Doctor Who (TV Series) Planet of the Dead (2009) User Reviews

Flight of the London Bus

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 8/10 · 26 March 2019]

My 2009 Easter Special Review:

Planet of the Dead

This was broadcast as an Easter Special in a year when there were only 4 new stories for fans to see on TV. I suspect that is why it seems to have received an overly negative response and dismissed as disappointing. Fans were eager for more Doctor Who that year and expected that if they only got 4 stories they should all be awesome classics. That is an understandable reaction and indeed this is not an awesome classic so I guess it failed to meet expectations but I do think it was a decent episode.

Michelle Ryan as guest character Lady Christina is very good, the other passenger characters are decent with future Hollywood star Daniel Kaluuya (star of Get Out and Oscar winner for Judas and the Black Messiah) doing as great a job as you would expect in a small early role. Interestingly, when people talk about big stars who have appeared in Doctor Who people always seem to forget Daniel for some reason.

David Tennant acts brilliantly as always but has less meaty material than in other recent stories. Comedian Lee Evans has a fun appearance and the Tritovores are a fun alien race although with not much to do.

The visuals of the episode are great and there is some nice action and dialogue.

The story and certain ideas and scenes are more suited to a mid series filler episode than a special and are not totally satisfying but it is still pretty good fun.

My Rating: 8/10.

Well, I liked it

[racheljml · 7/10 · 14 April 2009]

Personally, I thought Planet of the Dead was very good, or at least extremely entertaining. Sure, it's not the best episode of Doctor Who to ever air but it's more than sufficient. Now I can see that a few people wouldn't like this, and I suppose it is quite similar in tone to quite a few other episodes. However, there still is a feel of magic to it, and anyone who outright hates it must be rather...stingy.

The beginning was splendid, and a fun, ridiculous way to open the episode. David Tennant was, as usual, on top form and Michelle Ryan was brilliant as Lady Christina de Souza. It was a huge pity that she didn't stay on to accompany the Doctor. The episode was witty, entertaining, and action packed, just as Doctor who should be. There wasn't much heavy material except for the end prophecy, which leaves you with a sense of foreboding as you know David Tennant's time as the Doctor is coming to an end. Overall, GREAT!

Not great, but pretty good

[LaFeeChartreuse · 8/10 · 8 September 2009]

I think people are being a little too harsh toward this one. No, it's certainly not a particularly heavy or intense episode - it was more of an entertaining bit of fluff than anything. But it was pretty good as that, and fun to watch.

The characters were interesting and engaging, and I was pleasantly surprised they didn't resort to the usual let-you-start-to-like-them-then-pick-them-off-one-by-one thing. I think this may be the first time the Doctor has promised to save some bunch of innocent people and actually managed it without any of them dying (well, except one very early on, but I think that was before the promise). Usually as soon as he says "I promise!" you expect the body count to start.

I did like Christina, and hope we see her again at some point. And the one thing I really found least convincing in the whole episode was his reason for not taking her with him - that he isn't going to have any more companions because he's lost them all. I haven't watched that much of the classic series, but at least since its revival in 2005, every companion he's had is still alive and well except for the occasional temporary one from a holiday specials. They may not be travelling with him any more, but it's not like he's brought some horrible fate on them that he needs to start sparing people from. It seemed like a contrived excuse based on the actress not being available or something. But hopefully she'll at least turn up as a guest at some point.

The little bit of ominous foreshadowing at the end was nice - a little glimpse of darkness to come, in an otherwise fairly light episode.

All in all, no, it wasn't a standout, but it was still fun and fairly well done for what it was. And really, if all the episodes were as intense as some of the best ones have been, it'd be a little overwhelming - like season three of Torchwood, which I think is going to leave a lot of viewers needing therapy. Having a few lightweight episodes to balance the heavier ones is not a bad thing.

A Not So Magical Mystery Tour...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 9 December 2021]

Christina de Souza's a thief, pursued by several police, now she's caught the wrong bus, there will be quite a fuss, and probably plenty of grief.

The Swarm will devour all whole, consume buses and bodies and souls, only dust will remain, a sandy-like grain, they move on through a series of holes.

Malcom Taylor's a Quatermass fan, he's managed to work out a plan, to close one of these holes, to prevent a dust bowl, and all from the back of his van.

