DVD review: Doctor Who the Complete Fourth Series

Christmas season is as good a time as any to start watching the fourth series of the modern Doctor Who. The madcap David Tennant plays the Doctor, who finds himself spending Christmas aboard the Titanic. But it’s not the classic doomed ship: Someone has remade the vessel as a themed space cruise. Apparently those on board don’t fear the history, but the Doctor discovers this Titanic too is meant to destroy itself. Kylie Minogue guest-stars as Astrid, a waitress aboard the ship who dreams of seeing the galaxy.

As the season proper begins, Donna Noble (Catherine Tate), who first aided the Doctor in the “Runaway Bride” Christmas special in season three, returns as a full-time companion for the Doctor. But while Rose and Martha Jones, previous companions in the relaunched Doctor Who series, grew romantically attached to the Doctor, Donna’s just a friend – something the characters make a point of telling nearly everyone they meet.

The Doctor and Donna see the fall of Pompeii, meet Agatha Christie, and of course travel to far-off planets and times. Overall, Tennant shows why he’s especially suited for the wisecracking, 900-year-old Time Lord, and it’s too bad he’s announced this full season will be his last. The Steven Moffatt-written two-parter, “Silence in the Library” and “the Forest of the Dead” make up the best episodes of the season.