This is not a good episode by Doctor Who's high standards. It is not a terrible episode by the standards of rubbish that make up the vast majority of TV shows, though, which is something I feel fans should remember when judging episodes of this great show. There are very few episodes I rate even as low as 4/10 let alone any less. The worst episodes of this show are still better than a lot of other things on TV!
So while this is one of the less brilliant episodes, there are a number of worse episodes of 21st Century Doctor Who in my opinion and there are still some positives here. There is some reasonable humour and it is a plot that has a bit of an interesting aspect: People who have become followers of the reputation and actions of the Doctor forming a society to track him down and support him then being hijacked by an alien in disguise who absorbs members of the group one by one.
It is quite a silly premise in terms of the alien but it is interesting to think about people becoming followers of the Doctor after seeing things he does. Some members of the group are well acted while others are a bit overacted. Peter Kay is a very funny guy and is funny and also quite creepy as Victor before going too over the top when he reveals himself as the Absorbaloff. The silly name of the alien as well as its design and premise come from a child who won a competition. That is forgivable to an extent but sadly it was not really lifted above that childish level.
The extremely limited appearance of David Tennant in the episode is a real minus. It is interesting to see his fan group but it misses his quality and feels like a comedy spin-off.
Taken as a bit of fun with a few interesting and creepy moments it is not awful at all but it is a bit of a disappointment compared to great Doctor Who standards of stuff like the 2-part story that came right before this.
My Rating: 6/10.
So while this is one of the less brilliant episodes, there are a number of worse episodes of 21st Century Doctor Who in my opinion and there are still some positives here. There is some reasonable humour and it is a plot that has a bit of an interesting aspect: People who have become followers of the reputation and actions of the Doctor forming a society to track him down and support him then being hijacked by an alien in disguise who absorbs members of the group one by one.
It is quite a silly premise in terms of the alien but it is interesting to think about people becoming followers of the Doctor after seeing things he does. Some members of the group are well acted while others are a bit overacted. Peter Kay is a very funny guy and is funny and also quite creepy as Victor before going too over the top when he reveals himself as the Absorbaloff. The silly name of the alien as well as its design and premise come from a child who won a competition. That is forgivable to an extent but sadly it was not really lifted above that childish level.
The extremely limited appearance of David Tennant in the episode is a real minus. It is interesting to see his fan group but it misses his quality and feels like a comedy spin-off.
Taken as a bit of fun with a few interesting and creepy moments it is not awful at all but it is a bit of a disappointment compared to great Doctor Who standards of stuff like the 2-part story that came right before this.
My Rating: 6/10.