While not a huge fan of Russell T Davies' writing, I thought that 'New Earth' was up there with the 'The Parting of the Ways', 'Rose' and 'The End of the World' as one of his slightly better offerings. It was the first time that the new series had taken the Doctor and Rose to an alien planet as opposed to London, Cardiff or a space station and it was more akin to classic Who science fiction.

This episode was also a much better vehicle for David Tennant to impress as the Tenth Doctor than the self-indulgent and rather twee 'The Christmas Invasion'. He was more of a lead actor in his own right, as opposed to his appearance at Christmas, where I just found myself missing Christopher Eccleston. Billie Piper played a slightly more confident Rose Tyler, now more of an equal companion as opposed to the wide-eyed assistant to Christopher Eccleston's slightly more paternal Doctor. We did not actually see much of Rose in this episode. Instead, Davies treated the audience to seeing Billie Piper perform her take on Zoe Wanamaker's villainess Cassandra.

The return of Cassandra was good way of linking the second series in with the first and reminding viewers that this was the same Doctor Who. While this initally seemed like a straightforward sequel to 'The End of the World', the body-swap plot made Cassandra a slightly more three-dimensional character as she came to the realisation that it was time for her to die. Davies created an enjoyable story out of the combination of the dark plot line featuring the human plague carriers and the almost farcical scenario which had Cassandra body-leaping from Rose to the Doctor and back again. The popular culture references that Davies loves to insert into his scripts and which often serve to detract from the sense of Doctor Who's other-worldiness were kept to a minumum. I know a few other reviewers have complained that Cassandra, being from five billion years in the future would not know what a chav was. However, it is established several times that she as able to draw on the feelings and memories of the person she was controlling and knew what a chav was because Rose knew. The combination of Davies' writing, the direction of James Hawes and some nifty special effects helped to create a genuine futuristic sense to the surroundings and a pervading sense of danger which culminated in the dark scene where two of the nuns casually murdered a plague carrier begging for help. But then, I suppose it wouldn't be Doctor Who if the seemingly kindly cats weren't up to something fiendish.

The return of the face of Boe seemingly set up the long-term mystery for this series, like the 'Bad Wolf' idea did for Series One. The two scenes with the face of Boe where they talked about its knowledge of the universe helped to create the sense of a great and mysterious world going on outside the hospital set and reminded us that there are forces in the expanse of space that are beyond the Doctor. I am willing to bet that the Face of Boe was going to tell the Doctor that there are other Time Lords still alive. Then again, maybe not.

This was a good opening episode for the new series, introducing Doctor Number Ten properly and bringing back some familiar faces to make the viewers feel comfortable with the new Doctor. Thankfully, Russell T Davies usually smug and pop-culture ridden writing style was kept to a minimum making this one of his better adventures.

The Doctor and Rose find themselves 23 years after the events in THE END OF THE WORLD on the planet New Earth. The Doctor has received a message from the Face of Boe and they travel to a hospital run by Cat Nuns where he is a patient. The Hospital seems to be able to cure everything and everyone. Meanwhile, Rose gets separated and finds herself at the mercy of the bad old trampoline herself – Cassandra, who did NOT die on Platform 5 apparently. As Cassandra implements her plan, the Doctor finds himself facing the terrible secret of the Cat Nuns and we find that there is a terrible price to making the sick well.

On the plus side, this episode is very fun and witty. The dialogue is top notch and very fun to listen to. David Tennant falls into the role of the Doctor with ease giving the character a much more energetic and manic Doctor than Eccleston gave us. Billie Piper is absolutely brilliant with what the story does to her character. It’s her best performance yet. And of course Cassandra is just a great, wonderful character and it’s good to see her back. The Special Effects are amazing and the make-up on the Cat Nuns is perfect. Or should I say purr-fect? Okay, I’ll stop.

