The main reason I dislike the Ganger two parter was that it felt padded out with too much - fairly pointless - running back and forth. I think it would have felt right at about 60-70 minutes, rather than the 84 minutes it actually had over two episodes.

Under the Lake doesn't have that issue for me.

I know that 60 minutes of story is something of a problem for commercial broadcast, but that would have been better served aimed at a 90 minute slot (with commercials) rather than 2x60 minutes slots (with commercials). Surely that's possible on BBC America, rather than being straight-jacketed into 60 minutes (42 minutes + commercials) slots. That kind of duration would have helped as well a lot of the single episode stories that were too rushed.

Something is wrong. I'm starting to really enjoy the show again rather than tolerate it on the off chance the next episode will be better.

I've given Under The Lake (and the series opening two parter) a couple of repeat viewings and enjoyed them more every-time. I have to think way back to The Lodger before I could say something similar, before I could say I actually wanted to re-watch the show for no other reason than enjoyment.

My first viewing of any new Moffat era episode since and during series 6 has long been hampered by the expectation of having the rug pulled out from underneath me, to be suddenly be hit over the head by overbearing and clunky companion series arcs or being constantly zapped out of the moment by coma inducing 'clever and complex' main series arcs that never deliver (Three series worth of disappointment has that effect on a person.)

Yet it hasn’t happened… yet!

It seems Clara's arc for this series is going to hinge around the 'going native' warning from the Doctor. It was just dropped into a scene via dialogue and performance and it worked far better than being hit over the head with it every episode via secondary characters whose sole purpose is to hit the viewer over the head (Danny Pink)

Hopefully we will see Cara's arc develop naturally through how her character behaves and acts rather than being told by the writer several times over where the show has to stop in order to hammer it home.

Peter Capaldi is absolutely mesmerising, even more so on a rewatch. There is so much going on in his performance that it alone rewards repeated viewings. A simple example. Just look at the pomposity and self grandeur he injects into the set up line 'Clara, Why do I not have a radio on the TARDIS?' It's joyful. And of course, his aloofness is straight away pricked by the companion. Great stuff.

At last Clara is making a much, much needed turn as a companion where the viewer isn't second guessing everything she says or does because it could form part of a mysterious or personal 'character' arc that ultimately suffocates and hinders rather than develops and engages.

After the potential of series 5, and the more often than not dour and patchy hit and miss of successive series, I am starting to get a strange feeling in my waters that I haven't had since series 4. Series 9 is shaping up to be a bloody good series. I just hope Mr. Moffat doesn't balls it up and puts his series arc sledgehammer away. That he doesn't try to be too clever at the expense of delivering a solid series that works as a whole.

What a strange feeling indeed. Dare I say the show is getting it's mojo back?

Issues with the first episode aside, I've had positive vibes from Series 9 since the trailers and information started coming in about it - which have subsequently been met with some great storytelling. The pacing has been better with some time actually given for dialogue to breathe... that dialogue isn't being wasted on Danny Pink or whoever else is filling in as Captain Plot Exposition in the moment. It's a bit "same old, same old" but free of the shackles of anything too heavy-handed, it's just really enjoyable. We've only had two-part stories so far, as whilst I'm still not completely sold on the format dominating a series quite so much, at the same time we're getting two-parters with vastly different tones and approaches to them that keeps the stories feeling fresh. Under the Lake was a relatively straightforward story but with enough plot threads hanging at any one time that it's able to keep you constantly engaged - hark back to a story from Series 7B and we're either starting to wrap things up after less than 25 minutes, or we're simply looking for things that'll make cool explosions at expense of a decent story.

Those good vibes have so far been met with a couple of amazing episodes, and one that was great in places but suffered from a severe case of introductory padding. That's not bad going so far, and it has me interested much more than it has in a long while.

She can speak in real life though, if you'd like to see an interview with the actor and some behind the scenes footage of Dr Who, take a look here from about 0.18

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...-35-1-election

I didn't say the actress couldn't speak, I said the character couldn't. Presumably she can't speak for a reason. It can't be just to give another actor a part playing the interpreter!

Don't you think that sign language should be offered in schools?

That link was only some politicians talking about policies.

Have finally signed up, after a couple of years lurking! Hope you don't mind

I have been a Doctor Who fan from day one (yes November 63) and I can't believe that I am still being amused, startled and entertained. It is the only programme for which I can say that. (OK it's the only one still around)

Under the Lake was a well crafted episode and the introduction of the deaf female Commander with her signer worked so well. Really looking to the next one and joining in with the discussions.