A last bit of fun before the serious work begins

[23skidoo-4 · 15 April 2009]

Planet of the Dead is a fun episode. Anyone coming into it expecting something as profound as Journey's End is going to be disappointed, but as an Eastertime special, it's fun and worth watching. David Tennant, nearly a year after last portraying the Doctor (and having spent months playing Hamlet in the meantime) slips easily back into the role, and Michelle Ryan is a lot of fun as cat burglar-turned-companion Lady Christina. I disagree that she's just a clone of Jenny. the Doctor's Daughter. In fact she's her own remarkable character, and possibly the closest the revived series has seen to Romana (a classic companion of old). There were rumors that Lady Christina might actually turn out to be a Time Lord but this isn't the case (though there's a tongue-in-cheek line of dialogue probably aimed at those wishful thinkers). Fortunately her character doesn't follow in the footsteps of Kylie Minogue's ill-fated wanna-be companion in Voyage of the Damned, suggesting we might see her again.

The reaction to this episode by so-called fans who seem to expect every episode to be groundbreaking, and forgetting this is supposed to be a fun SF series aimed at families, suggests Russell T Davies and Tennant are leaving at a good time as clearly the fanbase has tired of them, just as Trekkies tired of the production team behind Star Trek. The new production regime and new Doctor will, in turn, have the fanbase turn against them in a few years too. As far as I'm concerned, however, Davies and Tennant have rarely made a misstep.

The only element of his special I didn't like was Lee Evans' walking cartoon of a character, Dr. Malcolm. He plays it almost like a send-up, and that's not how Doctor Who works. Yes, it's a show about giant flies and giant swarming metal insects, but the actors play it straight, which is why it works. Still, he does get in a few great lines as well as a terrific shout out to another UK science fiction icon.

Planet of the Dead is a "fun romp" as they used to say, which ends with some rather sombre predictions of things to come. In an interview with Doctor Who Confidential, Davies indicated that this was the last chance for the Doctor to have fun before the run-up to his regeneration begins (indeed the preview for next special, The Waters of Mars, which plays at the end of Planet of the Dead, shows a rather dark episode ahead). As such, Planet of the Dead does the job.

Voyage of the 200!

[ShadeGrenade · 9/10 · 15 March 2011]

'Planet Of The Dead' was the first of four 'Dr.Who' specials broadcast in 2009 in lieu of a full thirteen-part season. By this time, the news of David Tennant's impending departure was public knowledge, and his successor - Matt Smith - appointed. Written by Russell T.Davies and Gareth Roberts, this was clearly intended to be a light starter before the heavy main course later in the year. The Doctor, investigating a possible wormhole in time and space, climbs onto a London bus - the 200. Seated next to him is the beautiful Lady Christina de Souza ( Michelle Ryan ), a bored aristocrat who loves stealing valuable things. In her bag is a priceless cup dating back to medieval times, freshly stolen from a museum. The wormhole opens in a tunnel, spiriting the bus and everyone on it to a far-off desert planet. Nearby is a crashed spaceship piloted by creatures which resemble flies. The 'sand' is in fact the remains of what was once a thriving civilisation. A swarm of stingray-like beings can be seen on the horizon. They consume matter, destroying any planets they encounter. The Doctor has the tough job of getting everyone home without bringing these things along at the same time...

Like I said, this is a fun romp which makes no attempt whatever to be Hugo award winning material. The jokes work most of the time and there is some good action stuff. The Doctor does not appear to be worried by the danger he and his friends are in. At one point he even says: "The worse this gets, the more I love it!". Tennant had the ability to take an average script - such as this - and make it into something special. There's no villain as such, not unless you count the stingrays. Lee Evans, one of my favourite modern-day funny men, has a small role as a dithering scientist whom the Doctor is in constant communication with, and U.N.I.T. gets to indulge in some good old fashioned Pertwee-style gun-play. As 'Lady Christina', Ryan exhibits more personality than she ever did as the star of the flop 'Bionic Woman' revival. Her character may or may not have been inspired by the proposed new companion intended to replace Sophie Aldred's 'Ace' had a series been made in 1990. Ryan's no Billie Piper but streets ahead of the wooden Karen Gillan. The story climaxes with the Doctor hearing the now-famous "He will knock four times!" prediction. The look on his face on realising his present incarnation is nearly over is simply heartbreaking.

The flying bus attracted the usual, predictable criticism from rabid anti-R.T.D. zealots. What was the response from these very people to the even more ridiculous flying shark seen in the 2010 Christmas 'Special'? Deafening silence, that's what! 'Planet Of The Dead' is not classic 'Who', but looks better with repeated viewing. Which is more than can be said about Season 5 as a whole.

