DOCTOR WHO Series 5 (1) Production & pre-aired thread *SPOILERS*

[Guest 24882]

Originally Posted by KRW

Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap, Tap-Tap-Tap-Tap? All that Master stuff?

Yup, its exactly that

[MovieMax]

I enjoyed it, not a huge fan of Lee Evans as an actor, but I thought he played the character of Malcolm just right. Never watched ‘Eastenders’ but, from what I’ve seen Michelle Ryan in, she comes across very well. My biggest problem with the episode, why was the Doctor searching for the anomaly on a bus.

[Guest 2728]

"Also a woman in charge of UNIT is just so very wrong."

She was in charge of UNIT in the 'Turn Left' episode from the last series. If you go much further back, see Brigadier Winifred in the Mccoy-era story 'Battlefield' (or better yet, don't!).

Personally i like that we finally saw UNIT actually blowing the alien meanies apart with heavy artillery, rather than being as useless as Imperial Stormtroopers as per usual!

[Roberto]

Overall is wasn't bad, watchable

Good:
Michelle Ryan was serviceable, I've always thought she was nice to look at. (are her breasts getting smaller over the years?)

Lee Evans was good until he met the Dr, then became embarrassing and bit OTT

The swarm, but as someone else said, they should have been smaller so when then victims got eaten it was more Paraná like

Bad:
Leader of UNIT was rubbish

Annoying ‘psychic’ woman on the bus

MUSIC WAS TOO LOUD COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE MIX

The Fly-men where the laziest alien concept i have ever seen. Everything else about them were fine.

[thescrounger]

Originally Posted by Oggie

Also a woman in charge of UNIT is just so very wrong.

They put Captains in charge of UNIT??

[TonyG]

Poor effort. Storyline/plot that could fit on the back of a postage-stamp, Lee Evans playing Lee Evans in a labcoat, and some crappy flying bus FX. Only watchable due to the Michelle Ryan eye-candy (Nice audition for the next Lara Croft movie).

Looked good in HD but all it did was prove you can't polish a turd.

[Sprout Crumble]

Amazing how quickly Who has become very tired. Very poor, dipping into cringeworthy many times.
Its at its best when its being intelligent. This was shockingly dumb.

[GPR79]

This was pretty bad. Actually a bit worse than the Xmas special methinks.

Recently watched Battlefield and found it very disappointing, especially as it was one of the stories I remembered quite vividly from when I was wee - but even that was better than this! As Brigadier Winifred might say: 'Oh, shame.'

Fun for kids tho I'll give it that.

[Guest 10592]

Originally Posted by AndyWilson

don't understand the dislike for the flying bus. The Dr Who I grew up with had much "sillier" things - Bessie is the prime example - it was always part of what made Dr Who Dr Who....

The only thing silly about Bessie was the 'special effect' for making it look as though it could drive quickly. Otherwise the car was a perfect fit for the Pertwee persona.

[Bapapapa]

Originally Posted by NicolaUK

Thanks, although I'm still getting abuse

Lucky git..

[Guest 10592]

Much better than the Christmas special which had the usual Davies weakness of spectacle for spectacle's sake. This was a decent enough, if rather lightweight 'special'.

Once again the music was god-awful and the weakest element of the whole thing. Please can any one confirm that Murray Gold goes along with Davies and Tennant?

[Guest 69172]

Not very "special" for a special. I wish RTD had learned by now that when he sits down and just writes a regular episode - rather than aiming to make something different he can deliver the goods in spades (Midnight for example).

I do tire of the fact that every seasonal episode has to be tied to its point of transmission (its always Christmas in the December episodes and teh Doctor had his easter egg in this one.) When the coulntless BBC3 repeats begin it WON'T be Easter or Christmas so why???

Anyway..

Good - Lee Evans. After the pre production bashing he got from certain areas he turned out well. Michele Ryan - very Mrs Peel in places.

OK - the Fly people - good that they were just crash survivors rather than villains - as with the Rill don't judge by appearances. The desert - but woefully underused.

Bad - ripping off the Langoliers. The police - can't they drive faster than a bus and wouldn't the driver have pulled over?? And the "I'm putting you under arrest for aiding a fellon " "Oh I ll just go and hide in that police box" was just silly. The flying bus went on TOO LONG!! No real menace from the stingrays. The psychic woman.

Enjoyable and very nice in HD but very forgettable, and not really a "special" for me.

[fivebyfive]

it was ok but went downhill when the bus started flying as it looked so poor and it side swiping the alien look even more poor. Michele Ryan was good as lara croft/mission impossible girl (nice scene when she sat on edge of the tunnel shaft). Nice to see aliens that where not evil for once (the sand creatures were just natural predators)

but the other people on the bus were annoying and dull, the ending

The police - can't they drive faster than a bus and wouldn't the driver have pulled over??

this too

[thescrounger]

Originally Posted by Sprout Crumble

Amazing how quickly Who has become very tired. Very poor, dipping into cringeworthy many times.
Its at its best when its being intelligent. This was shockingly dumb.

Why? Everything was explained.

[Guest 67090]

Just finished watching on iPlayer and enjoyed it. I was a bit worried with the cringeworthly dumb opening of Michelle Ryan stealing the cup almost comic style, the flying bus wasn't all that bad though the fact the driver of the bus didn't pull over when being pursued by numerous rapid response police vehicles, which as mentioned were driving at what 20mph!! was laughable. Anyway, the time pretty much passed rapidly and it was much better than most of the previous specials in my opinion. Preview of the next one looks good.

[cliff homewood]

An example of dumbness for you an infamously uncatchable jewel thief who has no exit plan so just jumps on a bus ???

Not highly intelligent scripting to me, to her be of that level of criminal she should have about 10 different exit scenarios. Whilst on the robbery a cage with no roof designed to be robbed from above? As I said I enjoyed it though, lightweight fun, to me it was enjoyable enough to carry its flaws, unlike the xmas special which was superb for the first half and then just got embarrassing with its throwing of spectacle after spectacle on top of the plot.

[Sprout Crumble]

Originally Posted by thescrounger

Why? Everything was explained.

The worlds most stupid thing can be explained. Doesn't make it any less stupid.

[thescrounger]

Originally Posted by Sprout Crumble

The worlds most stupid thing can be explained. Doesn't make it any less stupid.

So, in other words you have to submit to that fact that none of it was.

Fantasy only needs to make sense within it's own reality, and it did.

[Guest 10592]

In this reality, it seems that police pursuit vehicles can't keep up with a decades old bus! The opening was the only weak element for me. The reasons for Michelle Ryan to get on the bus in the first place were really rather lame.

[thescrounger]

Oh Noes!