I have to admit that although I enjoyed 'Rose' thoroughly, I did find it a little bewildering at first and in retrospect could not help but criticise the extremely fast-paced story, the rather overbearing incidental music and the fact that it really should have been at least half-an hour longer. That said I still had high hopes for the series and knew that the first episode was always going to be difficult to pull off, and so it would be prudent to allow it to find it's feet before launching into a debate over every little niggle. It did not help matters when the news of Christopher Eccelston's untimely departure was leaked a couple of days before the second episode aired and I found myself in a whirlwind of mixed emotions regarding the series' future and Eccelston himself. But thankfully come Saturday evening I had managed to overcome my doubts and see fit to give the show a deserved chance by attempting to judge both it and Eccelston's performance fairly, whilst not letting my expectations get too high.

I was then taken very much aback when I found myself completely enthralled by forty five minutes of truly superb television drama. I almost managed to regain the sense of child-like wonder which had now become so elusive in my rather torrid adult life. 'The End of the World' completely re-instated my faith in the series in a matter of minutes, as soon as I saw The Doctor inform Rose "Welcome to the End of the World" and Murray Gold's brilliant re-invention of the theme kicked-in, I was hooked. 

Never has Doctor Who looked so beautiful. Despite the apparent consensus that the special effects still aren't good enough, I thought they were pitch-perfect, with the opening shot of Platform 1 being just as impressive and memorable as that famous shot of the Star Destroyer looming into view in the original 'Star Wars', and let's remember this isn't Battlestar Galactica - this is Doctor Who. 

Gold's incidental music has also very much improved, with the subtle piano-led score playing perfectly alongside the lush visuals and emotionally-driven moments. 

The pacing - although still fast and exiting is also much better, allowing time for many dialogue heavy scenes to be played out in a much more thoughtful fashion and allowing the audience to have a 'breather" whilst they assimilate what's going on. 

I loved the array of intriguing new aliens on display, with the character of Cassandra being a particularly impressive creation but would liked to have seen more of The Moxx Of Balhoon and The Face of Boe, although I'm led to believe that they shall re-appear at some point later in the series. I can't wait. 

The episode was filled with poignant moments some of which I have to admit brought a lump to my throat - the scene where Jabe confronts The Doctor with his past (Beautifullly played by Eccelston and Bannerman), Rose's phone call to her mother and the ending in which The Doctor reveals a little about his troubled origins to Rose and there is a magical shared moment between the two time travellers. I finally felt like I was watching Doctor Who again. 

Both Eccelston and Piper have managed to get to grips with their characters remarkably quickly, and any doubts I had about Chris' interpretation of the role or indeed Billie's acting ability were immediately dispelled after viewing this story. 

I'm sure the episode has it's faults, but I just didn't care - Doctor Who is back! 

I heartily agree with Danny Sabres' observation that The Doctor is now more akin to Batman - being a fan of both characters I can easily see the parallels - the revelation concerning Gallifrey, somehow gives The Doctor a more interesting slant, he is a hero but like Batman there is a good reason for his choice of lifestyle, essentially it is all he has, it is his reason for being and now like Bruce Wayne, The Doctor cannot go back. 

This is his life and his curse, (the death of Jabe obviously had a profound effect on him). He's got a job to do, after all who else is there? 

By the conclusion of 'End of The World' I was entranced, and became genuinely exited at the thought of next week's thrilling adventure!, Chris may be leaving prematurely but the shows' future looks bright if the rest of the season is as assured and well-realised as this.

After the 'kitchen sink' settings of Rose, The End of the World - with its far future setting and strange alien creatures - was an ideal choice for episode 2 (if only to demonstrate the incredibly flexible format of the programme to new viewers). It was a refreshing contrast. Apart from Rose's phonecall to her mum and a visit to the chip shop, Earth only appears in The End of the World to be destroyed by the sun and the themes of death and apocalypse run right through the script from beginning to end.

The realisation of the setting, and the characters within it, was remarkable, and probably the best that Doctor Who has ever seen. In this respect it felt like a much, much better Curse of Peladon! The script was highly ambitious, however the production team pulled it off with greatness. The effects were marvellous and the 'creatures' and costumes fantastic. Of particular note was the costume of Jabe, which, with it's regal splendour, enhanced our understanding of the character. Also the realisation of the Moxx and Cassandra were wonderful. Even the little blue people were good.

