Doctor Who

[TonkaToys]

I take it that people know about this?

www.badwolf.org.uk

Thanks, I hadn't seen that before.

EA is right that the ending was a bit weak and rushed... obviously RTD had an plan right from the start about the Bad Wolf thing, it was just a shame he wasn't able to come up with something more original.

I thought they might harken back to the Dalek with Rose's DNA and maybe link that to the Dalek Emperor... Dalek Emperor - whatever happened to Davros?

Looks like RTD has set himself up with lots of inconsistencies that he'll hope we forget for the next series.

[econ21]

I must say, I warmed up to this series a lot as it progressed. It may even be the best series of Dr Who ever. (Although I still have a rose-tinted admiration for Tom Baker's first series, the stories revolving around the ark in space.) Partly it was the acting. I've always admired Christopher Ecclestone's work but took a little time to get used to him - perhaps that was ok, as he is supposed to be alien and therefore rather cold or odd in some ways. I'm pretty deflated now that he's gone. Billie Piper was just great - up there with Sarah Jane Smith as a "real" character you could identify with. And I was sad to see Captain Jack left behind. Like EA, I found the campness worked amazingly well (but then I also found Queer as Folk pretty jaw-dropping).

I also liked the way the series gradually built on itself. Seemingly standalone episodes like Dalek or the one with Rose's father actually were pivotal in developing the characters and the story. I was hesitant about the 45 minute format, but on reflection it may have been a better way of telling a story than the old 4x30 minute episode story format.

The standout story for me was the "Empty child". The first episode was terrifying - "Are you my mummy?" still brings out goose bumps - while the concluding episode brought it all together in a more satisfying way than any two parter sci-fi story has done. It was so warm and uplifting, it almost brought tears to my eyes:
"20 years to the invention of rock and roll. You're going to love it!"

I guess the main attractions, as an adult viewer now rather than a kid cowering behind a settee, are the mocking contemporary references and smart writing. I've probably mentioned it earlier, but the early scene with the Doctor watching the alien spaceship in London on TV and fighting for the remote, and to listen over the sound of the gossip, was just brilliant. Starting off the penultimate episode with the Doctor in the Big Brother chair uttering "You've got to be kidding me!" was an example of the unique strength of this series and one that would have been inconceivable in any future incarnation.

Like other posters, I did not like the fantasy elements introduced in the final episode. It seemed creatively cheap and like something from a third rate magna film. But the whole thing was kept afloat by the fact that by then you cared enough about the characters and in my case, emotional engagement could allow me to overlook the plot flaws.

For once I agree with the Daily Mail, best British series currently on TV. Except now it's not.