A weird one this. This has joined New Earth and The Idiot's Lantern as my least favourite eps of this season. Actually it's probably worse than those two because they contained some fantastic parts even if the overall episode sucked IMO. I know this was a budget-saving episode but that's no excuse for hack-direction and some very lame writing (from the scribe of bloody Life On Mars, no less!). The story idea was good but the potential never realized.

I actually thought it was strange that they were going out of their way to make people think of The Exorcist in the bedroom scene when that, and the other scares like the abusive father-drawing, were totally against the CBBC-asskissing tone of the episode. As if this season couldn't get more confusing they even manage to do it within a single episode! And could it have hurt them to show more of the drawings moving?

The one plus for me was that Billie was solid in that scene where she investigates upstairs on her own. It felt more like the old Rose for some reason.

I liked it, so there we are :D

> As for the lighting of the torch, which many people have complained about... if someone could tell me exactly what they didn't like about the sequence, I'd love to know.

We had Hew Edwards spouting a load of sentimental guff about a crass, overcommercialised tournament which had been notoriously prone to bribery. What's to like?

Last week's episode struck me as appealing to the original audience of Dr Who - the family - a monster designed by, and appealing to, children but with a layer of drama and humour and quirkiness that appealed to adults. This week's struck me as being written solely for children - it really wouldn't have seemed out of place at 4.40pm on a Tuesday afternoon on CBBC. This, combined with some terrible acting, a basic plotline that feels like it's been done many times (people being zapped into pictures) and unrealistic writing, made it absolutely my least favourite episode so far. Really disappointing.

And I am so, so bored of them constantly going back to London.

To be honest, I wasn't even listening to Huw Edwards much at that point. I was too busy enjoying the marvellous image of David Tennant lighting the torch with a big grin on his face.

Sounds like what he was saying was pretty true to what would actually be said, though.

I suppose it's just the kind of moment you either go with, or you don't.

"And I am so, so bored of them constantly going back to London"

Write in, it worked for Peter Kay

>To be honest, I wasn't even listening to Huw Edwards much at that point. I was too busy enjoying the marvellous image of David Tennant lighting the torch with a big grin on his face.

Because, of course, if a stadium full of people had disappeared live on telly, they'd still carry on with the whole torch procession and the place wouldn't immediately have been closed with police and security and whathaveyou swarming all over it, not to mention an immediate TV blackout. And what's going to happen to all those people who were zapped, will their memories be lost? Will there be an official investigation? Eh? EH?

Yeah, I know, it's not real. But still.

What they could've done there, see, was pretend that David Copperfield (the magician not the fat northern comedian from TV's 'Three Of A Kind') was in the stadium as part of the opening ceremony, doing some big 'I'm going to make such-and-such-disappear' trick, and then have Huw explain it as being 'wow, it worked, David Copperfield (the magician not the fat northern comedian from TV's 'Three Of A Kind') actually made the whole stadium AND HIMSELF disappear!' And then when they all came back again, David Copperfield (the magician not the fat northern comedian from TV's 'Three Of A Kind') would be looking all 'huh? I actually did it!' and the place would erupt into rapturous applause. THAT'S how they could've written it.

RTD, I await your call!

'One very good thing about the episode is that it didn't shy away from the central concept - it's made pretty obvious that Chloe's father was a very violent man. It is to the episode's credit that this wasn't diluted, as it could have so easily been in lesser, more cowardly hands. Sadly, although this was made pretty clear, it didn't resonate with me quite as much as it should have done. It comes to something when an episode that is essentially about child abuse comes across as slightly... boring, at times. I do, however, get the feeling that a second viewing would be kinder to the episode - once you know what to expect, it's probably easier to appreciate the good stuff.'

It's made pretty obvious that Chloe's father was a very violent man? Eh? That was the entire point. When Chloe and Chloe's mum are at the front door and can't get out and the monster is coming to get them, it's a clear parallel between that situation and the threat of this monster. I thought it was very effective.

Also, I loved the bit where the Doctor carried the Torch is the kind of sequence that distinguishes Tennant from Ecclestone. That kind of frivolity, energetic, cheery feel that is brought to the story. Just as I wouldn't see Ecclestone having a swordfight with an alien leader on top of spaceship, I wouldn't see him carrying the Olympic Torch either. We could maybe have done with one shot of Rose running back to where the Doctor was actually taken and not finding him there but apart from that it was great sequence for me. I mean, I couldn't care less about the London Olympics but still, it was fun. 4/5.

