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I remember the feeling of "Oh ok this random new guy might actually be ok after all" relief by the end of this episode. If only I knew he would be one of the best. Glad you're still enjoying the adventure!

I love the " yes! we know who you are " trope. It never gets old.

I wish we had Eccleston longer, but Tennant takes the character even farther. It's such a great series.

Welcome to the David Tennant era. For a few years, he was probably the most popular actor in Britain and you're about to see why!

When Tennant walks out of the Tardis and asks "did you miss me?" I couldn't help but think hell yeah.

Love the running Harriet Jones 'We know who you are' gag.

It's impressive how quickly Tennant established himself as The Doctor. He was completely out of action for a solid majority of the episode's runtime, but 10 minutes was all he needed. Not even Tom Baker managed to capture the audience that quickly.

"Doctor who??" "That never gets old does it?" No, no it does not 😌

The Robot Santas are iconic. Everyone suddenly being able to understand the Sycorax is a great moment. And the Doctor challenging Harriet Jones...brutal. We love it.

So obsessed with the six words thing, it's an incredible illustration of the strength of words and rumours in government especially. His anger in that moment is beautiful

With Eccelston, for me, there was a very clear moment when I accepted him as the Doctor (having grown up watching the show since forever) - right in the first episode when he holds Rose's hand and talks about the spinning of the Earth. With Tennant, there was no moment, he just really - Was - the Doctor. I guess knowing he became an actor in order to play the Doctor (even though Doctor Who was already axed back then) showed his conviction to the role. :)

Such a great introduction. David Tennant is always so immediately engaging. I think this episode is really great at taking the audience through the stages of New Doctor Grief with Rose.

So glad you picked up on the 'fantastic' at the end, most people don't but it's such an important callback to the previous Doctor especially after Rose having so much difficulty accepting the change.

Will confirm, someone saying "Doctor, who?" never gets old 😁 the Doctor having an epic fight for our planet in PJs always makes me smile. Have a wonderful holiday!

Kudos to Russell T. Davies for making the new Doctor accessible to the audience, even taken their concerns of the change seriously, through the perspective of the characters around him. I also agree with you about Rose flirting with anyone and her characterisation being all over the place. It’s not a spoiler when I say: It gets worse before it gets better. But it will get better. 😉

I'm glad that everyone liked the approach of Rose having to very slowly warm up to him, because for me, the first time I saw him regenerate, I had been upset leading up to it, but the moment we saw him, within a minute or two I was already like, _Okay, THERE'S my Doctor,_ even if it was a different person playing him, so I'd felt like it was really silly that she took so long to get used to him, lol. I guess I was in the minority on that, and I'm happy that it was apparently what most of the audience needed. Good decision on their part I guess, lol

7:39 Yes, Murray Gold is so good! That particular track is the UNIT theme, one of my favourites. Eccleston will always be my favourite Doctor, but you're in for a great time with Tennant. He's incredible in the role.

For those still questioning why The Doctor said I could take you down with six words, those six words are actually significant. During the height of Margaret Thatcher's position of Prime Minister, allegedly, one of her aides had said six words to someone, who was supposedly a reporter. It spread like wildfire and lead to questioning whether she was physically and mentally still fit to BE Prime Minister, leading to her losing the position. Those six words were the same The Doctor used, implying HE was the one to take down Thatcher and is doing the same thing to Harriet Jones through HER aid.

I didn't think any Doctor could replace Tom Baker as my fav, but both Christopher Ec and David Tennant did it. Also, my fav episode is coming up this season.

David tennant understood the assignment. Also the way he looks at rose melts me. He looks at her like she is the universe.

"The Sharks are here" that's my favourite, I've got that on a t-shirt. can't wait until you get that comment.

“I’m going to be killed by a Christmas Tree!” Jackie is one of my favorite characters out of any series. She’s hilarious. Such a great character. Such a great mother.

Something going wrong with regenerations is a recurrence in Doctor Who. It manifests in different ways, but it has a tendency to pop up now and then.

