Well. That was quite good, wasn't it?

Watched it first with my parents and my sixteen-year-old brother, then again alone in the dark. Enjoyed it far more the second time, and thus this short review draws from my second experience of Rose ...

The opening sting and title sequence were perfect, and I loved the mad rush down to Earth and through London. Music seems very Eighties, very Keff... but I think that's perfect. Billie is adorable, and even her opening shots with Mickey were very sweet. How cute did Billie look when she was in the lift trying to keep her eyes open! The first Autons sequence works beautifully when you're on your own in the dark, and I'm sure it'd scare the hell out of many a young 'un. (Did I hear some Graham Norton??? Someone, please check again... I'm sure of it!)

Then someone grabs Rose's hand, tells her to run, and BAM! We've got a new Doctor. And from the word go, he's our Doctor. Surprisingly, I loved his arrogance and his accent. Why? It's different. Refreshing. And all that. When the department store blew up, I immediately relaxed about the effects in this series.

Okay. Next morning. Billie is looking adorable again, even first thing in the sodding morning. (My girlfriend somehow manages to do this too... ah, women.) Sadly, Jackie is a little over-the-top... didn't have to be. The news report... the building blew up, so all Central London was closed off? Isn't that over-reacting a little? I loved it, actually... to me, it's a nice subtle little "kiss" to the Seventies Pertwee era, when they went to such extremes on the show.

Ooh! Scratching at the door... scary music... is it the monsters? Nope. Our Doctor. We have a nice little tete-a-tete at the catflap, reminiscent of the TV movie (I prefer the latter sequence), and the Doctor bursts in. And, of course, we have the (now) oft-quoted Jackie/Doctor meeting moment. Huh. Jackie even seems quite attractive when trying to seduce him! (Pretend I didn't say that.) I enjoyed Billie's ignoring of the Doctor's antics in the living room, though Eccleston seems to be rushing through these antics a little. Things pick up when the Auton hand smothers him, though. Yay, the sonic screwdriver!!!

So now we're outside. Great lighting and photography. (Do I sound savvy yet? Didn't think so.) And here comes some wonderful chemistry between our two leads. I could get very used to seeing these two together. But (as my father pointed out in the first viewing) why do we have fast music here? It's not needed. The Doctor's "world turning" speech... I nearly wept, it was so good. And there was the original TARDIS noise! (In the first viewing, my brother cheered!)

Rose comes to see Mickey... a great line nobody's mentioned: "Don't read my emails!" I let out a huge guffaw. Wow... Mickey, an almost unanimously reviled character (at least in this ep), made me laugh! This is good. So she goes to see Clive... and Mickey tries to look hard while sitting in the car. (Don't make that dirty, guys.) Another big guffaw from me. Clive surprised me too - loved his characterisation. Those photos of Doctor-sightings, especially the JFK ones... they could've tried a bit harder! Yes, the wheelie-bin looked vaguely cartoonish, but I still enjoyed it. Cute. But then Rose comes back to Mickey, who's all plastic and... well, to me, hilarious. "Pizzaaaa!!! Pph! Pph!" Like some demented Ninja Turtle.

In the restaurant, I laughed out loud again at the clone-Mickey's terms-of-endearment malfunction. And "doesn't anyone want my champagne?" You know, I had no idea that'd turn out to be the Doctor in that reveal. That was my "hero moment". I got scared when the disembodied head opened its eyes. And I'm 22!! Loved the mallets aswell. (For the record, I'm still vehemently anti-CGI. But hey, this worked.)

So we're running away from the Mickey-Auton, and the Doctor casually strolls into the TARDIS. Oh, to be young and unknowledgeable! When Rose steps in, steps out, then runs in again... it's a breathtaking moment, even for someone who knows what she's going to find. I loved the Doctor's "No no no no no!!!" as the TARDIS did silly things - very Doctorish. Now we're on the Embankment for a bit of necessary exposition for those who aren't familiar with the whole "aliens-from-dying-world-need-our-well-everything" plot from old sci-fi. ("The Invaders", anyone?) Loved the triple-take London Eye gag. And the one about the breast implants.