> Sounds like what he was saying was pretty true to what would actually be said, though.

What Pook said - the feed would have been cut and you'd have been watching black-and-white Steptoe and Son or something before the TV switched to the stadium.

I ***HATED*** the whole episode from when the kid started whispering ("we play") to Tennant's "a storm's coming line.

3/5 is generous,...

I hated this. Yeah, yeah, low budget and last minute, but there's simply no excuse for writing this lazy and pedestrian in a series of this calibre.

- There was technobabble exposition to explain away a plot point *after* it had been revealed - writers' crime #1 in my opinion. Compare Tennant having to spend five minutes explaining the nonsense behind isouls (sp?) to the way Moffatt seamlessly introduces nanogenes *before* the plot hinges on them. It's textbook stuff. Not to mention said technobabble had the ultra-rationalist Doctor declaring they needed love to survive.

- There was one of the worst child actors Doctor Who has ever seen, against stiff competition. Doing a raspy voice to indicate possession by an alien being. Dear Lord. When Tom Baker did that in the Armageddon Factor, he was taking the p1ss.

- The alien and the girl are the same, DO YOU SEE ? Yes, we see, there's absolutely no need to have one of the characters SAY IT, you muppet.

- So OK - Graham has a very mundane, ordinary setting to work with, but what does he give us ? A monster that STAYED IN A CUPBOARD. Even the old series wouldn't have had the gall.

- Don't get me started on the Olympics stuff.

Maybe it's become force of habit because of LJ and being mindful of people reading things at work, Andy, but you really don't have to censor your swearing around here... ;-)

Yup. This was instantly forgettable stuff.

I've found myself knocking off a star for each of the NTS episode reviews (with the exception of TGITF which was great) and that's certainly the case here. 2 stars, no more.

Rather glad Billie is leaving, incidentally. Don't think much of her as an actress and think even less of her as a sex symbol. The Doctor/Rose relationship has long since become nauseating and annoying. Still rooting for Tennant though.

It's made pretty obvious that Chloe's father was a very violent man? Eh? That was the entire point. When Chloe and Chloe's mum are at the front door and can't get out and the monster is coming to get them, it's a clear parallel between that situation and the threat of this monster. I thought it was very effective.

Erm, that's what I was saying! That they didn't shy away from a difficult subject.

I don't think it was as effective as it should have been, though.

> Just as I wouldn't see Ecclestone having a swordfight with an alien leader on top of spaceship, I wouldn't see him carrying the Olympic Torch either.

That's only because those scenes weren't written with him still in the role! I'm sure he would have convinced on both occasions. Although you can turn this around and say Tennant wouldn't have been half as good as Eccleston in certain season 1 scenes like the Dalek confrontation, yet we'll never know. Also...it's not EcclestonE!!!!

> What Pook said - the feed would have been cut and you'd have been watching black-and-white Steptoe and Son or something before the TV switched to the stadium.

To be honest, I'd prefer Steptoe.

No "Second Opinion" then? I presumed it was just late at first, but by this point...

Nobody else could be arsed. Which probably speaks volumes as to how people generally felt about the episode.

I do still like it, though, despite its faults.

Yeah, a few people didn't even see the episode, and I've done that many second ops lately that I just couldn't be arsed with this one. Especially as I couldn't think of much to say about the episode. Now, if we'd been reviewing the Army of Ghosts trailer...

The AoG Tardisode is slightly underwhelming, unfortunately - but they never have much bearing on how good the episodes are anyway. It would have been difficult to beat that trailer, in any case...

'Erm, that's what I was saying! That they didn't shy away from a difficult subject.'

I must have skipped the world 'central concept' and went straight to 'pretty'. Sorry about that.

The Man With No Name, there.

this is the best webbi in the world buh thts only coz its bout nogin buh dr who n i love david tennant he is sooooooo faf and cute n fit. ohhhhhhhhh i love im to bits. bye bye baby love u david xxxxx

Jazz? Is that you Jazz?

'faf'?

Fit as fuck?