@@dubbingsync Even better WHAT Catherine Tate did with those lines. Among all Doctor Who copananians she is one of the finest actresses and a brilliant comedian There is no eppsode with her were I could hold back an amused loud laugh because of the delicate way she had handled Situation Comedy. I have seen this episode recently on German TV ( ONE is the station ) but compared to the clips in the original language the lines were not as smashing. For example I GIVE YOU PLUCKY - ICH GEBE IHNEN WACKER ( = STABLE; BRAVE; DARING ) not as good as PLUCKY in my eyes.
2:02 So, you did not liked the story ? I thought it amusing since as an old board gamer I felt very much reminded at CLUEDO or CLUE in America and Canada. You clearly have missed the point here that this episode is some kind of a tuned in Fantasy version of the board game. You know some gamers do this with those Classics,
Take Donna out and I probably wouldn't like this episode half as much as I do. It's her reactions to everything going on that makes it so fun, especially the scene where the Doctor is solving the mystery with everyone present and he points to Donna and she's like; "Who did I kill?!"
There are a bunch of episodes (this included) in that season which would have been a bit lacklustre without her, but Donna made such a *delight* . I really miss that sort of chemistry and fizz and... I can't even find words for all the things Donna/Catherine brought to the screen. She just elevated every scene was in, made it all such a pleasure to watch. 💕
To be fair, you could say that about quite a few of the Doctor Who episodes in the past. Some of the episodes simply wouldn't work without how the companion(s) interacts with the Doctor or the surrounding circumstances.
A charming and goofy piece of filler. My favourite scenes are the kitchen detox and: 'Oh come on! It’s not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy’s not real. Is he? Tell me there’s no Noddy!'
Having recently finished “Agatha Christie’s Poirot”, I suddenly have an appreciation for this episode that I hadn’t before. The Doctor playing the Detective is all sorts of fun. You can see he’s sort of channeling Christie’s famous Belgian, much to her chagrin. Donna being his Hastings is also hilarious, trying to speak 20s and immediately being shutdown always makes me laugh. I also appreciate that Donna sympathies with the butler not being able to mourn his lover. Christie herself is a wonderful historical cameo. You can tell her recent divorce is taking it’s toll and this adventure gives her the strength to carry on.... after all, she’s British. Special shoutout to seeing Felicity Jones as “The Unicorn”. A great take on a classic Christie side character and fun to see established actors before their big break.
I don't think she was divorced yet at the time this was supposed to take place. I haven't watched this one in a while but I think I recall that the underlying premise of the episode was that it explained the (real) missing 11 days in her life which was just after her husband asked for a divorce. You're right though that it can explain her reactions to some events. That was one of the things I liked about the episode - that it mixed reality (Agatha's disappearance) with the the fictional meeting with the Doctor.
I've read a few Christie's and it totally works with this episode, it captures the feel of her books as well as being able to effectively parody the many television adaptations of her work. Murder, mystery and Agatha Christie.
@@tomkenning5482I think that shows how well it was written, the references were there for the Christie fans but if you missed them it didn't spoil the story.
Like the Murder on the Orient Express one. I knew that reference when I first watched this episode because I read it in high school, but I also got a kick out of the references to the ones that I haven't read, like anything Miss Marple related.
i watched this with my mum once and we played a game of how many Agatha Christie Book titles can they slip into one episode. because my mum is a huge fan of Agatha Christie books. i think this is the only episode of Doctor Who i can watch with my mum because of that reason.
This is hands down my favourite 10th Doctor story. Absolutely love it. It may not be technically the best, but it’s my favourite. It’s just *fun*, Donna (best companion ever, including classic Who) is great and Fenella Woolgar is one of the best one-off actors in new Who. And finally, all the Easter egg Agatha Christie titles are great fun.
I love seeing so many people love Donna now, I remember the huge controversy about Catherine Tate before, during and after her time, and I still love how much Catherine Tate barely knows about Doctor Who, which is so Donna.
The Colonel is played by Christopher Benjamin who played Henry Gordon Jago in the Talons of Weng Chiang and in the subsequent Big Finish audio series Jago and Lightfoot. Also, the footman who has no lines, who only appears at the very beginning in the outside scene is David Tennant’s late father- The Reverend Sandy MacDonald. Which is nice.
The dumbest part to me is when the Reverend starts changing into the wasp and starts going "ZZzz zzz zZZZ!". It's so stupid and it's played seriously. Wasps make that sound with their wings. Why is he going "ZZZ ZZ!"? I mean, fair play to the actor. He did the best he could with it, but it shouldn't have been in the script to do that.
Here here. Thank goodness I reviewed the comments as I would otherwise have duplicated this one. In my opinion, this was the only flaw in an otherwise marvellous story. I liken it a little to Black Orchid from Peter Davidson's era
Well, Donna just kissed the Doctor because they needed a SHOCK. And it was! She had already demonstrated through the pantomimes (comedy gold imho) that she wasn’t thinking particularly clear, so she probably thought something along the lines of “What could I do to shock him, something we both know I’d never ever do? A-HAAA!” I really enjoy this episode every time I rewatch it. It’s so absurd and awesomely wonky. :)
I love this episode because it's just so much fun. It's a bit ridiculous, but it's never boring and it's got some of the funniest scenes of new who in my opinion.(Like the detox, Donna trying to get copyright for mentioning Agatha's ideas to her, and Donnas "who did I kill?") The giant wasp is a bit lazy but I love it when Donna is asked what she means by a giant wasp and goes "I mean a wasp that's giant" ...basically I just love Donna
The thing that I love most about this episode is Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie. As a huge Christie fan, she is exactly how I imagined Christie would be. Her mannerisms, her way of speaking, her clumsy sort of naivete while still maintaining a fair bit of confidence is *perfect*. It's the perfect portrayal of that woman.
