What are Donna and The Doctor staring at? Has the Tardis left them behind? Has Rose re-appeared, sprouted wings and taken flight?



No, those are all silly suggestions. They're actually staring at Mount Vesuvius as it prepares to erupt, of course!

The Fires Of Pompeii
This week Doctor and The Donna land in AD79 (only 52 years after Jack's burial, eh?) in Pompeii, the day before the big blowout. The Doctor is keen to scarper straight away - although needless to say, events conspire against him - while Donna is determined that the pair do something to save the clueless townsfolk. There are guest stars aplenty in this episode, including Peter Capaldi (last seen as Sid's dead dad in Skins), Phil Davis and Tracey Childs.

The Sisterhood
This is Doctor Who, so it's not just as simple as a volcano blowing its top. The supernatural-tinged mystery involves a group of ladies known as the Sisterhood - no relation to those feline creatures from previous series - who have the ability to tell future events. For example, they know who the Doctor and Donna are, and they seem to know a bit about what's in store for them both too. As a cunning means of identification, members of the Sisterhood draw eyes on the backs of their hands then hold them up in front of their faces as if to represent ACTUAL eyes (see right). Genius, no?

Rose Again
There's no sign of Rose in this episode - but then again, there was no sign of her in the original cut of episode one provided to us press people, either. My guess is we'll see several more Rose cameos over the course of the series in the buildup to her return proper (episodes 11 to 13) but probably not again for a few weeks.

Who said what?
Here are some select quotes from the episode, with the obligatory blanks left in to keep you guessing. Add your guesses at the end of the column!

"A temple made of ****."
"Breathe deeply, remember what the ********** said."
"Doctor, *** ** ***u****g."
"We are building the ******, as dictated by the gods."
"Come with me."

What did you make of Rose's return? How is Catherine Tate doing this series? Click the link below to add your comments to this entry! If you have any questions for the column please use the link at the top of the page instead.

Don't forget to scroll down to read previous editions you may have missed!