Not that bad, a fun episode.

[dannydavies · 7/10 · 18 April 2009]

Not the best Doctor Who episode but certainly not the worst. Thought the storyline was a cross between Pitch Black, Entrapment, On the buses and that program about a time traveler in a blue box. Seriously it was OK not as bad as some comments say it is on here, the thing about Doctor Who is if you had the Daleks, Cybermen or the Master every week now eventually that would be boring. Dr. Malcalm (Lee Evans)is a cool character but maybe a bit over the top with the I love you Doctor stuff. Christiana played by Michelle Ryan comes straight out of the movie Entrapment and then once they reach the desert in the double decker bus you almost expect Vin Diesel to turn up. Them flying stingrays must be exceptionally hungry as one can eat two larger than life human sized flies in one after another!

Desert of the Dead

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 9/10 · 4 April 2021]

I don't mind a story like this, as you can see from my rating I enjoyed it just as much as any other Doctor episode (I am perhaps too generous but there we go). This is not a super important plot furthering episode, but it is a fun one-off episode and I like it.

This could have been a normal around 45 minute episode

[warlordartos · 6/10 · 15 March 2021]

Yes there are good parts and I don't mind the figuring out what is going on and what to do part of the episode (at least 30 min of it) so much. It's a little like the early Doctor who stories when they had several parts. You'd get somewhere in the middle of the story; say part 3 of 5, and it would be nearly half hour of figuring out how to get out of the predicament.

Yes this however went on a bit too long and the extra 10-15 minutes were what made this from an okay way of finding out how to get out alive to boring and bland.

I would have given this at most a 5/10, but luckily they put in a gripping warning from the psychic lady, and I liked the use of the ending song, much like the Ood said

"Next stop! Planet Earth!"

[wetmars · 10/10 · 24 September 2020]

When a London bus takes a detour to an alien world, the Tenth Doctor must join forces with the extraordinary Lady Christina. But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets and time is running out as the deadly Swarm gets closer...

Yet again, another underrated story. Not gonna lie but, Christina is such a badass, the stunts were real, had very great chemistry between herself and the Doctor, I wish she was a companion, she would make a great one. *sigh* She had amazing character development from being a petty thief to being a chick who realized that money isn't all that important.

Loved the dark scene where the Doctor remarks about his past companions, that he cannot travel with another person "Never again." and the Ending too, gives me the chills!

Loved that callback of "Robot" when the Doctor said "Really? What was your favorite! The Giant Robot?" Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, this is the 200th episode of Doctor Who.

10/10.

Simple, enjoyable, typically "RTD"

[Gelaos · 7/10 · 2 March 2019]

A simple episode, Tennant is excellent as always and plot isn't a complete disaster. Too bad that Christina didn't get the chance to be proper companion because her dynamic with the Doctor was splendid.

Planet of the Dead is pleasantly lively

[dkiliane · 8/10 · 10 March 2019]

Another fun special with David Tennant. Love the different and unique characters. The countdown aspect added a decent sense of urgency and danger to an episode that basically amounted to being stuck on a bus in the desert.

The twists were interesting but hardly amazing and a lot was left unexplained. For instance how the creatures have the ability to basically punch holes in space seems odd for a non-sentient swarm of flying stingrays. Also they seem rather easily defeated (the Doctor just hits one with the bus).

Even so, Planet of the Dead boasts a solid story with great characters but again falls short with the aliens and special effects. You get past that though and it is rather enjoyable. 8/10

Way too childish - and not in a good way

[zerobeat · 4/10 · 25 July 2009]

The problem with criticizing something for being too childish is that it seems like I wouldn't like a movie like The Incredibles or a TV show like PeeWee's Playhouse. On the contrary.. I love these things.

I guess "lazy" is more an apt criticism. It's as if the writers just put inferior stuff out there and defend it by saying "who cares... kids won't know the difference".

I sure hope the new showrunner (Steven Moffat) cracks the whip a lot more when it comes to this sort of rubbish dreck coming across his desk.

There is indeed a way to make a children's show also appeal to adults. Maybe the secret is to make it appeal to adults, and simply omit stuff that would obviously be inappropriate for kids. Intelligence is NOT something a writer needs to omit from a script.

It's fun in parts but a little flawed.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 29 August 2015]

I suppose they wanted a family fun story, before the nightmarish Waters of Mars.

