I don't mind being proved wrong if it means Dr Who being as bloody good as it was last season with CE.

That wasn't just good Dr Who, that was bloody good TV!

A friend observed to me recently that while CE was an actor playing the role of the Doctor (albeit very well most of the time), DT *was* the doctor.

I would say that sums it up pretty well.

Having watched and been delighted by his performance in Casanova, I knew DT would make a very charming, likable Doctor. My only doubt was could he pull off the more sinister, serious side. As soon as he did the line 'No second chances. I'm that kind of man', I had my answer. An emphatic 'yes'...

If anyone didn't like the Santas, or the Christmas Tree, there's a reason why they were there if you listen to the Doctor - pay attention!

Pilot Fish - look it up on Encarta or something - it means a tiny fish that has been known to guide bigger fish (sharks .etc) to food or a boat to land. Now, knowing this, remember what DT said.

"If there's pilot fish then..something's coming..."

Also look at Mickey's laptop when he explains pilot fish to Rose.

"We've had them (the tiny fish), now we get them (the sharks)"

Yes, thats right, the Sycorax are the sharks.

Give the poor bloke a chance. He might yet move us to tears and deliver us the pathos in his own style but think we should wait until we have seen a few more episodes before people stick the hatchet into him. After all TCI was just a warm up for the next 13 eps. Some people didn't warm to CE until we got halfway through the series.

When CE left I was disappointed, but I think DT is going to be brill!!

What plot?

Was all very silly, really, but as it was a Christmas episode, guess we'll have to forgive the fact it was just patched together from various bits of movies and TV shows. Was fun actually spotting the references - Star Trek's alien manipulation of an Earth satellite; the Ferengi light-whips, Independence Day, the Star Wars fight, complete with lost hand, Hitch-Hiker's Guide, The Lion King references, the Clark Kent Superman glasses moment, the Star Wars Death Star firing sequence used by the Torchwood laser, etc... the "plot" that existed around all these moments was like some kind of Carry On Doctor Christmas Show -

Guess the Santas were there just to give it a Christmas feel. Have no problem with the pilot fish explanation, but when they go about their mission in such a daft way, the whole thing just loses reality and diminishes the overall effect of the drama. Beaming a Christmas Tree into Rose's home instead of just beaming there themselves, for instance. And I can imagine their plans for their other dastardly plot:

"I know! Let's dress as Santas again, and hang around the shopping mall just on the offchance, however unlikely, that they pop by! Now we'll have to learn how to play "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" on a variety of musical instruments to be convincing and not get rumbled..."

Fun ideas, but the lack of reason or logic just kicks you out of the drama and straight into farce. Forgivable, because it's mean't to be a light-hearted Christmas episode, but spoiling, nonetheless.

Another funny that had me in stitches, was when the Doctor's beaten the Sycorax Leader in the swordfight and is walking away. The Sycorax gets up and in flawed contrast to every other Sycorax on board, discards any thoughts of honour and charges towards the Doc, who then throws an orange at a rather stupidly placed button (again knowing exactly what this button does), and we see the Sycorax is, after all that charging, still only a foot from the edge of the ship!?? Did remind me of John Cleese' Lancelot charging out of the forest over and over again towards the two dim guards in "Python's Holy Grail".

So, in the spirit of Christmas, a farcical episode, with an over-the-top far-too-human comedy Doctor, and hopefully, not an indication of all things to come.

Great post Yoonix.

The Christmas edition of Doctor Who was good on a certain level, however it was clearly made with the primary aim of pleasing younger children. Which is fine. But CE was so good because he worked on so many different levels. I still think it's too early to judge DT, but his first performance was lightweight in comparison. Hopefully this will change during the new series.

Did anyone see a slight computer mistake?

When it had a shot of London birds eye view and on Big Ben, there was lots of little squares - you know like when special effects are made?

I was probably only dreaming ...

Oh, I thought the Christmas Invasion was very good. - I think that The santa's should have been involved with it abit more, but other than that, very good!

- I'm glad Billie Piper came back aswell!

I thought I saw that too, at the top part of Big Ben it looked kind of see through! But when I read TCI thread on here, people were talking about scafolding on Big Ben because of the Alien space ship crash in the last series, so I wondered if it might have been that.

There was a scene where the bearded guy is explaining it's his fault about the blood being on the Guinevere probe, and is checking the blood-types of various staff. He's bringing up staff details, tapping away, and his computer screen looks like he's accessing them. Next scene, more tapping, but his computer display isn't maximized and we see the PowerDVD Control Panel, giving away the fact he's just watching an MPEG - seconds later, it's fullscreen again! DOH!

Imagine making the DT/CE comparison if you'd only seen CE in Aliens of London.

I think DT can do dark, and lets wait until the Cybermen episode when I'm sure he will.

But yes, I expect this Doctor to be less intense, and more charming and affable than the CE one, because I think DT is like that. And both CE and DT are brilliant actors.

I thought that line that DT made in TCI..."no second chances. I am not that kind of man" was pretty dark and perhaps an omen of things to come. forgive me if I did not quote that correctly but it was something along those lines.

I feel people are going for the juggular already when we haven't seen enough of him to make a proper judgement yet. I wasn't impressed with CE initially but waited for a few eps for him to settle in and I found myself warming to him. Sure there were aspects of his performance that I found irritating but it didn't make him less of a good Doctor in my book.

I agree, BG, and I'm sure was added by the writers to say "Don't start thinking he's gone all soft now, just because you'll see him in a party hat in a couple of scenes' time". Plus what he did to Harriet Jones was nothing if not ruthless. On Xmas Day?

Makes you wonder what his reaction would be if Rose screwed up somewhere along the line? Would he be so forgiving or just as ruthless? No second chances....

Mmmmm....well she did screw up fairly majorly in Father's Day for very understandable reasons and he was forgiving. But if she pulled something like that again despite knowing the consequences? Could this be the reason the actress playing Jackie is signed through to series 3? Something to do with her being the reason he and Rose have to part ways? Have you stumbled on something BG.

I don't think he'd be happy about it, but I think he'd always choose the greater good over Rose if he absolutely had to.

He'd make a quick stop off at the Powell Estate and drop her like a ton of bricks, presumably.

Or would he?

Very intriguing theory, La G.

Well think about it - the Doctor worked so hard to get the Sycorax away from the Earth without just blowing them up - and Harriet Jones just goes an does just that...

Its like a spider in your home - some positive-minded people get a glass and take it out side - whereas the more destructive people just squish it.

So what the Doctor did to Harriet Jones was justified.

BTW - The squares on Big Ben? Scaffolding - watch AOL

Sometimes we have to make sacrifices no matter how painful they are even if it means someone gets hurt in the process. The needs of the many outweigh those of the few so if put in that situation where The Doctor had to choose, I think we all know what he would do.

i didnt rate Tennant at all. He over acted and lacked warmth. I hate the OTT wacky take on the doctor. Chris Eccleston was a more "grown up" passionate doctor and was the only reason I tuned in.

Oh well, looks like you'll not be watchng series 2, then. Best just to leave it for the millions of us who loved the Christmas episode and thought Tennant was magnificent.

John Cleese as Dr Who. Now there's an idea!

Z

I was set to hate him but he won me over in the first 30 secs and so of him getting into it.

I didn't realise people were already casting a new Doctor before we have given this one a chance.