Fun fact: in the Christie novel Lady Edison is reading when the Firestone activates- the Murder of Roger Ackroyd- it is the narrator who is revealed at the end to be the murderer. This goes some of the way towards explaining why the Vespiform does what it does.
-Rose (although it was Metacrisis doctor) -Martha (even though it was for some scientific reason) -Donna -Amy Pond -Bill (on the cheek) Idk why the writers are always obsessed with this happening with the companions
I love this episode 😂 you are right however about the vespiform - in the writer’s tale RTD describes how he and this episode’s writer struggled to come up with what the vespiform’s true form should look like and eventually settled on a giant wasp because of that one Agatha Christie cover - to be fair I would also struggle to think of an alien or monster that’s related to her or her stories !
This genuinely is my favourite one off episode. I don’t know if it’s the fun and silliness, Donna + tennant or the whodunnit theme. It just a never gets old and I can watch it over and over.
I like the episode. It's just pure fun, not meant to be taken seriously. I loved how they worked the titles of so many Christie novels into the dialogue, then added the tongue in cheek bit with "murder at the vicar's rage. Too much?", showing that they were very aware that what they were doing could go too far..
This is my go-to when I just want something fun! Love Donna's enthusiasm and compassion where-ever she goes. As for the kiss, it would totally shock the Doctor, and it showed! That wouldn't have worked with either Rose or Martha. Awkward moment afterwards when he says he really must do that again.... the detox, he means, was fun. Loved how Agatha brought him down a peg or two when he was treating it with too much levity.
For the flashbacks, they may as well have had the Doctor and Donna crouching down and standing up waving their hands going "Dulalooo, Dulalooo, Dulalooo."
I'm way overdue for a re-watch on this one - haven't seen it since Series 4 came out on disc. I enjoy Donna's enthusiasm too. To me, it indicates an appreciation for the opportunity she's been given and her determination not to take it for granted. The wasp doesn't bother me as much as it does you, I think because it reminds me of the Wirrn from Classic. I loved the pantomime in the kitchen too, and just this once wasn't too bothered by the kiss - it really was the most shocking thing she could do at the time. Like I said, it's been a while, but I remember it with a vague fondness, which I hope will bear out.
Clara (proper) seems to have the rare honour of being one of the few (possibly only?) main new-who companions to never lock lips with the Doctor, despite frequently teasing the idea. And that's a list including Rory Williams, Jackie Tyler and, if we're counting pecks on the forehead, Mickey Smith and Bill Pots. Fun fact though, despite David Tennant and Billie Piper making out on screen more than once, I can't think of a single example of the actual characters of Rose and the Doctor kissing for romantic reasons. Cassandra kissed the Doctor in Rose's body, Rose kissed the Metacrisis Doctor, 9 kissed her to transfer the Bad Wolf energy, but Rose Tyler has never just kissed the Doctor. That's actually kind of hilarious.
@@CouncilofGeeks wasn't it the town called Christmas where the characters found themselves involuntarily speaking their minds. In that case seemingly out of nowhere if she'd been trying to hide it. I thought it was an amusing gag
@@CouncilofGeeks she never finished her sentence though. In my mind, she was about to say "because I really quite fancy.... myself, as a mysterious, superhero, adventure, and my life's was just a bit crap.
One of my favourite episodes. A nice bit of fun before the intense stuff starts. Donna is comedy gold in this episode, especially during the poison scene. The stand-out of this episode is Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie.
Any other companion would have had me skipping this on rewatches, but with Donna I just love it so I have to agree. And the kiss thing doesn't bother me because it is Donna and I know she doesn't have a thing for him which I think is what makes the "shock" work. If it had been any other companion I would have thought "God, not another excuse to have a kiss with the doctor!"
I think the reference for the Vespiform (?) was the famous paperback cover for Death in the Clouds, which seemed to depict a giant wasp attacking a plane, and disappointed a few horror fans when they discovered that's not what the book's actually about.
Tate and Tennant’s comedic skills and their excellent chemistry as actors is just perfectly illustrated by this episode. For me the absurdity of this story is DW at it’s best. Pure and simple. It fully negates the usual cheesiness by not taking itself too seriously and just letting loose. The DW writers do that way, way too little considering the infinite potential of the base setting imo. Then again I also love the Mind Robber too haha! I really like the fact that the setting of the story is pretty low key and not a world ending catastrophe. Also, I do love Poirot. So, easily a favorite new who episode for me. The appearance of bury-your-queers is the only issue I have with this story.
I wonder why the professor wasn't Professor Plum, like in Cluedo, perhaps it's a trade mark and they weren't allowed to use it. Professor Peach was the computer expert in The Italian Job.
only tangentially related but, watching bright young things recently i had a nice laugh at seeing woolgar play another character called agatha in a 1920s setting :p i always thought she did such a charming job as christie
I was a teen when I watched this series of Who episodes & naturally had a crush on Tennant, one reason I watched the series in the first place, and then when we have Donna as a companion, she's brilliant. She makes this one of my favourite Who episodes. Even though it's a bit iffy.
I have a feeling that an Agatha Christie geek on the writing team had a dream about using the wasp from the cover of Death in the Clouds in just this context. And yeah, personally I love this episode _precisely_ because of its light mood and its slight silliness and corniness. I'm also a sucker for this era and the vibes and for Agatha Christie, too, so I was really happy to see the Doctor interact with her. Now if only they could have the surviving members of Monty Python and Weird Al guest-star on the show as well..... Anyway, great episode, slightly silly, don't mind that in the slightest! Also it's reminiscent of the Black Orchid (my favourite Peter Davison episode. I wonder what you're gonna think of it)
John Cleese actually had a camio in the 4th Doctor story The City of Death! It's a bit part, but I definitely reccomend the serial if you haven't seen it.
