There were a few moments in the third season of the revived Doctor Who when you begin to wonder if the bubble has burst. A couple of tepid Dalek episodes, and a handful of forgettable stories, make you begin--perhaps for the first time since the show???s revival--whether it???s already hits its peak.

But never underestimate the new Doctor Who. For the back run of series three is as good as anything that???s gone before it, with ingenious plotting, the clever layering of elements it casually--nah, crucially--refers to later on, and some quite superb individual episodes. It not only restores any hint of lost faith, it sets the bar even higher.

Examples? The stunning single story Blink is extremely clever, genuinely scary and has immense rewatch value. While the equally strong double-header of Human Nature and The Family Of Blood is a two-parter in the traditional Doctor Who way, building up its story in a measured and really effectively creepy way.

Then there???s the finale. Presenting the Doctor with one of his finest, most ingenious villains makes for quite brilliant television (albeit with a slightly underwhelming concluding episode), as exciting to long-time fans of Doctor Who as it is for the newcomers.

And that, ultimately, is the brilliance of Doctor Who. It staggers so many levels of viewer enthusiasm, appeals to an extremely broad age demographic, and woos over fans new and old in a manner that no show currently on television can manage. And while the clich?? of hiding behind the sofa may not be as accurate as it once was, Doctor Who season three will undoubtedly leave you gripped to the TV. --Simon Brew

Doctor Who Series 3 sees David Tennat and Freema Agyeman come together as the time-travelling duo.

1. Smith & Jones - Bringing the characters together, Smith & Jones sees the Judoon, rhino-headed intergalactic police, searching for an alien assassin inside a London Hospital. 6.5/10

2. The Shakespeare Code - In Elizabethan London, the Doctor and Martha meet Shakespeare, and a trio of witches bent on unleashing a curse using his plays. 8/10

3. Gridlock - In the far future, the Doctor is desperatly searching for a kidknapped Martha. But under the city of New New York, in amongs the millions of cars stuck in a 50 year long traffic jam, an alien crab-like race is feeding on unwary tavellers. 7/10

4. Daleks in Manhatten - As the Empire State Building is being constructed in 1930's New York, the out-of-work people living in Central Park are being tested for a new race of Dalek/Humans. 7/10

5. Evoloution of the Daleks - In a race against time, the Doctor must stop the Daleks from completing their plans. But how will Dalek Sec's human half react to it all. 6.5/10

6. The Lazurus Experiment - The Doctor is introduced to Martha's family when they arrive at Professor Lazurus' convention. What they didn't bet on was facing on a mutated scorpion trying to kill them. 7.5/10

7. 42 - On a spaceship collecting ore from the sun, a possessed crew member starts picking off the survivors one by one. 8/10

8. Human Nature - School Teacher, John Smith has crazy dreams of a flying blue box. But as a strange family are desperate for the power of the TARDIS, it is up to Martha to save the day. 8/10

9. The Family of Blood - With the John Smith in denial and the Family of Blood attacking the school, Martha must use a mysterious fogwatch to bring the Doctor back. 7.5/10

10. Blink - Sally Sparrow must use the help of a mysterious man from 1943 to survive the threat of the Weeping Angels, stone figures obsessed with having the TARDIS. 10/10

11. Utopia - At the end of the universe, a group of desperate humans are trying to reach the legendary Utopia, aided by the amazing Professor Yana. But they live in fear as the Futurekind are breaking in. 9/10

12. The Sound of Drums - The Master has made it to Earth and has become the Primeminister. As democracy turns to anarchy and then to dictatorship, the Doctor must put a stop to it. 8/10

13. The Last of the Time Lords - Trapped on Airhaven, the Doctor and Captain Jack Harkness must rely on Martha to spread the word and save the day. 7/10

Series 3 of Doctor Who has two or three gems but the rest are pretty ordianry. There are a few guest stars (John Simm, Derek Jacobi) and the scripts are good but the real let down is the anit-climatic finale. Built up so well, RTD failed to make it live up to expectations and left most Doctor Who fans disapointed and wanting more. Overall, good, but in the standards of Doctor Who, not the best.

I dont care what the old folks say, this is modern and great for todays viewing. 10 out of 10.

i have found series three of Doctor who to be very refreshing...although there are a few duds this year it doesn't harm the show but makes the better episodes shine.
Martha Jones exceeded my expectations,as i thought that she was going to be another Rose Tyler she turned out to be a great companion and very three dimensional although lacking Roses charismatic persona she brings something new to the table,and her character is explored with depth.
eppy reviews-
the runaway bride-4/5-a very good christmas special...Catherine Tate was a breath of fresh air and was extremely entertaining tpo watch(glad she was the main companion in series 4)the Racnoss is a great creation and reminds me of the alien queen from the Alien franchise.

Smith & Jones-3/5-a decent starter to the series and introduces us to the fab companion Martha Jones:)

The Shakespeare Code-3/5-a decent episode while not as good as the previous it still has a few effective scenes and the Carronites are creepy.

Gridlock-3/5-an average episode about an intargalactic traffic jam:)with a twist.

