Like many British kids, I grew up watching Dr Who on a Saturday evening - often from behind a cushion! I still remember the Autons (Jon Pertwee years). Shop dummies, whose hands dropped down to reveal guns. I peeped round shop windows and ran for it for years afterwards!
Anyway, the new Dr Who series has been a big hit here, and this week's episode was one I really REALLY loved as it featured my favourite assistant, Sarah Jane Smith, played by Elisabeth Sladen. For me, the classic Dr Who years were the ones with Tom Baker and Liz Sladen - I can still remember being very upset when Sarah Jane left.
It's funny, but in a way, Dr Who was a show that challenged kids to accept change and loss - your favourite Doctors would leave, new assistants had to be got used to etc etc. I remember the emotions of loss when Jon Pertwee left, but I got to love Tom Baker. I was distraught at his being replaced by Peter Davison. How could **HE** replace Tom!!? However, I also got to like his constantly breathless Doctor, and Tegan and Nyssa were high on my list of favourite compantions. By the time Colin Baker took over, I was about 16 and stopped watching, but I still remember those changeovers. I think it was only Sarah Jane's departure (and possibly the glee I felt at Adric's death!) that stood out among the assistants. She was just a great character. Not useless or annoying, but someone who wanted to find out the truth and a strong character too.
The new series has been a huge hit here. Many were deeply concerned over the casting of Billie Piper when it was announced - including me, but we all had to eat our words! I think I was happier that she was staying for S2 than sorry about Christopher Eccleston's departure. Billie as Rose is a terrific ballsy character, and her acting really is very good. HOWEVER, not even Billie can displace Sarah Jane as my favourite assistant, and this week's Dr Who saw her return. It could have been so bad, she could have been wasted, but the writers and producers have to be applauded in a big way, as this was by far the best episode of David Tennants brief reign (although as an event, the Christmas ep can't be beaten - that was outstanding!)
The story was standard Dr Who. Investigation of sinister aliens posing as teachers was the sort of things the series does well - taking a familiar setting, a school, and adding menace and danger. The Doctor is posing as a physics teacher, when a journalist doing a profile ofthe Head is introduced - Sarah Jane. I loved the way they had the Doctor react to her. A big change in the new series has been a far more human Doctor. We never really got to see much genuine emotion when it came to the assistants in the past. There has been a fair degree of attraction between the Doctor and Rose from the off, but very delicately handled. Here, we see the Doctor really over come at the return of what is portrayed as an old love. Tom Baker never hugged Sarah Jane or appeared so fond of her. I think this has been a big strength of the new series, and they have walked that fine line really successfully.
What was lovely in this episode was the many layers there were to the return of the Doctor's old flame. The conflict and jealousy, yet ultimate bonding between Sarah Jane and Rose, and particularly Sarah Jane's feelings about adjusting to life back on Earth, and the lack of closure to that most important of relationships. This theme and the reason why the Doctor moves on from old friends was really addressed well. The final scene where Sarah Jane gets to say a proper goodbye to the Doctor brought a tear to my eye - and I don't in any way count myself as a huge Who fan. It was just very emotional, although I bet loads of kids watching who had never seen Sarah Jane weren't impressed!
The other old friend to return was the tin dog, K9 - another favourite, although more as a funny character than anything else. Loved Rose and Mickey's reaction to him! This was such a good episode in that we even had plenty of character development for Mickey too - his realisation that he could be the tin dog of the group!
Then in amongst all that, Tony Head returned to school - possibly his first since leaving the Sunnydale library in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is always an interesting actor, and while his role was pretty much panto villain, he did a great job.
As I said, while I watched Dr Who as a kid, I've never counted myself as a huge fan, however, I just adored this week's episode! An almost perfect sci fi hour!