The Doctor brought up Agatha Christie as a suggestion to Martha in the scene she chose to leave the Tardis. It's probably better that he did it with Donna. I suspect Martha got her fill of early 20th century rich people in Human Nature. =/
This is the only episode from series 4 that I've seen just the once. I don't actually remember it all that well, but I remember how fabulous Donna was in it. And I agree - any other companion would not have worked as well. I think every companion gets a lip-kiss until Bill, honestly. Not all of them are companion-driven - Eleven in his exuberance kisses Rory - but I think you're right about Clara having shared a kiss with the Doctor at some point, too.
Just did a rewatch on this one, and yeah, the wasp thing is a bit off, especially since the wasp doesn't really play any important part in the plot of "Death in the Clouds" (spoilers for an eighty-year-old book, I guess). If they wanted a particularly Christie-an motif, they should have gone with apples, or maybe archaeology, or have the Doctor, Donna and Christie try to unravel a mystery from X years in the past (seriously, that last one happens a LOT in Christie's work after around 1940).
This episode is one of the scariest... for me. You call the design of the monster lazy. I call it terrifying. Because this is coming from a person who has a phobia of any buzzing insects, especially wasps. Without the wasp, I wouldn't know what to praise. The wasp scares me to death. XD
This is one of my favourite episodes of New Who, mostly because I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie and I loved all the book titles peppered through the script. Also, Donna.
I've always seen this episode as purely an excuse to send up the TV adaptations of Agatha Christie on UK TV, which explains some of the almost exaggerated acting. Strangely neither Felicity Kendall (who played the lady of the house and was a favourite of men of my age during the 70s and 80s) or Christopher Benjamin (the Colonel) have appeared in one of those but Catherine Tate did an Agatha Christie's Marple around the same time as she was in Doctor Who. The SF aspects are pretty poor but it is very enjoyable despite that and I agree about Fenella Woolgar being spot on as Christie.
I feel the goofyness of this episode and not taking the murders very seriously plays a bit into the whole Hybris theme for the doctor. Like in Tooth and Claw (even with being called out by Agatha/ Queen Victoria), leading eventually to Waters of Mars... Still think it's a fun episode!
Donna was just such a fun, ridiculous companion; trying so hard to 'do the right thing' and botching it, yet her character had such empathy for others around her:- the Ood two-parter is a great example.... though I must admit, I didn't like the way she went Doctor/Donna in 'Journey's End' and just hit all those magic buttons that RTD so often wrote/used. Other than that, she was a fantastic companion, and moreover, her presence in the series gave us the wonderful Wilf.... Bernard Cribbins was just fabulous in these episodes.... I grew-up seeing him on TV, in films, and on record, through the 60's and 70's and was delighted when he first appeared in Doctor Who on TV, so long after his appearance in the second Dalek film from the 60's (he was great in that too!!). Donna was a fantastic character that really only RTD could have created... :-)
Used to ;love watching during Tennet's time all the Doctor Who Confidentials that aired after each episode. For those who are unaware, "Confidentials were the "making of" background to each episode. Here's a sample: ua-cam.com/video/hx3G5spO2M8/v-deo.html BTW: Tennet's father actual appears in this episode as a footman in one of the early scenes.
I was amazed when I realised the Unicorn was Felicity Jones from the Star Wars movie Rogue One! This episode has great banter and comedy, but it's the Russellest T Daviesest of the whole year, cramming two ideas into one and just shrugging away the absurdities.
@@GuanoLad if that's the case, that would explain how the 4 Moffat stories during RTD's era were such master pieces. He was a real let down for the most part when he became show runner
@@joeclayton2875 Actually Moffat was the one exception, RTD didn't rewrite much of his scripts. If you're interested in learning more about the process, read his book The Writer's Tale. It's a kind of diary following one year of RTD's work on Doctor Who.
I fully stand by the fact that the pantomime scene in Partners in Crime is hilarious I feel the reason it might not work for you is because you're American.
Watched this in it's earlier version but it was removed before I could comment. I really like this episode, it's good fun and a nice play on Christie's own style of crime solving. I also like it when they take something real (Christie's disappearance) and works it into the plot. Although, there are two bits I don't like. First is the Vespiform just being a giant wasp, which is weak. The second is the detox scene, which whilst it was played completely for laughs, it also went too far and hit stupidity with the ingredients and it's OTT'ness. The acting was good across the board though, very suitable for the setting and Donna was an absolute joy again. I also have to mention that, whilst she didn't get to do too much, we get the delightful Felicity Jones in an early, pre-famous role. As I have a crush on her, this episode will always be a positive one for me.
You don't like to edit because you're lazy?...I have never related to something so much until that line 😆 Btw, new fan and I absolutely love your reviews
This is an episode I actually find myself going back to it is pure filler but they make the most of it the interaction between Donna and The Doctor is amazing, the supporting cast is good, and the jokes all still land for me. It is one I can rewatch that is just fun and makes me laugh. Also, the wasp is dumb but I do remember him when I think of Doctor Who villains cause its a friggin wasp so I don't know if that's good or bad but its something.
Yes but in stolen Earth we figure out that bees 🐝 are aliens 👽 so we can “assume” that wasps a close cosine would also be. It doesn’t work with Agither Cristy but it does work with Doctor Who. In the flashback the vespiforms dad was a wasp so there’s your resining.
Thing is i kinda like this episode. this is also one of my Mum's fave episodes mainly because me and her are both big fans of Agatha Christie stories. yeah its a bit goofy and silly but i like it. This episode has its charm and i kinda like it.
I have mixed feelings on this episode--Fenella Woolgar is fantastic and overall I love the guest cast here, but there are a few things that irritate me. Agatha Christie, though her books were not devoid of humour, didn't write comedy and her mysteries generally took murder very seriously--this episode being so "pantomime" does feel a bit at odds with her work (for this tone, I think PG Wodehouse would have been a better historical celebrity). As for the wasp...eh, you make a good point--it was only central to Death in the Clouds so the connexion is very flimsy, but I do feel a bit for the production team here--her books never lent themselves to the supernatural, not unless you look at an obscure short story like The Hound of Death (which is a truly strange story). But otherwise, it's enjoyable if a little frustrating for this Christie fan!