It was therefore a shame that there was not enough time for more from these characters. Even the villain of the piece - the Lady Cassandra - is only on screen during the episode for about five minutes. Jabe is used well, however the Moxx of Balhoon and the Face of Boe (aside from looking very good) don't add much to the story at all (and, given that he was fried at the end of the episode, I doubt we're going to see the Moxx again). Obviously a lot of time and money had to be spent on the aliens in order to make the whole thing look effective, however it felt a little wasted and I was aching to hear something from those three intergalactic monks. Maybe another time...

Apart from it's zoo of characters, this episode may well also be remembered for it's humour. Davies's script is genuinely funny and there is a confidence and ease about the humour that has not been a part of Doctor Who since Douglas Adams's days. Not once did it detract from the serious moments of the story and we should all welcome the return of 'fun' to Doctor Who after so long. The iPod joke, Britney Spears, the Ipswich gag - these will all go down as the funniest moments in Doctor Who. Never should Doctor Who be so earnest and dull that it cannot have a laugh.

Some of the funniest lines go to Billie Piper who was again on top form (all the stuff about the Doctor and Jabe 'polinating' and being back by midnight was great). She is an incredibly effective actress and brings a wonderfully natural air to the character of Rose. This is helped of course by Davies's writing, and Rose's reaction to the aliens is so true and genuine that you begin to realise how often this aspect of the companion's character was neglected in the old series. Tucked in amongst the frenetic pacing, I really liked her quiet little scene with the plumber.

Chistopher Ecclestone's Doctor was again good - apart from a couple of duff 'comedy' moments (namely his constant grinning as the delegates were being introduced and his painful 'dancing' to music). I found his lack of compassion towards Cassandra quite shocking at first, however, on thinking further about this, I realised that it fits perfectly into the mood and theme of the episode (of which more later). However the third thing that will make this a remembered episode is the layer upon layer added to the Doctor's character. As well as learning all of the stuff about Gallifrey being destroyed in a war (I have no problems with any of this), the scene where Jabe talks to the Doctor about it is truly remarkable (for Doctor Who) and profoundly moving. Even if Ecclestone is sometimes a little too over the top at playing the fool, his 'serious' acting in that scene, and in the final moments of the episode, was wonderful. It goes to show that having such an accomplished actor in the role does pay off and it is sad that he wont be returning next year. I think that this is he first time that we have seen the Doctor shed a tear on screen - and it worked so well. His reaction to Jabe's death was also well done.

There was more of a plot here than was evident in Rose, however the limitations of the 45 minute format are beginning to show in this respect. Just as the speedy resolution to last week's plot was to throw a vial of antiplastic into the Nestene Consciousness, this week the solution was to pull a lever (albeit the scene was a lot better, with the death of Jabe and the whole shutting his eyes to walk through the rotor bit). The whodunnit theme was over so quickly. It would have been so much nicer to have just a little more time - however it wasn't too detrimental to the episode. I have high hopes for the three 2 parters.

Finally the overall feeling of the episode worked well. Its title is apt given that the themes of death, the passing of time and apocalypse were so prominent. The scene where Rose phones her 'dead' mother, the Doctor's line about "everything having its time", the destruction of Gallifrey and of Earth, the sacrifice of Jabe, the grotesquely extended lifespan of Cassandra. Nothing is constant and everything must pass in time. Underneath the jokes there was great pathos and sadness and the chip shop line at the end topped it all off magnificently.

For my review of "The End of the World," I'm going to start at the end of the story. Specifically, the Doctor's revelations that Gallifrey was destroyed in a war and that he is the last of the Time Lords. Personally, that bit of news didn't shock me, because I've been following the BBC book series and already knew that it had happened. What surprised me was that Russell Davies decided to incorporate something from the book series into the TV series. Of course, it remains to be seen whether he keeps the same details of how Gallifrey was destroyed and who did it, but he's already embraced the big picture, and I never would have expected that.

And really, I think it's a smart move. Any TV show with an ongoing storyline and an enthusiastic fan base can get tied up by its own continuity if it runs for long enough, and no show has run longer than Doctor Who. From a business perspective, if the show is going to grow a new generation of fans, it's got to do something to clear out the big back story tangle. We who have followed the show for decades may enjoy its rich history, but new viewers - especially children - aren't going to sit still for it. Those who want to know more have plenty of resources, especially those here at Outpost Gallifrey, where they can find out all they want. Those who simply want to enjoy what's on their screens now are able to do so. Meanwhile, from an artistic perspective, I can see how Russell Davies, Christopher Eccleston and the rest of the new Doctor Who team would want more of a free hand to tell their stories their way. Getting rid of Gallifrey does that for them.

Think of Gallifrey's destruction as being like a forest fire - it's terrible to see all that beautiful old growth go, but that's the only way for any new growth to take root and blossom.

