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Series 2 Episode 2: “Tooth & Claw”Broadcast on BBC1, Saturday April 22nd, 2006
Series 1 Boxset:
Series 2 Part 2:
Director:
- Euros Lyn
(Cutting It, Casualty)
Screenplay:
- Russell T. Davies
(Casanova, The Second Coming, Bob & Rose, Queer As Folk)
Cast:
- The Doctor: David Tennant
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Queen Victoria: Pauline Collins
Father Angelo: Ian Hanmore
Isobel: Michelle Duncan
Reynolds: Jamie Sives
Steward: Ron Donachie
Host: Tom Smith
Flora: Ruth Milne
Robert: Derek Riddell
Synopsis: The Doctor and Rose arrive in 19th-Century Scotland, where they must protectQueen Victoria herself from a vicious werewolf and a group of warriorMonks…
Russell T. Davies’ scripts come in for a lot of criticism from fans, myselfincluded, but Tooth & Claw finally proves that Davies can write a decentDoctor Who episode if he puts his mind to it. Perhaps it’s because “Tooth &Claw” is another episode set in the past — by far the most successfulsetting for Doctor Who in terms production design (the BBC may have problemscreating the future, but they can do the past in their sleep.)
“Tooth & Claw” is another old-fashioned horror story, similar in tone tolast year’s “The Unquiet Dead” by Mark Gatiss. Davies’ story finds TheDoctor and Rose helping thwart a secret society of warrior Monks, who havelaid a trap to “infect” Queen Victoria with a werewolf gene and usher in the”Empire Of The Wolf”.
David Tennant improves upon the tepid start last week, but his Doctor isstill fairly ineffective until the final moments (heck, even the kitchenstaff discover how to protect themselves against the werewolf before hedoes!) However, the sense of fun and eccentricity is more potent withTennant than it ever was with Eccleston, but so far it’s been at theexpense of feeling The Doctor is the all-knowing hero he should be.
The most notable guest star in “Tooth & Claw” is Pauline Collins as QueenVictoria (known to international audiences as Shirley Valentine, perhaps –the actress, not the royal). She’s pretty good all things considered, butisn’t really given much to sink her teeth into beyond a few good speechesthat remind you of Judi Dench’s performance in Mrs Brown.
As I mentioned earlier, the production design for the episode’s Scottishlocation is exemplory. Windswept highland locales, sinister castle dungeon,luxurious dining rooms — all classic Victoriana that truly breathes lifeand believability into the 1879 time period.
Fans of special effects won’t be disappointed either. The effects for thewerewolf are fabulous and a high benchmark for the show so far. Thetransformation sequence is very similar to the one in Harry Potter & ThePrizoner Of Azkaban, while the fully-transformed wolf reminded me of thecreature in Van Helsing. All very good, with only a few shots that don’tstand up to very close scrutiny. There are even some “Matrix”-style wire-fuin early scenes, so plenty for FX lovers to admire.
Amazingly, Davies’ script is also genuinely funny and not littered with weakgags that drag the show down. Of particular delight is Rose’s attempts toget Queen Victoria to utter the phrase “we are not amused”. By the finale,it’s also very satisfying that every plot strand is properly resolved andthe denouement even offers fans a few questions to ponder.
Overall, “Tooth & Claw” is one of the best Who episodes since the showreturned last year, and a promising rebuttal to fans that Russell T. Davieshas the chops to write decent adventure stories after all. I just hope thistrend continues, and isn’t just limited to shows set in the past…
A definite highlight for Doctor Whooooooo. Sorry, I held off for too longand just couldn’t resist it…
NEXT WEEK: It’s back to school with Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from TV’sBuffy) guest starring alongside Elisabeth Sladen (returning as ex-Doctor Whocompanion Sarah Janes Smith), the return of robot dog K-9, and some flyingmonsters!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.