Born Again by: Russell T. Davies and directed by: Euros Lyn

 

“Children in Need 2005” or “Born Again” stars David Tennant as the Doctor and Billie Piper as Rose Tyler.  It was written by: Russell T. Davies and directed by: Euros Lyn with Helen Raynor as Script Editor, Phil Collinson as Producer, and Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner as Executive Producers.  It was originally broadcast on Friday 18 November 2005 on BBC One.

 

“Born Again” was an oddity when it was broadcast as a mini-episode for Children in Need 2005.  It provided audiences with their first look of David Tennant as the Doctor, yet was written after the rest of the scripts for the second series of the revival and filmed during the third production block of that series, so Tennant would have had nine episodes under his belt in terms of production.  Russell T. Davies was also reluctant to write this episode and participate due to the previous Children in Need special, Dimensions in Time, amounting to a story that is nothing but references and cameos.  Luckily Julie Gardner convinced him to do it using The Five Doctors as an example of how a Children in Need special can work, although this was always intended to be a short mini-episode limited to be filmed as a bridge between Eccleston and Tennant on the TARDIS itself.  It’s one of the few Doctor Who episodes to have no on-screen title and direction was helmed by Euros Lyn who would helm the fourth production block of the second series.

 

“Born Again” is just an extended scene between the newly regenerated Doctor and a reluctant Rose.  Once again we are shot from Rose’s perspective like “Rose” did with opening the first series.  Davies focuses on Rose’s character, understandably believing that the regeneration she just saw to be some sort of transmat to an imposter, a Slitheen in a bodysuit being what she believes the Doctor to be.  What is interesting is while Davies has the Doctor convince Rose of his identity, the uncertainty of the situation is still there and the Doctor agrees to bring her home, the TARDIS crashing as our cliffhanger ending.  This decision is integral as it primes the audience for what is coming in the Christmas special broadcast just over a month from this mini-episode.  While Billie Piper is obviously great at portraying Rose’s uncertainty, David Tennant is also uncertain as the Doctor in a very calculated portrayal of the character, essentially a blank state as the personality of the character hasn’t established itself.  Tennant and Piper also have great chemistry with one another throughout.  Overall, “Born Again” while not being some brilliant piece of Doctor Who does exactly what it needs to do to introduce a taste of what David Tennant will be as the Doctor.  7/10.