On the negative, there are so many things going on that the plot falls by the wayside in many places. I had the same problem with this that I had with THE LONG GAME. I think the story concepts are bigger than the 45 minute time frame allows them to be. GAME had a great concept with a piece of meat controlling the populous through the news and there was a resistance to that which the never explore in depth, NEW EARTH with the concept of killing one creature so another can live, also not explored. But am I asking too much from a 45 minute episode? Maybe. At least those concepts are out and we can talk about them, which is something that the new series has that Big Finish does not have – commentary on social and societal issues. But when all is said and done, this is a really good episode. It is scary, funny and thought provoking. It’s good Doctor Who. It's good television.

I'm afraid I missed the teaser, which I understand had the goodbyes with Mickey, et al... But when the Doctor and Rose stepped out of the Tardis on to New Earth, I was pleasantly surprised that the landscape they emerged into really did look as good as the publicity stills which have already been published. I like the green circle as a future sign for hospitals, as a circle is a bit like a wedding ring, signifying continuity and life, something that never ends. I could almost smell the "apple grass" on which they lay in the sun, and then thought "Oh, Oh!" as one of Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen's pet spiders espied Rose's blond hair and scurried along closer, prompted by Cassandra herself, but controlled by her slightly unusual sidekick, "Chip" who, we eventually discover is a "forced bred clone" and "worships his mistress".

As the Doctor and Rose walked into the Hospital Reception area, it reminded me uncannily - and with all due respect to those who were there - of the inside of the World Trade Centre that we saw in the documentary 9/11, coming across with the same kind of impresion of size and space, and because this was Doctor Who, with a sense that something was going to happen; but what?

Then, came one of the great moments that in my opinion brought out one of the most wonderful "Rose Tyler" facial expressions when she saw one of the Nuns with her face uncovered, and exclaimed to the Doctor, "They're Cats!" The Cats/Nuns/Nurses by the way are absolutely beautiful, extremely well done, and completely convincing in the way they look, move, speak, the way they are attired, and it is only a shame that we couldn't have got to know them a little more; although I really loved the one who explained to the Doctor about the legend of the Face of Boe, that one day he will impart a great secret to a wanderer without a home. Didn't the Doctor's face look a picture? Then towards the end when the Face of Boe spoke to the Doctor, it looked for a moment that the secret might come out. But this is evidently still early in this story-thread, and the Face of Boe tells the Doctor that they will yet meet for "a third and last time", leaving us to wonder just what..? Hmmm...

However, there was more to come before all this, and as the Doctor was walking around the hospital coming across people with all sorts of ailments - of which he seems to have an almost routine knowledge - we begin to see what the newly regenerated Doctor is really like. Is it just me, or did he really seem like the Doctor we once saw in "Resurrection of the Daleks"? At one particular point, when the Doctor was asking about the petrifying ailment the big bloke - the Duke of Manhattan - was suffering from, I really thought that I was watching Peter Davison at his very best. But, no, this was David Tennant at his very best, or at least the very best I have seen him since "Casanova".

Now then! To Rose's "possession" by Cassandra... This was superb. This was done in a way that metaphorically "killed two birds with one stone" so to speak. As well as seeing a brilliantly executed characterisation of Cassandra inside Rose's body, with the consequent crossover of mannerisms, and the wonderful line, "I'm a chav!" we also got the opportunity to see just what else this wonderous actress Billie Piper is really capable of... And Billie, to quote straight from the Ninth Doctor, "You were fantastic, absolutely fantastic."

But we were treated to more yet; because in those scenes where Cassandra spirited herself from Rose, to the Doctor, back to Rose, and at one point to one of the pursuant diseased clones as well, we were witnesses to some truly wonderful acting by David Tennant. The Doctor's rage at Matron Catz on discovering the horrific nature and extent of their human clone "lab rats" infected with "every disease in the galaxy", telling her that there is no higher authority, that "It stops here with me," really emphasises his status as a Time Lord, indeed, as far as we know the Only Time Lord. Or is he? I guess that only RTD knows that. And his underlying "calm" when questioning the Matron as to what had happened to Rose was a deep telltale sign that the Doctor does indeed care very much about his beautiful young companion.