After a big scale theft, Christina jumps on a London Bus, escaping Police capture, The Doctor plonks down next to her, the bus sets off, it and its passengers disappear through a Wormhole and end up in a far off baron planet. A plan is formed to get back, and psychic passenger Carmen has a vision of death approaching. Back on Earth, the Doctor is aided by Malcolm, a genius drafted in by UNIT. The Doctor and Christina see a storm on the Horizon, made of metal. Another crash victim comes to help and The Doctor discovers the planet they're on has been utterly ravaged and turned to sand. The storm on the Horizon are actually a swarm of ravenous flying monsters that eat anything in their path, they plan to get to Earth through the Wormhole. Christina proves a useful companion to the Doctor.

UNIT have become more semi regular, and Captain Magambo makes a second appearance after Turn Left.

Sadly the appearance of Lee Evans turns this into a bit of a kid's story, a comedian I truly love, was not right for this part, and why did they have to make him WELSH!!! It's OK for the first 20 minutes but then loses it a little.

I did enjoy Michelle Ryan's performance as Christina, she's good fun, a good match for Tennant. One of the highlights of the episode.

It's passable enough, but it's lacking in too many areas, some good effects, some fun performances, but nothing to get under the skin. The best moment is the brilliant pace changer right at the end, when Carmen confronts the Doctor with 'Be careful, your song is ending, it is returning through the dark, he will knock 4 times.' A very tense moment, brings the show back up to adult theme. 5/10

Could Have Been a Lot Better

[VerdantGreen · 3/10 · 12 April 2009]

This episode of Doctor Who is watchable and no more. No drama or tension and most of the performances seem forced and pathetic. The aliens were boring and had very little effect, the humanoid aliens were a direct homage to the original version of The Fly, which was made in 1957 but nevertheless proved more interesting than this episode of Doctor Who. Don't fear however, not all is lost. The old woman at the back of the bus psychic ramblings may have been irritating at first, but pay off in the end when she warns the doctor of things to come.

Considering how poor this episode was and the Christmas episode was, does not bode well for the specials coming later in the year. New doctor who fans are beginning to lose faith in the series, so Russell T. Davies better have something spectacular planned if he wants Doctor Who to be popular with the younger generation once more. If not, more and more families are switching to ITV for their Saturday night TV line-up....

2009 Easter Special: Fairly standard stuff that provides colour and noise for children but lacks the edge required for older viewers

[bob the moo · 4 May 2009]

It took me a minute or two to get round to watching this first of the specials that will see David Tennant give up the role of Dr Who to a teenager who won the role in an online raffle. Anyway, I'm not a massive Who fan or anything so I only approach Planet of the Dead as a piece of entertainment and, if it can entertain me then it is god enough for me. As it is though this special just seemed like it was in some sort of holding pattern in almost every regard. In terms of building up to Tennant's exit, it doesn't do anything other than end with a cryptic warning of the future but it is in the rest of the special where the "doing the basics to pass the time" aspect comes over.

The plot is a bit like Pitch Black but of course this is a Saturday evening family piece of entertainment so the darker, more thriller stuff is limited to what kids can cope. This is not a massive problem but it is when you temper it with so much noisy and silly stuff that it prevents the adults accepting it as well. This happens here as we have the usual "big, colourful" Doctor doing his stuff but too much silliness, weak comedy and daft action sequences that lack a reason to care or believe – they all pile up and the end result is a special that will work best for children and not the family as a whole. Things get a bit better in the second half as the creatures are introduced but even then the colourful spectacle of it all takes precedence over the rest. This in turn produces those terrible "cringe" moments that Doctor Who has occasionally – moments that remind you that this is not a massive American production but a BBC Wales production aimed at the Saturday evening telly crowd.

Indeed on such "moment" is all through the special, and that is the presence of Michelle Ryan. Fresh from her attempts to break America (how she got the opportunities she got mystifies me), Ryan attempts to be light, flirty fun while delivering an action character. The problem is that she never feels natural doing it at all. She attempts to match Tennant's larger-than-life approach but she hasn't got the acting skills nor the charisma to make it work and she ends up coming over either wooden or like she is overacting in a "big smile, lots of teeth" way. Tennant is his usual solid self and matches the "fun" approach of the special even if he doesn't have much else to do here aside from the usual running and shouting stuff. Evans is amusing but a bit too obvious while Dumezweni, Kaluuya, Ames, Thomas and others are all TV-standard.

