N.B. there might (or might not) be spoilers in this article!

There’s a lot to like about Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways — the fun with deadly versions of popular early twenty-first century television shows, the sight of just about half a million Daleks, the tying together of all the Bad Wolf clues — which provides a hugely enjoyable finale for the end of Doctor Who‘s first season back.

“This isn’t just a game.”

Doctor, Bad Wolf

It’s perhaps not as good as I remember, although that of course could be the old familiarity breeding contempt and all that. This series of twenty-first century Who — the only Christopher Eccleston Ninth Doctor stories we had until recently (thanks to Big Finish, not any more!)– is one I’ve seen many times, so the big ending doesn’t punch quite as hard as it initially did, but that’s not to detract from just how “fantastic” — yes, I went there — Eccleston is, especially in the regeneration scene.

And, not wishing to take anything away fom how strong Billie Piper has been as Rose this season, I do think Jo Joyner as Lynda with a ‘Y’ would have made a great companion. There’s an instant rapport between her and the Doctor — shame RTD had to kill her off, although as Davies showed when the Autons gunned down poor Clive back in Rose, at least he’s consistent in his brutally slaying a story’s most likeable supporting character!

With Dalek we had the first hint that the Time War’s end wasn’t quite as final as the Doctor had thought; with Bad Wolf and The Parting of the Ways we have the confirmation. And if half a million Daleks could survive it by hiding, might perhaps Time Lords, despite the Doctor’s assertion that he would know …?

These are my potential Target Library titles for The Empty Child / The Parting of the Ways:
— Doctor Who and the Bad Wolf
— Doctor Who and the Blasphemy of the Daleks
— Doctor Who and Just About Half-a-million Daleks