Too much of everything

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

I wanted to but couldn't!

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Catherine Tate showed up in the last few moments of the second series finale of Doctor Who as a woman on her wedding day who inexplicably pops up in the TARDIS, much to the perplexment of the Doctor. Which served to carry on into the Christmas special where we learn her name, Donna, and back story. Perhaps this is because the character of Rose was such an integral part of Doctor Who since the latest incarnation, perhaps it's because I found Donna to be quite annoying for the first 20 or so minutes of this special, perhaps because the first half seemed to be a bit of fun, but insubstantial fluff. In all probability a combination of the three aforementioned gripes, but I couldn't help but feel that this wasn't as good as last year's special. Not to say it was bad at all, on the contrary it DID pick up steam greatly after the first 20 minutes and I ended up enjoying it overall. Still I'm glad that Tate isn't going to be the next companion. I can't wait for the new series!! My Grade: B-

First aired on Christmas Day 2006, I really enjoyed this episode.Tennant plays the Doctor with his tongue so firmly in his cheek he's almost blowing raspberries at the "die hard" fans who cannot enjoy an episode unless they can find fault with it and prove their devoted fanaticism.I wasn't sure about Catherine Tate as The Bride at first. However, once I got past the "Am I bovvered?" voice in my head I really enjoyed her performance as a sharp-tongued nice-but-dim Essex girl trying to make it to the alter on time.Doctor Who is quite formulaeic (each episode is a variation of the same theme) - aliens attack, Earth is under threat, the Doctor saves the world, girl in tow to give him simpering look and viewers feel the air of melancholy as we all know the Doctor must remain a solitary being... This episode is no different (hope I haven't ruined the plot!!) but Tennant and Tate spark together very effectively - there are some laugh out loud moments in this episode, some great special effects and I felt the previous reviewers judgement was narrow-mindedly harsh. TV like this is made to entertain, and this episode certainly does!

The Doctor barely has had time to get over Rose before he finds himself with another woman in his Tardis – this time a bride on her wedding day. The Doctor cannot figure out how she got there but a quick return to earth later reveals robots disguised as Santa who are after Donna and, whatever the reason, it probably isn't a good one. On the run from her would-be captors, the Doctor starts to piece together a reason for alien interest in his new (unwilling) companion involving a former Torchwood facility.Everybody sat to watch this and I'm sure it will have been one of the biggest ratings winners across the Christmas period, which I imagine leaves the makers with the problem of trying to tailor the special to meet this diverse audience. With the normal series it can bring out certain aspects (the silliness, the darkness, the relationship etc) across different episodes and accept that some viewers will like some episodes but not others, but with these one-off things you only get one shot. Hence here then we a mix of comedy, special effects, action, monsters, dark character traits and hints at an inner pain in the Doctor. Needless to say no one aspect gets done really well but none gets left completely out – and it more of less manages to stay on the fine line between giving everyone something as opposed to annoying everyone!However depending on your point of view there will be parts that don't work. Personally I really enjoyed the hints at the darker nature of the Doctor (eg his single-mindedness in wiping out the creatures) and his feelings of loss regarding Rose and I would have liked more of that. However I knew this was never going to slow down and be about that so I accepted that we would have lots of Santa robots, exploding baubles and so on. This all works reasonably well and produces a solid enough piece of family entertainment that should please fans of the series even if everyone will have some reservations about some of the aspects of it. For me one of these things was the casting of Tate. I think towards the end she got better but for the first half her "Eastender's reject" act just grated on me and I didn't find it funny (which I think was the plan) and I thought she clashed heavily with some of the quiet moments attempted early on. Which was a shame because I though Tennant was best in these moments – moments where he was allowed to be a character rather than a panto-hero-come-action-figure. Of course he does the latter well enough as well but as usual I did wish that he didn't greet everything that happens with a big "oh, of COURSE" burst of recognition and instant understanding. Parish hams it up a bit too much as the Empress of the Rachnos; I didn't mind her accent so much but her "jokes" didn't fit her character and I would have liked her to have been more ambiguous (after all – if they did create the earth as a rock to "hibernate" then the humans are not really their fault). The writers do bring a touch of this out at the end but it is too little to really justify as anything. Gilet is solid enough in a minor role but nobody really steps up to adequately fill the hole left by Piper – for that we have a very fast pace that never really lets up for longer than a minute or two.Overall then, a lively and enjoyable Christmas special that has lots of energy and something for everyone in the delivery. The lack of quiet moments and character exploration was a bit of a disappointment to me (particularly as they hinted at doing it) but it was still quite enjoyable. That said, the presence of Tate's mostly annoying performance did distract me but also made me realise what a job Agyeman has ahead of her in the new series because the "partner" role is an important one to get right.

With 'The Christmas Invasion' in 2005, 'Dr.Who' effectively displaced 'Only Fools & Horses' as the 'must-see' B.B.C. Christmas Day programme. The king is dead, long live the king. With Billie Piper gone, 'The Runaway Bride' needed to be good - fortunately, it was. Very good indeed.Beginning with secretary Donna Noble being spirited away from her wedding and dumped aboard the Tardis ( thereby removing the need for a lengthy reprise of Rose's tearful departure from 'Doomsday' ), the show was a tour de force of witty one-liners, great S.F.X. and nifty performances. Had it been twenty-five minutes longer it could have passed for a decent feature film. The Tardis chasing the taxi was worth tuning in for alone. I laughed out loud when the children in the car mouthed 'Jump!'.Before last Christmas, we wondered how David Tennant would shape up as the Doctor. Well, now we know - he is excellent. He handled with aplomb the humorous aspects of 'Bride', particularly his exchanges with Donna and later, the Empress of The Rachnoss. But his heartbreak at losing Rose had not dissipated - he saw her at the wedding reception. I hope his departure from the role is a long way off. I have to admit to not being a fan of Catherine Tate's T.V. show, but here she made a good contrast with Rose, being older, louder, brasher and - dare I say it - common as muck, but becoming gradually more sympathetic as the story progressed. When Lance stuck the knife in, you were on her side. As for Sarah Parish as the Empress, what a performance! That make-up job must have been hell! Nice that we didn't see her actual death. A return appearance would be welcome.The plot may have been thin, but 'Bride' pushed all the right buttons; it had action, comedy, tragedy and, above all, spectacle. The finale in the Empress' underground lair was literally stupendous. If you watched 'Emmerdale' instead - more fool you! Three cheers to B.B.C. Wales for producing yet another seasonal treat!