Just a reminder that for fans of Annette Badland, this rather fun audio is set between World War Three and Boom Town.
11 Likes
Oh and itās with Suzie Costello! 
That sounds amazing!
9 Likes
Thatās one more audio to add to my neverending watchlist (listenlist? Sounds wrong 
).
8 Likes
Was no one paying attention to me in the WW3 thread when I last mentioned this audio? 
7 Likes
No. We were too distracted by all the farting.
(Iām truly sorry. I mightāve skimmed through most of the responses and missed your previous recommendation).
7 Likes
Sometimes the small stories are the truly great ones. āBoom Townā was such a story for me. In short, I agree with most of the positive things already said above.
Hereās a little more detailed breakdown of some of the parts I liked:
- Rose and Mickeyās Dynamic: I loved the (for a scifi tv show) relatively realistic dynamic between Rose and Mickey. Itās refreshing to see a reversal of typical male/female relationship portrayals. At this point in the series, Rose is like the sailor with suitors all around the world (and time & space), enjoying her lifeāa role traditionally reserved for male protagonists. I feel that things have improved since the episode first aired, but even so, kudos for portraying a woman simply enjoying her life without undertones of it being morally reprehensible.
- Slitheen Representation: I really liked how the Slitheen were portrayed as people rather than monsters. It adds depth to their characters and challenges the usual sci-fi villain tropes.
- Eccleston as the Doctor: Christopher Ecclestonās portrayal of the Doctor was brilliant. His mix of seriousness and playfulness is just so good.
- Tone: Overall, the episode struck a great balance between fun and earnestness/melancholy.
4,5/5
14 Likes
I didnāt remember this one from the original run at all - even when I watched it! I guess it suffered due to its placement between two blockbusters.
The highlight for me was definitely Annette Badlandās acting - she was just so convincing throughout, even when she was actually trying to con the Doctor.
I loved that she spared the journalist when she found out she was pregnant and that she was genuinely grieving for the loss of her own family who yes, the Doctor had actually killed (although he hadnāt known, of course, that he would be leaving a survivor to mourn for them.)
I really wish we had more time with this TARDIS team - 5 episodes & 3 novels
simply isnāt enough!
Unlike many I found the Rose & Mickey stuff annoying. Rose treats Mickey appallingly - yes it is indeed an unusual role reversal for the girl to go off doing whatever & expect the guy to just be waiting to take her back no matter what - but it was also out of order for Mickey to offer her dinner & then a hotel room, have her accept, and then drop the bomb that he is seeing someone else. They kind of deserve each other!
13 Likes
Theyāre the team for the Titan Ninth Doctor run that weāll start in the Comic Club with Volume 1 (originally a one-off miniseries) end of August, and then the other three volumes in February and March 2025.
9 Likes
I had no idea of that! Awesome, will be looking forward to those then.
6 Likes
I feel that the Rose and Mickey stuff was supposed to be bad. They were both terrible to each other, and it was time for it to come to a head. Mickey was testing her, trying to see if they could salvage their relationship. I donāt think he was actually dating someone else, he just used it as an excuse to get out. In general Mickey was done dirty by this show because RTD doesnāt know how to write black characters that arenāt complete caricatures, but this (along with School Reunion) is one of his better outings. But Iām a Torchwood fan, so I might just like characters who are terrible people 
.
9 Likes
I really never know what to make of this episode. Annette Badland & Christopher Eccelston are brilliant but the comedy is jarring & the Rose & Mickey stuff, while interesting distracts from what could have been a brilliant two-hander. Plus I donāt like the Slitheen so am never fully invested in the dilemma at the heart of this one.
5 Likes
This is an underrated story in my opinion a lot of the time, I thoroughly enjoyed rewatching this one!
Probably about an 8/10 from me
9 Likes
Ha ha - I always had a āthingā for Owen, Iām afraid if Iād met him Iād so have gone there!
7 Likes
Itās excellent until it isnāt. Yeah, Boom Town is kinda the perfect example how much the finale of an Episode matters. The Dinner Scene with the Doctor and Badland (I forgot the name of her Character) is easily the Highlight of the Episode and tells us so much about the morality of the Doctor, which is very important, especially for the new viewers. Bringing back one of the Slitheen and actually make it work (sorry Aliens of London is a confused mess) is wonderful, shame there was never another attempt of doing one. Dont really care for the Rose and Mickey Drama in this Episode, itās not bad and actually really well-written and performed, but ehh never clicked with them. I do think RTD writes Domestic stuff in Who superb but that never gets me for some reason. But the finaleā¦ I am not sure, it feels kinda like a tonal clash, yes this Episode had goofy moments but the solution is a bit too much for my liking.
Overall pretty enjoyable
11 Likes
Can someone add tags to this?
2 Likes
Just watched this and actually quite enjoyed it. Itās a slow character piece thatās often forgotten sandwiched as it is between the excellent Moffat two-parter and the two-part finale. Itās good, thereās a nice mix of humorous moments and serious moments, it builds toward the finale with Bad Wolf, continues the Rose/Mickey arc and has a semi-exciting finale. I donāt find it great, but I enjoyed more this time than I remembered from my previous watches several years ago.
10 Likes
Itās really good to see how perspectives have changed regarding this story. Iāve always liked it (as I think my previous comments attest) but, for a long time, it was underrated and often derided by many. Iām delighted to see how this episodeās stock has risen over the years. Rightly so, in my opinion. Iād never argue that itās one of the greats, but it does do some really interesting stuff and is about something (specifically, morality, punishment and consequence) in a way that makes it so much more meaningful than many other stories. And, yes, as I have said elsewhere, a MUCH more successful use of the Slitheen (well, one of them at least). The concept of the Slitheen (and, indeed, the Raxacoracofallapatorians) always had great potential. This story showcases that potential better than the larger and more attention seeking āAliens of London/World War Threeā.
7 Likes
Just realized something about the Bad Wolf reveal in the episode. It somewhat mirrors the Susan Triad/TARDIS scenes in UNIT HQ at the start of Legend of Ruby Sunday.
10 Likes
I have been to Cardiff since I last watched this episode! So I think thatās the first time I know for sure Iāve been to a Doctor Who location. Well, I guess Iāve been across the Thames from the London Eye but that feels a bit less specific.
I think this was my second re-watch of this one. On my first re-watch, I got a little bit bored of the conversation at dinner between the Doctor and Margaret, just because I already knew the arguments on each side and for some reason that didnāt feel as repeatable as some other elements. Luckily though my mum came in while I was having breakfast this time and chatted with me, so by the time I was paying full attention again she was trying to assassinate him in various goofy and entertaining ways xD (actually maybe these happened in the other order, idk)
I love the pandimensional surfboard so much 
I wonder if it to any extent inspired McFlyās āintergalactical frisbeeā in the song Star Girl the very next year. Tom from McFly is a known Whovian so itās certainly possibleā¦
I really like how Rose is suddenly woken up to how upset Mickey is. The story doesnāt seem to like Mickey very much, but to be honest I kinda do? Thereās something different between his vibe and Roryās vibe that I donāt want to get too detailed on until I get to Rory/11/Amy in this rewatch, but I just feel slightly better about Mickeyās reaction than Roryās. Like I say who knows, maybe this will change, but on this watch-through I have been quite sympathetic to Mickey, and I think for this episode at least so was the story sigh, shrug
5 Likes
Itās a good story and the conversation between Margaret and the 9th Doctor is great. Iām not a fan of the slitheens but the episode is a nice way to make one more serious.
7 Likes