When I first heard that Doctor Who was coming back, way back in 2003, I was more excited than any thirty-something man had any right to be. But this was MINE. This was the Doctor. Stretching back to 1963 this children/family TV Science-fiction adventure series had captivated the hearts of children throughout the nation and all over the world. TARDIS, Daleks, Gallifrey, regenerations, words that thrilled and excited the imagination. Despite still being a unique money-spinning product for the BBC it decided to stop making it in 1989, although they said it would be brought back in better shape. Indeed, for a variety of reasons which I won't bore you with here, it had gotten rather tired and was in dire need of an injection of cash to boost its out-of-date special effects. The monsters just weren't scary anymore...

A visually splendid but over-Americanised TV movie in 1996 apart, Who fans were without their hero for 16 years, the last 18 months or so of those being excruciating as we waited with baited breath to see how the new show would work.

There were a lot of positive signs. The head writer and show-runner (an American term but self-explanatory) was Russell T Davies not only a huge Who fan but one of the most well-respected TV writers of his generation. From dark Children TV shows like Dark Season to hip-and-challenging gay drama Queer As Folk, Russell (or RTD as we fans affectionately like to call him) had a track record that had propelled him right to the top of TV production - if he wanted a programme made he could almost certainly make it happen. And the shoe he wanted to make was Doctor Who - and, apparently, he repeatedly refused to work for the BBC unless they let him have a go. And finally, when the right people were in place at the BBC, they let him...

The problem that the new production team had was how to make the show relevant to a new much more sophisticated audience and to appeal to the older generations of fans as well. So, let's see how they did...

*** THE CHARACTERS ***

THE DOCTOR …. Christopher Eccleston

A lot was going to depend on who was cast as the Doctor. Although certainly a hero he is not a hero in the same sense as in many other shows. He is not often physical, for example, he won't be fighting or performing dizzying martial arts a la Buffy (Pertwee excepted). He is an enigmatic character who tends to use his wits to outfox his opponents. He rarely uses a gun but prefers to rely on technical gadgetry such as his all-purpose sonic screwdriver and a sense of humour as being more efficient tools in his arsenal. Fairly or not the last few actors to be cast in the part had been largely looked on as failures. This is unfortunate as Paul McGann, Sylvester McCoy and Colin Baker (the 8th, 7th and 6th Doctors respectively) all had their fans and all managed to produce some fine stories. But the general audience did not seem to perceive them as being as strong as the earlier Doctors, William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker and Peter Davison. Casting the right actor was crucial and in the earlier choices you can get a glimpse of what each could bring to the part. The unique ability of Doctor Who, the fact that the main character is an alien, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, and could 'regenerate' his body and change his entire physical appearance and personality, could also be a weakness. The anticipation grew as names like Paul Daniels were touted as the ninth Doctor and even decent shouts like Bill Nighy were debated endlessly by the fans so when the actual announcement came it was quite a shock.

Christopher Eccleston is more than just a decent actor. Many people remembered him for iconic roles such as DCI David Bilborough in the earlier Cracker stories or for his appearance in Our Friends in the North; most viewers would recognise him from somewhere. The problem was that he was generally regarded as a little dour. Although he had appeared in an episode of The League of Gentlemen he wasn't exactly known for his lightness of touch. In interviews he gave at the time he seemed to suggest this was one of the reasons he phoned up his old mucker, RTD, asking to be considered for the role (they had just worked together on Second Coming, a controversial ITV drama about the second coming of Christ, which had been scripted by Russell and starred the Northern actor). The part of the Doctor does change as portrayed by the variety of actors over the years but quirky and zany are often good descriptions and often a large amount of humour is involved. However, no one could argue that Eccleston had the dramatic chops and a great deal of gravitas. The fact that he was cast certainly raised the bar as far as the production went - the industry as well as the viewers now knew what sort of level of talent the show was aiming at attracting.

ROSE TYLER … Billie Piper

So when this former pop-princess was cast as the companion we all wondered what had gone wrong. Memories of Bonnie Langford still lingered deep in the subconscious of the fans. Our one glimmer of hope was a rather good recent performance in The Miller's Tale episode of BBC's modern adaptation of the Canterbury Tales. Fingers crossed…

The character of the Doctor's companion, or assistant as they are sometimes known, has an honourable tradition in the show. They should be pretty, scream a lot and get into trouble so the Doctor can save them. Many attempts were made to beef up the nature of the role over the years, the best of these probably being Ace, companion to the 7th Doctor, an attempt at a modern street-kid which tried to give her stronger storylines. Personally, I loved Sophie Aldred but opinions were divided over her effectiveness and the character was seen by some as a ridiculous caricature of the modern teenager. However, the template was set for a more involved partner for the Doctor's escapades and in many ways the new series has followed on from how the show ended in the eighties.