Without wishing to cause upset, I can't be the only one who finds the criticism of 'lazy writing' lazy in and of itself. Using animals as the basis for an alien species is actually a rather clever bit of writing. It allows the general audience a way into the story in a way the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Thrall doesn't. Personally, I think it's a rather witty move.
Th doctor kissed Clara if that still counts? In the Name of the Doctor after she sees all the doctors and the doctor finds her, they hugged and he kissed her neck or something
So the housemaid killed the professor because he was going to find out about the baby, right? So did the wasp stab the young man? As a wasp? And who poisoned the Doctor? This episode has a lot of loose ends.
As usual I agree with you, which doesn't give me much to say, except that disliking a Doctor Who monster is by no means novel for me: I dislike most of them. It's reasonable enough for the Doctor to encounter aliens when he leaves our solar system, but when he stays on Earth (especially in the past!) he shouldn't usually be encountering unknown lifeforms. It's very feasible to write good stories, even good sf stories, populated only by humans and known animals. Such stories have the advantage of being inherently more believable than stories with invented monsters in them.
I think this is the episode that sums up why everyone seems to love series 4 and I struggle to. For most people. this is a great episode purely because of 10 & Donna. I just don't think that's enough to make it great. It's a fun episode and all, which makes it a distinct improvement over the previous one, but it's not *that* good
Yay my comment posted The Wifi at the place Im at stinks Anywaaay love this and one of my fave eps from 10 and the incredible Donna ( we are great for sure )
I don't think I'd entirely classify them killing the gay character as bury your gays, purely because the theme of the episode was based around a murder mystery, there are other stories where it feels much worse as a character is implied or explicitly stated to be gay, and then is killed nearly immediately with no real reason besides trying to show how scary a villain is supposed to be when the mention of their sexuality really added nothing to the scene as it was so obviously just fluff for them to say before some villain killed them out of nowhere.
Not being as bad as other instances doesn’t mean it isn’t still “bury your gays.” He’s the only member of the suspect pool to die, and that’s 50% of the LGBTQ+ population of the episode dead. It counts.
Ok, you don't like the wasp. Now, imagine, with a BBC budget, what an humanoid wasp would look like. Trust me, you have hated it even more. That said, it's a good goofy episode with a great performance from our favourite comedy duet, The Doctor and Donna !
@Rebecca Woolf Tell your Mom that some random person on the internet agrees with her! This is just one of those episodes that I'd only watch if it was on TV and there wan nothing else on.
"Here, something salty!"
"What is it?"
"Salt!"
"That's too salty!"
"Oh, tHaT's ToO sAlTy!"
Reason number 6 why Donna is a great companion. Lines like this.
@@dubbingsync Even better WHAT Catherine Tate did with those lines. Among all Doctor Who copananians she is one of the finest actresses and a brilliant comedian There is no eppsode with her were I could hold back an amused loud laugh because of the delicate way she had handled Situation Comedy.
I have seen this episode recently on German TV ( ONE is the station ) but compared to the clips in the original language the lines were not as smashing. For example I GIVE YOU PLUCKY - ICH GEBE IHNEN WACKER ( = STABLE; BRAVE; DARING ) not as good as PLUCKY in my eyes.
2:02 So, you did not liked the story ? I thought it amusing since as an old board gamer I felt very much reminded at CLUEDO or CLUE in America and Canada. You clearly have missed the point here that this episode is some kind of a tuned in Fantasy version of the board game. You know some gamers do this with those Classics,
This entire season will be just “Donna is the best”.
AS IT SHOULD BE! #DoctorDonna4ever
@@JekyViewsAs it should be indeed. #Doctordonna4ever
Take Donna out and I probably wouldn't like this episode half as much as I do. It's her reactions to everything going on that makes it so fun, especially the scene where the Doctor is solving the mystery with everyone present and he points to Donna and she's like; "Who did I kill?!"
There are a bunch of episodes (this included) in that season which would have been a bit lacklustre without her, but Donna made such a *delight* . I really miss that sort of chemistry and fizz and... I can't even find words for all the things Donna/Catherine brought to the screen. She just elevated every scene was in, made it all such a pleasure to watch. 💕
Rose “So she’s the murderer?”
To be fair, you could say that about quite a few of the Doctor Who episodes in the past. Some of the episodes simply wouldn't work without how the companion(s) interacts with the Doctor or the surrounding circumstances.
Now I want to see fanfics which rewrite episodes with different companions and/or Doctors.
Donna: Uh, um, Harvey Wallbanger.
Doctor: HARVEY WALLBANGER!?
Donna: Well I can't...
Doctor: HOW IS HARVEY WALLBANGER ONE WORD!?
A charming and goofy piece of filler. My favourite scenes are the kitchen detox and: 'Oh come on! It’s not like we could drive across country and find Enid Blyton having tea with Noddy. Could we? Noddy’s not real. Is he? Tell me there’s no Noddy!'
@@xenon8117 You're wrong! All my childhood life I was called Big Ears (guess why) and without Noddy there is no Big Ears!
Series 12 leaked episode summary.
(Also, if things work out as usual, then we'll have the 13th Doctor in series 13.)
Yeah that's a perfect way to sum this episode up.
How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?
Having recently finished “Agatha Christie’s Poirot”, I suddenly have an appreciation for this episode that I hadn’t before. The Doctor playing the Detective is all sorts of fun. You can see he’s sort of channeling Christie’s famous Belgian, much to her chagrin. Donna being his Hastings is also hilarious, trying to speak 20s and immediately being shutdown always makes me laugh. I also appreciate that Donna sympathies with the butler not being able to mourn his lover. Christie herself is a wonderful historical cameo. You can tell her recent divorce is taking it’s toll and this adventure gives her the strength to carry on.... after all, she’s British. Special shoutout to seeing Felicity Jones as “The Unicorn”. A great take on a classic Christie side character and fun to see established actors before their big break.
