TV Blog: The best (and worst) of the week's telly

Christmas 2009 has belonged to David Tennant. With appearances in Hamlet, Alan Carr, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, CBeebies, Radio 2, Radio 4, 5 Live, the man has been on our airwaves this yuletide more often than Santa. I’d deem the media blitz to promote his final episodes of Doctor Who: The End of Time (Part One shown on Christmas Day, with Part Two following on 1 Jan) excessive if the storyline didn’t deliver - but my goodness this is something special. 

With the weight of expectation heavy for the regeneration of the most popular and acclaimed Doctor (Tennant is to be replaced by 27 year old Matt Smith in a new series coming spring 2010) it seems everyone involved in what is already an extraordinary show have upped their game. Part One was not the stuff of TV sci-fi but pitched somewhere between a blockbuster movie and the most intimate of stage plays; Hollywood level imagery broken up by interpersonal scenes verging on the Shakespearean. Fan-boys will bemoan the scientific nonsense running through the tale but this is Doctor Who explicitly presenting itself as mythology rather than realist fiction.  

While a little too continuity heavy for non-fans and verging on too dark for the kids, the story let Tennant show off his full range; sparking off guest stars Bernard Cribbins and John Simm to bring tears to the eyes. When he took over the role of The Doctor from Christopher Eccleston’s wonderful Mancunian-Jesus-meets-Johnny Cash interpretation, Tennant was a virtual unknown. He leaves the show a TV megastar and The End of Time Part One demonstrates exactly why his star has risen. Hilarious one moment, heartbroken and dangerous within a split second; he shines in Part One justifying all the hype surrounding it. The ending of Part Two has been kept strictly under wraps but the trailers hint at bigger dramas to come before the end; and a whole generation of children (and big kids like your reviewer!) have to say goodbye to their Doctor. 

Doctor Who: The End of Time Part One is available to rewatch on the iplayer, as are several previous episodes. 

Part Two is broadcast on BBC1 at 6:40pm New Year's Day.