Doctor Who (TV Series) Human Nature (2007) User Reviews

This is the advert for using existing story lines, it is glorious!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 18 August 2015]

The bundle of energy that occurred in 42, and to some extent towards the end of the Lazarus Experiment is carried forward into Human Nature, but to much better effect.

This is a total game changer of an episode, Paul Cornell's script is outstanding, having read and loved his original novel it was so good to see it adapted.

In brief the Doctor is humanised and has becomes a Teacher at a Public School in 1913. Elements of the Doctor's true life seep through and he remembers his Timelord existence. His Timelord existence is hidden from pursuers the Family of Blood. Whilst there his human persona falls for Nurse Joan Redfern, whilst a lovesick Martha looks on.

This is without doubt one of the richest scripts/episodes to this day, so many wonderful elements, his book 'Journal of impossible things' is stunningly put together. The concept of the Chamaeleon arch is such a hugely imaginative one. The scarecrows are visually wonderful, and so terrifying as they are a real creation.

The School is fantastically realised, and Pip Torrens make a great headmaster.

Jessica Hynes is an absolute revelation, she can't be faulted one bit, and each member of the family is fantastically well realised.

Annoyingly the usual harping on about Rose is still with us, this should have been knocked on the head a while back.

Everything about this feels like a golden jigsaw, it all fits together sublimely. It really is so good. A perfect 10/10

A very different "Doctor Who" tale...

[DVD_Connoisseur · 9/10 · 26 May 2007]

"Human Nature", based on Paul Cornell's original "New Adventure" paperback, is a very different tale to what we're used to seeing on the small screen. When The Doctor becomes a human in 1913 England to avoid the clutches of the evil alien Family of Blood, a frustrated Martha watches events unfold as the cover of his servant.

This period story is gripping and unusual. David Tennant is superb as the headmaster John Smith who occasionally has dreams of another life and alien creatures. His book of "imagined" memories is a joy to behold.

The atmosphere in this episode is very authentic and there's a real sense of dramatic suspense. The scarecrows are a genius touch and are particularly creepy.

Jessica ("Spaced) Hynes is thoroughly delightful as Smith's love-interest Joan Redfern.

9 out of 10. Depending on the quality of the next episode, this could be a story that's discussed for a very long time.

Again, what a series this has been so far! This is setting a new bar of quality for the future.

Two Hearts Beat as One...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 5 December 2021]

On the run from the Bloods (telepathic gas ghoul family) the Doctor delegates authority to Martha and applies the Chameleon Arch turning himself human while locking his Gallifreyan self into a timepiece and relocating to the land of prejudice, bigotry and misogyny a.k.a. 1913 Britain, he then...

Starts teaching in a public school, with Martha doing her best to keep her cool, but the family of mine also arrive, so it's time to resuscitate and revive, but the watch has vanished without a trace, just like the Doctor with John Smith's face.

All the time the clock is ticking down, time is running low, and those bird scarers's in the fields look increasingly as if they're alive!

One of the best defining episodes for the Doctor as a whole.

[felixokelly1 · 10/10 · 30 January 2014]

This is a highlight, not merely for New Who but Doctor Who as a whole. It is good for not just the character of 10 but the Doctor. Wonderfully written. Thinking this started out as a Fanfiction is incredible. It became one of the best-received Virgin New Adventures, and finally was adapted into a story, which it truly deserved. It inspired the audio Master, which inspired Utopia, which this episode foreshadows. A lot came from Paul Cornell's marvellous work. The acting is good, the plot is good, the themes are good. Having the Doctor disguise himself as a human and think he is was a wonderful idea. There are some minor flaws but they pale in this masterpiece. Series 3 really is the best New Who series so far. This story deserves more recognition as clearly one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever told.

Everything a Who story SHOULD be

[movieman_kev · 10/10 · 9 May 2008]

In order to give the slip to some enemies that have him cornered, the Doctor chooses to erase his own memory. Using the old alias of John Smith, he winds up as a teacher in a finishing school in 1913. Now completely human, he must deal with human feelings such as true love. Martha is tasked with keeping an eye on him while the crises passes, but as always with the Doctor's adventures, it's not quite that easy.

