Doctor Who at 10 - Rose (S1E1)

10 years ago, Doctor Who was introduced to a brand new generation of audiences, having been off the air for 16 years (bar an American attempt of rejuvenation in 1996 with Paul McGann). Skipping past the one-time one-off Eighth Doctor to allow easy starting points for new viewers, this Russell T Davies starter had a lot to do to prove that this reiteration will be successful; ensuring that fans will accept it as still part of the show they love, and for non-fans to be interested and invested. But with a lead actor not entirely invested in the show (it was announced Christopher Eccleston would only be in the one series the very weekend the series was to start) and a co-star who had recently retired from a career in music, it was a miracle that the series would work at all – let alone become a series that still goes today.

In this introductory episode, an average shop assistant (Billie Piper) gets thrown into a world of alien incursions when she faces an armada of Autons – shop window dummies come to life – and a mysterious man called the Doctor, who blows up her employment to deal with the menace. From there, she grows curious of the enigmatic Doctor and seeks information, whilst the Autons use this connection between the two for their advantage. For a 45 minute story, it’s straightforward enough for audiences of any age to understand, and is an easy jumping point. As for those older fans, they of course have the return of the Autons and the Nestene Consciousness, who originally had appearances during the 70s in the Season 7 and 8 openers. While they do play a major part of the overall episode, they do ultimately get sidelined for the relationship between Rose and the Doctor for understandable reasons.

Perhaps because this wasn’t the first episode to be filmed (that would be Aliens of London/WorldWar Three), but the dynamic between Eccleston and Piper is strong, as they instantly succeed in bouncing off one another, right from the word Go (or in this case “Run”). They have a spark straight away, and it’s evident in their performances that this is the right casting. Christopher Eccleston may be unusual casting by comparison of his predecessors, but his acting here shows just how unique his interpretation is – and it’s made even better with the minor references to the War, easily a huge restrain on the character and lending plenty to speculate about. Meanwhile Billie Piper is impressive in her first big role, shunning naysayers as the working-class college dropout. It’s helped that in the opening minutes we get an idea of what her life consists of – early wake up, go to work, lunch break with the boyfriend, work again, then what would be go home and have dinner (if only she wasn’t delayed) – so we understand the character all the more. It could be argued that the title of the story being dedicated to her is a bit of a stretch, but compared to later titles it fits in fine.

As for the family members – a first for the series in terms of anchoring the companion, instead of references or one-off appearances – they are likable enough. Camille Coduri quickly establishes herself within a few minutes of screen time, and does bear some resemblance to daughter Rose, whilst Mickey Smith (Noel Clarke) is still finding his steps. He’s your typical boyfriend character, and likable enough, but his Auton duplicate is, well...a little off outside of story purpose. The duplicate isn’t referenced again (for good reason) but his character does grow as his time on the show progresses – as you’ll see in later episodes. There aren’t many notable side characters outside of Clive (Mark Benton), who comes across as a conspiracy theorist mixed with that universe’s version of a closeted Doctor Who fan. As an actor who appears in practically everything, he does a fine job, and leaves a lasting impact on the episode, even if the rest of his family are ultimately sidelined.

If there is one area where the episode fails, it is in the comedy revolving around the Autons. Not only with the appearance of Plastic Mickey, but also the wheelie bin scene – which doesn’t age very well thanks to the progress of visual effects – not only failed to garner any laughs, but any positive reaction at all. It’s somewhat cringe-worthy. The smaller moments of humour, such as the Doctor in the Tyler apartment (“That won’t last; he’s gay and she’s an alien”) are where that area shines, and thanks to the equal balance in drama allows this episode to be rewatchable. It also helps that Eccleston manages to pull off those monologues amazingly well, and there’s no more evident proof of this in Rose as the discussion about Earth’s gravitational pull – it’s a beautiful scene and may be considered the episode’s best moment.

Rose is a great way to kick off this new version of the show. It doesn’t rely heavily on that of the past and opens itself up whilst staying true to form. Performances are great, the writing is mostly fun, and it never tries to take itself too seriously. It’s a fun little opener which allowed the broken-down roller coaster to be up and running again. 8/10.