Watch This Space
DOCTOR WHO BBC1, 7PM
When a television character has been off the screen since 1989 there is bound to be a need for exposition, to explain both character and concept to a new audience. All the more so in the case of a new series of Doctor Who, which is aimed at a new generation of 12-year-olds. In Rose, the first episode, writer Russell T Davies gets off to a poor start with Christopher Eccleston's (above) new Doctor coming across as an irritating Morecambe & Wise-style funnyman. Thankfully, he settles down eventually and we move on to something approaching a proper plot.
The real discovery here is Billie Piper (above), who plays his assistant Rose. She may meander from cut-glass to mockney, but she certainly carries this episode in style. Diehard Whovians may detect a missing element of mystery, but that will come in time. On the plus side, the spectacular sets are no longer made of cardboard. It's just a pity it's not on at teatime.
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