I absolutely agree with you about how Rose and Mickey's relationship was handled up to this point. It's fine for Rose to just be a flirty person, and it's absolutely fine for them to have a complicated and difficult relationship, but that's not what it feels like. It almost felt like different writers playing tug of war over the relationship (although I can't confirm this as I don't recall who wrote what). It was the one major gripe I had about this season. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you think about the 10th Doctor--Christopher Eccleston will always be my Doctor (I even have an autographed Doctor Who poster of him!) but oh my god David Tennant is magnificent. This is what happens when you get actors who already love the character they're playing! Now I'm off to get caught up on the rest of your reactions, bc I'm loving your enthusiasm and your general vibes.

When they announced the new Doctor, I discovered that he and Russel T Davies (the once and current showrunner of Who) had worked together before on a miniseries called Casanova. I went and grabbed it off a torrent site and watched it so I was well prepared for the awesomeness that is David Tennant. Incidentally, the whole 2.8 hours of the show have been put up on youtube as a single movie, it's well worth the watch.

I think your worries about Rose and her relationships will be put to rest during series two ☺️ but glad to see you enjoyed this special!

“How are they playing those brass instruments with those masks on” 😄. I never thought of that and I’ve seen this so many times. 😂. I just love your comments as you watch. I also loved your comments on how the doctor is new but not new. Exactly! It’s easy to forget that he’s totally alien because his form looks human. Time Lords change, but also they stay the same. I could see Christopher Eccleston reading the same lines. Ten is still the same being as Nine, but the changed physiology makes him different. I kinda look at humans as analog and time lords as digital. We can change slowly over time, but we always remain the same person. A Time Lord changes more suddenly during a regeneration, yet remains the same. My own personal interpretation is that the doctor is affected and changed by those around him. So So Nine turning into Ten had a lot of Rose influence. He even has her accent. She had an effect on his new persona. Yet under that slightly different persona he’s still the same doctor. As far as Rose, this episode underscores how young she is. She was 19 when she joined Nine. So she’s about 20 here. And while she is brave, she is definitely flawed and somewhat selfish. Mickey…he deserves better. I love the development of his character. What a change from the pilot episode!

Yay, first proper episode with Tennant!

The show does explore the consequences of previous episodes. Sometimes very serious consequences way down the line. I love your enthusiasm for the show. you will notice each year the budget going up and up and getting better and better, stories digging deeper into the Lore of the doctors life. I'm on this journey with you, Great reaction

Welcome to the world that is Doctor Who. This coming from someone who's been watching since my introduction to Doctor Who briefly with Jon Pertwee (#3) but got my full start with #4 (Tom Baker) back in 1978/79 when I was 9 years old. Been on this road ever since. Regenerations are one of the main reasons this has gone on so long (though there's a big gap between the 7th and the first Doctor you were introduced to with one other in between the 7th and the 9th as Eccleston is referred to) Regenerations are usually at first a mixed bag with fans, sometimes not fond of the choice of actors and the fans, but for the most part, people come around afterwards.

Each Doctor Who series consists of several "mini-series", a few stand-alone episodes. With a holiday special, typically Christmas. For the US they would group them together into a series.

I agree that this was a great introduction to the new Doctor. Loved this episode!

This is exactly what I was hoping to see when I opened KZfaq just now. (Honest. I even said out loud, "C'mon, Chris. Christmas Invasion". 😄) YAY!!!

What’s funny to me is how when I see this now I think “Wow, David Tennant is so young here!” But back when I first saw it when it came out he didn’t seem particularly young at all to me as I hadn’t really experienced a significantly older doctor actor and I also obviously hadn’t gotten used to an older Tennant in all sorts of TV shows since then.

Aaah I always get so excited when you post Doctor who you’re my new fave. Just remember to get well ahead in real life to avoid spoilers

It helps that you can imagine Eccleston saying those lines.

The song playing in the mechanic shop at the beginning is very popular in this series.

Just loved this when it came out.... it reassured me that the doctor was still in safe hands....

I was very reluctant to accept a new actor as my Doctor, but by the end of this episode, I loved Tennant so much :D

The enemy had surrendered. It was given assurance it could leave without molestation. The fact is that Harriet Jones committed a war crime.

