Doctor Who: Series 1 - Volume 3 [DVD] [2005]

'Father's Day' is almost pure 'Soap Opera', and if it wasn't for the flying dragons/lizards (The magnificent 'Reapers') you could be forgiven for thinking that this was not sci-fi/horror at all. At times the new series has been too soapy, so I shouldn't really like this that much, but surprisingly, I think it's excellent because it's incredibly moving and convincingly acted.

'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances' are brilliant and are written by Steven Moffat (Coupling), who has come up with arguably the best two episodes at this point in the show, which has now 'morphed' a good new series into an excellent one. This two parter is about a four year old boy living in London during the Blitz, who is looking for his "mummy", which doesn't sound scary, but surprisingly, it is very spooky. I can just imagine around the time this was broadcast, that kids in the playground were asking everyone "are you my mummy?" These two episodes feature the excellent Richard Wilson who plays a doctor, who morphs into a gas mask, as have all his patients previously. They then start to leave their hospital beds to roam the streets like zombies, which is something that Christopher Eccleston should know all about (28 Days Later).

This third dvd is easily the best so far, as you get the best two episodes (at this point) in the series on it, plus the storylines are getting stronger and this dvd represents the best value for money as it contains 4 x 45 min episodes.

Writer Russell T. Davies delivers some of his best work on the series with the prescient 'The Long Game', a story about the news media shaping the culture that it purports to serve. A great story with a satirical edge to it.

Billie Piper has been a revelation in this series. Her portrayal of Rose has been one of the high points. She takes centre stage in 'Father's Day', one of the best episodes of 'Doctor Who' ever, in my opinion. It's rare in the show's history that a storyline has packed such an emotional wallop on a major character. We perhaps feel it more because, in this case, that character is the Doctor's companion: the person the audience most easily identifies with. In this story, Rose, whose father was killed when she was a baby, goes back in time and saves his life. This has disasterous consequences, causing a wound in time. Admittedly, the story is derivative, but it's beautifully acted and only the coldest of hearts could fail to be broken by it.

Having met her daddy, Rose (and everyone else) is suddenly being asked, "Are you my mummy?" by a small boy in a gas mask. The last two episode on the DVD are 'The Empty Child' and 'The Doctor Dances'. Set in London during the Second World War, this is a delightfully atmospheric and creepy story about a plague that descends on the city thanks to a derelict alien space craft. We are introduced to the mysterious Captain Jack (John Barrowman) who joins the Doctor and Rose in the Tardis. We also have the spectacular sight of Rose dangling from a barrage balloon during an air raid while wearing a T-shirt with a huge Union Jack on it. This is one of the most visually effective stories in the series and the depiction of wartime London is excellent.

Four of the best episodes in the new series. Great stuff!