Overall, Planet of the Dead will suffice for those younger viewers of Dr Who as it produces the standard requirements of the show. However for the casual viewer it will unavoidably come over as overly noisy, colourful and all a bit silly. As a "holding" film then I suppose it does the job, but the next few specials will need to step up their game somewhat as this is the sort of special/episode that you can forgive as the exception, not as the norm.

It's Difficult To Defend This Childish Rubbish

[Theo Robertson · 2/10 · 24 June 2009]

After seeing the very disappointing The Next Doctor at Christmas my expectations were raised for the Easter special Planet Of The Dead . The name alone is memorizing and conjures all sorts of gloomy nihilism and ignore the fact that it's written by RTD . He may be guilty of bringing light heartedness bordering on comedy to the show but he can also write scary traditional stories too like Tooth And Claw . So I was looking forward to some dark compelling entertainment at Easter . Unfortunately Planet Of The Dead was far worse than disappointing is possibly the worst story broadcast of NuWho

As has been pointed out by some on this page the plot lacks any originality . It's just a pastiche of so many other references . There's PITCH BLACK , Stephen King , MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and perhaps worst of all a flying bus that could have come straight out of the pages of that dreadful hack JK Rowling . There comes a time when pseudo intellectuals should stop rubbing their chins gasping " Ah yes the beauty of post modernism " and ask the very real question of " If you're not going to come up with your own plot Rusty then please don't bother writing anything " All this is bad enough but what really ruins any potential is the silly , comedic childishness of how everything plays out . Oh hold on did I mention the word " potential " ? No scrap that because this is purely simple children's television

Certainly the cast don't help . The much hyped Michelle Ryan is hotter than viagra vindaloo but all you're watching is a bad impersonation of Catherine Zeta Jones in ENTRAPMENT . It says something when you're watching an actress of Ms Ryan's aesthetic perfection and are very irritated by her voice which sounds like The Duchess Of York with a lisp . Lee Evans does what he does best , pulling off a hybrid performance of Jerry Lee Lewis meets Norman Wisdom . In fact Evans is so bad the phrase " Stunt casting " is the reason spoonerisms were invented . Perhaps to counter this director James Strong has recast Noma Dumezweni as Captain Magambo as she's so wooden but an analogy would be that if you've swallowed some caustic soda then it's a good idea to swallow some sulphuric acid to counteract the effect

In short Planet Of The Dead is an ugly throwback to the dark days of the show in the mid to late 1980s when silly lightheartedness and other frivolity strangled the show . NuWho has sometimes shocked me in a good way in how it applies a sophisticated emotional core with Hollywood style special effects but with Planet Of The Dead I'm perhaps shocked for the first time as to how bad it can be . I know upcoming producer Stephen Moffat can make stories that are a very acquired taste but it's impossible to believe he could make something as dreadful as this

Davies has really lost the plot...

[aldris247 · 11 April 2009]

As I write this, Russell T Davies turn the job of head Who writer over to Stephen Moffat. If "Planet of the Dead" is anything to go by, this change could not come too soon.

The script shows no flair whatsoever, and the episode has practically no plot. This is made worse by the intensely annoying characters, with Lady Christina being particularly irritating. She is basically Jenny from "The Doctor's Daughter" with black hair. The Swarm,when revealed, are relatively impressive, but do little for the episode. The humor is based on cheap one-liners and slapstick. There is nothing to make this episode memorable, even to fans of the show.

The episode left me disappointed and I hope Moffat can bring back the qualities that made previous series so excellent.

Planet of the dead is correct ... and they died of boredom.

[pstancer · 5/10 · 13 April 2009]

Well, David Tennant is pretty much going through the motions these days, and it seems Russell T. Davies is doing the same.

Nothing really catches your eye in this 30 minute episode needlessly stretched out to an hour. Even the monsters don't make much of an effort; just a bunch of flying alien stingrays, and not a Steve Irwin joke in sight.

If your birthday is after 1998, then this might just keep your interest, but that's about it.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed there are better things to come, and that Matt Smith (the new Doctor Who) will not be the 21st century's equivalent of Sylvester McCoy and end up killing the franchise for another 15 years.

Stop the bus

[Lejink · 5/10 · 14 July 2014]

This Dr Who Easter special from 2009 tantalisingly dangles a potential new companion before the viewer in the shape of feisty cat burglar Michelle Ryan's titled bored rich girl character only for the Doc to turn up his nose and continue to fly solo. Beforehand, they share a moderately exciting adventure when after daringly stealing a closely-guarded golden artifact Mission Impossible-style, they find themselves sat together on a red London bus just about to take a trans-dimensional trip to anther world, naturally, where they encounter another world-threatening species, ditto naturally, before saving said world yet again in the nick of time - naturally to the power 3!