Rose is seen as being very independent and street smart if not overly gifted academically. Tremendously loyal she is bored with her 'normal' life and eagerly jumps into the weird and wonderful world of the Doctor when she meets him, gradually building a warm relationship and helping to re-humanise the battle-weary and lonely time traveller. This makes her an appealing character and she quickly cemented her place as one of the best companions the show had ever seen.

The show would depend on the chemistry between these two actors but as part of his process of making the show more appealing to a wider audience and keeping it grounded in the real world, Russell introduced us to recurring characters, Rose's mum and boyfriend, who would have their own storylines and continue to appear throughout this series and the next.

JACKIE TYLER ... Camille Coduri.

As fearful as many of the enemies the Doctor would meet on his travels, Rose's mum was a force of nature. She could out talk the Doctor for a start and she wasn't averse to hitting him either! However, the warmth of the character shone through thanks mainly to the brilliant acting of Camille. Later stories revealed more of her character and even many of those who were wary of her at first grew to love her.

MICKEY SMITH ... Noel Clarke.

A similar growth was shown by this character. Mickey the Idiot was how the Doctor cheerfully referred to him at first and he quite deserved it. Complacent and cowardly, he took Rose for granted and couldn't offer her the world, or, indeed, the Universe, as the Doctor could. A bit of comic relief in the first series, Mickey would grow to prove himself a real hero in future episodes. Speaking of which...

(Please note that the details of episodes vary and there are major spoilers if you have not seen them)

*** THE EPISODES ***

1. Rose by Russell T Davies.

On 26 March 2005, my family and I sat down together to watch the first episode of the new series. Expectations were high. I really hoped I would like it but I was more concerned about my two boys - most of all I wanted them to have their own Doctor, just like I had when growing up, and I would have been delighted if they loved it even if I found it disappointing.

And it was, well - fantastic! Smart, funny, fast-paced, packed full of humour. It was very cleverly-written in that RTD had to reintroduce the character and concepts of the show to a new audience. He did this brilliantly by focusing on the new companion, showing things from her perspective. He also appealed to the older fans by referencing a famous scene from yesteryear, the shop window dummies (or Autons) smashing through glass-fronted shop windows and massacring the bewildered shoppers! This was an iconic scene from Jon Pertwee's debut, Spearhead From Space, way back in 1970.

My favourite scene was Rose's first time in the TARDIS. Her reaction, her walking round the outside of the familiar Police Box, before confronting the alien within. All perfectly done. Okay, the plot is limited, the threat dispatched rather easily but that's not the purpose of this episode. It did exactly what it set out to do.

The biggest surprise for me was that my wife liked it. She was not a Who fan at all and usually laughed at the monsters before falling asleep whenever I put one of my old videos on. But this time she was laughing in a good way! The brilliance of the new show was that RTD had somehow found a way to make it appealing to women as well.

His instincts were right and an unbelievable 10.81 million viewers saw this comeback episode. Most were gripped and continued to return, week after week. RTD and Co. had secured the return of Dr Who for the foreseeable future. But the best was yet to come.

8/10

2. The End of the World by RTD.

This was the one with the "bitchy trampoline", Cassandra, voiced by Zoë Wanamaker. Set in the far future this episode really showed off the special effects of which the new series was capable. It literally was the end of the world as the Earth was destroyed when the sun exploded at the end of its life. This was just background to a simple story of power, greed and vanity. I learned an important lesson with this story in that I didn't like it the first time I watched it. It was only when I went back to it that I noticed all the bits I had missed. RTD writes densely and I think you have to watch his episodes a couple of times at least to get the best out of them. Ratings - 7.97. (Figures in millions.)

8/10

3. The Unquiet Dead by Mark Gatiss.

The one with Charles Dickens. Our first visit into the past and our first example of what RTD likes to call the celebrity historical. Doctor Who always had an educational element to when it was first devised and the ability to go back into the Earth's history is one of the things that makes it so varied and imaginative. The BBC is great at period stuff so these types of episodes always look good visually.