I don't think she was divorced yet at the time this was supposed to take place. I haven't watched this one in a while but I think I recall that the underlying premise of the episode was that it explained the (real) missing 11 days in her life which was just after her husband asked for a divorce. You're right though that it can explain her reactions to some events. That was one of the things I liked about the episode - that it mixed reality (Agatha's disappearance) with the the fictional meeting with the Doctor.
I've read a few Christie's and it totally works with this episode, it captures the feel of her books as well as being able to effectively parody the many television adaptations of her work. Murder, mystery and Agatha Christie.
This episode is really underrated
I love how the Agatha Christie references are more subtle than normal, so you actually have to know the books to get the references.
And yet as someone who doesn't know the books I still enjoy it without feeling like I got half the enjoyment
@@tomkenning5482I think that shows how well it was written, the references were there for the Christie fans but if you missed them it didn't spoil the story.
Like the Murder on the Orient Express one. I knew that reference when I first watched this episode because I read it in high school, but I also got a kick out of the references to the ones that I haven't read, like anything Miss Marple related.
i watched this with my mum once and we played a game of how many Agatha Christie Book titles can they slip into one episode. because my mum is a huge fan of Agatha Christie books. i think this is the only episode of Doctor Who i can watch with my mum because of that reason.
The elder man in this episode. Was in Classic Who, Jago from the Talons of Weng-Chiang. He is good in both Classic and New Who!
This is hands down my favourite 10th Doctor story. Absolutely love it. It may not be technically the best, but it’s my favourite. It’s just *fun*, Donna (best companion ever, including classic Who) is great and Fenella Woolgar is one of the best one-off actors in new Who. And finally, all the Easter egg Agatha Christie titles are great fun.
I love seeing so many people love Donna now, I remember the huge controversy about Catherine Tate before, during and after her time, and I still love how much Catherine Tate barely knows about Doctor Who, which is so Donna.
Patrick Spelman yeah, Donna also doesn’t know much about doctor who.
The Colonel is played by Christopher Benjamin who played Henry Gordon Jago in the Talons of Weng Chiang and in the subsequent Big Finish audio series Jago and Lightfoot. Also, the footman who has no lines, who only appears at the very beginning in the outside scene is David Tennant’s late father- The Reverend Sandy MacDonald. Which is nice.
SammySatine what he died? ☹️☹️☹️😢
Random thought: the Big Bad was a wasp...at a party full of WASPS.
The dumbest part to me is when the Reverend starts changing into the wasp and starts going "ZZzz zzz zZZZ!". It's so stupid and it's played seriously. Wasps make that sound with their wings. Why is he going "ZZZ ZZ!"?
I mean, fair play to the actor. He did the best he could with it, but it shouldn't have been in the script to do that.
Here here. Thank goodness I reviewed the comments as I would otherwise have duplicated this one. In my opinion, this was the only flaw in an otherwise marvellous story. I liken it a little to Black Orchid from Peter Davidson's era
Well, Donna just kissed the Doctor because they needed a SHOCK. And it was! She had already demonstrated through the pantomimes (comedy gold imho) that she wasn’t thinking particularly clear, so she probably thought something along the lines of “What could I do to shock him, something we both know I’d never ever do? A-HAAA!”
I really enjoy this episode every time I rewatch it. It’s so absurd and awesomely wonky. :)
I love this episode because it's just so much fun. It's a bit ridiculous, but it's never boring and it's got some of the funniest scenes of new who in my opinion.(Like the detox, Donna trying to get copyright for mentioning Agatha's ideas to her, and Donnas "who did I kill?") The giant wasp is a bit lazy but I love it when Donna is asked what she means by a giant wasp and goes "I mean a wasp that's giant"
...basically I just love Donna
The thing that I love most about this episode is Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie. As a huge Christie fan, she is exactly how I imagined Christie would be. Her mannerisms, her way of speaking, her clumsy sort of naivete while still maintaining a fair bit of confidence is *perfect*. It's the perfect portrayal of that woman.
Fun fact: in the Christie novel Lady Edison is reading when the Firestone activates- the Murder of Roger Ackroyd- it is the narrator who is revealed at the end to be the murderer. This goes some of the way towards explaining why the Vespiform does what it does.
I think Donna kissing the Doctor would've worked very well if it had been the first time in New Who that he'd been kissed by a companion.
-Rose (although it was Metacrisis doctor)
-Martha (even though it was for some scientific reason)
-Donna
-Amy Pond
-Bill (on the cheek)
Idk why the writers are always obsessed with this happening with the companions
@@WiloPolis03 a kiss on the cheek doesn't really count
@@archie4president330 Yeah, fair enough
Pretty sure Captain Jack and Rory are somewhere on the list as well
@@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770 Well I guess there was that scene in New Earth when Rose was possessed
I love this episode 😂 you are right however about the vespiform - in the writer’s tale RTD describes how he and this episode’s writer struggled to come up with what the vespiform’s true form should look like and eventually settled on a giant wasp because of that one Agatha Christie cover - to be fair I would also struggle to think of an alien or monster that’s related to her or her stories !
Just imagine an Agatha Christie story with Agatha Christie, the Doctor, Donna and a giant Wasp.
I love your excitement for Donna. It's always so brilliant
This genuinely is my favourite one off episode. I don’t know if it’s the fun and silliness, Donna + tennant or the whodunnit theme. It just a never gets old and I can watch it over and over.
I like the episode. It's just pure fun, not meant to be taken seriously. I loved how they worked the titles of so many Christie novels into the dialogue, then added the tongue in cheek bit with "murder at the vicar's rage. Too much?", showing that they were very aware that what they were doing could go too far..