Borrowing some ideas from Harry Potter (a flying bus, the Doctor's "parseltongue" type dialogue with the Dead Planet's initial batch of aliens) the story's okay if lacking somewhat in excitement or surprises. There's the odd smattering of humour and a nice frisson between Tennant and Ryanm but Lee Evans as a Doctor-adoring UNIT boffin gets too much screen-time.

With no single antagonist to act as a focal point, the story struggles to really create tension and thrills and by the end relies far too much on CaGen SFX as the flying menace targets earth for occupation in their millions.

Seasonal specials and Dr Who tend to go hand in hand, but this episode failed to really take for me.

Hardly inspired but it passes the time.

[The-Last-Prydonian · 5/10 · 14 June 2009]

As the first of four one hour specials being aired this year, Planet of the Dead marks the first Easter special Writer's Russell T. Davies and Gareth Robert's offer up an episode which has a rather interesting premise and a morally dubious character in Michelle Ryan's Lady Christina Da Souza. An attractive young thief who as the story opens is seen to steal a priceless gold artifact from a museum. Having to make a hasty getaway when she accidentally triggers an alarm and is pursued by the authorities. She jumps on to a double decker bus. It would seem she has made her escape and that her problems are over. Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially when the Doctor boards the bus as well and sits right next to her and as you well know. Wherever the Doctor goes, trouble is not far behind him. Before you know it, the buses passengers find them self being sucked through a wormhole and trapped on an alien dessert planet on the other side of the universe.

What follow's is an inoffensive, passable time waster. Nothing spectacular. Which although not bad, you can't help but feel it could have been so much more. The episodes first half get's off to a cracking start with the museum robbery which instantly grabs out interest and contains an elaborate well choreographed scene. But once the action shifts to the bus then the pace begins to slow down and what we're left with is a leaden bit of exposition as we're introduced to a number of throw away characters who offer little to the plot.

Tennant once again is as wonderful as ever as the heroic Time Lord. At least offering something of interest to proceedings and he's adequately enough supported by Michelle Ryan who although fine as the feisty, flirtation Lady Da Souza, Isn't totally convincing in the role. It doesn't help however that she is lumbered with a two dimensional character who's sole purpose is to flirt with Tennant. Not to mention some of the cheesy dialogue she has forced upon her. Da Souza is so irritating post feminist. An attempt by Davies and Robert's it seems to foist a 21st century proactive heroine on us. Independent, confident. When all she comes across as is a reject from 'The Avengers'.

Once the action shifts and see's Tennant and Ryan venturing in to the planet's dessert plains then the pace really begins to get moving again and the story begins to unfold. Which although not entirely original and seems to borrow much from the Stepehn King mini-series, 'The Langoliers' as well as 'Pitch Black'. But never the less, there's still something to enjoy here. Lee Evan's manages to elevate things with his performance as the comically eccentric Prof. Malcolm Turner. Effecting a welsh accent and having some inspired moments with Tennant's Doctor who seems to have met someone more quirky than himself.

The overall result is a passable runaround which sadly is a bit of an anti-climax. While Davies and Roberts inclusion of a middle aged black woman who has psychic powers as a way to hint at what's to come is a unsubtle contrivance which has already been done to death through the series.

I wouldn't expect too much from 'Planet of the Dead'. It's an undemanding, fun and serves as nothing more than filler before the upcoming 'Waters of Mars' and Decembers Christmas specials which will see Tennant bow out of the show. But if this outing is anything to go by. Then Tennant's swan song may be something of an anti-climax. But who know's. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

It's Time Flight with a bigger budget

[derbycoman · 3/10 · 2 December 2016]

This is virtually a remake of 1982's widely unloved "Time Flight", only with a bigger budget and a worse Doctor. Too wildly lit, underwritten, paced for an audience with an 8 second attention span, too noisy, too much emphasis on quirk over character and too talky from the massively over-rated David Tennant and that damned sonic screwdriver! - so, pretty much par for the course for a post revival Dr Who. Russel Davies seems love peppering the series with cartoonish fanboy dialogue and seems, by this point in the series to be ruling it as a personal fiefdom much the way John Nathan Turner did in his reign. The new Dr Who as always unoriginal and more marketing oriented than quality driven, and by this episode, that had become tedious.