This was the scariest episode to date with alien gas zombies travelling through a rift in time and space (hmm, wonder if they'll use that idea again!). Okay, technically it's just the gas aliens who travel and then inhabit dead humans but the idea is genuinely creepy and certainly scared many young kids according to newspaper reports and anecdotes at the time. Good. By now we can tell that the sets and costumes are of a very high standard and this is maintained throughout the series. Ratings - 8.86.

8/10

4 and 5. Aliens of London/World War Three by RTD.

The first two-parter of the new series giving us a chance for a cliff-hanger ending. The old series usually consisted of 25-minute episodes and four-parts to a story. The traditional "get out of that" endings were a great part of the appeal but the stories could tend to drag in the middle episodes. The new format of 13 x 45-minute episodes is inevitable in the modern world of TV drama but not all the fans are comfortable with the, to them, rushed pace of the new episodes. General viewers don't seem to mind and I agree with them but it is nice to get a slight change of pace and a more relaxed story.

Two things are memorable about this story - the iconic shot of the alien spacecraft crashing into Big Ben (although pedants might disagree!) and the farting aliens, known as the Slitheen. Okay, I agree, they're not the best designed monsters but what we have to remember is that the show still has to be suitable for children and this is more apparent in some stories than others. The farting is thrown in for the kids and really isn't a major part of the story - just relax and let it go. Ahem! Ratings - 7.63 & 7.98.

8/10 & 7/10

6. Dalek by Rob Shearman.

The one with the ... nah, I don't want to ruin the surprise! The one we were waiting for. Behind the scenes there was great drama as the BBC don't own all the rights to the Daleks and it was in the balance for a while before they were secured and definitely back. Many thought there would be a radical redesign but the basic shape has been kept and the voice is similar too, brilliantly reconceptualised by Nick Briggs.

For once, we really get to see what the Daleks can do. While the fans know that we have actually seen the Daleks go up stairs before this was sadly when very few were watching. Certainly to see them in their CGI finery hovering and exterminating is very satisfying! The story is taut and exciting and fills in a little of the background of the two great races, the Time Lords and the Daleks. We found out in episode 2 that the Doctor was now all alone, the lone survivor of a deadly time war. Here, Rose meets his natural enemy but in a psychologically twisted episode we are made to feel sympathy for the Dalek and uneasy at the Doctor's urge to destroy. Cleverly helping to set things up for the series finale this was one of the best received episodes, though for me, some of the supporting acting lets this down somewhat. Eccleston is brilliant though. Ratings - 8.63.

9/10

7. The Long Game by RTD.

Another story that looks better in retrospect as it is subtly linked to the final two-parter. The monster is a bit naff and the story not as involving as others. The acting is superb, though, especially Simon Pegg as The Editor. Ratings - 8.01.

6/10

8. Father's Day by Paul Cornell.

Okay, look, I DID NOT CRY at this one, okay, there was something in my eye, all right!? Dang that Paul Cornell but he got me good and proper with this one. Thankfully my wife was working and the boys were at a party so I got away with this one. When I rewatched it with them later on that evening I was in complete control!

This is the one where Rose goes back in time to see her Dad, Pete Tyler, wonderfully portrayed by Shaun Dingwall, and who she barely remembers as he died when she was a baby. This is one of the rare Doctor Who stories that actually plays with the consequences of time travel and altering the past/future. Rose can't watch her father die and saves him leading to a wound in time and large bat-like creatures called Reapers eating the new timeline away and everyone in it.

There are some memorable scenes in here. When the Doctor opens the TARDIS door to find an empty shell, the interior dimensions having been disconnected. Or when our hero is eaten by one of the monsters - didn't see that coming. Of course, he's already had enough of an effect on the situation, and Pete Tyler in particular, to affect the outcome in a sort of Twilight Zone sort of way. And when Pete sacrifices himself to restore the original timeline (more or less) it is very moving. Rose's shout of "You're my Daddy!" was the bit that really got me if you want to know!

A sublime episode but one that some fans didn't like. Too sentimental, too emotional, too soapy! I don't agree but it is one of the accusations that has been made against the programme contrary to many more positive reactions. The other point dissenters come up with is the lack of the Doctor actually being the hero and saving the day himself but I actually prefer the idea that he helps to make others better - he is a Doctor - and inspire them to be heroes. Ratings - 8.06.

10/10

9 and 10. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances by Steven Moffat.