Now THIS is what I'm talking about! This is everything a good Doctor Who tale should be, an extremely well-acted, captivating, marvelous story with memorable, suitably threatening villains and no over-reliance on CGI. If the second half holds up as well, it'll be ranked amongst the best episodes of Who in decades.

My Grade: A+

Shockingly Sophisticated And Intelligent

[Theo Robertson · 3 August 2008]

In the early 1990s Virgin books started to publish a range called The New Adventures Of Doctor Who . These so called New Adventures were supposed to continue the saga of DOCTOR WHO the television series but I never ever bought a copy because I didn't consider the range to be canonical and just seemed to be a way of parting fans of their money . They were just glorified fan fiction something I had zero interest . When the BBC confirmed one of the stories of series three was to b an adaptation of Paul Cornell's NA book Human Nature I rolled my eyes : " Couldn't they employ people to write original scripts ? " I asked myself . " Dear oh dear the show won't have long to survive if they've got to do this "

It seems after watching this episode that apologies of some sort are in order to the production team . Far from being a debacle of any sort Cornell and co have crafted a very sophisticated and intelligent piece of fantasy television . Not only that they succeeded in showing why DOCTOR WHO is the most remarkable show in the history of television . unlike the preceding episode 42 Human Nature is entirely original , it doesn't remind you of any story you have ever seen before . It's also an episode full of character development for the Doctor . Nostalgia plays a part too with a quick flashback sequence and a picture book reference to previous Doctors and adventures , along with an in joke to Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert . But perhaps the show's greatest strength is one of imagery and millions of children will never EVER look upon scarecrows in the same way again

There are one or two flaws to the story . One involves internal logic in that if the Doctor trusts Martha so much then why doesn't he let her keep the watch ? Talking of Martha it becomes clear that despite her best efforts Freema Agyeman seems to be spouting dialogue that was originally written for Rose Tyler and just to point out that she's not a lame reference to Martha being black is added . But these are minor flaws in an episode that rightly deserves to be called a classic

Chilling

[Pickwick12 · 9/10 · 26 May 2007]

This episode tells the first half of a story from a book written about the Doctor back in the '90s that was rated by readers as the best DW story ever.

To me, it was very unsettling, less because of the villains than because of what occurs with the Doctor himself.

The acting is excellent as always, the story is well paced, and a real sense of danger is established.

The second half hasn't aired yet, but I'll be excited to see exactly how the Doctor pulls out of this one.

Overall, this episode is brilliant in two ways: it has very brave character development along with chilling villains in true Who style. Nothing to complain about; I just can't wait for the ending.

David Tennant's Doctor is Still Amongst the Very Best!

[Johnny-the-Film-Sentinel-2187 · 10/10 · 30 May 2017]

Human Nature proves that this is still easily the case: being that Tennant is still the best thing to have happened in Doctor Who's relaunch. The episode is one of the few (possibly the only one) to be adapted from a Doctor Who novel; written in the 90s.

Human Nature feels like one of the classic episodes from the series' tenure of the 70s and 80s. It is also a perfectly compatible episode that fits right in with the modern Doctor Who mold. Thomas Brodie-Sangster is great and so is Harry Lloyd (and to think that these two actors would later star in Game of Thrones further down the track). Everyone here brings something good to the table. The scarecrows are scary, the Doctor isn't sure who he really is in this story, and Martha can't get through to him; unless she performs some kind of miracle.

This episode, and its immediate sequel 'The Family of Blood', are easily the finest to have come from the series in 2007; with the obvious exception of the CLASSIC 'Blink'. A great chapter in an all-round great show.

how can anyone think that

[rainbow_letloose · 10/10 · 31 May 2007]

who can anybody say bad stuff about this episode? i know it's been a while since Billie piper's character of Rose left the show but people have got to move on. besides out of all of the episodes out of the 3rd series this one has got to be one of my favourites.the fact that The Doctor had to turn human to save him and Martha was heroic in a weird sort of way. David Tennant and Jessica Hynes have great chemistry and Freema Agyeman Played Martha perfectly as the green eyed monster(aka jealousy). The Family of blood and the jackstraws were great villains and to be honest i can't wait until Saturday's next instalment.big thumbs up for David Tennant he still continues to be a brilliant Doctor.keep it up MR. Tennant!