(By the way, if you want to catch up on the war and Gallifrey's destruction, reading the books, "Alien Bodies," "Interference" (parts 1 and 2), "The Shadows of Avalon" and "The Ancestor Cell" will give you the essential points of the story.)

Now, on to the episode itself:

I do believe the second new Doctor Who episode spent more on special effects than the entire 26 original years of the series combined. With more CGI than the movie Gladiator (or so I'm told) and aliens galore, "The End of the World" is a visual extravaganza - just the thing to keep people watching after the initial excitement of the premiere.

And unlike a lot of other SF/F shows, there's actually some story to go with it.

Just like the premiere, we see much of "The End of the World" from the perspective of the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler. We get to see something I don't remember seeing in a previous companion - second thoughts. Rose ran into the TARDIS rather impulsively at the end of the premiere, and now she's wondering just what the heck she's gotten into. Fortunately for her, the new Doctor is cellphone-savvy, giving her the ability to call home to her mum from five billion years away (although he does warn her, "Wait 'till you see the bill.").

We get to see more sides to the Ninth Doctor, and the way he interacts not just with Rose, but with some of the aliens they meet, too. I liked Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor even more than I did last week, which in a way only made me more ticked off at him for leaving the show so quickly. We're just getting to know him, and there are already no more than a dozen of his stories left to go. We'll probably never hear him do a "past Doctor" story for Big Finish, and the BBC might not want to go on publishing books about his Doctor after he's gone. So much potential wasted. It's a shame.

The episode does have a few cheesy bits. The "last member of the human race" has some interesting taste in "classical music." (Personally, I thought it would have been funnier if the jukebox had played one of Billie Piper's old hits, but I guess Britney will do.) The space station where the story takes place has been invaded by refugees from the movie Minority Report, and in order to save the day, the Doctor has to run through these spinning fan blades that made me think of Galaxy Quest. But it's all just part of the fun. The rest of the story more than makes up for it.

So all in all, it's a fun romp with a touch of sadness, both onscreen and behind the scenes. The new Doctor Who is off to a great start. Now, bring on Charles Dickens!

This second episode of the new Doctor Who had a lot riding on it. In many ways a more important episode than Rose, this is the one that had to retain the casual viewer who watched the first episode out of curiosity, this is the episode that could actually make or break the new series; at least until the undoubted viewing figure boost of the Dalek in episode 6.

This review does contain spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the episode I would suggest you read no further.

Whilst we will have to wait a few days for the viewing figures, it seems to me that The End of The World was another very good piece of television drama and very good Doctor Who.

Christopher Eccleston has once again given us a magnificent portrayal of the Doctor, giving the character an emotional depth and range we have seldom seen before and making his departure from the role all the more a matter of regret. The infectious enthusiasm from Rose was still present, along with the infectious grin and cries of ‘fantastic’. There was also an underlying cagey anger and sadness, very ably portrayed by Eccleston, concerning the destruction of Gallifrey and the fact that he is, so far as he is aware, the last Time Lord. There is also very convincing grief and a tear (which I do not for one minute believe was added using CGI afterwards) following Jabe’s comments about his origins.

Billie Piper continues to impress as Rose and here proves conclusively what a good actress she really is; much, I suspect, to the surprise of nearly everybody. Like her co-star she convincingly conveys a wide range of emotions and I was particularly impressed with her bewilderment at the various alien races and her confusion / fear over her realisation that she had run off with an alien she knew nothing about.

As a Doctor Who tale The End of The World was superficially lightweight, but with hidden depths that are perhaps only appreciated on repeated viewing. There is comedy, to be sure, but comedy that is never overdone to the point where it becomes camp. The Moxx of Balhoun’s gift of bodily fluid had both myself and my nine-year-old daughter laughing out loud. The Steward was the perfect officious functionary to be found the universe over and his stuffiness was a further cause of amusement. The Lady Cassandra was also, initially, comical and not entirely unbelievable given the present unhealthy obsession with cosmetic surgery.

There is humour, to be sure, but there are also dark undertones; not least the murder of several members of the observation platform’s crew and visitors. Perhaps the most horrific murder is that of the plumber, a character we quickly come to identify with and become sympathetic to, only to see her die as she tries to do her job. The death of the steward affects the viewer less, perhaps because he is an almost entirely unsympathetic character, but his death does serve to illustrate the fate awaiting Rose immediately and, subsequently, the rest of the observation platforms temporary inhabitants should the Doctor fail.

The death that affected myself, and those watching with me, the most was that of Jabe. Somehow I expected that she would survive, that her heroism deserved reward and her death brought genuine feelings of sadness and regret. It was a truly poignant moment in the new series and one that left a lasting impression.