But then... suddenly... we're in the Nestene lair. Er... that was a little... quick. Oh well. Wasn't so concerned the second time round, to be honest. But still jarred a bit with me. Anyway, the Doctor talks to the Consciousness... a bit of Doctorishness, a bit of exposition, a bit of reference to the oncoming story arc... and the TARDIS is revealed. Again, I didn't know this was going to happen (and I'm a spoiler FREAK!). Meanwhile, in Central London, the dummies are coming alive again. Which, to me, doesn't get frightening until they're out in the street. And then it is QUITE freaky. Love the brides. And the atmospheric FX stuff with the London Eye - very TV movie, and very effective.

Billie saves the day in very Buffy-ish style, but I'm not complaining. All is well, and Rose declines the Doctor's offer to come with him. The TARDIS fades away, then of course reappears. The Doctor forgot to mention something... and as someone who's been enamoured of the whole concept of time-travel since I was quite, quite young, I shared Rose's excitement - and her huge grin - as she ran towards her future in slow-mo, accompanied by our favourite sting. And how about that voice-over at the end! I love my ABC.

So, Rose has dumped her plastic life and joined the Doctor on his "anti-plastic" adventures. (Nice allegory - was I the only one to notice?) A very good introduction to the characters and - to a lesser extent - the set up of the series, Rose achieves in forty-five minutes what the TV movie tried very hard and ultimately failed to achieve in over twice that length of time. I love this Doctor, this companion, this team, this TARDIS... I know the next few months are going to be the trip of a...

See? Didn't say it.

Whilst the privileged in the U.K. are, at the time of writing this, pouring over last night's Empty Child and anticipating next Saturday's Episode 10, we poor Australians have only made it to Episode 1, Rose.

Actually, what could be better? 12 - not just 4 - more episodes to look forward to, following on from a very promising start.

I probably went through most people's initial reactions when learning, months ago, of the new Doctor's contempory costume and pop star Billie Piper's role as his companion. And what was this "coral" idea inside the TARDIS? And what sort of title is "Rose" for a Doctor Who story anyway?

But even before the series aired there was time to reflect on all these changes. For instance, the Doctor's character would be more important than his costume, not to mention that a low-key leather jacket seems preferable to multi-coloured long coats and question marks! Billie? Well, let's see her act before passing judgement (though it was a relief to read, prior to the show's debut here, a slew of positive reviews posted on this website). Eventually some picture snaps of the TARDIS interior came out, banishing that concern. So it became a case of wait and see, coupled with a growing feeling that just maybe they weren't going to miss the mark (no further mention of 1996!).

Now, with a warm and happy glow, I can talk about the episode itself. First and foremost: it was Doctor Who in both name and character; one can imagine a whole new generation of frightened kiddies, over-protective mothers turning off the TV, and emergent protogeeks (sorry guys - and gal - but we are, to the boring blinkered rest of society), thanks in no small part to a particularly lovely, nasty Auton killing spree at the end. For this show to be true to itself, it must have teeth; I'd be worried if there were no complaints about violence at all.

The domestic scenes were certainly atypical for Doctor Who but thankfully so well handled that one could actually enjoy them. I even liked Jackie - didn't think I would! - and I'll have to watch it again to discern Mickie's terrible acting, for he seemed to serve his role as far as I was concerned first time around. These slice of life elements also serve well to foster a sense of identification for the new viewers, providing them a base from which to start, lending perspective to the stranger concepts and, by contrasting the Doctor's entirely different character, helping to illustrate his vaguely alien presence.