This is my go-to when I just want something fun! Love Donna's enthusiasm and compassion where-ever she goes. As for the kiss, it would totally shock the Doctor, and it showed! That wouldn't have worked with either Rose or Martha. Awkward moment afterwards when he says he really must do that again.... the detox, he means, was fun. Loved how Agatha brought him down a peg or two when he was treating it with too much levity.
I love the Unicorn and the Wasp just cos of how silly it is. Made me giggle quite a few times.
For the flashbacks, they may as well have had the Doctor and Donna crouching down and standing up waving their hands going "Dulalooo, Dulalooo, Dulalooo."
You say it mightnt work with any of the other companions. I'd argue that 2 and Jamie would work amazingly in this
“OH, alright then. Yes, I’m the bleedin’ Unicorn- very nice to meet you, I don’t fink.”
You forgot to mention that when Donna was going ‘so she did kill him, so he killed him’ she was eating popcorn like she was watching a movie 😂😂
I'm way overdue for a re-watch on this one - haven't seen it since Series 4 came out on disc. I enjoy Donna's enthusiasm too. To me, it indicates an appreciation for the opportunity she's been given and her determination not to take it for granted. The wasp doesn't bother me as much as it does you, I think because it reminds me of the Wirrn from Classic. I loved the pantomime in the kitchen too, and just this once wasn't too bothered by the kiss - it really was the most shocking thing she could do at the time. Like I said, it's been a while, but I remember it with a vague fondness, which I hope will bear out.
Yes, technically Clara kissed the Doctor, although it was Victorian nanny Clara in The Snowmen. I don't remember modern Clara ever kissing him.
No, but she did confess to fancying him in Time of the Doctor out of bloody nowhere.
@@CouncilofGeeks hooray for surprise romances
Clara (proper) seems to have the rare honour of being one of the few (possibly only?) main new-who companions to never lock lips with the Doctor, despite frequently teasing the idea. And that's a list including Rory Williams, Jackie Tyler and, if we're counting pecks on the forehead, Mickey Smith and Bill Pots.
Fun fact though, despite David Tennant and Billie Piper making out on screen more than once, I can't think of a single example of the actual characters of Rose and the Doctor kissing for romantic reasons. Cassandra kissed the Doctor in Rose's body, Rose kissed the Metacrisis Doctor, 9 kissed her to transfer the Bad Wolf energy, but Rose Tyler has never just kissed the Doctor. That's actually kind of hilarious.
@@CouncilofGeeks wasn't it the town called Christmas where the characters found themselves involuntarily speaking their minds. In that case seemingly out of nowhere if she'd been trying to hide it. I thought it was an amusing gag
@@CouncilofGeeks she never finished her sentence though.
In my mind, she was about to say "because I really quite fancy.... myself, as a mysterious, superhero, adventure, and my life's was just a bit crap.
One of my favourite episodes. A nice bit of fun before the intense stuff starts. Donna is comedy gold in this episode, especially during the poison scene. The stand-out of this episode is Fenella Woolgar as Agatha Christie.
It’s the 9th anniversary of the end of the universe today.
I love how much he loves Donna. She's awesome. I hate how much he hates on Clara. She's awesome.
Well, if you upload it twice, then I'll watch it twice. So there...
4:36 or Shakespeare with witches.
Any other companion would have had me skipping this on rewatches, but with Donna I just love it so I have to agree. And the kiss thing doesn't bother me because it is Donna and I know she doesn't have a thing for him which I think is what makes the "shock" work. If it had been any other companion I would have thought "God, not another excuse to have a kiss with the doctor!"
I think the reference for the Vespiform (?) was the famous paperback cover for Death in the Clouds, which seemed to depict a giant wasp attacking a plane, and disappointed a few horror fans when they discovered that's not what the book's actually about.
Tate and Tennant’s comedic skills and their excellent chemistry as actors is just perfectly illustrated by this episode. For me the absurdity of this story is DW at it’s best. Pure and simple. It fully negates the usual cheesiness by not taking itself too seriously and just letting loose. The DW writers do that way, way too little considering the infinite potential of the base setting imo. Then again I also love the Mind Robber too haha! I really like the fact that the setting of the story is pretty low key and not a world ending catastrophe. Also, I do love Poirot. So, easily a favorite new who episode for me. The appearance of bury-your-queers is the only issue I have with this story.
I wonder why the professor wasn't Professor Plum, like in Cluedo, perhaps it's a trade mark and they weren't allowed to use it. Professor Peach was the computer expert in The Italian Job.
Pretty sure it's an issue of copyright or trademark.
only tangentially related but, watching bright young things recently i had a nice laugh at seeing woolgar play another character called agatha in a 1920s setting :p i always thought she did such a charming job as christie
We are getting so close to my fav episode ever which is Turn Left
Now i know why i liked it so much, its selfaware , agathas actor has actually a believable active part in the episode and donna fangirling.
Aye, we are coming up to one best two parters soon! Can’t wait!
I was a teen when I watched this series of Who episodes & naturally had a crush on Tennant, one reason I watched the series in the first place, and then when we have Donna as a companion, she's brilliant. She makes this one of my favourite Who episodes. Even though it's a bit iffy.
I have a feeling that an Agatha Christie geek on the writing team had a dream about using the wasp from the cover of Death in the Clouds in just this context.
And yeah, personally I love this episode _precisely_ because of its light mood and its slight silliness and corniness. I'm also a sucker for this era and the vibes and for Agatha Christie, too, so I was really happy to see the Doctor interact with her. Now if only they could have the surviving members of Monty Python and Weird Al guest-star on the show as well..... Anyway, great episode, slightly silly, don't mind that in the slightest! Also it's reminiscent of the Black Orchid (my favourite Peter Davison episode. I wonder what you're gonna think of it)
Black Orchid is my favourite 5th Doctor adventure too. And David Tennant's father-in-law was in it ;-)
@@grumpyoldman3458 Cool, glad to see somebody else who appreciates that episode!
