Starring: David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, John Simm, John Barrowman
Written by: Russell T Davies; Gareth Roberts; Helen Raynor; Stephen Greenhorn; Chris Chibnall; Paul Cornell; Steven Moffat.
Directed by: Euros Lyn; Charles Palmer; Richard Clarke; James Strong; Graeme Harper; Hettie Macdonald; Colin Teague.

So another Christmas appears and heralds another new DVD box set from the good Dr. The first two series were very much landmarks in the Whovian universe, so this third season was under the microscope from the very start.

First, a new companion was on the scene, in the form of the very likeable Freema Agyeman (as Martha Jones) replacing Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper who had trotted off to pastures new) and secondly how on earth could seasons 1 & 2 be equaled?

Well, the bad news is that series 3 fails to equal the glories of the Ecclestone and first Tennant seasons, but it’s not a total disaster (and that’s the good news).

Sure, as with all Who seasons, there are some clunkers (in the form of episodes like ‘Gridlock’ ‘Daleks in Manhattan,’ ‘Lazarus Experiment’ and ‘42’) but on the whole the series scrapes through on the quality of ‘Human Nature,’ ‘The Family of Blood,’ the superb ‘Blink’ and the rather luvvie and wonderfully OTT ‘Shakespeare Code.’

While infinitely better than it’s gratuitous, nasty, but oddly compelling older brother Torchwood, series 3 seems to be the victim of the franchise’s success.

While there are some excellent moments, superb set pieces and wonderful performances from Tennant, Agyeman, Simm and the Freddie Mercury of sci-fi, John Barrowman, as the irrepressible Capt Jack Harkness, season 3 seems to lack a certain energy. Additionally, the writing of Russell T Davies is also seemingly running out of ideas and steam (witness the rather limp three episode ending, ‘Utopia,’ The Sound of Drums,’ and ‘The Last of the Time Lords’).

Whether season 4 can get the franchise back up to speed is another thing, but we’ll wait with bated breath and no small amount of excitement with the Christmas special just weeks away in the UK.

As far as this DVD package goes, it has all the usual excellent extras (like David Tennant’s superb video diaries, Freema Agyeman’s tour of the production offices and the outtakes and deleted scenes etc). It is definitely worth getting if you’re a fan, but stick with series 1 or 2 if you’re just getting started.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Dr Who, BBC, Warner Bros, David Tennant, Freema Agyeman, Sci Fi

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