Amazing

[katissokool · 9/10 · 12 August 2007]

I LOVED THIS EPISODE!

It was entrancing. It just had me hanging onto every word when I watched it.

It had been video-taped because I was out on Saturday night so I watched so many times that Sunday and the first time I'm pretty sure the entire village could hear me and my friend scream at the cliffhanger - the only reason I'm not giving it a 10.

That stuff is so frustrating!

I love it when personal touches are added to shows.

This episode was fantastic.

It is definitely among my overall Doctor Who favourites!

Well-played, and displayed.

[conche · 10/10 · 28 May 2007]

This episode was a excellent piece of work, which reeked with excitement from beginning to end. From the opening sequence to the ending. The plot is superb, and well-played (with some "small" exceptions, but we shall ignore Baines).

The way Martha was treated, and the way that the doctor acted, as a "human" was well-played. I had never thought I'd find myself sympathizing with Martha on the fact that the doctor seemed to be ignoring her, and obviously falling in love with someone else.

I adored the bit with the cricket ball. It wasn't needed, but it made the episode so extremely special and brilliant.

The journal was a nice touch, and so was Tim, who one can be quite frustrated with (who is he?). Hopefully we'll find out about that...

Saturday, come fast for the wait is too much for me!

I loved it

[drwordsmith · 9/10 · 26 May 2007]

Although I feel Dr Who series 3 to be the weakest of all 3 of the series on the whole, the episodes have gradually got better and better as the series has gone on, and this episode has to be one of my favourites from the whole series. It is steeped in mystery, and there was a lot less alien bashing and running around than last week, and a lot more emphasis on developing story and characters, which I found much more interesting. At times, this seemed like an episode of 'The X Files' or something like that. I am hugely intrigued to find out what happens next week, and I found all the references to previous episodes of the new series of Dr Who and even references to further back to be a very good touch. It just gave me more ideas about whats going to happen in the final episode though...

Human Nature

[studioAT · 7/10 · 24 August 2021]

One of the better episodes in Series 3, this is an engaging and well-written tale.

David Tennant is on top form, as his Doctor goes all human on us, and there are some lovely moments.

The 'Martha loves The Doctor' element is a bit heavy handed here though.

The first of the worst

[shenlyu · 1/10 · 28 September 2011]

This is the first of the two worst episodes in the history (yes, history) of Doctor Who. It plays out from beginning to end like horrible fan fiction of the worst kind. You know, the kind written by a person who just really wants the main character (the Doctor of course) to fall in love with them. From illogical plot lines to retarded romances and soap opera melodrama, this pair of episodes has it all. Just don't be surprised when the thief of a child turns out to be a the hero and Martha gets treated like crap (and not apologized to either), and the idiot school nurse turns out to be the big victim. Ugg the whole thing made me want to puke.

Stunning Character Drama

[jjj-91504 · 10/10 · 1 April 2016]

Human Nature is a great character episode. It's lighthearted for a while, and then it takes a darker turn. "The Family" had creepy actors and was very unsettling. Martha gets an awesome role, and Nurse Redfern is very likable. David Tennant is at his peak in this two parter. THIS IS DOCTOR WHO AT IT"S FINEST! The cliffhanger is great, and the resolution of the story is perfect. I really loved this episode. I recommend this for a re watch. I don't have much else to say, and I need a line or two more, but this extra portion to the review should just about do it

All superlatives here.

100% 10/10

The Last Watch

[southdavid · 8/10 · 16 April 2021]

I think I remember liking this double bill. The first half in particular is a good start, with plenty of tragic undertones offset somewhat by a memorable series of villains.

