Max_cinefilo89 The 2005 Doctor Who Christmas special was a gamble from the very beginning. Sure, Russell T. Davies had successfully resurrected Britain's most popular sci-fi show, with the aforementioned special and a second season getting confirmed after only one episode had aired, but a lot of that had to do with Christopher Eccleston's oddball but charming work as the Ninth Doctor. Therefore, the sight of him leaving the show after just one season meant whoever replaced him would have to do a brilliant job at the very least. Luckily, Scotsman David Tennant (Casanova in the eponymous Davies-written BBC miniseries) was up to the challenge, and The Christmas Invasion marks a terrific debut for his tenure as the Tenth Doctor.So, here's the story: it's Christmas Eve 2005, and a mysterious spaceship is in orbit right above Earth for a change. Newly elected Prime Minister Harriet Jones (Penelope Wilton) wishes to take matters into her own hands (something about an organization called Torchwood), but it becomes pretty clear the planet is going to need a miracle. Of course, the TARDIS happens to have landed in London, but unfortunately the Doctor is suffering from regeneration side effects, slipping in and out of consciousness as time starts to run out, leaving it to Rose, Jackie and Mickey to deal with the alien threat.With no time to mourn Eccleston, The Christmas Invasion jumps straight back into the action, delivering an exciting threat, good guest work (Wilton never disappoints) and the usual good team effort from Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri and Billie Piper, showing they may have lost their Doctor but not their passion and will to have fun with the material. And a lot of fun there is, mostly in relation to the new Doctor: in particular, Coduri has the privilege of getting away with a naughty joke about Time Lords having two hearts ("Anything else he's got two of?") and a fun "Doctor who?" gag when confronted with the Doc's new face.Which begs the question: what about Tennant taking over from Eccleston? Well, he pulls off the job with the expected mixture of quirkiness, giddiness and plain Britishness, ditching his own Scottish accent (and Eccleston's Northern tones) for a London voice that indicates he's not afraid to make the role his own. No more "fantastic" then (the scene explaining why he dropped the catchphrase was deleted from the TV broadcast, but is available on the DVD), but it's still, rather unmistakably, the Doctor. Not only is the character's chemistry with Rose intact, he also deserves kudos for not only saving the world while trying not to lapse into a coma, but also for spending 90% of the episode in his PJs and making it look cool in that unique Doctor Who way.In a nutshell, The Christmas Invasion is proof that RTD's formula for the Doctor still works, and with Tennant on board, the possibilities appear endless. Quite fitting for a time-and-space-traveling alien, don't you think?