Omg, I've just independently made the same comparison! Love both stories
John Cleese actually had a camio in the 4th Doctor story The City of Death! It's a bit part, but I definitely reccomend the serial if you haven't seen it.
@@grumpyoldman3458 I read David Tennant's father is in the Unicorn and the Wasp (footman in the beginning). Nice coincidence!
I always love when comedy and brutal dead is juxtaposed in Doctor Who. It makes the death even more terrifying in my book, it's alien and uncanny.
The Doctor brought up Agatha Christie as a suggestion to Martha in the scene she chose to leave the Tardis. It's probably better that he did it with Donna. I suspect Martha got her fill of early 20th century rich people in Human Nature. =/
This is the only episode from series 4 that I've seen just the once. I don't actually remember it all that well, but I remember how fabulous Donna was in it. And I agree - any other companion would not have worked as well.
I think every companion gets a lip-kiss until Bill, honestly. Not all of them are companion-driven - Eleven in his exuberance kisses Rory - but I think you're right about Clara having shared a kiss with the Doctor at some point, too.
Just did a rewatch on this one, and yeah, the wasp thing is a bit off, especially since the wasp doesn't really play any important part in the plot of "Death in the Clouds" (spoilers for an eighty-year-old book, I guess). If they wanted a particularly Christie-an motif, they should have gone with apples, or maybe archaeology, or have the Doctor, Donna and Christie try to unravel a mystery from X years in the past (seriously, that last one happens a LOT in Christie's work after around 1940).
Is the vespiform a big wasp?or is a wasp a small vespirorm?
Mind. Blown.
Pedants' corner:it's Fenella,not Fanella🎩
This is a fun random episode. There's no point to it but it's still enjoyable. I truly adore it.
Radio vs the Martians isn't on Spotify and it makes me sad :(
Check out the Ghostbusters commentary on the first movie. That's real good
This episode is one of the scariest... for me. You call the design of the monster lazy. I call it terrifying. Because this is coming from a person who has a phobia of any buzzing insects, especially wasps. Without the wasp, I wouldn't know what to praise. The wasp scares me to death. XD
This is one of my favourite episodes of New Who, mostly because I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie and I loved all the book titles peppered through the script. Also, Donna.
I've always seen this episode as purely an excuse to send up the TV adaptations of Agatha Christie on UK TV, which explains some of the almost exaggerated acting. Strangely neither Felicity Kendall (who played the lady of the house and was a favourite of men of my age during the 70s and 80s) or Christopher Benjamin (the Colonel) have appeared in one of those but Catherine Tate did an Agatha Christie's Marple around the same time as she was in Doctor Who. The SF aspects are pretty poor but it is very enjoyable despite that and I agree about Fenella Woolgar being spot on as Christie.
This is based on the Agatha Christy novel death in the clouds
Fanella Woolgar looks like a british Laura Dern
I feel the goofyness of this episode and not taking the murders very seriously plays a bit into the whole Hybris theme for the doctor. Like in Tooth and Claw (even with being called out by Agatha/ Queen Victoria), leading eventually to Waters of Mars...
Still think it's a fun episode!
Donna was just such a fun, ridiculous companion; trying so hard to 'do the right thing' and botching it, yet her character had such empathy for others around her:- the Ood two-parter is a great example.... though I must admit, I didn't like the way she went Doctor/Donna in 'Journey's End' and just hit all those magic buttons that RTD so often wrote/used.
Other than that, she was a fantastic companion, and moreover, her presence in the series gave us the wonderful Wilf.... Bernard Cribbins was just fabulous in these episodes.... I grew-up seeing him on TV, in films, and on record, through the 60's and 70's and was delighted when he first appeared in Doctor Who on TV, so long after his appearance in the second Dalek film from the 60's (he was great in that too!!).
Donna was a fantastic character that really only RTD could have created... :-)
Used to ;love watching during Tennet's time all the Doctor Who Confidentials that aired after each episode. For those who are unaware, "Confidentials were the "making of" background to each episode.
Here's a sample: ua-cam.com/video/hx3G5spO2M8/v-deo.html
BTW: Tennet's father actual appears in this episode as a footman in one of the early scenes.
6:11 That's now a meme
I was amazed when I realised the Unicorn was Felicity Jones from the Star Wars movie Rogue One!
This episode has great banter and comedy, but it's the Russellest T Daviesest of the whole year, cramming two ideas into one and just shrugging away the absurdities.
Which is funny considering this episode was written by Gareth Roberts
@@ModulusHD Russell T Davies rewrote every single episode he show-ran. It's an unspoken necessity.
@@GuanoLad if that's the case, that would explain how the 4 Moffat stories during RTD's era were such master pieces. He was a real let down for the most part when he became show runner
@@joeclayton2875 Actually Moffat was the one exception, RTD didn't rewrite much of his scripts. If you're interested in learning more about the process, read his book The Writer's Tale. It's a kind of diary following one year of RTD's work on Doctor Who.
I fully stand by the fact that the pantomime scene in Partners in Crime is hilarious I feel the reason it might not work for you is because you're American.
I'm German and I also think it's hilarious!
If it helps, they do say later some bees are actually aliens in an episode...
Not all of them, as the Doctor points out ;)
@@ZoeMalDoran I said some :P
@@GoofyGE3K Sorry. I misread the comment and somehow failed to notice the "some"
This is one of my fave eps of the series
Watched this in it's earlier version but it was removed before I could comment.
I really like this episode, it's good fun and a nice play on Christie's own style of crime solving. I also like it when they take something real (Christie's disappearance) and works it into the plot. Although, there are two bits I don't like. First is the Vespiform just being a giant wasp, which is weak. The second is the detox scene, which whilst it was played completely for laughs, it also went too far and hit stupidity with the ingredients and it's OTT'ness.