Which leads me to the next most important ingredient: the Doctor, of course. He must be smart, eccentric, sometimes childish, sometimes serious. A sense of humour helps, and he should in no way come across perfect. Christopher Eccleston seems to have created his own indelible character within the broad parameters of this framework and so far I have no complaints. If he improves with "settling in" as every other Doctor has in the past, we're in for a very interesting Time Lord. Similarly, it's great to see, as so many reviewers have so far pointed out, a strong and likeable character in Rose; her decision at the end to join the Doctor after initially declining had one member of our little household audience clapping with delight.

The story itself had admittedly more style than substance, with a two-parter here perhaps being justified. Still, what was in it was generally good. Bringing the Autons back was a smart move, as most fans can readily accept this familiar enemy whilst adjusting to all the new changes. For the uninitiated, it's difficult to imagine a better introduction to the dangerous world of Doctor Who. Setting the drama from the companion's point of view was certainly one of RTD's best ideas, harkening back to the very first story, An Unearthly Child - for Rose, of course, now has to serve the very same purpose as pilot episode for a brand new audience.

And this is a crucial point. However much the aging fans of Doctor Who (such as myself, alas) wish it otherwise, the show is no longer targeted for them and them alone. But a smart show aimed at intelligent youngsters is far better than a dumb show aimed at mindless adults. Doctor Who has always been the former. Let's face it though, it only intermittently lived up to it's potential, and I'm not just referring to poor set design or low budgeting; often the scripts themselves were illogical and contrived. But always imaginative. If this new series does no less, I won't complain. With a little bit of luck we'll be served something even better, if the producers have managed to learn anything from the sophistication of such shows as Star Trek, Babylon 5, Buffy and Angel. My prediction is something in between - there will be improvements and good moments, mixed very probably with ideas better left on the drawing board. I doubt, however, it will every old fan's dream. Doctor Who will be aimed primarily, as it always has been, at the younger generation, but it will have been suitably updated into a style and format it's new audience, raised on a diet of quality American productions such as those just listed, can better appreciate. I see little wrong in that.

For now, here's looking foreword to the End of the World!

A welcome return for the Doctor!

The episode started with a very un-who-like concept; telling the tale from the POV of the leading lady. It didn't feel quite like who to begin with (maybe that's just me), but I did warm to the style. The first few minutes were i'm afraid a bit dull, showing Rose getting up and going to work wasn't really impulse viewing, but it then moved on well. The bit where the dummies (autons) come to life was cool, and I think will scare children of school age. The return of the sonic screwdriver was impressive, as was the return of the Doctor!

Ecclestone played the character in a very quirky way. He often played dumb, whilst showing signs of eccentricness. This reminded me of Troughton.

Moving onwards, Clive was a breath of fresh air, he is an established comedy actor, having appeared in Early Doors (a bbc sitcom written by Mancunian Craig Cash). The scenes with him were excellent, and I'm sorry to say that he was killed off. Shame really. I felt they could have used this idea of there being traces of the Doctor in history to a better effect, by showing some pictures of other incarnations... however, this may have been confusing for new viewers.

The Wheely bin scene had me in stitches laughing! It was a stroke of genius, and despite the actor's lack of acting talent, it was pulled off magnificently. For those that dont know, the Nestene Conciousness pulled Jimmy (Rose's boyfriend) in to the bin.

The next bit, with an auton Jimmy, wasn't very well done. Obviously he looked plastic... but too obviously plastic that anybody would have noticed - but not Rose! However, in the restaurant the "Champagne" scene was excellent. Didn't expect it to be the Doctor! 

The psycho headless auton was poor. Too overloaded with special effects. However, thats just my opinion, my girlfriend seemed to like it! The timeless classic "double take TARDIS" scene was extremely well acted, despite the new TARDIS interior, which I loathe! I personally thought that the McGann TARDIS was the best to date.

The bit with the Millenium Eye was very funny. Also, worth noting, that when the Doctor grinned manicly after noticing the eye, he looked uncannily like the grin of (Tom) Baker's doctor! "Excellent!"