ShadeGrenade It is hard to believe now but there was a time when, if you were a 'Dr.Who' fan, you kept quiet about it. Mention its name in the pub on a Saturday night and you would be certain to attract laughter. All that changed in 2005. Thanks to Russell T.Davies, Julie Gardner and Mal Young, the long-dead show became a pop culture phenomenon all over again.Following the departure of the 'fantastic' Christopher Eccleston, a replacement had to be found. Luckily the producers did not have to look too far. Davies had just written the B.B.C. series 'Casanova', starring a charismatic young Scottish actor by the name of David Tennant. He made his debut as the Time Lord in the closing moments of 'The Parting Of The Ways', then appeared in a short sketch for 'Children In Need' in November, but his first full episode was this special, the first Christmas 'Who' since 1965's 'The Feast Of Steven' with William Hartnell.'The Christmas Invasion' begins with the Tardis executing a rough landing on the Powell housing estate in London. As Jackie ( Camille Coduri ) and Mickey ( Noel Clarke ) look on in bafflement, a stranger wearing the Doctor's clothes steps out, wishes them a Merry Christmas, and collapses. While the new Doctor lies in a coma in Rose's bed, out in space the British probe 'Guinevere' is taken aboard an alien craft that resembles a huge chunk of coal. The warlike Sycorax use the information aboard to locate Earth, with the intention of taking over.Rose and Mickey are out Christmas shopping when a brass band wearing Santa Claus suits suddenly goes berserk, attacking the crowd with weaponry disguised as musical instruments. Back at the Tyler flat, a Christmas tree comes to life, spinning madly like a carousel.Using mind control, the Sycorax have forced entire families onto rooftops the world over. Only the Doctor can put things right, but he is still out cold...Tennant spends most of the programme asleep, but as soon as he wakes up, assumes control of the situation. It is a masterful performance, switching from funny to angry and back again in the blink of an eye. Not only does he defeat the Sycorax leader in a well-staged sword fight, but also brings down a British Prime Minister ( Penelope Wilton ) who has had the aliens killed as they retreated from Earth ( an effective if none-too subtle dig at Margaret Thatcher's sinking of the Belgrano in the Falklands War ). The Doctor is furious, and undermines her authority with a mere six words - "Do you think she looks tired?". If only he had been here in the '80's when we needed him! At the end, when he selects his new clothes and sits down to turkey dinner with the Tylers, its as if he had always been there. No-one is in any doubt that this is the Doctor. With him incapacitated for most of the action, Billie Tyler's 'Rose' gets to dominate the proceedings, and does so splendidly. 'Torchwood', the mysterious organisation set up to conquer alien threats using alien technology, is mentioned here for the first time. The Sycorax, while hardly the most terrifying aliens to ever appear in the show, make for a suitable opponent, certainly more so than the Slitheen and the Adipose. Over the years, comedians have tried to guy the show, but come away looking rather foolish because they made the mistake of sending up what they think the show is. Witness Ricky Gervais' blinkered and astonishingly narrow-minded 'spoof' in 2007's 'Extras' Christmas special. "I do not want to appear in 'Dr.Who'!", he stormed. I do not want you in it, mate! Talking slugs out to rule the cosmos went out with Colin Baker. Not even the presence of Tennant could convince me I was watching even a vague approximation of the real thing. Russell T.Davies has attracted odium from some of the more obsessive fans, mainly of his penchant for subversive humour which seems to suggest he does not take 'Dr.Who' seriously as they would wish him to. It will be interesting to see in 2010 whether Steven Moffat, his successor, can come up with anything as remotely entertaining as this. It proved so popular that two more Christmas shows were made, and a new one - 'The Next Doctor' - is lined up for this year.The hilarious image of the Royal Family teetering on the brink of the roof of Buckingham Palace made Christmas Day 2005 a particularly joyous one for me!

Theo Robertson I know many , many people were looking forward to seeing this . The British TV audience had just been treated to a story featuring Christopher Eccleston regenerating into David Tennant at the end of Parting Of The Ways , one of the most beautiful , heart touching scenes the programme has ever or will ever succeeded in doing . Would Russell T Davies be able to keep up the momentum ? Yes is the answer but I shouldqualify this by saying The Christmas Invasion is wonderful in someplaces and rather mediocre in other places Without doubt RTD knows what makes the show work - imagery . If you're my age you'll remember peers discussing the show with phrases like " I remember the one with the giant maggots ...the giant spiders ...the monsters that came out of the sea " In years to come this story will be remembered as " The one where the Christmas tree comes to life and tries to kill Rose , Jackie and Mickey " . This is a great and amusing scene and as Jackie screams " I'm gonna be killed by a Christmas tree " you'll be totally amused . Almost as good is the scene where Rose and Mickey dodge the killer Santas with their ray guns . If you find all this bizarre and far fetched then I'm afraid you just don't understand the spell DOCTOR WHO has cast over generations of audiences for decades and I pity you There are problems and like the successes they're down to RTD . Why is it he has to give a ridiculous name for an alien race ? In this case it's the Sycorax who come across as bad pantomime pirates . Another point is the continuity where the Doctor gets his hand sliced off but is able to grow a new one because several hours after a regeneration a time lord can do this which sounds like cheating and I don't believe for a moment RTD envisaged the severed hand as a plot point for season three of the show . Tennant spends most of his debut in bed which in hind sight is something I'd wished he'd do in all of his stories . I certainly didn't take to him as he falls out of the TARDIS bellowing " I dunnit " in his irritating mockney geezer accent but while being better in latter stories he is often quite worse so The Christmas Invasion deserves at least seven out of ten

dragondeathlord One of the best Shows on television and One of the best episodes EVER! The new doctor is Witty as he is Hyper active! The Doctor fresh from regeneration is helpless as earth is invaded! But Rose is in the center stage as the aliens invade! She finds her self facing down the alien leader. And has to over come her fears and doubts as the man she come to love has been reborn as a total stranger! This episode more than any other establishes the future of the show!Lots of references in future episodes will come back to this show even up to current 3/13! So do not miss it! Or you will be wondering about the hand! Not to mention how vengeful a Time Lord can be with 7 WORDS!