Doctor Who Episode Guide - Rose

1) Thor (Profile)

The Doctor has been very busy since we saw him on the BBC 10 years ago, and there’s lots of interesting back-story (no spoilers from me) that leaks out over the season. The Doctor’s seen some hard times, and has a darker edge than before…

Fantastic!

2) Andrew Oakley (Profile)

IMHO the best regeneration episode ever (fandom consensus is that the Doctor’s surprise at his new ears confirms he is newly regenerated), this is a truly amazing piece of writing, managing to somehow be both fast-paced and yet a gentle introduction of the Doctor to new viewers.

Being a toddler when the Autons first hit the screen in the 1970s, I still find them - and indeed real shop tailor dummies - terrifying, and I can imagine this story really putting the willies up a whole new generation of children who’ll have to watch future episodes from behind the sofa.

The effects are mostly good and stand up well to contemporary sci-fi (although the CGI on the burping bin is more than a little ropey), the location shots are wonderfully both sharp and grainy at the same time (a familiar look to “28 Days Later”), and the acting is just fine. But at the end of the day, this episode is good purely for the skill of the scriptwriting, specifically targetting (and winning, judging by viewing figures) the EastEnders gritty soap opera fanbase. I’m not so sure how a grimy council estate (read: “housing project”) will win over American viewers who have traditionally shunned gritty drama (just look how Firefly died on its arse- introduce a bit of dirt and US audiences flee in droves), but there is sufficient London tourist glitz (including, in several backgrounds, possibly the largest convoy of double-decker busses ever seen in one place) to give a warm and cosy feeling to those expecting British stereotypes. Russell T Davies couldn’t have gone any more Britpop if he’d have included an NHS dentist and a Cockney chimneysweep.

New viewers start here.