Alternatively, the Ninth Doctor was an off-puttingly goofy otherworldly buffoon who kept pulling weird, annoying faces.
On Eccleston though, one point of consensus was reached: everyone agreed he was Northern.
The real acclaim though, was saved for Pipers chemistry with Eccleston.
Davies and his team get everything right said one lifelong fan of the original series.
It is not and will never be Doctor Who said another.
and everyone but everyone hated the burping bins.
He had this manic grin which worried me.
We were not sure if he was on the edge of insanity or not, which was rather good.
He just ran into danger with such gusto, he galloped at it joyfully.
Billie Piper was just quite fantastic, she really was wonderful in the role.
The relationship between the two of them was quite extraordinary.
I was not so sure about the new Tardis, however.
I loved the one they made for the 1996Doctor Whomovie, a fantastic Jules Verne-key in of creation.
Ill have to see whether it grows on me.
[…]
Overall I was left feeling very positive about the new series.
It had a great pace, it moved really quickly and was witty.
Thus the adult half of the audience is on the evidence of the first episode well-catered for.
It remains to be seen what younger, thrill-seeking TV-watchers will make of it.
Radio Times Patrick Mulkern
In Rose, [Davies] and his team get everything right.
And she takes legions of new viewers along with her.
The casting of Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper is spot on.
Piper, on the other hand, was more of a risk.
Plus she draws in her fan-base and defies her detractors.
At last, we have a proper female perspective, which draws in a wider audience.
Who cares if a few superannuated fan-boys are alienated?
Lets start with the negatives and there are many.
This isWhofor the attention deficit disorder generation.
was entirely absent from episode one, entitledRose.[…]
If only there was more like that for the older fans to enjoy.
By the look of the first episode it will do that in spades.
The Mirror Polly Hudson, March 29 2005
Billies acting was competent and non-showy.
Oh, and her hair looked nice, too.
Maybe it was the first day of filming and he was showing off a bit.
Hopefully hell have calmed down by episode two.
All in all, this newDoctor Whoconfused me.
And its neither funny nor glamorous enough to convert the Heat-reading generation they are so obviously aiming for.
So who does that leave exactly?
No doubt a lot of people watched the opening episode to see if it lived up to the hype.
But will they be back?
I probably will be but only to see what Billies wearing.
The Telegraph Stephen Pile, March 26
It works.
He has real chemistry with Pipers Rose, who is the most interesting development of all.
Russell T Daviess script is vastly better than anything before it.
What can I tell you?
It is very slick, with some good lines and sinister moments.
There is a great bit with the Millennium Wheel.
I enjoy it, but it is not, and never will be how shall I put this?
I hear the theme music and my stomach flips.
But this is no help at all.
A human is murdered.
The mark of his death?
In some ways, there has never been a better time to bring back Doctor Who.
[…] Perhaps, then, Russell Ts Doctor will find an audience.
Anyone with precious memories obsessive fans excepted is probably done for so far as the Timelords ninth incarnation goes.
The Daily Express March 28, 2005
The Tardis has landed.
The Doctor is among us and all is well with the world.
Or pretty much all.
Christopher Eccleston makes a marvellous new Doctor Who.
The special effects are dazzling, the script by Russell T Davies is sharp and witty.
Banished are the wobbly sets and creaky special effects.
Christopher Eccleston though, is a less obvious piece of casting.
The dialogue was mostly exclamatory, interspersed with unbelievable explanations of bits of plot and lots of running.
What killed off the originalDoctor Whowas jet lag.
The rest of science-fiction passed it by, and unfortunately it still hasnt caught up.
Doctor Who was consistently watchable and entertaining despite some atrocious acting, ropey sets and numerous plot inconsistencies.
So what is the new one like?
In my opinion Eccleston is a return to form.
Thank heavensDoctor Whoappears not to have been turned into a love story.
To coin a phrase hes back, and its about time.
The real revelation though was Billie Piper as the trusty new assistant.
When it comes to monsters, you must decide whether you want them to cause laughter or shivers.
Davies, with his unforgiveable burping wheelie bin, has decided to made us laugh.
[…]
The great time everyone was obviously having, Davies included, was at the programmes expense.
This article headline has been updated since it was first published in March 2015.