Cassandra herself? It was nice to see Zoe Wanamaker in the flesh so to speak. Those outside the UK may not know, but in Zoe Wanamaker we have one of those rare creatures, an actress who can do serious, and who can do comedy, indeed almost anything, and do it well. In short, Cassandra does Zoe Wanamaker great credit, and vice-versa. And she is good looking as well. I still have half a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Cassandra; and the scene where Chip, with Cassandra's "spirit" in him tells the "human" Cassandra that she is beautiful and then "dies" in her own arms was touching. The fact that the Doctor was willing to do that for Cassandra showed us his compassionate side too...

But not half as much as the scene in the lift, when the Doctor and Cassandra - still in Rose's body - empties all the sachets of different coloured medicines into the "disinfectant shower" and at great risk that it might not work, entices the despondent diseased human clones into the shower of who knows what? "PASS IT ON." Yes indeed.

The joy in the Doctors exclamations as the people, "a new sub-species" the Doctor calls them, were miraculously healed, put me in mind of the ninth Doctors joy at the mass healing of the "gas mask heads" in "The Doctor Dances". What's more it was done with great originality, without seeming to be a good idea merely repeated in a different location, which I suppose it was really.

My only criticism of this new story is that there was so much happening in forty-five minutes. This really could have been a two parter to my mind, which would have allowed us to explore a little more in terms of the "New Earth" that the Doctor and Rose were visiting, and also for some deeper character exploration which would have enhanced the story without seeming to pad anything out. I think it will take a little time to get used to tthe new Doctor, for as Rose said, he is "so different", but as Rose also said at Christmas time in the Sycorax spaceship, "good different".

I am guessing that David is sandbagging at present, and that he will put things into the role of the Doctor, at which we will yet marvel. Rose is brilliant. The Cats are beautiful, and I think - hope even - we will see them in the future. New Earth was great. So next it's off to 19th Century Scotland, Queen Victoria, and a werewolf. That I've just gotta see... Effort 9/10. Quality 10/10.

Talk about a tease. Parting of the Ways - at last, the new Doctor revealed! …for twenty seconds and a joke about teeth. Children In Need - at last, the new Doctor revealed! …for seven minutes and a lot of guff about hopping. The Christmas Invasion - at last, the new, no, hang on, he's still asleep, come back after three more months and a joke about the Lion King. Compared to this, those sixteen years post-McCoy went by in a flash.

I'll be honest, I was worried. Despite the wonders Russell T Davies has pulled in the past, surely all these peeks and glimpses would steal the thunder from the new series? David Tennant's already done the chat-show circuit back in December, so where's the big first episode ratings-boost from strangers wanting to know what the new guy's like? What's gonna make this feel like a big bold beginning instead of just another adventure? How can we be sure people will watch?

Well, shows how much I know. People watch it just 'cos it's Doctor Who, these days. And the most extraordinary thing about this episode – this in-itself very ordinary, 'just another' adventure – is exactly that there is no thunder to be stolen, at least on the new actor front. It's all jolly exciting, thrilling, action-adventure stuff: an alien world, an alien race, a lot of huggermugger sculduggery; things being plotted, stuff blowing up, the usual suspects – and there, you suddenly notice, in the middle of it, like he's been there all along, is the Doctor, having an adventure. No grand fanfare, no finally the new Doctor revealed!, just a sudden, subtle realisation that you've got used to him without even trying. Which of course was the whole point of all that teasing, and of all the thrills and spills and special effects around him. A mad, months-long conjuring trick filled with effusive patter and a great big cgi bucket of misdirection, all to slip that one bit of sleight-of-hand past you: that it's not the same guy.

