I was going to start this review by saying that in the build up to this episode, nothing has divided fan opinion as much as this. However, that would give the wrong impression, as I don’t think I’ve seen such venom before and after the event. Therefore, time for a controversial opinion. I love it and think it’s one of the most innovative ideas the series has done.

When you have an episode where it is known that David Tennant and Billie Piper are barely in the episode, you need strong performers to come in and take the place of the stars. Not only that, they have to be able induce our sympathy and the audience needs to find a reason to care. Thankfully we have Marc Warren, playing Elton Pope, who narrates the entire episode.

Warren makes sure that Elton Pope isn’t a caricature of a stereotypical Doctor Who fan before the series came back to television. We get a young man who is shy, quiet and knows that the Doctor was there when his mother died. Therefore, we immediately get an investigation into the leading character of the series and the consequences of the Doctor’s actions.

This is brought home when Elton meets Jackie. With Rose travelling with the Doctor and Mickey being left behind on an alternative universe, it means that Jackie is really left on her own. She knows lots of people but has no one to love. We see Jackie getting Elton to do every single job that needs doing in the house along with seeing Jackie flirting with a man rather than hearing about it.

We then finally get the idea of what it means to be that alone when you don’t know what has happened to your daughter. Her sadness when she realises that she’s been stupid along with her anger at Elton for using her to track down the Doctor. It’s blended really well into the script and Camille Coduri gives a really good performance. Indeed, given the departure of Rose, it’s a shame it’s likely to mean the departure of Jackie.

Any Doctor Who story wouldn’t be complete without a megalomaniac villain, and we get one in the form of the Absorbaloff. The monster was created in a Blue Peter viewer and the idea behind it is very clever. A monster that can absorb it’s victims and shows their faces in it’s skin is a very novel take on the body snatching idea that has been prevalent in science fiction for a long time. It’s also terrifying to see a victim being absorbed by the creature as what happens to Ursula.

Of course, a Doctor Who monster isn’t complete without a big performance from the actor inside the costume. If there is one thing that you can’t complain about, it’s that Peter Kay in the dual role of Victor Kennedy and the Absorbaloff doesn’t fade into the background. Fans have already been quick to moan about Kay’s performance, but I rather like it, just as liked the idea of Kay being cast in the first place.

Neill Gorton points out on Doctor Who Confidential, if you hire Peter Kay as an alien, you want it to be recognisably Peter Kay otherwise you might as well hire someone who was in the Ood or Cybermen costumes from previous episodes. Another explanation for Kay’s over-the-top performance (which I think is perfect for the tone of the episode, btw) is that the entire episode is told by the point of view of Elton Pope. Isn’t there just a possibility that he might be making more of the events than what happened in reality?

I seem to be suggesting that Love & Monsters is perfect, but of course it isn’t. It’s plot is all over the place, while the likes of Mr Skinner, Bridget and Bliss are a little under-written and there isn’t enough of the Doctor and Rose. However, the story isn’t about them, but about Elton Pope, Ursula Blake and Victor Kennedy.

I wouldn’t want the series to be like this all the time, but like banana sandwiches, The Beautiful South and Flash Gordon, Love & Monsters is a guilty pleasure and that’s why I love it..

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