From here i'm afraid I disliked the end. The Nestene Conciousness wasn't as scary as it could have been. In fact, in the book Synthespians, it was truly terrifying. The attack of the Autons wasn't hugely inspiring anyway.

To round off, a great Doctor, a semi-impressive first episode, but masses of Potential!

Well, what can I say except 'Brilliant!' I was one of the lucky so-and-sos who got to see the episode a few days early thanks to DWM, and I am very glad that I resisted the temptation to view the leaked download version. After the fantastic new title sequence, the story went straight into the action, with no slow build-up or prevarication. I certainly feel that this approach will please the kids - there really wasn't a chance to get bored in this episode, with rapid action, jokes and some wonderful character moments between the Doctor and Rose. 

Eccleston is an excellent Doctor, capable from switching from humourous tomfoolery to powerful, dramatic performances in an instant. Those who consider either Tom Baker or Troughton as their favourite incarnations will, I feel, be especially pleased with his portrayal. 

Billie Piper was also very good as Rose herself, and Noel Clarke, although he had little to do as Mickey, impressed me with his portrayal of an almost-human like Auton. Mark Benton was also good as Clive, a clever addition to the characters, and I hope we'll somehow be seeing more of him.

The effects were, at times, a little cartoonish, but that suits the plastic nature of the Autons and Nestene fairly well. The infamous wheely-bin sequence stretched this, and, although amusing and well-integrated into the plot, did look a little cheap.

However, this is a tiny quibble. The script was exciting and fun, and allowed the Doctor to be a monster fighter, but also a very caring, ethical individual who truly wants to help; rather than immediately attempt to destroy the Nestene, he first attempts to reason with it, which is just how I feel he should act.

On the whole, excellent. One other thing, though - anti-plastic? How does that work?

After watching it a couple of times - and a couple more - I have to say I was surprised... in a good way! I really didn't know what to expect and after the comments from the BBC earlier that the show had been 'modernized' for the new generation of kids I was pretty sure I wouldn't be impressed with this version. The overly-Americanized movie was a disappointment so I wasn't going to get my hopes up! It took me a while to get used to the new modern feel... and the new Doctor of course... but I think the BBC have done the show proud and I can see why they have changed certain things. Yes, it's modernized, but not over the top. They have kept the base plot the same and it will still feel familiar in some places to those of you who grew up on the old-school Doctor Who - especially the plot of this episode (I think it was done tongue in cheek as those who know Doctor Who well will remember this story from way back when! For some people it will also dull the potential shock factor at seeing such a modern version and help them integrate!) Obviously though this new Dr Who is aimed at today's kids and they have had to modify things accordingly. The effects have been spruced up, but it isn't as 'in-your-face' as the movie effects were and what I always refer to as the 'silliness factor' is still there (do you remember the dinosaurs roaming about n London during Pertwee's era?). The techno-style music and the Doctor's accent and clothes definitely give the show a more up-to -date feel, although I had a few problems with the continuous action scenes and I would suggest that once the writers have settled in a bit they concentrate a bit more on dialogue rather than relying too heavily on drama. My 11yr old cousin had some difficulties understanding the characters and the story does need a bit more explanation in parts - some of the important bits that my generation take for granted (such as the TARDIS and the Doctor's origins) are only brushed over and younger viewers may have trouble keeping up. I realize though that this is the first attempt at a Doctor Who TV series since the 80's and the writers still need time to find their feet. I'm guessing this first episode was deliberately action-focused in order to grab the attention of the new audience and I'm hoping future episodes will calm down a bit and give the characters and dialogue more of a front seat. It felt a bit too rushed for my liking. The ending was definitely an improvement in this respect. After the action and drama of the episode's plot had died down we had a chance to meet the characters properly - in my opinion anyway - and I want to say well done to whomever decided to let the Doctor and his companion interact on an emotional level. In the movie the writers went too far with the kissing scenes and Grace acting as a love interest for the Doctor, but in the past the Doctor has been very unemotional and sometimes cold towards companions and it was great to see a more subtle interaction this time around. It's a much needed modernization that works well for today's audience. 