On the run from a villainous family that can track the smell of a Timelord, The Doctor (David Tennant) makes the risky decision to hide as a human, rewriting his DNA and trapping his memories in a fob watch. With Martha (Freema Agyeman) as his servant, he hides in 1913 England, teaching at a private school and begin a chaste relationship with the school's nurse, Joan Redfern (Jessica Hynes). But trace elements of the Doctor remain, enough for the family to track but not pinpoint him.

Lot going on in this one. The Doctor dreaming about his own life and chronicling it as a journal, including references to previous incarnations, villains and companions. Not just one but two tragic love affairs. Martha upset that a human version of the Doctor would pick someone else to love, but also the relationship with Nurse Redfern that we know is doomed to fail when he gets his memories back. Similarly, tragic is the idea that these boys, pretending to kill natives as part of a colonial assault will soon have an all too real war to do and die in.

There are a lot of familiar faces though. Pip Torrens in a small role as the headmaster, Gerard Horan and Rebekah Stanton as local that are bodysnatched by the family. Jessica Hynes as the lovelorn widowed Nurse and the "Game Of Thrones" pairing of an impossibly young Thomas Brodie-Sangster as oddly-psychic Tim and the sneering Harry Lloyd as Baines, a school bully who is the first to be taken by the family and chews all the scenery, sniffing the air and staring maniacally. The family are joined by a fun secondary villain, in a series of horrific animated scarecrows

As ever with a double part episode, we're only halfway through and we'll have to see whether the second half maintains, but it's really good so far.

Perfect Nature

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 10/10 · 30 January 2019]

This is the first part of a two part story and together they form one of the greatest stories in Doctor Who history in my opinion.

For me personally this two parter is my equal favourite story of all time, alongside Pyramids of Mars, Talons of Weng Chiang and Midnight. It actually has some things in common with Pyramids of Mars - the period setting, the powerful alien enemy, the turning of recognisable lifeless forms into scary soldiers (mummies/scarecrows) and the depth and brilliance of the script.

This is David Tennant at his absolute best and Freema Agyeman too is superb. The whole support cast is terrific, especially Jessica Hynes as Joan Redfern and two future stars of Game of Thrones, Harry Lloyd and Thomas Brodie Sangster, in early roles as schoolboys Baines and Latimer.

The period atmosphere, the scary thrills, the creepy tension, the exciting action, the clever and brilliant human drama and the intelligent script all set this up as a true classic piece of television. Russell T. Davies made a genius move bringing Paul Cornell's fantastically written adventure to life and creates a magical piece of Doctor Who lore that gives a whole new dimension to our beloved Doctor. Davies even cleverly links this in to creating a marvelous storyline later in series 3 as we get another instance of the Timelord essence locked into a watch.

The ideas are brilliant, there is beautiful, thoughtful storytelling and effective scares plus just totally enjoyable entertainment. This episode builds perfectly towards the emotional and exciting second part The Family of Blood. Flawless 10/10.

lil Gerry Durrell

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 9/10 · 26 March 2021]

A great start to this Dr Who arc, very different to normal which was a very great thing indeed. Spooky villains, gripping plot. No more actors from Sherlock sadly (see my previous episode's review) but there was the young lad who would go onto play Gerald Durrell in the Durrells so that's good too!

A Journal of Impossible Things

[wetmars · 10/10 · 15 August 2020]

I absolutely fricking love this episode to death, Tennant's performance was beyond god-like, extremely entertaining, great cliffhanger, everything worked out great, the scarecrows are pretty grimacing and they are a nice touch. =^]

Truly epic stuff....

[stevenjlowe82 · 9/10 · 25 November 2023]

I'm really surprised this was used as a mid season 2 part episode as it gave me series finale vibes. The stakes in this episode were of epic proportions and the story itself is truly one of the finest told in Doctor Who.

I found the mention of the chameleon device and it's use was done very casually. That really is a game changer and one heck of a thing for the Doctor to do. He must truly fear the 'Family' even more than any other adversary to feel the need to take such drastic action.

