View source for Dead planet alive and laughing

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| publication = The Clare Champion
| file = 2009-04-17 Clare Champion.jpg
| px = 400
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| date = 2009-04-17
| author = John Keogh
| pages = P5
| language = English 
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| text = ANOTHER bank holiday, another Dr Who extravaganza. This Easter's Dr Who was a triumph. I know it's more sci-fi but in many ways Dr Who is beyond science fiction. Its comedy, science-fiction, drama all rolled in to one very enigmatic figure... The Doctor. There is no official series at the moment but the specials more than make up for its loss from our television schedules.

The Christmas special saw Dervla Kerwin star alongside the wonderful David Tennant as he battled the largest robot of all time in Victorian London. It was a feast for the eyes as each frame was wonderfully shot and gripping.

This time around, it was the turn of Michelle Ryan who is probably most famous for her role as Zoe Slater in Eastenders and more famous still for that infamous scene on the darkened streets of Albert Square... a porcelain-skinned Michelle cries out, "You're not my mum," the Tangoed Kat bellows back, "I am your mum!" shock and horror follows. It was classic Eastenders. But Michelle has come a long way since then.

Since leaving Walford she has gone on to star as the Bionic Woman in the US television remake of the hit show and more recently she appeared as the wicked sorceress Nimueh in the 2008 BBC TV series Merlin.

This time however, she played the Lara Croft-like character Lady Christina de Souza. Unlike Ms Croft, Lady Christina is not in it for the good of humanity but rather for the thrill of the theft and the chase. The Doctor and herself have an unmistakable chemistry and it is this that really lifts the show.

Entitled The Planet of the Dead, this special opens with Lady Christina stealing a chalice from a heavily guarded London Museum - heavily guarded on all sides except the roof..

A chase ensues and suddenly the lovely Christina, The Doctor and the passengers of the number 2900 bus find themselves crashed on a planet of sand with a storm of metal-platted scavengers heading their way.

The jokes come thick and fast and the acting is as always very good. Cliché-ridden and over-the-top, Dr Who manages to entertain and grip the viewer right to the end.

David Tennant, the tenth incarnation of the galactic problem solver, has been voted the best Doctor of all time and with good reason. He is comical, believable and loveable. The female supports are always excellent as well and seem to get better with every episode. In many ways its departure from its regular slot to specials has only served to enhance the show.

The one-off special allows the creators to really work on the story-lines and the special effects have really come in to their own. It also aids with the development of the Doctor's character as we learn a little more about him with every special. In short, it was an excellent episode that had it all, suspense, comedy, drama and most of all heart. There was even a good performance from Lee Evans - who, although very typecast, can occasionally hit a winner.

Another Dr Who special is to follow in the summer and with David Tennant's time as The Doctor running out one can only imagine that things are about to get a whole lot more crazy.

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