What are you lookin’ at?
Since the relaunch of Doctor Who last year, some fans have been asking why the stories were so Earth-centric in their settings. The rationale was compelling, i.e. (i) an anchor for the new fans to relate to, (ii) a focus on the companion and how travelling with the Doctor affects her and her home life, and (iii) a simple structural format that limits exposition to a minumum thus allowing the 45-minute format to work. However, it was still getting a little frustrating. So, we arrive at “The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit” double parter with a even more anticipation than usual. The happy travellers arrive on a Sanctuary Base, built on a planet that is, impossibly, orbiting a black hole. They meet the crew and their Ood workforce and, of course, things start to go wrong pretty soon. The power source that’s keeping them in orbit is buried 10 miles beneath the surface, the crew are drilling down to find it, and they have awoken an ancient evil…. the devil himself.
Tattooed Man
Hands down, this has to be the best example of Doctor Who, in the world, ever. Not one but two fantastic monsters, a rollicking good adventure yarn, brilliantly realised supporting characters, an engaging storyline, genuine peril, super cliffhanger, and an opportunity for the main characters to question and think about some of the larger issues of faith without ever once patronising the family audience. I could, and no doubt will, watch this over and over again and keep on discovering more facets of this wonderful tale to enjoy each time.
Tags: BBC1, Billie-Piper, David Tennant, Doctor Who, Rose-Tyler, Russell-T-Davies, The-Doctor, The-Impossible-Planet, The-Satan-Pit
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