I always have high expectations for the first real SF story that is usually somewhere in the first 3. The standard of an episode in the present and episode in the past and an episode in the future is a great formula to follow and I'm certainly looking forward to Victory of the Daleks. I guess The Beast Below is the weak episode in the series. God, I hope so!

Let's compare though.
Series 27 The End of the World
Series 28 New Earth
Series 29 Gridlock
Series 30 Planet of the Ood

All good stories. End of the World had some Galaxy Quest moments, New Earth had a number of believability problems, Gridlock had the Macra (can't beat that!) and the death of Captain Jack oops I mean The Face of Boe, and Planet of the Ood was just brilliant - no hair tonic for me. But, unfortunately, the Song of the Space Whales oops, I mean The Beast Below had nothing to really put it out there as award winning science fiction. I waited until I had a chance to watch Confidential just to be sure I hadn't missed anything and I hadn't. It really is supposed to look like that. Oh well.

The Beast Below was fairly lightweight science fiction. This was more of a Goodies episode than a science fiction one, or maybe it was Steven's chance to add to the religious stories. In any case I thought this story could have done so much more.

(I am eagerly looking forward to Big Finish's take on the Space Whale which is coming out in May 2010 I believe and I'm hoping that their audio will do a much better job. Although, I believe it was written and produced long before this one so I doubt they can add anything to it. )

So, rather than praise the detailed sets, the ideas, the creepiness of the smilers and the winders, the emotional scenes at the end that brought a tear to my eye, I'm going to list all the things that I want explained so that you're not too disappointed when you see it.

1. How can the smiler heads have 3 masks when you can only fit 2? (I know, fairytale style story where impossible things happen in your pajamas but, at least show the faces changing)

2. How can the smilers be half human? Who did that to them? Is that what is going to happen to Timmy because he scored zero? Bad boy Timmy, now we're going to replace your spinal column with some clockwork mechanisms so that your head can spin.

3. The idea that the British government is sending children who score zero in their exam to be food as well as all the more disturbing aspects of the whole torture ship were not addressed at all. Amy saved the day. Everyone was thankful, and they left. What??? I mean, why invent the smilers? Why cybernise people? Why have holes in lifts to dump children into the star whale? Who'd create that kind of society? Who was going to be held accountable? I guess it is a homage to Children of Earth.

4. The giant hairs? tentacles? extruding throughout the ship from the star whale attacking people... in space, what purpose did they serve? To bat away errant asteroids or dock with moons? Maybe to defend a star whale's territory? Because, of course, it wouldn't have much space! 

5. Why did the Star Whale eat food anyway? A creature that size and able to travel in space wouldn't be able to get plant matter. It would live off radiation or rocks or even the minerals in comets, but plants? Did it travel for eons looking for a green world then settle down to eat all the forests before heading off again? Did it look for asteroids with superlong trees clinging to the limited gravity for dear life and chomp them with its carnivorous teeth? Why would a star whale eat people anyway? Wonderful nonsense indeed!

6. If the Doctor and Amy were covered by sick, which is in effect hydrochloric acid, why isn't their skin red? At least a comment about it stinging and them needing a shower would be good.

7. How is it that the Doctor and Amy, by three quarters of the way through the episode, had nice clean clothes again? Did they have a shower? When did that happen?

As this is really the first episode by the new production crew with a new cast and new everything, I guess I should be a bit more accommodating as everyone made a huge effort. The acting was flawless, the relationships were wonderful, and finally being able to see Sophie Okonedu in a real Doctor Who role rather than just a voice in Scream of the Shalka was a joy. (Did everyone forget she was in Aeon Flux?)  Unfortunately I can only give this one a 5/10. Synopsis will appear when I can bring myself to watch it again.
 
 

The Doctor takes Amy to the distant future, where she finds Britain in space. Starship UK houses the future of the British people, as they search the stars for a new home. But as Amy explores, she encounters the terrifying Smilers and learns a deadly truth inside the Voting Booth.

The Doctor is played by Matt Smith and Amy Pond by Karen Gillan.

Episode two is written by Steven Moffat.

Doctor Who is simulcast on the BBC HD channel – the BBC's High Definition channel, available through Freesat, Sky and Virgin Media.