Watch Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride For Free

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Absolutely brilliant

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Catherine Tate showed up in the last few moments of the second series finale of Doctor Who as a woman on her wedding day who inexplicably pops up in the TARDIS, much to the perplexment of the Doctor. Which served to carry on into the Christmas special where we learn her name, Donna, and back story. Perhaps this is because the character of Rose was such an integral part of Doctor Who since the latest incarnation, perhaps it's because I found Donna to be quite annoying for the first 20 or so minutes of this special, perhaps because the first half seemed to be a bit of fun, but insubstantial fluff. In all probability a combination of the three aforementioned gripes, but I couldn't help but feel that this wasn't as good as last year's special. Not to say it was bad at all, on the contrary it DID pick up steam greatly after the first 20 minutes and I ended up enjoying it overall. Still I'm glad that Tate isn't going to be the next companion. I can't wait for the new series!! My Grade: B-

The Doctor barely has had time to get over Rose before he finds himself with another woman in his Tardis – this time a bride on her wedding day. The Doctor cannot figure out how she got there but a quick return to earth later reveals robots disguised as Santa who are after Donna and, whatever the reason, it probably isn't a good one. On the run from her would-be captors, the Doctor starts to piece together a reason for alien interest in his new (unwilling) companion involving a former Torchwood facility.Everybody sat to watch this and I'm sure it will have been one of the biggest ratings winners across the Christmas period, which I imagine leaves the makers with the problem of trying to tailor the special to meet this diverse audience. With the normal series it can bring out certain aspects (the silliness, the darkness, the relationship etc) across different episodes and accept that some viewers will like some episodes but not others, but with these one-off things you only get one shot. Hence here then we a mix of comedy, special effects, action, monsters, dark character traits and hints at an inner pain in the Doctor. Needless to say no one aspect gets done really well but none gets left completely out – and it more of less manages to stay on the fine line between giving everyone something as opposed to annoying everyone!However depending on your point of view there will be parts that don't work. Personally I really enjoyed the hints at the darker nature of the Doctor (eg his single-mindedness in wiping out the creatures) and his feelings of loss regarding Rose and I would have liked more of that. However I knew this was never going to slow down and be about that so I accepted that we would have lots of Santa robots, exploding baubles and so on. This all works reasonably well and produces a solid enough piece of family entertainment that should please fans of the series even if everyone will have some reservations about some of the aspects of it. For me one of these things was the casting of Tate. I think towards the end she got better but for the first half her "Eastender's reject" act just grated on me and I didn't find it funny (which I think was the plan) and I thought she clashed heavily with some of the quiet moments attempted early on. Which was a shame because I though Tennant was best in these moments – moments where he was allowed to be a character rather than a panto-hero-come-action-figure. Of course he does the latter well enough as well but as usual I did wish that he didn't greet everything that happens with a big "oh, of COURSE" burst of recognition and instant understanding. Parish hams it up a bit too much as the Empress of the Rachnos; I didn't mind her accent so much but her "jokes" didn't fit her character and I would have liked her to have been more ambiguous (after all – if they did create the earth as a rock to "hibernate" then the humans are not really their fault). The writers do bring a touch of this out at the end but it is too little to really justify as anything. Gilet is solid enough in a minor role but nobody really steps up to adequately fill the hole left by Piper – for that we have a very fast pace that never really lets up for longer than a minute or two.Overall then, a lively and enjoyable Christmas special that has lots of energy and something for everyone in the delivery. The lack of quiet moments and character exploration was a bit of a disappointment to me (particularly as they hinted at doing it) but it was still quite enjoyable. That said, the presence of Tate's mostly annoying performance did distract me but also made me realise what a job Agyeman has ahead of her in the new series because the "partner" role is an important one to get right.

As the end credits rolled on Christmas Day, I was left feeling distinctly underwhelmed by "The Runaway Bride". Following the previous Christmas special ("The Christmas Invasion"), I had high expectations. Unfortunately, the 2006 special is something of a damp squib although it does have its moments.The usually horrendously annoying Catherine Tate appears as The Doctor's temporary companion following the loss of Rose Tyler at the end of the last season. I've never understood the appeal of Ms. Tate and this production has done little to shed any light on this mystery. Her early scenes are ham-fisted and poorly executed. However, by the end of this story, Tate has partially redeemed herself as she does bring moments of comedy to the proceedings.There are some saving graces for this production. Firstly, David Tennant is as entertaining as always. Long may his travels in the TARDIS continue - he's going to be a very tough act to follow. Tennant reveals a little more of what makes his Doctor tick in "The Runaway Bride". I have no doubts that the best is yet to come.Secondly, there is the excellent and genuinely exciting TARDIS chase scene. I won't say anymore but this was a spectacular set-piece and it showed just how far the production values have improved.Although my initial reaction to this special is one of disappointment, it's far from being a total disaster. For a Christmas episode, though, this lacked festive sparkle and left me feeling more than a tad disappointed. However, this is a Doctor caught in the midst of change and the tone reflects this. Even Russell T. Davies' script seemed without its usual magic and zest, although there are a few sizzling one-liners. Previous (brief) Xmas enemies were shoe-horned into the production without really adding anything to plot-development. The script seemed a little dull and director Euros Lyn fails to set proceedings truly alight although there are some memorable scenes.The usually easy-on-the-eye Sarah Parish is practically unrecognisable as the evil Empress Of Rachnos. 10 out of 10 for the effects guys, they've done a sterling job in creating this new spider-monster. Parish herself is a lot of fun and fills her screen time with an over-the-top but successful and likable performance. It's a shame her appearance is limited - she's a very watchable villain with a wicked sense of humour.The delightfully pretty Krystal Archer appears briefly as Tate's nemesis, Nerys and makes the most of her small role. Don Gilet is also amusing as "The Runaway Bride"'s fiancée, Lance. As a stop-gap between series, "The Runaway Bride" serves its purpose. I imagine, though, that Tennant's Doctor will weep with relief that his next long-term companion isn't Catherine Tate.As a teaser, the episode finishes with a tantalising glimpse of the next series. Although a fleeting compilation of scenes can be deceptive, the next series looks simply amazing and promises the return of some familiar characters.

The run away bride as a Christmas special was fantastic, with all the sadness of eastenders Doctor who brought back that little piece of fun. Catherine Tate was superb and David Tennant was brilliant as always (and as tasty as always too) After doomsday I wasn't sure if I could laugh again knowing that Rose had gone and the doctor was grieving, however, I was chuckling all the way through and it was nice to see that even through all that chaos the doctor still had time to remember his now lost friend. The episode was full of wit and their transport devises had me in stitches and the spider monster was great I really have nothing bad to say about this episode.I did notice and maybe others did too, but did anyone else notice how in that episode so many of the settings were similar to ones we've seen before. For example, when they are climbing that ladder (new earth) the whole underground layer (new earth) when Donna is walking around the outside of the tardis( first episode ever). There almost seem to be and under layer of episodes put together in a memory of Rose, but it was very subtle to see.I recommend that people see this, if they haven't already.