I missed last night's episode, but going from the comments here, I don't think I'll bother catching up with it on the BBC iplayer. It looked pretty crap from last week's trailer anyway.

Which episode is Richard Dawkins going to be in?

I thought it was mildly entertaining, but the giant wasp bit was a tad crap. You come from a another planet and you have the ability to turn yourself into a handsome male model and shag a younger version of Felicity Kendal, but then you spoil it all by saying 'by the way, I'm the wasp the size of a wardrobe'. Talk about breaking off a relationship.

And the Christie-like assembly of all the party goers, with the finger-pointing gubbins, didn't so much bring in overtones of 'Murder On The Orient Express' as the sheep-nobbling episode of Father Ted - "It was you, Fargo Boyle!'

That was a pretty poor episode. The central plot was too thin and bulked up with some pointless diversions (the jewel thief, for example; three or four lines of dialogue and nothing really contributed to the overall episode, and the clumsy moralising about gay men forced to hide their love). It was just an excuse for a sub-par Jeeves & Wooster knock-off and some unsubtle gags.

I remember saying on the old board, when one of last season's stories was getting alot of flack, that however bizarre or misguided the episodes, the series would only be in trouble when the production team started to become complacent. Well, judging by the lazy, re-hashed plot of the Sontaran story and the smug, self-satisfied aura that pervaded The Unicorn and the Wasp, we might be in danger of reaching that point.

I also posted this, in 2006:

QUOTE:
it's curious how the Who related career of Russell Davies has mirrored the Premiership of Tony Blair. brought in on an unprecedented wave of popularity, with a first term that by and largely exceeded expectations. 'Dalek' was his minimum wage, 'The Empty Child' his hunting bill. that popularity effectively gave a mandate for him to do whatever he wanted in the second term (or series, for those of you following the analogy), where questionable decisions led to the first murmurings of dissent; the result being that the third term has been (is going to be, keep up at the back) make or break for the future of the programme.

only time will tell if The Runaway Bride proves to be Russell Davies' Iraq

Well, perhaps not; but although there hasn't been a change of personnel, I would hate to think that we're now in the programme's Brown era.

Well if the quality doesn't pick up sharpish, I'm not going to be watching the next season.

Hallelujah.

Oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man oh man. Oh man.

(Must keep expectations under control. He won't be writing them all.)

Fucking hell. FUCKING HELL.

I'm sitting at my desk, at work, my eyes are misting over and I've got an uncontrollable urge to jump up and punch a hole in the ceiling.

The man himself, quoted in an official BBC press release:

"My entire career has been a Secret Plan to get this job. I applied before but I got knocked back 'cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven. Anyway, I'm glad the BBC has finally seen the light, and it's a huge honour to be following Russell into the best - and the toughest - job in television. I say toughest 'cos Russell's at my window right now, pointing and laughing."

But let's not, you know, forget that despite the flack he gets now, Russell Davies brought the whole thing back with an unimaginably successful formula. And for that, he is a legend.

I hope he continues to write for the show.

Me happy.

Let's hope it's not too late.

Still, though, great news. Can't believe I'm cheering the bloke who wrote "Coupling", but you know, he's come on a lot since then, hasn't he?

He deserves credit for bringing back Dr Who, obviously, but I'm not really sure that otherwise Russell T Davies is all that, to be honest. Glad he's stepping down. Even gladder when I see who is taking over.