scheduling the series to run in the summer months. Imagine how many more people would be inclined to watch and enjoy the programme on a winter's evening. Imagine, too, how much better the dark of winter would have suited the broadcast of a story as atmospheric as this.

This has been my first review, so I should explain that I am writing simply from the perspective of one of the millions who formed in earlier years a great and abiding fondness for one of our national TV treasures. After reading much of what has been written here concerning the 9th and 10th incarnations of our eponymous hero, I'm really rather relieved that I'm not what might be called a 'true' fan. It must be terrible to have access to television drama of such sublime quality as this every Saturday evening and to remain unable to enjoy it for what it is. For the true fan, it seems, the 21st Century Who can do no right (and I can imagine the reviews for next week's episode already!). For the rest of us, fortunately, it remains entertaining and enthralling and can do no wrong, especially with material as strong as this. Long may it continue.