You should have reversed the order of those two posts
[Rant]
Frankly, BBC America is a shit channel now. At one point, they broadcast actual British shows like Doctor Who, Torchwood, Top Gear, Gordon Ramsay shows like Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word, etc. Now just about the only actual British programme they air is The Graham Norton Show. The only good thing about this devolution is that I’m not paying separately for the channel. (Instead it’s part of my cable package.)
[/Rant]
What is on BBC America now?
Endless episodes of Blue Planet and other David Attenborough nature documentaries, Bones, Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9 and Law & Order (the American version; at one point they broadcast the UK version which was at least different from what I can see on other channels).
I’m a sentimental old cuss and I loved it.
From my understanding, “new” as in “he was in one episode in the 1960s and hadn’t appeared since.”
Watching it now. A very standard episode of Doctor Who so far, but I’m just so glad to see David Tenant again. My favorite Doctor by quite a bit.
Russell Davies is so talented and understands Doctor Who better than anyone. It’s wonderful seeing a new episode written and produced by him.
I liked the wheelchair’s unique features. 
I know Russell agreed to produce the entire season. I hope he continues writing some of the episodes.
Gosh, imagine another full season with David and Catherine Tate. The ratings would explode. But we are getting the 60th Anniversary specials.
I really enjoyed the episode and its good to have the old crew back. But…
There seems to be a large Marvel influence going on. This is now part of something called the Whoniverse, complete with Marvel style opening credits.
The trailer shows a UNIT builiding that strongly echoes Stark Tower.
And the return of Donna had overtones of the Winter Soldier.
They were all done well, but this is the worlds longest running SciFi show, it should be leading, not following.
The BBC have just made the entire Doctor Who back catalogue (well, everything that exists, anyway) available on their streaming service iPlayer. “The Whoniverse” seems to be the branding they’re using to promote that.
It’s also available on Tubi.
I bought David’s first season on Doctor Who on Prime. It was around $22. That season had incredible episodes like The Girl in the Fireplace, Rise of the Cybermen, and School Reunion with Sarah Jane Smith.
I just saw the episode, “The Star Beast.”
I think it’s one of the best ever. The writing and plotting is superb.
I LOVED it! So much fun! Done well! I liked the characters introduced and the resolutions they did. Brilliant!
There is something about RTD’s writing that just works for me. Moffat is good for one offs but for the season, RTD has had some of my favorites.
I have seen it called this for decades. I don’t have a source, though, so not definitive on this.
Looking forward to the next two and the new Doctor!
I have a lot of hope pinned on the new Doctor. With Davies, I’m hopeful. I mean, come on. Please be good!
There are some very small touches that were utter brilliance from a storytelling POV. It should really be taught in screenwriting classes.
Such as … ?
Most obvious
How naturally they showed Rose was transgender: a couple of teen troublemakers call her “Jason” and her grandmother accidentally uses the wrong pronoun.
Also
Donna saying “I’ve got to help the Doctor.” Note her mother said “She said 'the Doctor ',” driving the point home to those who missed it.
More subtly
The leader of the loyal UNIT squad is Sikh. We see him again in the firefight, so we know immediately which side he’s on.
And even more subtly
Rose’s name. She chose it because, like the stuffed animals, it was a sign she had Donna’s memories of her time with the Doctor.
I watched it two nights ago and then watched it again with the family last night and loved it. I just really like the little touches Tennant adds to the character like how he gleefully jumps in the back of a truck. I found the story about Rose really interesting and liked how her being trans was an interesting part of the story and built on what had happened before, as opposed to her being added as a trans character for the sake of a trans character. I liked that Donna got something better – of all the companions, I thought she got the worst deal. She’s kind of a nobody and goes through all of this growth and personal development just to have her memory wiped away. My 16-year-old guessed the Meep was the bad guy all along though that did take me by surprise. I didn’t realize that the Meep was a character from the comics.
I’m looking forward to the next special.
I did not understand how Rose’s nonbinary status averted the disaster. Can someone explain that to me?