When it was announced Christopher Eccleston was leaving Doctor Who I was disappointed, especially with the timing seeming to risk the newly returned series being able to continue. Then David Tennant was announced as his successor and, having never actually seen him in anything before at the time, I made a judgement Tennant was wrong for the role (from clips I had seen advertising a show he was in) and dreaded his arrival. How wrong I was! This debut completely changed my view and made me an instant fan of the 10th Doctor.
Exactly as with Jon Pertwee's 3rd Doctor this regeneration has the Doctor spending a lot of time unconscious but just like Pertwee's debut Spearhead From Space it is a terrific story which keeps the interest while the Doctor sleeps and then benefits from a fantastic performance and characterisation once he leaps into action.
The story is, in my opinion, clever, interesting, funny and exciting. It features aliens - the Sycorax - making contact and threatening the earth and a large amount of mankind being controlled via clever means. The brilliant Penelope Wilton returns as Harriet Jones (having appeared in Aliens in London), this time as Prime Minister, and Rose, Jackie and Mickey help with the transition providing fun and humour in between scenes of threat, action and alien contact.
The Sycorax are a great alien menace with an excellent design. The script is fabulous and whenever the Doctor has moments of activity he is funny, superbly acted and engaging. Once fully awake Tennant grabs the role by the scruff of the neck and establishes 10 as a thoroughly heroic, brave, witty, clever Doctor with a dark, serious edge beneath his endearing and humorous exterior.
The climactic confrontation is simply joyous with excitement, some real laughs and some proper drama.
This is, for my tastes, an awesome debut for an awesome Doctor.
My rating: 10/10.