It's not quite a 10 for me as this boring love struck Martha stuff really annoys me and brought the episode down a bit. I still don't understand why the wrote the character the way the did at times. She went from capable and intelligent to whiny and constantly pining for the Doctor who has made it very clear he does not and will never feel that way towards Martha. It made her character journey somewhat frustrating at times for me personally.

The Family plot is actually the least interesting thing about this episode although I enjoyed the slow build up to their introduction and the scarecrow goons had a nice throwback feel whilst still feeling modern and creepy. Great performances from Jessica Hynes and the young Thomas Sangster also helped to excel this incredible part 1 of 2.

Dang

[aaaaaron-frannnnnnnn · 10/10 · 21 December 2021]

My wife (a longtime Doctor Who fan), showed me this episode along with a few others, essentially to "convince me" that this is a good show. I went from not knowing who David Tenet even was to balling my eyes out and admiring his acting.

Great episode of TV.

A Hauntingly Beautiful Exploration of Identity

[hwiltshire-06889 · 9/10 · 4 April 2024]

Human Nature, the first part of a gripping two-parter, is a Doctor Who masterpiece. This poignant tale about the nature of humanity, sacrifice, and hidden darkness transcends the genre, earning a resounding 9 out of 10.

Based on an old Doctor Who novel by Paul Cornell, the premise is brilliant: the Doctor transforms into a human named John Smith to hide from the relentless Family of Blood. David Tennant gives a career-defining dual performance, embodying both the Tenth Doctor's boundless energy and the quiet vulnerability of John Smith. Freema Agyeman shines as Martha, whose loyalty and independence are put to the ultimate test.

The 1913 setting is meticulously crafted, creating a stark contrast with the Doctor's usual adventures. The episode isn't action-packed, but the tension lies in the psychological battle between Smith's emerging memories and the Doctor's repressed nature.

Director Charles Palmer infuses the episode with an aching sadness and quiet dread. The Family of Blood are genuinely terrifying, their relentless pursuit making them some of the best villains of the modern era. Yet, there's a bittersweet beauty in Smith's blossoming romance with Joan Redfern, a woman who sees past his strange nature.

While the episode's deliberate pace may not suit everyone, those who relish deep character exploration and emotional resonance will be richly rewarded. The climax is a heart-wrenching look at choices and consequences.

Human Nature is a rare gem. More than just a sci-fi premise, it asks profound questions about identity, sacrifice, and the light and darkness that resides in all of us. Its melancholic tone, exquisite performances, and haunting atmosphere make it a true standout of David Tennant's era.

A Doctor Who episode that disregards its main characters

[WisdomsHammer · 4/10 · 8 August 2014]

Written by Paul Cornell and based on his 1995 novel that started as fan fiction. Nothing wrong with that at all - that's not my gripe. The story is actually pretty interesting and well played. What if the Doctor could live as a human? What kind of human would he be? A much less interesting one, in my opinion. Amazing performance by Tennant, nonetheless.

Unforgivable: Treating Martha and the audience as if they have no brain. Martha was introduced as a strong, intelligent character - a medical student - which she still claims to be in this episode. But she acts like a bumbling idiot who seems incapable of understanding the situation. She's all "poor me" and "oh what do I do?" and thinks slapping the Doctor will bring him back into himself.

I understand why many like this episode - it humanizes the Doctor, literally. It's full of lots of interesting little side stories and conflicts. And the setting of 1913 felt incredibly real and accurate. Very well done. Many of the performances are compelling. Jessica Hynes in a notably excellent performance.

But to take the main character, set him aside and replace him with a shell, then disregard and trivialize the existing strong character (Martha) who could have made a good story stellar, it's a crime.

Thomas Sangster's character was a missed opportunity as well. Underdeveloped and underutilized. "Bullied student with a gift." We only need one scene to know he's bullied, but are beaten over the head with that when there's clearly more interesting things to know about him. Why do we need to know he's bullied anyway? It has so little to do with the main story.