Even darker, perhaps, than the immediate deaths are the revelations about Gallifrey, though the planet is never actually named. The Doctor’s anguish at the destruction of his home planet and the deaths of his fellow Gallifreyans is clear; indeed it is obvious at the end of The End of The World that the Doctor has taken Rose to see the end of her planet so that she can understand how he feels about the end of his world. So that she can understand him, a little better and thus to strengthen the bond between them.

One controversial aspect of The End of The World has been the death of Cassandra, with some even suggesting that the Doctor is guilty of murder. Personally I think that this is going too far. The only way that the Doctor could ensure that Cassandra was brought to justice was to reverse the transmit device. He may not have realised her skin would dry out as quickly as it did. True, he made no move to help her, but a failure to act to preserve life does not equate with murder, at least as it is currently defined by British law.

Was The End of The World one of the best Doctor Who stories ever made? Possibly not, but it was great family entertainment and promised much for the rest of this first season of new Doctor Who.

There are no expletives in existence which could accurately tell you how sad I was to hear Christopher Eccleston would not be continuing and so I watched this episode with some forlorness. (I mean, would one more season really be that bad? He's already typecast - as a moany northerner!) However, I shall put this behind me as I come to review what was a vast improvement plot-wise and in suspense terms from 'Rose'. While 'Rose' was enjoyable and fast-paced, this episode is more gently paced giving the viewer time to breathe.

Its main strengths were the very human aspects of the show. Rose's freaking out about being in a room full of aliens was inspired. That is how we would all react. Companions in the past have landed on planets, and when they've met an alien they usually act as though they lived with aliens all their lives! That was very enjoyable - shows Russell T Davies knows us human beings so well. The argument between Rose and the Doctor was skillfully done and I really loved the 'designated driver' line. Rose's call to her mother also emphasised that even though she was light years away from Earth, she was still one of us. And the scene at the end, when she takes a look at the Earth as she knows it - full of people, talking, walking, eating was arguably more spine-tingling than the "spinning through time" piece in 'Rose'. That was probably my favourite part in the whole episode. It brought home the series' message; the planet won't be here forever, so let's make the most of life. Brilliant. And I've had many a time when I've confessed to a girl that I've "no money" in the same nonchalant way as the Doctor did. However, is he the only Time Lord left? What about the Master? The Rani? Will they be making an appearance? The Physic ID was a neat little idea too - very Doctor Who.

The plot of the story was simple enough for kids to understand and a nice laugh for adults. It was certainly more suspenseful and there was more of a build-up to a climax. Watching the end of the world was a clever plot-line and without cliches, although there were some general nods to 'The Curse of Peladon'. Cassandra was a delightfully horrid villain and I was one with the Doctor in allowing her to splat her thin remains across the room. I did feel sorry for the Moxx of Balhoon though. Poor dear. The Doctor's "bristling with ideas" scene was brilliantly straight to the point and a competent denouement to the episode. You really were rooting for the Doc there and happy to be in his company. Jabe the Tree was gorgeous although the scene where she lights on fire could have been quite harrowing for kids watching at that particular time.

So what did I dislike? Well, there was nothing I really disliked specifically. I just think, so far, we haven't seen many modern classics. (By classics, I would be refering to the top 20 Who stories of the past as voted in the last DWM poll) I've certainly enjoyed the last two episodes but they're more on the scale of adventures you're not realy bothered with, but have to own on video/DVD all the same. 'The Curse of Peladon' is a good example of one of these type of stories. While being witty and suspenseful, I doubt there will be many having nightmares after watching this episode. 

I'm beginning to think that Russell T Davies knows strong characters and emotional plots but doesn't know good science fiction/fantasy all that well. However, I'm still enjoying myself and we are only two episodes into a long run so I shall hopefully be eating my words! It was just something that crossed my mind. The next episode, written by someone other than RTD, looks very good and I cannot wait for Steven Moffat's Blitz story!!!

*Phew* that's more like it. And it was the first time I had heard the words 'iPod' and 'prostitute' uttered in an episode of Doctor Who. 

