The 2nd Doctor Who Christmas special and one that is now likely to be annual event for future Christmas scheduling on BBC1. It was an important for this to be a success and thankfully all the tick boxes can be checked off in making an enjoyable Doctor Who adventure.

David Tennant gives us a truly different portrayal of the Doctor in this episode. A doctor that is mourning for traumatically losing the love of his life yet still has to cope with the invasion of Earth by the Empress of Rachnoss. However, his treatment of the Empress of Rachnoss where she is left to be flushed down the plughole (a joke I can imagine Russell T Davies thought of in the middle of a script and laughed for three weeks about it) shows an aspect not seen for a while. The Doctor’s ridding of the Empress is the most vengeful we have seen this incarnation and probably the most since Christopher Eccleston battled with the Daleks.

However, while the Doctor may seem more aggressive in this episode, it’s arguably the two starring ladies that make a stronger impression. Catherine Tate as the mouthy Donna isn’t initially sympathetic and makes us identify more with the Doctor. However, the turning point for the character is the scene where her boyfriend (a superb performance in what is little more than a cameo for Don Gilet) turns against her and reveals himself as an ally to the Empress. It’s Donna reaction and Tate’s performance which turns Donna into a caricature of a sketch show character into a real human being and the audience sides with her when the Doctor is consumed with rage.

The Christmas special wouldn’t be complete without a monster and in Sarah Parish’s Empress of Rachnoss, we have one that has not only chewed the scenery, but thoroughly digested it as well. Parish’s performance is perfect in tone for the episode and adds to the rompy feel of the special. However, it can’t be denied that the costume is arguably the best prosthetic creation since the series returned to our screens and it would be a shame if Parish never returned as the Empress.

The Runaway Bride has a feel of a modern day take on the 50s romantic comedy given that we have the bride rushing here and there and everywhere. It’s rompy feel gives us a story that is always moving in a variety of locations and settings. We move from the TARDIS, modern day London, the M4, a church, a wedding reception, a London office block, the depths of the London sewers and a suburban house in London.

While it’s locations give us a strange version of It’s a Wonderful Life, the photography is severly compromised by the fact that the Christmas special is shot in July and despite the best attempts of the production team, the Christmas aspect of the story merely feels like window dressing rather than a particularly integral part of the story.

However, this is a minor nitpick. The Runaway Bride will never ever be considered a classic amongst Doctor Who fans but I defy anyone to say that they didn’t enjoy it and gives us a segway into the new series of Doctor Who. Seriously, didn’t that trailer look good?

top of page