Okay... on to the characters... you've probabaly guessed that the first episode 'Rose' is going to be focusing heavily on the new companion so it won't be a suprise to know that this indeed is the case. The Doctor's character definitely plays a backseat in comparison but then we have the rest of the series to get to know him and I wasn't too upset about sacrificing one episode to Rose! I haven't seen Billie Piper in any other role yet - I just remember her as a pop singer in the 90's - so I can't say whether this performance is typical of her or not. Based on this performance alone I would say she is well suited to the role and brings a bit of kick and realism - not once is Rose shown screaming hysterically while the Doctor goes about trying to rescue her! I'm not going to be too critical of Piper's acting just yet as it is only the first episode and she too needs a chance to settle into the role. Christopher Eccleston does a good initial job as the Doctor and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him in future episodes. The Tom Baker-esque mania was definitely a good choice, although in some places the dialogue did become a bit too rushed and indistinguishable - this may be due to the recording though. I'm still undecided about the modern clothes and hair - for me the Doctor always had a slight madness about him that was emphasized in the way he dressed - he never made an attempt to conform if he could help it - and so the new Doctor's dramatically toned down look was a big surprise and I'm still not sure whether it works or not. The Doctor no longer looks 'alien' and I don't know if this is intentional and ties in with a future story line or if it is just a mistake - I'll soon find out either way. I know there was a big uproar at the Doctor's statement in the movie that he was in fact half human and I'm worried the producers are now trying to focus on this. If so then that may work against them as the Doctor's alien background has always been a major component of what makes Dr Who such a good show! I was also surprised that there was no regeneration scene (however understated) or any explanation of the Doctor's new form and knowing how many adults are going to be watching the new series (I know literally hundreds of adults who are setting aside Saturday afternoons to watch the new Dr Who!) I would have thought the producers would have made an attempt to keep the story flowing from the last Doctor. But then again, there may be more references to the 8th Doctor in the next few episodes so I'm not going to moan too much at the moment. I expect Eccleston too will smooth out his performance further as the show progresses and he shows a lot of potential. As I mentioned before, the writers just need to make sure the action doesn't overshadow the characters or the actors won't get the chance to fulfill that potential!

I'm going to leave it there as I don't want to spoil the episode for the people who haven't seen it yet. I also want to wait and see how the next few episodes turn out and whether or not my criticisms are unfounded. It has been a while since the last Dr Who series and I don't want to give the new writers a hard time just yet! 

Again, this is all just my opinion and you are welcome to disagree with any or all of what I have written. At the end of the day I am just thrilled that Dr Who is back on TV! It has to be one of the all-time greatest shows and there is still so much more that can be done with it! Overall I'm pleased with the first episode and there is a lot of potential for this to be one of the best series. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out and if the writers calm things down to give it a chance.

The beginning didn`t bode well. The main titles, both in sound and vision, were poor. The new version of the theme wasn`t strong enough, and was as poor a rendering as the revamped version Colin Baker`s Doctor had for the Trial of a Time Lord season. The visuals, no doubt trying to show the viewer how the TARDIS travels through the time vortex seemed a mish mash of Pertwee`s final season and Tom Baker`s first season, which, though not as hi-tech, were both however far superior. The lack of Eccleston`s face appearing also jarred. What also didn`t work was the two leads names appearing in the titles and the new logo doesn`t stand out at all. 

As the episode began proper, (along with that annoying US TV habit of superimposing producer/director credits over the scenes) the early scenes of Rose`s work/home life worked well. Her mother`s character, played by the wonderful Camile Cordouri, was very well rounded, though Noel Clarke as her boyfriend Mickey, really didn`t have much to do. 

