Midnight

There's a bus on a planet called midnight, there's a bus on a planet called midnight, whose passengers got quite a big fright, whose passengers got quite a big fright, when some were possessed, when some were possessed, they all got distressed, they all got distressed, and a couple danced into the moonlight, and a couple danced into the moonlight.

A sparkling, effervescent and diamond jewelled classic, if only all filler episodes could be this imaginative, possibly a very close second to Blink on the all time New Who Best of, and stands alone as a glittering piece of science fiction writing and performance in its own right (unlike the next not so good episode).

For me, this is one of the best stories ever. And I mean top 3 stories of all time! It is my favourite "NuWho" story.

That is despite the superb Donna only being in the episode a small amount and most of the episode being limited to the interior of a small transport with a few people. In fact, that is one of the strengths because it is in the style of great film maker Alfred Hitchcock who would make a film where incredible tension and drama is created in a very limited, claustrophobic setting. Russell T. Davies has absolutely nailed that Hitchcockian brilliance by writing an awesome, scary, tense and suspenseful story.

RTD deserves huge credit for bringing Doctor Who back so successfully and keeping series quality consistently excellent. This is the best example showing he was capable of writing the very highest standard stories.

In addition to the incredible story idea and phenomenal script we also are given the finest quality acting and direction. Alice Troughton won well deserved awards for direction as this is perfectly executed. David Tennant puts in a masterclass of acting, not just being a top notch Doctor but a top notch TV performance by any standards.

The performance of guest star Lesley Sharp is equally amazing, totally convincing and chilling. The repeating of speech is such a fabulous idea and is acted so well that it is scary and unbelievably impressive.

The rest of the guest cast including David Troughton, son of 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton, is solid as a rock and provides interest. The themes are great and similar to the Hitchcock classic Lifeboat (developed expertly from Steinbeck's story) which explores people turning on each other out of fear. This theme obviously links in to larger societal issues.

This is simply Doctor Who at its very best. A total masterpiece of TV magic!

My Rating: 10/10.

Seriously. Just. Wow.

"Midnight", I can safely say, is a Doctor Who experience unlike any other. In a series that had previously left me quite underwhelmed, this completely blew my mind.

This is bar none Russell T. Davies' greatest work. He tosses aside all of the DW typicality: the companion, the hideous monsters, the running... Even the Tardis takes a leave of absence. In their places, he gives us a claustrophobic,motionless, and tense 45 minutes of sheer paranoia - and boy is it amazing!

Here we find The Doctor leaving Donna behind at a spa while he boards a tour bus on its way around Midnight, or 'the diamond planet'. He gets acquainted and rather chummy with the other passengers to pass the time, until suddenly the bus stops unexpectedly in a place where no person has ever gone, and they realize that they are no longer the only passenger on board . . .

As we all know, Steven Moffat is the master in creating a disturbing, chilling, and very cerebral atmosphere. Remember "Blink"? He created a monster that was genuinely terrifying without being aggressive or loaded with prosthetic. Well, Davies does him one better here. This time, we don't even know what the monster is, or what it looks like. It's more of an essence, like a demon possession. It grabs hold of its victim and corrupts it. How? We don't know. Why? Don't know. And that's what makes it so horrific.

This seems to be The Doctor's strongest adversary to date. He can't use words to talk sense into it, or use his screwdriver to find out more about it, and as paranoia strikes everyone on bored, he can't even win their trust. There's nothing for him to fight, and he is left in the mercy of scared innocents that think of him as a risk to their own safety. In fact, this is the only time we've seen the 10th rendered completely helpless - and David Tennant plays to that beautifully! In fact, everyone in this episode did a magnificent job! It's just a gripping study in character and emotion from start to finish.

All in all, this was my favorite episode to date, and by the end of it, my heart was racing so fast, I just had to watch it again.

MIDNIGHT is quite a change of pace for the fourth series of the new DOCTOR WHO, and, once again, Russell T. Davies and company are unafraid to step into new territory. One of the hallmarks of the new series is its willingness to be inspired by specific films and television: a good first example is VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED, the WHO version of a Seventies disaster film, in particular, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. Using POSEIDON as a jumping off point, it became an outstanding adventure on its own terms. And now we have the WHO version of Alfred Hitchcock's LIFEBOAT: a story which takes place on one set, and places a small group of characters in an intense pressure-cooker. All the usual WHO trappings are stripped from David Tennant's Doctor, and he is reduced to being the lone voice of sanity which is roundly ignored by the rest of the cast. Even his Sonic Screwdriver is used sparingly. No spoilers, just one of the best-written and intense character pieces ever. If you haven't seen it, watch MIDNIGHT after the sun has gone down, when shadows and sounds become dangerous. It's that good.

With minimal set and a small group of actors, this is a fantastically claustrophobic and effective episode. Unusually for one penned by Russell T. Davies, this episode is removed from the story arc of the series, and as Blink, would stand alone as a short sci-fi horror.

A strange choice to follow the atmospheric Forest of the Dead, as three such strong episodes in a row could make the overall arc of the series uneven - but it's an episode worth watching purely for itself, regardless of the rest of the series. Interesting and frightening, with a marvellous performance from Lesley Sharpe, and an unusually restrained turn from David Tennant. Magic.