Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
With the new Doctor Who episode being shown this evening, Lois Cameron looks back at some of the best stories so far.
10. The Christmas Invasion
While the newly regenerated Doctor spends the first forty minutes of this episode stuck in bed, there’s still plenty of interesting stuff, such as the return of Harriet Jones. But it really comes to life in the last twenty minutes or so, when the Doctor, wearing a naff pair of pyjamas, triumphantly emerges from the TARDIS to save the day with a sword and a carefully thrown satsuma. The first Christmas Special of the new series, and still the best.
9. Army of Ghosts/Doomsday
The end of the second series saw the first time in the show’s entire history that the Daleks and the Cybermen meet on screen, but, really, it’s all about the separation of the Doctor and Rose. The last scene, where he burns up a sun so he can say goodbye to her from another universe, but still can’t manage to actually say that he loves her, made me cry for about two days.
8. Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey’s End
The Daleks speaking German. The redemption of Harriet Jones. The Doctor and Rose’s reunion. “THE DESTRUCTION OF REALITY ITSELF!” These episodes are crammed full of fan-pleasing moments, but at the heart of them are three astonishing performances by David Tennant, Bernard Cribbens, and Catherine Tate, who breaks my heart a little every time I watch this episode, as Donna is forced to forget the Doctor. On balance, these three episodes might be less than the sum of their parts, but, oh my, what magnificent parts they are.
7. The Unicorn and the Wasp
The Doctor and Donna go to a posh 1920s garden party, where they meet Agatha Christie and people start getting killed like it’s an Agatha Christie novel. It’s silly, but I don’t care: it’s just so much fun.
6. Blink
Despite containing little of the Doctor, this episode is a firm fan favourite. The concept behind the weeping angels is staggeringly clever, but also really scary. Carey Mulligan essentially has to be The Doctor for a week, and manages it effortlessly. But the biggest triumph is the script, which is scary, witty and unbelievably heartbreaking. The scene where the dying Billy meets Sally for the second and last time is one of the most beautifully sad things I’ve ever watched.
5. Rose
The very first episode of New Who still stands up to repeat viewings. Rose’s world is quickly and effectively established, and the introduction of the Doctor is admirably low-key: the first we see of him is his hand grabbing Rose’s as he tells her to run. From that moment on, we follow as Rose tries to find out more about this mysterious man, with some standout moments, such as his speech to her about feeling every turn of the Earth, and the now famous “Lots of planets have a north!” line. Despite trying his best to resist her, the Doctor finally invites Rose to join him in the TARDIS for a bit of travel in time and space. And so the scene is set for some seriously exciting adventures.
4. Girl in the Fireplace
This episode was one of the first to really play with the concept of time travel, with the Doctor, Rose and Mickey landing on a ship that had doorways into different parts Madame du Pompadour’s life. While for the Doctor their relationship played out over the course of a few hours, to Madame du Pompadour he was her mysterious stranger, who turned up to rescue her every time the monsters came. Right up to the heartbreaking letter at the end, this episode truly is a delight.
3. Bad Wolf/Parting of the Ways
Despite featuring the Daleks, these two episodes are really about The Doctor and Rose. There are so many beautiful moments here that show just how deeply they care about each other: the Doctor’s silent grief when he thinks Rose has been killed; his promise to save her from the Daleks; sending her home to save her; Rose’s refusal to accept this; and the Doctor sacrificing this regeneration to save her. But the moment that sticks in my mind above and beyond all of these is the hologram Doctor. When he tells her, “If you want to remember me, then you can do one thing, that's all, one thing. Have a good life. Do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life”, it’s just the most perfect expression of the Doctor’s character and how he feels about Rose, and a great culmination of this Doctor’s story.
2. Human Nature/The Family of Blood
The Doctor becomes human to escape the Family of Blood, and manages to fall in love with a human that isn’t Martha, who is finally given the chance to shine. This is beautifully written, acted and shot, as well as being challenging; the moment when Joan asks the Doctor if anyone would have died had he not come there is unexpected and thought-provoking. It’s also utterly sad, as John Smith sacrifices his chance to be happy with Joan so the Doctor can return and save the day. These two episodes are just utterly magnificent.
1. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances
As much as I love David Tennant, Christopher Eccleston will always be my Doctor, and these episodes are why. The introduction of Captain Jack forces some lovely moments as the Doctor and Rose have to re-evaluate their relationship, and the gas mask child is genuinely creepy. But what sticks in my mind most of all is the witty dialogue (“Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks ‘Oh, this could be a little more sonic’?” still makes me laugh) and the truly heart-warming ending, as “Just this once, Rose, everybody lives!” These two episodes are Christopher Eccleston’s finest hour, and the look on his face as he shows Rose that he has some seriously impressive moves is my abiding memory of him as the Doctor. These two episodes were the first time I really got Doctor Who, and I’ll always love them because of it.
The Doctor Who special 'The Waters of Mars' is on Sunday 15th November at 7pm on BBC1
You must log in to submit a comment.