Welcome to the forum, Red66. I don't think there are many of us about who have watched from the first episode and are still watching.

There's a thread started by another new poster floating around in which you could introduce yourself if you were so inclined. Entirely up to you, of course.

I'll look forward to seeing your views on future episodes.

From 0.18 (the last item) there's an interview with the actress in question. She says that Dr Who is her best part yet.

The item before Dr Who was about BSL being accepted as an actual language (in Scotland IIRC).

Well, I tried to give the episode the old second watch (I hadn't expected to). I can report about 25 minutes before I lost all interest in it. God, it didn't seem so long the first time. Even the dialogue wasn't annoying enough to keep me at least engaged this time.

It got me thinking: is average really good enough for Doctor Who anymore? Is 'base under siege' now as cliched and redundant as the played out 'pseudo historical'? I'm not sure that 'if I was showrunner' I would commission either of those two tropes anymore. It makes the show feel so stale. I want bold and different ideas, even if they don't completely work, over competent, functional, tried and tested formulaic Who.

The whole programme is talking to members of various parties asking what their policies on deaf people. It can't be the right link.

Still not see this yet. My hdd dvd recorder is currently recording the bbc3 repeat. Hope to watch after the england match has finished.

I'm watching it a second time.....

That mosaic on the canteen wall. I've just realised how out of place it is.

I suspect it has a bearing on tomorrows show.

Finished watching. It was ok nothing better than that. The ghosts weren't scary. Guessing they will turn out to be aliens taking on the humans and the doctors form. Not sure why the tardis would land randomly on an underwater base. I thought the doctor could control his tardis these days not like in the hartnell and Troughton days when he couldn't.

Apo!ogies, this is the correct link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...and-doctor-who

I watched the whole programme. The abuse of the deaf children was appalling!

Now we know why the character couldn't speak!

I'm a week and a half late because I'm watching the episodes at iTunes pace (i.e. they turn up there after they leave iPlayer), subject to time. So the cliffhanger is still very active for me. The next episode won't be available until Sunday. Shush!

That being established, I think this was the first Capaldi episode I enjoyed without reservation. It felt a lot like a Colin Baker story to me, but without all the production issues that tend to degrade Colin Baker's TV stories through no fault of the man himself. I'm not sure I can put my finger on why. Not just the bombast.

It was a much, much better cliffhanger than the previous, as I'm still evaluating the evidence for a potential solution. Lots of clues: untranslateable 'text', night mode, the two metal clues (that being all the ghosts can grip but the Faraday cage working as a container, possibly tying to the broadcast hints), not bothering to kill the staff member who hadn't been into the spaceship, etc. Conversely, seeing everybody apparently killed by Daleks really just says "tune in next week to find out that everybody wasn't really killed by Daleks".

Actually, it's probably my favourite at least since Coleman turned up.

Just caught up with this story properly on iplayer
. When I first watched part 2 I was in a room of non fans eating dinner and could only catch bits of the story.
I felt very positive about part 1 and watching the story as a whole it feels very classic who without the low budget and time constraints. I really enjoyed it and besides all the bootstrap stuff which went a little above my head I think it holds together pretty well. It was atmospheric and spooky and I liked the close relationship between the Doctor and Clara. the design of the Fisher king hidden in shadows looked good too.

Slight niggles. There were probably too many crew to get to know them well enough which I find generally in Toby Whithouse scripts that he uses lots of different characters, that the last two deaths is it prentis and the girl O Donnell seemed Unnecessary really and I did wonder where all the staff were in the Russian style Base in the 1980s but maybe the fisher king killed them.

Different style to Moffat s stories but clever use of the time travel element

I remember wondering that also. They didn't explain why nobody at all was around, not even a few guards. I think it was just a military training facility that happens to not be occupied when training events aren't happening - and a training event wasn't happening that day. Just some kind of coincidence that Prentis landed on a day when no staff needed to be there. I don't think the fisher king had gone around killing anyone before the Doctor arrived - there weren't any ghosts of Base soldiers. Prentis was the first death and the first ghost.

I would imagine it is the same system as Fire training - they have a permanent purpose-built building for training in certain circumstances (ie: closed up buildings, specific furnishings etc...). Nobody 'mans' the building, it's just there for when the training is called upon to be undertaken. All other times it's left empty.

Therefore, it's less of a coincidence to go to a place that is rarely used and find no-one there than the other way round.

Which I thought was the point of having a training ground - it's only there for when there are training excercises. It wasn't a military base - just a training ground.