‘Ghost Light’ Review – by Rob Christie

The Story:
Ghost Light is a strange creature. It is a story that few have been able to grasp fully, and it is the last story ever produced. So, it has gained certain notoriety, but is it any good? Is it a jumbled and cluttered mess of a story, with too many plot threads, or is it a charming historical story with rich characters and unusually decent set pieces? I’m in the latter, and as far as I can work out, so is the vast majority of fandom.

Nevertheless, the dark mood, and the star-studded cast allows Ghost Light to be enjoyed despite the unfathomable plot. Marc Platt handles the two regulars incredibly well. I’ve always had a fondness for the last two seasons of Who, because gone is the Doctor that runs into trouble wherever he goes. This Doctor revels in trouble, thousands of steps ahead of the companion and the audience. This story is a turning point for Ace, her character develops more as McCoy lets her take centre stage for the most part. In developing Ace’s character, the Doctor is also developed. Ace enjoys her strongest television outing, with The Curse of Fenric being the only possible exception.

Light is a great character, camp, yet menacing and properly scary in some scenes, like the one where he turns Gwendolyn and Lady Pritchard to stone. Light came to Earth to catalogue all life forms, but soon discovers that the life forms he catalogued evolved, and so takes Earth’s future into his own hands and plans to destroy it. While all that is going on, Josiah wants to assassinate Queen Victoria to take over the Empire.

The last scene of Ghost Light, where the Doctor explains the evil aura Ace felt when she broke into the house aged thirteen, may be cheesy, but ultimately it is effective.
Overall, Ghost Light is a great story to watch, though a second or third viewing is recommended!

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The DVD:
Thankfully the DVD release includes a wonderful documentary, Light in Dark Places, which sheds some much needed light on the narrative, which is explained by Andrew Cartmel and writer Marc Platt. The story might have made sense in the script, and perhaps even in the studio, but the problem lies with cutting and condensing a four part story into just three. All scenes where the plot would have been explained were thrown on the cutting room floor.

The lavish DVD boasts many deleted scenes, and on top of the usual photo gallery and information text, we have Shooting Ghosts, an amusing insight into the last recording block of the series. Another interesting feature is Writer’s Question Time with Marc Platt, filmed at a convention in 1990 where he discusses the writing of the story. The original pitch is fascinating, set in a house on Gallifrey, which later evolved into the New Adventures book Lungbarrow.

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Review by Rob Christie

Doctor Who ‘Ghost Light’ is available on DVD now…
> Amazon.co.uk
> Play.com
> BBC Shop

Many thanks to Rob for the review!

Newsround 'Waters of Mars' Review

Newsround - CBBC's children's news programme - have added their review of 'The Waters of Mars' to their website and you can read it in full below, but be warned it does contain some spoilers for the story!

The story
The latest Doctor Who adventure sees David Tennant arrive on a human colony in Mars 50 years in the future. At first the colonists see the Doctor as a threat but they soon need his help when an alien virus starts to transform the crew into monsters.
Fierce battle:
The bug is coming from the water and threatens to wipe out the colony and the Doctor is their only hope. But will he come to the rescue and change the course of history? The crew of the colony are world famous and the Doctor reckons it is really important that he does not change what happens in the year 2059.
He knows he shouldn't take the law of time into his own hands this time round but when he sees the humans on the colony fighting to survive he just can't help but get involved. But can he handle the consequences? The Waters of Mars shows the Doctor battling with his own thoughts and his fear that his role as the Time Lord might have gone too far? Has the time come for the Doctor retire from the Tardis? You will have to tune in on 15 November to find out.


The characters
The familiar character of the Doctor changes a little in this episode. He seems troubled by his conscience and really wants to walk away from the monsters on Mars. Of course you can expect the usual funny bits when the Doctor baffles other characters with his razor sharp wit.
The other main character is Captain Adelaide who is in charge of the colony on Mars. She seems pretty scary at first and the kind of person you wouldn't want to disagree with but she does show a softer side later in the programme. Other characters include the rest of the crew and of course the creatures created by the Waters of Mars.


Highlights
One of the best and most scary bits is when you first see the transformation of the first crew member to be infected with the water virus. You will be on the edge of your seat and be prepared for a bit of a fright. Another highlight is when the Doctor turbocharges a robot to hitch a ride and escape the monsters. And it's the same robot which saves the day, having been sent to start up the Tardis by the Doctor.


Any weak bits?
The weakest bit was the fact that we are not told what the Doctor is doing on Mars. He just seems to appear there at the start of the episode. The only other weak part were the monsters costumes. They could have been a little scarier.


Hit or miss?
Definitely a HIT. This is a classic Doctor Who episode and one you won't want to miss.
This episode is one of the darkest yet and full of moments that will have you hiding behind the sofa. It is action packed and has a twist in the tale you really won't see coming.
All that AND it's the second last time you will see David Tennant as the Time Lord.

Newsround have given 'The Waters of Mars' a 4 out of 5.

> Newsround review page

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Children of Earth - Digital Spy Review

Digital Spy have released their own review of Torchwood: Children of Earth's first two episodes of the five. A part of the review can be seen below...

"The amazing opening episode 'Day One' hits the ground running, beginning with a mysterious event in 1965 Scotland before zapping forward to the present day and some possessed children. With the move to BBC One hopefully bringing in a broader audience, Russell T Davies's script economically and seamlessly manages to re-establish the show's trio of surviving regular characters for new viewers without alienating the existing fans. In particular, Jack and Ianto's hospital-based introduction - involving a very nasty hitchhiker blended with some light-hearted banter - is a delight to watch. Twin Peaks fans should keep their eyes peeled for a damn fine in-joke involving an estate agent too."

Read full review >>>

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