Maybe it’s nostalgia but I have a soft spot for this story. Lots of interesting stuff with the Doctor returning Rose a hear late and the dynamic that arises with Jackie and Mickey. The fart jokes are definitely a bit excessive, but I really like the Slitheen. Harriet Jones is great. I think this story is definitely looked down upon a but harshly, lot’s of good stuff here.
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I definitely didn’t really gel with these episodes on first watch, it was all kinda silly and I was thinking “this Doctor Who show is for kids”. It wasn’t until Dalek that I really started enjoying the show.
But if you ignore the fart jokes there are some really good political points here, it’s a good story, Harriet Jones is one of my favourite characters in New Who, and some sad moments with Rose believing she’s going to die.
Like a lot of RTD’s work cough, Space Babies, cough, it does take a rewatch to get past the initial “wtf” and into the deeper and more meaningful parts.
The Slitheen are fun as well, especially when explored some more in Boom Town.
11 Likes
This one could really do it for me if it wasn’t for all the farts joke and the rather campy tone. Don’t get me wrong, I love campy when it’s done very well, personally I don’t think Russel is good at handling it (this one and space babies are very jarring to watch because of those kinds of jokes). Personally Series 1 had a weak first half overall, not bad but like I find myself feel very underwhelmed looking back on some Episodes, not to say that RTD can’t handle a more campy Doctor Who Episode, but for me, he strikes me the best when he lets others do it than do those himself.
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I’ve always really loved this story, that would most likely stem from the fact I watched it as a small child and the fart jokes were clearly hilarious to me.
But even now I have a lot of fun with this story and I don’t think it deserves the hate given to it at all sometimes.
It’s a good story not great but certainly not bad either,
A solid 7/10 for me
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I think that it is almost a really good story.
The problem is that it does not take itself seriously enough. I heard on time that the hardest part of doing comedy/children’s television acting is that the actors are trying to be funny when the jokes need them to be serious. I think that these episodes suffer from this. Penelope Wilton is really good at playing a funny character seriously and I think that is what makes Harriet Jones stand out in these episodes.
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Indeed! DW has always needed to court a much wider audience than just the fans. Children are key to keeping DW alive and vibrant.
Besides, whilst I’m not the biggest fan of the fart jokes, I accept they were never meant for me. The story itself actually has some lovely content and original touches. I think its bigges issue was always the direction by Keith Boak. He just didn’t quite get DW for me.
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And what a lot of fans forget is that they often became fans when they were children. It’s just that they want to pretend they always liked the show from an adult perspective even when they were 11.
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Absolutely! Those childhood attachments can be very strong. “The Sontaran Experiment” will always be close to my heart (despite its flaws) as the first story I remember watching. I was also born during “The Curse of Peladon” and have a deep attachment to Pertwee’s era. Not all childhood fans become lifelong fans, but many lifelong fans did come via that route. 
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So this was my very first episode as a 7-year-old, but my time with the show was short-lived as the first thing I saw was a woman unzipping her forehead and that was enough to make me run a mile. I didn’t come back for two years!
I really enjoyed the Blair era nostalgia vibes and the cartoon-y villains. It felt about right for a family show putting the action right in the heart of familiar buildings. I’d love to know how I’d have felt with it if I’d been just slightly older. I didn’t eventually watch it for the first time until I was 21. Ah well, my inner child enjoyed it anyhow
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