Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1086 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-01-19
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Broadcast under intense speculation as to whether it would lead to David Morrissey taking over the title role, Doctor Who: The Next Doctor actually turned out to be a really enjoyable Christmas special for the show, crammed with action, ideas and solid family entertainment.

The premise of The Next Doctor, that there are two Doctors on the go, is set up early, as Tennant’s Doctor encounters Morrissey’s character wielding a screwdriver, talking of the TARDIS and fighting foes. This allows Tennant to slip into the role of the assistant, and his double act with Morrissey is excellent, with the latter making the most of a meaty, evolving role.

Also winning the acting plaudits though is the baddie of the piece, played by Dervla Kirwan. She’s scene-stealingly good here, and is the most sinister foe on offer in The Next Doctor. Next to her, the returning cybermen looking surprisingly tame, even when considering the surprises that the episodes throws up as it enters its final act.

The Next Doctor isn’t a perfect episode by any means, and the terrific Christmas Invasion is surely the best Yuletide instalment to date. But it’s an entertaining, busy and ambitious hour, and worth seeing for Morrissey and Kirwan alone. Rollicking good stuff, even if the cybermen seem to quickly need another reboot… –-Jon Foster

Synopsis
It's Christmas Eve in 1851 and Cybermen stalk the snow of Victorian London, in this special Christmas edition of Russell T Davies's Bafta Award-winning time-travelling drama. Starring David Tennant, David Morrissey and Dervla Kirwan.

When the Doctor arrives and starts to investigate a spate of mysterious deaths, he's surprised to meet another Doctor, and soon the two must combine forces to defeat the ruthless Miss Hartigan. But are two Doctors enough to stop the Cybermen?

Along with the latest Christmas adventure, this DVD features Doctor Who At The Proms. Filmed at the BBC Proms in July, this musical odyssey through time and space is hosted by Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) and features a surprise guest appearance by Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) and the specially filmed scene starring David Tennant. With the Tardis on stage at London's Royal Albert Hall,

Customer Reviews

Good, but not the best ever.
I never miss the Doctor Who special on Christmas Day and this year was no exception- I waited with baited breath ever since the tantalising glimpse on Children in Need.

David Tennant is always excellent and there are always superb actors queing to appear in the specials and this year we had the brilliant David Morrisey and the lovely Dervla "This is not just food, this is M and S food" Kirwan.

However, I didn't really buy into the giant cyberman stomping over Victorian London as it was a bit fifties melodrama like "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" or some such. I was also a bit disappointed that it was Cybermen again. I know they've got to get their money's worth, but how many times has it been now? I'm not sure about the wolly cyber bear things either!


Having said all that, I thought the graveyard scene was superbly atmospheric and beautifully shot with the white snow, the black suits and Mtrs Hartigan's scarlet dress. David Morrisey gave an excellent performance as the bereaved husband who got caught in the firing line and thought he was the doctor. I also thought the "doctor's" assistant lacked the charisma of previous characters.

However, the episode had charm in spades and the opening scenes of jolly olde Victorian England (aka Gloucester Cathedral Close) were just the ticket for a Christmas Day. As for David Tennant, he can do no wrong in my eyes.

I get the impression that the Christmas specials are harder to write than the episodes since there is no continuity and all characters except the doctor must be introduced from scratch and the story must be told within one hour and include some sort of huge climax at the end. However, despite a slight feeling of this being a bit formulaic, it was excellent Christmas fayre and I do feel a bit strict only giving three stars but it would be three and a half if I could. But let's give the cybermen a rest for a while eh?

good christmas fun
this is a very enjoyable if very slight doctor who special. david tennant gives his usual excellent performance, in fact, his performances make even the worst episodes of doctor who worth watching. this is not one of those episodes though. action packed, tense and with terrific special effects. the scenes of the cyberking towering over london would i have to say looked ridiculous in the original series but looks very impressive here. david morrisey is superb and would make a great 11th doctor when david tennant leaves at the end of the year.
this special is one of those where if you just switch your brain off and go with it, you should enjoy it. oh, and as a bonus, there is a special scene in it showing all 9 previous doctors as a treat for todays kids who may not have ever seen them before. next up is planet of the dead, an intriguing sounding title and sadly only 3 specials left untill the end of the david tennant era of doctor who. good fun!!

Flawed, but still entertaining.
Dr Who has become a staple of Christmas over recent years. The first three Christmas specials were great, certainly way above the wrist-slittingly depressing, predictable Eastenders Christmas "specials" and the often-repeated films you've probably seen a thousand times and have probably got on DVD anyway.

This Dr Who special is set in Victorian London and deals with not only a man who seems to be the tenth Doctor's replacement (a great performance, by the way) but also the return of the Cybermen. A winning set of ideas, and indeed the early parts of this story are great. But then the "next Doctor" is revealed as a fraud far too early and so he serves no real purpose throughout the rest of the story. The Cybermen, despite looking great, are used far too sparingly. The Cyber King sounds promising but is revealed as a laughable city-stomping Japanese movie monster-like creation. Then there are those "things" under blankets with Cyberman faces on them, which are laughably unconvincing and look like they were made in a Halloween costume shop. The Cybermats, unseen since the 1970s, would have been a much better idea. Surely with today's technology the Cybermats could be great.

Still, it's fun to watch and there's plenty of humour and action to keep viewers amused.