The upside of this is that we get an absolute zinger of an episode, all-out belly laughs mixed with zips of fear and zaps of danger; comic turns with epic set-pieces; running for your life with running gags. The central gimmick of the story is something of a standard sci-fi trope, an excuse for a good old romp for the regulars, but combined with enough of a story to hold keep its momentum. The effects are ambitious and effective, turning a revolting day in Cardiff into a reasonable one on another planet; a series of attractive women into a matching set of attractive cats, and a large collection of extras into a particularly nasty bunch of Nasties of the Week. The performances are as usual fine throughout, with Billie Piper even more than usually superb as she's asked to pull off all the funniest lines without forgetting she's also carrying the plot, and managing both with aplomb. Even the music – if you can persuade the surround-sound not to bleach out the dialogue – is feisty, fun and exhilarating, with an Austin Powersesque action sequence taking the award for most daringly silly and enjoyable theme so far.

The downside, of course, is that a plot designed to be fluffily distracting does tend to be a bit, well, fluffy. And distracting. Gimmicks, effects, cats, and nasties add up to a bit of a noisy mess at times, all sound and fury signifying that the scriptwriter doesn't want you to pay too much attention to the details. Last year's lesson proves true once more, that if Russell T's scripts have a problem, it can be summed up in two words: "plot convenience." Never mind the fiddly explanations, just hit the button on the wall next to you! Never mind the logic, just do what's cool! Never mind the plot holes, just run for your life!

There's no denying that this story, fast-paced and full of explosions as it is, does lack a little coherence as it zips from one subplot to another, glossing over exactly who's doing what, for what, for why; how the solutions are reached, by whom, or when, or, bluntly, why the hell they'd work. "Who Cares if Doc is Drivel?" crowed the Mirror the next day, praising the show for being lovable despite its manifold, viciously-listed flaws, in surely the most backhandedly positive review ever published. Others were still less kind, pouring scorn on the oddly-paced, elongated ending (a trademark of Russell's scripts) and of the attempt to get the audience feeling joy at an uplifting ending (a trademark, rather too obviously, of Stephen Moffat's, where it works considerably better coming after two episodes of gritty, terrifying danger than it does here following nine minutes of what the BBFC witheringly refers to as 'mild peril'). Partly due its flaws, and partly to its impossible expectations, New Earth was always going to have trouble. And indeed, the initial feeling from audiences seems to be a less than startled 'oh right'.

We knew this would happen, of course. Last year Doctor Who was being compared to what people remembered of its death in the 80s: wobbling, cardboard, light-ent tripe, barely watchable even as a child – which much of it wasn't, but that's what sticks in the mind. This time round it's being compared to what they remember of last year, and just as unfairly: always the sheer, unparalleled brilliance of The Doctor Dances, of Dalek, of Father's Day , rather than the just-another adventures of The Long Game or Boom Town. Put this next to Rose , last year's season-opener, and there's simply no comparison – New Earth is quite, quite brilliant. But quite-brilliance isn't enough when people are comparing the new series (and we knew they would, we really knew it and were braced for it and still it's not enough) to only the very finest, utterly brilliant moments of Season One.

But you know what? I'm not going to write an apologetic review, because this story doesn't need one. There are flaws, but there are few. The opening seems somewhat stretched, with Rose uncharacteristically cloying in her admiration for the Doctor and their adventures (which unfortunately comes across as a sort of smug self-satisfaction with the series itself). The ending tries to crowbar the audience in a direction they're not emotionally ready to go; two crucial story elements not quite dovetailing together well enough to form a common theme. Arguably, where Eccleston had unplumbed depths of angst and fury, Tennant has pulling his lips back over his teeth. And the plot doesn't actually make sense. But that's it.

I watched this on Saturday, adult and analytical, and fretted madly about all those things. And then I watched it on Sunday with six shrieking and manically enthusiastic eight-year-olds, who'd been drinking coke for five hours straight and bouncing off the walls at an all-day party, suddenly silent and transfixed except for blurts of "Eww!" and "Woah!" and "This next bit's brilliant!" and "Shut up, I want to hear!", and realised it didn't matter. Whatever impossible, child-engrossing, attention-grabbing, silence-summoning magic Russell T conjured up with Christopher Eccleston (who?), he hasn't lost it now.

