Doctor Who

[Matt Defis]

TV doesn't get any worse than this, so many cheesy screaming shots it could almost be the worst cum faces on camera ever 4.

Edit: It even has a young guy and an old man lieing on the floor looking puffed out shouting oh yes.

[Lorfarius]

Yet another Doctor saves the Earth special. Is this all the writers are capable of doing?

[Geo]

I quite liked it, it wasn't as good as the last season got but there were plenty of awesome bits and it did poke fun at itself and the other christmas specials in a nice way. Sure it was a bit cheesy and some of the acting was a bit ropey (when isn't it) but it was good fun!

[Mr. Pickle]

Meh

[cassidy]

Meh

/10 was going to be my post. Mind you Torchwood looks like a different show. S4 of who looks a bit

[DoctorK]

The bit with the Queen was utter shit but apart from that I enjoyed it, it's a typical Doctor Who Christmas romp adventure. I'm sure the kids enjoyed it.

[Mogster]

Yet another Doctor saves the Earth special. Is this all the writers are capable of doing?

Clearly. Personally I think they should set all Christmas specials on the planet Zargon, where the Doctor must debate philosophy with the Grand Quaff Falonicus in order to settle a business deal between the races of the Galactic Consortium. Now that's what I call festive!

On a sane note, I thought it was superb. I was worried that Kylie's involvement would have drawn too much attention from the writers, but while she had a big supporting role, it never became a "look, it's Kylie" thing. Personally I don't rank either of the first two Christmas specials as being anywhere near the show's best, but thisw was a huge improvement.

EDIT: Oh yes. "You're not falling, you're flying!"

[Mortis]

That managed to be worse than last seasons and so far the preview of next season left me cold - mainly as Catherine Tate seems to have the shouty cockney thing going on constantly.

I fear that Russell T Davies may have managed to relaunch and kill Dr Who in a few short years.

[Mogster]

I fear that Russell T Davies may have managed to relaunch and kill Dr Who in a few short years.

I give up.

[Beta]

It was pretty good, I mean not great but maybe the most enjoyable Christmas special for me so far (although I've only seen the other two once each, so my memory's a tad patchy).

Also, I hope to God that the new arrangement of the theme tune for this episode isn't the one that'll be used in series four. 'Cos it's crap.

[Mogster]

It was pretty good, I mean not great but maybe the most enjoyable Christmas special for me so far (although I've only seen the other two once each, so my memory's a tad patchy).

Also, I hope to God that the new arrangement of the theme tune for this episode isn't the one that'll be used in series four. 'Cos it's crap.

I think it will be, and while I wouldn't say it was crap (hello McCoy), it was a bit of a wish-washy "remix" rather than a whole new arrangement.

[cassidy]

I think it will be, and while I wouldn't say it was crap (hello McCoy), it was a bit of a wish-washy "remix" rather than a whole new arrangement.

the new music was my fave bit. Oh that and the Alonsi Alonso

[Popo]

It started well but soon became quite predictable and suffered from bad pacing at times (especially towards the end, with too many false climaxes).

It was enjoyable though. Kylie is very short.

[Hexx]

I liked the new theme tune, but overly I thought the episode was pretty dire.

Astrid - Tardis? Nothing came of?

The midhsip man's miraculous recovery wound!

The awful "Doctor Ascends Carried by Angels"

The queen! (And Dialogue)

There were good bits (people fleeing London etc), but the bad far outweighed it.

[Geo]

I fear that Russell T Davies may have managed to relaunch and kill Dr Who in a few short years.

jeeeesus, this is rediculous, going off last season's quality the next one should be awesome!

[Wickedkitten]

Didn't think much of the Christmas episode but next season looks ace.

[Lorfarius]

jeeeesus, this is rediculous, going off last season's quality the next one should be awesome!

No there were a lot of stinkers last season.

[vegetables]

Watching that, I kind of wished that the Titanic-in-Space had collided with Russel. T. Davis' house, and obliterated all his scripts in a spectacular ball of fire. The man is obviously out of control now, judging by that episode. Its script wasn't bad per se, and its basic concept was quite strong, but it was very obvious to me that it hadn't been script edited to anything like a rigorous enough standard. There were several parts where the pacing was just off, with tonal shifts that didn't work and a level of underdevelopment that's frankly shocking to have in a 71-minute story, and several things about the story that didn't make any sense. Who were these people? Were they humans, and if they weren't why did they look just like them? And where are they from? Why is their technology identical to our own, and most of their culture, yet they understand Earth so poorly they have to make the same joke about how they don't understand christmas fifteen times? There needs to be some level of believability or the whole thing becomes a farce, and this didn't establish or pace anything at all. Yet had a ten minute scene where Kylie Minouge squats under a pipe. Jesus. If I was in charge of the BBC, I'd honestly seriously review the way the show is run as a result of this episode, and I'd be embarassed a script for such an important programme had gone out in such a state.And that new version of the theme song is cock-awful to the point of being painful to listen to.

There was some fabulous acting, though. I felt really sorry for David Tennant in some places given the material he had to work with. His situation reminded me of Colin Baker's when he was on the show, as while he had to wear a ridiculous coat at least he never had a scene where he's lifted by fucking angel robots who fly for no reason. I'm really angry! I should stop.

EDIT: It wouldn't have taken much tweaking to set the episode in the future over any planet other than Earth, which I think would have made it much, much stronger on the whole.

[Jug McKenzie]

.