I've spent the best part of last week since the debut of 'Rose' trying to work out one thing. Did I really like it? A friend asked me on the phone the other day which I preferred, 'Rose' or the TV movie of 1996, and do you know what? I couldn't answer, I think I replied with something along the lines of 'I liked the TV movie's epic grandeur, but thought the new show had the humour that was missing from the US version', although if I was being honest, I would say that 1996's TV movie had the slight upper hand, after all, at least it took its source material seriously, in a way that 'Rose' failed to. Believe me, I've attacked the TV Movie in my time and I won't mince my criticisms. I was even attacking 'Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace' long before it became trendy to do so. It’s just that there was something just not right about 'Rose'. The whole time it had felt like I was watching set of actors in a parody of a sci fi show against a backdrop that was straight out of 'Eastenders'. I so badly wanted to like the new 'Who', yet I had this horrible nagging feeling that soon I would be joining in chants of "Russell T Davies raped my childhood". However, once 'The End of the World' had finished I was almost in tears, and not only at the highly charged emotional ending. It was like an old friend who I had believed I would never see again really was back.

I won't resummarise the plot, many others will have no doubt done that before me, but to me, this is the series as I remember it, and yet feeling new and refreshed in a way that it so desperately needed towards the end of its original tenure. It wasn't perfect. The aliens still looked like men in suits and there was still the taste of the cheesy humour that was the downfall of 'Rose' (The Tardis gets a parking ticket!?!).

However, the creature effects were up to Henson standards and looked far more authentic than the CGI aliens that fill other series. And so what if the blue steward and his crew looked like men in blue face paint, the actors took their roles seriously enough that we soon forgot that was what they were. And yet whilst the pace was still lightening fast there were moments where everything slowed down and we got to learn far more about the characters. The likes of the attendant/plumber that Rose befriends were not shabbily acted comedy grotesques like Rose's mother, but fully rounded (or flattened in Cassandra's case) creations. Not to say that a few of the supporting aliens could have been given more screen time, but such are the limitations if a 45 minute format, as others have pointed out elsewhere. The biting satire that was always present in the old series was back, with tirades against racism, the hypocrisy of the class system, and the materialistic modern culture of obsessive self-improvement. The CGI was impressive and put to perhaps its best use on the exterior space shots (although I do have to say that as a drinking pal of mine works for The Mill's CGI team and he gave me a lift to the station a few months back!).

To be honest, the announcement about Christopher Eccleston's resignation hardly affected me last Thursday. I cared little for his overacting in 'Rose' and I had theorised before last week's announcement that such a noted actor wouldn't commit to a long running series anyway. Yet this week I had my heart in my throat as Doctor number nine recounted the loss of his home world and I felt his sadness at Jabe's demise. As we learn more about this Doctor's recent past we can theorise more about why he is so different from his past incarnations. This is a man carrying the scars of war and the loss that conflict brings. This Doctor has more in common with Ron Kovic from 'Born on the Fourth of July' than any of his eccentric predecessors. Note his militaristic haircut and his dulled down 'uniform' look, lacking any extravagance. Why dress up when everyone you cared for is no more, and there is nothing to dress up for? Note also his cold-blooded willingness to let Cassandra die. No wonder his Tardis is just a patchwork of used 'found' parts if he can no longer return to Gallifrey to repair it. Yes, there was still a playfulness to Eccleston's Doctor, but it was kept in better check than his constant over-comedic acting in 'Rose'. If anything this Doctor's over-reliance on humour is only an antidote to the sorrow he hides within himself, sorrow he cannot even discuss with his companion. 

Of course, the destruction of Gallifrey (assuming this is still the same continuity as the original series) opens up a whole host of plot possibilities, and with last weeks select revelations about a mysterious war hints that we might be getting that all to common of threads found in a modern Sci fi TV show - a story arc. There will no doubt be hardcore fans who will spit upon Davies for taking such bold steps to shake up continuity, but if the series is going to grow and change it needs to shaken by its roots by revelations like this. Somehow Gallifrey's destruction makes sense; everything has to eventually have an end. After all, what the Star Wars saga be without the fall of the Jedi Knights, or the Norse myths be without the coming of Ragnarok? So who were the other combatants in this war? Did they perchance look like a set of marauding pepper pots? Did the Master survive Gallifrey's destruction, and if so, which side did he fight on during the war? How would being the only two surviving Timelords change the dynamic between the Doctor and the Master in any future confrontations? Aren't these just the sort of questions we fans like to waste our time dreaming about? 

'The End of the World' was easily the best 45 minutes I've had in recent times. I only wish that 'The End of the World' and 'Rose' had been edited into one ninety-minute pilot so that the likes of the Sci Fi Channel (and those who failed to tune in after seeing 'Rose' last week) could see what they were missing. Despite the sadness of the tone at the end of ‘The End of the World’, that in time everything dies, the Doctor reminds us to cherish the life that we do have. I felt like a part of me had been restored, but most important of all, I couldn't wait to see the next episode, which was always my reaction at the end of an episode of the old series. And that my friends is what it should all be about.