Are you my Mummy?

Genius, pure genius. The show is really reaching its stride, now. Set in London during World War II this really shows what can be done with the new format. The effects of Rose dangling from an air balloon with enemy aircraft screaming past her is beautiful to look at as well as thrilling. We get to meet the roguish Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) for the first time and he becomes a member of the TARDIS team for the remainder of the series, shaking up the dynamic between the Doctor and Rose.

This is easily the scariest episode with the above quoted question becoming a catch phrase echoed by the children of the nation. An extremely clever story, snappy dialogue and even a banana - writer Steven Moffat at his best! The ending is sublime and life-affirming - everybody lives! - and the imaginative direction by James Hawes is the best of the series. Ratings - 7.11 & 6.86.

10/10 for both episodes

11. Boom Town by RTD

This is a strange episode - easily the funniest of the series but for all its well-worked individual scenes somehow the whole adds up to less than the sum of its parts.

Mickey returns to good comedic effect and the Cardiff surroundings are used well. The Slitheen return and work much better here and the dilemma at the heart of the story regarding capital punishment and the consequences of our hero's actions is intriguing if unanswered. There is a literal "deus ex machina" - God from the machine - as the heart of the TARDIS is ripped open and the power of the time vortex is exposed. This is much more than a 'cop-out' ending as it sets things up for what's to come. Ratings - 7.69.

7/10.

12 and 13. Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways by RTD.

Those viewers paying close attention will have noticed the words "Bad Wolf" cropping up throughout the series and finally we get to see their true relevance in this two-part series finale. From its bizarre Big Brother parody beginning through to its Dalek-filled climax this is a thrilling conclusion to 13 episodes of genius building up the tension to almost unbearable levels as Rose proves her true worth by doing whatever it takes to save her Doctor.

For me, the ending is perfect but there are a few people who didn't like it. I could go into whole pages explaining why the bad wolf stuff works so well (look, it's a predestination paradox, okay - Rose doesn't have to leave herself any other message because the whole point is that the bad wolf one already worked - it got her where she needed to be! And no, not every reference was strictly necessary but she wasn't planning this thing out meticulously it was a gut instinct king of thing as interpreted by the vortex - if this ecplanation helps anybody then my work here is done!) but I hear you screaming NOOOOOOOOOO - or is it just snoring? Thematically, emotionally, it just works.

"New teeth. That's weird"

The biggest outcry during the transmission of the series was probably right after episode one when it was made known that Eccleston had decided to only do one series. Us old-time fans knew what this meant and we were all waiting for it - regeneration! This is the lifeblood of the show in the same way it is for the character, allowing a new actor to take over the part while still being allowed to play it there own way. We knew that David Tennant had been cast and some of us knew, even then, that he was destined to be the greatest Doctor of them all. (Honestly, I did - ask my wife!)

When Eccleston kissed Rose, purportedly to suck the life-threatening vortex out of her, but hmm, I'm still not sure, the 9th Doctor was sacrificing himself to save his companion. This was an entirely appropriate way to go and the explosive effects as his body changed and his face morphed into that of his successor was breathtaking. The new Doctor's first words, as quoted above, and his cheeky grin assured us that change was good and that we were all still in for the trip of a lifetime... Ratings - 6.81 & 6.91.

10/10 for both.

*** SUMMARY ***

Overall, this series was a roaring success. The writing is smart and funny, and while many of the stories concentrate more on character than plot there is a pleasing synergy which satisfies on both levels. The acting is impeccable with many great guest stars, direction is generally imaginative and fast-flowing, and everything works together to create an inspirational TV show. The ratings were superb, consistently winning a Saturday evening slot that the BBC did not usually do well in. The AI (Appreciation Index) also remained high, well above the average for TV drama. (This is, essentially, a rounded-up average of marks out of 10 given by a random sample TV audience.)
It even won the ultimate accolade of a Best Drama BAFTA.

I've tried to cover various aspects of the production of the programme while describing and reviewing the individual episodes but there are a few areas I've yet to cover.

*** THE TITLES AND THEME ***

The swooshing blue and red vortex that introduces the programme is as good as any of the prior titles, in my opinion. It draws the viewer in and gives them some idea of what to expect, with its fast pace and hints of intrigue and mystery. The theme (written by Ron Grainer and originally arranged by Delia Derbyshire) is one of the best-known in British TV history and instantly recognisable to millions. Altogether, now, da-da-da-dum... (I bet you're doing it!) The new version by Murray Gold is faithful to the original, just giving it a 21st Century kick up the pants.

