Series 4 Episode 1: Partners in Crime

Partners in crime was quite a good start to the last series for David Tennant, although the beginning was a bit boring with us not knowning what the Doctor was doing, but it worked out nonoftheless It's hard to imagine a TV event more hotly anticipated in our house than the start of a new series of Doctor Who. It's one of the few things that pulls us all together to watch in the traditional "family viewing" scenario of days gone by. Along with that anticipation, and excitement built to melting point by weeks of trailers and press clips, not to mention editors lucky enough to be invited to previews (hmph!), there's always a small frisson of fear. Have RTD and his experienced production team pulled it off again? What will Donna be like? Is there anything to DISlike about the show? Well yes, now that you come to mention it. There was ONE thing...
And I might as well get it out of the way first, because it was pretty much the ONLY thing I didn't like about last night's opener. The new theme tune. I mean, it's "OK" - and it's true that I've rarely liked changes to the theme tune on first hearing. I may grow to like it more in the coming weeks, but I don't think I'll ever not miss the stirring, loud, insistent brass note that has now been taken out in favour of a bit more synthetic drumming.
I wrote earlier that there's always a slight worry about whether Doctor Who can ever be as good as your expectations for it, but in the past this has rarely if ever been a problem in those episodes written by RTD (and as Anna has already pointed out, he's doing a lot more of the writing this time round). Davies has an innate grasp of humour, indeed of entertainment in general. He knows how to keep the pace up, how to amuse, when to turn the dramatic screws. His stuff just works. The first few minutes, where the Doctor and Donna were both on the trail of Adipose Industries but kept missing each other by millimetres or milliseconds was very cleverly done, but also very cleverly not OVERdone, as so much farce can be. A little goes a long way and once again Davies understands that implicitly.
When they eventually did meet, having this take place across the scene of the action was a masterstroke. Those of you who watched Doctor Who Confidential will know that Catherine Tate came up with her mime in the absence of any advice or direction - she winged it, basically - which I thought was pretty impressive.
Finally, the unexpected (and closely guarded) appearance of Rose at the end of last night's episode had us all scratching our heads. How has she managed to return from exile in an alternate universe? The answer was hinted at as she turned and walked away into nothingness. Has Rose discovered a gateway, or a gating technology, between the universes? We know we'll find out sometime during this series - during which two other old companions will rejoin the TARDIS too.
So all in all a cracking start to the 2008 series. If this episode has set the bar for the next 12 then we're in for some quality television and - is it too early to suggest? - possibly the best Doctor Who series ever.

Rating: 10/10