9DA 1,6 Planet of the End (Spoilers OK)

A brilliant end to this boxset, a story that gives Eccleston plenty of dialogue & emotional beats - seriousness, comic lines etc. Some great imagery with the location & The Doc long hair & bearded basically turned into a living statue (a bit like the Melkur). There's a slight hint of Douglas Adams to the some of the plot elements here with the critique of big business & some comic lines. Its a shame Fred didn't decide to travel with the doctor.

But does he call Fred Frank towards the end?

Anyone else think "Fred" was a nice nod to Romana?

Yeah, this was a belter of a story. Fred was one of the best AI or robotic companions BF have done as one offs (and there have been loads) and I think that's - oddly given it's a machine - down to her character development. It's a lovely layered story this with Eccleston Vs The 1% Elder Gods (!) while Fred tends to The Doctor and "changes" over decades and decades. How he used binary to explain things - one character a year - was a fantastic and fun resolution that I didn't see coming.

It's the only one of the set I think they'd have struggled in 2005 to make look good but that's where audio comes in. Sweeping vistas, Sontarans all but eaten by the ground, a noble rabbit (clearly a relative of the one in Day Of The Doctor ) and Pyramids of gold...lovely imagery.

When Fred got her Pinocchio moment I was sad she didn't take The Doctor up on his offer but if that frees us up for 3 more standalones this good? Bye Fred!

This one was my least favourite of the set. Not a criticism, but there was a lot to it that and I may have missed some bits and felt the music was very overwhelming in places. Definitely one where a relisten will be rewarding.

I loved Fred and the rapport she had with the Doctor. Sometimes time jumps in a story is a bit of a cheap get out to make you try and feel a greater connection with the character, but it’s effectively done here. It helps we know and love the Doctor, so to hear how he’s changing and Fred’s response to that does have an impact. And there’s some cracking material for Eccleston here, showing off his wide range and a contrast to the previous two stories, which would’ve neatly slotted into his TV run.

Why wasn't this the first set?! This story was an all time great. I literally whooped and fist pumped when Fred got life. Fred was the best companion 9s ever had! The set was good, pretty standard and that was enough to blow Ravagers away, but this finish takes the cake. The chemistry between the leads was magic. Who knew 9 needed a Tin person with a heart?

An interesting one, and once again the Doctor has a capacity to not go stark staring mad while just standing around for years on end. That was a lot of eye movement he must have done in that one sunset.