[Nick R]

Clearly. Personally I think they should set all Christmas specials on the planet Zargon, where the Doctor must debate philosophy with the Grand Quaff Falonicus in order to settle a business deal between the races of the Galactic Consortium. Now that's what I call festive!

Quite right - they're hardly going to get Steven Moffat to do the Christmas special, are they?

I enjoyed it. As Mogster said, Kylie was good they didn't draw attention to her as a guest star. Despite the cheesiness (you could tell quite early on that the "professor of Earthonomics" would end up staying on Earth - and of course they had to have one character interested in money and saving his own skin), it was better than last year's Christmas special.

Well, apart from the bit with the Queen... though even that was no "Fear Her" Olympic torch!

[cassidy]

No there were a lot of stinkers last season.

If by a lot you mean exactly 2 episodes then yes your correct.

Still bad Doctor Who is a shitstorm of world better than the worst of Smallville.

I also liked Clive Swift to be honest, in particular the boxing day line.

spoiler for s4

Apparently Bernie Cribbins the Newspaper vendor is a recurring character.

[Bluejam]

Loved it and i thought it was easily better than last years. I even liked the Queen bit.

Perfect post xmas dinner entertainment.

[Matt Defis]

That was far worser than Smallville has been in the last 2 years and Smallville has been really bad, it was utter shit and i'm so unhappy about the episode. The whole "be careful the beam might break, go slowly" shit was completely laughable because 2 minutes later a giant robot fell from the sky and hit it straight on without so much as a budge. The comical cum faces through the entire episode just pulled me right out (not that i ever fell in) of the experience, even the misses who normally enjoys it got up after 30 minutes and said she couldn't take the boredom anymore.

[vegetables]

Perfect for an hour-and-a-bit of Christmas Day telly anyway, and as has already been suggested, I bet the kids loved it - and I'm sure viewing figures will have been sky high, as I'm sure all the figures for next season's episodes will be too.

This sort of attitude depresses me. While I don't doubt that kids loved it and viewing figures were high, I don't think a show like this can afford to be complacent, and I certainly don't think we should be applauding it when it is. I didn't want this episode to be amazingly profound and heavy. I wanted it to be a well-paced, exciting action-a-thon which it was possible to be engaged with at some level, as it itself wanted to be. I just think the script for it was severely lacking, and if the show keeps going on with that sort of attitude before long the viewing figures for episodes won't be so high, and the kids will love it less and less. And I'm not sure I'd blame them, frankly.

In fact, I that the idea that because a piece of entertainment is light, its quality doesn't matter is perhaps the idea we should object to as viewers most strongly, because otherwise, well, we simply won't get good light entertainment.

EDIT: It was really boring, wasn't it? I found myself wondering if they'd recycled the "Earth explodes" CGI to do the nuclear fuel cell when Astrid was falling to her doom, then felt even more depressed than I already was.

[cassidy]

That was far worser than Smallville has been in the last 2 years and Smallville has been really bad, it was utter shit and i'm so unhappy about the episode. The whole "be careful the beam might break, go slowly" shit was completely laughable because 2 minutes later a giant robot fell from the sky and hit it straight on without so much as a budge. The comical cum faces through the entire episode just pulled me right out (not that i ever fell in) of the experience, even the misses who normally enjoys it got up after 30 minutes and said she couldn't take the boredom anymore.

You hate it cos your welsh. You welsh hater you.

If Smallville stared Clarkedd Kentyff you'd be the happiest man in the world. Well maye a bit less than if George made Star Wars : The Mabinogion

[linkster]

Dull witted, camp, worthless sentimental twaddle.

[Hexx]

If someone showed my Human Nature/Family of Blood then this...

I'd think they were different shows. This was so...tacky and trawdy compared to Who at it's best.

And this was meant to be a special.

A lot of people will have watched this that wouldn't have watched the normal series (e.g. my parents watched it with me) and I was embarassed, considering how highly I rate the show (and looked forward to this)

[Matt Defis]

You hate it cos your welsh. You welsh hater you.

If Smallville stared Clarkedd Kentyff you'd be the happiest man in the world. Well maye a bit less than if George made Star Wars : The Mabinogion

Honestly, you thought that was up to standard? If i was as big a Who fan as you i'd be even more upset because that show deserves far more than what it got tonight, after some of the episodes last series being as good as they were you wouldn't think this is the same show.

[cassidy]

If someone showed my Human Nature/Family of Blood then this...

I'd think they were different shows. This was so...tacky and trawdy compared to Who at it's best.

And this was meant to be a special.

A lot of people will have watched this that wouldn't have watched the normal series (e.g. my parents watched it with me) and I was embarassed, considering how highly I rate the show (and looked forward to this)

As a fan I can totally understand where your coming from with that statement. Dont get me wrong its possibly my least favourite episode since it came back. But still shit Dr Who>Eastenders and most other mainstream telly.

Torchwood S2 looks fab. S4 of Who should be ok as long as tate reins it in

[vegetables]

I was embarassed...

You weren't the only one. It's hard not to be a little offended by episodes of this quality after seeing how good Doctor Who can be. I'm probably as offended as I am because I listened to a bit of one of the Big Finish CDs this morning, and it was embarassingly better written than this. It wasn't even one of the good ones!

I think it's a bit misguided to say "But shit Doctor Who is still really good!" in this kind of situation. The show can reinvent itself utterly in a way no other can, which means it's worrying if it looks like its going to get stuck in a rut, and defined and remembered as something awful. I think RTD needs to go because I think someone needs to seriously break his mold quite soon.