*** THE MUSIC ***

Gold also provides all the music for the series and there is a strong film-like core to his score - it really could be a big full-on blockbuster movie that he's accompanying and it wouldn't sound out of place. There's an excellent soundtrack CD for the series featuring the best of Series 1 and 2 music and is well worth tracking down.

*** THE SPECIAL EFFECTS ***

This was an area of the original show that could definitely be mocked. I'm including monster effects here, also. For every triumph of design with a Dalek there's a Taran wood beast to cringe at. However, the BBC team did a fairly good job considering the time and budget they had available to them and they were always imaginative. But times move on and this sort of stuff is contracted out to top-notch outfits like Millennium Effects and The Mill. The former's Dave Gorton has done a fantastic job with various monsters and the latter's video effects showcase brilliant CGI which helps to propel the show into the 21st Century. The panorama of attacking Daleks coming out of their saucers and gliding through space in Parting of the Ways was absolutely beautiful.

There are many more unsung heroes I could mention that help put the show together but just a quick shout out to Ed Thomas's brilliant production design, he came up with the new TARDIS interior of organic coral and that fantastic central console. In fact, all of BBC Wales need to be congratulated on a job well done.

*** THE DVD ***

The reason most of you will have bought or will be buying this box set is to watch all those great episodes again - and they really do stand up to repeated viewing. So what else do you get for your money?

I don't know too much about prints and transfers and technical details but reading up on it these all seem to be satisfactory. All I know is that the picture quality is great and the sound comes in 5.1 Surround Sound.

My version does have an error in that it skips part of the episode World War Three but you can work round this by watching it using "Play All". I think this has been fixed on the repackaged edition but I'm not sure as I don't have it! Worth knowing about though in case you get the old one second-hand.

*** THE PACKAGING ***

I have the original packaging which is a rather bizarre and misshapen TARDIS! It's obviously meant to appeal to the fans and collectors but it's too chunky and takes up too much shelf space. It opens up to present a nice interior depicting the TARDIS roundel walls but you can't help notice the waste of space - there's only five discs in there and a booklet. What's more, the trays holding the discs keep coming loose and one of the plastic disc-holders has broken so I've had to find a spare wallet to protect that disc. Shoddy work. I do believe that later versions were more normal in design and fit neatly on your shelf.

*** THE EXTRAS ***

There are some nice extras scattered over the discs. First of all there's a nice animated background, rotating around the TARDIS central column but this does get a bit tedious, eventually! There are seven features on the 1st disc to accompany the first three episodes.

There is an interview with Christopher Eccleston from BBC Breakfast which lasts nearly 12 minutes. Cherish this as it's doubtful we'll see many interviews from the great man in the future about his brief stint in the role! It's interesting, in retrospect, to see him skilfully avoid questions about how long he would spend in the part and, specifically, if there was a regeneration at the end of the series!

Destroying the Lair is a 3-minute chat with Mike Tucker talking about how he designed the titled event from episode 1.

Making Doctor Who with Russell T Davies is a fascinating video diary shot by and/or featuring the fascinating and endlessly enthusiastic writer and executive producer. This mainly covers the beginning of shooting the new series with clips of fellow exec-producer Julie Gardner, how RTD scripts the episodes, footage of early scenes being filmed from Rose. This is 15-and-a-half minutes of genuine insight into the minds behind the creation of the new series and I just wish it was longer.

Waking the Dead is another video diary this time from writer Mark Gatiss. It tells the story of how excited he was at being asked to write his episode The Unquiet Dead and it spans a period of time so you get an idea of how his original idea evolved. Fascinating stuff and touching to see how emotional Mark gets! If you like learning about how stories work and how they are written then this is the feature for you! Runs at just over 18 minutes.

Laying Ghosts follows on from this as Gatiss is interviewed about the origins of his story so it covers similar material but in a different way. A very enjoyable 8 minutes.

Launch Trailers does what it says on the tin. It features four trailers used by the BBC to hype up the return of the show. It includes both versions of the brilliant "D'you wanna come with me?" trailer which you'll probably remember when you see it.

There is also included a storyboard of that trailer, which basically consists of a few comic strip like drawings detailing how the actual trailer would actually look.

Disc 2 contains episodes 4, 5 & 6 and has the following special features.