And a couple other things: If they were running for their lives, how did the Doctor have time to record a long video of instructions for Martha? If you say "because he's a Time Lord," then by the same reasoning he could have avoided the whole situation in the first place. And as someone else pointed out, why wasn't Martha entrusted with the watch?

If I hadn't seen any of the previous episodes of the season and was seeing Martha's character for the first time, this episode might not have bothered me so much; but I had, so it did.

Do I hate this episode? No. There are just so many things about it that bother me that it's difficult for me to like it.

Great Episode

[ianmorley-80411 · 10/10 · 2 July 2018]

This is part one of a two part story. While part two is better, they both are very enjoyable, and I could rewatch them over and over again

The Chase in on, in this scientific hit!

[rohanumpleby-34057 · 10/10 · 6 March 2024]

"Human Nature" is a fantastic episode of Doctor who, it's twisted, it's complicated and it's a nice change of pace. Where the Doctor isn't being the Doctor, in fact, he's living as a human. Hence the title. It's a perfectly sofisticated story that has depth and creativity oozing out of the episode. And Allonsy! As I review they.

Doctor is being chased by something, and we don't quite no what it is. So he has to hide himself from these chasers who are trying to destroy him, as they usually try to do, without succeeding. The Doctor is put with a challenge, and has to make a decision about how he's going to hide. He decides to turn himself into a human, by removing his two-hearts he successfully terns into a fully fleshed human.

The old design of the school is truly groundbreaking, with a dash even a hint of new modern building. That's old, and has been through many decades. But, yes the building does look very nice. And the Doctor as a teacher seems very new, but is cleverly linked with Seasons 2 "School Reunion" and Season 8's "The Caretaker" so it very much works fundamentally here. I like how Martha is now a cleaner of the school. I love these segments of the school, every person seems to be completely different to one another being very well fleshed out on their own terms. Everything just seems to move smoothly and swiftly and I enjoy it's brisk pacing, along with the theme. It all feels cleverly layed out and formatted in a way that's easy to understand.

The theme is before the War, and each kids take part in shooting practise getting prepared for the war when it does eventually take place. And the scene is beautiful it almost looks like a scene from a book, with some beutiful landscapes and the amount of scenery taking place. Adding layers to the simple side of the story, and I like that. The war is also an interesting topic to focus on and it works very well here. The target practise, the formally dressed headteacher of the school is very well in shape and making sure the kids are doing well. And alas they do.

The Doctor is also in love here, and thinks of starting a family. However, as we all know that can't happen. He's the Doctor after all. The episode even shows a book hand-drawn by him, giving us slight hints of change. That he could change back, and a book about the Monsters he's seen, only in his dreams. As he's forgotten all about the old times, that's why he's human. And how he's surprisingly able to hide. Unfortunately for him, some Nosey bloke that seems to think the Doctors behaviour is slightly questionable he is able to find a time capture. Where it shows the Doctors past, where then the chasers are able to find where the Doctor is.

An aircraft piles down, and scarecrows get controlled on. And now, the Monsters have found the Doctor. The scarecrows kidnap any walkers going through the beutiful farm land. And turning the beutiful scenery of the farm, a place you like to go, into a frightful experience. Now, the Doctor must change. Otherwise, all hell will break loose. And the Scarecrows will take form and brutally trap people. Something unsophisticated, turned into some raised questions by it's audience and the anticipation of what's going to happen next, sofisticating even the simple parts of the story.

The Family of Blood have tracked down the Doctor. Now, he is almost certainly in danger of something bad happening. And the episode almost ends on a positive not when they are all at a party. But, Martha keeps trying to say that he's the Doctor. And now they have been spotted, and that leads to the Family of Blood crashing and causing havoc on the party-goers who are now surrounded by Scarecrows and dark unhinged people, if you like. And that leads the end of the episode on a climax. I just love the high tailed drama, even horror and how sofisticated this episode is. With many great scenes.

Now, Would I recommend this Episode?

10/10 A true MASTERPIECE, you don't know what your missing, absolutely! Highly entertaining too!