Loops2112 I really enjoyed this episode, despite the technical TARDIS errors such as detailed by a few other people who've commented. I think we have to accept that this kind of programme is never going to be completely flawless and get on with it otherwise we just ruin our enjoyment - there's just too much history over the decades for it to be absolutely perfect.This episode saw the end of Rose and a brief interlude with Donna, the dippy yet feisty bride, picked up in error by the Doctor. Personally I found her to be quite good fun. I always found Rose to be a bit drippy and Donna certainly wasn't that. I know I'm in a minority here, but that's tough, I quite liked Donna - this could be because I haven't been living in the UK for a few years and as such haven't been subjected to a Catherine Tate overload like the rest of the population!The only problem I had with this episode was that it was supposed to be Christmas and was quite clearly shot in the middle of summer! But there you go, like I say, you can't have everything.

Theo Robertson After Catherine Tate appeared in the final episode of Doomsday fandom went in to meltdown as to her casting and led to the first murmurings that Russell T Davies should step down as executive producer . These rumblings were ridiculous and I was going to wait until after I saw her in the role of Donna Noble before passing judgment . After seeing her I thought Tate was okay in the role but The Runaway Bride was slightly less than an okay story One weakness is the rather univolving plot . It's one of those stories in which there's a lot of running around but not much else . There's also bits that didn't seem thought through very well such as the return of the killer santas ( Were they included just to show that it was a Christmas special ? ) or having the villain washed down a plug hole . As for the villain herself Sarah Parish was absolutely terrible and her performance ranks alongside those seen in the Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy eras . Why do normally capable thespians snarl and cackle like some pantomime dames in these type of roles ? Hopefully the little ones enjoyed this story than more critical adult fans of the show

23skidoo-4 Although by definition a Christmas special should be standalones, The Runaway Bride includes a lot of set-up for season 3, as well as some genuinely chilling moments.True, the action tends to get a bit comical at times, and Catherine Tate is extremely annoying for the first 1/3 of the episode, until she gets a chance to calm down; her final scenes are wonderful. Since Donna was never intended to be a permanent companion, it's hard to judge whether she would have passed muster. Maybe when the time comes for Martha Jones to leave the TARDIS, Donna Noble and Catherine Tate might be given another go.What got me about this episode was how it went from comical to action-packed to pitch black in tone within the space of minutes. The use of one name -- the Doctor's home planet, mentioned by name for the first time since the 1996 TV movie -- turned the episode into one of the darkest episodes of the new Doctor Who, while the use of another name gave it one of the new series' most poignant moments. On first viewing, The Runaway Bride is somewhat off-putting. Watch it a couple of times, though, and the layers begin to reveal themselves.

david-3827 I really cannot understand how anybody could regard this episode as anything but totally awful. It was thinly scripted and played far too much for laughs. One thing above all really stood out for me and that was that this Doctor seems to have little regard for anyone but himself and whoever his companion is. So why do I say this ? Remember the scene when he is running from the robot santas (yuk!) and they raise there weapons / instruments to fire, how does he escape ... by making the cash machine spit out lots of cash and hiding behind all the totally unaware, and apparently unimportant, passers-by who scramble for the money. I cannot imagine any of the previous Doctors behaving with such reckless disregard for the safety of others. I absolutely hated this episode.