Deconstructing Big Ben lasts just under five minutes and details how Mike Tucker's model team built a model of the Big Ben clock tower so they could crash an alien spaceship into it.

On Set with Billie Piper is another video diary. Shot by Billie herself it's good fun, not least listening to Billie's comments on what she's filming. Also interesting is her natural 'posh' accent which she twists into a London one for the part of Rose. Of course, Eccleston famously used his own Salford accent explained in the opening story, famously, by claiming that "lots of planets have a north!" It does jump about a bit but it's 19 minutes worth of fun and frolics that shows both the hard work and the good humour that goes into filing an episode.

It finishes with a reminder of the trailers that were used to advertise the episodes on this disc.

Disc 3 has episodes 7 to 10 so has less space available and only has Mike Tucker's Mocks of Balloons a pun title riffing on the popular blue monster from End of the World. It's actually about the scene in The Empty Child where Rose dangles from a barrage balloon over the centre of London. At five minutes it doesn't overstay its welcome and is another useful insight into the creative process.

Disc 4 covers the final three episodes and still has time for:

Designing Doctor Who. This feature covers the design and construction of the TARDIS set and then goes on to look at how elements of the show are designed by being drawn first by talented artists like Matthew Savage. Oh, and it also talks about the wonders of matte painting and compositing but it's all beyond me! It all looks pretty, though! There's over 20 minutes of stuff about the intricacies of making a show like this and technical details you probably hadn't considered. I prefer stuff about the writing and how ideas are shaped into the final product but for those who like this more technical stuff this will be a joy.

The Adventures of Captain Jack talks to John Barrowman about the memorable character he has helped to create. The shy, retiring Barrowman must have had his arm twisted to be interviewed but he has lots of interesting things to say! There's an interesting bit at the end with him talking about Captain Jack having his own show and how cool it would be! I don't know if he was being coy with us or if he knew at this point about the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood. It runs for 8 1/2 minutes.

There are some more trailers for the series finale for the completists. I mean what more could you want? Well, some deleted scenes would be nice but famously these went missing and had to be omitted. Ah well, can't have everything. But it'd be nice if they turned up somewhere, sometime.

The final disc contains extra features only in the form of cut-down versions of Doctor Who Confidential. This was a specially commissioned making-of documentary that ran on digital channel BBC3 immediately after the episode it was about was broadcast. Running at half-an-hour these were exciting behind-the-scenes stuff although they did contain a fair few montages of scenes from the episode accompanied by popular musical hits of the day. These were later cut-down into 15-minute segments for later broadcasts and it is these shorter versions which are included. They're still interesting especially if you've not seen them before but I can't help bemoaning the missing stuff. Doctor who fans - we're never happy!

Oh, and I've saved the best for last! The commentaries. These are usually my favourite extras on any DVD release. If they're done well there's nothing more fascinating than listening to the creators of a show or movie talking about how and why they made it as they sit and watch it with you! There's a commentary on each episode and they include many luminaries such as RTD, Julie Gardner, producer Phil Collinson, writers such as Mark Gatiss, Rob Shearman and Paul Cornell and actors like John Barrowman and Billie Piper (for the concluding episode.) These are certainly all worth listening to at least once but a few deserve special attention. Piper is great on hers as she squeals in joy at how amazing the episode looks, not having watched it before. And the ones with Moffat and Barrowman are hilarious, frequently naughty and well worth the price of admission on their own.

These alone would make the package worthwhile but throw in the other features and this is a decent box set with loads of material to enjoy. If you're not interested in the myriad of extras the episodes are available in four volumes containing the episodes only (called 'vanilla' releases) but I highly recommend the box set. It is expensive compared to some others out there but shop around and get a good price and it's still good value-for-money.

*** THE CONCLUSION***

The bottom line is that I still can't quite believe that my favourite show is back and that it is better than ever. This is everything I ever wanted from Dr Who and while not everyone thinks it's as perfect as I do they still have to admire the quality and sheer effort put into the programme and admit that it's come back with a bang. The viewing figures and the critical acclaim back that up...with knobs on!

I suppose most fans will already have this DVD but if you became a fan later on during the Tennant era and are considering going back and looking at its rich history, this is a good place to start. But don't stop here - there's another 40-odd years to explore as well!

I can't believe there's anything else you could possibly want to know about this release but leave a comment if there is and I'll try and get back to you.