Father's Day

Rose tells the Doctor she wants to go back and see her father at the moment he was killed. This happened in 1987 when she was a baby and she never got to know him except by the stories her mother told her which have painted him as a perfect man. She just wants to be with him when he dies. The Doctor is reluctant but thinks it will not interfere with history as he will be dying and she will not interact with any other people or events. Rose freezes, understandably, when she sees the accident so asks to go back again to try a second time. The Doctor feels sorry for her and agrees even though this means there are two Rose's and two Doctors present. Rose then suddenly decides to run out and save her father's life which causes the fabric of time to be damaged and creatures called Reapers appear. They attack things weakened by the damage to time and start to devour everyone.

In terms of dialogue quality, interest, entertainment and emotion this is top standard. The negative some viewers note is the concept of The Doctor agreeing to let Rose travel to this moment of her known history not once but twice. In my view the first time makes sense as it is not meeting her father in life which could change history, only holding his hand as he dies. The second time the Doctor takes a risk based on him thinking that it still won't make them cross paths with themselves. It is a believable mistake I think.

The Reapers are basically the exact same thing as Vortisaurs from Big Finish audio adventures and other media. I think it is easy enough to say they ARE Vortisaurs and 9 just calls them Reapers as a common term used to describe them. They are good scary monsters and the idea of them is interesting. There are lots of great scenes and ideas which are fascinating and fun.

Eccleston is on top form with his darker, more intense side being his strength. Rose is given great character development too and her parents are also engaging and believable. The escalation of events is exciting and leads to really dramatic moments and the choice her Dad makes in order to set things right is emotionally impactful. Great stuff.

My rating: 10/10.

It's strange how perception can change over time. My recollection was that the episode "Dalek" was the standout from the first season, though I was underwhelmed watching it again, and also that "Father's Day" was a bit of a filler episode, with bad visual effects - so I was surprised about how well written and considered it was.

Rose (Billie Piper) and The Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) travel to 1987, to the day that Rose's father, Pete (Shaun Dingwall) was killed by a hit and run driver. Initially intending just to comfort Pete as he died, instead Rose saves his life, pushing him out of the way of the car and in doing so changing her own history and rips a hole in the fabric of space/time. Through this hole appear Reapers, winged creatures who devour humans.

So yes, there are some negatives. The show is a little inconsistent on what the Reapers actually are, they're supposedly there to fix the rip, but are clearly attacking humans only tangentially linked to the change in history. Whilst we're on the subject of the Reapers, they are one of the first season's poorest effects. Cartoonishly drawn and lacking in depth, they remind me of characters from an augmented reality game.

But the plotting of the episode is excellent. The Doctors anger at Rose's decision, coupled with the call back to the first episode when he said that Rose only becomes interested in leaving when he says his machine can travel through time, is a great moment. You understand his betrayal and genuinely feel like he might leave her. The scenes between Rose and Pete are really nicely done, once they're over the early "Back to the Future" moment it's a genuinely touching relationship as Pete works out who he is to her, what it must mean and what he needs to do.

Genuinely much better than I anticipated.

After the tedious Long Game the new series picks up again and it's at this point you realise you're not only watching a new series but an entirely new show . The Doctor takes Rose through time to 1987 on the day her father died and lets her witness the event , but Rose is overcome by emotion and intervenes causing the laws of time to be enforced

Russell T Davies and Paul Cornell have conspired to write a tale that no one else thought about in the classic series , one that revolves totally around the depth of the companion . It's true that Rose Tyler is the most thought out , most multi layered companion there has ever been in the show and one complaint that can be levelled with some justification with the first season is that we're watching a show called ROSE TYLER and in the hands of a lesser actress this wouldn't be so well received but Piper does not disappoint in her performance

Praise too for the great Christopher Eccleston . I was shocked when it was announced he was going to be The Doctor since despite being an outstanding actor I thought he was wrong for the part , but then I had no idea he was going to be playing it in the style that he's best known for - An angry , brooding , introspective man . Watching the scene where he scowls Rose for being " another stupid ape " is one of the great moments of 2005 television and there's no way you could envisage a scene like this taking place in the old series

The older audience will be able to recognise these dramatic strengths and enjoy them while the younger fans are very well catered for by the appearance of The Reapers , demonic space bats that have arrived to sterilize the wounds in time caused by Rose's actions . If you've seen the original series 1963 -89 and didn't think much of it then watch this episode and don't tell me you didn't enjoy it

He may have only had ownership of the TARDIS for one series but I thought Christopher Eccleston's Doctor was great, and never better than in this smart and heartfelt episode.

It's a simple "what happens if you alter something in time?" premise, but the performances given by Shaun Digwell and Billie Piper elevate it to being so much more.

For his part Eccleston may not have to carry the drama, but everything he does say, every little facial expression speaks volumes.

Since these early 'new who' episodes the show has got increasingly complicated, over dramatic and dull. These early series episodes were accessible and enjoyable.

I think this was one of the best episodes from his one series as the Doctor.

Peter Alan Tyler , Rose's dad died in 1987, during the wedding of Sarah Clarke and Stewart Hoskins. Rose decides she wants to travel back to that time to meet her him. We discover he's dies alone because of a hit and run driver and Rose wants to be there for him. After a failed attempt, the pair return and the second Rose breaks all the rules of time by saving him. The Doctor gives Rose a glare that we've not seen the like of before and indicates that changes to the time line can have huge consequences. How right he was, Rose's meddling has indeed wreaked havoc, giant creatures are appearing all over the skies and eradicating everyone. The Doctor, Rose and surviving wedding guests retreat into the Church (which boasts a stunning Stained glass window.) Rose realises that her parents didn't perhaps have the dream marriage she thought, Pete is a bit of a letch. We get to see the monsters that have taken advantage of the change in time, they attack and drive everyone into the locked church. The monsters try but fail to gain entry, but all goes wrong when Rose touches her junior self, causing another crack in time enabling one of the creatures to appear inside the church and destroy the Doctor. Only Pete can save the day by resigning himself to his original fate in a heartbreaking scene.

Filmed in Cardiff, it looks very much of the time period, with no obvious goofs I can spot (maybe an out of place BMW 3 Series and Ford Fiesta.) It has some lighter moments, Peter and Jackie's wedding is hilarious as is Jackie's 80's hairdo and peach bridesmaid's outfit. The fashions were meticulously selected, totally 80's. This really tugs on the heart strings when Pete realises Rose is his daughter, the pair play out a beautiful and highly moving scene, it's amazingly well done.

The scenes of abandoned cars, bikes and shoes etc are very reminiscent of the opening scenes from Invasion of the Dinosaurs, very nicely done.

Without a shadow of a doubt my favourite episode of Series 1, Paul Cornell's script is glorious, the acting is first rate, as a viewer I totally connected with the characters. Father's Day is an emotional roller-coaster and will bring a tear to the eye. The best from Series 1, and one of Nu Who's best too. A stonking 10/10