"... Oh that's the Lion King."😂 I nearly forgot about that line. Love David Tenant when he is like a child on a sugar rush 😅.

Chris, welcome to the David Tennant era of Doctor Who! You have some great stories coming up in season 2, although IMO it isn’t as strong as the 1st season (you’ll have to wait for seasons 3 and 4 to see the best that Who has to offer!) Fun fact: Even before he got the role of the Doctor, David Tennant was a massive Doctor Who fan! He was born in 1971, so would have probably been into the series by the late 1970’s (when Tom Baker was the 4th Doctor), and then watched him regenerate into the 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) in 1981. Peter Davison’s daughter, Georgia has been married to David Tennant since 2011, so his father-in-law is Doctor No. 5, and Doctor No. 5’s son-in-law is Doctor No. 10! For all of that to make sense, keep watching the show and all will be revealed!

You are spot on about needing to take time between regenerations of The Doctor. I went right from the end of the first series to this episode and felt the same way. So after spending many more episodes with Tennant, I took a week before moving on to the next series/season and the "new" Doctor.

7:40 it’s a variation of the UNIT theme: ‘Unit rocks’ I don’t know if this episodes version was ever released

Nine told Rose that Harriet Jones would be responsible for ushering in a new Golden Age, but when he visited that place where the game shows were, that had been changed. Ten here brings about Harriet's political downfall (using a tactic often used against women, by the way), and there is no Golden Age. Was he wrong or right? It's an interesting question.

That you're having so much fun with Doctor Who, is delightful. Thank you for sharing your adventure with us, I hope you have your seatbelt on and both hands inside the vehicle, because it's about to get wild.

"Run, the monsters are coming." I'll own that. Harriett was right, sometimes we're on our own. The Doctor likes humans, but sometimes you have to wonder if it's like how humans like cats and dogs. But letting them run and tell the story would have been better- save Death Star London for a surprise. Tenant's Doctor was basically fate- Doctor Who is why he became an actor. The path his life has taken would be utterly impossible without Dr Who, professionally and personally. Can't wait until a certain episode with a double headed joke in it, and one of the greatest companions we never got.

David is probably tied for my favourite doctor, it's between him and Matt Smith. Allons-y!

My favourite thing about this episode is that the alien threat is actually rubbish - it's just that humans have no idea how to deal with it. Our entire species is on its knees and then the Doctor basically wakes up and says "OMG blood control? LOL you guys are so cute," then rinses them in five minutes and sends them packing.

Great reaction 💯👍”no second chances I’m that sort of a man” hell yeahhhh

This is a great way into David Tennant’s Doctor. Nice to see him back as the doctor in 2023 special episodes. Lots of people’s favourite doctor. 😊

So much could be said but suffice to say enjoy this fantastic show youre in for a hell of a ride.

Season 2 is a ride. Buckle up!

To be fair, Rose didn't flirt with Charles Dickens. 🙂 For context, Russell T Davies - the lead writer and showrunner - has a history of writing about unrequited love in his previous shows. It's kinda his thing, and it also runs through his iteration of Doctor Who as a result.

Rose contained the time vortex for short time as she was only human. But the Doctor has the regeneration power of a Time Lord, combine that with time vortex was to much for him.

It’s ironic your watching this around the time when another Christmas special which is a new doctors first adventure is coming out

I cant wait for this seasons reaction!

Traditionally the Doctor sucks at regeneration. Just about every other Time Lord in the old and the new show is much better at it. In the behind the scenes history of the show having a wobbly Doctor for the first episode gives the show a chance to gently bridge the gap between lead actors and have a bit of fun in the process. I’m not sure anyone deliberately decided to do it that way at any point, more like everyone who followed decided it was a good idea that stuck. I’ve never found the Rose/Mickey thing to be unrealistic. I’ve known plenty of couples where one person evolved or changes in some way and the other doesn’t, resulting in a growing apart. The intellectually sensible thing to do would be to break up but people in relationships that go squirrelly are rarely intellectually sensible. 😔

Yeah, I don’t love the idea that my husband and youngest daughter would look for the highest point and stand there waiting to step off… That said, great episode, isn’t it?

