There seems to be a lot of Tom Baker’s influence in what Eccleston gets up to in this two-parter, namely the sequence following the cliffhanger’s resolution, where he allows Margaret to continue chasing Rose and Harriet while standing nonchalantly in a lift, juxtaposed with the seriousness of “I could save the world but lose you.” Doctor Who is sometimes at its best when it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and this episode does a good job of balancing the serious threat of nuclear fallout and the comedic almost-incompetence of the Slitheen.

It’s a great plan and it would’ve worked, if not for those meddling kids.

Running down corridors, narrowly avoiding being chased by men in costumes in one shot, and pure CGI in another, is a little jarring but entirely understandable - those costumes don’t look easy to run in.

When did Mickey get so good with computers? Or manage to be so calm in a crisis? Perhaps that year of being under suspicion of murder gave him plenty of time to hone his skills? Still, it would’ve been nice to see hints of said skills in earlier episodes so it didn’t feel so completely out of the blue. At least we (but mainly Rose) are reminded that Mickey isn’t all that special compared to the Doctor a bit later on… Gherkins, pickled onions, pickled eggs, all being readily available in his kitchen, prompt the Doctor to wonder “YoU kIsS tHiS mAn!?” (I’d like to point out that Mickey had no idea where they were but Rose knew exactly what cupboard they were in, so maybe it’s not Mickey with the vinegary breath…)

I digress. There’s a lot of serious stuff going on amidst the farts and the vinegar, the discussion of blowing up Downing Street is some of the best character-centric stuff in the revival so far. The Doctor’s reluctance to cause more death, Rose’s blasé attitude to her own life/death, Jackie’s concern for her daughter, Mickey’s willingness to do whatever it takes- all these things come back later in the series, some more than others, but it’s a brilliant little scene to capture all their motivations in one go. Yet the star moment is Harriet’s- the only democratically elected person in the room. It rips the decision out of the Doctor’s hands and he is so relieved by it, and her statesmanship finally reminds him why he recognises her name.

It’s a little bit of a rushed conclusion to the threat- every single Slitheen in Britain being in one specific room right at the end so they can push the big red button together and out of their human-disguises because victory should be naked feels a bit convenient, but the shot of them all standing around looking gormless is fab.

The tone changes right at the end- Rose assuring her mum that they’ll be back in ten seconds, and Jackie counting those seconds hopefully, knowing deep down that they won’t be back, and very quickly being proven right- is a more sombre note than much of the rest of the episode, but it’s a wonderful (if short) exploration on what it’s like to be left behind like that.