Logic is for wusses and grown-ups. This episode is fun. Just as fun as last year; just as funny; just as scary; just as silly; just as great. Just another adventure. Just enjoy.

(And next week - at last, the new Doctor, revealed!)

As a Doctor Who fan, I've often wondered what it was like to tune in and see "Robot" on its first airing. Did fans then have an inkling of what was to come? Did they know they were witnessing the birth of a what many fans consider to be the golden age of the show and they were seeing the first tentative steps of the man whose name, face and costume would become synonymous with the show not only in the United Kingdom but world-wide?

And now, over 20 years later are we at another crossroads for the show and witnesses the dawning of a new, golden age for Doctor Who.

It's hard to ignore the similiarities.

Jon Pertwee's era on Doctor Who had been, by all accounts, a huge success. In fact, I'd imagine if the Internet had existed back in the 70s there would be numerous debates on whether or not this new guy could live up to the consistency of the third Doctor. Now, here we are in a new century and we've just come off a successful run as the Doctor by Christopher Eccleston. Luckily, we have the Internet today so fans can wonder if this new guy will live up to the consistency of the ninth Doctor.

With Pertwee, I think history shows us exactly what Tom Baker did in the role. And while the book is still to written on David Tennant's tenure as the Doctor, I get this strange feeling we're on the verge of a new, golden age for Doctor Who. And I have a feeling that in a few weeks, we may all be saying, "Yes, Christopher Eccleston was good, but wow David Tennant is just fantastic as the Doctor."

(Please don't take this as a condemnation of Eccleston. I love what he brought to the role. He did a great job and I do wish we'd got more than one season with him in the role.)

So far, we've had two episodes featuring Tennant as Doctor. The preview of what's to come with "The Christmas Invasion" and now we've got the first episode of series two, "New Earth."

With the regeneration crisis past, we can jump back into the adventures through time and space that make Dr Who what it is. For their first adventure together, the new Doctor and Rose travel farther than they ever have before. The Doctor's received a message from the far-future, asking him to come to visit a hospital ward. Beyond that, he knows nothing else but this is the Doctor and he can't resist a good mystery. He and Rose head to New Earth, which is the planet that was created after the sun expanded in last year's "End of the World."

"New Earth" serves as backdrop to allow us to check in with some of the creatures we met last year in "End of the World." Whether that's good or bad depends on if you liked "End of the World" or not, I suppose. I like it, but I can honestly say I was't screaming for more of Cassandra. Which is what we got. Cassandra proves to be the Rani of the new series in that there is nothing she can't somehow survive.

The plot for "New Earth" is pretty jam-packed and complicated. It's one of those blink and you'll miss it type of stories in terms of plot twists and developments. Russell T. Davies seems to write stories that combine everything and the kitchen sink into the script. Visually it can be stunning as we see the alien vistas of New Earth, but when it comes to following the story or summarizing for a review, it can be a bit much. I will say that this script pays homage to a lot of elements from the classic series including the villain wanting the companion for some nefarious purpose, an army of "monster" skulking about and running down corridors.

Visually, the story has some callbacks to previous eras as well. I had to wonder if the medical pod set was somehow meant to invoke images of the tombs of the Cybermen that we've seen over the years.

But the real strength of "New Earth" is the work done on the characters. Russell T. Davies manages to make Cassandra a more realized character, to the point that when we got the final scene, I actually felt sympathy for Cassandra and her fate. Davies managed to make those last scenes bittersweet without being too cloying or over the top. Yes, it was tugging on the heart strings a bit, but it felt like an earned moment and not manipulative--as it easily could have been.

