Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth

I love the Silurians - I think they show the considerable potential of what a Doctor Who monster can be if the writer tries to make it more than just a Dalek/Cybermen rip-off. Sure, the realisation of the Silurians often left a lot to be desired. In their initial outing, their solid faces meant that the actors playing them had to emphasis their points and show emotion by jerking their heads around. This had the unfortunate effect of making the Silurians, with their strangled, indignant voices, look like an ugly old man having a spasm. And in their second outing, they'd let themselves go a bit. The Silurians became portly. Furthermore, they'd all had a red light grafted onto their forehead that flashed when they spoke - like they were aping Davros or something. And their voices had gone from strangled and indignant to robotic and constipated. If you ever wondered what a Cyberman would sound like if it tried to speak while having a dump (and heaven knows why you would), then watch Warriors of the Deep.

Yeah, they only appeared twice in the classic series. But they had a much bigger impact than that on fandom. Partly because they were such an interesting concept. Rather an alien species trying to invade the earth, they were the original owners of this planet who see humanity as invaders, or usurpers. Furthermore, their use of disease and nuclear power/weapons made them stand out from other monsters, who more often than not resort to mass invasion to overcome the earth. Doctor Who and the Silurians is a genuine classic - a surprisingly gritty tale, given the star is dressed like an Edwardian dandy and the enemies look like old men who've overdosed on botox and got some sort of head twitching condition. Warriors of the Deep was less convincing, partly because it was full of new romantics dressed in shiny boiler suits and partly because of the unstoppable dinosaur that was actually, to all intents an purposes, a pantomime horse. But even that had the decency to be a tense story without a happy ending. The Silurians, and the adventures containing them, were an example of Doctor Who stretching its format.

Which is why they should fit in perfectly with this season of Doctor Who which has, barring Victory of the Daleks, seen the show raising its game in every conceivable way. I looked forward to The Hungry Earth with one reservation, and one reservation alone. The writer.

Chris Chibnall has experience of writing not just Doctor Who stories, but also Torchwood. Unfortunately, his Torchwood adventures were fast-paced stories that not only failed to stand up to close analysis, but to any analysis - however superficial - whatsoever. And his previous Doctor Who story, Series 3's 42, was in the same vein - fast moving and gimmicky, but in desperate need of a truly convincing plot. Don't get me wrong, Chibnall's not a bad writer. But in order for him to do well at reinventing the Silurians for a new century, he would have to write against type and in a more thoughtful way that he has shown thus far. If anything, I'd rather have seen him writing the cheerful yet empty Victory of the Daleks, while Gatiss got the story about the monsters under the ground resurfacing to claim their planet.

So how was it? What to make of Silurians 2010?

Well, the episode was Chibnall trying to do a Moffatt. And you know what? He wasn't too bad at it. The scene where Amy was abducted was moving, the moment where the Doctor realised someone was drilling up was pure Moffatt twist (but nowhere near as effective) and the scenes revolving around the seize of the church were very effective. All in all, this was a diverting episode where Chibnall raised his game.

But... the problem is that this is meant to be a Silurian story. It is meant to be about a non-human species with a legitimate claim on planet Earth. The Silurians here could have been any monster. The Weeping Angels. The Cybermen. Pretty much any enemy you could mention. Sure, there was a rousing speech from the Doctor about why those non-humans should be respected rather than just fought, but we didn't see why. We were just told. The Silurians themselves were represented by a fanatic, and someone preparing to cut Amy's (who was criminally underused by the way) chest open. The casual viewer is probably struggling to understand the Doctor's faith in and commitment to the Silurians.

Sure, Chibnall offered little moments for the fans - like "there will be no battle here today" -but in his presentation of the Silurians, he seems to have missed a trick. They were presented purely as a threat, rather than someone the audience could sympathise with. Maybe that will change in the second episode - I certainly hope so. But the very fact that the episode cliffhanger was the revelation that there is a whole civilisation under the ground merely emphasised the Silurian as Monster of the Week motif.

This story can either go two ways now. It could turn into a base under seige story, where those left in the church slowly get closer and closer to fulfilling the Silurian's prophecy and committing murder. Or it could be a rehash of the previous Silurian stories - and, while we're on the subject, The Sea Devils - and instead have the Doctor trying and failing to broker a peace deal with the original rulers of earth. I hope it is the former - based on the trailer after the episode, I fear it will be the latter.

But in one sense - in one crucial sense - Chibnall's episode worked. Because I genuinely cannot wait to find out what happens in Cold Blood.