This one has been on the radar for a little while, as I remember a couple of aspects about this episode, one of them being that it wasn't very good. Seeing it again, so many years later, it isn't actually as disastrous as I thought it was - but the ending is very poor.
Since a childhood encounter with the Doctor (David Tennant), Elton (Marc Warren) has been fascinated with the mysterious figure - and the recent encounters with aliens that planet Earth has had have only strengthened his intrigue. He meets fellow enthusiasts, Bliss (Kathryn Drysdale), Bridget (Moya Brady), Mr Skinner (Simon Greenall) and Ursula (Shirley Henderson) and they form an investigation/support group. Progress is slow but the club enjoy each other's company, until the enigmatic Victor Kennedy (Peter Kay) takes over their team. With his Torchwood documents he's able to get them closer than they ever have before, but what are his motivations, and why have members of the group start to disappear?
This is the first of what would become another running idea going forward in Doctor Who, that of an episode based around a new or different character, in which the Doctor and the companion may only feature tangentially, or in a reduced role. The idea being that frees up the shooting schedule for the principles to work on a different episode. That would give us "Blink" in upcoming seasons, but it also gave us this. For the most part, it's a bit odd, but it's not as bad as you might think. Marc Warren is a good actor and I liked him and the team during the early scenes, though it does feel like it might have initially been written with a younger actor in mind. There's lots of comedy in this one, most of which works quite well, there are further pointers towards Rose's departure and the Saxon storyline and it's slight but amusing stuff. Until the end. The reveal of Peter Kay's true form is a massive let-down and the CGI effects of the other characters pushing out of his body is really badly done. The way he's defeated seems arbitrary and tacked on at the last minute. And then the episode implies that Elton is having sex with a paving slab!
As I said, it's not as bad as it's reputation would have you believe, but, particularly at the end, it's a disappointment.
Since a childhood encounter with the Doctor (David Tennant), Elton (Marc Warren) has been fascinated with the mysterious figure - and the recent encounters with aliens that planet Earth has had have only strengthened his intrigue. He meets fellow enthusiasts, Bliss (Kathryn Drysdale), Bridget (Moya Brady), Mr Skinner (Simon Greenall) and Ursula (Shirley Henderson) and they form an investigation/support group. Progress is slow but the club enjoy each other's company, until the enigmatic Victor Kennedy (Peter Kay) takes over their team. With his Torchwood documents he's able to get them closer than they ever have before, but what are his motivations, and why have members of the group start to disappear?
This is the first of what would become another running idea going forward in Doctor Who, that of an episode based around a new or different character, in which the Doctor and the companion may only feature tangentially, or in a reduced role. The idea being that frees up the shooting schedule for the principles to work on a different episode. That would give us "Blink" in upcoming seasons, but it also gave us this. For the most part, it's a bit odd, but it's not as bad as you might think. Marc Warren is a good actor and I liked him and the team during the early scenes, though it does feel like it might have initially been written with a younger actor in mind. There's lots of comedy in this one, most of which works quite well, there are further pointers towards Rose's departure and the Saxon storyline and it's slight but amusing stuff. Until the end. The reveal of Peter Kay's true form is a massive let-down and the CGI effects of the other characters pushing out of his body is really badly done. The way he's defeated seems arbitrary and tacked on at the last minute. And then the episode implies that Elton is having sex with a paving slab!
As I said, it's not as bad as it's reputation would have you believe, but, particularly at the end, it's a disappointment.