This episode is weird for me to watch because as a kid I had a toy Tardis that would rattle off quotes from this episode if you pressed a button. "Im him, I'm literally him, same man new face. Well new everything" & "No second chances, I'm that sort of a man" are ingrained into my head.

No. The regeneration went right. It is a traumatic expetrience. There is always a period of readjustment and flaking out

While I liked Christopher Eccleston's "Doctor", David Tennant is my favorite modern "Doctor".

"The regeneration goes wrong" happens more often than not in the show.

Rumours suggesting that a member of parliament is starting to look tired, exhausted, as if the work's getting too much for them, has always been one of the first steps in a campaign to undermine a politician and ruin their career in this country.

Worth noting that Jackie and Mickey had no idea if Rose was still alive for all those months whilst she was gone because the last time they saw her she had basically told them that she was going to her death. Harriet Jones is a perfect example of power corrupting a good person, as a back bencher she was much more compassionate. The words the Doctor says to take down Harriet are an actual political move that is used constantly against female politicians, sow doubt so they'll be ousted. It can be used against male politicians, but it's not usually acted upon as quickly or severely.

Good ups.

There's a bit of a history of the Doctor having rough regenerations. After all - he's just had every cell in his body transform... :) It's not that uncommon for the Doctor to be out of action for part of his first story.

Regeneration hasn’t gone wrong but it has idk hard to explain I guess lol Chris 😂

Am I …. ginger?

The newly regenerated Doctor, in a fit of pique, destabilises the PM, in what is supposed to be Britain's golden age, without considering what will fill the vacuum. What could go wrong?

Hey, all! When should he start watching Torchwood. I don't recall when the show started in relation to Dr. Who episodes.

Historical point: lest we forget, sometimes regenerations take some time to iron themseves out and the Dr always changes kits after regeneration. See Classic Who...lest we forget, British TV, including the Beeb and ITV, do holiday special episodes in the spirit of whatever season it is..Another historical point,.lest we forget, the term teleportation first appeared in 1931--how many years before Star Drek?--and the process we now call teleportation appeared in 19th century literary fiction--how many years before Drek???Obvious WWII Battle of Britain moment...Dr. Who, after all, is a very British, perhaps more accurately English, institution...Yanks, of course, shot Iraquis in the back as they were retreating. It is what soldiers typically do in war along with rape, mass murder...Rose as Captain Jirk or a sci fi theme???

Heres the thing with Harriet's decision she wasnt wrong completely to do that cause she is right the doctor isnt here all the time and the earth cant wait around to be defended by the Doctor who might not even show up for the situation. They need to stand on their own feet against alien threats or otherwise be enslaved, killed or have the planet taken over. The Doctor isnt wrong in his anger towards her but i feel like his attitude doesnt take into account that sometimes its necessary or the only option to protect their own planet. The Doctor comes and goes dealing with situations he is there for and honestly the human race would be grateful if all knew. He's saved the planet multiple times but the Human Race cannot rely on him and he is being a little selfish here. They both have good points but id argue Harriet has a better point

I still hate how Rose treats Mickey.

I don't know; James Bond does the same thing with women that Rose does with men (although she doesn't have sex with all of them; I would assume she has had sex with Mickey when they were less ambiguously a couple). Mickey keeps hanging on, hoping, I suppose. If he were willing to just be her hookup when she came home, it would be one thing. Well, Rose and the Doctor. That's complicated, isn't it? I don't think she falls in love with everyone, but she's, what, nineteen at this point? Playing the field isn't that out of line. Edit: I'm not really nuts about Bond, I admit.

"Harriet Jones, Prime Minister." Harriet Jones Did Nothing Wrong!

Welcome to a doctor change. It's normal for two reactions, oh i like the change or no i don't like it. Three episodes later oh i see that's the doctor.

I never really cared much for Christopher Eccleston's Doctor. In my opinion, this is where is starts to get really good. My favorite is still Matt Smith, but David Tennant is a close second. The next few seasons will bring new villains, new species, new reoccurring characters- I can't wait to see how you react to them.

"It is the right personal pronoun. It's 'they.'" Very good!

I still do not forgive doctor for doing this sexist shit to Harriet.