The acting was good across the board though, very suitable for the setting and Donna was an absolute joy again. I also have to mention that, whilst she didn't get to do too much, we get the delightful Felicity Jones in an early, pre-famous role. As I have a crush on her, this episode will always be a positive one for me.
Got to see your Toy Story 4 review early 😅😉
You don't like to edit because you're lazy?...I have never related to something so much until that line 😆
Btw, new fan and I absolutely love your reviews
If your largest issue is with a boring monster of the week villain then all in all it can't be too bad can it?
This is an episode I actually find myself going back to it is pure filler but they make the most of it the interaction between Donna and The Doctor is amazing, the supporting cast is good, and the jokes all still land for me. It is one I can rewatch that is just fun and makes me laugh. Also, the wasp is dumb but I do remember him when I think of Doctor Who villains cause its a friggin wasp so I don't know if that's good or bad but its something.
Yes but in stolen Earth we figure out that bees 🐝 are aliens 👽 so we can “assume” that wasps a close cosine would also be. It doesn’t work with Agither Cristy but it does work with Doctor Who.
In the flashback the vespiforms dad was a wasp so there’s your resining.
Thing is i kinda like this episode. this is also one of my Mum's fave episodes mainly because me and her are both big fans of Agatha Christie stories. yeah its a bit goofy and silly but i like it. This episode has its charm and i kinda like it.
Glad that I can finish watch this review now.
I have mixed feelings on this episode--Fenella Woolgar is fantastic and overall I love the guest cast here, but there are a few things that irritate me. Agatha Christie, though her books were not devoid of humour, didn't write comedy and her mysteries generally took murder very seriously--this episode being so "pantomime" does feel a bit at odds with her work (for this tone, I think PG Wodehouse would have been a better historical celebrity). As for the wasp...eh, you make a good point--it was only central to Death in the Clouds so the connexion is very flimsy, but I do feel a bit for the production team here--her books never lent themselves to the supernatural, not unless you look at an obscure short story like The Hound of Death (which is a truly strange story). But otherwise, it's enjoyable if a little frustrating for this Christie fan!
Without wishing to cause upset, I can't be the only one who finds the criticism of 'lazy writing' lazy in and of itself. Using animals as the basis for an alien species is actually a rather clever bit of writing. It allows the general audience a way into the story in a way the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Thrall doesn't. Personally, I think it's a rather witty move.
Only criticism: you should’ve used an Agatha Christie title in the intro.
Th doctor kissed Clara if that still counts? In the Name of the Doctor after she sees all the doctors and the doctor finds her, they hugged and he kissed her neck or something
Who else caught the Toy Story 4 review early?’
Yep!
I did!
So the housemaid killed the professor because he was going to find out about the baby, right? So did the wasp stab the young man? As a wasp? And who poisoned the Doctor? This episode has a lot of loose ends.
I'm back to watch the second half
As usual I agree with you, which doesn't give me much to say, except that disliking a Doctor Who monster is by no means novel for me: I dislike most of them. It's reasonable enough for the Doctor to encounter aliens when he leaves our solar system, but when he stays on Earth (especially in the past!) he shouldn't usually be encountering unknown lifeforms. It's very feasible to write good stories, even good sf stories, populated only by humans and known animals. Such stories have the advantage of being inherently more believable than stories with invented monsters in them.
I think this is the episode that sums up why everyone seems to love series 4 and I struggle to. For most people. this is a great episode purely because of 10 & Donna. I just don't think that's enough to make it great. It's a fun episode and all, which makes it a distinct improvement over the previous one, but it's not *that* good
Oh, so the Toy Story video wasn't supposed to go up?
It was a great vid anyway.
Back on Friday.
@@CouncilofGeeks Cool!
I'm too soft in this episode. It's one of favourites of all time, but it's mainly because it's my favourite time, setting and genre for any story.
Yay my comment posted The Wifi at the place Im at stinks Anywaaay love this and one of my fave eps from 10 and the incredible Donna ( we are great for sure )
I reckon at the master John smiss wood diffent fit in at one
I feel like a the giant wasp is better than the cat people as a giant wasp is a threat
I don't think I'd entirely classify them killing the gay character as bury your gays, purely because the theme of the episode was based around a murder mystery, there are other stories where it feels much worse as a character is implied or explicitly stated to be gay, and then is killed nearly immediately with no real reason besides trying to show how scary a villain is supposed to be when the mention of their sexuality really added nothing to the scene as it was so obviously just fluff for them to say before some villain killed them out of nowhere.
Not being as bad as other instances doesn’t mean it isn’t still “bury your gays.” He’s the only member of the suspect pool to die, and that’s 50% of the LGBTQ+ population of the episode dead. It counts.
@@CouncilofGeeks Ok it falls into the trope, technically.
Actually there are wasps in two Agatha Christie stories; "Death In The Clouds" and "The Wasp's Nest".
@@auskipper
You can see no reasons.
'Cause there are no reasons.
I dunno it's kinda funny that he's both a Wasp and a W.A.S.P. XD
...I only figured that out just now... :-/
Ok, you don't like the wasp. Now, imagine, with a BBC budget, what an humanoid wasp would look like. Trust me, you have hated it even more.
That said, it's a good goofy episode with a great performance from our favourite comedy duet, The Doctor and Donna !
Clara did kiss him in The Snowman
I'd buy that, but strictly speaking that was a different "incarnation" of Clara - Clara Oswin Oswald - than the regular companion.
So this episode makes Clara the only companion to not kiss the Doctor in any way...
no she kisses him on the cheek in day of the doctor
I have to admit that yes this episode is cheesy as all hell and very camp but I have a massive soft spot for it
This episode was bizarre, a bit too silly for me, given the factual characters involved. Catherine Tate is great though!
@Rebecca Woolf Tell your Mom that some random person on the internet agrees with her! This is just one of those episodes that I'd only watch if it was on TV and there wan nothing else on.
Clara kissed 11 and then Missy kissed 12.
My favourite story