I was delighted when I heard that I wouldn't have to wait until Christmas for my next big Doctor Who fix – a few minutes of the 'Children in Need' telethon would be set aside for Rose and the new Doctor, and even better, unlike it's star-studded charity predecessors it would count. This would be real Doctor Who; Episode 14; Canon!

The pre-credit sequence is a spectacular recap of "The Parting of the Ways," reminding the audience not only how poignant the ninth Doctor's sacrifice was but how 'fantastic' the actor who played him was. David Tennant has certainly got the hardest task since Patrick Troughton took over the role.

"Barcelona."

The untitled mini-episode picks up right from where we left the Doctor and Rose, David Tennant looking rather small in Christopher Eccleston's clothes. The episode is little more than a lengthy-scene, however it is a vital scene for fans as we see how Rose reacts to the new Doctor – a vital scene that would have surely eaten up too much time of what promises to be a fast-paced, primetime Christmas special.

Rose is in utter shock at the Doctor's explosive regeneration and reacts much as Ben and Polly did way back when – "You're not the Doctor." Billie is excellent as Rose blabbers out her stream of consciousness… Slitheen… teleport… bodyswap…. but unlike her sixties counterparts it takes her six minutes, as opposed to six episodes, to reluctantly accept the Doctor's new incarnation.

Tennant cannot be judged on about seven minutes of TV, nor can the new Doctor's persona be judged in his post-regenerative state. He seems very off the wall, a mockney accent, even a little bit unstable, though he doesn't try to throttle Rose which is probably a good sign. He does, however, spend a worrying about of time hopping about which brought back memories of Tom Baker and a skipping rope. Despite his post-regenerative state, the tenth Doctor has a few lucid moments which look promising, most memorably taking Rose by the hand and asking her to remember when they first met.

Promising stuff.

Of course, the regeneration goes a bit wrong, the Doctor loses it and the Doctor pushes the TARDIS "past the time limit" racing towards Earth, Christmas Eve…

My only disappointment was the lack of a 'NEXT TIME…" trailer!

The anticipation for new Doctor Who since the airing of Series 1 has been huge. With reports that the Children in Need special could be anything from 3 - 15 minutes long everyone was hoping for the latter. Despite the speical only being around six minutes long I found it difficult to complain. At first I thought that the anticipation of the event had covered up a lack of content, but on repeat viewings I found the mini-episode to be just as good.

The untitled special starts with a brief recap of some of the events that took place in the series one final - The Parting of the Ways. With the Doctor now regenerated, Rose has problems trusting him. She is unsure whether the man standing in front of her is really the Doctor. The Doctor attempts to convince her but in the end sets a course for Earth. True to the classic series the Doctor has problems with his regeneration and loses control. He speeds up the Tardis and sets it for a crashlanding. The episode clearly leads directly into the Christmas special.

My impressions of the mini-episode are on the whole positive. David Tennant is superb as the Doctor. He has great screen pesence and is full of energy. Billie Piper is also excellent. In the space of just a few minutes its easy to see the screen chemistry that these two actors have. The script by Russell T. Davies is brilliant and the effects are particularly good for a charity special. Apart from the length I can't find anything negative to say about this episode. It left me anticipating the Christmas special even more.

The terse and untitled Doctor Who Children in Need special mediates between the closing moments of The Parting of the Ways and the forthcoming The Christmas Invasion (2005). Doctor #10 (David Tennant) - having just regenerated from a dying Doctor #9 (Christopher Eccleston) – attempts to convince a startled Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) that he is who he claims. In-between abysmally failing to support his shocked, traumatized and generally upset companion, The new Doctor excitedly hops around the TARDIS interior, prior to becoming disconcertingly dangerous and unpredictable…

That’s all there is to it. It’s simply an extended scene – footage to support a charity event, and a taster for Christmas 2005 and beyond.

Tennant is OTT, and it’s difficult to judge him solely on this basis. I will say his performance was promising, although I wasn’t overly enthusiastic.

Piper is on top form; her detached and mortified behaviour contrasts starkly with the Time Lord’s eccentricity and post-regeneration problems. She wants Her Doctor back, not this raving loon laden with a dubious limp wrist and concealed beauty spot!

Written by Russell T. Davies, the dialogue obviously isn’t Shakespearian, but it does the job – although his writing style is perhaps forever doomed to make me cringe convulsively.

In conclusion: OK. Surreal, and a fine taster for things to come… ***[/5]