Oh My Giddy Aunt!!!!

Oh My Good Giddy Aunt!

In A Police-box!!!

I’ve just finished watching “Planet of the Dead”, this year’s Easter “Doctor Who” special; and the first of four, this year that see David Tennant making his last appearances as the Doctor.

And was very impressed indeed!!!!!!!!

Now I’m old enough to remember some of the 1970’s and ’80’s era UNIT stories — along with some of the Pertwee and Troughton vintage — and always felt they were fun.

My young imagination filled in most of the visual holes, though, which, these days, tend to get a bigger budget spent on them.

And my word, have they ever, tonight!

Ok, going by what I’ve seen floating around the net, “Planet of the Dead” has about a dozen UNIT troops.

But, with at least two or three camera’s filming the scenes outside the London tunnel — site of a wormhole that sends an otherwise innocent London bus  — it made the set of scenes there look a lot bigger!!!

I’ll apologise about the exclamation marks, by the way.   Usually, tons of unneeded punctuation marks are the sign of an unbalanced mind.

Or a geek-boy blogger wetting his knickers.

Ah-HEM!

Actually, this is where I show off one of the few bits of Latin I know.

Or only bits, I should say.

Because “Planet of the Dead” grabbed me from the start, with Michelle Ryan as Lady Christina breaking into a museum to steal the show’s McGuffin.

The term I’m thinking of, here, is ‘in media res’.   It’s one that I first came across, reading through the various bits of games-master section of the “Star Wars”* role playing game, and simply means ‘ … in the middle of things’.

Michelle Ryan, hanging upside-down from a dome, in the middle of nicking an antique gold cup, and looking like the utter babe that she is?

Yep, I think THAT counts as ‘in media res’ …

Actually, on a serious note, I was very impressed with Michelle Ryan, tonight.

I know an actor or actress sometimes only be as good as the script they’re handed — and I’m thinking writer’s Russell T Davies and Gareth Roberts knocked out a beautifully done romp of a script, tonight — but Ms Ryan was really quite good.   She brought a lot of spark to what could have been just a clone of Angelina Jolie’s performance as Lara Croft and I think brought a spark to both the rôle, and episode, that would’ve been lacking, with her.

I’m hoping like hell the character makes a return appearance, at some point.   I think that the revamped version of “Doctor Who” has given us some great companions — Billie Piper as Rose, the much underrated Freema Agyeman as Martha and Catherine Tate as Donna  — and followed on from some fine examples in the original series.   Elizabeth Sladen’s performance went from strength to strength, and still does today.

I was also impressed with Lee Evans as the mildly dotty Dr Malcolm Taylor and I’m not usually a fan of his; his stand up routine’s funny, but doesn’t usually grab me, so points there, I think.

Saying that, there’s a bit at the end where Lee Evans, in full Welsh accented mode, starts repeatedly saying “I love you, I love you” to the Doctor.   You have to wonder what Russell T Davies was thinking, there, don’t you?

Can’t be much different to what many women I know would be saying to David Tennent …

Which always strikes me as mildly wrong, girls AREN’T supposed to fancy the Doctor … !

Back to the point, though.

This is a hell of a fun episode.

It’s a nice simple story, as well.   That bus ends up on an alien world.   It’s a nice straight-forward “Lets get out of here” story, with enough enough bangs, crashes and loud explosions to keep an old fashioned “Boy’s Own” serial going for weeks.

But one which ends on a dark note.

Lady Christina asks if she can join the Doctor on his travels; he turns her down, saying he’s lost too many friends, already.

And Carmen — one of the Doctor’s fellow passengers — warns the Doctor that “your song is ending” and that someone — an unnamed someone — will “knock four times”.

And the trailer for the next special — slated for November, according to Planet Gallifrey, and titled “The Waters Of Mars” — has something that sounds like ominously like the Cloister Bell, in the background.

I’m wondering if we’ll be hearing the sound of drumming …

•••••••••

* The original “Star Wars” — I’ll apologise to George Lucas, now, but I can’t think of it under the newer, longer, title — starts in the same sort of way.   With a huge imperial battle-cruiser chasing a much smaller rebel spaceship.   ‘In media res’, again.

••••••••

Written By	Russell t Davies and Gareth Strong
Director	James Strong
Produced by	Tracie Simpson
Cast.
The Doctor	David Tennant
Christina	Michelle Ryan
Malcolm	Lee Evans
Capt Magambo	Noma Dumezweni
DI McMillan	Adam James
Sgt Dennison	Glenn Doherty
Angela	Victoria Alcock
Nathan	David Ames
Carmen	Ellen Thomas
Lou	Reginald Tsiboe
Barclay	Daniel Kaluuya
Bus Driver	Keith Parry
Sgt Ian Jenner	James Layton
Sorvin	Paul Kasey
Praygat	Ruari Mears