Doctor Who tonight! One of the best episodes I have ever seen! Did you see it?

[LavendarGreen]

If you didn't see it, PLEASE get it on catch-up on BBC iplayer. It was about Rosa Parks, the activist in the civil rights movement in the 20th century (I'm sure you all knew that!) It was one of the most moving, well-written, brilliant episodes of anything I have ever seen.

So well acted, well written, and very educational. Brilliant, brilliant brilliant. Well done to all involved! Including Vinette Robinson who played Rosa.

Do watch it if you can. Excellent piece of television! I am soooooo loving Jodie Whittaker as Doctor Who!

Random fact, next year's world book day £1 book selection includes a new Malorie blackman too.

I love the idea that dr who - a time lord - should not go back in time.

I thought it was a bit heavy handed with the message but it is a kids show and needs to pitched at a level they can understand so I get why that is. Overall I enjoyed it but it’s not the best episode ever.

I'd forgotten that bit fenella. I don't think the writing was universally awful but there were some really terrible parts.

I'm with @FenellaMaxwellsPony. The lecture at the end was delivered exactly like a teacher to a class of eight year olds. Not sure whether it's the writing or JW's delivery but I'm not feeling this series at all. The companions are v wooden ( but to be fair I've thought that about most of them at the start.) Maybe they'll settle in.

I thought it was awful. Patronising White Saviourdom.

I thought it was awful. Patronising White Saviourdom
For all it’s faults that’s not fair. Rosa still acres of her own violation. She wasn’t encouraged or nudged to make her brave stand they just stopped the racist from putting obstacles in her way.

acted not acres

Took me a while to warm to it then at the end I had goosebumps and a lump in my throat.

brilliant, well writen, well acted. My only critism is crasco, the bad guy, they did't complete his story very well. Just as we were getting to the racism/white superiscy is an issue today/in the future hes zapped off in to soace and time, it just didnt seem very complete.

I absolutely would put in the same catogroy as tje van gogh episode, showing modern history with the inderstanding of now.

Those saying Doctor who sjouldnt be educational are forgetting the founding pronciables of the BBC educate, inform entertain, lord reith placed entertainment last on list. All programs should be educational or informative before tjey are entertaining.

Maybe thats what Doctor Who has done over the ladt 55 years got so good at entertaining people havent noticed the informative debate provoking element of the programme. I remember when the new series started back with RTD and Chris Ecc all those moons ago, RTD saying how important it was to provoke debate how for instance technolgy is piped in to our heads with bluetooth like divices in the cybermen episodes, how even people who started off good like Harriett Jones can abuse power, (how little words like dont you think sge looks tired can put an idea in to some ones head that brings down a prime minster) how reality TV and game shows dominate life and how far do they go in tje episodes leading up to chris regenration in to david. The 50th was about when is it justfied to commit a horendous act to end a war, even up to Peter capalidis speach to missy in his last episode about doing the right thing because its good and kind, its never been about sci fi escapism its always been about provoking something that leads to an infornative educational debate thats doctor who, if youve only been seeing the sci fi escapism you've missed a large part of what lies at the centre of thd programme .

Haven't got time to do the stats on this, but given the time David Tennant's Doctor alone spent with English school boys on the eve of WW1 and with trade unionists in the New York in the early 20th century and in 17th century Versailles, as well as with Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, Van Gogh and the inhabitants of Pompeii, I'd be surprised if the ratio for History: Other Planets was any less than 1:3. And plenty of didactic topics: pollution, traffic jams, trade unionism etc. Nobody seemed to notice or complain until it's Black History.

I watched the very first episode of Dr Who as an 8 year old and this series seems to have gone back to its roots for me. The stories on some of the more recent series had become so convoluted I just gave up. They have also dropped most of the loud, crashing background music which I hated.

It's a children's programme adults can enjoy now which is the way it started.

Patronising White Saviourdom.

Ahuh and it wasnt the blck charcter, ryan that ran along the bus route taking the signs down, it wasnt the black character that disposed of the bad guy, it wasnt the black character that moved the car out of the way so the bus could get through.

It wasnt the asisan character that made sure that Rosa eas on the bus, it wasnt the asian character that realised they were part of history and they got off the bus rosa wouldnt be asked to move no?

It wasnt the white campaion who in fact was the one going ok pets get off the bus and who cares if rosa isnt asked to move ....in fact it was the very oppisite of white saviourdom

My only critism is crasco, the bad guy, they did't complete his story very well
It’s not his story we don’t need to understand his motivations. He is racist like all other racists, because of fear and stupidity and because he needed a scapegoat for how their lives turned out. There didn’t need to be anything special about him. Extremists don’t have special back stories for their actions it’s always depressingly familiar.

Just because the target audience is apparently year 6, that's no excuse for shoddy writing and a poor plot line. Rosa Park is an extremely important part of 20th century US history and deserved better treatment.

When it was originally created it was supposed to be 50/50. That's why the early series alternate between a history episode then a sci-fi based one. It's part of the reason for its creation. Less so for the reboot, but there are still loads of history based episodes.

Either way he's a Time Lord in a bloody time machine. I know the Tardis sometimes has issues going where you want it to go, but if it never went back it would be a bit odd.

Every series has a historical episode. The Vincent van Gogh made me sob.

The only thing that hugely bothered me about the episode was how completely ignorant they were on leaving the tardis - the Doctor KNEW it was 1950s America and yet didn't warn Ryan & Yaz, nay, even seemed SURPRISED when they first encountered racism. No attempt at all made to modify clothes for the time, and no-one questioned that they looked out of place. The clothes bothered me less, but as the Doctor obviously knows the history there was no excuse for them all breezily walking out there without a second thought. That could have been a great opportunity to discuss the issues, but I guess it made a more powerful impact to see it - it just bothered me as an element of DW.

They never alter their clothes. I think it’s part of the Taedis that they can understand and look acceptable wherever they are

I think you're right about the showing being more important than telling. But that's what makes the bin scene all the weirder.

I loved the episode last night but I don’t like Jodie as DW at all.

AlbusPercival They used to, loads! Eccleston's series certainly, even Tennant in the 50s tv/coronation episode - I'm sure Bill and Capaldi did too, and Clara/Matt Smith definitely did. There was a whole thing about the Tardis wardrobe being well kitted out for every era.

Or at least tell them that they didn't need to, if they didn't - either way, like I said the clothes bothered me far less than the Doctor being all, "Right, off out we go then!" without a word of the social context and then acting surprised when they faced racism.

I really liked it. I was ready at the end, as soon as Bradley Walsh said he didn't want to be there / be a part of it. This is the episode that has really made me accept him as an actor and a good character, Not just think what's Bradley Walsh doing here?

I did think they ought to have been worried about where/when the bad guy is though and I'm sure he'll come back at some point this series.

The doctor has always been a bit oblivious to what might have an impact on their companions though. Dismissive of Martha and Bill when they were worried about racism in the past for example.

I liked the bin scene. I'm a white immigrant, and I've certainly had conversations with friends about things we've experienced. I can only imagine it's way worse for black and Asian people in the UK.

It’s not his story we don’t need to understand his motivations

Thats not what i meant at all i didnt say anything about his motivations or his back story i said his story wasnt FINISHED!

What he gets to be a racust dickhead but oh thats ok we'll just zap him in time and space and forget about him no reasoned arguement about why people shouldnt follow his behavior, no consequences for being a prejuice criminal yay Ryan zapoed him - only we cant zap all racists can we? Racists can carry on thinking their begaviour is ok cos hay its out of sight out of mimd cos ryan zapped him