It wasn`t until after the department store had been blown up, that Rose`s character began to shine. Billie Piper started well in these early scenes, and by the time she had met The Doctor, she had begun to display the right kind of confusion you and I would have felt, had we been in her position. The chemistry between her and Eccleston was very good, and I`m sure will get better as the series progresses.

I couldn`t quite make up my mind about Eccleston in this first episode. I feel he is certainly happier (as was I) doing the "serious" stuff than he is the comical, but again that may improve as he develops the role. 

While the production team have spruced up the exterior of the TARDIS, (for the better) they`ve made a complete hash of the interior. It seemed strange to me that the designer designed the set to show audiences how big the console room is, (and the size is impressive) but then took away that size by placing large support structures all around it. What with these, the hanging cables and metal gratings for the floor, the central column, (which is supposed to dominate the console room), just got swamped.

I liked the idea of the London Eye being the focal point to activate the Autons, but I was hoping that the invasion was going to be on a larger scale than it was. I was rather hoping to see a number of establishing shots of other major cities around the world, all with their own equivalent London Eye focal points, activating a worldwide Auton invasion, which would have upped the drama factor that much more. 

The Nestene Consciousness was certainly an improvement from the squid like creature we first saw in Spearhead from Space, and it was nice to see that Eccleston`s Doctor actually wanted to help the Consciousness, rather than just destroy it, (even though we all knew the Anti Plastic virus was going to be used in the end). 

The writing, on the whole, was very good. Some good one liners, "Every planet has a North", and some obvious poor ones. Was everyone waiting for the "armless" joke? Exactly. When the Doctor was giving Rose the brief outline of what the Nestene Consciousness was, and what it wanted to do to Earth, we never heard the words, "I fought these aliens twice before" which I think was a good decision on behalf of the writer/production team not to bog themselves (and the new series) down with too many references to the past. The older fans will get the connection, why try and confuse new fans. Maybe it was me, but did anyone hear the actual word "Auton" being used by the Doctor? 

The Autons/shop window dummies coming to life, (both earlier in the episode with Rose as well as in the climatic scenes) were very well filmed and I got the sense that the writer/director really did want to scare the "little ones", and in both these scenes they succeeded. On the comedy or "light relief" front both fared less. The scene with the Auton arm strangling the Doctor, while Rose is in the next room, totally oblivious to what is going on, was reminiscent of the worst kind of excess that marred Tom Baker`s awful performance, ("My arms, my legs") in Season 17`s Nightmare of Eden.

The direction on the whole was very good, but I think Keith Boak pulled the punches a bit when the Autons began mowing down the shoppers at the end. It`s no good trying to instill horror into a situation, and then not at least show what final effect that "horror" has, both on the characters and the viewers at home.

The incidental music was, on the whole poor. The blend of orchestral music for the suspense scenes and the electro-funk for the lighter scenes jarred with me, and as I was listening to it, I was thinking, "God! What would good old Dudley Simpson have done with THAT particular scene?" 

Like Colin Baker`s Season 22, I don`t think 45 minutes is the best structure for Doctor Who. An extra 15 minutes would have helped this story no end. It would have allowed the characters (and audience) to take a breather from all the frenzied running about and given the Doctor and Rose more time in the "getting to know you" stakes. Mention of the Doctor`s age, where he comes from, etc. would have helped to cement the character in the eyes of the new fans wondering what the hell this programme was all about. The ending, though I suppose satisfactory in dealing with the Autons/Nestene Consciousness, was still a bit rushed, and it would have helped the story more had the writer dragged the suspense out for a bit longer. 

All in all, I give it 7 out of 10. It certainly wasn`t as bad as I thought it was going to be, but equally there were times throughout the episode where I was thinking, "uh oh - didn`t like that" or "no - not sure about that". 

Can it get worse? Possibly. Probably. Oh well, there`s always the Daleks in episode 6/13, I suppose....