Daleks in Manhattan-3/5-a nice start to a two parter but it does drag on some scenes...the Daleks aren't as terrifying as they used to be but its great to see them...and that hybrid.

Evolution of the Daleks-4/5-a very good episode to say the least...very exciting and if you can get past the tacky American accents(the british can't master it...why not employ people from America)it is an enjoyable experience.

the Lazarus experiment-4/5-another very good episode that is very effective and moves along the main plot.

42-1/5-my least favourite episode...very dull and very boring.

Human Nature-5/5-an atmospheric opening to a great two parter...those scarecrows give me shudders...Martha shines again.

family of blood-5/5-the concluding part...may confuse some viewers,but nevertheless is a very good and effective concluding part to the storyline,Tennant once again proves why he is the BEST doctor.

Blink-4.5/5-Stephen Moffett writes a very effective story...one of the best episodes of series 3 without a doubt and one of my favourite episodes the weeping angels are very basic and terrifying,but it isn't Stephen at his best(overshadowed by the superior library two parter in series 4,and a footnote to Girl in the Fireplace),but what makes this rise above is the fact that it keeps making you think,and it hits you with a scare over and over,making it a tame slasher flick(of sorts),the supporting cast are fabulous,and although Tennant and Agyman are only in a few scenes they still manage to move the plot along which is why it stands out,and can easily understand why people say it is their favourite episode but i feel that there are a few superior episodes to this,but make no mistake...its extremely good.

Utopia*-5/5-another one of this series' greats and in my top ten list(#8) that sees the return of the fabulous capt.Jack Harkness:P:P there is some action...and an amazing script written by Russel T.Davies,we see the return of one of the doctors ultimate foes!!.
Derek Jacobi is very spine prickling when he turns around and then we just know he has transformed into the psycopathic Master...and god i love it!!!
the cast manage to shine,and the gritty harshness of the episode makes it very effective and this series greatest episodes...and certainly one of the gretest ever!!!

Sound of Drums-4.5/5-very good second part to the trilogy that moves the story along and is entertaining and contains plenty of action.

Last of the Timelords-4.5/5-the series final,genuinely great episode although the defeat of the master seems quite rushed it was fab acting all round and that is all that matters...Russel T.Davies has provided a fabulous finale (only beaten by the electifying/astounding/amazing/fantastic Journey's End!!!)it wraps up the series and proves just how 'big' a plot can be...BRING BACK THE MASTER!!!.

overall series 3 was a very good series form new Who and in a way is superior to the previous two series' of the show...Martha was fantastic on the show(and she makes a remarkable return in series 4 for 5 episodes).
wanting to get this on dvd along with series 4(the best series to date!!!).
so better than the previous two series' it has a lot to give here and there are a few great episodes in store...i recommend this series to everyone who loves sci-fi(also the astounding series 4).
fantastic.

For many years I`ve measured every successive Doctor against MY Doctor - Jon Pertwee - all after Tom Baker have paled in comparison until Christopher Eccleston and his "I`m The Doctor by the way ,now run for your life" in "Rose" the Series 1 opener.Throughout Series 2 I missed him but grew to appreciate the constant running ,even the whinyness of Chav-bird Rose became bearable (hated her btw) and of course the GREAT David Tennant who now owns the role thanks to this Great third series.
Highlights for me have been the fact that we escaped Catherine Tate for a year (yay!!) ,met The Judoon ,became reaquainted with Captain Jack and his possible "future self" The Face of Boe ,more Cat-people (Brannigan rocked man!) ,learnt just how the "last Dalek" originated (check series 1) and learnt just who Saxon was ,we got The Master back briefly and more of The Time War plus UNIT !.I loved the cliffhanger ending with "The Titanic" .
Low-lights - Catherine Tate as Donna (hated her shouting all the time - I kinda like Donna now a little in Series 4) , Martha (Freema Agyeman is just so wooden she`d have been better as a Tree in Series 1 LOL),the far too mannish and unconvincing Captain in "42" (Ripley did butch better in Aliens LOL),we lost The Face of Boe and still no Brigadier!
We`re still awaiting definitive info on The Time War though and was it Paul McGann that fought it ?It looked possible in the first few Christopher Ecceleston scenes in "Rose".

...ok, so I do love Doctor Who.
I love it for its dancing through everything from silliness, to high drama, to melodrama, to excellent sci-fi.
That is what you get in this box set.

While it may have some problems - the Dalek double-header being one of them (though my young nephew LOVES that episode, so who am I to argue?!) - it is overall still the best mainstream sci-fi you'll find available.

For me, Martha Jones never really made it as a Companion. She fell for the Doctor far too quickly and it overshadowed more or less everything else she did, and I personally didn't buy into it.
Her family was just as annoying.

It's also good to see Captain Jack back in his far more comfortable home in Doctor Who. While I love Torchwood I actually feel that Jack is one of it's weaker aspects, and he comes across a lot better when he's under the Doctor's orders.

All in all, some strong episodes, some weaker ones. But for all-round entertainment, you'll be hard pushed to beat Doctor Who.