But the real heart and soul of this were David Tennant and Billie Piper. Tennant seems to be relishing the role and brought an almost Tom Baker like air. He was whimsical, wide-eyed enthusiasm and wonder we saw in the best of Tom Baker with the undercurrent of deadly seriousness when the situation called for it.

And Piper, as usual, continues to be a revelation. She's growing in the role of Rose. A year ago, I'm not sure she could have convincingly pulled off creating two separate personas as she does here. But now, she does it with style and is utterly convincing. The scenes with Cassandra trying to convince the Doctor she was really Rose were a delight. As were the first few scenes as Cassandra gets used to inhabiting Rose's body.

About my only real complaint is there are almost too many good ideas packed into a 45-minute storyline (a typical complaint with stories by Davies). But the program is a showcase for Piper as Rose and to a lesser extend Tennat's first steps as the Doctor. Hopefully as the series progresses, we'll get to see Tennant have a tour-de-forced like Piper does here. Because based on the glimpses I've seen, he's set to knock one out of the park.

I felt rather let down by the previous season of Doctor Who and in particular by Russell T.Davies and Christopher Eccleston. I love their previous work but for some reason they just didn’t work for in the Doctor Who context. So when I found out the first episode of the new series was another Davies script I was more than a little worried.

We had yet another goodbye scene with Jackie and Mickey, how boring? Added nothing at all to the episode and didn’t need to be there. And when we last saw these two it was Christmas but judging by the weather this time around it was summertime. Surely Rose and the Doctor didn’t stay that long?

I don’t like the idea of the Doctor and Rose fancying each other, at all. It’s just wrong in my mind. The Doctor doesn’t fall in love with everyone to come through the Tardis otherwise he’d be a bit of man-slapper. And its such a boring and unoriginal plot as well. So why even bother? And all the sentimental crap surrounding it is so tedious. It almost makes me reach for the remote.

For the most part the special effects were good but the odd one brought the show down. Which is a great example of why storyline must come before effects! I get the feeling the production crew are trying to show off and amaze us all with these brand new special effects the old series never had. Problem is they actually look rather cheap and don’t stand up to the likes of Battlestar Galactica. Now there’s a show that has got the balance right. Yes they have very good special effects but they have excellent storylines to match, dark and moving. Doctor Who needs to look at this re-invented show and learn some lessons. I want to see story to the episodes and less showing off and far less humour. Doctor Who always worked best when it was scary and there was nothing scary about this episode.

On the plus side Billie Piper proved what an amazing actress she is during this episode. Switching between Rose and ‘Cassandra’ was brilliantly done. And the Lady Cassandra was a welcome return. She was by far one of the better things about the previous series. She’s so witty and bitchy, she’d be perfect for Footballers Wives. I do hope we see her again because there’s plenty of potential there. Her change of heart was rather sudden so I’m hoping it was all a trick on Cassandra’s part otherwise its just a little of a cop-out. The cats costumes were another high point as well as their characterisation. They’re another species I hope we see again. The Face of Boe added a little mystery to the episode, what does he have to say to the Doctor? Could it be a warning about the Cybermen or about his own people?

The dialogue for the most part was good. Although I doubt that Cassandra, five billion years in the future, would actually use the term chav it was all very funny. The plague victims looked a little…..dodgy. I couldn’t help but think of Terminus and how dodgy that make up was. And how on earth can they speak and why do they have clothes? The Sisterhood bred them for experiments and finding cures not to try out different fashions on them. Why bother clothing them? It’s pointless. And if they are bred for experimenting on, and kept isolated from each other, how do they possess the skill of speech? Children learn to speak by watching and listening to their parents and copying their behaviour.

Deep down under all the humour, special effects and bitchy comments there was actually some kind of moral to this storyline. It’s all about animal testing and human testing. It’s wrong. And in this case I can’t help but agree. Breeding animals just to experiment on them is totally and utterly wrong.

Overall not a bad episode really. An improvement on some of the direness of the previous season and a much better actor in the role. However, I’m still not sure of Davies and prefer other episodes to his.